Tecam DFTO
Thermal Oxidiser
Tecam’s DFTO systems
Tecam’s Direct-Fired Thermal Oxidizers (DFTO) are designed to eliminate gaseous pollutants and are made from rolled steel sheets and profiles that have been given a special anticorrosive treatment. They are extremely robust, have an advanced design, and painted in two-pack epoxy paint, with the final colour chosen by the customer.
The combustion chamber is made from slabs of concrete and ceramic fibre, with high levels of mechanical resistance to ensure a long working life. Insulation is provided in the form of mineral and ceramic fibres with low thermal mass and high levels of heat resistance, carefully arranged in layers to reduce heat loss. The oxidiser is heated using diesel oil, while the temperature in the chamber is regulated by means of a microprocessor-equipped control system that governs the facility.
The DFTO ensures that 99.9 % of the VOCs are destroyed, with a residence time in the combustion chamber of just one second.
Tecam’s tailor-made design
You can always count on tailor-made solutions with Tecam and, where necessary, the development of specific components, software and/or materials. Our technicians engage with every project, using their expertise and knowledge to design customised equipment for each case and customer.
No matter how big or complex the problem, Tecam is the technology partner that will provide you with the solutions you need at all times.
What is a DFTO (or TO)?
A Direct Fired Thermal Oxidiser(DFTO) is designed to oxidise Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). They are also commonly known as Thermal Oxidisers (TOs). The technology used by DFTOs is thermal oxidation, and the system itself comprises a combustion chamber and a burner. The contaminated gas containing the VOCs is injected into the combustion chamber, where the compounds are oxidised at an operating temperature of 800 ºC – 1100 ºC within a specific residence time (usually 1-2 seconds). The operating temperature varies depending on whether the VOCs in the air to be treated contain halogenated compounds (Cl, Br, F, etc.). If they do contain halogenated compounds, an operating temperature of 1100 ºC is required.
In such cases, the DFTO recovers the energy via the radiation of heat: the temperature of the gases as they exit the treatment process is sufficiently high that the resultant energy can be used as a source of heat for other production processes.
Basic operation of a DFTO
A DFTO works by injecting the air to be treated into the combustion chamber, where a burner – powered by gas or liquid fuel – heats the chamber to a high enough temperature to oxidise the VOCs.
The combustion chamber is designed to have sufficient volume to allow the gases to remain within it for the minimum amount of residence time required to ensure full oxidation.
The advantages of a DFTO system
The main advantage of installing a DFTO system is that high temperatures are achieved at the outlet of the combustion chamber, meaning that the heat can be used by heat recovery systems in the form of superheated steam, saturated steam or hot water. Even when steam is generated, it can be subsequently used to generate electricity via a turbine.
Recommended applications for DFTOs
DFTOs are most commonly used for flows contaminated by VOCs that are highly concentrated and/or have a high calorific value. In such cases, as the gas contains a great deal of energy it is difficult to use regenerative methods (e.g. RTO).
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