Characteristics of energy flow in municipal solid waste incinerator

The energy flow of an existing municipal solid waste incinerator (MWI) was analyzed for better understanding of the energy balance and efficiency in a typical MWI located in Taiwan. The MWI investigated is of mass-burn type and is equipped with electrostatic precipitators followed by wet scrubbers for removing air contaminants from gas streams. The results of energy balance analysis indicate that the rate of energy input is 73,000 MJ/h based on the lower heating value of 7,600 kJ/kg of municipal solid wastes for single incineration unit. Furthermore, energy distribution analysis demonstrates that the heat loss of incinerator, heat absorbed by boiler, heat loss of air pollution control devices, and heat discharge from stacks are 3.8%, 68.8%, 11.1%, and 15.1% of total energy input, respectively. The sum of heat absorbed by boiler and the heat discharged with the flue gas via stack accounts for more than 80% of the total energy input.