Abstract: A waste heat recovery system which can be attached to, and made part of, an existing thermal oxidizer-stack system, at minimum cost, without reducing the reliability of the existing oxidizer-stack system. It comprises a conventional heat transfer means, which is connected at its input through a refractory lined first conduit, to an opening through the wall of the first stack of the thermal oxidizer-stack system. The outlet of the heat exchanger is connected through a second conduit to an induced draft means, which can be a conventional blower, the outlet of which is connected to a second stack. The action of the induced draft blower is to cause inflow of hot stack gases through the first conduit and through the heat exchanger and to pass the cooled stack gases out the second stack. A first temperature sensor is placed in the stack between the inlet from the thermal oxidizer and the opening where the gases are drawn into the first conduit. A second thermal sensor is placed in the first conduit.

Abstract: Apparatus for burning waste polymers of selected combustion characteristics. A vertical or horizontal combustion assembly includes a base cylindrical portion having water-cooled walls to maintain a selected temperature by removal of the heat of combustion, a plurality of pipes for injecting combustion air tangentially into the interior space, a loading port in the wall of the base section and a burner for igniting the waste matter injected through the loading port. Downstream of the base section is a ceramic choke which has an axial opening therethrough of lesser diameter than an internal diameter of the base section followed by an afterburning chamber, which like the base section, has a plurality of air inlet pipes tangential to the chamber and a burner port for igniting vapors in the upper chamber. Combustion air is controlled so that less than stoichiometric air is injected into the lower chamber to provide a reducing atmosphere, with excess combustion air in the afterburning section.