Effect of burner types and steam injection methods on thermal destruction of waste refrigerants (HFC-134a)

Abstract To minimize the high auxiliary energy consumption incurred in the thermal destruction process of waste HFC-134a, fuel, oxidants, refrigerants, and steam were injected into an incinerator in different forms, resulting in the development of an optimum burner. The new designed burner with two types of steam supply methods was used for comparing waste HFC-134a destruction characteristics. Two types of burners with 100% waste HFC-134a destruction efficiency during LPG (1.0 kg/h) combustion at excess air ratio of 1.1, were employed as auxiliary fuels. The results show: 1) internal temperature of the incinerator increases regardless of burner type when steam and waste HFC-134a are supplied at the same time, 2) maximum supply of waste HFC-134a is 2.8 kg/h in a destructor without steam supply, and 3) for injection of optimum steam supply (0.5 kg/h), the maximum rates of total thermal destruction of waste HFC-134a are 3.0 kg/h and 3.4 kg/h for type-1 and type-2 burners, respectively.