Abstract: A method of burning off accumulated contaminants from heat sink media of a regenerative oxidizer having a plurality of segments containing media arranged around a central axis and a rotary valve which includes repeatedly rotating the rotary valve 180 degrees to alternatively direct waste gas through a first plurality of segments, direct the hot gas through a second plurality of segments and purge gas through a third segment to burn off the contaminants, then indexing the rotary valve one segment and repeating the burn-off process of all segments.

Abstract: A method for washing the media bed of a gas pollution abatement reactor which includes using a bed washer apparatus which includes a continuous tubular manifold having a plurality of spaced downwardly directed nozzles directing liquid onto the bed supported on a frame, a drive wheel supports the frame, and a motor driving the drive wheel in at least two directions inside the reactor. The manifold is connected to a source of liquid and the apparatus includes directional control switches for reversing the direction of the drive wheel. In this method the reactor is first taken offline and the media bed is cooled to ambient temperature. The components of the washer are disassembled and then re-assembled inside the reactor and the manifold is connected to a source of wash liquid. The washer traverses the media bed, uniformly washing the media bed to remove particulate contaminants without requiring personnel inside the reactor while the media is being washed.

Abstract: A duct cleaning apparatus for cleaning an inside surface of a duct including an elongated flexible element extending inside the duct having a first end supported in the duct spaced from an inside surface, a second opposed free end and having a length sufficient to engage the inside surface of the duct, preferably greater than the diameter of the duct. Fluid flow through the duct, particularly turbulent flow, causes the elongated flexible element to oscillate or flap, striking the inside surface and removing foreign material from a predetermined portion of the inside surface of the duct. The apparatus of this invention may be used to create a fire break, for example, by removing flammable particles or dust from an area of the duct, preventing a flame from propagating along the duct through the flammable material.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating gaseous pollutants in an air stream such as a regenerative thermal oxidizer or a selective catalytic reduction system, including a reaction chamber wherein the reaction media bed within the chamber comprises a plurality of nonprismatic ceramic blocks each having end faces, side faces and a chamfered face extending at an angle relative to the side faces of the blocks. The ceramic blocks are stacked in end-to-end and side-to-side relation within the reaction chamber and the ceramic blocks each include spaced parallel passages extending through the end and chamfered faces. The chamfered faces of adjacent blocks form voids between the blocks promoting turbulent gas flow through the voids and equalizing the pressure within the reaction chamber.

Abstract: An ammonia catalytic abatement apparatus and method having two types of catalytic converters in line, wherein the first catalytic converter preferably including platinum as the catalytic agent converts or reduces the ammonia in an ammonia laden gas stream to N2, H2O and approximately equal stoichiometric proportions of NOx and the remaining unconverted NH3. The second catalytic converter which preferably is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst then converts substantially all of the NOx+NH3 to N2+H2O vapor. The ammonia laden gas stream is first heated to the reaction temperatures of the catalytic converters which in the disclosed embodiment is about 300° C. The disclosed apparatus further includes a recuperative heat exchanger which preheats the gas prior to the heating element.

Abstract: A rotary concentrator heats media in a desorption zone to a desorption temperature, then removes the pollutants using a second cold desorbent gas stream in a desorbent zone. First, the adsorbent media is rotated and an inlet gas stream is passed over the media in the adsorbent zone, thereby removing the adsorbable pollutants. A first gas stream having a temperature equal to or greater than the desorption temperature of the adsorbable pollutants is passed over the media in the desorbent zone to heat the media to generally the desorption temperature of the adsorbable pollutants. A second gas having a temperature less than the desorption temperature of the adsorbent media is passed over the media in the desorbent zone to remove the adsorbable pollutants from the desorbent zone. Subsequently, the gas containing the adsorbable pollutants received from the desorbent zone is processed by destroying or removing the adsorbable pollutants.

Abstract: A two chamber regenerative thermal oxidizer comprises an oxidizing chamber and a pair of regenerator chambers. Inlet and outlet valves control fluid flow to and from said regenerator chambers. A transition duct communicates with a contaminated fluid feed duct upstream of the regenerator inlet valves and with the oxidizing chamber of said oxidizer. A purge air duct directs the output of the regenerator chambers back to the chambers, selectively. Electronic control means effects powered actuation of said valves, selectively, in a prearranged sequence whereby the inlet and outlet valves in the respective regenerators are never open at the same time thereby precluding short circuiting of the regenerative chamber, yet all of the inlet and outlet valves to the regenerative chambers are never simultaneously closed thereby to maintain the pressure of fluid flow through said regenerator chambers relatively constant.

Abstract: A method of cooling a regenerative thermal oxidizer down rapidly includes the steps of increasing the cycle time of the heat exchangers once a decision has been made to shut the regenerative thermal oxidizer down. By increasing the cycle time, the regenerative thermal oxidizer rejects more heat from the system. That is, the efficiency of the system goes down, and more heat is lost. In this way, the system approaches an ambient temperature much more quickly then in known systems. In one method of performing this invention, the cycle time is increased as much as possible, and as rapidly as possible while monitoring the outlet temperature on the outlet gas. The cycles are reversed only when the outlet temperature approaches a maximum safe operating temperature. In a second method, the cycle times are increased in pre-programmed steps. By utilizing the present invention, one is able to cool a regenerative thermal oxidizer to ambient temperatures in less than half the time of the prior art systems.

Abstract: A process for separating a carrier from a mixture of the carrier and paint solids includes collecting a mixture of the carrier and the paint solids and filtering the mixture through a metal or inorganic membrane filter whereby paint solids are retained by the filter and the carrier is allowed to pass through the filter.

Abstract: An improved method for processing an industrial sterilization agent utilized to sterilize medical instruments includes the use of a regenerative thermal oxidizer. The sterilization agent is removed from the sterilization chamber and directed into the combustion chamber with little chance for the sterilization agent to mix with air or any other source of oxygen. In this way, the present invention reduces the possibility of explosion of the sterilization agent prior to its being directed into the combustion chamber.

Abstract: The invention places a concentration averaging device in an inlet line leading to an air treatment system. The device includes an adsorbent material which has the quality of increasing its equilibrium concentration of impurities with increasing percentage or concentration of impurities in the air stream. In this way, the concentration device tends to "average" the amount of impurities in the air stream delivered to the air treatment system. When used on an oxidizer, as an example, this allows the use of smaller combustion chambers, and reduces the fuel requirements for operation of the system.

Abstract: A two stage rotary concentrator takes the gas from the first stage desorption section and passes it back into a second stage concentrator process. A second stage desorption gas is passed over the rotary concentrator in a second stage desorption section. The gas from the second stage desorption section may then be passed for final treatment. The invention greatly reduces the volume of air which must be sent for final treatment.

Abstract: A purge retention chamber is incorporated into an inlet manifold for a two heat exchanger RTO system. A bypass valve is mounted into the purge retention chamber adjacent a downstream end, and a purge face valve is mounted in the inlet manifold between upstream and downstream connection ends of the purge retention chamber. During normal operation, the bypass valve is closed and clean air fills the purge retention chamber. Dirty air to be cleaned passes through the purge face valve and moves to a heat exchanger in an inlet mode. When a purge mode begins, the purge face valve is closed and the purge bypass valve is opened. Now, clean purge gas moves into the inlet manifold and is delivered to a heat exchanger which is beginning to switch from an inlet mode to an outlet mode. The clean purge gas purges the heat exchanger. Once the purging is complete, the heat exchangers are switched between inlet and outlet modes.