Bubble trap for phase-separating gas bubbles from flowing liquids

A bubble trap for phase-separating gas bubbles from flowing liquid comprising:

• a body having interior walls defining a chamber therein, said interior walls being circular about an upright axis, a flange on the top of said body, a floor defining the bottom of said chamber, said floor lying at an acute angle with respect to said axis, an outlet fitting on said body, said outlet fitting being mounted on said floor at the lowest portion thereof, a post mounted on said floor and extending upwardly from said floor, said post being centrally axially mounted within said debubbling chamber so that said outlet fitting is between said post and said body wall, said outlet fitting being substantially parallel to said axis and being beside said axis and beside said central post, said outlet fitting having walls therein defining an outlet passage and defining the downward direction of said bubble trap, said outlet fitting being downwardly directed;
• a cover on said body, a flange on said cover, said flange on said cover being attached to said flange on said body to attach said cover to said body, said cover having walls enclosing the top of said chamber, said walls and said cover being substantially circular about said axis and in line with said chamber walls in said body to define a debubbling chamber within said body;
• an inlet structure formed as part of said cover including walls in said flange on said cover and said flange on said body defining said inlet passage into said debubbling chamber so that when said flanges are secured together said inlet fitting can deliver liquid through said inlet passage tangentially into said debubbling chamber, said inlet structure having an inlet fitting secured to said flange on said body substantially parallel to said axis and beside said axis and directed downwardly with respect to said chamber, an inlet passage extending through said inlet fitting to said debubbling chamber, said inlet passage joining said debubbling chamber substantially tangentially to the circular walls defining said debubbling chamber so that inflowing liquid containing entrained bubbles will rotate counterclockwise in said debubbling chamber substantially about said axis to bring at least some of the bubbles together adjacent said axis so that the bubbles can rise in said debubbling chamber, an outlet vent fitting at the top of said debubbling chamber to vent bubbles coalesced in the center of fluid rotating in said debubbling chamber and to pass debubbled liquid downward through debubbling chamber out of said outlet;
• and
• a filter mounted within said body, said filter being an accordion-folded circular filter having a filter cover and a bottom plate, said filter cover engaging on said post and said filter bottom plate engaging against said walls defining said debubbling chamber within said body.