In the new design the same O-ring that seals the water
jacket now also seals the plate. No additional seals required.
Also it is much cheaper to make as it is just a simple oval
with a large hole in the center

Ok Paul, that was close to what I had in mind. I invisioned the end 
plate as closed, (watertight) except at the outside. To take
your idea one step further make the wear plate a tiny bit smaller
 and sink it in a counterbored area. The o-ring seal would then
be in the aluminum housing. For compression the silicon nitride 
plate could have a crush wire (.020) copper like a dry deck V8.
Then you have NO water seals on the wear plate, it's just there 
for the rotor to run on. I'm checking on the cost of Ti plate
and with Wesgo ceramics in Mountain View on the cost of the Silicon 
nitride plates.
The other interesting possibility with this system, FRP end plates, 
carbon fiber or even honeycomb. Since you no longer need a
wear surface on the end plate it could be made from almost 
any strong/stiff material. Talk about bleeding edge!
Bill Jepson

 
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