Modification to Generic Configuration of RTO Corrugated Ceramic Heat Recovery Media

Abstract

The invention is in the form of a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) comprising a chamber having a first opening into the chamber, a second opening into the chamber, a source of heat within the chamber, and one or more heat recovery media positioned within the chamber, each heat recovery media comprising plates having a first surface and an opposite second surface, wherein at least one plate has one or more openings passing from the first surface to the second opposite surface. The arrangement of the plates provides channels formed between adjacent plates and a flow of gas through the chamber is parallel with the channels

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) comprising a chamber having a first opening into the chamber, a second opening into the chamber, a source of heat within the chamber, and one or more heat recovery media positioned within the chamber, each heat recovery media comprising plates having a first surface and an opposite second surface, wherein at least one plate has one or more openings passing from the first surface to the second opposite surface. 
     
     
         2 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the plates provides channels formed between adjacent plates and a flow of gas through the chamber is parallel with the channels. 
     
     
         3 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more openings in the plate are perpendicular to the air flow through one or more channels formed between adjacent plates. 
     
     
         4 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more openings interconnect the one or more channels formed between adjacent plates. 
     
     
         5 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery media comprises an extruded ceramic monolith heat recovery media. 
     
     
         6 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery media comprises ceramic corrugated structured heat recovery media. 
     
     
         7 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery media comprises ceramic multi-layered heat recovery media. 
     
     
         8 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein each plate comprises one or more openings. 
     
     
         9 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein less than all of the plates present in each heat recovery media comprise one or more openings. 
     
     
         10 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery media comprises extruded ceramic monolith heat recovery media containing numerous openings passing through the block and oriented to be in the opposite direction of gas flow, thereby interconnecting individual flow cells formed within the heat recovery media. 
     
     
         11 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery media comprises ceramic corrugated structured heat recovery media containing numerous opening passing through the block and oriented to be in the opposite direction of gas flow, thereby interconnecting individual flow cells formed within the heat recovery media. 
     
     
         12 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery media comprises ceramic multi-layered heat recovery media containing numerous openings passing through the block and oriented to be in the opposite direction of gas flow, thereby interconnecting individual flow cells formed within the heat recovery media. 
     
     
         13 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the openings comprise between about 10% to about 50% of the surface of the plate. 
     
     
         14 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the openings comprise between about 20% to about 40% of the surface of the plate. 
     
     
         15 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 1 , wherein the openings comprise between about 20% to about 30% of the surface of the plate. 
     
     
         16 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more openings in one plate are aligned with the one or more openings in an adjacent plate. 
     
     
         17 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more openings in one plate are not aligned with the one or more openings in an adjacent plate. 
     
     
         18 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more openings in one plate are of a different size than the one or more openings in an adjacent plate. 
     
     
         19 . The regenerative thermal oxidizer of  claim 2 , wherein a first percentage of opening provided by the one or more openings in one plate is different from a second percent of opening provided by the one or more openings in an adjacent plate. 
     
     
         20 . A method of treating a gas, the method comprising providing a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) comprising a chamber having a first opening into the chamber, a second opening into the chamber, a source of heat within the chamber, and one or more heat recovery media positioned within the chamber, each heat recovery media comprising plates having a first surface and an opposite second surface, wherein at least one plate has one or more openings passing from the first surface to the second opposite surface, the method comprising:
 passing the gas through the first opening into the chamber;   passing the gas through the first heat recovery media positioned within the chamber, whereby passing the gas through the first heat recovery media causes the gas to absorb heat from the first recovery media;   passing the gas past a burner to supply heat to the gas to cause an oxidation of the gas; and   passing the gas through the second heat recovery media positioned within the chamber, whereby passing the gas through the second heat recovery media causes the gas to transfer heat from the gas to the second recovery media,   wherein the configuration of the plates provides channels formed between adjacent plates and the flow of gas through the chamber is parallel with the channels and perpendicular to the openings such that the gas passes through the channels and the openings in the first heat recovery media and the second heat recovery media.