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SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE: SONOTECH PULSE COMBUSTION SYSTEM
Citation:
Partymiller, K. SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE: SONOTECH PULSE COMBUSTION SYSTEM. EPA/540/R-95/502a (NTIS 97-178115), 1995.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
Sonotech has targeted waste incineration as a potential application for this technology. Based on bench-scale rotary-kiln simulator tests, Sonotech proposed a demonstration under the SITE program to evaluate the Sonotech pulse combustion system on a larger scale at EPA's IRF in Jefferson, Arkansas. The primary objective of the SITE program demonstration was to develop test data to evaluate the Sonotech pulse combustion system's treatment efficiency compared to conventional combustion. Test data were evaluated to determine if the Sonotech pulse combustion system (1) increased incinerator capacity, (2) increased destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) of principal organic hazardous constituents (POHC), (3) decreased flue gas carbon monoxide emissions, (4) decreased flue gas nitrogen oxides emissions, (5) decreased flue gas soot emissions, (6) decreased combustion air requirements, and (7) decreased auxiliary fuel requirements. The secondary objective of the demonstration was to develop additional data to evaluate whether the Sonotech system, compared to conventional combustion, (1) reduced the magnitude of transient puffs of carbon monoxide and total unburned hydrocarbons (TUHC); (2) significantly changed the distribution of hazardous constituent trace metals among the incineration system discharge streams (including kiln bottom ash, scrubber liquor, and baghouse exit flue gas), (3) changed the leachability of the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) trace metals from kiln ash, (4) reduced the incineration costs, and (5) was reliable. To achieve the demonstration objectives, tests were performed in triplicate at four different incineration system operating conditions, for a total of 12 individual tests. The four test conditions included (1) conventional combustion at typical operating conditions and feedrate; (2) conventional combustion at its maximum feedrate; (3) Sonotech pulse combustion at the conventional combustion maximum feedrate, the same nominal feedrate as condition (2); and (4) Sonotech pulse combustion at its maximum feedrate. The Sonotech pulse combustion system increased the incinerator waste feedrate capacity by 13 to 21 percent compared to conventional combustion. In addition, visual observations indicated improved mixing in the incinerator cavity with the Sonotech system operating. The SITE program demonstration also revealed that, compared to conventional combustion, the Sonotech pulse combustion system reduced combustion air requirements as well as overall emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and soot. Many of the data regarding the reduced emissions were within the precision of the measurement methods.