Magnetic separators

A magnetic separator for separating magnetizable particles from a fluid comprising:

• a canister having an imperforate peripheral wall, a first end, a second end, an inlet, an outlet, and a central axis extending through said first and said second ends;
• a plurality of annular matrix elements having opposite first and second faces that are open fluid flow, said matrix elements coaxially surrounding said central axis and being axially spaced apart from one another;
• means for establishing a magnetic field having lines of magnetic flux extending parallel to the central axis of said canister and axially through said matrix elements;
• wherein each said matrix element includes a radially outer peripheral wall that is imperforate and a radially inner peripheral wall that is imperforate;
• wherein said radially inner walls are coaxially aligned to define a central inlet channel extending axially through all of said matrix elements, said central inlet channel communicating with said outlet;
• wherein each said radially outer wall is spaced from an inner surface of said imperforate peripheral wall of said canister and defining an annular outlet flow channel therebetween extending past all of said matrix elements, said annular outlet flow channel communicating with said outlet;
• wherein the first face of each said matrix element is positioned closest to the first end of said canister, and the second face of each said matrix elements is positioned closest to the second end of said canister, each space between an adjacent pair of matrix elements having on one side the second face of the element closest to the first end and on the other side the first face of the element closest to the second end;
• flow separation means comprising first flow separation means for separating first spaces between alternate pairs of matrix elements from the central inlet channel, second flow separation means for directing flow from the central inlet channel to second spaces offset along the central axis by one matrix element from the first spaces and to the second and first faces either side of each second space, third flow separation means for separating the second spaces from the annular outlet flow channel and fourth flow separation means for directing flow from the second and first faces either side of each first space to the outlet flow channel, whereby the flow through each matrix element is axially between the opposite faces thereof.