Regenerative thermal oxidizer with gate manifold system

A thermal oxidizer apparatus for purifying gases by incineration and for exchange of heat between inleting and outleting gases, which comprises:

• (a) an oxidizer having a plurality of regenerative thermal chamber units equal to or greater than three such units;
• (b) each of the aforesaid regenerative thermal chamber units having at least an inlet opening and an outlet opening located on a single base surface and being spaced apart a distance equal to or more than the width of a gate orifice described below;
• (c) each of the aforesaid regenerative thermal chamber units further having a gate with at least one gate orifice and being movably located in a reciprocal back and forth fashion against said base surface so as to have a first position, a second position and a third position against said base surface, said first position being with direct alignment of said gate orifice with the inlet opening, said second position being with said gate orifice located between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and said third position being with direct alignment of said gate orifice with the outlet opening;
• (d) means for moving the gate for each of the aforesaid regenerative thermal chamber units through a reciprocating cycle which includes forward movement through a said first position, said second position and said third position;
• and,
• (e) inlet ducts connected to said inlet openings and outlet ducts connected to said outlet openings.

A method for purifying gases by thermal oxidation incineration and for exchange of heat between inleting and outleting gases, which comprises:

• (a) feeding gases to be purified by incineration to a thermal oxidizer apparatus with an oxidizer having at least a first regenerative thermal chamber unit, a second such unit and a third such unit, each of the aforesaid regenerative thermal chamber units having at least an inlet opening and an outlet opening located on a single base surface and being spaced apart a distance equal to or more than the width of a gate orifice described below each of the aforesaid regenerative thermal chamber units further having a gate with at least one gate orifice and being movably located in a linear fashion against said base surface so as to have a first position, a second position and a third position against said base surface, said first position being with direct alignment of said gate orifice with the inlet opening, said second position being with said gate orifice located between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, and said third position being with direct alignment of said gate orifice with the outlet opening;
• and having means for moving the gate for each of the aforesaid regenerative thermal chamber units through a cycle which includes forward movement through a said first position, said second position and said third position and reverse movement back through said second and first positions;
• and having inlet ducts connected to said inlet openings and outlet ducts connected to said outlet openings;
• (b) controlling the movement of each of said gates so that at least one chamber unit has an inlet opening in the open position and at least one other chamber unit has an outlet opening in the open position;
• (c) moving said gases to be purified through the chamber unit with the open inlet opening and thermally oxidizing said gases in said chamber unit;
• (d) moving said gases from said chamber unit with the open inlet opening to the chamber unit with the open outlet opening and absorbing heat for recovery within said chamber unit from said gases;
• and,
• (e) exhausting said gases from said chamber unit.