US 5,591,243 AGranted

Liquid trap for compressed air

AssigneeCol-Ven S.A.

InventorsRafael A. Colussi, Nestor J. Venica

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Abstract

A device for separating liquid particles from compressed air transported therthrough, to protect machine parts connected thereto. The device is simple to manufacture, easy to maintain and can be made of low-cost materials such as injection molded plastics. A cylindrical housing has an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof for coupling into the installation. A plurality of cones are formed into a vertical pile and closely spaced from one another. Each cone has a concave deflector surface opening out towards the inlet and an orifice cut out at one point on the edge of the cone. The cones are mounted inside the housing and their edges fit closely against the inner wall surface of the housing so that the orifices of consecutive cones are offset 180.degree. apart. Fluid entering the inlet is subject to successive collisions agains the cone deflector surfaces, alternating a deflector surface with passage through the orifice of the associated cone, thereby being subjected to a generally helical path alternating 180.degree. horizontal spans with shod vertical spans. The housing may also contain a filter for solid particles placed between the last cone and the outlet.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A device for installation in a fluid transportation system for separating components from a fluid transported therethrough from an upstream fluid source to downstream fluid receiving means, said components being relatively heavier than said fluid, said separating device comprising:

housing means having inlet means for coupling to said upstream fluid source and outlet means for coupling to said downstream means so that fluid transported by said system through said housing passes from said inlet means to said outlet means;
and
means for separating the relatively heavy components from said fluid and comprising:
a plurality of deflector elements housed in said housing, said deflector elements positioned one after the other in spaced relationship in between said inlet and outlet means, wherein each of said plurality of deflector elements opens out towards said inlet means to provide a generally concave deflector surface for said fluid to impinge at an angle thereon, said deflector elements being aligned one after the other in a longitudinal direction extending from said inlet means to said outlet means, said concave surfaces operatively facing said inlet means and forming an oblique angle with the general direction of said fluid impinging therein, the plurality of deflector elements defining a plurality of respective apices aligned in said longitudinal direction and pointing towards said outlet means,
said separating means further comprising passage means through each deflector element and offset from the respective apex thereof and from the main direction of said fluid stream impinging thereon, passage means operatively communicating said deflector surface of the associated deflector element towards the deflector surface of the next downstream deflector element and said passages being generally out of line with each other, whereby said fluid, after entering said housing through said inlet means, alternatively and sequentially collides against said deflector surfaces and flows through said passage means.

2 more elements

A device for separating a liquid phase from compressed air in installations transporting compressed air from a compressor source to pneumatic means, the device comprising:

a hollow cylindrical body having an open end and a generally closed end, said closed end having an inlet hole for coupling to the source side of said installation,
a cap closing on said open end of the body, said cap having an outlet for coupling to the pneumatic means side of said installation,
means attached to said cap for mounting said cap in a fixed position relative to said installation;
and
means for separating said liquid phase from said compressed air comprising:
deflector means comprising a pile of conical elements housed in said body and positioned one after the other in a longitudinal direction determined by the generatrix of said cylindrical body, each deflector element including a generally concave deflector surface facing said inlet means and forming an oblique angle with said longitudinal direction,
spacer means for separating said conical elements from one another a selected distance in said longitudinal direction, said distance being less than the height of each conical element;
and
communicating means comprising an orifice located on the edge of each deflector element and against the inner side of said hollow cylindrical body, each orifice operatively communicating said deflector surface of a conical element associated therewith with the deflector surface of the next downstream conical element and said orifices being generally out of line with each other, whereby said compressed air, after entering said housing through said inlet means, alternatively and sequentially collides against said deflector surfaces and flows through said passage means, said fluid colliding against a deflector surface between passing through said passages and viceversa.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.