Abstract: Rotary combustor and seal assembly therefor. A rotary combustor includes a shroud ring encircling an inlet opening of a rotatable kiln in which municipal waste is burned, the waste heat being used to generate electricity. The kiln includes a plurality of parallel heat transfer tubes arranged in spaced parallel circular array. The end portions of the tubes terminate in a ring header or plenum that surrounds the shroud ring, so as to define an annular gap between the ring header and shroud ring. A plurality of blocking members are connected to the kiln and interposed between the plenum and the shroud. The shroud and the blocking members cooperate to seal the gap. Moreover, a portion of each blocking member extends over a predetermined portion of a respective one of the tubes and over a predetermined portion of the plenum to protect the plenum and the pipes from impact damage by the municipal waste.

Abstract: A circumferential seal system wherein both low differential pressure circumferential seals and high differential pressure circumferential seals are utilized to provide the proper sealing for various wind box plenum zones supplying combustion air to a rotary combustor utilized to effectively burn solid municipal waste and maintain acceptable levels of CO even when there are large swings in the moisture content and heating value of the solid municipal waste.

Abstract: An improved debris tolerant seal for a rotary combustor is disposed on the inlet end ring header so as to extend radially inwardly therefrom and cooperates with a parallel spaced apart surface and diverging surface on an adjacent refractory ring to form a seal which will not become jammed with waste materials and allows for radial and axial thermal expansion of the rotary combustor.

Abstract: A tire joint apparatus (17) for assembling two sections (11,12) of a rotary combustor tire (10), where each section is provided with a hooked end portion (22, 25). The hooked end portion (25) of one tire section (12) is provided with a tapered surface (30). Upon assembly, the two hooked portions (22,25) are positioned in an overlapping arrangement and a wedge-shaped insert (29) is placed between the hooked end portions (22,25). The wedge-shaped insert (29) is provided with a tapped hole (39,40) at each end in which a wedge retainer or extractor (41) may be attached. Each hooked end portion (22,25) is connected together with two rows of bolts (34,36). A dowel (37,38) is inserted into an aperture (35,36) provided at each interface between the two sections (11,12) to insure precise alignment of the rolling surfaces (13,14) and the thrust surfaces (15,16).

Abstract: A device for supplying feedwater to, and conveying feedwater from, a shaft tube assembly (20,22) of a machine having a rotary part, which assembly (20,22) has a longitudinal axis about which the assembly (20,22) rotates together with the rotary part, the device being composed of a housing which includes a cylindrical casing (2) having a cylindrical passage extending between its axial ends and a lateral feedwater passage (6) communicating with the cylindrical passage, a conduit member (8) having a second feedwater passage (10) and coupled to one axial end of the casing (2) to form a sealed joint with the casing (2), the conduit member (8) being positioned relative to the casing (2) such that the second feedwater passage (10) communicates with the cylindrical passage, and a closing member (12) coupled to the second axial end of the casing (2) to form a sealed joint with the casing (2), the closing member (12) having a circular opening coaxial with the cylindrical passage of the casing (2 ), the housing being co