How RTOs work

Regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTOs) destroy more than 99% of air toxics and VOCs. The units use high-temperature thermal oxidation to destroy VOCs, oxidizing them to CO2 and water vapor, then reusing released energy to reduce operating costs.

Process gas with VOC contaminants enters the RTO through an inlet. A flow control valve directs this gas into a hot direct contact ceramic heat exchanger, which pre-heats the process stream. The process gas is heated in the hot ceramic bed as it moves toward the combustion chamber.

The VOCs are oxidized in the combustion chamber, and exhausting gas exchanges heat to the cooler ceramic bed, thereby reducing the fuel requirement. The cold bed is heated and the gas is cooled so that the outlet gas temperature is substantially reduced. The flow control valve switches beds so that the heating and cooling ceramic beds are reversed. If the process gas contains a high quantity of VOCs, the energy released from their combustion allows self-sustained operation.