Solid waste incinerator

Claim 2

An incinerator comprising a housing enclosing a combustion chamber, an access cover for loading the chamber with solid combustibles, and means for sealing the cover during the operating cycle, heating means external of the chamber, primary air inlet means to the chamber, a first blower means associated with the chamber for both recirculating a blast of air within the chamber and for discharging a portion of the air from the chamber to a fly ash separator means, and a preheater means for receiving the air discharged from the separator means and raising the thereof, tereof, the air passing from the preheater means to the said external heating means and then re-entering the combustion chamber at a high temperature to ignite the solid combustibles, an afterburner means associated with the external heating means for receiving some of the discharge from the said heating means, flamebox means downstream of the afterburner to complete the combustion of any volatiles that might remain in the air, and an exhaust blower means associated with the flamebox for discharging the air stream to the atmosphere.

Claim 3

An incinerator as recited in claim 1 with a third blower means for passing a stream of secondary air over a portion of the walls forming the combustion chamber, said secondary air being introduced to the said afterburner to assist in supporting combustion and oxidizing the combustibles in the air stream entering from the external heating means.

Claim 4

An incinerator as recited in claim 2 with an ambient air inlet means to the flamebox for introducing a supply of tertiary air to further oxidize the combustibles therein and extinguish all flames before the air stream is drawn through the said exhaust blower means.

Claim 5

An incinerator comprising an outer housing enclosing a combustion chamber formed by a drum-like container with a removable cover for loading the container with solid combustibles, means for sealing the cover to the container during the operating cycle, heating means external of the chamber, primary air inlet means into the chamber, double blower means associated with the chamber for directing a blast of primary air back into the combustion chamber as well as for discharging a portion of the primary air from the chamber, a fly ash separator means downstream of the discharge of the double blower means, the said heating means being downstream of the fly ash separator means for raising the temperature of the air, an air reentry means from the heating means to the combustion chamber for igniting the solid combustibles in a closed heating cycle, and an afterburner associated with the heating means for bleeding off a portion of the air from the heating means, and a second blower means for passing a stream of secondary air around a portion of the incinerator combustion chamber for restricting the maximum temperature thereof, said secondary air being introduced to the afterburner for oxidizing the combustibles in the exhaust gases passing therethrough, and an exhaust means from the afterburner to the atmosphere.

Claim 6

An incinerator comprising an outer housing enclosing a combustion chamber formed by a drum-like container with a removable cover for loading the container with solid combustibles, means for sealing the cover to the container during the operating cycle, heating means external of the chamber, primary air inlet means into the chamber, double blower means associated with the chamber for directing a blast of primary air back into the combustion chamber as well as for discharging a portion of the primary air from the chamber, a fly ash separator means downstream of the discharge of the double blower means, the said heating means being downstream of the fly ash separator means for raising the temperature of the air, an air reentry means from the heating means to the combustion chamber for igniting the solid combustibles in a closed heating cycle, and an afterburner associated with the heating means for bleeding off a portion of the air from the heating means, and a second blower means for passing a stream of secondary air around a portion of the incinerator combustion chamber for restricting the maximum temperature thereof, said secondary air being introduced to the afterburner for oxidizing the combustibles in the exhaust gases passing therethrough, and an exhaust means from the afterburner to the atmosphere.

Claim 7

An incinerator as recited in Claim 4 with a preheater means interposed between the fly ash separator means and the heating means for assisting in raising the temperature of the exhaust gases before they are returned to the combustion chamber.

Claim 8

An incinerator as recited in claim 4 with a flamebox interposed downstream of the afterburner, and an ambient air inlet means in the flamebox to introduce tertiary air to further oxidize the combustibles in the flamebox and extinguish all flames, and an exhaust blower means downstream of the flamebox for exhausting the flamebox to the atmosphere.

Claim 9

An incinerator for solid combustibles comprising an outer box-like housing enclosing a combustion chamber formed by an inner liner and a top-opening access cover, sealing means for rendering the cover substantially airtight, air heating means external of the inner liner for heating the outflow from the combustion chamber and returning it to the combustion chamber for igniting the solid combustible load, a controlled primary air inlet means in the combustion chamber including a normally closed temperature-responsive damper at inner combustion chamber temperatures below a temperature somewhere between 600* F. and 900* F. so that the initial operation of the incinerator is in an oxygen-starved condition so as to have controlled combustion and avoid backfires.

Claim 10

An incinerator for solid combustibles comprising an outer box-like housing enclosing a combustion chamber formed by an inner liner and a top-opening access cover, sealing means for rendering the cover substantially airtight, air heating means external of the inner liner for heating the outflow from the combustion chamber and returning it to the combustion chamber for igniting the solid combustible load, a controlled primary air inlet means in the combustion chamber including a normally closed temperature-responsive damper at inner combustion chamber temperatures below a temperature somewhere between 600* F. and 900* F. so that the initial operation of the incinerator is in an oxygen-starved condition so as to have controlled combustion and avoid backfires.

Claim 11

An incinerator for solid conbustibles as recited in claim 7 with a recirculating blower means associated with the combustion chamber for circulating a blast of primary air within the combustion chamber.

Claim 12

An incinerator for solid combustibles as recited in claim 8 wherein the said recirculating blower means also has a partial discharge of the primary air representing the said outflow from the combustion chamber, a fly ash separator means for receiving this outflow, the said air heating means being downstream of the fly ash separator means for receiving the discharge therefrom, and an afterburner downstream of the air heating means for receiving a portion of the air flow therefrom, and a second blower means associated with the afterburner for introducing secondary air into the afterburner for oxidizing the gaseous combustibles in the primary air passing therethrough, and an exhaust means from the afterburner to the atmosphere.

Claim 13

An incinerator for solid combustibles as recited in claim 9 wherein the said exhaust means includes a flamebox downstream of the afterburner for receiving the discharge therefrom, and a third blower means associated with the flamebox for introducing tertiary air into the flamebox and completing the combustion of any volatiles in the air before it passes back into the atmosphere.

Claim 14

An incinerator for solid combustibles as recited in claim 10 wherein the said three blower means are driven by a single motor drive.

Claim 15

A domestic incinerator for solid combustibles comprising an outer box-like housing enclosing a combustion chamber formed by an inner liner and a top-opening access cover, sealing means for rendering the cover substantially airtight, a controlled primary air inlet means for the combustion chamber including a temperature responsive damper that is normally closed at inner combustion chamber temperatures below about 600* F. so that the initial operation of the incinerator is in an oxygen-starved condition so as to have controlled combustion and avoid backfires, a first blower means downstream of the air inlet means for recirculating a blast of air within the combustion chamber, said blower means also discharging a portion of the air from within the combustion chamber, a fly ash separator downstream of this blower discharge, an electric heating means downstream of the fly ash separator for raising the temperature of the air above about 1,400* F., and hot air return means from the heating means to the combustion chamber for igniting the solid combustibles therein, and an afterburner means associated with the heating means for receiving a portion of the air flow thRough the heating means, and a second blower means for passing a stream of secondary air over a portion of the combustion chamber for restricting the maximum external temperatures of the housing, said secondary air then being introduced into the afterburner means for oxidizing the combustibles in the primary air passing therethrough, and a third suction blower means downstream of the afterburner means for exhausting the products of combustion to the atmosphere.

Claim 16

A domestic incinerator for solid combustibles comprising an outer box-like housing enclosing a combustion chamber formed by an inner liner and a top-opening access cover, sealing means for rendering the cover substantially airtight, a controlled primary air inlet means for the combustion chamber including a temperature responsive damper that is normally closed at inner combustion chamber temperatures below about 600* F. so that the initial operation of the incinerator is in an oxygen-starved condition so as to have controlled combustion and avoid backfires, a first blower means downstream of the air inlet means for recirculating a blast of air within the combustion chamber, said blower means also discharging a portion of the air from within the combustion chamber, a fly ash separator downstream of this blower discharge, an electric heating means downstream of the fly ash separator for raising the temperature of the air above about 1,400* F., and hot air return means from the heating means to the combustion chamber for igniting the solid combustibles therein, and an afterburner means associated with the heating means for receiving a portion of the air flow thRough the heating means, and a second blower means for passing a stream of secondary air over a portion of the combustion chamber for restricting the maximum external temperatures of the housing, said secondary air then being introduced into the afterburner means for oxidizing the combustibles in the primary air passing therethrough, and a third suction blower means downstream of the afterburner means for exhausting the products of combustion to the atmosphere.

Claim 17

A domestic incinerator for solid combustibles as recited in claim 12 with a flamebox interposed between the afterburner means and the suction blower means, and an ambient air inlet opening in the flamebox for introducing tertiary air into the flamebox to further oxidize the combustibles in the air therein, as well as to extinguish all flames and cool down the exhaust.

Claim 18

A domestic incinerator for solid combustibles as recited in claim 13 with an electric preheater means interposed between the fly ash separator and the said heating means for raising the temperature of the air discharging from the fly ash separator means to about 1,000* F. before it passes onto the main heating means.

Claim 19

A domestic electric incinerator for solid combustibles as recited in claim 14 wherein the said three blower means have a common drive means.