Methods and systems for clean-up of hazardous spills

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9772108-B2
Application number	US-201514925883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems for clean-up of hazardous spills are provided. In some aspects, there is provided a system for burning an water-oil emulsion that includes an enclosure configured to hold a water-oil emulsion; one or more conductive rods disposed throughout the enclosure, each rod of the one or more roads having a heater portion to be submerged in the water-oil emulsion and a collector portion to project above the water-oil emulsion, wherein the collector portion is longer than the heater portion; and a delivery system for supplying an water-oil emulsion to the enclosure, the delivery system is configured to maintain a constant level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure as the water-oil emulsion is burned. The enclosure may further include one or more adjustable air inlets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for burning an water-oil emulsion comprising:
an enclosure configured to hold a water-oil emulsion;
one or more conductive rods disposed throughout the enclosure, each rod of the one or more rods having a heater portion to be submerged in the water-oil emulsion and a heat collector portion to project above the water-oil emulsion; and
a delivery system for supplying an water-oil emulsion to the enclosure, the delivery system is configured to maintain a pre-determined level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure as the water-oil emulsion is burned,
wherein the pre-determined level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure is maintained so that the heat collector portion is longer than the heater portion.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more rods have an adjustable height.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a ratio of a length of the heat collector portion to a length of the heater portion is between 2 and 6.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein a height of the rod is between 25% to 75% of a baseline flame height.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more rods are distributed among a plurality of zones, with rods in a same zone having same height and rods in different zones having different height.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the height of the rods increases toward a center of the enclosure.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the zones are concentric to one another.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the enclosure further includes one or more inlets.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein each of the one or more inlets includes a cover mechanism to adjustably change the shape of the inlet.

10. A method for burning an water-oil emulsion comprising:
supplying an water-oil emulsion to a holding enclosure to a pre-selected level, the enclosure having one or more heat conductive rods disposed therein, each rod of the one or more rods having a heater portion to be submerged in the water-oil emulsion and a heat collector portion to project above the water-oil emulsion, wherein the pre-selected level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure is maintained so that the heat collector portion is longer than the heater portion; and
igniting and burning the water-oil emulsion from the enclosure while maintaining the pre-selected level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a ratio of a length of the heat collector portion to a length of the heater portion is between 2 and 6.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein a height of the rod is between 25% to 75% of a baseline flame height.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more rods are distributed among a plurality of zones, with rods in a same zone having same height and rods in different zones having different height.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the height of the rods increases toward a center of the enclosure.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the enclosure further includes one or more inlets.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein each of the one or more inlets includes a cover mechanism to adjustably change the shape of the inlet.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein a water content of the water-oil emulsion is between about 20% and about 60%.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising preheating the one or more rods before igniting the water-oil emulsion.

19. A system for burning an water-oil emulsion comprising:
an enclosure configured to hold a water-oil emulsion;
one or more conductive rods disposed throughout the enclosure, each rod of the one or more rods having a heater portion to be submerged in the water-oil emulsion and a heat collector portion to project above the water-oil emulsion, wherein the one or more rods have an adjustable height so the heat collector portion is longer than the heater portion; and
a delivery system for supplying an water-oil emulsion to the enclosure, the delivery system is configured to maintain a constant level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure as the water-oil emulsion is burned.

20. A method for burning an water-oil emulsion comprising:
supplying an water-oil emulsion to a holding enclosure to a pre-selected level, the enclosure having one or more heat conductive rods disposed therein, each rod of the one or more rods having a heater portion to be submerged in the water-oil emulsion and a heat collector portion to project above the water-oil emulsion, wherein the one or more rods have an adjustable height so the heat collector portion is longer than the heater portion; and
igniting and burning the water-oil emulsion from the enclosure while maintaining the pre-selected level of the water-oil emulsion in the enclosure.

Assignees

• Worcester Polytech Inst

Inventors

• Rangwala Ali S
• Shi Xiaochuan
• Arsava Kemal S
• Mahnken Glenn

Classifications

• F23D5/123

  Inserts promoting evaporation · CPC title

• F23G2900/50213

  Preheating processes other than drying or pyrolysis · CPC title

• F23G7/05 Primary

  of waste oils · CPC title

• F23K5/12

  Preparing emulsions (burners spraying an emulsion of water and fuel into the combustion space F23D11/16) · CPC title