Simeken Pro Technical Overview
The PRO™ System (Pyrolysis Recovery Oven) is a high temperature thermal device that can reduce waste; provide recycled by-products, and create heat for the generation of clean electricity. Our System operates in an oxygen-restricted environment to help eliminate air pollution by creating none of—or very little of—many of the pollutants found in incineration or other proposed pyrolysis methods. Capable of processing anywhere from 50 to 200 tons of waste material a day, the PRO System can generate 4 to 60 megawatts of power through the use of a cogeneration system.
The PRO process applies high temperatures (from 1200°F to 1600°F) indirectly to a retort chamber which houses an environment free of flame and oxygen. Inside this oven, hydrocarbons and other waste components are converted into gases and basic elemental solids through destructive distillation and molecular decomposition. All off-gases are diverted to a thermal oxidizer operating above 2000°F for conversion to carbon dioxide, oxygen and water vapor. The remaining solid residues are typically carbon, sterile sands and fixed, non-leachable metals.
In addition to destroying waste materials, the PRO System facilitates cost-effective use of all processing by-products. For example, the heat from the thermal oxidizer can be routed to waste-heat boilers to produce process steam or electricity via steam cogeneration units. Solid residues, depending on the nature of the input, can often be recycled, sold as commodities, or formed into construction material.
This technology serves dual purposes by helping to address the growing worldwide problem of waste disposal, while utilizing the waste product to generate energy in the form of electricity for the surrounding communities. It has been approved in Mexico, and is pending approval by San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District as well as other agencies in the USA for air quality.
Gasification Process
The Hybrid Gasification Unit, entitled the PRO System, uses an advanced pyrolytic technology to thermally convert almost any carbon-containing compound into hydrocarbon vapor and carbon char. The hydrocarbon vapor can be either used directly to produce heat energy or condensed and processed into a valuable hydrocarbon liquid. The marketable carbon char is also recovered.
The PRO System in its basic configuration consists of five components:
- The Shredding and Conveying System
- The PRO Retort Oven
- The Thermal Oxidizer
- The Wet Scrubber
- The Char Output System
1. The Shredding and Conveying System
The Shredding and Conveying System consists of a shredder/grinder mechanism designed for the primary waste stream input(s) of the system, which can include virtually any organic material, such as:
- Wood, Construction and Demolition Waste
- Scrap Tires
- Sewage Sludge
- Animal and other Organic Waste
- Petroleum Waste
- Medical and Bio-hazard Waste
- Municipal Solid Waste
The shreaded waste stream materials are transported by conveyor to the top of the PRO System.
2. The PRO Retort Oven
The PRO Retort Oven consists of a thermal converter that conveys the input stream (tires, scrap wood, medical waste, agricultural waste—nearly anything organic) through an oxygen depleted environment via sinusoidal waves and gravity. Because of the low oxygen, most of the harmful gases generally associated with combustion are not produced. The thermal converter is a thermal combustion chamber that can reach temperatures as high as 1600°F, which creates an environment where all the materials entering the oven are deconstructed into basic hydrocarbon vapor and carbon char. This process, in which the hydrocarbon vapors are created, is the primary reason why the PRO operates so cleanly.
Once the material has reached its resonance time and temperature the remaining material is carbon char. A cooling system at the end of the retort cools the carbon char as it drops from the thermal converter. (The cooling system can also be designed as a water distillation process where contaminated water is treated to have an end result of purified water.)
The final output is carbon char and liberated hydrocarbon gases (Syngas). The hydrocarbon gases are then treated through a thermal oxidizer to produce energy, and a wet scrubber to meet with environmental emission regulations.
3. The Thermal Oxidizer
The Thermal Oxidizer introduces air (oxygen) into the combustion chamber to process the remaining gases from the oven. The retort exhaust gases are combusted and superheated to temperatures as high as 2000°F, but generally in the range of 1600 to 1800°F. This intense heat energy can then be harnessed and used to create steam and spin turbines for the clean generation of electricity.
4. The Wet Scrubber
The Wet Scrubber is part of the reason why the PRO System has such clean emissions. This unit is basically a clean air device, which forces the exhaust gases into a spray chamber. There, the gases come into intimate contact with an aqueous sodium hydroxide medium which removes any remaining particulate material contained in the gas stream and neutralizes many unfavorable gases. The Wet Scrubber also contains a dewatering system to prevent any entrained water from leaving through the stack.
5. The Char Output System
The Char Output System removes the recyclable output from the bottom of the oven. Although the precise composition of this material depends on the waste input, it is generally a pure carbon char that can be profitably sold, or further refined into products such as activated carbon.
Proven Solution
Our 75 ton per day system was installed in Matamoras, Mexico in November, 2004 and was tested using some of the largest polluters in the area—used tires, wood waste, and sewage sludge. With the assistance of the City of Matamoras, this location allowed us to test local wastes to make sure that the PRO unit will work as advertised and will provide the quality of output and reliability needed to support this technology in the long term. Based on our findings and economic projections, our new machines are designed and manufactured with the capacity of 150 tons per day. At these rates of production, the PRO System will provide an excellent return on investment as well as the production of very clean energy and valuable, marketable outputs. A second unit has been built in California.
The true advantage of this technology is the design of the PRO System. Most pyrolysis systems in the past were plagued with reliability issues. The PRO System uses a "free fall" action for movement that is assisted by sinusoidal action. The bottom line is that there are no moving parts inside of the oven, dramatically improving the reliability of the entire system.