Tubular vortex separator

A method for separating from water particles having a density greater than water, said method comprising:

• providing a tubular vertical vortex separator which is generally tubular in construction and comprises an elongated sideways "T" junction including an upwardly directed vertically oriented longitudinal arm, a downwardly directed vertically oriented arm coaxial with the upwardly directed longitudinal arm, and a perpendicular horizontal feed arm, wherein said upwardly directed arm and said downwardly directed arm in combination define a vertical column, wherein said downwardly directed longitudinal arm, measured from the center axis of the horizontal longitudinal arm to the bottom end of said downwardly directed longitudinal arm is from three to ten times the internal diameter of said downwardly directed longitudinal arm, wherein said bottom end of said downwardly directed arm terminates in a collection chamber of greater diameter than said downwardly directed longitudinal arm, and wherein at least one half of the inlet between the horizontal perpendicular arm and the longitudinal arms is blocked so as to provide a tangential inlet to said longitudinal column;
• and
• introducing water with entrained particles from said perpendicular horizontal feed arm tangentially into said vertical column formed within the tubular vertical vortex separator with sufficient velocity to cause vorticular swirling of said water within said column, downward precipitation of said particulate matter, and upward movement of particulate free water.