LOW COST ELECTRON BEAM HYDROCARBON EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM

TOXIC EMISSIONS FROM MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE INCINERATORS REPRESENT A SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE EMISSIONS CONTAIN TOXIC POLYAROMATIC HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS SUCH AS POLYCHLORINATED DIBENZO-P-DIOXINS AND DIBENZOFURANS. CONCENTRATIONS OF THESE HYDROCARBONS MUST BE REDUCED BY A FACTOR OF 100. NEW HIGH TEMPERATURE (1500 DEGREES K) INCINERATORS COULD BE FABRICATED TO REDUCE THE EMISSION OF THESE TOXIC HYDROCARBONS. HOWEVER, THEY ARE ENERGY INEFFICIENT AND RESULT IN HIGH FUEL COSTS. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE EMISSION OF OTHER POLLUTANTS, FOR EXAMPLE THE NO EMISSION. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS EFFORT IS TO DEVELOP COMPACT, HIGHLY RELIABLE, INDUCTION ACCELERATORS TO REDUCE THE EMISSION OF THE TOXIC HYDROCARBONS USING ELECTRON BEAM IRRADIATION. HIGH ENERGY ELECTRON BEAMS PROVIDE A CHEMICALLY SURGICAL AND EFFICIENT COST-EFFECTIVE DESTRUCTION OF TOXIC HYDROCARBON MOLECULES. EXISTING EXPERIMENTAL DATA ON ELECTRON BEAM IRRADIATION OF AIR WITH TRACE AMOUNTS OF HYDROCARBONS INDICATE THAT 20 KILOWATT ELECTRON BEAMS CAN REDUCE HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATIONS IN 2000 LB/HR INCINERATOR STACKS BY A FACTOR OF 100. A NEW ALL-SOLID-STATE INDUCTION ACCELERATOR TECHNOLOGY WHICH REDUCES THE COST OF GENERATING THE REQUIRED 500 KEV, 20 KW ELECTRON BEAM BY A FACTOR OF 15-20 IS BEING DEVELOPED. RESEARCHERS ARE VERIFYING THE REMOVAL OF THE TOXIC HYDROCARBONS WITH AN EXISTING ACCELERATOR AND OBTAINING DATA ON BENZENE REMOVAL EFFICIENCY. BASED ON THIS DATA, AN OPTIMAL ALL-SOLID-STATE INDUCTION ACCELERATOR SYSTEM FOR THE REMOVAL OF TOXIC HYDROCARBONS TO ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE CONCENTRATIONS IS BEING DESIGNED.