Method and apparatus for conservation of energy in a thermal oxidation system for use with a printing press

摘要

Solvents evaporated from ink solutions in the drying sections of a multi-station printing press are converted into harmless gases by heating in an oxidation chamber. The amount of energy required to maintain the oxidation temperature is substantially reduced by preheating the exhaust by passing same through a previously heated bed of ceramic heat exchanger elements prior to introduction into the oxidation chamber. At high solvent concentration levels, preheating to the ignition temperature may result in excess heat of combustion being generated which is detrimental to the oxidation chamber structure. In order to regulate the heat generated, a portion of the heat exchanger bed is bypassed by a regulated amount of exhaust. Alternatively, the solvent concentration level of the exhaust can be lowered by mixing same with the floor sweep exhaust (of substantially lower solvent concentration) in regulated proportions in order to control the amount of heat of combustion generated during preheating. The latter method has the advantage of providing floor sweep capability without increased cost.