Recuperative and conductive heat transfer system

A heat transfer system operative to effect therewith the heating of a working fluid by means of the transfer of heat from hot regenerative solids to the working fluid comprising:

• a. a first portion having a lower zone and an upper zone;
• b. a source of heat provided in said lower zone of said first portion, said source of heat being movable upwardly within said first portion from said lower zone thereof to said upper zone thereof;
• c. a multiplicity of regenerative solids provided in said upper zone of said first portion, said multiplicity of regenerative solids each having a density and a particle size sufficient enough that the terminal velocity of each of said multiplicity of regenerative solids within said first portion is greater than the maximum upward velocity of said source of heat within said first portion, said multiplicity of regenerative solids being movable downwardly within said first portion from said upper zone thereof to said lower zone thereof such that said multiplicity of regenerative solids become heated as a result of the recuperation thereby of the heat possessed by said source of heat as said source of heat moves upwardly within said first portion from said lower zone thereof to said upper zone thereof while concomitantly said multiplicity of regenerative solids move downwardly within said first portion from said upper zone thereof to said lower zone thereof;
• d. a second portion mechanically interconnected to said first portion;
• e. bed drain pipe means extending from within said lower zone of said first portion to within said second portion and having an inlet located at one end thereof and an outlet located at the other end thereof, said bed drain pipe means having said one end thereof projecting into said lower zone of said first portion so as to have said inlet thereof located within said lower zone of said first portion and having said other end thereof projecting into said second portion so as to have said outlet thereof located within said second portion such that said multiplicity of regenerative solids enter said bed drain pipe means from said lower zone of said first portion and flow downwardly through said bed drain pipe means whereupon said multiplicity of regenerative solids exit from said bed drain pipe means and then flow in the manner of a moving bed downwardly through said second portion;
• f. classification means cooperatively associated with said bed drain pipe means for substantially preventing undesired matter from flowing downwardly from said lower zone of said first portion through said bed drain pipe means into said second portion;
• and
• g. heat exchanger means supported in mounted relation within said second portion, said heat exchanger means having a working fluid flowing therethrough, said heat exchanger means being operative such that as said working fluid flows therethrough said working fluid becomes heated as said multiplicity of regenerative solids flow in the manner of a moving bed downwardly through said second portion in surrounding relation to said heat exchanger means while said multiplicity of regenerative solids become cooled as a consequence of a conductive heat transfer between said multiplicity of regenerative solids that have become heated in said first portion and said working fluid flowing through said heat exchanger means.