Operation
The Catalytic Thermal Oxidiser (CTO) is an economic alternative of cleaning organic air pollutants. The procedure is based upon the fact that lower amounts of volatile pollutants can be burnt under suitable conditions without producing residue.
This process would have required a high amount of heat energy and therefore a catalyser and heat exchanger is installed. The shell and tube type heat exchanger behind the catalyser uses as much energy from the clean gases as possible in order to heat up the cold dirty gases. The job of the catalyser is to decrease the amount of energy required that is needed to convert the pollutants into non-pollutants with being needed during the reaction.
The procedure can then be implemented when the pollutants can be burned and does not contain any catalytic poisons. It has particularly proved itself economically with known and constant solvent compositions and solvent concentrations.
The raw gas loaded with pollutants is then forced into the heat exchangers of the CTO by the process fan. Here the raw gas is pre-heated by the hot clean gas. When required the blower heats the exhaust gas up further in the combustion chamber to the ignition temperature of the catalyser. In the catalyser the pollutants contained in the raw gas is converted into non-polluting CO2 and H20 vapour.
After the catalyser the clean gas is forced into the heat exchanger tubes. Along the way through the heat exchanger tubes the raw gases is heated and cooled.
Eventually the clean gas leaves the system via the clean gas stack.