Regenerative bed heat exchanger and valve therefor

摘要

The invention provides a forced air furnace integrated with a ventilator having a pair of regenerative bed heat exchangers. The heat exchangers alternate between heat recovery and heat release modes such that when one heat exchanger is in the heat release mode the other is in the heat recovery mode. A pair of valve members are fixed on a common shaft to control the alternate switching of recovery and release modes between the two heat exchange beds. The valve members are mounted adjacent to inlet and outlet partitions containing the inlet and outlet ports, respectively, in communication with the heat exchange compartments, and are provided with valve openings which, by rotating the shaft, are brought into alignment with the inlet and outlet ports to direct the fresh and stale air streams through the heat exchange beds. Heating and ventilating functions are integrated by providing a damper upstream of the ventilator fresh air outlet to the furnace supply elbow, biased by gravity to a closed position such that the force of air from the furnace air blower is sufficient to open the damper.