Combustor and method of eliminating odors using the same

Claim 1

A lightweight, relatively inexpensive combustor comprising an elongated cylindrical stack open at the upstream end to allow entry of noxious odorous materials and at the downstream end to allow the burned gases to exit; an effluent combustion tube also open at each end and housed within said stack, said tube defining a primary burner zone and a secondary combustion zone and having openings formed therein at said secondary combustion zone for allowing the passage of air through said tube into said secondary combustion zone at an angle of approximately 90* to the flow of gases within said secondary combustion zone; burner means within said stack defining said primary burner zone and including means for injecting a combustible fuel and air into said primary burner zone to form a fuel-air mixture means for injecting air between said stack and said tube, said primary burner zone including an expansion zone wherein said fuel-air mixture is formed, a plurality of radially extending inclined swirl blades located in said burner means downstream from said expansion zone which impart a swirling motion to said fuel-air mixture as it flows through openings formed between said blades and, located immediately downstream from said swirl blades and immediately upstream from said secondary combustion zone, a primary combustion chamber in which said swirling fuel-air mixture is ignited and from which said ignited fuel-air mixture moves into said secondary combustion zone; and means for allowing said noxious odorous materials entering said upstream end of said stack to pass through said effluent combustion tube, around said primary burner zone, and into said secondary combustion zone wherein said noxious odorous materIals ignite upon coming into contact with said ignited fuel-air mixture and are completely burned before exiting out said downstream end of said stack.