Apparatus and process for the incineration of waste particles

Apparatus and process for the complete breaking down and incineration of tires and other difficult-to-dispose-of-waste products in an energy-efficient manner. Small particles of the waste material are directed into a furnace of novel design. Within the furnace, the particles are incinerated and thereby converted to combustion gas products. The combustion gas products exiting from the furnace are then transferred to an energy recovery/utilization means, such as a boiler. The small particles are specifically directed into a coiled ignition tube located completely within the furnace. As the particles travel in a downwardly spiraling motion through the ignition tube they come in contact with its heat-conducting interior walls. By forcing the particles to contact the interior walls, the ignition tube of the present invention leads to an efficient incineration of those particles. Everything which exits the ignition tube at a lower section of the furnace, including any residual particles and any unoxidized gases, is drawn up past the hot ignition tube and out at upper section of the furnace. In this way, the effective dwell time at high temperatures ensures that the final particulate matter is consumed within the furnace. Additionally, the furnace may be contoured so that all gases and particles exiting the ignition tube are forced to contact the hot ignition tube's external walls.