Page 45 - Wastewater Solids Incineration Systems

14 Wastewater Solids Incineration Systems

4.1 Provide Well-Trained Operators

Safety issues as they relate to operators and plant operation are listed below.
• Provide extended, typically 60 to 90 days, hands-on training to personnel who
will be operating a new incineration system.
• Require the manufacturer of an incinerator system to train operators to recog-
nize abnormal conditions and instruct them how to restore normal operation
or to shut down the system, and to understand the instrumentation used for
monitoring, alarms, and emergency shutdowns.

• Prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) for startup, normal operation
and shutdown, and emergency shutdown. Additional SOPs may be devel-
oped for “how to get out of trouble” under other operating conditions.

4.2 Use Effective Operating Procedures
Correct operating procedures are equally as important and include the following:

• Optimize incinerator operation to establish parameters for low feed, high
feed, and other operating scenarios related to feed and dewatered cake
solids content.

• Monitor moisture content of solids at least once per shift to confirm cake feed
conditions.

• Operate the incinerators continuously to reduce the potential for problems
associated with startup and shutdown.

• Ensure that safety procedures are enforced during shutdowns and startups
when the potential for problems is highest.

• Provide tamperproof control and monitoring systems to ensure that safe shut-
down and startup procedures are implemented under emergency conditions.

5.0 HAZARD AND OPERABILITY REVIEWS

Some industries in North America and in Europe use hazard and operability
(HAZOP) reviews to identify significant hazards to health, safety, and the environ-
ment, as well as significant operability problems associated with process systems. In
North America, HAZOPs are beginning to be used for solids processing systems,
including incinerators. Once potential problems have been identified, they must be