A rotary valve rotor is a rotating component of a rotary valve and is primarily used for controlling the bulk material flow from upstream equipment to downstream equipment. The rotation of the valve rotor is powered by a drive motor connected to it – various rotary valve drive connection are available.
Polimak offers two fundamental designs of rotary valve rotors (open end rotor and closed end rotor) commonly used in most industrial applications.We also render various rotary valve rotor types with modified features to help improve the performance during operation. The optimal rotor design is determined by the application, bulk material characteristics and feed rate. Proper selection of a valve rotor is crucial as it helps prevent premature wear, downtime, reduced efficiency and increased maintenance.
Rotary Valves Rotor Types
Open End Rotors
Open-end rotors are among the commonly used rotors in rotary valve configurations. Rotor pockets are open at each end hence the name open-end rotor. Dry bulk materials are contained on each end of the pocket by the valve housing. Open-end rotors are an ideal option for lighter bulk materials and are comonly used to handle dry bulk solids in food, pharmaceutical, ped food and chemical industries.
Closed End Rotors
Closed-end rotors have discs also know as shrouds welded to each end of the rotor pockets. This prevents the blades from coming in direct contact with the endplates and helps reduce bearing contamination by offereing better sealing in comparison to open-end rotors. Industries such as chemical, construction, plastic and other related bulk material handling industries.
Adjustable Tips Rotors
These rotor types are commonly used to handle abrasive dry bulk solids. The end of the blades have tips attached to them. Due to the characteristics of the handled bulk materials, the tips may wear out prematurely. Wearing out of the tips compromises the clearance between the valve housing and the rotor. The tips can be replaced easily to maintain optimal clearance between the housing and the blades. These rotors can be used in many industries including the construction industries.
Reduced Volume Rotors
Reduced volume rotors have reduced rotor pocket volume. The volumetric capacity of a rotary valve is decreased to match required throughput with a good degree of accuracy. If bulk materials flow too easily through a rotary valve, a downstream system may encounter challenges such as material clogging. Reduced volume rotors provide controlled bulk material flow in such instances. Pharmaceutical, chemical, food, construction and pet food are some of the industries where such rotors can be utilised.
Adjustable Polyurethane Tip Rotors
Similar to adjustable rotors, adjustable polyurethane rotors have replaceable tips. Flexible tip designs are used to handle large-sized and moderate abrasive dry bulk solids. These rotors are used to handle bulk solids such as plastic flakes, wood pellets, plastic pellets, plastic regrind etc.
Staggered Pocket Rotors
Staggered pocket rotors have rotor pockets arranged in an alternating manner (the pockets are not directly aligned). They offer continous and smooth bulk material flow into downstream equipment. The name staggered is derived from the pocket misalignement. Staggered pocket rotors are widely used in construction, pharmaceutical, plastic and pet food industries.
Scalloped Rotors
Instead of the V-shaped pockets, scalloped rotors have smooth U-shaped pockets that help with the discharge of sticky dry bulk materials and minimize material packing. Scalloped rotors are commonly utilised in food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Metering Rotors
Metering rotors provide controlled bulk material feeding with high precision. They are commonly used for metering small quantities of dry bulk solids. Metering rotors are frequently used in food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
