Online bakeout of regenerative oxidizers

1. 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.

2. The method of cleaning the heat sink media of a regenerative oxidizer as defined in claim 1 , wherein said method includes directing said heated purge gas through said fourth segment while directing heated purge gas through said third segment.

3. The method of cleaning the heat sink media of a rotary regenerative oxidizer as defined in claim 1 , wherein said method includes heating an outlet gas of said regenerative oxidizer, then directing heated outlet gas upwardly into said third and fourth segments.

4. The method of cleaning the heat sink media of a rotary regenerative oxidizer as defined in claim 1 , wherein said method includes directing purge gas through said fourth pie-shaped compartment.

5. A method of cleaning the heat sink media of a rotary regenerative oxidizer of accumulated contaminants while continuing to process waste gas, said rotary regenerative oxidizer including a plurality of pie-shaped compartments each having heat sink media therein, a combustion chamber located opposite said pie-shaped compartments and communicating therewith, an inlet receiving a waste gas stream containing contaminants, a rotary valve receiving said waste gas stream directing said waste gas stream into a first plurality of adjacent pie-shaped compartments, said waste gas stream then directed into said combustion chamber, oxidizing contaminants and forming a hot clean gas stream, said rotary valve then directing said hot clean gas stream from said combustion chamber through a second plurality of adjacent pie-shaped compartments opposite said first plurality of pie-shaped compartments, said rotary valve further directing purge gas through a third pie-shaped compartment located between said first and second plurality of pie-shaped compartments and said rotary regenerative oxidizer including a fourth pie-shaped compartment located diametrically opposite to said third pie-shaped compartment and located between said first and second plurality of adjacent pie-shaped compartments, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) locating said rotary valve in a first position to direct said waste gas stream through said first plurality of adjacent pie-shaped compartments, said hot clean gas stream through said second plurality of adjacent pie-shaped compartments and said purge gas through said third pies-shaped compartment;

(b) then rotating said rotary valve 180 degrees reversing gas flow through said rotary regenerative oxidizer and directing said waste gas stream through said second plurality of pie-shaped compartments and directing said hot clean gas stream through said first plurality of pie-shaped compartments and said purge gas into said fourth pie-shaped compartment;

(c) repeating step (b) multiple times for a time sufficient to burn off accumulated contaminants in said heat sink media in said third and fourth pie-shaped compartments sequentially;

(d) then indexing said rotary valve a pie-shaped compartment adjacent said first and second plurality of pie-shaped compartments and repeating step (b) for a time sufficient to burn off accumulated contaminants from heat sink media in a pie-shaped compartment adjacent said third and fourth pie-shaped compartments; and

(e) repeating steps (d) and (b) to burn off accumulated contaminants from the heat sink media in all of said pie-shaped compartments.