A Technical Evaluation of Modular Incinerators With Heat Recovery

The use of small modular incinerator systems for solid waste disposal and energy recovery in municipal and industrial applications is studied. The technical evaluation presented herein is based on the results of three 1-wk field tests at each of two sites. Test data were used to calculate the following for each system: a mass balance, an energy balance, the heat recovery efficiency, the environmental effects, and the overall effectiveness of the system as a solid waste disposal facility. As a result of a nationwide survey, two facilities which best satisfied selection criteria were chosen. These selection criteria included that the sites consist of modular incinerators with heat recovery having a capacity of 50 tons (45 t) or less per day and that the systems be representative of current technology, designs, and operational procedures. The two facilities selected for this study included a municipal incinerator plant with a Consumat system in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and an industrial incinerator facility with a Kelley system in the plant of the Truck Axle Division of the Rockwell International Corporation in Marysville, Ohio. Since the two systems differ in many respects and operate on dissimilar waste streams, direct comparisons of the two systems are not included.