Patent ID: 7740026

Claim:
A thermal storage gas treating apparatus comprising: a plurality of thermal storage chambers containing a thermal storage medium, each of the thermal storage chambers having one end thereof communicating with a combustion chamber having a combustion device; a valve member disposed between a distributor and a gas chamber device to be rotatable in slidable contact with the distributor and the gas chamber device, the distributor defining a plurality of supply and exhaust ports arranged in a direction of rotation of the valve member, each of the supply and exhaust ports communicating with the other end of one of the thermal storage chambers; the valve member defining a supply port for a gas to be treated and an exhaust port for a treated gas arranged to oppose to and communicate with the supply and exhaust ports of the distributor, with rotation of the valve member, the supply port and the exhaust port not opposing to or communicating with the same supply and exhaust ports simultaneously; a gas feed passage for communicating with the supply port of the valve member through the gas chamber device, or a gas exhaust passage for communicating with the exhaust port of the valve member through the gas chamber device; and a distributor-side seal element disposed between the distributor and the valve member for precluding communication between the supply port and the exhaust port through a gap between the distributor and the valve member; the valve member being rotatable to supply the gas to be treated introduced from the gas feed passage into the valve member to the distributor through the supply port, and to discharge the treated gas exhausted from the distributor to the valve member through the exhaust port to the gas exhaust passage; wherein the thermal storage gas treating apparatus comprises a valve biasing device for supporting the valve member to be displaceable toward and away from the distributor, and pressing the valve member toward the distributor while being inoperative to the gas chamber device.