Side Entry Rotary Airlocks Eliminate Shearing and Jamming

Side Entry Rotary Airlocks Eliminate Shearing and Jamming

 

The Side Entry Rotary Airlock Valve is used in applications where product shearing and jamming is a concern. The valves are heavy duty construction with Cast Iron or Stainless Steel Housing, Outboard Regreasable Bearings, Rotors with large diameter shafts and robust drive packages.

 

Rotary airlock valves have tight tolerances (typically 0.004” to 0.006”) between the rotor and housing. When handling dust, powders and small granules the product passes through a normal Drop Thru type rotary airlock without issue. Shearing and jamming occurs when hard, large particles are introduced and pinch between the rotating rotor vanes as they turn into the housing. This pinching action causes vibration, squealing or even jamming – not to mention damage to the product.

 

 

Entry Rotary Airlock is designed to overcome this pinching problem. The valve name derives from the inlet throat which is completely shifted off center, allowing the product to enter the side of the rotor instead of the top – hence a “Side Entry”. With the Side Entry throat design, the product is caught on the upswing of the rotor blades so that the product is constantly falling away from the shear point. The rotor pockets also do not fill up completely, additionally reducing the likelihood of shearing. Lastly, the throat has a ‘V’ shape where the rotor enters the housing which minimizes the pinch point and helps push product out of the way. For especially difficult applications, special inlet adapters are available to choke flow and/or sweep off the rotor vanes.

The Side Entry Rotary Airlock is ideally suited for the plastics industries, whether handling virgin plastic pellets or regrind material in the recycling industries. It is also useful in handling fragile larger particles to minimize shearing where product damage is a concern.  Multiple sizes are available in both Round and Rectangular Flanges, ranging from 6” to 20”.