Dynamic sealing means for rotary regenerative heat exchangers

Claim 1

A REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGER COMPRISING A FIRST COMPONENT HAVING SPACED APART PARALLEL PLANE ENDS AND PROVIDING A MASS OF REGENERATIVE HEAT ABSORBING AND REJECTING MATERIAL FORMING A MULTIPLICITY OF PASSAGES EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ENDS FOR FLOW OF GASEOUS HEAT EXCHANGING FLUIDS FROM END TO END THROUGH SAID COMPONENT AND A SECOND COMPONENT PROVIDING TWO SEPARATE DUCTS FOR FLOW OF SEPARATE STREAMS OF DIFFERENT GASEOUS HEAT EXCHANGING FLUIDS AT DIFFERENT PRESSURES TO AND FROM THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID FIRST COMPONENT TO CAUSE THE AFORESAID FLOW THROUGH SAID PASSAGES, SAID SECOND COMPONENT INCLUDING SECTOR PLATES PARALLEL WITH AND CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF SAID FIRST COMPONENT, SAID SECTOR PLATES HAVING AXIALLY ALIGNED SECTOR PORTIONS SEPARATING OPENINGS FOR DIRECTING THE DIFFERENT GASEOUS FLUIDS IN SEPARATE STREAMS THROUGH SAID PASSAGES, SAID COMPONENTS BEING MOUNTED TO PROVIDE RELATIVE ROTARY MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID REGENERATIVE MATERIAL AND SAID SECTOR PLATES, AND MEANS PROVIDING A DYNAMIC SEAL FOR REDUCING TRANSVERSE LEAKAGE FLOW OF GASEOUS FLUID FROM THE STREAM OF FLUID AT HIGHER PRESSURE TO THE STREAM AT LOWER PRESSURE ACROSS THE GAPS BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE FIRST COMPONENT AND THE RESPECTIVELY CONFRONTING SECTOR PORTIONS OF THE SECTOR PLATES, COMPRISING MEANS FOR PRODUCING STREAMS OF SEALING FLUID AT A PRESSURE HIGHER THAN THAT OF EITHER OF SAID STREAMS OF HEAT EXCHANGING FLUID, CONDUIT MEANS FOR CONDUCTING SAID SEALING FLUID TO AND DISCHARGING THE SAME TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE GAPS BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE FIRST COMPONENT AND THE RESPECTIVELY CONFRONTING SECTOR PLATES, SAID CONDUIT MEANS TERMINATING IN INJECTOR MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID SEALING FLUID IN THE FORM OF HIGH VELOCITY JETS LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE RADIALLY EXTENDING EDGE OF EACH OF SAID SECTOR PORTIONS OF EACH SECTOR PLATE WHICH DEFINES ONE OF SAID OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH THE HEAT EXCHANGING FLUID OF HIGHER PRESSURE IS DIRECTED, WHEREBY TO PROVIDE SCREENS OF HIGH VELOCITY FLUID FLOWING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID GAPS FOR OBSTRUCTING LEAKAGE FLOW THROUGH SAID GAPS OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGING FLUID OF HIGHER PRESSURE.