Thermal incineration air pollution control device

Claim 1

A THERMAL INCINERATION AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DEVICE FOR HEATING A MIXTURE OF AIR AND GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS TO THE AUTO-IGNITION TEMPERATURES OF THE HYDROCARBONS COMPRISING: A. A HOUSING B. A MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING AT ONE END DIVIDING THE LENGTH OF SAID HOUSING INTO AN ELONGATED U-SHAPED PASSAGEWAY HAVING A BASE AND LEG PORTIONS EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID PASSAGEWAY ADAPTED TO BE COMMUNICATED AT BOTH ENDS WITH AN INLET AND DISCHARGE DUCT THROUGH WHICH SAID GASES FLOW; C. FIRST VALVE MEANS IN SAID HOUSING DIRECTING SAID GASES FROM SAID INLET DUCT ALTERNATELY INTO EITHER END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY AND ALTERNATELY FROM THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY INTO SAID DISCHARGE DUCT; D. A HEAT SOURCE IN SAID OPENING MIDWAY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID PASSAGEWAY AND DIVIDING SAID PASSAGEWAY INTO FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS; E. HEAT ABSORBING MEANS AT THE ENDS OF EACH CHAMBER AND SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED FROM SAID HEAT SOURCE TO PROVIDE A COMBUSTION CHAMBER ON EACH SIDE OF SAID HEAT SOURCE BETWEEN SAID HEAT SOURCE AND THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID HEAT-ABSORBING MEANS; F. MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY ACTUATING SAID VALVE MEANS AND REVERSING THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF GASES FROM SAID DUCTS TO SAID PASSAGEWAY WHEREBY GASES MOVING TOWARD SAID HEAT SOURCE ARE PREHEATED FROM HEAT FROM SAID HEAT-ABSORBING MEANS AND GASES FLOWING FROM SAID HEAT SOURCE HEAT THE OTHER HEAT-ABSORBING MEANS TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE; G. SAID ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE TEMPERATURE SENSING PROBE IN EACH SAID PASSAGEWAY AND DRIVE MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID VALVE MEANS WHEN SAID TEMPERATURE PROBE REACHES A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE WHEREBY THE DIRECTION, OF FLOW OF GASES THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY IS REVERSED AND H. PRESSURE SENSING MEANS IN WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID TEMPERATURE PROBES, SAID PRESSURE SENSING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS OVERRIDING SAID TEMPERATURE SENSING MEANS WHEN THE FLOW OF HYDROCARBONS THROUGH SAID HEATABSORBING MEANS REACHES A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE DROP THEREBY TEMPORARILY PREVENTING REVERSAL OF FLOW THROUGH SAID PASSAGEWAY.