Therser UK Blog

Health and safety is central to the work we carry out here at Therser. All of us who work with industrial furnaces know how dangerous they can potentially be, and also the negative effect they can have on the environment if polluting emissions are not controlled adequately. With the first quarter of 2018 drawing to a close, we are happy to have continued the momentum for health and safety innovation built up in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Kiln technology originated in ancient times, and its development from earthen trenches filled with fuel and items to be fired, up until the present day, happened in stages over thousands of years. The first kilns were recorded in use around 6000 BC, but it was the Chinese who appear to have been the furthest ahead in their technologies, and had developed kilns capable of firing at 1000 °C before the year 2000 BC.

RTOs are widely used by manufacturers to control airborne pollutants in waste exhaust streams. In a typical twin bed regenerative thermal oxidiser, contaminated process gases enter through an inlet manifold and are directed toward an energy recovery chamber for preheating. From here, the VOC-laden gases are drawn along the first ceramic regeneration bed, and progressively heated as they move toward the combustion chamber. 

Controlling polluting air emissions is now an important regulatory requirement, as well as an environmental and health concern. No one really wants to be part of causing the reported 12,000 deaths per year in the UK caused by airborne pollutants in the workplace. Equally there may not be a lot of room in the bottom line of your business to adequately address it either, so what is the answer? Is there a cost-effective way of meeting all regulatory requirements?

A Regenerative Thermal Oxidiser (RTO) is an effective pollution controlling incinerator used in a number of manufacturing industries. An RTO burns off airborne pollutants in furnace/kiln exhaust so that they do not get into the air and turn into toxic soot.

Using an incinerator, or thermal oxidiser to control air pollution is an effective but expensive way of making your exhaust fumes safer and more compliant. The irony of using high-temperature incinerators for pollution control comes from the energy expenditure of having to power the burner itself, which usually comes from natural gas, a fossil fuel. This costs you money, reducing your profit margin, and burns irreplaceable fossil fuel resources for no positive benefit, which in turn generates exhaust that has to be dealt with.

Regenerative Thermal Oxidisers (RTOs) play an important role in air pollution control in manufacturing processes. They are often preferred over other air treatment equipment due to their cost effectiveness, high energy efficiency and recovery potential. In previous articles we have described how this plant works and why it offers great value for money compared with some other pollution control measures.

Regenerative thermal oxidisers (RTOs) have a unique ability to reuse the thermal energy derived from their operation, ensuring continuity and cutting fuel expenditure. This is one of the major advantages of using an RTO, making it suitable for many energy intensive industries.

Safety and air quality are extremely important considerations in manufacturing. A Regenerative Thermal Oxidiser (RTO) system can help reduce your environmental impact and comply with clean air legislation.

We are delighted to announce that our services are now SafeContractor approved, following a successful health and safety audit. The SafeContractor scheme sets a rigorous benchmark for health and safety and quality standards in the engineering, logistics and manufacturing sectors. To become a member, each applicant has to undergo a comprehensive audit tailored to their specific business, taking into account risks and risk management for every business process.