Combustion is basically a high-temperature reaction between a fuel and an oxidant. Although not necessarily a fire, combustion is simply the burning of fuel to make heat energy. Many processes utilize combustion, such as heating a home, running a vehicle, or even creating electricity.
Products of Combustion
The main product of all combustion is heat. Depending on the type of fuel used, combustion also yields other products as well. Usually, combustion produces carbon dioxide, water, and pollutants, depending upon the fuel. Many businesses rely on an industrial combustion system to perform various tasks needed for production.
When choosing the right combustion system for a particular industry, companies must be aware of their production needs as well as the various pollutants a system may produce. Safety precautions and other measures must be taken to reduce the number of pollutants that enter the air. It is also important to choose a system that uses a fuel that is safe and easy for the company to access.
Types of Combustion Systems
There are many types of combustion systems. More commonly known systems include heating systems, ovens, boilers, fireplaces, and car engines. Industrial uses of combustion systems help to produce products needed all around the world. Preventive maintenance of combustion systems are important. To solve breakdowns and malfunctions of combustion systems, contact combustion hardware repair companies immediately.
Most industries utilize what is known as an enclosed combustion system. These systems are designed to be safer. They also help reduce fuel costs by burning remaining vapors and emissions. This reduces the number of pollutants escaping into the environment. The main types of enclosed combustion systems include the following.
Enclosed Flares
Flaring is a high-temperature oxidation process. This process is used by various industries to burn waste gases. Enclosed flares have the burner heads enclosed in a shell that is shielded. Cooling occurs through a natural draft. These systems offer efficient and reliable operation. They are commonly used to provide continuous combustion.
Thermal Oxidizers
This type of system controls the various emissions by burning them to create carbon dioxide and water. Thermal oxidizers combust the emission by directly igniting the emissions, reducing the amount of fuel needed for combustion. They are more efficient and have a high rate of emission destruction.
Direct-fired Thermal Oxidizers
This type of thermal oxidizer offers a destruction efficiency of 99.99% with very low emissions. Also known as an afterburner, the direct-fired thermal oxidizer is, basically, a firing box that streams the hazardous gases either through or near a flame to allow the destruction of emissions.
Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers
The regenerative thermal oxidizer uses ceramic to help with the process. The ceramic is heated from a previous cycle that begins heating the gases before they enter the combustion chamber. An external fuel source then heats the gases further to reach the target temperature needed to destroy the emissions. This process has a 95% efficiency for oxidizing various emissions.
Catalytic Thermal Oxidizers
In this type of combustion system, a catalyst is added to the system that causes a chemical reaction with the gases. The chemical reaction promotes oxidation. Using the right catalyst can even reduce the ignition temperature of some gases. This uses far less fuel to destroy the emissions and can function as self-sustaining equipment.
There is a lot of consideration that goes into choosing the right system for the industry. The efficiency of the system needed, the type of process gas, and the energy efficiency are often primary factors when making this decision. The upfront costs and maintenance needs of the system play major roles in the process if finances are limited.
