How a rotary valve increases aspiration efficiency

At grain elevators and grain processing plants, the aspiration system ensures dust removal, cleanliness, and safe operating conditions for the equipment. One of the components that affects the stability of its operation is the rotary valve (airlock feeder).

Its function is to transfer material between zones of different pressure while simultaneously maintaining the system's airtightness, preventing air leakage. If this unit operates incorrectly, the efficiency of the entire aspiration system decreases: cyclones and filters become unstable, and fans may operate under increased load.

What happens without a rotary valve

In the absence or incorrect operation of a rotary valve, the following issues may occur in the system:

• air leakage through the discharge spout;
• pressure drop and unstable airflow;
• reduced air cleaning efficiency;
• increased load on fans and accelerated equipment wear.

This is why aspiration units of processing equipment use rotary valves or specialized airlock feeders, which ensure continuous material discharge and system airtightness.

Operating Principle

The design of a rotary valve is relatively simple and reliable:

• carbon or stainless steel housing;
• rotor with pockets that capture the material;
• bearing units;
• drive mechanism.

The material enters the upper part of the valve, after which the rotor pockets move it to the discharge spout. At the same time, the rotor pockets act as an air barrier, maintaining the pressure differential between system zones.

This ensures continuous material discharge and stable operation of the aspiration network.

Rotary valves are widely used in the grain processing industry:

• grain elevators;
• oil extraction plants;
• feed mills;
• flour mills;
• malting plants.

They are installed in bulk material handling units as well as in aspiration systems of processing equipment.

Our Practical Example

At the Grain Capital (ZEO) manufacturing facility, we produce ZEO-RV series rotary valves designed for handling bulk products at grain and processing industry enterprises.

Key Characteristics:

• capacity: 2–60 m³/h;
• 8 rotor pockets;
• rotation speed: 20 or 30 rpm;
• carbon or stainless steel housing;
• suitability for both conveying and aspiration systems.

ZEO-RV rotary valves are used for dosing and transferring bulk materials, as well as for sealing sections with different pressures within technological systems.

This is a versatile solution used at grain elevators, oil extraction plants, feed mills, and other grain processing facilities across Ukraine and Europe.