ABSTRACT
Thermal oxidation is a combustion process. Combustion is the chemical reaction of oxygen with combustible materials, accompanied by the evolution of light and the rapid production of heat. An organic compound is defined as a chemical compound based on carbon chains or rings and also containing hydrogen with or without oxygen, nitrogen, or other elements. Generally, organic compounds contain only the chemical elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, chlorine, fluorine, bromine, iodine, sulfur, and phosphorus. The presence of certain atoms in a volatile organic compound molecule can present special problems in the design of a thermal oxidation system. Atoms falling into this category are the halogens, sulfur, and phosphorus. The water vapor content of the combustion products affects the dewpoint in all cases. Generally, if the water vapor content is higher, the dewpoint is higher. However, the concentration of the acid species has a greater impact on the dewpoint than the water vapor content.
