The paper presents results of the calculations of the average temperature variations of model rotor of a high-speed rotating heat exchanger in the course of thermal start up. A model rotor adopted for the calculations has a porous structure formed by radially oriented ducts of a constant circular cross-section. The scope of this paper covers numerical calculations of temperature distribution in the material of the rotor versus its rotational speed, temperature difference of the gases at the inlet, and types of the rotor material. With the use of these results, graphs are elaborated representing the dependence of the rotor's dimensionless temperature on the Fourier number, with the Biot number used as a parameter. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.