This week’s photo shows the interior of an indirect-fired rotary kiln.
Indirect kilns are used in various process settings where the processing environment must be tightly controlled, such as when processing materials that cannot be exposed to oxygen, or materials that must remain sterile, as well as when looking to minimize off-gases.
This indirect kiln was built to process plastic bottle chips. The plastic is processed in the kiln in order to sterilize it so that it can be reused to make more bottles.
While most kilns do not utilize flights (the metal lifters affixed to the interior of the kiln), when processing plastic, they act as bed disturbers, in order to promote a tumbling bed. This helps to ensure that all material is being consistently and evenly heated, and there are no “dead spots” in the kiln.
FEECO has been a leader in thermal processing for over 60 years. We custom engineer both indirect- and direct-fired kilns to suit your thermal processing needs. We also offer a unique feasibility center, where we can test your material at both batch and pilot scale. For more information on our custom rotary kilns, contact us today!