Patent ID: 6260607
Filing Date: 2001-07-17
Classification: F28D

Abstract:
An improvement in a rotary regenerative air preheater having a cold axial end with an air inlet and a flue gas outlet and a hot axial end with a heated air outlet and a flue gas inlet and having hot end sector plates on said hot axial end dividing said air preheater into a flue gas sector and at least one air sector and further having a rotor with hot end radially extending seals cooperating with said hot end sector plates to form seals between said sectors and wherein said hot end sector plates and said hot end radially extending seals each have inboard portions adjacent the center of said rotor and outboard portions adjacent the periphery of said rotor and wherein said hot end radially extending seals move away from said hot end sector plates by an amount increasing from said inboard portions to said outboard portions as said air preheater progresses from a cold condition to a hot condition, said improvement comprising drive means for driving said outboard portion of each of said sector plates toward said radially extending seals in said hot condition, said drive means comprising:a. a drive shaft;b. at least one motion translator mounted on said drive shaft and connected to said outboard portion of said sector plate, said motion translator including eccentric means whereby rotation of said drive shaft reciprocates said motion translator and moves said outboard portion of said sector plate toward or away from said outboard portion of said rotor;c. at least one drive wheel attached to said drive shaft and at least one idler wheel mounted in spaced relationship to said drive wheel;d. a drive belt extending around said drive wheel and said idler wheel forming two belt portions between said drive and idler wheels; ande. a fluid drive cylinder connected to each one of said two belt portions whereby operation of said fluid drive cylinders in opposite directions moves said drive belt and rotates said drive wheel and said drive shaft to reciprocate said motion translator and move said outboard portion of said sector plate toward or away from said outboard portion of said radially extending seals.