Patent ID: 6952997

Claim:
A process for incinerating combustible material including the steps of: delivering combustible material and inlet gases to a primary combustion chamber, the inlet gases having an oxygen content of at least 50 vol. %; burning the combustible material with the oxygen of the inlet gases in the primary combustion chamber producing flue gases and solid particulates as thermal decomposition products of the burnt combustible material; passing the flue gases and particulates to a secondary combustion chamber where further combustion occurs; cooling the flue gases exiting the secondary combustion chamber; returning a portion of the cooled flue gases to at least one of the combustion chambers where the cooled gases moderate the temperature in the at least one chamber; passing the remaining portion of cooled flue gases on to a flue gas purification system where pollutants in the flue gases and particulates are substantially converted to benign compounds or removed entirely before the flue gases are emitted into the atmosphere; monitoring the value of at least one parameter of at least one combustion chamber, the parameter being a function of thermal decomposition of the combustible material in at least one combustion chamber; comparing the value of the at least one monitored parameter with at least one predetermined value, the comparison being effected by a control device; and communicating the result of the comparison to a means for controlling the portion of cooled flue gases returned to the at least one combustion chamber in said step of returning and to the flue gas purification system in said step of passing the remaining portion of cooled flue gases, the means controlling the size of the portions accordingly.