Centrifugal separator and method of separating liquids from gas

A centrifugal separator for separating liquids from gas comprising:

• an annular housing having an outer wall with an inner surface, a closed top and a tangential fluid inlet adjacent said top, said inlet adapted to direct an inlet stream of an air/liquid mixture under pressure against said inner surface for thereby creating centrifugal circulation of said fluid, and a fluid outlet pipe axially penetrating said top, said outlet pipe extending axially downward into said housing to a predetermined length, the bottom interior of said housing providing a liquid collection sump;
• at least two concentric inner and outer annular baffle walls coaxially disposed in said housing between said outlet pipe and said inner surface, said walls depending downwardly from said top;
• fluid transfer ports in said inner baffle wall adjacent said top;
• the bottom of said outer baffle wall open to the interior of said housing above said sump and the bottom of said inner baffle wall open to the interior of said housing with the bottom thereof open to said liquid collection sump in said housing whereby it is sealed off at a position below the bottom of said outlet pipe and said outer baffle wall with separated liquid collected at the bottom of said housing in said sump thereby providing inner and outer chambers on inner and outer sides of said inner baffle wall which are sealed off from each other by said liquid collected in said sump.