Eco Air Cleaner
The Eco Air Cleaner is an extremely compact and energy-efficient regenerative incinerator for low concentration organic contaminants in the air. This patented (US Pat. #5,547,640) device is the best available VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) abatement system for small printing, painting, and dry cleaning shops or for continuous combustion of particulate matters from diesel engines.
Eco Air Cleaner is a completely self-contained and gives a wide operational range. It has no catalyst to be poisoned and is almost maintenance-free. It is a simple add-on device to an existing exhaust line. For a detailed description, see the above patent.
Briefly, a coarsely filtered dirty air stream is directed to the semi-circular half of a cylindrical ceramic honeycomb by a slowly rotating flow guide. This stream is heated progressively as it picks up the sensible heat of the honeycomb along the parallel flow passages and reaches to about 2,000º F at the hot opposite end. All organic contaminants are completely oxidized in the insulated semi-spherical combustion chamber which covers the hot end. The resulting hotter clean gas stream makes a U-turn, flows through the other half of the honeycomb, progressively transfers its sensible heat to the ceramic walls and cools. The exiting clean air stream is almost as cool as the incoming dirty air as the incoming cool dirty air stream keeps the cold end of the honeycomb cool. The temperature difference between the incoming and outgoing air streams is the unavoidable heat loss of the system. This can be maintained at about 20º to 30º F. with a very little pressure drop with commercially available Cordierite honeycomb having heat transfer area of 1,000 sq. ft. per cubic ft. easily.
The hot end and the combustion chamber at 2,000º F. ensures complete elimination of Hydrocarbons, organic particulates, CO and dioxins. An additional heating is required for the start-up and for maintaining the hot end temperature when the inlet stream has very low heating value. However, when the inlet stream has enough heating value, as in most cases, the system becomes self-sustaining. The speed of rotation of the flow guide is another convenient operational variable.
This system is related to EcoHeating System, (US Pat. #5,560,350) a compact non-polluting, energy-efficient vented forced air heater which humidifies and cleans the air without any other added equipment and Clean Burn System, (US Pat. #5,632,210) a compact energy-efficient incinerator for bio-hazardous medical and other solid wastes with a large amount of volatile component.
12/21/2006