Inertial particle separator with heat exchange

An inertial particle separator with heat exchange, comprising:

• a rotating pipe having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet receiving a mixture of a fluid and particulate matter, wherein driven rotation of said rotating pipe imparts a tangential velocity to the mixture;
• a first heat exchanger in thermal communication with said rotating pipe for decreasing a first temperature of the mixture when the mixture is flowing through said rotating pipe;
• a convergent-divergent nozzle having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet thereof being connected to the outlet of said rotating pipe for receiving the mixture, wherein said convergent-divergent nozzle accelerates the mixture to a supersonic axial velocity, wherein said convergent-divergent nozzle has a throat having a selectively and controllably variable geometry;
• a temperature-controlled pipe having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet thereof being connected to the outlet of the convergent-divergent nozzle for receiving the mixture;
• a second heat exchanger in thermal communication with said temperature-controlled pipe for decreasing a second temperature of the mixture when the mixture is flowing through said temperature-controlled pipe;
• and
• a concentric diffuser having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet thereof being connected to the outlet of said temperature-controlled pipe for receiving the mixture, wherein said concentric diffuser includes at least one outer radial portion and at least one inner radial portion, the particulate matter of the mixture being separated from the fluid of the mixture under centrifugal force thereon, the particulate matter passing through the at least one outer radial portion and the fluid passing through the at least one inner radial portion.

An inertial particle separator with heat exchange, comprising:

• a rotating pipe having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet receiving a mixture of a fluid and particulate matter, wherein rotation of said rotating pipe imparts a tangential velocity to the mixture;
• means for selectively driving rotation of said rotating pipe;
• a first heat exchanger in thermal communication with said rotating pipe for decreasing a first temperature of the mixture when the mixture is flowing through said rotating pipe;
• a convergent-divergent nozzle having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet thereof being connected to the outlet of said rotating pipe for receiving the mixture, wherein said convergent-divergent nozzle accelerates the mixture to a supersonic axial velocity, wherein said convergent-divergent nozzle has a throat having a selectively and controllably variable geometry;
• means for selectively controlling the variable geometry of the throat of the convergent-divergent nozzle;
• a temperature-controlled pipe having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet thereof being connected to the outlet of the convergent-divergent nozzle for receiving the mixture;
• a second heat exchanger in thermal communication with said temperature-controlled pipe for decreasing a second temperature of the mixture when the mixture is flowing through said temperature-controlled pipe;
• and
• a concentric diffuser having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet thereof being connected to the outlet of said temperature-controlled pipe for receiving the mixture, wherein said concentric diffuser includes at least one outer radial portion and at least one inner radial portion, the particulate matter of the mixture being separated from the fluid of the mixture under centrifugal force thereon, the particulate matter passing through the at least one outer radial portion and the fluid passing through the at least one inner radial portion.