Continuous on-line smokeless bake-out process for a rotary oxidizer

A method for cleaning the elements of a regenerative oxidizer having a heat exchange chamber with a plurality of pie shaped sections being organized in a symmetrical fashion, each of said sections having heat exchange media disposed therein, and said heat exchange chamber being in communication with a transfer chamber at a first end and a rotary valve having an inlet section, an outlet section, and a purge section at a second end, said method comprising the steps of:

• directing contaminated gas through said pie shaped sections aligning with said inlet section of said rotary valve and into said transfer chamber thereby heating and purifying the gas;
• continuously directing the heated and purified gas from said transfer chamber through said pie shaped sections aligning with said outlet section of said rotary valve;
• directing a portion of the heated and purified gas being at a first temperature and being received from said outlet of said rotary valve through a heating element for heating the gas to a greater second temperature sufficient to oxidize organic contaminants prior to directing the gas into a purge section of said rotary valve;
• directing the heated and purified gas being at the second temperature through said pie shaped sections aligning with said purge section of said rotary valve for cleaning said media disposed within said pie shaped sections;
• and
• rotating the rotary valve for aligning said purge section of said rotary valve with different of said pie shaped sections for directing the heated and purified gas at the second temperature through different of said pie shaped sections before a sufficient amount of volatile organic solids can accumulate within said pie shaped sections to cause combustion.

A method for cleaning the elements of a regenerative oxidizer having a heat exchange chamber with a plurality of pie shaped sections being organized in a symmetrical fashion, each of said sections having media disposed therein, and said heat exchange chamber being in communication with a transfer chamber at a first end and a rotary valve having an inlet section, an outlet section, and a purge section at a second end, said method comprising the steps of:

• directing contaminated gas through said pie shaped sections aligning with said inlet section of said rotary valve and into said transfer chamber thereby heating and purifying the gas;
• directing the heated and purified gas from said transfer chamber through said pie shaped sections aligning with said outlet section of said rotary valve;
• directing a portion of the heated and purified gas being at a first temperature and being received from said outlet of said rotary valve through a heating element for heating the gas to a greater second temperature, selected to be sufficient to volatilize organic solids which are expected to be coated within heat exchange chamber, prior to directing the gas into a purge section of said rotary valve;
• directing the heated and purified gas being at the second temperature through said pie shaped sections aligning with said purge section of said rotary valve for cleaning said media disposed within said pie shaped sections;
• and
• rotating the rotary valve for aligning said purge section of said rotary valve with different of said pie shaped sections for directing the heated and purified gas at the greater second temperature sufficient to oxidize organic contaminants through different of said pie shaped sections before a sufficient amount of volatile organic solids can accumulate within said pie shaped sections to cause combustion.