Patent ID: 6085829
Filing Date: 2000-07-11
Classification: F23L,F28D,Y02E

Abstract:
A regenerator for transferring heat from a high temperature gas to a low temperature gas, comprising:a housing enclosing a space having a high temperature passage and a low temperature passage for conducting high temperature/low pressure gas and low temperature/high pressure gas, respectively, said high temperature passage and said low temperature passage being separated by a wall having first and second slots formed therein;a gas permeable heat transfer core mounted for movement in said space such that portions of said core pass sequentially through said high and low temperature passages by traveling sequentially through said slots, whereby each slot has a high temperature side facing said high temperature passage and a low temperature side facing said low temperature passage;high temperature inlet and outlet ports formed in said housing for conducting high temperature gas into and from said high temperature passage on upstream and downstream sides, respectively, of said core, whereby high temperature gas flows through, and heats, a portion of said core disposed in said high temperature passage;low temperature inlet and outlet ports formed in said housing for conducting low temperature gas into and from said low temperature passage on upstream and downstream sides, respectively, of said core, whereby low temperature gas flows through, and is heated by, a heated portion of said core situated in said low temperature passage;a drive mechanism for moving said core, so that said heated portion of said core situated in said high temperature passage enters said low temperature passage to heat low temperature gas; andfirst and second sealing arrangements disposed at each of said slots for resisting leakage between said high and low temperature passages, each sealing arrangement including a first gas barrier disposed at said high temperature side of a respective slot and a second gas barrier disposed at said low temperature side of said respective slot, said first and second gas barriers forming therebetween a chamber which is at a pressure lower than respective pressures in said high and low temperature passages, said chamber communicating with a conduit leading outside of said housing, whereby gases entering said chamber are conducted out of said housing.