RTO Rotary Valve Drive Upgrade: Pneumatic to Electric

Pneumatic driven rotary valves on regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTO) have been proven over the past 20+ years, but they do experience significant wear.  The wear is due to the violence of stopping the large-mass valve rotor at the end of travel. Rack and pinion designs work well for these rotary designs, but the cushions at end of travel wear out. If not properly maintained, this leads to other more serious part failures and RTO shutdowns. Pneumatic driven rotary valves require diligent maintenance and inspections to avoid both nuisance and long-term maintenance shutdowns. There are also the typical problems with utilizing pneumatics in RTOs located outdoors due to the risk of moisture/ice forming in the air lines during cold/freezing weather.

This 25,000 scfm capacity Durr Reeco RL RTO had a drive air cylinder and a pinning air cylinder each with its own solenoid actuating valve. These parts are not always readily available which puts the RTO at risk of extended downtime and production schedule upsets.