Diverging vortex separator

A separator for separating the liquid and gaseous phases of a fluid mixture thereof, said mixture having a flow rate, w, in weight per unit time and a density, p, in mass per unit volume, said separator comprising:

• a vertical and upwardly diverging vortex section having a lower inlet, an upper outlet and a vertically continuous inner surface between said inlet and said outlet which is circular in configuration normal to the vertical axis of said vortex section throughout its height and which expands substantially hyperbolically upwardly, said vortex section having a height between said inlet and said outlet thereof such that the number of complete revolutions, N.sub.s, of the mixture traveling helically up said vortex section is between 5 and 15,
• means for introducing said fluid mixture into said inlet of said vortex section with a substantial component of tangential velocity, V.sub.ti,
• said inlet of said vortex section having a diameter such that the ratio, GR, of centrifugal acceleration of said mixture at said inlet to the standard gravitational field, g, is greater than 500,
• said outlet of said vortex section having a diameter such that the vertical component, V.sub.tho, of the velocity of the gaseous phase of said mixture at said outlet of said vortex section is less or equal to about one foot per second,
• first outlet means above said outlet of said vortex section for discharging the gaseous phase of said mixture from said separator,
• second outlet means surrounding said outlet of said vortex section for discharging the separated liquid phase outwardly from said outlet of said vortex section.

A method of separating the liquid and gaseous phases of fluid mixture thereof utilizing a separator having a vertical vortex section with a lower inlet and an upper outlet and a vertically continuous inner surface between said inlet and outlet which is circular in configuration normal to the vertical axis of said vortex section throughout its height, the method comprising:

• introducing said mixture into said inlet with a component of tangential velocity, V.sub.ti such that the ratio, GR, of centrifugal acceleration of said mixture at said inlet to the standard gravitational field, g, is greater than 500,
• confining said mixture by said vortex section for free upward travel of said mixture through a helical path within said vortex section from said inlet to said outlet, said helical path between said inlet and said outlet having a number of complete revolutions, N.sub.s, between 5 and 15,
• expanding the diameter of said helical path substantially hyperbolically in the direction of flow and from said inlet to said outlet such that the vertical component, V.sub.tho, of the velocity of the gaseous phase of said mixture at said outlet is less or equal to about one foot per second,
• removing the separated liquid phase of said mixture outwardly from said outlet of said vortex section,
• removing the gaseous phase of said mixture upwardly from said outlet of said vortex section.