Every Harper rotary tube furnace is designed for the customer’s unique specifications. We bring innovative solutions to designs for continuous processing of advanced materials such as granular, powder, or particulate aggregates in high purity and specialty atmosphere environments at temperatures up to 2400°C.
Harper rotaries offer exceptional versatility, reliability and energy efficiency. Our designs include multiple patented features that enable better mixing, resulting in improved heat transfer and mass transfer. The absence of moving parts in the tube support system provides a simple, reliable, robust design that enhances scalability. Additionally, the tumbling action of the product within the tube results in high degrees of temperature uniformity and gas-solid contact, producing a more homogenous product, reducing processing times and increasing production rates.
We offer the unique ability to accommodate a variety of process atmospheres that others cannot. Our excellent seal designs, advanced gas monitoring and handling systems, and indirect heating method allow the use of flammables and toxic gases. Harper approaches the design of a rotary furnace and calciner as a complete system, with the ability to incorporate process control systems, gas treatment and handling, turnkey installation and complete field commissioning. Field service can incorporate control instrumentation integration and programming as well as process engineering optimization and support.
Harper Rotary Furnace Design Enhancements
Riffle flights – provide axial mixing for processing at a fixed average composition and are excellent for moderating exothermic reactions or continuous in-line mixing. Riffle flights enable similar benefits as standard continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR), but in a continuous rotary tube format.- Helical flights – convey material without back-mixing. Utilized for processes that require narrow residence time distributions.
- Cross Flow System – coarse, free-flowing material can be heated and reacted with through-flowing gas. Gas flows locally to the solid material path while globally flowing counter-current to material flow, providing superior gas-solid contact.
- Advanced Sealing System – patented rotary reactor sealing system provides optimal rotary tube furnace atmosphere integrity with minimal gas consumption
Harper Rotary Furnace Capabilities
- Temperatures to 2400°C
- Tube diameters to 60 inches (1.5 meters)
- Electrically heated or gas-, oil- or dual-fuel fired
- Controlled atmospheres including flammables and toxic gases – hydrogen, nitrogen, air, oxygen, ethylene, methane, CO2, CO, chlorine gas
- Variety of tube material designs – alloys, mullite, alumina, silicon carbide, quartz, graphite
- Process gas circulating and conditioning systems
- Automatic material handling and return systems
- Defined residence times
- Advanced seal design
- Automatic lubrication
- Feed level detection
Typical Rotary Furnace Applications
- Pyrolysis
- Drying
- Calcination
- Reduction
- Controlled oxidation
- Carburization
- Solid-solid reaction
- Purification
- Waste remediation
Learn more…
- Innovation in action – Patents for Rotary Furnace Designs
- Materials ideal for Rotary furnaces – Metal Oxides, Powders, Rare Earths, Technical Ceramics, Graphene,Energy Storage Materials, Energy Generation Materials