Regenerators

Claim 1

IN A ROTARY GAS REGENERATOR; A HOUSING; A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL MATRIX COMPRISING A LARGE NUMBER OF HEAT TRANSFER ELEMENTS ASSEMBLED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING; PARTITION MEANS EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID HOUSING THROUGH THE HOLLOW INTERIOR OF SAID MATRIX AND DIVIDING SAID HOUSING INTO HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE CHAMBERS; SPACED FIRST AND SECOND SEALING MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF FLUID FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF SAID CHAMBERS, SAID FIRST SEALING MEANS COMPRISING MEANS PROVIDING AN INLET TO AND AN OUTLET FROM EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS; A FIRST SEALING SHOE EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF AND SUPPORTED BY SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND A SIDE EDGE OF SAID PARTITION, SAID SEALING SHOE HAVING AN APERTURE THROUGH WHICH SAID MATRIX EXTENDS AND MEANS PROVIDING A SEALING SURFACE ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID MATRIX; A SECOND SEALIG SHOE CARRIED BY SAID FIRST SHOE AND PROVIDING A SEALING SURFACE ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID MATRIX; AND SEALING ELEMENTS IN SAID MATRIX COOPERATING WITH SAID SEALING SURFACES TO FORM LABYRINTH SEALS BETWEEN SAID PARTITION AND SAID MATRIX AND BETWEEN SAID MATRIX AND SAID HOUSING, SAID SEALING ELEMENTS BEING FREE OF CONNECTION TO AND MOVABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE HEAT TRANSFER ELEMENTS.