Run-ning schedules also impact oxidation system selection. Regenerative oxidizers are more efficient for low solvent concentrations, large airflows and continuous operation. The potential for contaminants also must be evaluated. Nonvolatile oxidation products such as silicones, phosphates, clay, glass fibers, resin fragments and other inorganic substances sometimes can enter the exhaust stream. Even in concentrations as low as a few parts per million, these impurities can clog an oxidizer in just a few months, and concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm can mask catalysts in less than one year.
Nothing is more important to an oxidizer's efficient operation than the exhaust rate.
As the exhaust rate for a given process condition is reduced, solvent concentration increases. Lower exhaust rates with higher solvent levels reduce the need for fuel in every oxidizer type. The self-sustaining condition is a desirable operating condition for any oxidation system. Only through careful optimization of process air requirements can this condition be achieved. The energy recovered in the oxidation process comes from the energy generated while burning of process solvents plus the energy introduced through an auxiliary burner.