Gas turbine with rotary heat exchangers

Claim 1

A gas turbine comprising a stator, compressor means and rotor means disposed for rotation about a common axis in said stator, a pair of porous heaT exchanger discs mounted for rotation about an axis transverse to said common axis on opposite sides thereof, inlet passage means directing compressed air from said compressor means radially inwardly toward said common axis through said discs, exhaust passage means directing exhaust gases radially outwardly away from said common axis through said discs, sealing means between said rotatable discs and said stator, and means for rotating each of said discs comprising a metallic annular member having external teeth disposed about each of said discs and drivingly engaged therewith by connecting means permitting free play for relative expansions, each of said annular members being disposed outwardly of said sealing means, drive means for driving said annular member including a pinion disposed in meshing engagement therewith, said connecting means including a plurality of cylindrical rods disposed in a plurality of cylindrical grooves found in the periphery of said discs parallel to the axes thereof, an arcuate groove formed in the external periphery of each rod parallel to the axis thereof, key means having a convex surface disposed in each arcuate groove and two plane surfaces forming a dihedron the edge of which is disposed adjacent the internal face of said annular members, a pair of opposed wedges disposed in engagement with said plane surfaces of each key means, a plurality of radially inwardly extending ribs on said annular member each of which is equally spaced between each of said key means and spring means disposed between said ribs and each of said wedges.