Patent ID: 6974318

Claim:
A method of cleaning and removing accumulated contaminants from the heat sink media of a regenerative oxidizer having a plurality of adjacent segments each including heat sink media surrounding a central axis and a rotary valve directing gas flow through said regenerative oxidizer, said method comprising the following steps: (a) locating said rotary valve in a first position directing a waste gas stream through a first plurality of adjacent segments, a hot clean gas stream through a second plurality of adjacent segments opposite said first plurality of adjacent segments and directing a heated purge gas into a third segment located between said first and second plurality of adjacent segments; (b) rotating said rotary valve 180 degrees directing said waste gas stream through said second plurality of segments, thereby reversing gas flow through said regenerative oxidizer and directing said hot clean gas stream through said first plurality of segments and said heated purge gas stream into a fourth segment diametrically opposite said third segment; (c) repeating step (b) multiple times to direct heated purge gas into said third and fourth segments for a time sufficient to burn off accumulated contaminants in said heat sink media in said third and fourth segments; and (d) then indexing said rotary valve one segment and repeating step (b) and (c) to burn off accumulated contaminants in said one segment and an opposed segment.