Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer Posts

So you’ve reached compliance with your EPA operations permit. Your manufacturing is 100% online. Your team is happy to report that your regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) is fully commissioned and running better than expected. These are typical reactions to a Startup/Commissioning sequence on CPI projects. Now that the system is running and production is back to full speed the real question is this: What type of maintenance is required on the RTO? Over the next few months, we’ll be looking at the critical, yet often overlooked, requirements for keeping a quality CPI RTO online and running smoothly.

A Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) is an air pollution control device that is designed to destroy VOC, HAP, and odorous compounds in order to meet air pollution control regulations.  RTOs can be used in small applications (4,000 scfm) to large ones (+100,000 scfm). There are many manufactures of RTOs with a wide variety of media, valves, and overall designs. While there are a lot of differences among the RTOs, one thing is true no matter which system you have installed in your plant: your RTO needs maintenance. 

One question which we frequently receive is about the length of the process of building and installing an oxidizer. There are many factors which influence the oxidizer installation process, including the client’s procurement process and the complexity of the equipment and location of the site. In this series of blogs, we’ve been taking a look at a typical industrial process utilizing a standard thermal oxidizer, catalytic oxidizer, or regenerative thermal oxidizer. We’ve previously discussed the timelines for the client buying process and oxidizer delivery and installation. In this final blog, we’ll look at the timeline for compliance testing.

At CPI, we are frequently asked about the length of time necessary to build and install an oxidizer. The answer to that question is complicated, depending on a variety of factors such as the client’s procurement process and the complexity of the equipment and location of the site. To help build understanding of the decisions that go into this process, we wanted to take a closer look at a typical industrial process utilizing a standard thermal oxidizer, catalytic oxidizer, or regenerative thermal oxidizer. In our first blog on this topic, we looked at the client buying process. Today, we’ll look at the timeline for oxidizer deliver and installation.

In our previous post we discussed what air pollution is and why anyone may need a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO).  In this post we explore more details about various RTO designs and describe the operating principles.

Our first encounters with our customers often start with this statement; “I was told that I need a RTO.”  That’s obviously a big statement which usually leads to many more questions to precisely determine where we can help. This also means that the person with interest has some sort of air pollution control problem that may involve volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon monoxide (CO) or odorous emissions. 

If you haven’t had a Title V permit, but one may be in your future, you may wonder what’s in store. In this post, we’ll take a look at the Title V permit program, which has been a feature of environmental regulation in the United States for over twenty years.

One of our most frequently asked questions is, “How long does it take to build an oxidizer?”  The answer depends on the client’s procurement process as well as the complexity of the equipment and location of the site. This series of blogs will focus on a typical industrial process utilizing a standard thermal oxidizer, catalytic oxidizer, or regenerative thermal oxidizer. Since this is a complicated topic, we wanted to separate it out into a few steps. In this first blog, we’ll look at the client buying process.

Performing an Energy Assessment

A web coating company contacted us to repair, yet again, an existing recuperative thermal oxidizer. Catalytic Products Design Engineers sat down with the customer to discuss their current process and as well as their future needs along with performing an energy assessment. The outcome of this review indicated that  significant savings could be recognized by replacing the Recuperative Thermal Oxidizer with a new Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO).

Read our case study for more details.

A flexographic printer recently contacted Catalytic Products International for help solving a recurring problem with competitors Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) that was purchased two years earlier. The system had never been able to pass a stack test; the company was out of compliance and running out of time with the state EPA.  Any calls for assistance in getting the RTO to be compliant by the original manufacturer went unanswered.  Here's how we helped our customer: