Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do you improve the performance of your rotary kiln and dryer equipment with the least repair expense and downtime?

1. Resurfacing Tires & Trunnions. Remove waves, ripples, tapers and pits on your tires and trunnions resurfacing (grinding),  repair performed by Rotary Service Company, (RSC).
2. 2 Phase Alignment: “Float” the vessel between the thrust idlers

Q.  How do I determine the remaining lifespan of my vessel?

1. Visual Inspection Internal & External.  Conduct a visual inspection of the vessel looking for cracks, holes or other indicators of structural weakness.
2. Nondestructive testing.  Determine the thickness of the shell by running ultrasonic thickness testing at suspect areas. Use dye penetrant testing to determine the depth and severity of cracks.

Q.  What should be done to determine if the main gear should  be replaced or reversed?

1. Visual Inspection:  Observe the contact surfaces on the main gear and pinion.  Wear patterns should extend across the entire face. Check the gear face for even contact on the surfaces. Inspect the gear profile on the main gear and pinion.
2. Dual Face Alignment: Perform a dual face alignment of the gear to correct the axial alignment of the gear to the vessel.
3. Check backlash: Perform a backlash inspection of the gear and pinion.

Q.  Should the trunnions be harder than the tire because they rotate faster?

1. Trunnions normally rotate between 3-5 times faster than the tire.  There are 3 schools of thought:
   1. Trunnion harder than the tire – WRONG – Trunnions will cause accelerated wear to the tire.
   2. Tire harder than the trunnion – WRONG – Trunnions will wear at a much faster rate than normal.
   3. Tire & trunnion equal hardness – CORRECT – Trunnions will wear at  much slower pace but still wear before the tires.

Q. How can I improve performance  of my vessel?

1. Flighting Design:  Evaluate the flighting to make sure the vessel is veiling the product thought the air stream properly.
2. Burner:  Verify the burner is operating properly.  Normally analysis is required by a burner technician.
3. Seals:  Verify the seals are performing properly.  Ambient air leaks into the system dramatically degrade the effectiveness of the burner.
4. Material Handling: Make sure the vessel feed and discharge can sustain operations at the production level desired