Swirl combustors are commonly used to produce high strength flames for industrial applications like the gas turbine. The swirl generates a central region of reverse flow to efficiently stabilize the flame. The high levels of turbulence and the associated mixture gives a rise to the flames which are stable over a wide range of operating conditions. This has led to the use of furnaces for the incineration of waste gases. The swirl burner is fired into a furnace which gives a high level of confinement. This assists the flame stabilization by the re-radiation of heat from the furnace walls. Quenching by the reducing the low temperature gasses. The swirl burner/furnace systems have been found to be capable of incinerating particulate loaded waste gases utilizing their inherent low calorific value. This paper work on the incineration of low calorific value gases has reviewed and discussed the mechanisms which happen within these systems. The potential of these systems lies not only in their ability to incinerate waste gases with reduced capital and running costs, but also as a high intensity combustion system for use with low ranking fuels. These systems may prove suitable as a direct replacement for conventional combustors in converting boilers, driers, etc., to fire on alternative fuels.