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Flash Off Managed During RTO Bake Out

A flash off is the most dangerous part of a bake out. Temperatures skyrocket, and if not understood and actively managed, can result in catastrophic structural damage.

This is a short video showing one of the chambers in a three-tower Durr RTO being baked out. This was the initial flash point for one of the towers. The cold face temperature rapidly increased by over 200°F within a few seconds. It is being controlled by a program written by RHZ Environmental. The program automatically terminated the runaway flash in its tracks. This protected the structural integrity of the chamber, meaning the million dollars worth of media, while thoroughly removing a ton of organic deposits that had plugged the media, increasing the pressure drop and gas consumption while lowering the thermal efficiency and residence time.

The Bake Out was extremely successful, and after 17 years in service, the ceramic media still looks great. RHZ understands how important it is to extend the life of the media and strives to optimize system operation for the long-term.