•
STEP 1
5 cubic yards of impacted matrix are loaded into treatment
trays to a depth of 12 to 14 inches. The trays are loaded
onto an infrared heater base and the heaters are ignited.
•
STEP 2
A metal element begins to emit infrared radiation. The
temperature of the bottom few inches of soil is raised to
200 – 1400 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the project
specific processing requirements.
•
STEP 3
Up to 3,000 cfm of air is drawn through the matrix,
causing the heat to be transferred from the bottom few inches
of material, upward, increasing the temperature of the entire
treatment bed. Simultaneously, a vacuum is being produced
in the system lowering the boiling point of the water and
chemicals of concern.
•
STEP 4
The
targeted chemicals are heated to their reduced boiling point
and/or to significant vapor pressure and stripped from the
matrix. The vacuum pulled within the treatment chamber reduces
the effective boiling point of the chemicals in the matrix.
•
STEP 5
In
the air emission control system, the carrier gas (air) passes
through a particulate filter, a condenser, and an activated
carbon bed. At each of these devices, the air is further
purified until it is free of all contaminants.
•
STEP 6
After the matrix is treated to the predetermined temperature,
the heaters are shut off and the manifold assembly is hydraulically
lifted off the heater base. The treatment trays are removed
and the material is allowed to cool prior to being re-hydrated.
Treatment trays, which were filled during the previous cycle,
are loaded into the system and the treatment cycle commences.
This loading/unloading cycle typically takes five to ten
minutes.
