Resulting from many industrial processes there are exhaust gases that contain components that need to be oxidized in order to meet the requirements of the guidelines of air quality control.
Applications for RTO systems are:
- Exhaust gases with flammable substances in low concentrations
- Clean exhaust gases, that must be combusted
Waste gases containing dust, which can be filtered prior to combustion. In a plant for regenerative afterburning (RTO), the incoming waste gas stream is heated in a ceramic heat exchanger and oxidized in a connected combustion chamber. From the combustion chamber the combusted flue gas enters another ceramic heat exchanger that takes up the heat while cooling the gas. The flow direction in ceramic heat exchangers is reversed periodically.
Depending on the application, the following designs apply:
- Dual-chamber system
- Three- and multi-chamber systems
In dusty gases or gases with elevated concentration of combustible substances, the use of a thermal oxidizer (afterburner, TO) has to be considered as an alternative.