Coperion ZRD Rotary Valve for Powder Applications
What this video shows
The Coperion video introduces the ZRD as a rotary valve for discharging and metering powders at gravity and pneumatic-conveying interfaces, with rotor, sealing and wear options selected for the material and process duty.
What the footage shows
The video identifies the ZRD as a powder-focused discharge and metering valve and shows the main housing, rotor, shaft, seal and bearing arrangement.
The related product documentation distinguishes rotor options for powders, fibrous materials and abrasive products.
Process challenge
A rotary valve at a powder interface must deliver solids while managing leakage gas, shaft sealing, wear and access.
The same nominal valve size can behave very differently when material flowability, particle shape, pressure differential or cleaning requirements change.
Demonstrated solution
The ZRD uses a configurable rotor and sealing architecture within one valve family.
Coperion documents a ten-chamber open-end D-rotor for powders, an X-rotor for fibrous material and a C-rotor for abrasive products, together with outboard bearings and a purged seal arrangement.
Technical overview
Key features
- •Ten-chamber open-end D-rotor option for powders
- •X-rotor option for fibrous materials and C-rotor option for abrasive products
- •Double shaft seals with labyrinth ring and gas-purge provision
- •Outboard bearings and a separate opening for detecting seal failure
Benefits
- •Shows how rotor choice follows material behaviour rather than valve size alone
- •Makes the separation between product chamber, seals and bearings visible
- •Provides a concrete basis for discussing discharge, metering and conveying duty
Typical applications
- •Powder discharge below bins, filters, receivers and process equipment
- •Metered feeding into pneumatic conveying systems
- •Food, mineral, plastics and chemical powder-handling duties documented by Coperion
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About this video
Where the ZRD sits in a powder-handling system
Process role: The ZRD transfers powder from an upstream vessel or process stage into a lower-pressure receiver, gravity outlet or pneumatic conveying line.
The rotor pockets meter a volumetric quantity while the small operating clearances limit gas flow across the valve.
That makes the valve part feeder, part pressure-boundary component and part maintenance interface.
Rotor choice follows material behaviour
Coperion documents a ten-chamber open-end D-rotor for powders, an X-rotor for fibrous material and a C-rotor for abrasive products.
Powder duty: A multi-pocket rotor can support smoother volumetric discharge, but usable capacity still depends on bulk density, pocket filling, speed and leakage air.
Fibrous duty: Fibres and flakes need space to enter and leave without wrapping, bridging or repeated shearing at the inlet.
Abrasive duty: Wear changes clearances, leakage and delivered capacity, so material hardness, fines, tip speed and replaceable wear concepts belong in the duty sheet.
The rotor label is a starting point, not evidence that every material in that category will behave the same way.
Seals, bearings and leakage control
The product page describes double shaft seals, a labyrinth ring and gas purging, with bearings mounted outside the product zone.
This architecture separates bearing support from the powder chamber and gives purge gas a defined role at the shaft interface.
Specify purge-gas quality, pressure, flow, monitoring and destination for the actual product and hygiene requirement.
A separate drop-out opening is intended to make seal failure visible rather than allowing leaked product to migrate unnoticed toward the bearing.
Inspection access still has to fit the plant layout; a well-designed detail is not useful when a wall or duct blocks it.
Pressure and application limits
Coperion publishes configurations for pneumatic conveying with pressure differentials up to 1.5 barg and identifies pressure-shock ratings up to 10 barg for stated versions.
Those values are model- and configuration-dependent and must not be transferred to an unverified size, rotor, temperature or certification package.
Define normal differential pressure, upset pressure, temperature, leakage tolerance, explosion-protection function and regional code basis before selection.
A pressure-shock rating does not by itself establish explosion isolation performance.
Use the video as a model-selection starting point
Prepare a material sheet covering particle-size distribution, bulk density, flowability, moisture, abrasiveness, temperature, toxicity, hygiene and explosion characteristics.
Add throughput, pressure, speed range, cleanability, access, drive and acceptance requirements, then request the exact ZRD configuration and supporting documentation.
Use the rotary valve selection and sizing guide for the duty sheet, compare the wider family on the Rotary Valves technology page, and open the Coperion company profile for the connected Company context.
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