Air seal for rotary heat exchanger

Claim 1

ROTARY REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS HAVING A ROTOR INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL SHELL JOINED TO A ROTOR POST BY RADIAL PARTITIONS TO FORM A SERIES OF SECTORIAL COMPARTMENTS THEREBETWEEN; A MASS OF HEAT ABSORBENT MATERIAL CARRIED IN EACH COMPARTMENT OF THE ROTOR; A HOUSING SURROUNDING THE ROTOR PROVIDED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH END PLATES AXIALLY SPACED FROM THE EDGE OF THE RADIAL PARTITIONS AND FORMED WITH CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED APERTURES BETWEEN IMPERFORATE PORTIONS TO PERMIT THE FLOW OF HEATING GAS AND AIR TO AND THROUGH THE ROTOR; A PLURALITY OF PORTS THROUGH THE IMPERFORATE PORTION OF EACH END PLATE; A SOURCE OF GAS UNDER PRESSURE; DUCT MEANS CONNECTING THE SOURCE OF GAS TO SAID PORTS IN THE END PLATE; A VALVE SEAT IN EACH END PLATE PORT ADJACENT THE ROTOR; A CHECK VALVE; MEANS RESILIENTLY HOLDING SAID VALVE ON SAID SEAT; AXIALLY MOVABLE SEALING MEANS CARRIED ON THE END EDGE OF EACH RADIAL PARTITION; MEANS BIASING SAID SEALING MEANS TOWARD THE CONFRONTING SURFACE OF SAID END PLATE WHEREBY ROTATION OF THE ROTOR MOVES THE END EDGES OF SAID SEALING MEANS INTO CONTACTING RELATION WITH THE VALVE MEANS TO MOVE SAID VALVE FROM ITS SEAT AND PERMIT GAS UNDER PRESSURE TO FLOW INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SEALING MEANS AND END PLATE.