US 10,895,274 B2Granted

Material flow amplifier

AssigneeVortex Pipe Systems LLC

InventorsPaul Wayne Schmidt, Avijit Ghosh

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Abstract

Material flow amplifiers as disclosed herein overcome drawbacks associated with known adverse flow conditions (e.g., surface erosion and head losses) that arise from flow of certain types of materials (e.g., fluids, slurries, particulates, flowable aggregate, and the like) through a material flow conduit. Such material flow amplifiers provide for flow of flowable material within a flow passage of a material flow conduit (e.g., a portion of a pipeline, tubing or the like) to have a cyclonic flow (i.e., vortex or swirling) profile. Advantageously, the cyclonic flow profile centralizes flow toward the central portion of the flow passage, thereby reducing magnitude of laminar flow. Such cyclonic flow profile provides a variety of other advantages as compared to a parabolic flow profile (e.g., increased flow rate, reduce inner pipeline wear, more uniform inner pipe wear, reduction in energy consumption, reduced or eliminated slugging and the like).

Claims14

Dependent claims

A material flow amplifier, comprising:

an amplifier body having a flow expander, an exterior tubular body of a vortex chamber and a flow mixer all in fluid communication with each other for forming a fluid flow path therethrough, wherein the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber extends from the flow expander and wherein the flow mixer extends from the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
at least one helix vane within the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber extending at least intermittently from a helix vane first end proximate the flow expander to a helix vane second end proximate the flow mixer, wherein at least a portion of an outer edge portion of the at least one helix vane is attached to an interior surface of the amplifier body within the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
and
a centralizer tube within the amplifier body extending at least a portion of the length of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber, wherein at least a portion of an inner edge portion of the at least one helix vane is attached to an exterior surface of the centralizer tube;
wherein the centralizer tube terminates proximate the flow mixer;
wherein a length of the centralizer tube is less than a length of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
wherein the flow mixer includes a cylindrical portion extending from the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
wherein the flow mixer includes a convergent portion extending from the cylindrical portion;
and
wherein the convergent portion of the flow mixer has one of a curved sidewall profile and a straight-taper sidewall profile.

7 more elements

A material flow amplifier, comprising:

an amplifier body having a flow expander, an exterior tubular body of a vortex chamber and a flow mixer all in fluid communication with each other for forming a fluid flow path therethrough, wherein the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber extends from the flow expander, wherein the flow mixer extends from the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber, wherein an upstream portion of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber has a first expanded cross-sectional flow area, wherein a downstream portion of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber has a second expanded cross-sectional flow area smaller than the first expanded cross-sectional flow area;
at least one helix vane within the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber extending at least intermittently from a helix vane first end proximate the flow expander to a helix vane second end proximate the flow mixer, wherein at least a portion of an outer edge portion of the at least one helix vane is attached to an interior surface of the amplifier body within the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
and
a centralizer tube within the amplifier body extending at least a portion of the length of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber, wherein at least a portion of an inner edge portion of the at least one helix vane is attached to an exterior surface of the centralizer tube;
wherein the centralizer tube terminates proximate the flow mixer;
wherein a length of the centralizer tube is less than a length of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
wherein the flow mixer includes a cylindrical portion extending from the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
wherein the flow mixer includes a convergent portion extending from the cylindrical portion;
and
wherein the convergent portion of the flow mixer has one of a curved sidewall profile and a straight-taper sidewall profile.

7 more elements

A material flow amplifier, comprising:

a flow inlet structure with a downstream portion thereof having a nominal cross-sectional flow area;
a flow expander with an upstream portion thereof attached to and concentric with the downstream portion of the flow inlet structure, wherein the flow expander has a downstream portion thereof having a first expanded cross-sectional flow area relative to the nominal cross-sectional flow area;
a vortex chamber comprises an exterior tubular body, a centralizer tube, and at least one at least one helical flow passage, wherein an upstream portion of the exterior tubular body is attached to and concentric with a downstream portion of the flow expander, wherein the centralizer tube extends at least a portion of the length of the exterior tubular body and has a cross-sectional flow area along an entire length thereof at least about the same as the nominal cross-sectional flow area and wherein the at least one helical flow passage extends between the exterior tubular body and the centralizer tube and extends at least partially along a length of the centralizer tube and wherein a centerline axis of the centralizer tube extends along a centerline axis of the exterior tubular body;
a flow mixer with an upstream portion thereof having a second expanded cross-sectional flow area attached to and concentric with a downstream portion of the exterior tubular body, wherein the second expanded cross-sectional flow area is smaller than the first expanded cross-sectional flow area and wherein at least the upstream portion of the flow mixer is cylindrical;
and
a flow outlet structure with an upstream portion thereof attached to and concentric with a downstream portion of the flow mixer and wherein the flow outlet structure has a downstream portion with a cross-sectional flow area at least about the same as the nominal cross-sectional flow area;
wherein the centralizer tube terminates proximate the flow mixer;
wherein a length of the centralizer tube is less than a length of the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
wherein the cylindrical portion of the flow mixer extends from the exterior tubular body of the vortex chamber;
wherein the flow mixer includes a convergent portion extending from the cylindrical portion;
and
wherein the convergent portion of the flow mixer has one of a curved sidewall profile and a straight-taper sidewall profile.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/846,474Filed 13 Apr 2020 · continuation
Priority: 29 Nov 2018
Published: US 2020/0173467 A120 Aug 2020
Granted: 19 Jan 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

F15C 1/18
Circuit elements having no moving parts: turbulence devices, i.e. devices in which a controlling stream will cause a laminar flow to become…
F16L 57/06
Protection of pipes or objects of similar shape against external or internal damage or wear: against wear
B01F 25/4314
Straight mixing tubes with baffles or obstructions that do not cause substantial pressure drop; Baffles therefor: with helical baffles
B01F 25/432
Mixing tubes, e.g. wherein the material is moved in a radial or partly reversed direction: with means for dividing the material flow into separate…

Family

Application62/917,233Us provisional application · filed 29 Nov 2018
Application16/445,127Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Jun 2019
Application16/567,379Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Sep 2019
US 2020/0263712 A1Pre-grant publication · published 20 Aug 2020
US 10,683,881 B1Parent of this continuation
US 10,458,446 B1Parent of this continuation
US 2020/0173467 A1Published application
US 10,895,274 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.