Advancements made to Crematorium Equipment
2009 July 28 by Emily
In the holy city of Varanasi, India, cremation occurs upon the banks of the Ganges River, the body placed upon a wood-fueled pyre. The country of India as a whole, in fact, favors open-air cremation. However, in the United States and Europe, the cremation process takes place in a cremation furnace (or retort).
The first retort was created in 1873 and while the concept is still the same, numerous tweaks have been made to improve the cremation process. The addition of a remains removal door, and the creation of two separate chambers are two developments that have contributed to refining the burning procedure. Recent advancements made to cremation equipment have simplified the cremation process, from before the body is even put into the retort to cleaning the furnace out after the body has been burned.
- PC’s and PLC’s
Many retorts are now equipped with a PC linked to a PLC (Programmable Link Controller). Before this technology was invented, retort operators had to manually calculate the amount of time and the temperature needed to burn the body depending on the weight of the human. Now, with the creation of PC and PLC integration, operators simply have to enter the weight and the computer will automatically compute the other factors. The use of PC and PLC’s also allows the person controlling the retort to view the temperature inside the furnace, the levels of gas being produced, the running time of the furnace, the burning ignition order, and the operation of the air valves controlling the cremation.
- Hot Hearth
A “Hot Hearth” cremation chamber floor means that the first cremation chamber’s floor is constructed to be the roof of the second, larger cremation chamber. By heating and re-heating the products of combustion in the second chamber, the floor of the primary chamber is kept at a stable temperature for an extended period of time. This recycling of gases not only allows for higher temperatures, but it also eliminates fluid problems and extends hearth life. More importantly, the “Hot Hearth” system has a smaller impact on the environment. In newer designs, the second chamber retains the used gases for around 2-3 seconds, cleaning off more pollutants and particles than before. Consequently, these gas emissions are less detrimental when released into the atmosphere.
- Temperature and Oxygen Controls
The second chamber of the retort, which retains the gas emissions before releasing them into the atmosphere, can be made more efficient with the addition of temperature and oxygen controls. By controlling the temperature inside the second chamber, the retort operator also controls the amount of gas emissions released. Too low and too many emissions will be released; too high and the same situation occurs. Keeping a constant watch on the temperature and manually controlling it will stabilize the amount of emissions released, thus making the second chamber more proficient.
Maintaining a correct and steady level of oxygen consumption is also imperative, as it will result in fewer emissions of toxic gases. By keeping the oxygen at an optimal level, less fuel will be consumed, and the cremation time will decrease. While most oxygen control systems lean a bit on the expensive side, they are still a good investment if you are trying to make your crematorium more efficient and “green.”
