Recirculating Coanda water extractor

• US 7,691,185 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Sandoval, Dillon C., Darke, Ranjit R., Faust, Michael B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hopkins; Robert A
• Application Number:
  US11/610,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20080271421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 553/38, 553/39, 553/94, 553/96, 554/28, 554/57, 952/69
• US Class Current: 95/269
• 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: B04C 3/06 Construction of inlets or outlets to the vortex chamber

Abstract

A recirculating water extractor includes a swirl vane, a converging nozzle, and two sumps. The recirculating water extractor may be designed to reintroduce uncollected water droplets back into the air stream upstream of both sumps, which may provide additional opportunities for separation. The Coanda effect may be exploited to increase the discharge of water along a surface. Utilizing a converging nozzle may intensify the centrifugal force applied to the air stream rich with entrained water and may move more of entrained water into contact with the wall of the nozzle, which, in turn, may enhance the liquid/vapor separation compared to prior art water extractors. The recirculating water extractor utilizing the Coanda effect and the method for removing entrained water from an air stream may be suitable for, but not limited to, applications in the aircraft and aerospace industries, for example, by being included in environmental control systems of aircraft.

Claims

1. A water extractor, comprising:

a converging nozzle contracting from an air inlet to an air outlet and including a first gap and a second gap, wherein said second gap is positioned downstream from said first gap;

a first sump that is in fluid communication with said first gap and said second gap of said converging nozzle;

a second sump that is in fluid communication with the air outlet of the converging nozzle; and

a collection duct surrounding the air outlet of the converging nozzle;

wherein an airflow containing entrained water passes through said converging nozzle from said air inlet to said air outlet;

wherein a first portion of said airflow enters said first sump through said second gap;

wherein said first sump collects a first portion of said entrained water;

wherein said first portion of said airflow reenters said converging nozzle through said first gap;

wherein the first sump collects a second portion of entrained water from the airflow that reenters the converging nozzle;

wherein the first and second sumps are separated by a partition that is resistant to penetration by water and air;

wherein said collection duct has a larger cross-section than said air outlet of said converging nozzle; and

wherein the second sump collects a third portion of entrained water which is coalesced by the air outlet end of the converging nozzle.

2. The water extractor of claim 1, further including:

a swirl vane, wherein said swirl vane is in fluid communication with said air inlet of said converging nozzle; and

wherein said airflow passes through said swirl vane before said airflow enters said air inlet of said converging nozzle.

3. The water extractor of claim 2, wherein said swirl vane imposes a tangential velocity to said airflow, wherein said tangential velocity may impose a centrifugal force to said entrained water, and wherein said centrifugal force moves said water to an inside surface of said converging nozzle.

4. The water extractor of claim 1, wherein said second gap is an exit lip that enables said airflow to enter said first sump.

5. The water extractor of claim 1, wherein said first gap is a reentry lip that enables said airflow to reenter said converging nozzle from said first sump.

6. The water extractor of claim 1, further including a first perforation and a first drain port, wherein said first sump is in fluid communication with said first drain port via said first perforation.

7. The water extractor of claim 1, further including a second perforation and a second drain port, wherein said second sump is in fluid communication with said second drain port via said second perforation.

8. A water extractor, comprising:

a swirl vane;

a converging nozzle including an air inlet, an air outlet, a first gap, and a second gap, wherein said air inlet of said converging nozzle is in fluid communication with said swirl vane, and wherein said second gap is positioned downstream from said first gap;

a first sump that is in fluid communication with said second gap of said converging nozzle;

an inner collection duct, wherein said inner collection duct encloses said second gap of said converging nozzle, and wherein said inner collection duct forms said first sump; and

a second sump that is in fluid communication with said air outlet and said first gap of said converging nozzle;

wherein an airflow containing entrained water passes through said water extractor from said swirl vane through said converging nozzle, said first sump, and said second sump;

wherein a first portion of said airflow enters said first sump through said second gap;

wherein said first portion of said airflow reenters said converging nozzle through said first gap;

wherein said first sump collects a first and a second portion of said entrained water;

wherein a Coanda effect draws a second portion of said airflow containing entrained water into said second sump; and

wherein said second sump collects a third portion of said entrained water.

9. The water extractor of claim 8, further including an exit duct in fluid communication with said air outlet of said converging nozzle and said second sump, wherein the amount of said entrained water contained in said airflow that enters said exit duct is less than the amount of entrained water contained in said airflow that enters said swirl vane.

10. The water extractor of claim 8, further including an outer collection duct, wherein said outer collection duct encloses said air outlet and said first gap of said converging nozzle and said first sump, and wherein said outer collection duct form said second sump.

11. The water extractor of claim 8, wherein said converging nozzle has a conical shape that gradually contracts in the direction of said airflow.

12. The water extractor of claim 8, wherein said second gap is an exit lip that enables said airflow to enter said first sump, wherein said air outlet of said converging nozzle is a Coanda lip that enables said airflow to enter said second sump due to the Coanda effect, and wherein said first gap is a reentry lip that enables said airflow to reenter said converging nozzle from said second sump.

13. A method for removing entrained water from an airflow passing through a water extractor, comprising the steps of:

passing an airflow, rich with entrained water droplets and having a tangential velocity imposed, through a converging nozzle;

circulating a first portion of said airflow from said converging nozzle into a first sump, thereby collecting the a first portion of said water droplets entrained in said first portion of said airflow in said first sump;

inserting the first portion of said airflow into the converging nozzle;

circulating a portion of said inserted portion of airflow into the first sump thereby collecting a second portion of said water droplets; and

separating and drawing a second portion of said airflow into a second sump by utilizing the Coanda effect when passing said airflow through an air outlet of said converging nozzle, thereby collecting a third portion of said water droplets entrained in said second portion of said airflow in said second sump.

14. The method of claim 13, further including the steps of:

draining said heaviest of said water droplets entrained in said first portion of said airflow through a first drain port that is in fluid communication with said first sump; and

draining said water droplets entrained in said second portion of said airflow through a second drain port that is in fluid communication with said second sump.

15. The method of claim 13, further including the steps of:

imposing said tangential velocity on said airflow by passing said airflow through said swirl vane prior to entering said converging nozzle;

imposing a centrifugal force an said water droplets entrained in said airflow; and

intensifying said centrifugal force by passing said airflow through said converging nozzle.

16. The method of claim 13, further including the steps of:

coalescing remaining smaller entrained water droplets circulated back into said converging nozzle with said entrained water droplets passing through said converging nozzle.