Sector plate support

Rotary regenerative heat exchange apparatus having a rotor including a central rotor post and a concentric rotor shell spaced therefrom to provide an annular space therebetween, a mass of heat absorbent material carried in the space between the rotor post and the rotor shell, a housing surrounding the rotor in spaced relation including inlet and outlet ducts at opposite ends thereof for a heating fluid and for a fluid to be heated, a support bearing at one end of the rotor adapted to support the rotor for rotation about its axis, a guide bearing at the opposite end of the rotor adapted to preclude radial movement of the rotor post, means for rotating the rotor about its axis, an articulated sector plate having radially adjacent plane sections pivotally joined to separate the heating fluid from the fluid to be heated, axially disposed support means adjacent the rotor post movable in response to axial expansion of the rotor post, an actuator for each section of the sector plate comprising a lever extending radially outward from the axial support means, a pivotal linkage connecting each lever to the support means and to an independent section of the sector plate, and a fulcrum for each lever actuator mounted on said housing to provide an axial movement to each section of the sector plate in response to axial movement of the rotor post.