Rotary heat exchanger with segmented seals

A seal for a regenerative heater of the type having a heat-retaining body sealably movable in a housing defining a hot flowpath and a cool flowpath through the housing, and means for placing at least a portion of the heat-retaining body across the hot flowpath, whereupon the heat-retaining body is heated, and then placing the portion across the cool flowpath, whereupon the heat-retaining body gives up heat, the seal comprising:

• a plurality of serially connected flexible seal segments fixedly attached to one of the body and the housing, the seal segments each extending along a seal line and overlapping one another along the seal line, the seal segments bearing against the other of the body and the housing to effect a seal between the body and the housing, the seal segments each having a wear shoe and a segment leaf, the segment leaf including a portion of relatively more flexible material attachable to protrude from one of said heat-retaining body and said housing, and the wear shoe including a portion of relatively more rigid material disposed at an edge of the segment leaf along said seal line, one of the segment leaf and the wear shoe protruding beyond the other at a first edge of each associated segment to overlap a next successive segment.