Stator sector plate for regenerative air preheater

Abstract

A sector plate for a regenerative air preheater has an outer support ring centered on an axis and normally of cylindrical shape, an inner support ring centered on the axis, and a plurality of radially extending walls lying generally in axial planes and having outer ends fixed to the outer ring and inner ends and guided on the inner ring. A plurality of angularly extending and radially spaced annular walls extend between the radial walls and form therewith axially throughgoing passages. Thus when hot gases flow in one axial direction through the passages they thermally deform the radial walls so that their ends move into a position at an angle to each other. The ring is thermally deformed to a taper equal to twice the angle for holding the inner ends of the radial walls and the inner ring in the axially level with the outer ring when hot gases flow through the passages. The radial walls are normally--that is when of uniform temperature all over--planar and also rectangular, and the outer ring is similarly normally cylindrical. When the radial walls deform to become arcuate with their ends lying at a predetermined angle to the axis rather than parallel thereto, the outer ring is deformed to be frustoconical, flaring upstream relative to the gas-flow direction, so that the inner ends of the radial walls, while not parallel to the axis, are in the same axial position relative to the outer ring.