Method of controlling a waste disposal facility, waste management unit and waste disposal facility

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method for controlling operation of a waste disposal facility (200) comprising at least one incinerator unit (202) for incinerating chemical waste (204). The method comprises ascertaining waste data (206) indicative of a waste amount (WA) and type (WT) of a waste input (201), heat value data (208) indicative of a heat value (HV) of the waste input (201), incinerator data (210) indicative of target operation conditions (TC) of the at least one incinerator unit, and further comprising generating and providing, for the at least one incinerator unit, and using the ascertained data, waste mix data (212) indicative of a target waste mixture (WM), the waste mix data being associated to the ascertained target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

Description

[0001] METHOD OF CONTROLLING A WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITY, WASTE MANAGEMENT UNIT AND WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITY

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention is directed to a method for controlling a waste disposal facility. The invention is further directed to a waste management unit, to a waste disposal facility comprising at least one incinerator unit for incinerating waste and to a computer program.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Production of chemicals at chemical production plants is associated to the creation of residues of inorganic and organic chemical substances, which cannot be further used at the production plant. These residues must therefore be disposed. Typically, for organic residues, this is done by incinerating the waste and stripping off the resulting flue gas from ash and toxic gases.

[0006] Typically, a waste disposal facility is configured to dispose solid, liquid and pastry waste coming from an associated chemical production plant and / or from external chemical production plants. The waste is received at the waste disposal facility mainly via tank car, although other forms of waste supply are also common, such as pipelines, containers, pressure containers, solid drums, etc.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Currently there are no suitable IT tools for supporting the planning and scheduling processing of waste disposal or for targeted control of material flows. Thus, it would be beneficial to enable a smooth and continuous disposal of chemical substances. For example, long interruptions of the disposal processes could force the production plants to schedule unplanned downtimes. It would also be beneficial to increase the capacity utilization of the incinerator unit of the waste disposal facility for a given waste mix.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a computer implemented method is presented. The computer implemented method is suitable for controlling operation of a waste disposal facility that comprises at least one incinerator unit for incinerating waste. The method comprises ascertaining waste data indicative of a waste amount and a waste type of a respective waste input to be received at the disposal facility; ascertaining heat value data indicative of a heat value of the corresponding waste input; ascertaining incinerator data indicative of target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit; generating and providing, for the at least one incinerator unit, and using the waste data, the heat value data and the incinerator data, waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture of respective portions of one or more waste inputs, the waste mix data being associated to the ascertained target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0010] Since the throughput of the waste disposal facility, in particular of the available incinerator unit or plurality of incinerator units, is restricted by the energy load of the incinerator units, the average heat value of the waste mix and the capacity of the flue gas treatment systems, tailoring the waste mix provided to a respective one of one or more incinerator units in dependence on the incinerator data enables an increase in the capacity utilization as well as a smooth and continuous disposal of chemical reaction with a reduction of avoidable downtimes.

[0011] The method includes ascertaining waste data indicative of a waste amount and a waste type. The ascertainment step can be performed by, for example, receiving the waste data from an external waste material source or by determining via a waste-determination step, the waste data of incoming waste material or by obtaining the waste data in any other suitable way. The waste data can be provided as a residue number from a predetermined list of residue numbers each associated to a type of waste, e.g. in terms of substance or substances comprised and form of supply. Thus, information about the type of waste and the respective amount, e.g. in term of, for example, mass or volume, is available for the determination of the waste mix data.

[0012] Further, the method includes ascertaining, e.g. determining, receiving or otherwise obtaining, heat value data indicative of a heat value of the corresponding waste input. The heat value data can be received from the waste source together with, or in parallel to, the waste data, or can be determined, for example by associating the waste type to a predetermined heat value, for instance by accessing a database or look up table. Heat value data can be determined or otherwise provided as a heat value class, wherein each of the different heat value classes correspond to a respective non-overlapping range of heat values, typically given in M J / kg. Additionally, a heat value class can be associated to solid wastes.

[0013] The method also comprises ascertaining, e.g. receiving, determining or otherwise obtaining, incinerator data indicative of target operation conditions of each of the one or more incinerator units. The target operation conditions refer for instance to operation parameters in terms of minimum, maximum, and / or optimal quantity of waste; minimum, maximum and / or optimal (combined) heat value of the waste to be incinerated; type and quantity of start-up fuel for starting the incineration process. The incinerator data can also be indicative of whether an incinerator unit can be used to dispose a particular kind of waste, for instance, chloride-containing waste, corrosive waste, etc.

[0014] The ascertainment of the waste data, the heat value data and / or the incinerator data can be performed equally or differently. For instance, the waste data can be received as such and the heat value data can be determined from the waste data, as an example of ascertainment steps performed differently, e.g., one by receiving the data and another one by determining the data.

[0015] Both variations in the quantity of the input waste and in the heat values pose a challenge for establishing an optimal operation mode for the incinerator unit. Typically, the amount of thermal energy an incinerator unit can take is restricted, so waste inputs with a higher heat value or a higher heat class tend to lower the throughput of the waste disposal facility. Also, the level of energy on which the incinerator unit is operated influences the intensity of its wear; high and low levels tend to increase the wear. Therefore, enabling a provision of waste to the incinerator unit, the provided waste having an overall similar heat value, is beneficial for the long term operation of the one or more incinerator units. This enablement is based on the generated waste mix data which is indicative of a suitable target waste mix tailored for the one or more incinerator unit. The target waste mix can be formed by different portions of different waste inputs, such that the combination of the different portions of waste inputs fulfill the requirements set by the incinerator data indicative of target operation conditions.

[0016] In the following, embodiments of the method of the first aspect will be disclosed.

[0017] In an embodiment, the method further comprises generating and providing control signals for controlling a supply chain for generating and supplying the target waste mixture to the one or more incinerator unit. The control signals may include signals for controlling transporting units, such as conveyor belts, for controlling valves for opening or closing pipelines, etc. The conveyor belts and / or pipelines may form part of a transporting system linking a waste input unit configured to receive and / or store the waste input and the one or more incinerator units. The control signals can also comprise instructions for managing the transport of waste from the waste input unit to the incinerator unit, for instance using trucks or other vehicles.

[0018] In another embodiment, the target operation conditions are indicative of a target heat value and / or a target capacity, e.g. in terms of average heat load and waste volume or mass, and / or flue gas treatment requirements of the at least one incinerator unit. The target operation conditions, which are provided with the incinerator data, include a target heat value for the one or more incinerator units and / or a target capacity, in terms of amount, volume, or allowed or non-allowed waste type or waste substances.

[0019] In yet another embodiment, the method further includes determining, using the waste data and / or the heat value data, disposal channel data indicative of a disposal channel of the waste input. The disposal channels include:

[0020] - an external disposal channel associated to external waste that is to be sent to an external disposal facility for further processing; and / or

[0021] - an internal disposal channel associated to internal waste that is to be incinerated at the at least one incinerator unit. The assignment of a given waste input, or part thereof, to the external disposal channel or to the internal disposal channel can be done based on operational and / or regulatory considerations. For instance, a type of waste that cannot be processed at the incinerator unit will be assigned to the external disposal channel.

[0022] Additionally, in another embodiment, the disposal channels further include a swing disposal channel that is associated to swing waste that can be incinerated at the at least one incinerator unit or disposed at the external disposal facility. The swing waste can, a priori, based on said operational and / or regulatory considerations, be incinerated at the waste disposal facility and also disposed externally.

[0023] According to these particular embodiments, waste mix data is generated in dependence on the disposal channel data, such that the target waste mixture consists of internal waste and / or swing waste. The waste input is therefore associated to a disposal channel. The disposal channel can be an external disposal channel, which is associated to waste input that is considered external waste and thus is to be sent to an external disposal facility for further processing, e.g. waste input that cannot be incinerated at the incinerator unit now or in a foreseeable future, for instance due to the waste input comprising or consisting of a material that is not compatible with the incinerator unit, or due to having received an exceedingly high amount of waste input. The disposal channel can also be an internal disposal channel, such that waste inputs associated to the internal channel are taken into account for generating the waste mix data. Additionally, the disposal channel can be a swing disposal channel, such that waste input associated to the swing disposal channel can be in princi- pie incinerated at the incinerator unit at a future time. The decision of whether waste input associated to the swing disposal channel is to be incinerated at the incinerator unit or sent to an external waste disposal facility can be adopted in a future time. In the meantime, the waste input may remain in the waste input unit waiting to be disposed according to the waste mix data.

[0024] In yet another embodiment, the waste data is current waste data indicative of a current, e.g. currently stored or currently received waste input. Additionally, or alternatively, the incinerator data is current incinerator data indicative of a current target operation condition. In this embodiment, the waste mix data is current waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture currently obtainable using the current waste input.

[0025] In addition, or alternatively, in another embodiment, the waste data is predicted waste data indicative of a predicted waste input, e.g. waste input expected to be received, and the incinerator data is predicted incinerator data indicative of a predicted target operation condition of a future incineration process, and wherein the waste mix data is predicted waste mix data indicative of a predicted target waste mixture obtainable using the predicted waste input. This embodiment further enables a planning of future incineration runs using the predicted waste input, which can be forecasted waste input determined using historical data or information provided indicative of future planned or expected waste deliveries. The predicted mix data may also be determined using the current waste input associated to a swing disposal channel, as explained above.

[0026] For instance, in another embodiment, the method further comprises determining the predicted waste input using historical waste data and / or determining the predicted target operation conditions using historical incinerator data of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0027] Optionally, the method further comprises, for one or more predetermined points in time in the future, determining respective predicted disposal channel data using predicted waste data indicative of a predicted waste input; and associating at least a portion of the swing waste to the external disposal channel and / or to the internal disposal channel in dependence on the predicted waste mix data. Therefore, for incineration processes planned at a point in time in the future, and taking into account the predicted waste input, at least a part of the waste input currently associated to a swing disposal channel can be associated to the external or to the internal disposal channel, which is thus a predicted disposal channel for that point in the future. In this manner, the future operation of the incinerator unit, e.g. in a week time, a month time, two, three, six, nine or twelve month time, can be planned in advance, ensuring that the target conditions of the one or more incinerator units are met as closely as possible.

[0028] In yet another embodiment, which may include any of the technical features described above, the method of the first aspect of the invention further comprises controlling the at least one incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data. Controlling the at least one incinerator unit may include generating control commands and providing them to the one or more incinerator units. Controlling the at least one incinerator might comprise controlling access of the waste mix to the incinerator, or supplying fuel to start the incineration process, or controlling supply of oxygen to the incinerator, etc. Additionally, controlling the at least one incinerator unit may comprise controlling addition of water loaded with organic products, in particular to reduce the overall heat value of the target waste mixture in order to increase the capacity of the incinerator unit.

[0029] In particular, in an embodiment, controlling the at least one incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data includes one or more of:

[0030] - controlling energy input to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data;

[0031] - controlling oxygen supply to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data;

[0032] - controlling a pressure value of the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data;

[0033] - controlling a flue gas treatment system in dependence on the waste mix data.

[0034] A second aspect of the present disclosure is formed by a waste management unit. The waste management unit is configured to perform the method of the first aspect of the present disclosure and thus shares its advantages or those of its embodiments. The waste management unit comprises a waste data ascertaining unit configured to ascertain waste data indicative of a waste amount and a waste type of a respective waste input to be received at a waste disposal facility. The waste management unit also comprises a heat value ascertaining unit that is configured to ascertain heat value data indicative of a heat value of the corresponding waste input. The waste management unit also comprises an incinerator data ascertaining unit configured to ascertain incinerator data indicative of target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit. Further, the waste management unit also comprises a processing unit that is configured to generate and provide, for the at least one incinerator unit, and using the ascertained waste data, the ascertained heat value data and the ascertained incinerator data, waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture of respective portions of waste inputs. The waste mix data is associated to the ascertained target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0035] A third aspect of the present disclosure is formed by a waste disposal facility. The waste disposal facility comprises a waste management unit according to the second aspect of the disclosure. The waste disposal facility additionally comprises a waste input unit configured to receive waste input and at least one incinerator unit configured to incinerate waste in accordance with the waste mix data provided by the waste management unit. Preferably, the waste input unit comprises one or more reservoirs for storing the waste input, in particular to store the waste input in dependence on the corresponding waste type or heat value. Further, the waste disposal facility may comprise a transport system connecting the waste input unit or the corresponding reservoirs to the one or more incinerator units. The transporting system may comprise pipelines and / or conveyor belts. Additionally, or alternatively, the transport of the waste from the waste input unit to the incinerator can be carried out using vehicles or other kind of suitable transport method.

[0036] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is formed by a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a waste management unit, in particular of a waste disposal facility, cause the waste management unit to carry out the method of the first aspect of the disclosure.

[0037] It shall be understood that the method described above, the apparatus described above and the computer program product described above have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, in particular, as defined in the dependent claims.

[0038] It shall be understood that a preferred embodiment of the present invention can also be any combination of the dependent claim or above embodiments with a respective independent claim.

[0039] These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereafter.

[0040] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In the following drawings: Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a waste disposal facility in accordance with the invention;

[0042] Fig. 2 schematically shows how different input wastes are assigned to different disposal channels in an embodiment of a waste disposal facility in accordance with the invention; and

[0043] Fig. 3 shows an exemplarily flow diagram of a computer implemented process for controlling operation of a waste disposal facility comprising at least one incinerator unit for incinerating chemical waste.

[0044] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a waste disposal facility 200 that comprises a waste input unit 260 configured to receive chemical waste input 201 . The waste input 201 is for instance waste 204 provided by external chemical production sites 301 , 302 and comprises residues of inorganic and organic chemical substances -solid, liquid, or pastry waste- which cannot be used at the respective production sites 301 , 302 anymore. Typically the waste 204 is delivered by tank car. However, other forms of supply are also suitable, including, but not limited to, pipelines, containers, pressure containers or solid drums. The waste disposal facility 200 also comprises at least one incinerator unit 202 that is configured to incinerate at least a portion of the received chemical waste 204. The throughput of the incinerator unit is not only restricted by the energy load of the incinerator unit itself and the average heat value of the waste mix but also by the capacity of the flue gas treatment systems. It must be ensured that the treatment system is not overloaded with, for example ash, chlorine and sulphur.

[0046] In order to determine a suitable waste mixture for the at least one incinerator unit 202, the so-called target waste mixture or target waste mix, the waste disposal facility 200 comprises a waste management unit 250. The waste management unit 250 comprises a waste data ascertaining unit 252 that is configured to receive or determine waste data 206 indicative of a waste amount WA and a waste type WT of a respective waste input 201 received or to be received at the waste disposal facility 200, in particular at the waste input unit 260. The waste data can be provided by the waste supplying facility, e.g. the chemical production sites 301 , 302 in the form of an inventory of supplied chemical waste, or as labels in the respective containers, that are scanned or otherwise transferred to the waste data ascertainment unit upon arrival of the respective waste container. Additionally, or alternatively, the waste data 206 can be provided electronically via a data connection, as indicated by the dashed arrow on Fig. 1 . The waste data can be provided as a residue number from a predetermined list of residue numbers each associated to a type of waste, e.g. in terms of substance or substances comprised therein and, optionally, form of supply.

[0047] The waste management unit 250 also comprises a heat value ascertaining unit 254. The heat value ascertainment unit 254 is configured to ascertain heat value data 208 indicative of a heat value HV of the corresponding waste input 201 . Different substances have different heat values, which are typically measured in MJ / Kg, and are indicative of the capacity of the given chemical substance to produce energy when bunt or incinerated. The heat value data can be provided with the waste data, or can be determined based on the ascertained waste data, for instance by accessing a data base or a look up table associating different waste types or substances with their corresponding nominal heat value.

[0048] The waste management unit 250 further comprises an incinerator data ascertaining unit 256, which is configured to ascertain incinerator data 210 indicative of target operation conditions TC of the at least one incinerator unit 202. The operation conditions are for instance indicative of a target heat value and / or a target capacity e.g. average heat load and / or volume and / or flue gas treatment requirements of the at least one incinerator unit. The target heat value is an optimal heat value or heat value range of the waste material that is to be incinerated, which maximizes the throughput of the incinerator unit. For instance, for a particular incinerator unit, a decrease of the heat value of the waste materials from 24 to 22 M J / kg results in an increase of the throughput of approximately 20% to 30%.

[0049] The waste management unit 250 also comprises a processing unit 258. The processing unit 252 is a data processing unit that has access to the waste data 206, the heat value data 208 and the incinerator data 210, and that is configured to generate and provide, for the at least one incinerator unit 202, and using the waste data 206, the heat value data 208 and the incinerator data 210, waste mix data 212 indicative of a target waste mixture WM to be provided, at a current point of time or at a point of time in the future, to the respective one of the incinerator units 202. The target waste mixture comprises of respective portions of available or expected waste inputs 201, so that the target waste mixture complies with the desired target operation conditions of the incinerator unit 202. The different amounts of different waste inputs 201 can be then mixed in the manner determined by the processing unit, and provided in the form of the waste mix data, and provided, in a current time, or in a future time, to the incinerator unit. The waste mix data is thus associated to the ascertained target operation conditions TC of the at least one incinerator unit 202 for operation within the desired specifications.

[0050] By tailoring the content of the target waste mixture WM to the target operation conditions TC, the efficiency of the waste disposal facility in general, and of the incinerator unit in particular, is increased. Further, a higher disposal reliability is achieved, which in turn reduces or avoids production losses. The capacity utilization of the incinerator unit is increased through the provision of an improved waste mix, in particular in term of heat value. Also, tailoring the content of the target waste mixture enables a smoothing of capacity peaks and / or a reduction of idle capacity in the operation of the incinerator unit.

[0051] The waste data 206 can be for instance current waste data indicative of a currently stored or currently received waste input. The incinerator data can also be current incinerator data indicative of a current target operation condition. In this case, the waste mix data is current waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture currently obtainable using the current waste input and which is this ready for delivery to the incinerator unit.

[0052] Additionally, or alternatively, the waste data can be predicted waste data indicative of a predicted waste input, e.g. an expected or forecasted delivery of waste input, and the incinerator data can be predicted incinerator data indicative of a predicted target operation condition of a future incineration process. In this case, the waste mix data can be predicted waste mix data indicative of a predicted target waste mixture obtainable using the predicted waste input. The predicted waste input can be determined based on announced future deliveries of waste input or based on historical data. The predicted target operation conditions may take into account, for example, planned shutdown times of the incinerator unit. The predicted waste input can be determined using historical waste data and the predicted target operation conditions can be determined using historical incinerator data of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0053] In the exemplary waste disposal facility of Fig. 1 , the waste management unit 250 is also configured to determine, using the ascertained waste data 206 and / or the ascertained heat value data, disposal channel data 214 indicative of a disposal channel of the waste input 210. There are several disposal channels available for the waste input 201 that is received / stored or planned to be re- ceived / stored at the waste input unit 260, which include an external disposal channel 216, an internal disposal channel 220 and a swing disposal channel 220. The external disposal channel 216 is a disposal channel that is associated to waste input 201 that, according to the available waste data 206 and / or heat value data 208, is categorized as external waste 218 that is to be sent to an external disposal facility 300 for further processing. For example, when according to the waste data 206, part of the input waste corresponds to a chemical compound or material which, cannot be incinerated at the incinerator unit, that portion of the waste input 201 is assigned to the external disposal channel 216 as external waste 218, such that it can be transferred to another location or external waste disposal facility 300 for further processing.

[0054] The internal disposal channel 220 is a disposal channel that is associated to waste input that, according to the available waste data 206 and / or heat value data 208, is categorized as internal waste 222 that is to be transported to and incinerated at the a corresponding one of the at least one incinerator units 202 at a determined time, or in other words, an incineration process has been assigned for waste categorized as internal waste, whether it is a current process or a process planned for the future.

[0055] Further, the swing disposal channel (see Fig. 2) is a disposal channel that is associated to waste input that, according to the available waste data 206 and / or heat data, is categorized as swing waste 226, which can be stored for future decision on whether it is disposed at the incinerator unit or transferred outside the waste disposal facility for further processing. The swing waste can then be incinerated at the at least one incinerator unit 202 or disposed at the external disposal facility 300 in a point in the future.

[0056] Here, the waste mix data 212 is generated in dependence on the disposal channel data, such that the target waste mixture WM consists of internal waste and / or swing waste. For example, the current target waste mixture WM to be delivered to the incinerator unit can comprise waste unit currently labelled as internal waste 222 and associated to the internal disposal channel, and swing waste 226, which was received in the past and stored since its reception, and which was categorized as swing waste upon reception.

[0057] The waste management unit 250 is further optionally configured, for one or more predetermined points in time in the future, e.g., in one week, in one month, in six months, etc. to determine respective predicted disposal channel data using predicted waste data indicative of a predicted waste input; and to associating at least a portion of the swing waste to the external disposal channel and / or to the internal disposal channel in dependence on the predicted waste mix data. Thus, the waste management unit 250 is advantageously configured to, using the predicted waste data, the heat value data associated to the predicted waste data and the predicted incinerator data, to generate predicted waste mix data for incineration processes to be carried out in a future point in time (e.g., one week, one month, six months, etc.), thereby increasing the flexibility of the incineration processes in the mid- or long-term, enabling a better use of the incinerator units.

[0058] Also, optionally, the waste management unit 250 is advantageously configured to generate and provide control signals 211 for controlling the at least one incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data. The control signals can be provided for instance using the same data channel over which the incinerator data is provided to the waste management unit. Alternatively, a different data channel and / or communication protocol can be used to provide the control signals 211 . The control signals 211 may for example control a starting point and / or finishing point and / or a duration of the incineration process. They can also control energy input, e.g. fuel input, to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data, control oxygen supply to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data, control a pressure value of the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data and / or control a flue gas treatment system in dependence on the waste mix data.

[0059] Fig. 2 schematically shows how different input wastes are assigned to different disposal channels in an embodiment of a waste disposal facility in accordance with the invention.

[0060] Exemplarily, at a given point in time, the waste input at the waste input unit 260 consists of waste compounds corresponding to four different type of waste 204.1, 204.2, 204.3 and 204.4. The amount of waste material of each type is correlated to the exemplary number of barrels of each type. Waste material 204.1 corresponds to waste type WT1, which has a heat value of HV1. Waste material 204.2 corresponds to waste type WT2, which has a heat value of HV2. Waste material 204.3 corresponds to waste type WT3, which has a heat value of HV3. Analogously, waste material 204.3 corresponds to waste type WT4, which has a heat value of HV4. The waste disposal facility of Fig. 2 exemplarily comprises three incinerator units 202A, 202B and 202C, each of them with respective target operation conditions TCA, TCB.TCC, for instance in terms of respective target heat value conditions HVCA, HVCB and HVCC, and / or capacity conditions CCA, CCB, CCC. The data processing unit 258 of the waste management unit has access to the ascertained (e.g., received or otherwise determined) waste data 206, heat value data 208 and incinerator data 210, and is configured to determine and provide waste mix data WMA, WMB, WMC for each of the three incinerator units 202A, 202B, 202C. Based on the waste type and in accordance with given operational or regulatory conditions of the waste disposal facility, a disposal channel can be associated to the waste input. For instance, the waste input 204.1 is associated to the internal dispose channel, indicating that waste input 204.1 has to be incinerated in the waste disposal facility. Waste input 204.3, based for instance on the type of waste, is associated to an external waste channel 216 and thus has to be sent to an external disposal facility 300 for further processing. Waste inputs 204.2 and 204.4 are associated to a swing waste channel, meaning that, a priori, it can be disposed either internally at the waste disposal facility or sent to the external facility 300.

[0061] The processing unit 258, using the available data, associates waste inputs A from 204.1 , and waste inputs D, E, and F from 204.2 to the first incinerator unit 202A and generates target waste mix data WMA indicative thereof. The combination of A, D, E and F, results in an overall amount and heat value that is suitable for the target operation conditions TCA of the first incinerator unit 202A. Further, the processing unit 258, using the available data, associates waste inputs B from 204.1, and waste input I from 204.4 to the second incinerator unit 202B and generates target waste mix data WMB indicative thereof. The combination of B and I, results in an overall amount and heat value that is suitable for the target operation conditions TCB of the second incinerator unit 202B. Further, the processing unit 258, using the available data, associates waste input C from 204.1 to the third incinerator unit 202C and generates target waste mix data WMC indicative thereof. Waste input C results in an overall amount and heat value that is suitable for the target operation conditions TCC of the second incinerator unit 202C. The waste inputs A, B, C,D, E, F and I are assigned to an internal disposal channel 220 (see Fig. 1), and are thus considered internal waste for being incinerated one of the incinerator units. The target waste mix data WMA, WMB and WMC is indicative of waste inputs that are associated to the internal disposal channel 220 and / or to the swing disposal channel 224.

[0062] The processing unit 258, using the available data, associates waste input H from 204.3, to an external disposal channel 216. For instance, waste input H may comprise a chemical material which is not suitable for any of the incinerator units, and therefore cannot be disposed at the waste disposal facility. The waste input H is this transferred at the earliest convenience to an external disposal facility 300 capable of handling said waste input I.

[0063] The remaining waste inputs, G, and J, from 204.2 and 204.3 which belong to waste inputs associated to the swing disposal channel, will then be stored at the waste input unit 260 and form part of a waste pool to be assigned to future incineration processes, which, due to the association to the swing disposal channel 224, may take place at one of the incinerator units 202A, 202B, 202C or at the external facility 300, as indicated by the dashed arrows.

[0064] The processing unit 258 is also configured to provide control signals 213 for controlling a supply chain 215 for generating and supplying the respective target waste mixture WMA, WMB and WMC to the respective incinerator unit 202A, 202B and 202C. The supply chain may comprise equipment for selecting and bringing together the respective portions of waste inputs A- G and l-J for generating the indicated target waste mixture WMA, WMB and WMC, as well as transporting equipment for transporting the respective target waste mixture ADEF, Bl, and C to the indicated respective incinerator units 202A, 202B and 202C.

[0065] Fig. 3 shows an exemplarily flow diagram of a computer implemented process 100 for controlling operation of a waste disposal facility 200 comprising at least one incinerator unit 202 for incinerating chemical waste 204. The method 100 comprises, in a step 102, ascertaining waste data 206 indicative of a waste amount WA and a waste type WT of a respective waste input 201 received, or to be received, at the waste disposal facility. The method also comprises, in a step 104, ascertaining heat value data indicative of a heat value of the corresponding waste input. The method also comprises, in a step 106, ascertaining incinerator data indicative of target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit. The target operation conditions can for instance be indicative of a target heat value and / or a target capacity and / or flue gas treatment requirements of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0066] The method 100 of Fig. 3 additionally comprises, in a step 108, generating and providing, for the at least one incinerator unit, and using the waste data, the heat value data and the incinerator data, waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture of respective portions of one or more waste inputs, the waste mix data being associated to the ascertained target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0067] The waste data 206 ascertained in step 102 can be current waste data indicative of a current waste input and / or the incinerator data ascertained in step 106 can be current incinerator data indicative of a current target operation condition. In this case the waste mix data is current waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture currently obtainable using the current waste input. Alternatively, or additionally, the waste data 206 ascertained in step 102 can be predicted waste data indicative of a predicted or forecasted waste input, and the incinerator data 210 ascertained in step 106 can be predicted incinerator data indicative of a predicted target operation condition of a future incineration process. In this case, the waste mix data is predicted waste mix data indicative of a predicted target waste mixture obtainable using the predicted waste input.

[0068] The method 100 may optionally comprise, in a step 110, generating and providing control signals 213 for controlling a supply chain 215 for generating and supplying the target waste mixture WM to the corresponding incinerator unit.

[0069] The method 100 may optionally comprise, in a step 112, generating and providing control signals 211 for controlling the at least one incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data. This controlling of the at least one incinerator unit may comprise controlling energy input to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data, and / or controlling oxygen supply to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data, and / or controlling a pressure value of the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data, and / or controlling a flue gas treatment system in dependence on the waste mix data.

[0070] For the processes and methods disclosed herein, the operations performed in the processes and methods may be implemented in differing order. Furthermore, the outlined operations are only provided as examples, and some of the operations may be optional, combined into fewer steps and operations, supplemented with further operations, or expanded into additional operations without detracting from the essence of the disclosed embodiments.

[0071] In summary, the disclosure is directed to a method for controlling operation of a waste disposal facility comprising at least one incinerator unit for incinerating chemical waste (204). The method comprises ascertaining waste data indicative of a waste amount and type of a waste input, heat value data indicative of a heat value of the waste input, incinerator data indicative of target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit, and further comprising generating and providing, for the at least one incinerator unit, and using the ascertained data, waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture, the waste mix data being associated to the ascertained target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

[0072] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single unit or device may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0073] Procedure steps performed by one or several units or devices can be performed by any other number of units or devices. These procedures can be implemented as program code means of a computer program and / or as dedicated hardware.

[0074] A computer program product may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

[0075] Any units described herein may be processing units that are part of a classical computing system. Processing units may include a general-purpose processor and may also include a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specialized circuit. Any memory may be a physical system memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination of the two. The term "memory” may include any computer-readable storage media such as a non-volatile mass storage. If the computing system is distributed, the processing and / or memory capability may be distributed as well. The computing system may include multiple structures as "executable components”. The term "executable component” is a structure well understood in the field of computing as being a structure that can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

[0076] For instance, when implemented in software, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the structure of an executable component may include software objects, routines, methods, and so forth, that may be executed on the computing system. This may include both an executable component in the heap of a computing system, or on computer-readable storage media. The structure of the executable component may exist on a computer-readable medium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors of a computing system, e.g., by a processor thread, the computing system is caused to perform a function. Such structure may be computer readable directly by the processors, for instance, as is the case if the executable component were binary, or it may be structured to be interpretable and / or compiled, for instance, whether in a single stage or in multiple stages, so as to generate such binary that is directly interpretable by the processors. In other instances, structures may be hard coded or hard wired logic gates, that are implemented exclusively or near-exclusively in hardware, such as within a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specialized circuit. Accordingly, the term "executable component” is a term for a structure that is well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art of computing, whether implemented in software, hardware, or a combination. Any embodiments herein are described with reference to acts that are performed by one or more processing units of the computing system. If such acts are implemented in software, one or more processors direct the operation of the computing system in response to having executed computerexecutable instructions that constitute an executable component. Computing system may also contain communication channels that allow the computing system to communicate with other computing systems over, for example, network.

[0077] A "network” is defined as one or more data links that enable the transport of electronic data between computing systems and / or modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection, for example, either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless, to a computing system, the computing system properly views the connection as a transmission medium. Transmission media can include a network and / or data links which can be used to carry desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computing system or combinations. While not all computing systems require a user interface, in some embodiments, the computing system includes a user interface system for use in interfacing with a user. User interfaces act as input or output mechanism to users for instance via displays.

[0078] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that at least parts of the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computing system configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, pagers, routers, switches, datacenters, wearables, such as glasses, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed system environments where local and remote computing system, which are linked, for example, either by hardwired data links, wireless data links, or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links, through a network, both perform tasks. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that at least parts of the invention may be practiced in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing environments may be distributed, although this is not required. When distributed, cloud computing environments may be distributed internationally within an organization and / or have components possessed across multiple organizations. In this description and the following claims, "cloud computing” is defined as a model for enabling on-de- mand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources, e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services. The definition of "cloud computing” is not limited to any of the other numerous advantages that can be obtained from such a model when deployed. The computing systems of the figures include various components or functional blocks that may implement the various embodiments disclosed herein as explained. The various components or functional blocks may be implemented on a local computing system or may be implemented on a distributed computing system that includes elements resident in the cloud or that implement aspects of cloud computing. The various components or functional blocks may be implemented as software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The computing systems shown in the figures may include more or less than the components illustrated in the figures and some of the components may be combined as circumstances warrant.

[0079] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

Claims:

1. A computer implemented method (100) for controlling operation of a waste disposal facility (200) comprising at least one incinerator unit (202) for incinerating chemical waste (204), the method comprising:- ascertaining (102) waste data (206) indicative of a waste amount (WA) and a waste type (WT) of a respective waste input (201) to be received at the waste disposal facility;- ascertaining (104) heat value data (208) indicative of a heat value (HV) of the corresponding waste input (201);- ascertaining (106) incinerator data (210) indicative of target operation conditions (TC) of the at least one incinerator unit (202);- generating and providing (108), for the at least one incinerator unit (202), and using the waste data (206), the heat value data (208) and the incinerator data (210), waste mix data(212) indicative of a target waste mixture (WM) of respective portions of one or more waste inputs, the waste mix data being associated to the ascertained target operation conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating and providing (110) control signals(213) for controlling a supply chain (215) for generating and supplying the target waste mixture (WM) to the one or more incinerator unit.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the target operation conditions are indicative of a target heat value and / or a target capacity and / or flue gas treatment requirements of the at least one incinerator unit.

4. The method of any of the preceding claims, further including:- determining, using the waste data and / or the heat value data, disposal channel data (214) indicative of a disposal channel of the waste input, wherein the disposal channels include:- an external disposal channel (216) associated to external waste (218) that is to be sent to an external disposal facility (300) for further processing:- an internal disposal channel (220) associated to internal waste (222) that is to be incinerated at the at least one incinerator unit (202); and wherein the waste mix data (212) is generated in dependence on the disposal channel data, such that the target waste mixture (WM) consists of internal waste.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the disposal channels further include:- a swing disposal channel (224) associated to swing waste that can be incinerated at the at least one incinerator unit (202) or disposed at the external disposal facility (300); and wherein the waste mix data (212) is generated in dependence on the disposal channel data, such that the target waste mixture (WM) consists of internal waste and / or swing waste.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste data is current waste data indicative of a current waste input and / or the incinerator data is current incinerator data indicative of a current target operation condition, and wherein the waste mix data is current waste mix data indicative of a target waste mixture currently obtainable using the current waste input.

7. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the waste data is predicted waste data indicative of a predicted waste input, and the incinerator data is predicted incinerator data indicative of a predicted target operation condition of a future incineration process, and wherein the waste mix data is predicted waste mix data indicative of a predicted target waste mixture obtainable using the predicted waste input.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the predicted waste input using historical waste data and / or determining the predicted target operation conditions using historical incinerator data of the at least one incinerator unit.

9. The method of claims 5 and 7 or 8, further comprising:- for one or more predetermined points in time in the future, determining respective predicted disposal channel data using predicted waste data indicative of a predicted waste input; and- associating at least a portion of the swing waste to the external disposal channel and / or to the internal disposal channel in dependence on the predicted waste mix data.

10. The method of any of the preceding claims further comprising generating and providing (112) control signals (211) for controlling the at least one incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein controlling the at least one incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data includes one or more of:- controlling energy input to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data;- controlling oxygen supply to the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data;- controlling a pressure value of the incinerator unit in dependence on the waste mix data;- controlling a flue gas treatment system in dependence on the waste mix data.

12. Waste management unit (250), comprising:- a waste data ascertaining unit (252) configured to ascertain waste data (206) indicative of a waste amount (WA) and a waste type (WT) of a respective waste input (201) to be received at a waste disposal facility (200)- a heat value ascertaining unit (254) configured to ascertain heat value data (208) indicative of a heat value (HV) of the corresponding waste input (201);- an incinerator data ascertaining unit (256) configured to ascertain incinerator data (210) indicative of target operation conditions (TC) of the at least one incinerator unit (202);- a processing unit (258) configured to generate and provide, for the at least one incinerator unit (202), and using the waste data (206), the heat value data (208) and the incinerator data (210), waste mix data (212) indicative of a target waste mixture (WM) of respective portions of waste inputs, the waste mix data being associated to the ascertained target opera- tion conditions of the at least one incinerator unit.

13. Waste disposal facility (200) comprising:- a waste management unit (250) according to claim 12;- a waste input unit (260) configured to receive waste input (201); and- at least one incinerator unit (202) configured to incinerate waste (204, 222) in accordance with the waste mix data.

14. Computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a waste management unit (250), of a waste disposal facility (200), cause the waste management unit (250) to carry out the method of any of the claims 1 to 11 .

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