Scrubber Flow Path Design for Ash Removal in Thermal Recycling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current waste recycling methods, particularly thermal treatment technologies, face challenges in efficiently removing byproducts like ash and oils from exhaust air plumes due to high temperatures and the need for effective scrubbing systems that can handle varying temperatures effectively.
Innovation Solution
A materials recycling apparatus featuring a heat treatment chamber with a vent leading to a scrubber having a non-straight flow path and spray nozzles, combined with a heat exchanger to cool the exhaust air, effectively removes byproducts from the exhaust air plume, allowing for efficient venting and disposal through a wastewater outlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If thermal treatment is performed at high temperature to effectively break down waste material, then the efficiency of material decomposition is improved, but ash and non-gaseous byproducts become entrained in the exhaust air plume making removal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust air is cooled in a heat exchanger before entering the scrubber, preparing it for effective washing. This preliminary cooling action enables the subsequent scrubbing process to work optimally by reducing the temperature of entrained ash and byproducts, making them easier to remove from the exhaust plume.
Solution Approach 2:
A scrubber system with wash fluid acts as an intermediary between the hot exhaust plume and the environment. The wash fluid captures entrained ash and non-gaseous byproducts through washing and adhesion, preventing their direct release while allowing cleaned air to be vented.
2Device complexity
If a straight flow path is used in the scrubber for simplicity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the removal efficiency of byproducts from exhaust air is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The scrubber employs a non-straight, serpentine flow path instead of a straight line. This curved configuration increases the residence time of exhaust air within the scrubber and enhances contact between the wash fluid and entrained byproducts, significantly improving removal efficiency without adding complex mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow path is extended into multiple dimensions within the scrubber chamber, creating a serpentine pattern that maximizes the surface area for washing contact. This dimensional expansion allows thorough byproduct removal while maintaining a simple scrubber structure without additional moving parts.
3Loss of energy
If exhaust air is vented directly without cooling to maintain energy, then energy loss is minimized, but ash and byproducts remain entrained and cannot be effectively removed
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger converts the harmful hot exhaust air into a beneficial resource by transferring its thermal energy to heat water for domestic or space heating purposes. This transforms waste heat into useful energy while simultaneously cooling the exhaust air for effective scrubbing.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger performs multiple functions: it cools the exhaust air to enable effective scrubbing, generates hot water for domestic use, and provides space heating. This multi-functionality addresses both the byproduct removal requirement and energy utilization in a single component.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If spray nozzles are positioned to maximize byproduct removal, then the removal efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and fluid consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Spray nozzles are strategically positioned at specific locations within the serpentine flow path where exhaust air velocity and byproduct concentration are highest. This localized placement optimizes byproduct removal efficiency while minimizing the total number of nozzles required, balancing performance with device simplicity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient removal of entrained ash and oils from the exhaust air, improving environmental cleanliness and allowing for the reuse of energy from the heat exchanger for heating purposes, while ensuring compliance with waste water disposal regulations.
Implementation Method 1
the exhaust plume is passed through a heat exchanger, i.e. an element capable of removing heat from the exhaust plume by transferring (or exchanging) it to another media
Implementation Method 2
a scrubber comprising a non-straight flow path, at least one spray nozzle directed towards the non-straight flow path
Implementation Method 3
remove byproducts of the heat treatment from the exhaust air plume
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
Figure 6~10
AI summary
Thermal treatment techniques for recycling are generally very clean but their byproducts include a fine ash that may become entrained in the exhaust air plume as smoke. We therefore disclose a materials recycling apparatus (10) comprising a heat treatment chamber (14) for processing the material at an elevated temperature, the chamber having a vent (24) leading via a heat exchanger (26) to a scrubber (36) comprising a disrupted flow path, at least one spray nozzle (54,56,58,60) directed towards the disrupted flow path, and a supply of liquid (ideally water with a little detergent) to the or each spray nozzle. In this way, the entrained ash can be efficiently removed from the air flow, allowing it to be vented, and the captured ash disposed of via a waste water outlet together with the ash washed from the chamber. The flow path can be disrupted by at least one baffle plate (48, 50, 52), ideally with the spray nozzle located ahead of the baffle plate(s).