Incinerator with a bowl-shaped grate

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6769370
  • Patent Number
    6,769,370
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, June 17, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 3, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Original Assignees
  • Examiners
    • Rinehart; K. B.
    Agents
    • Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
Abstract
An incinerator includes a peripheral wall having a top end and formed with an inlet at the top end and an outlet below the inlet, a bowl-shaped grate disposed between the inlet and the outlet, a plurality of laterally extending baffles extending from a bottom end of the grate to the peripheral wall, and a plurality of vertically extending baffles disposed between the peripheral wall and the grate.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to an incinerator, more particularly to an incinerator with a bowl-shaped grate mounted in a combustion chamber.




2. Description of the Related Art





FIG. 1

illustrates a conventional incinerator that has a first combustion chamber


1


, a second combustion chamber


2


disposed above the first combustion chamber


1


, a water circulating device


3


disposed above the second combustion chamber


2


, and a stack


4


connected to the second combustion chamber


2


. A feed pump


101


is disposed adjacent to the first combustion chamber


1


for delivering combustible waste from a hopper


102


to a grate


106


in the first combustion chamber


1


. A stirrer


103


is used to stir the combustible waste on the grate


106


so as to enhance combustion of the combustible waste. The resultant ash or slag is discharged from an outlet port


105


.




Although the combustion can be enhanced with the provision of the stirrer


103


, incomplete combustion of the combustible waste is still likely to happen for the aforesaid conventional incinerator.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an incinerator that is capable of overcoming the aforesaid drawback of the prior art.




According to the present invention, there is provided an incinerator that comprises: a peripheral wall that defines a combustion chamber therein, that has a vertically extending portion and a top end, and that is formed with an inlet adjacent to the top end and adapted to permit entry of air flow therethrough and into the combustion chamber, and an outlet disposed below the inlet and adapted to permit discharge of combustion gases therefrom; a bowl-shaped grate adapted to receive combustible waste therein and mounted in the combustion chamber at a level between the inlet and the outlet in such a manner to permit air flow from the inlet to pass downwardly through the combustible waste in the bowl-shaped grate toward the outlet, the bowl-shaped grate being spaced apart from and cooperating with the vertically extending portion of the peripheral wall to define a circulating space therebetween, and having a bottom end; a plurality of laterally extending baffles, each of which extends laterally from the bottom end of the bowl-shaped grate to the vertically extending portion of the peripheral wall; and a plurality of vertically extending baffles, each of which is disposed between the vertically extending portion of the peripheral wall and the bowl-shaped grate above the laterally extending baffles to divide the circulating space into a downward-flowing zone between the vertically extending baffles and the vertically extending portion of the peripheral wall and an upward-flowing zone between the vertically extending baffles and the bowl-shaped grate. Each of the vertically extending baffles is spaced apart from an adjacent one of the laterally extending baffles to define a gap therebetween so as to permit fluid communication between the downward-flowing and upward-flowing zones. An ash tray is mounted in the combustion chamber at a level between the bottom end of the bowl-shaped grate and the outlet.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention,





FIG. 1

is a schematic view of a conventional incinerator;





FIG. 2

is a schematic flow diagram illustrating how the preferred embodiment of an incinerator is connected to peripheral devices according to the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a schematic side view of the incinerator of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 4

is a schematic, partly sectional view of the incinerator of

FIG. 2

; and





FIG. 5

is a schematic, fragmentary perspective view of the incinerator of FIG.


2


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT





FIG. 2

is a flow diagram of an incineration system that includes an incinerator


100


, a circulating unit


200


downstream of and connected to the incinerator


100


, a cyclone separator


300


downstream of and connected to the circulating device


200


, a Venturi-scrubbing unit


400


downstream of and connected to the cyclone separator


300


, a wet-type electrostatic precipitator unit


500


downstream of and connected to the Venturi-scrubbing unit


400


, an active carbon absorbing unit


600


downstream of and connected to the wet-type electrostatic precipitator unit


500


, an induced fan


700


connected to the active carbon absorbing unit


600


, and a stack


800


connected to the induced fan


700


.




Referring to

FIGS. 3

to


5


, the incinerator


100


includes: a peripheral wall


10


that defines a combustion chamber


14


therein, that has a vertically extending portion


12


and a top end


13


, and that is formed with two air inlets


130


in the top end


13


(alternatively, the air inlets


130


can be formed at a position adjacent to the top end


13


) and adapted to permit entry of air flow therethrough and into the combustion chamber


14


, and an outlet


121


disposed below the air inlets


130


and adapted to permit discharge of combustion gases therefrom; two air blowers


711


respectively connected to the air inlets


130


through two pipelines


70


; a bowl-shaped grate


30


adapted to receive combustible waste therein and mounted in the combustion chamber


14


at a level between the air inlets


130


and the outlet


121


in such a manner to permit air flow from the air inlets


130


to pass downwardly through the combustible waste in the bowl-shaped grate


30


toward the outlet


121


, the bowl-shaped grate


30


being spaced apart from and cooperating with the vertically extending portion


12


of the peripheral wall


10


to define a circulating space therebetween, and having a bottom end


32


; a plurality of laterally extending baffles


40


, each of which extends laterally from the bottom end


32


of the bowl-shaped grate


30


to the vertically extending portion


12


of the peripheral wall


10


; and a plurality of vertically extending baffles


50


, each of which is disposed between the vertically extending portion


12


of the peripheral wall


10


and the bowl-shaped grate


30


above the laterally extending baffles


40


to divide the circulating space


14


into a downward-flowing zone


141


between the vertically extending baffles


50


and the vertically extending portion


12


of the peripheral wall


10


and an upward-flowing zone


142


between the vertically extending baffles


50


and the bowl-shaped grate


30


. Each of the vertically extending baffles


50


is spaced apart from an adjacent one of the laterally extending baffles


40


to define a gap


143


therebetween so as to permit fluid communication between the downward-flowing and upward-flowing zones


141


,


142


and so as to permit circulation of air flow, which is introduced into the combustion chamber


14


through the air inlets


130


, between the downward-flowing and upward-flowing zones


141


,


142


. By virtue of the laterally extending baffles


40


and the vertically extending baffles


50


, air flow from the inlets


130


can be directed toward the bowl-shaped grate


30


to result in effective combustion of the waste in the bowl-shaped grate


30


.




A feed hopper


20


is mounted on the top end


13


of the peripheral wall


10


so as to deliver the combustible waste to the bowl-shape grate


30


.




An ash tray


60


is mounted in the combustion chamber


14


at a level between the bottom end


32


of the bowl-shaped grate


30


and the outlet


121


for receiving ash and slag falling from the bowl-shaped grate


30


. Since the outlet


121


is positioned at a level below the air inlets


130


and the combustible waste in the bowl-shaped grate


30


, flames in the combustion chamber


14


are blown in a downward direction by the air flow. The ash tray


60


is preferably spaced apart from the bottom end


32


of the bowl-shape grate


30


by a distance to be within the reach of the downward flames so as to ensure that unburned or incompletely burned waste falling to the ash tray


60


can be completely burned.




The peripheral wall


12


is further formed with a circulating outlet port


82


that is disposed at a level between the ash tray


60


and the outlet


121


, and a circulating inlet port


81


that is disposed at the top end


13


of the peripheral wall


12


. The bottom end


32


of the bowl-shaped grate


30


cooperates with the laterally extending baffles


40


to divide the combustion chamber


14


into an upper chamber


145


that is disposed adjacent to and that is in fluid communication with the circulating inlet port


81


, and a lower chamber


146


that is disposed adjacent to and that is in fluid communication with the circulating outlet port


82


. A blower


83


is connected to the circulating inlet and outlet ports


81


,


82


through pipeline


80


so as to permit circulation of a portion of combustion gases from the lower chamber


146


to the upper chamber


145


and so as to enhance efficiency of combustion.




The circulating unit


200


includes a circulating pipeline


240


that is connected to the outlet


121


and a top end of the pipeline


80


, and a blower


201


connected to the pipeline


240


so as to enhance circulation of combustion gases between the upper and lower chambers


145


,


146


.




By virtue of the downward flames in the combustion chamber


14


in the incinerator of this invention, the unburned or incompletely burned waste falling to the ash tray


60


from the bowl-shaped grate


30


can be completely burned, thereby eliminating the drawback as encountered in the prior art.




With the invention thus explained, it is apparent that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. An incinerator comprising:a peripheral wall that defines a combustion chamber therein, that has a vertically extending portion and a top end, and that is formed with an inlet adjacent to said top end and adapted to permit entry of air flow therethrough and into said combustion chamber, and an outlet disposed below said inlet and adapted to permit discharge of combustion gases therefrom; a bowl-shaped grate adapted to receive combustible waste therein and mounted in said combustion chamber at a level between said inlet and said outlet in such a manner to permit air flow from said inlet to pass downwardly through the combustible waste in said bowl-shaped grate toward said outlet, said bowl-shaped grate being spaced apart from and cooperating with said vertically extending portion of said peripheral wall to define a circulating space therebetween, and having a bottom end; a plurality of laterally extending baffles, each of which extends laterally from said bottom end of said bowl-shaped grate to said vertically extending portion of said peripheral wall; a plurality of vertically extending baffles, each of which is disposed between said vertically extending portion of said peripheral wall and said bowl-shaped grate above said laterally extending baffles to divide said circulating space into a downward-flowing zone between said vertically extending baffles and said vertically extending portion of said peripheral wall and an upward-flowing zone between said vertically extending baffles and said bowl-shaped grate, each of said vertically extending baffles being spaced apart from an adjacent one of said laterally extending baffles to define a gap therebetween so as to permit fluid communication between said downward-flowing and upward-flowing zones; and an ash tray mounted in said combustion chamber at a level between said bottom end of said bowl-shaped grate and said outlet.
  • 2. The incinerator of claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall is further formed with a circulating outlet port that is disposed at a level between said ash tray and said outlet, and a circulating inlet port that is disposed adjacent to said top end of said peripheral wall, said bottom end of said bowl-shaped grate cooperating with said laterally extending baffles to divide said combustion chamber into an upper chamber that is disposed adjacent to and that is in fluid communication with said circulating inlet port, and a lower chamber that is disposed adjacent to and that is in fluid communication with said circulating outlet port, said incinerator further comprising a blower that is connected to said circulating inlet and outlet ports so as to permit circulation of a portion of combustion gases from said lower chamber to said upper chamber.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number Name Date Kind
4574710 Pickard Mar 1986 A
6325000 Furuta Dec 2001 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
6-50515 Jun 1994 JP
6-50516 Jun 1994 JP
6-50517 Jun 1994 JP
6-134434 Jun 1994 JP