Plasma arc refuse disintegrator

Claim 2

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein, including: i. opposed electrodes mounted therein; and ii. means for controlling electrode gap adjustment and operation for an optimum plasma arc and plasma zone temperatures; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; and E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere.

Claim 3

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc thErein, including: i. opposed electrodes extending thereinto; ii. energizing means for said electrodes; and iii. electrode drive units for moving said electrodes to appropriate spacing in said section and with respect to one another to effect an optimum efficient plasma arc therebetween; C. high temperature infra-red pryometers controlling electrode operation and plasma zone temperatures in said reactor section; D. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; E. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; and F. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere.

Claim 4

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc thErein, including: i. opposed electrodes extending thereinto; ii. energizing means for said electrodes; and iii. electrode drive units for moving said electrodes to appropriate spacing in said section and with respect to one another to effect an optimum efficient plasma arc therebetween; C. high temperature infra-red pryometers controlling electrode operation and plasma zone temperatures in said reactor section; D. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; E. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; and F. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere.

Claim 5

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein, including: i. opposed electrodes extending thereinto; ii. energizing means for said electrodes; and iii. electrode drive units for moving said electrodes to appropriate spacing in said section and with respect to one another to effect an optimum efficient plasma arc therebetween; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; D. means for flowing jets of preheated air counter-currently across the floor of said reactor to effect increased turbulence and mixing and add to retention time of refuse being burned therein; E. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; and F. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere.

Claim 6

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein, including: i. opposed electrodes extending thereinto; ii. energizing means for said electrodes; and iii. electrode drive units for moving said electrodes to appropriate spacing in said section and with respect to one another to effect an optimum efficient plasma arc therebetween; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; D. means for flowing jets of preheated air counter-currently across the floor of said reactor to effect increased turbulence and mixing and add to retention time of refuse being burned therein; E. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; and F. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere.

Claim 7

A refuse disintegrator as claimed in claim 3, wherein said electrodes are mounted parallel to the axis of the reactor and hot gas moved against the refuse by preheated air inlets which create the plasma.

Claim 8

A refuse disintegrator as claimed in claim 3, said electrodes being mounted at right angles with respect to the reactor and refuse passing therethrough is passed directly beneath the arc created by the electrodes.

Claim 9

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere; and F. said discharge means from said reactor section comprising a slag receptacle, an opening intercommunicating the interior of the reactor secondary section and said slag receptacle, controllable shutoff gate means for operatively opening or closing said gate means, and cooling water means for cooling said gate means and quenching slag and ash passing therethrough.

Claim 10

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration therein by said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere; and F. said discharge means from said reactor section comprising a slag receptacle, an opening intercommunicating the interior of the reactor secondary section and said slag receptacle, controllable shutoff gate means for operatively opening or closing said gate means, and cooling water means for cooling said gate means and quenching slag and ash passing therethrough.

Claim 11

A refuse disintegrator as claimed in claim 6, said gate means including refractory lined water cooled rams recessed in the base and walls of said secondary section and being movable to opening and closing positions of the opening therefrom into said slag receptacle, said rams adapted to meet at the end of their strokes to form a seal and minimize air leakage into the heat zone, said rams being operable upon closing to force residue toward said opening for discharge into said slag receptacle.

Claim 12

A refuse disintegrator as claimed in claim 7, including a slag chute intercommunicating said opening and said slag receptacle, a slag ram movably disposed to open and close the bottom end of said chute, said ram adapted to receive on the upper surface thereof residue from said chute and being movable to eject residue from said slag receptacle, slag conveyor means at the outlet of said slag receptacle for receipt of slag impelled therefrom by said ram, water cooling means for said ram and cooling liquid injection means for selectively injecting cooling liquid onto slag in said slag receptacle when disposed on the upper surface of said ram.

Claim 13

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration thereby said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere; and F. said secondary section including a plurality of internal opposed baffles defining therebetween a tortuous path for gases emitted from said reactor section, means for injecting cooling air into said secondary section to effect a cooling of such gas and means for injecting a water spray into said secondary section for further cooling of gases and precipitation of minute residue particles therein, and means for draining said water from said section.

Claim 14

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration thereby said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere; and F. said secondary section including a plurality of internal opposed baffles defining therebetween a tortuous path for gases emitted from said reactor section, means for injecting cooling air into said secondary section to effect a cooling of such gas and means for injecting a water spray into said secondary section for further cooling of gases and precipitation of minute residue particles therein, and means for draining said water from said section.

Claim 15

A refuse disintegrator as claimed in claim 3, including means for introducing an alkaline material solution into the area of plasma arc and plasma air jets, the alkaline injection material and pollutants being combined and precipitating into granules for removal along with slag and other non-combustibles remaining after refuse combustion.

Claim 16

A refuse disintegrator as claimed in claim 10, including monitoring means for exhaust gases operatively controlling flow of alkaline injection material into the plasma arc area to control pollutant emission by enhanced acid neutralization and material precipitation.

Claim 17

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration there by said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere; and F. said refuse feeder including a storage bin adapted to receive raw refuse, gate means operable to open or close the base of said bin for selective periodic discharge of refuse therefrom, a feed chute disposed below said bin adapted for receipt of refuse therein, said feed chute opening at one end thereof into said reactor section, a feed ram movable in said feed chute and operable to force compacted refuse into said reactor chamber, said ram controlling, in its movement, opening and closing of said gate in said bin.

Claim 18

A refuse disintegrator comprising: A. a reactor section; B. means in said reactor section for creating a plasma arc therein; C. a refuse feeder for feeding refuse into said reactor for thermal disintegration there by said plasma arc; D. discharge means from said reactor section for discharging residue remaining following the thermal disintegration; E. a secondary section subsequent to said reactor section to receive gases and waste heat from said reactor section and treat the gases for removal of residue particles carried thereby and to cool said gases for emission of clean and cooled air into the atmosphere; and F. said refuse feeder including a storage bin adapted to receive raw refuse, gate means operable to open or close the base of said bin for selective periodic discharge of refuse therefrom, a feed chute disposed below said bin adapted for receipt of refuse therein, said feed chute opening at one end thereof into said reactor section, a feed ram movable in said feed chute and operable to force compacted refuse into said reactor chamber, said ram controlling, in its movement, opening and closing of said gate in said bin.