Liquid-gas separator unit

A liquid-gas separator unit comprising, in combination, means defining a separator chamber having first and second longitudinally spaced portions, impeller means rotatably disposed within the chamber between the first and second chamber portions, intake means communicating with the first chamber portion for admitting a liquid-gas mixture into said first chamber portion, discharge means communicating with the second chamber portion for discharging the liquid and gas components of the mixture from said second chamber portion after such components have been separated within the separator chamber by the rotation of the impeller means, said impeller means including impeller vanes with first portions to primarily move the mixture away from the first chamber portion upwardly toward the second chamber portion, said impeller vanes including second portions to primarily move the mixture in a circular flow path about the rotation axis of the impeller means, said first and second impeller vane portions having different configurations suited for imparting the above mentioned movement to the mixture.

A separator unit comprising, in combination, separator casing means, a discharge element closing the upper end of the casing means, an intake element closing the lower end of the casing means, a rotatable shaft extending through and journalled in the discharge element and the intake element, an impeller affixed to said shaft between the discharge element and the intake element, said impeller including long, narrow vanes configured to impart circular motion to liquid after first imparting upward motion to the liquid, the discharge element including channels that spiral upwardly in the same direction as the direction of impeller rotation, the lower ends of the channels being sloped to facilitate smooth flow of liquid from the upper ends of the vanes into the lower ends of channels, the upper ends of the channels leading to a central chamber area at the upper end of the discharge element, and a plurality of internal passages in said discharge element, each internal passage extending from a lower, central chamber in the lower end of the discharge element to the element's exterior to each provide an exhaust path to the exterior of the unit.

A separator unit, which can be utilized to separate gas from liquid, comprising, in combination, a vertically disposed gas separating chamber defined by a tubular casing or the like, intake means for admitting liquid that contains gas to the lower portion of said chamber, means to exhaust separated gas from the upper portion of the chamber, means to exhaust separated liquid from the upper portion of the chamber, and means to separate gas from liquid comprising (a) an elongated impeller adapted to rotate within the chamber, said impeller comprising a plurality of vertically disposed elongated impeller vanes each with an upper end and a lower end, each vane having a helical curvature near its lower end and having a substantially straight curvature near its upper end whereby the lower portions of the vanes coact to impell liquid with gas therein upwardly within the chamber and whereby the upper portions of the vanes coact to impell the liquid away from the center of the chamber whereby gas separates from the liquid and moves toward the center of the chamber.

In a separator unit, the combination comprising:

• casing means defining a vertically oriented cylindrical chamber wherein an impeller means is operative to separate gas from a liquid gas mixture, a discharge element operably connected with the upper end of the casing means, the discharge element being located immediately above the impeller means, the discharge element comprising a body with upper and lower portions, the upper portion defining a central chamber serving as a liquid receiving chamber, the lower portion defining a central chamber serving as a gas collection chamber, a plurality of passageways leading upwardly through the body from the gas collection chamber to respective passageway ports, a plurality of passages leading upwardly in the body from its lower end to passage ports communicating with the liquid reservoir chamber.

The combination set forth in claim [22] 23 wherein each passageway port is adapted to discharge a stream of gas in a substantially upward direction.

A liquid-gas separator unit comprising, in combination, a vertically oriented casing providing a cylindrical chamber, a discharge element connected to the upper end of the casing to provide a closure for the upper end of the chamber, said discharge element having gas and liquid outlets communicating with the chamber, an intake element connected to the lower end of the casing to provide a closure for the lower end of the chamber, an impeller within the chamber, said impeller including a plurality of vertically oriented vanes, said vanes being configured to define an upper impeller zone wherein the impeller vanes coact upon rotating to impell liquid away from the center of the chamber by centrifugal force, said vanes being configured to define a lower impeller zone wherein the impeller vanes coact upon rotating to impell liquid upward within the chamber, said discharge element including discharge channels that slope downwardly toward the impeller in respective curved paths.

A separator unit, which may be utilized to separate gas from liquid, comprising, in combination, a vertically disposed casing forming a cylindrical chamber therein, a discharge plug connected to the upper end of the casing, an intake plug connected to the lower end of the casing, a shaft having portions that extend through the discharge plug and intake plug, an impeller secured to said shaft within said chamber between the discharge plug and intake plug, the impeller being rotatable to impell liquid through said chamber, the impeller including a lower portion adapted to impell liquid toward the discharge plug and including an upper portion adapted to impell liquid away from the center of the chamber, rotation of the impeller being effective to separate gas from liquid causing gas to move toward the center of the chamber from whence separated gas flows through a passage of the discharge plug, the liquid being impelled by the impeller into and through a passageway of the discharge plug.

A separator unit, that may be utilized to separate gas from liquid, comprising, in combination, a vertically disposed casing forming a cylindrical chamber therein;

• a discharge element connected with the upper end of the casing to provide a closure for the top end of the chamber, to provide a discharge passage for conducting separated liquid from the chamber, and to provide an exhaust passage for conducting separated gas from the chamber;
• an impeller disposed within the chamber and secured to a shaft that extends through the discharge element and through an intake element that is connected with the lower end of the casing to provide a closure for the bottom end of the chamber and to provide an inlet passage for admitting liquid and gas into the chamber, said impeller including a plurality of vertically oriented elongated vanes each of which has a vertically elongated segment that merges with a spiral segment that extends to the lower end of the vane.

In a separator unit that can be used to separate gas from liquid, a discharge plug connected to the upper end of a separator unit casing to provide a closure for the top end of a chamber, the plug including a central vertical bore in which an impeller shaft is journalled, a downwardly opening gas collection chamber at the lower end of the plug, a gas conveying passage extending from the gas collection chamber upwardly to the outside of the plug, a liquid conveying passage provided on said plug which passage spirals upwardly to permit easy flow of upwardly spiralling liquid into and through the passage to the top end of the plug, and impeller means to impart spiral and upward movement of liquid, and separation of gas from said liquid, in said separator unit.