Air-oil separator

An air-oil separator, comprising:

• a housing having a cavity wall defining a separating cavity fluidly connected with an air-oil mixture inlet, the separating cavity defining a longitudinal axis;
• an outlet conduit fluidly connected with an air outlet, and disposed within the separating cavity and coaxial with the separating cavity;
• a dome cap enclosing the separating cavity;
• and
• an oil channel extending along an entire circumference of the cavity wall and defining an enclosed ring depression along the cavity wall, the ring defined by a plane normal to the axis, and wherein the oil channel fluidly connected with an oil channel outlet;
• wherein the oil channel is adapted to receive oil removed by cyclonic separation from a flow containing an air-oil mixture fluid received by the air-oil mixture inlet, and wherein the dome cap is adapted to redirect the flow from the separating cavity to the outlet conduit.

A method of separating oil from an air-oil mixture fluid, the method comprising:

• directing a fluid flow including an air-oil mixture into a housing having an inner surface defining a cyclonic separating cavity defining an axis;
• removing the oil from the fluid flow by way of centripetal forces acing on the oil and delivering the oil to an oil channel sunk along a ring defined by a plane normal to the axis, wherein the ring encircles an entire circumference of the inner surface, and whereby a helical flow is along a first direction parallel with the axis;
• and
• redirecting the fluid flow to an air outlet coaxial with the cyclonic separating cavity, the redirected fluid flow in a second direction parallel with the axis and opposite to the first direction, by a semi-spherical dome cap enclosing the separating cavity fluidly downstream of the helical flow.