When should the standard Quick-Take-Apart valve be used instead of the rail-mounted version?

The standard QTA valve is typically selected when installation space is limited or when a rail system cannot be installed.

Quick Take Apart Series Rotary Airlock Valve

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Quick Take Apart Rotary Airlock Valve for Fast Cleaning and Compact Installations

Bulk material processing systems often require rotary airlock valves that can be serviced quickly without extensive disassembly. The Prater Quick-Take-Apart (QTA) Series Rotary Airlock Valve is engineered for these environments, allowing operators to remove the rotor and end plate as a single assembly for rapid cleaning, inspection, or maintenance.

Unlike conventional rotary valves that require careful re-gapping of the rotor during reassembly, the QTA Series eliminates this step through its integrated design. This helps maintenance teams return the valve to service faster while maintaining proper rotor clearances and reliable air sealing.

Constructed from cast iron or stainless steel, the QTA rotary airlock is designed to withstand industrial environments while maintaining precise internal tolerances. Standard configurations include eight-blade rotors, direct-drive gear motors operating at 9, 15, or 23 RPM, and operating capabilities up to approximately 500°F and ±12 PSI pressure differential.

Because it provides quick access to internal components in a compact footprint without the additional rail system, the Quick-Take-Apart Series is well suited for processing lines where frequent cleaning, product changeovers, or maintenance access is required but installation space is limited.

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

Temperatures up to 500°F
Up to +/- 12 PSI pressure differential
Cast iron or stainless construction
Direct drive gear-motors (9, 15, 23 RPM)
Eight-blade rotors
Tool-less removal of rotor
Sizes 6 and 8 inch square

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Quick-Take-Apart rotary airlock simplify maintenance?
The rotor and end plate can be removed together as a single assembly without specialized tools. This design allows operators to inspect or clean internal components quickly while reducing maintenance downtime.

Why does the QTA design eliminate the need to gap the rotor during reassembly?
Traditional rotary valves often require technicians to manually reset rotor clearances during reassembly. The QTA design removes this step by allowing the rotor assembly to be removed and replaced as one unit while preserving factory-set tolerances.

When should the standard QTA valve be selected instead of the rail-mounted model?
The standard Quick-Take-Apart valve is typically selected when equipment space is limited or when a rail system cannot be installed. It provides the same quick-access maintenance benefits but in a more compact design.

What operating conditions can the QTA Series rotary airlock handle?
The valve is designed for temperatures up to approximately 500°F and pressure differentials up to about ±12 PSI, allowing it to function reliably in many bulk material handling and pneumatic conveying applications.

What types of materials can be processed through a Quick-Take-Apart rotary airlock?
Common materials include dry bulk products such as coffee, grains, cornmeal, starch, sugar, salt, sulfur, fly ash, and similar powders or granules used in industrial processing systems.

NOT SURE WHAT SIZE AIRLOCK YOU NEED?

Try our Airlock Size Recommendation Tool: answer a few simple questions and we’ll provide a recommendation on what size airlock to use.

Materials often processed in a Quick-Take-Apart Rotary Airlock

The QTA Series rotary airlock can easily manage many dground or instant coffee, whole or cracked corn and cornmeal, flax seed, fly ash, grain, whole or rolled oats, potassium carbonate, salt, soybeans, starch, sugar, sulfur, and many others. Here are some more exifferent applications and materials, including ammonium alumina, cement, charcoal, amples of materials that have been feed through our QTA rotary airlocks:

A.B.S. Powder
Acetate Flake
Ammonium Alumina
Atomite
Baking Soda
Bauxite
Bone (Coarse Ground)
Bone Meal
Borax Powder
Cake (Copra Ground)
Calcium Carbonate
Carbon Black
Carbon Powder (Activated)
Cement
Charcoal (Ground)
Coal Dust
Coal (Pulverized)
Coconut (Shredded or Flake)
Coffee (Ground)
Coffee (Instant)
Corn (Cracked)
Corn Meal
Corn (Whole)
Cremora Powder
Dicalcium Phosphate
Digitalis Leaves
Disodium Phosphate
Donut Mix
Farina
Fish Meal
Fish Scrap
Flax Seed
Flock (Cellulose)
Flour (Wheat)
Fly Ash
Germ (Corn)
Gilsonite
Gluten Meal
Grain (Brewers)
Grits (Corn)
Hominy Meal
Hominy (Whole)
Ice (Crushed)
Ink Pigment
Iron Oxide Pigment
Kaolin Clay
Lactose
Lime (Hydrated)
Malamine Powder
Milk (Powdered)
Mustard Powder
Mustard Seed (Unground)
Oats (Rolled)
Oats (Whole)
Orange Meal
Peanuts (Raw)
Peanuts (Roasted)
Pebblelime
Polymer Resin
Potassium Carbonate
Pulpwood (Chips)
Rice (Hulled)
Salt (Granulated Food Grade)
Salt (Rock)
Semonlina
Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate)
Sodium Acid Pyrophospate
Sodium Sulfate
Solubles (Brewer Dried)
Soybean Flakes (Raw)
Soybean Flakes (Spent)
Soybean Meal
Spices
Starch (Granulated)
Starch (Powdered)
Sugar (Granulated)
Sugar (Powdered)
Sulfamic Acid
Sulfur (Ground)
Talcum Powder
Tea Leaves (Dry)
Tea Leaves (Spent Wet)
Titanium Dioxide (TiO2)
Tobacco (Ground)
Tobacco Stems (Chopped)
Vermiculite (Expanded)
Vinyl (Regrind)
Wheat Bran
Wheat (Buck)
Wheat (Cracked)
Wheat (Whole Grain)
Wood Chips (Dry)
Zinc Oxide