Rotary regenerative heat exchangers

Claim 1

A ROTARY REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGER COMPRISING A STATIONARY HOUSING, A ROTOR CONTAINING HEAT STORING MATERIAL MOUNTED FOR ROTATION WITHIN SAID HOUSING, MEANS DIVIDING SAID HOUSING INTO SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS FOR FLUID TO BE HEATED AND FLUID TO BE COOLED WHEREBY AS THE ROTOR ROTATES IT PASSES ALTERNATELY THROUGH A COMPARTMENT FOR FLUID TO BE COOLED AND A COMPARTMENT FOR FLUID TO BE HEATED, SAID MEANS INCLUDING SEALING MEANS ACTING ON END FACES OF THE ROTOR AND AT THE PERIPHERAL EDGES THEREOF, SAID ROTOR BEING ANNULAR IN FORM TO DEFINE AN INNER DUCT AND COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF ANNULAR DISCS COMPRISING SAID HEAT STORING MATERIAL AND MOUNTED SIDE BY SIDE IN SPACED RELATION ALONG THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE MOTOR, MEANS CONVEYING FLUID TO BE COOLED TO THE SAID INNER DUCT IN THE ROTOR AND THENCE INTO THE COMPARTMENT OF SAID HOUSING TO FLOW IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION THROUGH EACH DISC AND THENCE PASS TO AN OUTLET IN SAID COMPARTMENT ADJACENT THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF EACH DISC, MEANS CONVEYING FLUID TO BE HEATED TO A COMPARTMENT OF THE HOUSING THROUGH AN INLET ADJACENT THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF EACH DISC TO FLOW THROUGH EACH DISC IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION TO AN OUTLET FROM THE COMPARTMENT ADJACENT THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF EACH DISC, AND MEANS TO PREVENT FLOW OF FLUID TO BE HEATED INTO SAID INNER DUCT.