WO2008129583A2

WO2008129583A2 - Aquatic system for the incineration and/or energy recovery from waste combustion

Info

Publication number: WO2008129583A2
Application number: PCT/IT2008/000262
Authority: WO
Inventors: Salvatore Valva
Original assignee: Grimsby Development Corp.
Priority date: 2007-04-19
Filing date: 2008-04-18
Publication date: 2008-10-30
Also published as: WO2008129583A3; ITRM20070221A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a marine system used simply to incinerate waste, or alternatively to recover energy from waste-burning, wherein the incinerator, or respectively the energy recovery plant (3), operate in a marine or lake environment, on a floating means or on a fixed 'substructure'.

Description

Aquatic system for the incineration and/or energy recovery from waste combustion

Technical Field and Background Art

The present invention relates to an aquatic system for the incineration of waste or energy recovery from waste, as disclosed in the following description. Traditional processes of garbage disposal involve drawbacks which lead to the development of the present invention, for which a patent application has been filed.

Waste production in the last years has steadily increased. In the past, waste was disposed of only by using apposite garbage dumps, but unfortunately this practice besides producing a high environmental pollution of the relevant areas and of the underlying ground water has also encouraged an excessive use and a progressive saturation of the areas usable as dumping grounds.

In the last decades, new waste-processing technologies have been introduced in order to reduce pollution and the volumes to be eliminated, by recycling increasingly large amounts of waste. In particular, a combined processing cycle involving a selection of recyclable elements and the incineration of the non-recyclable ones, has shown that waste volumes to be disposed of in a garbage dump can be noticeably reduced or eliminated altogether, using at the same time the stable material resulting from the incineration (ashes) to build road beds/foundations, road surfaces, to produce cement or tiles, briquettes, or the like.

The method of the abovementioned combined processing as compared with previous practice of disposal in a garbage dump has certainly drastically reduced the total, required number of garbage dumps (the ashes correspond to about 10% of the processed garbage), and concurrently it has also lowered the amount of pollution of the soil surface and ground water.

Unfortunately, notwithstanding the low value of toxic emissions of current incinerators, which are certainly "acceptable" by the environment as a whole (emissions are in fact below the maximum values prescribed by law), the amount of toxic substances which accumulate and concentrate with time on the dry land areas where the incinerators are located, becomes in a relatively short period intolerable for local inhabitants, since they generate pollution of the ground, of air, and of the water table. Actually, because of its accumulation with time, the local concentration of toxic substances, in the areas proximate to the incineration plants, reaches unacceptable values after a certain period of operation, so that local people and local authorities are extremely reluctant when asked to accept these type of plants on their territory.

Disclosure of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the abovementioned disadvantages, in particular to eliminate the possibility of a local environmental pollution in the neighbourhoods of inhabited areas due to accumulation of toxic substances as a consequence of the use of incineration systems, both in case of simple incinerators, and of energy recovery plants from waste, and a further object is also that of avoiding social conflicts, resulting in the abandonment of projects for the realization of incineration systems, which on the other hand would be indispensable for reducing the volume of garbage to be eliminated while avoiding a premature saturation of the dumping grounds.

The object of the invention consists in a marine system, or a lake system (lacustral system), which may be formed by a floating support (ship, pontoon, semi- submarine, or generally a floating substructure, etc.) or by a fixed support (artificial island, structure laid on the sea bed or on foundations, or on a hull provided with legs that may be hauled down (so-called jack-up, etc.)), either of them combined with an incineration plant or an energy recovery plant from waste, suited for use in a marine or lake environment, and - in case of a plant operating on a floating support - also suited to operate on a system (dynamical system) subject to the motions induced by the sea.

Description of Some Preferred Embodiments

In particular, the marine incineration system or marine system for energy production from waste, may have the following alternative configurations: It may be realised on an usual floating support, such as:

- a pontoon which is either towed or self-propelled,

- a ship which is either towed or self-propelled,

- a semi-submarine which is either self-propelled or towed, or any other kind of floating support system which is either self-propelled or towed.

It may also be realised on a fixed support, such as:

- a steel-made support structure anchored to the sea bed by means of piles (a so- called jacket);

- a gravity-based support structure (that is, lying on the sea bottom), made either of steel or concrete;

- an artificial island;

- alternatively, the incineration/energy recovery system may be mounted on a hull provided with legs that may be hauled down (so-called jack up) and which, once they have been hauled down to contact the sea bed, they may be used to automatically lift the hull supporting said incinerator or system for recovering energy from waste.

The plants for producing (recovering) energy from waste, of the kind realised on a floating support, such as a hull-type support structure, will be designed according to the criteria adopted for garrisoned naval means by various Official Certifying Bodies, taking account of the static and dynamical loads transmitted by the upperworks (superstructure), including the incineration plant and all other facilities/plants located on board. In particular, the hull underlying structure will be designed taking account of the following:

• total area required by the whole plant, on which this plant lies;

• motors and power generation system;

• plants and facilities, water processing, ecc; • hull ballasting system;

• space used for storing waste and ashes, including the possibility of using an additional pontoon only for transporting and stocking this waste and ash;

• system for handling (displacing) the waste;

• system for handling (displacing) the ashes; • space used for storing foodstuff;

• lodgings module, which includes the refectory/canteen, the office rooms, etc., as well as all instruments and rooms used for navigation;

In case of plants with large incineration capacity, the system can be enlarged by including further naval means used to transport and store the garbage and the ashes.

The waste-incineration/energy-recovery system, will be designed taking account of the following:

• Operation in a marine environment.

• System dynamics determined by the motions induced by the waves. Specifically, the plants will be designed to resist, in structural terms, to accelerations induced by the sea motion, and moreover, they will be realised in such a way to permit the incineration and the handling/displacement of waste and ashes under the dynamical conditions imposed to the whole system by the sea. The advantages offered by such a system are the following:

• The amounts (in ppm — parts per million) of toxic substances accumulated in the environment (air/water), inside the operational or sailed areas, are negligible, since the system is dynamic and/or operates in a dynamic environment and therefore it dilutes the emissions in this dynamic environment and does not accumulate polluting substances inside the same area/static environment (actually, on the sea air masses are more dynamic than on the dry land, and water masses perform a continuous motion in contrast with the static conditions existing on the ground). • No pollution resulting from waste incineration will be produced inside inhabited areas, or in the neighbourhood of inhabited areas, thereby eliminating social conflicts that would hinder the realization of plants of this kind.

• Loading of waste is effected in harbours nearby the waste production areas, thereby reducing transport by land that originates additional costs and pollution. • The incineration is performed in the open sea, or during navigation from one harbour - where the waste is loaded - to the next harbour where heavy ashes (stable material) are required; these ashes may be used in road bed or road paving constructions, or to produce concrete, tiles, etc. Even in this case the amount of transport by land is reduced, and this entails benefits under the aspect of pollution and costs.

• The dimension/magnitude of this system may correspond to the dimension/magnitude of the greatest already existing plants in the world.

The support hull will be designed for energy recovering systems realised "on a towed, floating support" and for self-propelled energy recovering systems alike, by observing the criteria provided for by various bodies (Certifying Bodies) whose task is to issue certificates for garrison naval means, talcing into account the static and dynamic loads transmitted to the superstructure, which is formed by the incineration plant and by all other plants and facilities located on board. Specifically, the hull will be designed taking the following into account:

• The support area onto which the whole plant is designed to lie;

• The power generation system for on-board facilities;

• Plants and facilities, water handling/processing, etc: • Hull ballasting system

• Stock volume for waste and ashes (including the possibility of using a further pontoon only for transportation purposes and for waste and ashes storing purposes)

• System for displacing/handling waste. • System for displacing/handling ashes.

• Space/Volume for stocking the foodstuff

• Facilities required for navigation

In case of plants with high incineration capacities, a further naval means could be added to the system, to transport and stock waste and ashes. The incineration system, or energy recovery system from waste, will be designed taking account of the following:

• The operation in a marine environment;

• System dynamics determined by the motions induced by the waves. Specifically, the plants will be designed to resist, in structural terms, to the accelerations induced by the sea motion, and moreover, they will be realised in such a way to permit the incineration and the handling/displacement of waste and ashes under the dynamical conditions imposed to the whole system by the sea. The system has the following advantages:

• The amounts (in ppm - parts per million) of toxic substances accumulated in the environment (air/water), inside the operational or sailed areas, are negligible, since the system is dynamic and/or operates in a dynamic environment and therefore it dilutes the emissions in this dynamic environment and does not accumulate polluting substances inside the same area, in contrast with a static environment (on the sea air masses are more dynamic than on dry land, and water masses move continuously unlike the static conditions existing on the ground).

• No pollution resulting from waste incineration will be produced inside inhabited areas, or in the neighbourhood of inhabited areas, thereby eliminating social conflicts that would hinder the realization of plants of this kind.

• The loading of waste is effected in the harbours nearby the waste production areas, thereby reducing the amount of transport by land which originates additional costs and pollution.

• The incineration is performed in the open sea, or during navigation from one harbour - where the waste is loaded -, to the next harbour, where heavy ashes

(stable material) are required; these ashes may then be used in road bed or road paving constructions, or to produce concrete, tiles, etc. Even in this case the amount of transport by land is reduced, and this entails benefits under the aspect of pollution and costs. • The size/magnitude of this system may correspond to the size/magnitude of the greatest already existing plants in the world.

Given that the system is not self-propelled, it implies construction, maintenance and running (operation) costs which are noticeably lower than the self-propelled system. The energy recovery systems for producing energy from waste, realised on a

"fixed support", may employ one or more support structures (like jackets, gravity- based structures, artificial islands), in which case the system will have to be provided with a naval means for the storage and the transport of garbage from the dry land to the energy recovery system, as well as for the storage/transport of ashes from the energy recovery system to the dry land.

The support structure will be designed taking into account the following:

• the support surface area required, on which the whole plant must lie;

• the power generation system for the facilities provided on board; • plants and facilities, water processing, etc.;

• storage volume/space for the waste and ashes (utilisation of an additional pontoon only for the storage/transportation of waste and ashes).

• system for handling/displacing waste • system for handling/displacing ashes

• space for storing foodstuff

• lodgings module including a canteen, offices, etc.

• control room, batteries, etc.

• marine systems (allowing to moor/anchor naval means used to transport and stock the garbage, the ashes, etc.)

• local loads, total weight of the system, and centre of gravity resulting from the plants, the superstructure, utilities, consumables, etc.)

• For jack-up systems the dynamics and the stability criteria should also be taken into account in transport conditions; • etc.

In this variant/development the system should be enlarged by adding a further naval means to it (a pontoon or the like) dedicated to the storage of waste or ashes.

The incineration and energy recovery system will be designed taking the following into account:

• operation in a marine environment;

• for jack-up systems only, the dynamics of the system as imposed by the waves' motion. In particular, the plants will be designed so as to resist, under the structural viewpoint, to accelerations induced by the sea. • geometric features of the support structure(s)

• energy production required to operate the facilities and utilities of the whole system.

The advantages offered by such a system are: • The amounts (in ppm - parts per million) of toxic substances accumulated in the environment (air/water) of the operation areas, are negligible, since the system operates in a dynamic environment and therefore it dilutes the emissions in this dynamic environment and does not accumulate polluting substances inside the same operation area (actually, on the sea air masses are more dynamic than on dry land, and water masses perform a continuous motion in contrast with the static conditions existing on the ground).

• The loading of garbage onto the naval transport and storage means occurs in harbours located near the garbage production zones, and this allows to reduce the amount of activities in connection with transport by land, which would further increase costs and pollution. • Transportation to harbours located near the relevant areas, of the heavy ashes (stable material) obtained from the incineration of the garbage and which are useful for producing/constructing road beds, a road paving, concrete materials, tiles, etc. Even in this case the amount of transport by land is reduced, and this entails benefits under the aspect of pollution and costs. • The system size can reach the size of the greatest plants existing today.

• The system could possibly take advantage of disused offshore rigs by using them as its support structures. This would permit further use of a "productive source", even after the reservoir exploitation is no more considered cost-effective, and would allow oil corporations to avoid expensive dismantling operations for these offshore rigs.

Brief Description of Drawings

The invention will be illustrated in more detail hereafter with reference to the annexed drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of a practical realization given only for illustrative and non-limitative purposes, being understood that technical or constructive modifications could easily be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the marine plant for waste incineration and energy recovery, having floating means (1), in particular a pontoon, provided with an incinerator/energy recuperator (3) from waste and having a chimney or stack for the exhaust fumes produced during a controlled waste combustion. Said pontoon is provided with a dashboard for the operation control, and it is also equipped with rooms/offices for the personnel in charge of operating the plant. It may be seen from the drawing that the plant includes a ramp for allowing garbage loading operations, wherein this garbage is mainly brought/loaded from the mainland and is thereafter incinerated on the sea.

FIGURE 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention in a side view in which it can be seen that the waste incinerator, or energy recuperator from waste, is located on a fixed-type structure (Jacket) which is anchored to the sea bottom or lake bed by means of foundation piles, to thereby operate under static conditions.

Possible drawings related to the remaining embodiments have not been included in the application as they are implicit realisations of the above disclosure.

Claims

1. A system (1) for the incineration of waste and/or for energy recovery from waste-burning, comprising an incinerator (3), and/or a plant (3) for producing energy by burning waste, which is/are located on a movable floating means, such as a pontoon, a ship, a semi-submarine, or any other floating means, or alternatively, which is/are located on one or more fixed structures, such as jacket- type structures (2), gravity-type structures, artificial islands or any other underlying structures laid on the sea bottom (5) or anchored to foundation piles, so as to operate under static conditions, characterised in that said system is apt to operate in a marine or lake environment.

2. A system (1) for the incineration of waste and/or for energy recovery from waste-burning, according to claim 1, characterised in that the floating underlying structure is self-propelled (4) and serves both for the navigation, under dynamic conditions, and while it is anchored or moored.

3. A system (1) for the incineration of waste and/or for energy recovery from waste-burning, according to claim 1, characterised in that the floating, underlying structure is not self-propelled and operates both during navigation, while being towed by an adequate means, and when it is anchored or moored.