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US 12,441,642 B2Granted
Gas-liquid-solid separator
AssigneeUtah State University
InventorsYehor Pererva, Ronald C. Sims
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas-liquid-solid separator can include a separator body having a vertical outer wall and a gas collector having a vertical gas collector wall surrounded by the outer wall, with a gas inlet opening at a bottom of the gas collector. An annular volume between the gas collector wall and the outer wall can contain a plurality of inclined flow channels. The flow channels can have a channel inlet opening at the bottom and can slope upward following a helical path between the gas collector wall and the outer wall. A gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening can be in a floor of the separator body. The mixture opening can be positioned below the gas inlet opening and the mixture inlet opening can have a top-down profile that fits within a top-down profile of the gas inlet opening.
Claims30
A gas-liquid-solid separator, comprising:
- a separator body having a vertical outer wall;
- a gas collector having a vertical gas collector wall surrounded by the outer wall, the gas collector further comprising a gas inlet opening at a bottom of the gas collector;
- a gas stream outlet exiting the gas collector;
- an annular volume between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- a plurality of inclined flow channels within the annular volume, wherein individual flow channels have a channel inlet opening at a bottom of the individual flow channels, wherein the individual flow channels slope upward following a helical path between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- and
- a gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening in a floor of the separator body, wherein the mixture inlet opening is in fluid communication with the gas inlet opening of the gas collector and the channel inlet openings of the inclined flow channels, and wherein the mixture inlet opening is positioned below the gas inlet opening, and wherein the mixture inlet opening has a top-down profile that fits within a top-down profile of the gas inlet opening wherein a gas-liquid-solid mixture stream is capable of entering the separator body through the gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening, wherein the separator is an integrated part of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor.
4 more elements
An up-flow reactor, comprising:
- a reaction chamber in a lower portion of the reactor;
- and
- a gas-liquid-solid separator positioned above the reaction chamber, wherein the separator comprises:
- a separator body having a vertical outer wall;
- a gas collector having a vertical gas collector wall surrounded by the outer wall, the gas collector further comprising a gas inlet opening at a bottom of the gas collector;
- an annular volume between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- a plurality of inclined flow channels within the annular volume, wherein individual flow channels have a channel inlet opening at a bottom of the individual flow channels,
- wherein the individual flow channels slope upward following a helical path between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- and
- a gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening in a floor of the separator body to allow a gas-liquid-solid mixture to flow from the reaction chamber into the separator, wherein the mixture inlet opening is in fluid communication with the gas inlet opening of the gas collector and the channel inlets of the inclined flow channels, and wherein the mixture inlet opening is positioned below the gas inlet opening, and wherein the mixture inlet opening has a top-down profile that fits within a top-down profile of the gas inlet opening.
7 more elements
A method of separating gas, liquid, and solids, comprising:
- feeding a mixture of gas, liquid, and solids into a separator through a gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening of the separator, wherein the separator comprises:
- a separator body having a vertical outer wall;
- a gas collector having a vertical gas collector wall surrounded by the outer wall, the gas collector further comprising a gas inlet opening at a bottom of the gas collector;
- an annular volume between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- a plurality of inclined flow channels within the annular volume, wherein individual flow channels have a channel inlet opening at a bottom of the individual flow channels, wherein the individual flow channels slope upward following a helical path between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- and
- the gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening in a floor of the separator body, wherein the mixture inlet opening is in fluid communication with the gas inlet opening of the gas collector and the channel inlets of the inclined flow channels, and wherein the mixture inlet opening is positioned below the gas inlet opening, and wherein the mixture inlet opening has a top-down profile that fits within a top-down profile of the gas inlet opening;
- collecting gas from the gas collector;
- flowing a mixture of liquid and solids up through the plurality of inclined flow channels, wherein at least a portion of the solids settle out of the liquid and fall back downward through the inclined flow channels;
- and
- collecting a clarified liquid with reduced solids from an outlet at the top of the inclined flow channels.
8 more elements
A gas-liquid-solid separator, comprising:
- a separator body having a vertical outer wall;
- a gas collector having a vertical gas collector wall surrounded by the outer wall, the gas collector further comprising a gas inlet opening at a bottom of the gas collector;
- an annular volume between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- a plurality of inclined flow channels within the annular volume, wherein individual flow channels have a channel inlet opening at a bottom of the individual flow channels, wherein the individual flow channels slope upward following a helical path between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
- a gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening in a floor of the separator body, wherein the mixture inlet opening is in fluid communication with the gas inlet opening of the gas collector and the channel inlet openings of the inclined flow channels, and wherein the mixture inlet opening is positioned below the gas inlet opening, and wherein the mixture inlet opening has a top-down profile that fits within a top-down profile of the gas inlet opening;
- and
- a bottom surface sloping downward out from the gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.