Ice particle separator
AssigneeAllied-Signal Inc.
InventorOscar A. Buchmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ice particle separator for use within high flow velocity, low pressure loss, air or gas conditioning systems, to remove ice particles entrained within the conditioned gaseous flow stream. The ice particle separator includes a plurality of generally part-cylinder tubes arranged in a pattern to intercept the conditioned gaseous flow stream, each part-cylinder tube having an associated heating means for melting the ice particles which contact the part-cylinder tubes. A drain plenum collects the melt liquid from the part-cylinder tubes and directs the melt liquid to a receiving means.
Claims18
An ice particle separator to extract entrained ice particles from a gaseous flow stream, comprising:
- a housing;
- a plurality of generally part-cylinder tubes contained in said housing and arranged in an array configured to present a concave face of said part-cylinder tubes to an inlet flow side of said ice particle separator;
- means for heating said plurality of part-cylinder tubes to a temperature to cause ice particles contacting said plurality of part-cylinder tubes to melt to a liquid;
- and
- means for promoting extraction of said liquid from said gaseous flow stream.
A gaseous fluid conditioning system to provide a flow of supercooled, high purity air or gas comprising:
- a first heat exchanger;
- a second heat exchanger;
- first flow conducting means for distributing a gaseous flow stream to one of said first or second heat exchangers;
- ice particle separator means for extracting entrained ice particles from said gaseous flow stream, said ice particle separator means including a plurality of centripetal accelerators to capture entrained ice particles and heaters for each of said plurality of centripetal accelerators to heat said centripetal accelerators to a temperature sufficient to cause ice particles contacting said plurality of centripetal accelerators to melt to a liquid, and a means for promoting extraction of said liquid from said gaseous flow stream;
- second flow conducting means, downstream of said first and second heat exchangers, for directing said gaseous flow stream from said first or second heat exchangers to said ice particle separator means;
- means for producing a flow of coolant;
- means for producing a flow of heating fluid;
- fluid flow control means for flow connecting said coolant from said means for producing a flow of coolant to said first or second heat exchangers which is receiving said gaseous flow stream from said first flow conducting means to cool said gaseous flow stream, and for flow connecting said heating fluid from said means for producing a flow of heating fluid to the other of said first and second heat exchangers which is not receiving said gaseous fluid flow from said first flow conducting means to melt accumulated ice therein to a liquid;
- and
- means for removing said melt liquid from said first or second heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.