Method and facility for incinerating, melting and vitrifying organic and metal waste

Abstract

The method according to the invention enables a facility having a rather reduced dimension, for incinerating to be used, melting and vitrifying mixed waste (30) introduced into a reactor (10), by means of a basket (18) in turn passing through an air lock (12). Plasma torches (14) burn all waste (30) contained in the basket (18). The waste is then lowered in a melting bath of a furnace (20) with an inductor (24) including a crucible-forming container (23). A combustion gas treatment train completes the facility. The furnace (20) can be dismantled, after a series of treatments of several baskets (18) of waste (30) for disassembling the crucible-forming container (23) from the furnace (20). Application in treating different radiologically contaminated and/or toxic mixed waste.

Claims

1. A method for incinerating, melting and vitrifying mixed waste including metal and organic waste, the method comprising the following steps of: introducing in an oxygen plasma medium incinerating reactor with a cold or warm metal wall, by means of a basket of glass fiber, through an air lock opening into the reactor, waste placed in a bag, said bag being placed in the basket; incinerating waste in the reactor; melting residual fractions derived from the incineration of waste and the basket, in an induction furnace, of the type with melting in a crucible-forming container, this furnace being placed below the reactor; vitrifying molten residual fractions into a glass matrix; repeating this cycle for each basket; dismantling the furnace and disassembling the crucible-forming container.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising treating the residual gases from incineration, which comprises the following steps of: post-combusting gases from the incineration; phosphatizing metal chlorides formed during the incineration; filtering dust; recycling the dust in the furnace; neutralizing the decontaminated gases.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the step of dismantling the furnace, the method further comprises: shutting down the plasma torches of the reactor and of furnace; and cooling the entire facility.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the step of dismantling the furnace, the method further comprises: inspecting the reactor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mixed waste contains mineral materials, on the one hand, and radiologically contaminated and/or toxic waste, on the other hand.

6. A facility for implementing a method for incinerating, melting and vitrifying waste including metal and organic waste, wherein the facility comprises: an oxygen plasma medium incinerating reactor with a cool or warm metal wall, comprising at least one plasma torch and an introducing air lock adapted for introducing baskets containing a bag of waste to be incinerated in the reactor, the waste including glass fiber; and an induction melting furnace, of the type with melting in a crucible-forming container, the melting furnace being positioned below the reactor, the furnace being dismountable and adapted to melt residual fractions derived from the incineration of waste and the basket and to vitrify molten residual fractions into a glass matrix, the furnace being positioned below the reactor, wherein the crucible-forming container being adapted to be disassembled.

7. The facility according to claim 6, further comprising a gas treatment train, consisting of: a post-combustion chamber; a cooler; at least one filter; and a hydrogen chloride neutralizing system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT

(1) The single FIGURE shows a facility according to the invention for the implementation of the method according to the invention, for the purpose of incinerating, melting and vitrifying mixed waste.

(2) It is set forth hereinafter that the present description indifferently uses the terms incineration and combustion to designate the same treatment.

(3) A first main element of the facility is a combustion reactor 10 with a cool or warm metal wall. The inside of the reactor contains oxygen, which is heated by one or more plasma torches 14. The latter can be arc or induction plasma torches.

(4) A basket 18 is placed inside the reactor 10 and contains a waste bag 30. This assembly is suspended inside the reactor 10. To do so, the reactor 10 is completed by an air lock 12 for introducing each basket 18 inside the reactor 10. Preferably, the basket 18 is of fibre glass; such a basket enables waste to be incinerated for a duration higher than fifteen minutes in a reactor or an incinerator, without waste being molten beforehand, in particular when inserted in the reactor 10. As the method according to the invention plans to treat metal elements, this basket 18 can include a light metal structure. This basket 18 is suspended in the upper part of the reactor 10, above flames produced by the plasma torches 14. Finally, a gas outlet 16 is provided in the upper part of the reactor 10; according to another alternative, this gas outlet 16 can also be positioned in the lower part of the reactor 10 to pass the gases in the heated zone by the plasma and to promote their oxidation.

(5) Another essential element of this facility is an induction furnace 20, of the In Can Melter-type. Such a furnace type operates by induction and comprises a liner 21, completed by a lower sole 22. A crucible-forming container 23 is placed inside the assembly and is removable. It can comprise in turn a heat resistant inner layer and thus resisting to the aggressivity of the molten bath and an insulating outer layer. Finally, an inductor 24 is placed around the liner 21. This FIGURE also shows inside the crucible-forming container 23 a molten glass mass 26 positioned above a molten metal mass 28 lying on the lower part of the crucible-forming container 23.

(6) This furnace 20 enables the metal phase 28 to be molten by direct induction, as well as the glass phase 26, which is located thereabove; this glass phase 26 is also heated from below by contacting the molten metal and from above with the hot atmosphere being inside the reactor 10 and possibly with the radiation of the plasma torches placed above.

(7) The facility is advantageously completed by an assembly for treating the gases from the reactor 10. It is planned to provide post-combustion of these gases therein, that is the entire oxidation thereof, phosphatizing metal chlorides formed during the combustion of the organic waste including chlorides, filtering dust driven in these gases and recycling it in the melting furnace 20, and neutralizing the decontaminated gases. To succeed in carrying out these different operations, the post-combustion chamber, a cooler, an eletro-filter-type filter or a filtering media filter, another very high efficiency filter and a hydrogen chloride neutralizing system can be used.

(8) The detailed process of the method according to the invention is the following one.

(9) The process begins with sealingly assembling the reactor 10 for incinerating waste and the furnace 20 for melting metal and glass.

(10) Then, there is a possible sealed connection of the gas treatment train, connected to the gas outlet 16 of the reactor 10, when this connection is not permanent. Then, this gas treatment train is activated. The inductor 24 of the melting furnace 20 is also activated.

(11) The plasma torches 14 of the reactor 10 are then ignited to preheat the inside of the reactor 10, that is the oxygen loaded gas atmosphere.

(12) Then, the air lock 12 is opened to introduce a waste bag 30 in a first basket 18. Thus, the latter is placed inside the reactor 10, suspended above the flames of the plasma torches 14.

(13) Then, the air lock 12 for introducing waste is closed.

(14) The gradual combustion of waste present in the waste bag 30 can then occur. Gases derived from this combustion can be treated, as well as recovered dust, by virtue of the filtration in the gas treatment train. The power of the plasma torches 14 can be modulated to control the outlet temperature of the combustion gases.

(15) At the end of the combustion of waste present in the waste bag 30, the basket 18 is lowered in the furnace 20.

(16) Melting the residual fractions derived from the incineration of waste, that is metals and residues of organic materials, as well as ashes and minerals, such as glass fibre, among other things, from the basket 18, thus occurs inside the furnace 20. Then two phases are formed: a heavy metal phase 28, and a lighter glass phase 26 which is positioned above the metal phase 28.

(17) If other waste is to be treated, this cycle is then resumed, with the opening of the air lock 12 and the following steps, until the end of the metal and glass melting for all the waste, until a final desired composition of metal and glass is obtained, up to the complete filling of the internal volume of the crucible-forming container 23 of the furnace 20.

(18) It is noted that the last waste bag 30 can also contain filtration dust recovered in the gas treatment train upon incinerating the previous bags.

(19) When there is no more waste to treat, the following operations are performed:

(20) shutting down the plasma 14;

(21) stopping the operation of the inductor 24 of the furnace 20;

(22) cooling the inside of the crucible-forming container 23 and the reactor 10;

(23) separating the furnace 20 for melting metal and glass from the reactor 10 for incinerating waste and disassembling the crucible-forming container 23.

(24) A possible inspection of the reactor 10 can then occur.

(25) In an exemplary embodiment, operational sequences of such a facility for about twenty bags of around 28 kg, each containing 10 kg of organic waste, 15 kg of metal waste and 3 kg consisting of the basket 18, comprised of metal and glass fibre are contemplated.

(26) From the dimensioning point of view, the combustion chamber of the reactor 10 is cylindrical and with a diameter about 1 m, a height equal to about 2 m, its exchange area with gases being about 7 m.sup.2 and its volume about 1.60 m.sup.3.

(27) The plasma torches 14 which are used can each have a power of 75 KW. The crucible-forming container 23, which makes up the final container in which waste will be packaged, warehoused and stored, is cylindrical with a diameter of about 500 mm and an effective height of about 500 mm.

(28) In this case, the incineration capacity is about 20 kg per hour of organic waste the mean internal combustion power of which is in the order of 33 MJ/kg. This results in a combustion duration of each bag in the order of 30 minutes. The oxygen flow rate necessary during this combustion period is higher than 60 kg/h to be able to be in overstoichiometry. The volume of such a chamber enables a mean residence time for the gases in the reactor 10 of more than about ten seconds. The oxygen overstoichiometry, associated with a mean residence time for the gases in the reactor of about ten seconds, enables organic waste to be completely oxidized.

(29) The power provided by the waste combustion is then about 183 kW and is completed by the power provided by the plasma torches 14, that can reach 150 KW. This power can be modulated to regulate the gas temperature at the outlet of the reactor 10. A small part of the power provided by the waste combustion and the plasma torches 14 is used to raise the temperature of burnt gases, up to the operating temperature of the reactor 10, that is between 800 and 1000? C. However, most of this power is transferred by a heat exchange to the cool walls of the reactor 10.

(30) After the end of the waste combustion, the basket 18 containing the ashes, coming from this combustion, is lowered in the metal and glass bath of the furnace 20, so as to enable metals and minerals to be molten. The metal is held in a molten state therein through direct induction heating, thanks to the inductor 24. It is set forth that, as soon as an n-rank basket 18 is lowered in the furnace 20, an n+1-rank new basket is introduced in the reactor 10 by the air lock 12, this operation lasting in the order of less than 15 minutes.

(31) Finally, by way of example, after the treatment of about twenty waste bags, and depending on the waste composition, the furnace 20 can contain a mass of 375 kg metal and 180 kg glass formed from glass fibre of the baskets 18, ashes, dust from the combustion and mineral additives for adjusting its chemical composition.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

(32) Associating a reactor, of the cool metal wall combustion type, with a pure oxygen combustion enables combustion gas flow rates to treat to be minimized, with respect to air combustion, which includes 80% of nitrogen useless for this combustion. This enables a reasonable gas temperature to be held, that is lower than 1200? C., to avoid, for example, the premature melting of the basket 18 of glass fibre, which carries waste. Indeed, the additional calories are absorbed by the cold wall of the reactor 10. This association enables the global dimensions of the reactor 10 for incinerating and treating the gases to be minimized. The association of the feeding system with an air lock 12, for introducing waste contained in a basket 18 of glass fibre, and the oxygen plasma medium combustion reactor 10 with a cold metal wall, enables the dimensions of this reactor 10 and the entire gas treatment to be minimized, with a stable combustion flow rate, while keeping the advantage of treating entire waste bags, without opening them, nor grinding them, to thus avoid any dissemination of the radioactive contamination.

(33) Such a reactor 10, which is thus cooled, is not corroded by the combustion gases, which results in extending its lifetime.

(34) Between two use sequences of the facility, according to the invention, it is also possible and easy to inspect and wash the reactor 10.

(35) The use of a metal and glass melting furnace 20, of the In Can Meter-type, leads, because of its sequential operation, to regular shutdowns of the facility, with a change of the crucible-forming container of the melting furnace. This facilitates managing the criticality, since there cannot be an accumulation of fissile material in the crucible-forming container 23 of the melting furnace 20.

(36) The association of the In Can Melter-type furnace 20 with the cold or warm metal wall combustion reactor 10 is particularly relevant, because the reactor 10 can be very rapidly cooled. This enables the furnace 20 to be disconnected from the reactor 10 while cold, so as to change the crucible-forming container 23, without wasting time.