Field Testing and Computer Modeling of an Oxygen Combustion System at the EPA Mobile Incinerator

The Linde® Oxygen Combustion System has been demonstrated successfully at the EPA Denney Farm site as part of the modified EPA Mobile Incinerator. This paper describes the field testing results and computer modeling of the Linde System. The oxygen system enables the EPA unit to incinerate dioxin and PCB contaminated soil at a consistent rate of 4000 lb/hr - 200f. of the original maximum capacity. The pure oxygen combustion system improved the thermal efficiency of the incinerator by over 60f. and reduced the flue gas volume dramatically. Therefore, the dust carryover problem was mitigated. The destruction and removal efficiencies of hazardous wastes exceeded EPA requirements. The unique design of the proprietary burner allows the use of up to 100f. oxygen in place of air for incineration with improvements over conventional oxy-fuel burners. As a result, the temperature distributions in the rotary kiln are very uniform and NOx emissions are low. The oxygen combustion system, controlled by a programmable controller, provided much better response and flexibility than conventional air based systems. The system generated an extremely stable flame and responded very well to the transient conditions of the rotary kiln. Kiln puff occurrence was virtually eliminated in the operation of the Mobile Incinerator. A computer model of the incinerator was developed and used for the process design of the Linde system. The model predicted the test results reasonably well. This model can be a useful tool in the design and operation of rotary kiln incineration systems