Design and Thermal–Structural Performance Evaluation of a Community Scale Waste Incinerator for Environmental Applications Using Numerical Simulation

¹ Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, 13220 Jakarta Timur, Indonesia
² Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, 26600, Pahang, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 2 July 2026

Abstract

The increasing generation of municipal solid waste in urban and community areas has encouraged the development of decentralized waste treatment technologies. Small-scale incinerators offer potential advantages in reducing waste volume, but their implementation requires adequate thermal and structural performance evaluation to ensure safe and reliable operation. This study evaluates the thermal and structural performance of a community-scale waste incinerator using numerical simulation. A three-dimensional incinerator model consisting of a primary combustion chamber, chimney, supporting frame, and ash removal system was developed and analyzed using Autodesk Inventor. Thermal simulation was conducted to evaluate temperature distribution, while structural simulation was used to assess von Mises stress, deformation, and safety factor. The results show that the maximum temperature reached 1201 0C in the primary combustion chamber, while the chimney temperature was 205 0C and the outer surface temperature ranged from 80 to 110 0C. Structural analysis indicated that the maximum von Mises stress was 264.58 MPa, which remained below the material yield strength of 400 MPa, with a minimum safety factor of 1.51. The maximum deformation was only 0.00113 mm, indicating negligible geometric instability. Overall, the proposed incinerator design demonstrates acceptable thermal concentration, structural safety, and potential applicability for community-based environmental waste treatment.