Apparatus for separating particles from a fluid
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
InventorYuanhui Zhang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A particle separation device for removing particles from a fluid. An embodiment of the device includes a particle separation chamber with an annular tunnel. A plurality of inlet vanes extend within the annular tunnel for imparting a helical fluid flow by deflecting the fluid at an discharge angle. The vanes are shaped so that a deflection angle of the fluid moving along a surface of the inlet vanes varies smoothly from an initial axial direction as the fluid enters the vanes to the discharge angle as the fluid exits the vanes. A particle separation system includes a plurality of particle separation modules arranged in an array. A multi-annular particle separation apparatus includes a plurality of concentric particle separation devices.
Claims11
An apparatus for removing particles from a fluid, the apparatus comprising:
- a separation chamber having an annular tunnel to accept fluid flow;
- a plurality of inlet vanes within the annular tunnel having a discharge angle for deflecting the fluid flow to impart a helical flow to fluid in the separation chamber, each of the plurality of inlet vanes having a surface that is curved in three dimensions such that a deflection angle of the surface of each of the plurality of inlet vanes varies substantially smoothly from an angle at an entrance of the vanes allowing fluid flow along an axial direction as the fluid enters the vanes to the discharge angle at an exit of the inlet vanes as the fluid exits the vanes;
- an outlet in fluid communication with the separation chamber, the outlet being configured to pass fluid having the particles removed;
- a collection device for collecting the particles;
- a pressure generating device for moving the fluid through the inlet vanes and through the separation chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.