Cyclonic separator

• US 3,898,068 A
• Filed: 05/31/1974
• Issued: 08/05/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John A. Mcneil
• Original Assignee: John A. Mcneil
• Inventors: McNeil, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lutter, Frank W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lacey, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/474,939
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 55/204,320,337,426,459,448,449,458,461,462,DIG.22,DIG.23,523,435 210/304 261/83
• US Class Current: 55/426
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/12 by centrifugal forces centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/00 Combinations of methods or devices for separating particles from gases or vapours
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/10 with perforated walls

Abstract

An in-line wet steam or entrained effluent separator of improved efficiency under varied load conditions is provided that employs a perforated or screen-like, downwardly converging, frusto-cone shaped separator basket in a lower portion of the separator for maximizing the efficiency of its centrifugal separating action.

Claims

2. IN A LIQUID ENTRAINMENT SEPARATING APPARATUS HAVING AN IMPROVED SEPARATING EFFICIENCY WHEN SUBJECTED TO INCREASED INLET VELOCITIES IN RECOVERING THE SUBSTANTIALLY DRY GASOUS CONTENT OF A PRESSURE EFFLUENT BEING SUPPLIED, AN ELOGATED CONTAINER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL AND UPPER AND LOWER CLOSING-OFF END WALLS DEFINING AN ELONGATED COMPARTMENT THEREIN, SAID COMPARTMENT TERMINATING IN UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS, A TUBULAR INLET MEMBER EXTENDING INTO SAID CONTAINER AND HAVING AN END PORTION OPEN TO THE UPPER END PORTION OF THE COMPARTMENT AND CONSTRUCTED TO INTRODUCE ENTRAINED EFFUENT THEREIN IN A CYCLONIC PATH THEREWITHIN, A TUBULAR DISCHARGE MEMBER FOR RECEIVING DRY GASEOUS EFFLUENT EXTENDING INTO THE CONTAINER ALONG THE UPPER END PORTION AND HAVING AN OPEN END PORTION EXTENDING CENTRALLY DOWNWARDLY TO A SUBSTANTIALLY INTERMEDIATE POSITION BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER END PORTIONS OF THE COMPARTMENT AND OPEN BELOW THE OPEN END PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR INLET MEMBER, A CONE-SHAPED SEPARATING MEMBER OF PERFORATED WALL CONSTRUCTION HAVING AN UPPER WIDE-MOUTH OPEN END PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING IN DIAMETER TO AN INNER DIAMETER OF SAID SIDE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER AND IN A DOWNWARDLY SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE OPEN OF SAID TUBULAR DISCHARGE MEMBER, SPACING WITHIN COMPARTMENT BETWEEN THE OPEN END PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR DISCHARGE MEMBER AND THE UPPER WIDE-MOUTH OPEN END PORTION OF SAID SEPARATING MEMBER THAT IS FULLY OPEN AND UNOBSTRUCTED THEREBETWEEN TO DEFINE A FIRST-STAGE PROCESSING CHAMBER ABOVE SAID SEPARATING MEMBER, SAID SEPARATING MEMBER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN THE COMPARTMENT TO EXTEND IN A DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING RELATION AND HAVING A FULLY OPEN SPACING BETWEEN ITS DIVERGING AND ITS CONVERGING ENDS TO DEFINE A CONE-SHAPED SECOND-STAGE PROCESSING CHAMBER THEREWITHIN ADJACENT ITS INNERR SURFACE AND TO DEFINE A THIRD-STAGE PROCESSING CHAMBER AXIALLY CENTRALLY THEREOF THAT EXTENDS UPWAEDLY ALONG AND IS FULLY OPEN TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND-STAGE PROCESSING CHAMBERS TO DISCHARGE SUBSTANTIALLY DRY GASEOUS EFFUENT INTO OPEN END PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR OUTLET MEMBER, SAID SEPARATING MEMBER BEING SECURED IN PORTION WITH RESPECT TO AND DEFINING WITH THE SIDE WALL OF THE CONTAINER AN OUTER DOWNWARDLY-DIVERGINING LIQUID-FLOW CHAMBER TO RECEIVE HIGHER DENSITY PARTICLES OF THE EFFLUENT THROUGH THE PERFORATED WALL THEREOF FROM SAID SECOND-STAGE PROCESSING CHAMBER, SAID SEPARATING MEMBER DELINING TOWARDS AND HAVING A TRUNCATED LOWER END PORTION IN A SPACED-APART RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID LOWER END WALL TO DEFINE A LIQUID COLLECTNG CHAMBER WITHIN THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING CONDENSATE AND HEAVIER PARTICLES OF THE EFFLUENT FROM THE LIQUID-FLOW CHAMBER AND THE SECOND-STAGE PROCESSING CHAMBER, AND A DRAIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID LOWER END WALL FOR MAINTAINING A LEVEL WITHIN SAID COLLECTING CHAMBER BELOW SAID TRUNCATED END PORTION.

3. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 1, said tubular discharge member being of angle shape to extend transversely through said side wall and longitudinally centrally along the compartment towards the wide-mouth open end portion of said separating member to receive dry effluent from a position that is substantially centrally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the compartment, the open ends of said tubular inlet and discharge members having substantially the same fluid flow diameters, and said drain having a flow diameter that is substantially less than the flow diameters of said tubular inlet and discharge members.

4. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 3, said separating member having a longitudinal extent substantially corresponding to the longitudinal extent of the upper end portion of the compartment between the upper end wall and the wide-mouth open end portion of said separating member.

5. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 1, a cRoss-extending perforated member cooperating with said separating member and the inside of said side wall of the container to provide a lower through-flow wall extending across said truncated lower end portion of said separating member and across the lower end of the liquid flow chamber and upwardly of said liquid collecting chamber.

6. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 5, the wall of said separating member having a declination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the compartment towards said truncated end portion within a range of about 5* to 15*.

7. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 5, said cross-extending perforated member and the perforated wall of said separating member having open portions therethrough in a spaced-apart relation with respect to each other to provide a ratio of their open to closed wall areas within a range of about 23 to 30 percent.

8. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 1, the declination of said separating member being about 7.5* with respect to the longitudinal axis of the compartment.

9. In a separating apparatus as defined in claim 1, the perforated wall of said separating member having open portions therethrough in a spaced-apart relation with respect to each other to provide a range of its open to closed wall area within about 23 to 30 percent.

10. In a liquid entrainment separating apparatus having the capability of good operating efficiency under increased load conditions and an improved overall efficiency in recovering a substantially dry gaseous content of a pressure fluid that is being supplied by a boiler or the like, a container having a substantially circular enclosing side wall and opposed enclosing upper and lower end walls defining an elongated compartment therein, said compartment terminating in upper and lower end portions, a tubular inlet member for entrained effluent extending through the side wall of said container and having an angular end portion along the inside of the circular wall and open to the compartment within the upper end portion thereof, a tubular effluent discharge member extending through the side wall of said container within the upper end portion of the compartment in an oppositely positioned relation with respect to said tubular inlet member, said tubular discharge member having an angular downwardly turned shape whose inner portion extends centrally of the compartment along a longitudinal axis thereof and terminates in an open end portion that is spaced below the open end portion of said tubular inlet member and that is open towards the lower end portion of the compartment, a curvilinear striking plate secured within the upstream end portion of the compartment, the open end portion of said tubular inlet member extending tangentially within the compartment upwardly of the open end portion of said tubular discharge member and cooperating with the open end portion of said inlet member to direct flow of tangentially entering effluent in a circumferential vortex-forming path against and along said striking plate and in a centrifugal downwardly advancing path within the compartment, a separating basket of perforated wall construction positioned within and extending along the compartment in a downwardly advanced spaced-apart relation with respect to the open end portion of said discharge member, said basket having a large diameter upper open end portion and extending from and in a downwardly-sloped convergence with respect to the side wall of said container to terminate in a smaller diameter lower end portion, the upper open end portion of said basket defining an upper first processing chamber with the open end portion of said tubular discharge member within the compartment, said basket centrally defining a second and lower processing chamber within the compartment of a relatively large area for receiving and directing centrifugal movement of effluent downwardly therealong, said basket circumferentially defiNing a lower liquid flow chamber about its outer reaches of relatively lesser area than said second and lower processing chamber for receiving higher density particles and condensate through the perforated wall of said basket and directing them downwardly therealong, a perforated plate-like end member extending across the lower end portion of said basket to the side wall of said container in an upwardly spaced relation with the lower end wall of said container for receiving higher density particles and moisture from the liquid flow chamber and the second and lower processing chamber, a drain in the lower end portion of said container for maintaining the level of liquid within said liquid collecting chamber below said platelike end member;

and the apparatus including said basket and said tubular discharge member being adapted to, in combination, flow processed dry effluent substantially centrally in a counterflow upstream path from the second and lower processing chamber along the upper first processing chamber into the open end portion of and out through said tubular discharge member.