GB1042161A - Improvements in or relating to heat exchangers - Google Patents

Abstract

1,042,161. Thermal regenerators. A. LEFRANCOIS. Feb. 11, 1964 [Feb. 11, 1963; Dec. 3, 1963], Nos. 5391/63 and 47574/63. Heading F4K. In a thermal regenerator of the type in which a particulate regenerative material is conducted along an endless path having two curved portions extending through respective flow chambers and a fluid is passed radially inwardly through said material in at least one of the chambers, the flow speed of said fluid is such as to counterbalance the centrifugal force on the material to maintain it in a fluidized state. As shown in Fig. 2 the regenerator comprises a casing A and a rotor B having gas permeable outer and inner walls 1 and 2 and a filling of a fluidizable granular material, the casing being divided by a partition 6a, 6b, 6c into chambers 4 and 5 and the latter being divided into outer and inner chambers 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b by the rotor. Hot gases are introduced through an inlet 15 to chamber 4a, pass through the rotor and are discharged from chamber 4b through an outlet 11 while cold gas is introduced to chamber 5a through an inlet 12, passes through the rotor and is discharged from chamber 5b through an outlet 16, the gases being at a pressure sufficient to fluidize the granular filling of the rotor. The latter is divided by impermeable radial partitions 18 into compartments 19. Sealing discs 22 to 25 are provided on the partition 6a, 6b, 6c. In the embodiment of Fig. 5 (not shown), the granular material is held in chambers formed in the links 32 of a looped conveyer B which passes alternately through two opposed C-shaped casings A1 and A2 divided by the conveyer into outer and inner chambers 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b having hot gas inlets and outlets 11, 15 and cold gas inlets and outlets 12, 16, respectively. The cross-over portion of the loop is enclosed by a duct 47 and is provided so that the hotter sides of the links 32 are first presented to the incoming cold gas in chamber 5a In the embodiment of Fig. 6 (not shown) the casing A is divided into outer and inner chambers 4 and 5 by a C-shaped partition 6 and contains an eccentric central tubular member 50 in which the cold gas outlet 16 is formed. The conveyer B sub-divides the chambers 4 and 5 as described above and passes from one chamber to the other around the ends 6a and 6b of partition 6, the ends 6a and 6b and the wall of casing A adjacent these ends being thickened to co-operate with conveyer to provide a seal between chambers 4 and 5. The conveyer is driven by annular plates (not shown) rotating in opposite directions in recesses formed in the end walls of chambers 4 and 5. In the embodiment of Fig. 9 (not shown), the casing A is of annular form having two pairs of seals 71a, 71b and 72a, 72b between the chambers 4 and 5, and the conveyer comprises a series of independently rotatable cells 70 containing the granular material. Cam means (Figs. 10 to 14, not shown) are provided in the compartments 100 and 101 to engage further cam means disposed between each of the cells 70 for rotating each cell through 180 degrees as it passes through chamber 100 or 101. This arrangement ensures that with gas-flow directions the hotter side of each cell is presented to the incoming cold gas in chamber 5a.