METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE DECANTATION OF OIL CONTAINED IN A GAS STREAM

• US 20140283689A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akwel SA
• Original Assignee: MGI Coutier SA (Coutier Junior)
• Inventors: Guerry, Pascal, Barbe, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,345,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/284
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2275/202 Disc-shaped filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2275/30 Porosity of filtering material
• 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 46/0031 with collecting, draining means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/10 Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using filter plates, sheets or pads having plane surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/106 Ring-shaped filtering elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/10 with perforated walls
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/14 Construction of the underflow ducting; Apex constructions; Discharge arrangements ; discharge through sidewall provided with a few slits or perforations provided with a great number of slits or perforations B04C5/10
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 13/04 having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2013/0427 the centrifuge device having no rotating part, e.g. cyclone
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 2013/0438 with a filter

Abstract

In this process, a gas stream containing the oil to be separated is circulated between an inlet zone and an outlet zone, and a calm vacuum zone is created where the oil is recovered and evacuated, after having been captured. According to the invention, the gas stream is passed in contact with a porous media, one face of which is in contact with the calm vacuum zone. The drops of oil are thus captured by the porous media and sucked through this media to arrive in the calm zone. This process is applicable to decanters of oil at impacters and also to cyclone separators, in particular in the automotive field.

Claims

1. A method for decanting oil contained in a gas stream, the method providing for circulating the gas stream containing oil to be separated, between an inlet area and an outlet area, and creating a calm vacuum area in which the oil is collected and discharged, after having been captured, wherein the gas stream is passed in contact with at least one porous medium, one face of which is in communication with the calm vacuum area, in such a manner that oil drops are captured by the porous medium and are suctioned through this porous medium to arrive in said calm vacuum area.

2. The device for decanting oil contained in a gas stream, for implementing the method according to claim 1, the device comprising an inlet area for the gas stream containing oil to be separated, an outlet area for the de-oiled gas, at least one intermediate area provided with means for capturing drops of oil contained in the gas stream, and at least one calm vacuum area wherein the captured oil is collected and discharged, putting under vacuum of said calm area is achieved by a communication between this calm area and the outlet area, wherein the means for capturing the drops of oil are constituted of at least one porous medium placed at the interface between the or each intermediate area and the calm vacuum area, in such a manner that the drops of oil are captured by the porous medium and suctioned through this porous medium in order to arrive in said calm vacuum area.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate area or areas are intermediate chambers in each of which is transversely disposed an impactor, wherein each impactor comprises a porous medium of a generally planar appearance, and a closed volume placed behind the porous medium and connected to the calm vacuum area of oil recovery.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein at least one impactor has a central portion and a portion, the central portion having a permeability to the stream that is substantially lower than that of the peripheral portion.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the central portion is formed by a layer of low porosity, the permeability of the layer of low porosity with respect to the gas stream representing less than 50% of the permeability of the rest of the porous medium.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the central portion comprises a solid wall, the peripheral portion being formed by the porous medium, wherein the solid wall being placed against the downstream face of the porous medium.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein at least one closed volume is juxtaposed with the calm area, the device comprising a partition wall arranged in such a manner as to separate the respective closed volume from the calm area, the partition wall preserving at least one duct putting in fluid communication the respective closed volume and the calm area, said at least one duct is located at the bottom of the closed volume.

8. The device according to claim 3, wherein the closed volume placed behind the porous medium is connected to the calm vacuum area of oil recovery by a duct, going from a low point of said volume and advantageously extending on a side or on the underside of the device.

9. The device according to claim 3, wherein the low portion of each impactor and its porous medium occupies the entire width of the corresponding intermediate chamber in such a manner that the oil arriving on the bottom of the impactor cannot bypass the latter.

10. The device according to claim 2, wherein the intermediate area is constituted by the internal volume of a cyclone, whereas the calm vacuum area is a volume for storing oil located on the side of the cyclone and/or below the cyclone, wherein the porous medium forms the bottom of the cyclone and possibly a fraction or totality of the lateral wall of said cyclone.

11. The device according to claim 2, wherein the porous medium is constituted by a metallic grid with intertwined wires, the wires being woven, knitted or braided, in the case of an oil decanter with impactors.

12. The device according to claim 2, wherein the porous medium is made from a sintered metal powder base, in the case of a cyclone separator.

13. The device according to claim 2, wherein the porous medium is composed of thermoplastic material.

14. The device according to claim 2, wherein the porous medium comprises unwoven fibers.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the porous medium comprises at least two juxtaposed layers of different permeabilities, first relatively high permeability layer and a second relatively low permeability layer.