Gas-liquid separation

An apparatus for separating fluid droplets carried in a gas flowing at subsonic velocity which comprises:

• a conduit for directing a flow of the gas through the apparatus, said conduit being defined by internally facing generally smooth-surfaced walls exposed to and in contact with the gas stream flowing therethrough, and said walls of said conduit defining a series of successive arcuate bends for smoothly flowing the gas through an arcuate path so as to avoid conditions giving rise to flow separation and any attendant turbulence and pressure drops occasioned thereby with the radii of curvature of successive bends lying generally in a plane and generally on opposite sides of the flow path of the gas as viewed perpendicular to the plane to thereby cause generally oppositely directed successive changes in direction of the gas for encouraging transverse movement of the droplets relative to the local gas flow direction toward and into contact with said walls of said conduit by centrifugal force;
• a porous medium wettable by the fluid droplets carried in the gas stream such that menisci are formed in the pores thereof by the liquid wetting the medium, said porous medium being defined on at least a portion of said internally facing walls of said conduit and having pores communicating between said conduit and liquid collection means disposed outside of the conduit, and said porous medium being situated within said conduit along said walls such that droplets contacting said walls wet said medium and move into the pores thereof and form menisci therein as aforesaid;
• first flow control means for maintaining movement of liquid in said pores of said porous medium toward said liquid collection means and away from said conduit at a rate which is sufficient to substantially prevent the accumulation of a liquid layer on the surface of the porous medium exposed to the flowing gas without overcoming the surface tension force of the liquid menisci in the pores adjacent the exposed surface;
• and
• second flow control means for maintaining the flow velocity of the gas moving through the conduit substantially subsonic to avoid shock waves and turbulent flow conditions so that pressure losses accompanying passage of the gas through said conduit are minimized.