Regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) is a widely used device for reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated in the industry. As an essential component of VOCs, o-xylene undergoes a complex multistep combustion process in RTO. A simplified combustion mechanism (SCM) containing 62 species and 296 elementary reactions is derived from the detailed combustion mechanism (DCM) of o-xylene. A comprehensive validation of the SCM is performed by comparing its predictions with experimental measurements of ignition delay times, laminar flame speeds, and species concentration distributions. Subsequently, an integrated RTO–SCM coupled combustion model is formulated and rigorously verified against experimental date. Simulation results reveal distinct distribution regions for o-xylene combustion intermediates within the RTO. The primary reaction zone is localized at the junction area connecting the regenerator and the combustion chamber. However, low concentrations of o-xylene cannot be completely oxidized to the final products in the RTO. During the initial operating cycle of the RTO, VOC emission peaks with o-xylene, C6H6, and C6H5CH3 as the dominant components. As combustion chamber temperature increases in subsequent cycles, the o-xylene concentration at the outlet gradually decreases to below 40% of the total emissions, with overall VOC levels maintained below 10 mg/m3.
Liu et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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