Secondary combustion uses an additional burn cycle to draw extra energy from a burn source. A system achieves this by filtering pure oxygen into a normal burn system, creating the secondary effect of burning the remaining residue from the initial burn. An initial burn leaves residue, such as carbon remains, after burning wood or carbon dioxide fumes resulting from the initial burn. A secondary burn cycle uses the inflow of oxygen, combined with the heat from the initial burn, to ignite this residue. The result is an additional burn cycle and the destruction of the remaining residue.
A secondary combustion system requires an air-tight containment, ensuring that no residue is lost from the initial combustion and ensuring that the secondary combustion does not extend beyond the burn chamber. For carbon dioxide residue, such as from a car engine, engines use a secondary burn chamber, where carbon dioxide is ignited, creating additional energy from the igniting the fuel. Wood-burning chambers often use the same burn chamber, ensuring that the secondary combustion is focused on the carbon residue.
Secondary combustion creates additional heat energy from the original combustion source, igniting the original source and then the remaining residue from the original combustion. The result is extra heat energy production. This translates into additional fuel efficiency within a combustion system.
Excess carbon dioxide has deleterious effects on the environment. A secondary combustion system eliminates the excess carbon dioxide present after the initial combustion of many heat sources. The result is a cleaner-running system that is less toxic to the environment while producing additional heat energy from combustion.
Carbon residue builds up in any mechanical system, and the accumulation of this residue can damage the internal mechanics of the system. A secondary combustion system eliminates much of the excess carbon residue created from the initial burn of a carbon source, such as wood. The result is a wood-burning system that creates less carbon residue and requires less physical maintenance to keep the system working properly.