Electric incinerator
United States Patent [191 Gunn [ ELECTRIC INCINERATOR [75] inventor: Nathaniel l. Gunn, Springfield, Mo. [73] Assignee: Federal Enterprises Inc., Nixa, M0. [2 2] Filed: Apr. 19, 1974 [21] Appl, No.: 462,340  
 [52] U.S. Cl. ..110/8 E; 110/8 A; 110/18 E [51] Int. Cl. F23g 5/10 [58] Field of Search 110/8 R, 8 A, 8 E, 18 R, 110/18 E [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,845,882 8/1958 Bratton 110/8 3,259,083 7/1966 Evans 110/8 3,467,035 9/1969 Anderson et a1. 110/18 3,495,555 2/1970 Boyd ct a] t 110/8 3,496,890 2/1970 LaRue 110/18 Primary Examinerl(enneth W. Sprague Attorney, Agent, or FirmG1enn K. Robbins [57] ABSTRACT A multi-chambered incinerator having high tempera- [451 Apr. 15, 1975 ture electric heater elements at one or more flame ports. The incinerator has a main combustion chamber followed by one or more additional chambers connected by one or inore flame ports. in the flame port which may have checkerboard refractory or a high temperature electric heater grid system is installed. The electric heater elements are designed for rapid rise in temperature, for example in a period of 5 to 15 minutes to provide flame port temperatures in the order of l300 Fahrenheit more or less depending on operating conditions. The elongated electric heater elements which can be arranged either vertically or horizontally or as a grid system provide an extremely rapid rise high temperature heating element to facilitate the combustion of waste materials and gases and particulates and further serves as an impingement screen to provide for settling of incombustible particulates. The electric heater system can be used with or without checkerboard refractory in the flame ports and provides an improved and efficient means for incinerating industrial, commercial or agricultural waste material and minimizes air pollution.  
 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR151Q75 SHEETEUFP,  
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 ELECTRIC INCINERATOR RELATED APPLICATION This application is copending with my application Ser. No. 277,784 filed Aug. 3, 1972, now US. Pat. No. 3,804,035.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By means of this invention there has been devised a multi-chambered incinerator provided with high temperature electric heater elements to increase combustion efficiency of the waste material and to aid in the reduction of air pollution. The need for fluid fueled burners such as those using gas, oil or the like may be eliminated or greatly reduced.  
  The electric heater elements are of the rapid rise high temperature type and may be installed in or adjacent to one or more of the flame ports in the multi-chambered incinerator. The electrical heater elements are preferably elongated and may be arranged either horizontally or vertically or as a grid as desired to provide for impingement of the waste combustion gases and particulates and to provide for increased turbulence of the smoke and hot gases in the area of the flame ports.  
  In practice the electric heater elements can be used at the start up of incineration process to provide a high temperature in the flame port area for example leading from the main combustion chamber to down stream chambers. After the start up of combustion they may be turned off manually or automatically and can be started up again depending upon temperatures sensed in the system again either manually or automatically by sensing means.  
  The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will otherwise be apparent to those skilled in the art.  
  For the purpose of illustration of this invention there is shown in accompanying drawings prefered embodiments thereof. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention is not limited thereto.  
 IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1, is a view in front elevation of a five chambered incinerator.  
  FIG. 2, is a view in vertical cross section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 3, is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.  
  FIG. 4, is a view in vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.  
  FIG. 5, is a view in horizontal section through the middle of a three-chambered incinerator.  
  FIG. 6, is an enlarged view in vertical section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 3.  
  FIG. 7, is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 7--7 of FIG. 3.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The incinerator of this invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 through 4 as a five-chambered incinerator and by the reference numeral 12 in FIG. 5 as a three-chambered incinerator. In both types of multi-chambered incinerators the flame ports are provided with electric heater elements generally designated by the reference numeral 14.  
  The five-chambered incinerator 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 is constructed of a main burning chamber 16 as a first chamber, a combustion chamber 18 as a second chamber, an up-pass or settling chamber 20 as third chamber, a second combustion chamber 22 as a fourth chamber. Waste material to be incinerated is charged to the burning chamber through a sliding charge door 26 and exhaust gases are exhausted to the atmosphere through a stack 28.  
  The incinerator 10 is constructed of an inner refractory lining 30 of fire brick encased in a steelplate exterior 32. The entire unit is rigid and can be transported from place to place and supported upon I-beam runners 34 to rest on the ground.  
  The burning chamber 16 receives waste material through the charge door 26 which may be raised and lowered to receive the material. A grate 36 is positioned at the bottom portion of the burning chamber above a clean-out door 38 for cleaning out noncombustible material.  
  A flame port 40 is positioned at the upper portion of a side wall 42 of the main burning chamber. This wall forms a common boundary between the first chamber and the second chamber and also between the first chamber and the third chamber in such a fashion that the second and the third chambers are positioned in tandem at the side of the main combustion chamber as best shown in FIG. 3. A further side wall 44 separates the second and third chambers from the fourth and fifth chambers as best shown in FIG. 3. By this construction the second and third chambers constituting a combustion chamber and up-pass chamber are positioned in tandem with the fourth and fifth chamber constituting a fourth combustion chamber and up-pass chamber at the side of the incinerator to provide for maximum utilization of space efficiency.  
  The flame port 40 is best shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 6 and 7. It is formed at the upper rear portion of the side wall 42 and is provided with a plurality of horizontally extending tubular heater elements 14 extending across the opening and refractory checker work 46 spaced in back of the tubular heater elements in the flame ports. Openings in the checker refractory 46 in conjunction with the openings between the spaced heater elements break up the flow of combustion gases and materials passing from the main burning chamber to the combustion chamber forming the second chamber in the series of chambers and also provide a hot surface for impingement of relatively large non-combustible fragments or particulates to aid in the settling or these particulates. The combustion gases are exposed to the heater elements and the hot refractory checker work to increase the combustion efficiency in the second chamber.  
  A clean-out door 48 is formed in the second chamber 18 for clean out of settled or non-combustibles particulates. The second chamber is separated from the third chamber by intermediate curtain wall 50. This curtain wall extends from the top of the incinerator downwardly to leave an arched curtain wall opening 52 as best shown in FIG. 4. The opening 52 communicates the second chamber with the third chamber and is located at right angles to the flame port 40 such that combustion gases must make a turn for greater turbulence and dwell time in passing into the up-pass chamber 20 which constitutes the third chamber of the incinerator.  
  The third chamber 20 is of substantially twice the size of the combustion chamber 18 and the velocity of gases passing through the second chamber will be reduced in the third chamber to increase retention or dwell time and enhance the settling of non-combustible particulates to the floor of the up-pass chamber 20.  
  A second flame port 54 constructed in the same fashion as the flame port 40 previously described communi cates the third chamber 20 with the fourth chamber 22 constituting the second combustion chamber. The flame port 54 is situated at right angles with respect to the curtain wall 50 to provide a tortuous path into the fourth chamber 22 through the flame port opening 54. The fourth chamber 22 is similar in construction to the combustion chamber 18 previously described and additional turbulence and increased velocity is encountered by the combustion gases passing through it to the fifth chamber 24 constituting the second up-pass or settling chamber. A second curtain wall 56 similar in construction to the afore-mentioned curtain wall 50 separates the fourth chamber from the fifth chamber. The construction provides for changes in velocity and enhanced settling of particulates in the second or last uppass or settling chamber 24. A clean-out door 58 provided at the rear of the incinerator provides for cleanout of particulates from the fifth chamber 24.  
  In the construction of the incinerator the heater elements may be installed in or near one or more of the flame ports. The heater elements are designed for rapid rise in temperature in the order of l,300 F, for example, and in a period of to minutes to provide a very rapid temperature rise in the flame port structure for improved combustion of the incinerator materials and gases. The heater elements may be either self support ing at the heater ends or may have supports at points along the length that will be well understood in the art. These supports may be of refractory or alloy construction and may be supported either from below the element or as a hanger, or both. The electrical terminal connections may be inside or outside the incinerator depending on the type of elements used. Power supply connections may be on top or the side of incinerator as desired.  
  The flame port openings as will well be understood in the art may be either round, square or rectangular and may or may not be equipped with checker work. The checker work provides for an intentional obstruction for impingement of gases and particulates in or behind a flame port and to retard the flow of gases to create turbulence and promote mixing of oxygen with smoke or combusted gases. The checker work may be constructed of fire brick or other refractory materials or metal alloy.  
  The electric heater elements are designed to generate a high temperature in the order of 1,300 F with rapid rise in temperature upon start-up when electric current is applied. The elements may be conventional in construction and may be metallic sheathed or of tubular design using a variety of heat resistant alloys. They may be cylindrical, spiral, hollow or solid and may or may not have heat dissipating fins or coils on the surface. The elements may also be made of refractory material throughout or can be of metal and sheathed in a refractory tube or casing.  
  Although the incinerator described is a fivechambered unit as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, other types of incinerators can be employed for the combustion of solid, semi-solid, liquids, gases and waste materials for the purpose of reducing these materials at specified rates to residues which contain little or no combustible materials.  
  A modification showing a three-chambered incinerator for example is shown in FIG. 5 designated by the reference numeral 12. In this modification the same reference numerals for similar details of construction are employed as for the five-chambered incinerator of FIGS. 1 through 4. Thus a main combustion chamber 16 is employed which communicate through flame port 42 to a second chamber 18. The second chamber 18 is a combustion chamber which communicates through curtain wall 50 to an up-pass or settling chamber 20. This incinerator is of a simplified design and while not providing the high degree of combustion efficiency and settling of particulates as the five-chambered unit previously described, can be well employed for many types of waste material where a simpler and smaller unit is desired.  
 USE  
  In operation of the incinerator for this invention waste material to be incinerated is directly charged to the burning chamber through the sliding charge door 26. This material may be started to burn by simple match ignition or where desired auxiliary burners can be employed to incinerate the waste material at high temperature. The electric heater elements are energized which may be effected as desired at the same time as the main combustion chamber incinerator. The combustion gases and entrained uncombusted combustible. material and uncombustible particulates travel at a high velocity through the electrically heated flame port 40 to the second chamber 18. Non-combustible particles may fall through the grate 36 in the burning chamber for ultimate clean-out.  
  The high velocity gases and particulates in passing through the electrically heated flame port encounter a high degree of turbulence and are further combusted. Impingement of non-combustible materials on the electric heater elements and the flame port refractory checker work causes a further settling directly to the burning chamber grate while the gases and particulates passing through the flame port are subjected to further combustion in the relatively small second chamber 18.  
  The combustion gases and entrained particulates are then caused to be directed downwardly and at right angles with regard to the flame port through the lower opening in the curtain wall 50 for admission to the third chamber 20. In the third chamber an increased retention time is provided for settling of non-combustible particulates to the floor caused by the reduction in velocity.  
  The entrained particulates and combustion gases then pass upwardly through the second flame port 54 into the fourth chamber 22 constituting a further mixing and combustion chamber. The flame port 54 with the electric heater elements acts in the same fashion as the first flame port 40 to create further combustion and turbulence of acts as a screen and an impingement means to settle further non-combustible particulates. The combustion gases in the fourth chamber and any non-combustible particulates angled pass through the lower opening in the curtain wall 56 to the fifth and last chamber 24 which is an up-pass or settling chamber and the gases are then exhausted through the stack 28.  
  A greatly increased efficiency in combustion and settling of non-combustible particulates and reduction or air pollution is provided through the electrical incinerator of this invention. In the passage of the combustion gases through the five chambers three right angles turns are encountered horizontally and a tortuous or undulating path is encountered in the vertical direction through the relationship of the elevated flame ports and the lower openings in the curtain walls. By this relationship with the electric heater serving for further combustion and as an impingement screen and the checkered or lattice work in the flame ports there is provided a tortuous and turbulent path for maximizing turbulence and to effect centrifugal forces to cause settling of particulates and increase the combustion efficiency. Further the reduction in velocity encountered between the combustion and up-pass or settling chambers cou pled with the change in direction and turbulence favors maximum settling of particulates in the combustion gases before evacuation through the stack 28.  
  The operation and use of the three chambered incinerator 12 is in the same manner as previously described for the five-chamber incinerator. The residence or dwell through the reduction in the number of chambers however shortens the tortuous path and the degree of combustion efficiency is obviously reduced.  
  The incinerator provided by this invention is in the form of a package unit and electrically heated is rugged in construction and simple in operation such that it can be operated by relatively unskilled persons in the art. The efficiency provided in the operation favors reduc tion of particulates in the exhaust gases and minimizes air pollution in the surrounding atmosphere.  
  Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of&#39;this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.  
 What is claimed is:  
  1. An incinerator for incinerating industrial and commercial wastes and providing maximum settling of particulates prior to release of waste gases to the atmosphere, said incinerator comprising a main burning chamber and a series of further chambers connected to one another to provide for further combustion and variation in velocity of the gases passing there through, a flame port opening into one of said chambers, said opening being provided with high temperature electric incinerator means in heat transfer relation with waste gas and particulate matter passing through the flame port opening, said flame port being constructed of refractory checkerwork to provide increased gas turbulence through checker-like openings and said electric incinerator means being in the form of spaced elongated heater elements extending across the checkerlike openings.  
  2. The incinerator of claim 1 in which the heater elements extend through the refractory checkerwork and across the checker-like openings 3. The incinerator of claim 1 in which said electric incinerator means is characterized by its ability to provide a rapid rise in temperature to provide a sufficiently high temperature to combust the waste gases and combustible material passing in heat transfer relation past said electric incinerator means.