Gas-liquid separating apparatus

A gas-liquid separation apparatus comprising:

• a container having a downwardly extending outlet at the bottom thereof;
• and a separator disposed within said container, said separator including a cylinder having a vertically extending central axis and an open bottom, a primary isolated liquid outlet at the bottom of said cylinder, an inlet opening into said cylinder and extending tangentially to said cylinder such that a gas-liquid mixture flowing into said cylinder from said inlet will swirl around the vertical central axis of the cylinder to effect a centrifugal separation of gas and liquid, a perforated cylindrical plate integral with said cylinder and also having a vertically extending central axis, the perforations of said cylindrical plate extending radially therethrough, the perforations having respective radially inner ends communicating with the open bottom of the cylinder such that the liquid separated in the cylinder and any gas still entrained in the liquid flows through said perforations, and said perforations having respective radially outer ends at which the perforations open directly into the interior of said container such that liquid and any gas still entrained in the liquid flows into the container in the radial direction of said perforated cylindrical plate, thereby facilitating a gravitational separation of said liquid and any gas still entrained in the liquid before the liquid flows out the outlet of said container, an outflow diverting section extending from said primary isolated liquid outlet and comprising a wall disposed in a path extending directly between said primary isolated liquid outlet and said outlet of the container to divert said liquid and any gas entrained in the liquid, and vertically oriented vortex-preventing plates extending in said outflow diverting section in the radial direction of said cylinder, said vortex preventing plates being located between the primary isolated liquid outlet of said cylinder and said perforated cylindrical plate such that said liquid and any gas entrained in the liquid impinges said vortex-preventing plates before passing into said container.