Low-temperature Thermal Desorption - System Design - Rotary Dryer

Rotary Dryer

Rotary dryer systems use a cylindrical metal reactor (drum) that is inclined slightly from the horizontal. A burner located at one end provides heat to raise the temperature of the soil sufficiently to desorb organic contaminants. The flow of soil may be either cocurrent with or countercurrent to the direction of the purge gas flow. As the drum rotates, soil is conveyed through the drum. Lifters raise the soil, carrying it to near the top of the drum before allowing it to fall through the heated purge gas. Mixing in a rotary dryer enhances heat transfer by convection and allow soils to be rapidly heated. Rotary desorber units are manufactured for a wide range of treatment capacities; these units may be either stationary or mobile.

The maximum soil temperature that can be obtained in a rotary dryer depends on the composition of the dryer shell. The soil discharge temperature of carbon steel drums is typically 300 to 600 degrees F. Alloy drums are available that can increase the soil discharge temperature to 1,200 degrees F. Most rotary dryers that are used to treat petroleum contaminated soil are made of carbon steel. After the treated soil exits the rotary dryer, it enters a cooling conveyor where water is sprayed on the soil for cooling and dust control. Water addition may be conducted in either a screw conveyor or a pugmill.

Besides the direction of purge gas flow relative to soil feed direction, there is one major difference in configuration between countercurrent and cocurrent rotary dryers. The purge gas from a countercurrent rotary dryer is typically only 350 °F to 500 °F and does not require cooling before entering the baghouse where fine particles are trapped. A disadvantage is that these particles may not have been decontaminated and are typically recycled to the dryer. Countercurrent dryers have several advantages over cocurrent systems. They are more efficient in transferring heat from purge gas to contaminated soil, and the volume and temperature of exit gas are lower, allowing the gas to go directly to a baghouse without needing to be cooled. The cooler exit gas temperature and smaller volume eliminates the need for a cooling unit, which allows downstream processing equipment to be smaller. Countercurrent systems are effective on petroleum products with molecular weights lower than No.2 fuel oil.

In cocurrent systems, the purge gas is 50 °F to 100 °F hotter than the soil discharge temperature. The result is that the purge gas exit temperature may range from 400 °F to 1,000 °F and cannot go directly to the baghouse. Purge gas first enters an afterburner to decontaminate the fine particles, then goes into a cooling unit prior to introduction into the baghouse. Because of the higher temperature and volume of the purge gas, the baghouse and all other downstream processing equipment must be larger than in a countercurrent system. Cocurrent systems do have several advantages over countercurrent systems: The afterburner is located upstream of the baghouse ensuring that fine particles are decontaminated; and because the heated purge gas is introduced at the same end of the drum as the feed soil, the soil is heated faster, resulting in a longer residence time. Higher temperatures and longer residence time mean that cocurrent systems can be used to treat soils contaminated with heavier petroleum products. Cocurrent systems are effective for light and heavy petroleum products including No. 6 fuel oil, crude oil, motor oil, and lubricating oil.