Flash separator

• US 3,200,568 A
• Filed: 09/06/1963
• Issued: 08/17/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dalph C. Mcneil
• Original Assignee: Dalph C. Mcneil
• Inventors: Mcneil, Dalph C.
• Application Number:
  US04/307,266
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• US Class Current: 96/195
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 7/08 using centrifugal force centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C

Claims

1. IN A QUIETLY OPERATING BLOW-DOWN SEPARATOR OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED THAT PROCESSES CONTAMINATED BLOWDOWN DISCHARGE FLUID SUPPLIED UNDER POSITIVE PRESSURE BY A BOILDER OR PRESSURE VESSEL, A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-ROUNDED ENCLOSING SIDE WALL THAT EXTENDS DOWNWARDLY, GENERALLY INWARDLY-CONCAVE TOP AND BOTTOM CLOSURE WALLS DEFINING AN INTERNAL CHAMBER WITH AND INTEGRALLY-SECURED TO SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL, AN INLET PIPE EXTENDING THROUGH A SIDE PORTION OF THE ENCLOSING SIDE WALL IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID TOP CLOSURE WALL AND IN A TANGENTIAL RELATION WITH SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL FOR INTRODUCING CONTAMINATED BLOW-DOWN FLUID UNDER POSITIVE-PRESSURE TANGENTIALLY INTO AN UPPER PORTION OF THE INTERNAL CHAMBER AND INDUCING A CENTRIGUGAL DOWNWARD FLOW OF THE FLUID WITHIN THE INTERNAL CHAMBER, A TUBULAR FLASH DISCHARGE MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL PROJECTING CENTRALLY-DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID TOP CLOSURE WALL ALONG THE UPPER PORTION OF THE INTERNAL CHAMBER, SAID TOP CLOSURE WALL FULLY CLOSING-OFF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE INTERNAL CHAMBER FROM SAID TUBULAR FLASH DISCHARGE MEMBER TO SAID SIDE ENCLOSING WALL WHEREBY ALL FLUID MOVING UPWARDLY OUT OF THE INTERNAL CHAMBER HAS TO PASS THROUGH SAID TUBULAR FLASH DISCHARGE MEMBER, AN INVERTED DISH-SHAPED DISC-LIKE BAFFLE MEMBER, LOCATED BENEATH SAID INLET PIPE, CENTRALLYSECURED TO A BOTTOM END OF SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER AND PROJECTING RADIALL-OUTWARDLY THEREFROM INTO A RADIALLYINWARDLY SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL AND DIVIDING THE INTERNAL CHAMBER INTO AN UPPER CONTAMINATED-FLUID-RECEIVING CHAMBER AND A LOWER EXPANSION AND CONTAMINANT COLLECTING CHAMBER, SAID BAFFLE MEMBER HAVING A DOWN-TURNED OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE THEREABOUT DEFINING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL FLOW-RESTRICTING APERTURE WITH THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL OF A VERTICAL EXTENT THAT CORRESPONDS SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE THICKNESS OF SAID EDGE, SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL OF SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER BEING CLOSED-OFF AND CONTINUOUS THEREALONG FOR AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL UPWARDLY-SPACED VERTICAL DISTANCE FROM SAID BAFFLE MEMBER AND DEFINING AN OUTLET PORT PORTION AT ITS LOWER END THAT IS FULLY CENTRALLY-OPEN FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL TO AN UNDER FACE OF SAID BAFFLE MEMBER, A VERTICALLY-POSITIONED OUTLET PIPE OPEN AT ITS UPPER END TO SAID LOWER CHAMBER AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY-CENTRALLY THROUGH SAID BOTTOM CLOSURE WALL FOR DISCHARGING CONTAMINATED PORTIONS OF THE BLOW-DOWN FLUID FROM SAID LOWER CHAMBER, A SPIRAL BAFFLE POSITIONED WITHIN SAID LOWER CHAMBER AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY-UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM CLOSURE WALL AND BEING OPEN VERTICALLY-UPWARDLY AND HORIZONTALLY-ENDWISE TO SAID LOWER CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING RESIDUAL DENSER PORTIONS OF THE FLUID AND CONDUCTING THEM CENTRALLY-INWARDLY INTO SAID OUTLET PIPE;

SAID INLET PIPE HAVING AN INNER END PORTION POSITIONED AND ADAPTED IN COMBINATION WITH SAID TOP CLOSURE, SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL, THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER AND SAID BAFFLE MEMBER TO DIRECT THE CONTAMINATED FLUID BEING INTRODUCED UNDER POSITIVE PRESSURE IN A CENTRIFUGAL-DOWNWARDLY MOVING PATH ALONG SAID UPPER CHAMBER WITH SUFFICIENT VELOCITY TO SEPARATE THE FLUID INTO AN OUTER RELATIVELY DENSE PORTION, INTO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF INTERMEDIATE DENSITY, AND INTO AN INNER LOWER DENSITY PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY PURE FLASH;

SAID BAFFLE MEMBER AND ITS SAID OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE BEING POSITIONED AND ADAPTED IN COMBINATION WITH THE CYLINDRICAL WALL OF SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER TO DIRECT THE INNER LOWER DENSITY PORTION OF THE FLUID OVER ITS CONVEX UPPER FACE, DOWNWARDLY OVER ITS OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE, ABRUPTLY AND ACUTELY-INWARDLY OVER ITS LOWER CONCAVE SIDE FACE, AND UPWARDLY-OUT THROUGH SAID OUTLET PORT PORTION AND SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER WITHOUT FLASH RESTRICTION IN MOVEMENT FROM SAID LOWER CHAMBER INTO SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER;

AND SAID OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGE BEING POSITIONED AND ADAPTED IN COMBINATION WITH SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL TO IMPART VELOCITY FLOW TO AND PASS THE OUTER RELATIVELY DENSE AND INTERMEDIATE DENSITY POROTIONS OF THE FLUID DOWNWARDLY ALONG AND THROUGH SAID RESTRICTED APERTURE INTO SAID LOWER CHAMBER, AND SAID LOWER CHAMBER AS DEFINED BY SAID ENCLOSING SIDE WALL, SAID BAFFLE MEANS AND SAID BOTTOM CLOSURE WALL BEING ADAPTED TO EXPAND SAID PORTIONS OF THE FLUID THEREIN AND LOWER THEIR PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE FOR DISCHARGE THROUGH SAID OUTLET PIPE, SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL OF SAID DISCHARGE MEMBER HAVING AN INNER FLOW DIAMETER THAT IS GREATER THAN THE INNER FLOW DIAMETER OF SAID OUTLET PIPE, AND SAID INLET PIPE HAVING AN INNER FLOW DIAMETER THAT IS SMALLER THAN THE INNER FLOW DIAMETER OF SIAD OUTLET PIPE.