Cyclonic combustor developments

Rising fuel prices during 1978-79 instigated investigations into fuel usage throughout the industrial world. In the case of the timber industry, this investigation naturally centred on the fact that waste material from the process constituted usable fuel in one form or another. The particular need in particle board factories was the replacement of oil used in direct firing of wood flake driers. In selecting and designing replacement equipment, emphasis was given both to the need to fit such equipment into existing spaces, and its capability of providing self sustained combustion. The result of these studies was the development of cyclonic combustors designed to burn sander dust or sawdust with installations at two factories at Tumut and Oberon. This paper describes the principles of operation of cyclonic combustors and examines potential uses in the sugar industry.