AXIAL GAS-LIQUID CYCLONE SEPARATOR

• US 20140116255A1
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intevep, S.A. (PDVSA Gas SA)
• Original Assignee: Intevep, S.A. (PDVSA Gas SA)
• Inventors: Prez Guerra, Luis Daniel, Trujillo Mercado, Jorge Nicolas, Blanco Berra, William Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US14/064,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20140116255A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 96/216
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/08 by impingement against baffle separators
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/12 by centrifugal forces centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0005 Mounting of filtering elements within casings, housings or frames B01D46/2422 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/4227 Manipulating filters or filter elements, e.g. handles or extracting tools
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 2003/006 Construction of elements by which the vortex flow is generated or degenerated
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 3/00 Apparatus in which the axial direction of the vortex flow following a screw-thread type line remains unchanged ; Devices in which one of the two discharge ducts returns centrally through the vortex chamber, a reverse-flow vortex being prevented by bulkheads in the central discharge duct combined with other devices B04C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 3/06 Construction of inlets or outlets to the vortex chamber

Abstract

An axial gas-liquid cyclone separator, comprising a housing having a wet gas inlet and a dry gas outlet aligned along an axis of the housing; an internal wall section in the housing and defining, within the housing, a pre-separation chamber and a main liquid separation chamber; an assembly comprising a static mixer and a swirl generator mounted in a tube and extended through the internal wall section; liquid outlets in at least the main chamber for outlet of liquids separated from the wet gas; and a vortex finder mounted between the tube and the dry gas outlet.

Claims

1. An axial gas-liquid cyclone separator, comprising:

a housing having a wet gas inlet and a dry gas outlet aligned along an axis of the housing;

an internal wall section in the housing and defining, within the housing, a pre-separation chamber and a main liquid separation chamber;

an assembly comprising a static mixer and a swirl generator mounted in a tube and extended through the internal wall section;

liquid outlets in at least the main chamber for outlet of liquids separated from the wet gas; and

a vortex finder mounted between the tube and the dry gas outlet.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tube has longitudinal drainage slits for passage of liquid from within the tube to the main chamber.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the longitudinal drainage slits extend along a portion of the tube that is downstream from the swirl generator and inside the main chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tube is substantially coaxial with the wet gas inlet and the dry gas outlet.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static mixer is upstream of the swirl generator in the tube.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static mixer comprises at least one mixing vane at a gas inlet end of the tube for mixing gas and liquid entering the tube.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the swirl generator comprises an elongate body in the tube and having curved flow vanes extending radially outwardly from the elongate body, the curved flow vanes having an upstream portion which is substantially parallel to an axis of the tube, and a downstream portion which is angled relative to the axis of the tube.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the elongate body has a rounded conical upstream facing end.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the elongate body has a rounded conical downstream facing end.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the elongate body has a rounded conical upstream facing end and a rounded conical downstream facing end.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vortex finder is a tube mounted in the housing and extending upstream from the dry gas outlet to a downstream end of the tube, the vortex finder being substantially coaxial with the swirl generator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gas flow conditioner positioned between the vortex finder and the dry gas outlet.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the gas flow conditioner comprises a plurality of substantially parallel straight flow pipes extending from the vortex finder to the dry gas outlet.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a recycle gas pipe communicated from the dry gas outlet to the main liquid separation chamber.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static mixer extends from the internal wall section against the direction of flow into the pre-separation chamber, and wherein the swirl generator is within the tube in the proximity of the internal wall section, within the main liquid separation chamber.