Means for reducing leakage in rotary regenerators

Claim 1

IN A GAS TURBINE POWERPLANT HAVING A COMPRESSOR, A COMBUSTOR, AND A TURBINE FOR DRIVING SAID COMPRESSOR, A ROTARY REGENERATOR COMPRISING: A ROTOR MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIAS, SAID ROTOR HAVING AXIALLY SPACED UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM ENDS; AN ANNULAR HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED HEAT EXCHANGE UNITS CARRIED BY SAID ROTOR, EACH OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGE UNITS EXTENDING AXIALLY BETWEEN THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM ENDS OF SAID ROTOR AND FORMING A FLUID FLOW PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN; UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM STATIONARY HEADERS ADJACENT THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM ENDS, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID ROTOR COMMUNICATING WITH A FIRST ARCUATE POSITION ONLY OF SAID ANNULAR HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY; FIRST MANIFOLD MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF SAID COMPRESSOR AND ONE OF SAID HEADERS; SECOND MANIFOLD MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE INLET PORTION OF SAID COMBUSTOR AND THE OTHER OF SAID HEADERS; A FIRST EXHAUST DUCT INTERCONNECTING THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF SAID TURBINE AND THE UPSTREAM END OF A SECOND ARCUATE PORTION ONLY OF SAID ANNULAR HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY; A SECOND EXHAUST DUCT FOR DISCHARGING GAS TO ATMOSPHERE FROM THE DOWNSTREAM END OF SAID SECOND ARCUATE PORTION OF SAID ANNULAR HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ROTOR AND SAID ANNULAR HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY TO CONTINUALLY CHANGE THE HEAT EXCHANGE UNITS COMPRISING SAID FIRST AND SECOND ARCUATE PORTIONS OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY; AND FIRST AXIAL SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID UPSTREAM HEADER AND THE UPSTREAM END OF SAID ROTOR AND SECOND AXIAL SEALING MEANS BETWEEN SAID DOWNSTREAM HEADER AND THE DOWNSTREAM END OF SAID ROTOR, SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEALING MEANS CONFINING FLOW OF HIGH PRESSURE FLUID BETWEEN SAID HEADERS TO THE PASSAGES OF THE HEAT EXCHANGE UNITS COMPRISING SAID FIRST ARCUATE PORTION OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGE ARRAY; EACH OF SAID SEALING MEANS INCLUDING: A PAIR OF STATIONARY SEAL PLATES HAVING RADIALLY DISPOSED FACES AT THE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE RESPECTIVE HEADER, THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT OF EACH OF SAID SEAL PLATES BEING GREATER THAN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT OF ANY OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGE UNITS, A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY DISPOSED, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED SEAL WIPERS PROJECTING AXIALLY FROM THE RADIAL FACE OF EACH OF SAID SEAL PLATES, MEANS BIASING EACH OF SAID SEAL WIPERS AXIALLY TOWARD THE ASSOCIATED END OF SAID ROTOR, AND A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY POSITIONED SEAL ELEMENTS CARRIED ON THE ASSOCIATED END OF SAID ROTOR, SAID SEAL ELEMENTS BEING LOCATED IN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SPACES BETWEEN ADJACENT HEAT EXCHANGE UNITS AND BEING AXIALLY POSITIONED TO SLIDABLY ENGAGE THE ASSOCIATED SEAL WIPERS TO PREVENT CIRCUMFERENTIAL LEAKAGE THEREBETWEEN.