How Do You Know If You Have A Plugging Issue?
How do you know if you have plugging of the ceramic media in your regenerative thermal oxidizer? Some manufacturers install pressure gauges to monitor pressure drop across the bed. Others utilize differential pressure transducers to identify pressure increases across the bed, and then initiate an alarm if it exceeds a pre-determined limit. In either case, during the original start-up of the regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), the technician should record the pressure profile at specific locations across the RTO. This can be compared to future pressure profiles to determine if plugging is a concern. Remember, the comparison needs to be at a similar airflow and temperature.
The challenge with ceramic media plugging is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. Each type of particulate or build-up on the ceramic media is different. Some pass through well enough that only a portion of the particulate gets caught up in the media bed, such as paint solids and others. Other materials like oils and fats will not completely pass through, which can lead to a fire hazard. If you're filtering these types of materials, the plugging issue will have to be addressed often, sometimes monthly or even bi-monthly.
What can be done in order to combat plugging? We'll learn more about it tomorrow.