Regenerative fluid heater

Claim 1

A REGENERATIVE FLUID HEATER HAVING A DURABLE RADIAL SEAL AND SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FORM DEAD SECTORS, SAID HEATER COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL REGENERATOR CHAMBER DIVIDED INTO SECTORS THROUGH WHICH MAY PASS THE FLUID TO BE HEATED AND THE HEAT-PROVIDING FLUID, INFLOW AND OUTFLOW MEMBERS FOR THE RESPECTIVE FLIUDS, MEANS FOR CAUSING RELATIVE ROTATION OF SAID REGENERATOR CHAMBER WITH RESPEC TO SAID INFLOW AND OUTFLOW MEMBERS, AND SEALING MEANS BETWEEN ADJOINING CROSS-SECTIONS OF THE REGENERATOR CHAMBER AND ADJACENT INFLOW AND OUTFLOW MEMBERS, SAID SEALING MEANS BEING FORMED BY PROVIDING THE CYLINDRICAL REGENERATOR CHAMBER WITH COAXIALLY EQUI-SPACED CYLINDRICAL WALLS TO FORM SEPARATE ANNULAR CHAMBERS, RADIALLY DIVIDING THE ANNULAR CHAMBERS INTO SEGMENTS BY MEANS FOR SECTOR WALLS SO ARRANGED THAT THE ANGLES BETWEEN ADJACENT SECTOR WALLS ARE EQUAL, SUBDIVIDING EACH OF SAID SEGMENTS OF THE ANNULAR CHAMBERS INTO NARROW CELLS BY MEANS FOR EQUI-SPACED RADIAL PARTITIONS THE EDGES OF WHICH LIE IN THE SAME PLANE AS THAT FORMED BY THE RADIAL CHAMBER DIVIDERS AND SERVING AS SEALING EDGES AGAINST COMPARATIVELY NARROW RADIAL SEALING STRIPS PROVIDED BETWEEN THE INFLOW AND OUTFLOW MEMBERS FOR THE FLUID TO BE HEATED AND THE FLUID PROVIDING THE HEAT AND THE SURFACES OF THE REGENERATOR CHAMBER, THEREBY ELIMINATING THE DEAD SECTORS WHICH HITHERTO SHUT OFF FLOW THROUGH SOME 17 PERCENT OF THE ENTIRE HEAT EXCHANGE SURFACES, THE MEAN CIRCUMFERENTIAL WIDTH OF THE NARROW CELLS FORMED BY THE RADIAL PARTIONS BEING APPROXIMATELY THE SAME IN ALL SEGMENTS OF THE INNER AND OUTER ANNULAR CHAMBAERS, AND PACKETS OF HEAT STORING ELEMENTS FILLING SAID CELLS AND HAVING FLUID PASSAGES BETWEEN THEM, THE EDGES OF SAID HEAT STORING ELEMENTS TERMINATING SOMEWHAT SHORT OF THE PLANE OF THE SEAL AND FORMING NO PART OF SAID SEAL.