Operation Issues with RTO Catalytic Combustion Units
(1) The RTO units for treating petroleum ether-containing waste gases and isopropyl ether-containing waste gases have experienced multiple explosion incidents, despite the treatment concentrations being significantly below the lower explosive limit. Analysis of the RTO research indicates that petroleum ether and isopropyl ether have characteristics of low flash points and high volatility. Therefore, when treating VOCs waste gases with RTO units, attention must be given to low flash point substances such as petroleum ether, isopropyl ether, and cyclohexane. It is recommended that low flash point VOCs not be processed in RTO units and instead be treated separately using carbon fiber adsorption.
(2) The operation control parameters of the RTO unit are rather simple. Currently, the main monitored operational parameters are the combustion chamber temperature. The feedback data from the online monitoring instrument for the VOCs concentration of the intake is inaccurate, which prevents the pre-determination of the auxiliary fuel's combustion amount. This leads to fluctuations in the combustion chamber temperature. When the VOCs concentration is too high, it may result in excessive combustion chamber temperature, potentially damaging the heat storage unit and reducing the service life of the RTO unit. Presently, the quality of domestically produced RTO instruments is subpar, with most failing to meet operational management requirements.
(3) Facilities utilizing RTO units for treating VOCs emissions are predominantly found in hazardous chemical production or usage enterprises. During operation, there is a particular concern for potential explosions. Due to the limited research, design specifications, and real-time monitoring data on RTO units, for safety reasons, companies operating RTO units are quite conservative in assessing the categories and concentrations of VOCs emissions admitted.
