Abstract: A method of multi-stage combustion of sulfur and nitrogen-bearing coal which provides high combustion efficiency while preventing formation of sulfur- and nitrogen-bearing air pollutants. In the first stage, a major fraction of the hydrocarbons is burned out of the fuel [stage (1a)] at high temperature and the sulfur bound in the coal is freed therefrom and is then captured by reaction with a solid basic compound such as limestone [stage (1b)] at relatively low temperature. In stage 2 the remaining hydrocarbons in the fuel are burned out, and the residual mixture of coal ash and calcium-sulfur compounds is melted, encapsulating the sulfur in the molten slag, and a major portion of the molten compounds is removed from the gas stream. In stage 3, oxidation of CO and H.sub.2 is almost entirely completed and combustion gases are substantially cooled by heat transfer to the working medium. In stage 4, combustion is finally completed in excess air.

Abstract: An incinerator system is built up of an air-permeable base (2), an outer wall (3) extending uprightly therefrom and a front or first furnace (4) and a rear or second furnace (5) set up thereon. The first and second furnaces are each in a vertically extending, cylindrical form and are connected with each other through first, second, third and fourth fume guide pipes (6) to (9), arranged from below, thereby assuring that refuse or trash can be incinerated and maintaining the outer wall at a temperature safe enough to allow access to it.

Abstract: The present invention includes four chambers for containing refuse, a porous membrane at least partially enclosing the chambers, and a housing enclosing the porous membrane and the chambers. Combustion fuel is supplied to the porous membrane so that surface combustion takes place at the surface of the porous membrane facing the chamber for burning the refuse contained in the chamber. Electrical means may also be employed to provide combustion of the refuse. Safety features include pressure feed-back means for monitoring and regulating the pressure within the apparatus and temperature feed-back means for monitoring and regulating the temperature within the apparatus. A particle bin is positioned below the chamber for receiving burned particles from the chamber. The gases generated from the burning refuse is collected and pumped through a super heating and purifying chamber (eliminated all hazardous affluent) and into the boiler type heat exchanger and thereby producing steam for electrical generation.

Abstract: A system for the controlled safe shutdown of a hazardous waste incinerator upon loss of power. The system includes a primary combustion chamber and a secondary combustion chamber, a gas treatment system, and two standby power sources. One standby power source is available immediately for elements that cannot be shut down even for a second. The other standby power source is a heavy duty generator that takes a short time to get up to speed but is used to power elements that can be allowed to coast for a short time without causing damage to the equipment or the environment. The system includes an uninterruptable power source connected to continue supplying heat and air to the secondary combustion chamber and prevent opening an emergency vent stack cap and thereby prevent the unwanted discharge of gas from the system.

Abstract: A pellet burning heating device (20) designed to operate at a combustion efficiency of about 90-98% (based on the oxygen-derived combustion efficiency formula), and to emit exhaust gases having a carbon monoxide concentration, by volume, of about 0.04% or less, which device does not incorporate a fan system for introducing combustion air into, or extracting exhaust gases from, the stove. High combustion efficiency and clean burning are accomplished by providing a plurality of apertures (130, 132) in the burn pot (120) of the device having a predetermined size, number, and placement. The heating device (20) also includes an aperture (200) which provides a wash of relatively cool air to the inside surface of the window in order to reduce carbon deposits. A shaker (160) located in the burn pot (120) provides a heat sink which helps to increase the efficiency of the heating device.

Abstract: A process for rendering usable disposal products is described, in which unsorted pollutant-containing industrial, domestic and/or special refuse undergoes a high temperature treatment. Accompanied by the entraining of existing liquid fractions and while maintaining its mixed and combined structure, the disposal product is compressed batchwise to compact packs. While maintaining the pressure action it is subsequently positively introduced into a channel heated to over 100.degree. C. and is kept in sliding, non-positive contact with the channel walls until the initially present liquids are evaporated and mechanical restoring forces of individual disposal product components are eliminated. The entrained organic constituents at least partly assume a binder function. The shape and structurally stable, lumpy solid conglomerate forced out of the channel in this state is introduced into a high temperature reactor maintained at at least 1000.degree. C. and forms therein a gas-permeable bed.

Abstract: An incinerator for disposing of a syringe needle having a first pair of electrical contacts adapted to connect a source of electricity at approximately opposed positions across the width of the syringe needle such that the electricity will flow across the width between the positions for welding and sealing the needle, and a second pair of electrical contacts adapted to connect a source of electricity to flow across a portion of the length of the syringe needle for incineration of said portion. The present invention ensures that the end of the needle is completely sealed, i.e., sufficiently sealed to prevent any possible leakage of harmful quantities of fluid.

Abstract: A plasma arc torch is used as an independent heat source in an enclosed reactor vessel to gasify municipal solid waste and produce a medium quality gas and an inert monolithic slag having substantially lower toxic element leachability. The gas has lower levels of metals and semi-volatile organic compounds, particularly dioxins and furans. Other materials may also be gasified, for example, coal, wood and peat.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling and providing guidance in reducing the level of NO.sub.x emissions based on controllable combustion parameters and model calculations while maintaining satisfactory plant performance and not causing other harmful consequences to the furnace. To implement such a system, boiler control values of flow, pressure, temperature, valve and damper positions in addition to emission sensors for data associated with the production of NO.sub.x, O.sub.2, CO, unburned carbon and fuel. This information is received from standard sensors located throughout a boiler which are connected either to a distributed control system (DCS), or another data acquisition system which is time coordinated with the DCS. The DCS passes this information to a computing device which then processes the information by model based optimization simulation programs, also referred to as the NO.sub.x Emissions Advisor.

Abstract: According to this invention, a gas supply apparatus includes a bomb, a mass flow controller, a valve, and a heating means. The bomb is filled with a liquid gas. The mass flow controller controls a flow rate of an evaporated gas supplied from the bomb to supply the liquid gas having a vapor pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure to a vacuum vessel evacuated at a predetermined degree of vacuum through a long pipe. A valve is arranged between the bomb and the mass flow controller and performs supply/interruption of the gas flowing into the mass flow controller. A heater heats the mass flow controller, the valve, and a pipe for connecting the mass flow controller and the valve.

Abstract: A water to fuel electrolysis system for providing hydrogen and oxygen gases to a steam boiler for the production of heat and steam.

Abstract: A unique valve mechanism for opening and closing inlet, outlet, and purge valves in a regenerative incinerator is disclosed. The valves are mechanically opened and closed by a cam arrangement which insures proper timing, and optimal volume flow through the valves during each cycle. Further, a method of the present invention begins the purge mode while the inlet valve is opened, and completes it after the outlet valve has opened. This reducing the required time for each cycle of operation.

Abstract: The firing rate and the feedwater flow rate of a universal pressure boiler are controlled using a cascaded steam temperature control system. The secondary superheater outlet temperature comprises an outer loop for the control system, while the convection pass outlet temperature comprises an inner loop for the control system. Control variables for the system include the secondary superheater outlet temperature, the convection pass outlet temperature and the difference between the primary superheater outlet temperature and the secondary superheater inlet temperature.

Abstract: A water brake which uses mechanical power to kinetically heat water to vapor or steam, and use thereof as a steam generator or cooling water conserving dynamometer or motion retarder. In the simplest embodiment, radial impeller vanes (5b) throw water against stator vanes (6e), whence the water rebounds to the impeller (5). The peripheral rebounding movement continues back and forth. Power dissipates as heat in the water causing the water to increase in temperature and to vaporize. The vapor, being lower in density and viscosity than is the water, flows to and out a central outlet (9) while the denser water is centrifugally separated from the vapor and retained in the peripheral rebounding motion. Water leaving as vapor is continually replaced through a cooling water inlet (8), allowing continuous operation over wide ranges of speed, torque, power, and steam generation rates, both at steady state and at controlled rates of change.

Abstract: An integral circulating fluidized bed steam generation system having a particle separator which is formed by the membrane walls of the reactor chamber. The particle separator has a serpentine configuration which includes a first turn which is capable of causing the solid particles in the flue gas to move toward the rear membrane wall and a second turn which is capable of causing smaller sized solid particles and the flue gas to be disposed between the front membrane wall and the larger sized solid particles wherein the flue gas passes through the solid particles to a discharge conduit which is disposed within the rear membrane wall and wherein the smaller sized solid particles are retained between the front membrane wall and the larger sized solid particles. The particle separator also includes a means for recycling the solid particles from the particle separator to the reactor chamber.

Abstract: In a furnace (boiler) installation where oxides of nitrogen are to be reduced to elemental nitrogen by treatment with a reactant such as a solution of urea, the desired amount of reactant (dependent on furnace specifics) is determined by comparing the fluorescent light intensity of a sample of the treating solution to the fluorescent light intensity of a calibration standard representing the desired amount of reactant concentration; in the case of non-comparison the concentration of reactant in the treating solution is altered until the intensities are substantially identical.

Abstract: A water heater includes a base formed in a board, a control device disposed on the base, a vessel fixed to the board and connected to the base, and a heater disposed in the vessel for heating the water contained in the vessel. The water heater occupies a small volume and includes a simplified structure such that the manufacturing cost of water heater can be greatly reduced.

Abstract: A soot blower assembly having a horizontally elongate steam supply tube disposed in cantilevered relationship and having a steam discharge opening at the free end, and a horizontally elongate steam discharge lance telescoped axially over the supply tube. The lance has a rear support hub which exteriorly surrounds the steam supply tube, and a seal-bearing arrangement is mounted within the hub for cooperation with the steam supply tube to permit the lance to move both axially and rotatably relative to the steam supply tube. The seal-bearing arrangement includes an axially elongate bearing sleeve which is mounted on the hub and has an inner bearing surface for rotative bearing engagement with the steam tube. This bearing sleeve is preferably constructed of bronze of similar bearing material, and is axially split to compensate for temperature-induced variations.

Abstract: A single unit, shell and tube fume incinerator utilizes a vacuum baffle (34) structure proximate a combustion zone (24) to control the flow of combustion exhaust gas. The vacuum baffle (34) is located slightly above the hot ends of a plurality of heat exchange tubes (20) to deflect the hot exhaust gases from the combustion zone (24) away from the ends of the tubes (20), and back to the outside of the tubes (20), thereby controlling the "time at temperature" for contaminants in the impure gas feed. A vacuum effect is created just below the baffle (34) to draw cleansed exhaust below the baffle (34) back up into the combustion zone (24) to prevent the escape of impure gas.

Abstract: A water tube boiler comprises a furnace having a burner and a vertical flue gas stack located to one side of the furnace. A convection tube assembly is arranged in the stack for the recovery of heat from flue gases passing through the flue gas stack. With the object of facilitating any repair work needing to be performed on the convection tube assembly, the tube assembly comprises by a plurality of parallel rows of vertical convection tubes which are provided externally with surface enlarging elements e.g. in the form of pins, along part of the height of each tube. The tubes in each row are joined together to form a coherent flat unit with the aid of a respective upper, horizontal header to which all convection tubes in the row are connected at their upper ends, and a respective lower horizontal manifold to which the bottom ends of the tubes in the row are connected.