Different kinds of waste can be classified from a variety of viewpoints. According to legislation, waste is either classified as hazardous or non-hazardous, according to its state it is a solid or liquid, and according to origin it is regarded as excavation waste, industrial waste, agricultural waste or municipal waste. Waste from production, especially from mechanical engineering, is a special kind of waste.
The huge amount of waste being produced is a global problem, in particular when waste is dumped. It is therefore necessary to use it appropriately. Usually one of the following options is used: re-use, material use (recycling, composting) or energy use (direct combustion/gasification, fuel production) – for more see also e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste.
Liquid waste occurs in animal husbandry or vegetable production, or as a by-product in other types of industrial production. Liquid wastes cannot be transported to standard landfill sites since they would penetrate ground water and therefore constitute an environmental problem which would then need fixing. The optimal way to dispose of liquid waste, provided it is combustible, is to burn it.
Researchers Prof. Petr Stehlík, CSc. and Ing. Vít Kermes, Ph.D. of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, have developed a unique method of spraying liquids so as to optimize their combustion. The principle is to use hydrocarbons in a gaseous state when pneumatically spraying the liquid into the combusting space. The gaseous hydrocarbon in pneumatic atomization replaces the ordinarily used compressed air or steam. In addition to pneumatic spraying, the volumetric mixing of liquid and gas is perfect, resulting in the liquid evaporating more rapidly.
The main advantage of the proposed solution is the reduced consumption of the supporting stabilization fuel. The result is primarily economic benefit. Also beneficial is the more rapid evaporation of the stabilized liquid in the combusting space and the shortening of the visible flame, which should result in lower demand for the amount of combusting space. The patented method can be profitably used especially in the disposal of combustible liquid wastes, particularly in combusting liquids with low heating capacity and liquids with a high flash point.
Let’s conclude by introducing both inventors:
Prof. Petr Stehlík, CSc. is a recognized international expert in process engineering, in particular in the field of heat transfer and its applications, thermal processing of waste, including energy utilization (waste to energy), process furnaces, heat exchangers, integration of processes, saving energy and reducing harmful emissions, simulation calculations and optimization in the processing industry. Since 1986, he has been working at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology. Presently he is the director and a professor of the Institute of Process and Environmental Engineering. He played a significant part in establishing the NETME Centre as a strategic project, and for which he acts as coordinator and principal researcher. |
 Ing. Vít Kermes, PhD. is a renowned expert in the field of process engineering, in particular predictive and semi-empirical modelling of the production of nitrogen oxides during diffusive combustion of gaseous fuels, the combustion of gaseous and liquid fuels, testing burners and designing experimental equipment. From 2004, he has been working at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology as a lecturer at the Institute of Process and Environmental Engineering and as a scientist in the Division of Power, Process and Environmental Engineering in the NETME Centre. At present, he is working in the field of applied research. |
Both inventors are authors of many scientific papers in Czech and international specialist journals. They participate in realizing a wide range of science-research projects and cooperate successfully with key partners from industry.
