Research and development to improve naval shipboard waste management usinga compact closed-loop-controlled waste incinerator

Research has been conducted into the application of forced acoustics for en hancing the performance of a pyrolyzed waste afterburner configured as a du mp combustor. Subscale studies showed that acoustic forcing of an air jet e ntering a dump chamber could trigger the formation of coherent vortices gen erated by entrainment of ambient gases. Subsequent studies showed that comb ustible gases could be introduced into the coherent vortices, and with addi tional modulation this configuration would lead to an enhanced combustion r ate with low emissions of pollutants. The acoustically forced burner concep t was scaled up to practical levels and tested as an afterburner on a comme rcial waste incinerator operating in pyrolysis mode. Results show that the afterburner can promote both compactness, due to the rapid combustion rate, and low pollutant emissions resulting from enhanced mixing prior to combus tion. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.