CA1124662A - Multi-tubular centrifugal liquid separator - Google Patents

Abstract

MULTI-TUBULAR CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID SEPARATOR
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A TUBE RECEIVES A LIQUID-GAS MIXTURE INTO A FIRST
END. BLADES ARE MOUNTED AT THE FIRST END OF THE TUBE AND
THE GAS-LIQUID MIXTURE IMPINGES ON THE BLADES AND IS DIRECTED
BY THE BLADES INTO A VORTEX WITHIN THE TUBE, OPENINGS IN THE
TUBE WALL CONDUCT THE LIQUID THROWN AGAINST THE INTERIOR OF
THE WALL INTO A CASING FORMED OVER THE WALL OPENINGS. THE
GAS, SEPARATED FROM THE LIQUID IS PASSED FROM THE SECOND
END OF THE TUBE WHILE THE LIQUID SEPARATED FROM THE GAS AND
COLLECTED IN THE ANNULUS BETWEEN THE EXTERNAL WALL OF THE
TUBE AND THE CASING OVER THE WALL OPENINGS IS DISCHARGED.

Description

T-7~01 1()-C
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BACK~R0UND 0F THE INVENTIQN

THE PRESENT INVENTI~N RELATES TO A TUBULAR FORM
OF GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR, IN WHICH A GAS-LIQUID MIXTURE IS
INTRODUCED INTO ONE END OF THE TUBE WITH CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
TO FLOW THE LIQUID FROM THE MIXTURE AND THROUGH A PLURALITY
OF OPENINGSJ WHICH PENETRATE THE WALL OF THE TUBE ALONG THE
LENGTH OF THE TUBE. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE PRESENT INVENTION
RELATES TO OPENINGS OF A SIZE, NUMBER AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE
WALL OF A TUBULAR CE-NTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR, WHICH WILL EFFECTIVELY
EXTRACT LIQUID FROM THE CYLINDER.

2, nE55Do~ Di~
AS HINTED IN U. S~ PATENT 3,~77,850, THE DISCLOSURE
OF U. S, PATENT 3,481,118, ASSIGNED ON ITS FACE TO PORTA-TEST
MANUFACTURING, LTD,, EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, IS EVIDENTLY
THE ORIGINAL ANCESTOR OF TUBULAR CENTRIFUGAL GA~ LIQUID
SEPARATOR~, EMPLOYING A CONTINUOUS GAP IN THE WALL OF THE
TUBE, THROUGH WHICH LIQUIDS FORCED FROM THF E~NTRAINING GAS
TO THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE TUBE BY THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
FLOW, ALONG WITH A PORTI~N OF THE GAS, REFERRED TO AS CARRIER
~AS. ADMITTEDLY, IN THE SP~CIFICATION ~ISCLOSURE OF U. S.
PATENT 3,4~ 8, THE CONTINUOUS GAP 31 IS DEFINED AS THE
~5 SPACE BETWEEN THE SECTXONS 28 AND 29 OF VORTEX FINDER 7.
THEREFORE, WHETHER THE GAP ~1 IS LOOKED UPON AS A CONTINUOUS
GAP IN A SINGLE 1UBE OR THE SPACE ~ETWE~N TWO SEC1IONS OF THE
~AME TUBE, IT IS CLEQR THAT LIQUI~ THROWN TO THE INTERNAL
WALL WILL FLOW OUT OF THIS GAP-SPACE ALONG WITH SOME OF THE
GAS, WHILE THE LARGER PORTION OF THE GAS, NOW SEPARATED FROM

T-7~301 10-C
~Z ~6 ~ 2 THE LIQUID, PASSES OUT OF THE TUBE. FURTHER, THIS ORIGINAL

PRESSURE AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE VORTEX FINDER TUBE 7, TO
AGAIN HAVE LIQUIDS CENTRIFUGED FROM IT TO THE VORTEX FINDER
TUBE WALL.
SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ART SELECTED VARIOUS
LOW PRE$SURE STATIONS IN THE SYSTEM, AT WHICH THE FORCED
CARRIER GAS WAS RECYCLED INTO THE SYSTEM. THE LIQUID REMOVAL
EFFICIENCY OF THE SINGLE, CONTINUOUS STEPPED GAP HAS NEVER
BEEN SERIOUSLY QUESTIONED, IT IS SUSPECTED THAT ANY MEASURES
OF E~FICIENCY ~ERE CARRIED OUT ATJ OR NEAR, ATMOSPHERIC
`PRES~URE. AT THE MOST, IT WAS CONTEMPLATED BY SUCH DIS-CLOSURES AS U. Sl PATENT 3,977,850 THAT TWO OR THREE CONTINUOUS
GAPS WOULD PRQDUCE PROCESSED GAS WITH ONLY ONE-TENTH OF A .
GALLON OF LIOUID PER MMSCF OF GAS.
SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION AT ELEVATED PRESSURES HAVE
EXPLODED THESE COMPLACENT ASSUMPTIONS. LIQUIDS ARE NOT
FORCED SMOOTHLY FROM THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE TUBULAR SEPARATOR, 2~ URGF.~ BY A PORTION OF THE GAS AS CARRIER GAS. AT EVEN THE
STLPPED GAP WALL OPENING OF PATENT 3J481~ J THE CHAOS OF
~ISRUPTION ~N THE FLUID FLOW CAUSES THE LAMINAR FLOW OF
LIQUID ON THE INTERNAL WALL TO BE DISRUPTED AND SPLATTER, WITH MUCH OF THE SPLATTERING LIQUIDS BEING RE-ENTRAINED BY
rHE GAS WHICH FLOWS AROUND THE WALL OPENING TO APPEAR AS
CARRYOVER FRaM THE SEPARATOR. THE DECREASE IN LIQUID REMOVAL
EFFICIENCY BECOMES MORE EVIDENT AS THE PRE~SURES EXCEED 100 PSIG. MEANWHILE, IN THE FACE OF THI~ REALITY, THE COMMERCIAL
STP~UCTURES EMBODYING THE OLD PORTA-TEST PLAN, ARE UNREALISTICALLY
ADVERTISED AS MEETING THE SPECIFICATION OF REDUCING LIQUID COrJ-TENT TO THE GAS TO ONE-TENTU OF A GALLON PER MMSCF,

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THEREFORE, FOR THE PURPOSE OF EMPHASIZING THE ADVANCE
t MADE BY THE PRESENT INVENTION, THE HIGHWATER MARK OF THE ART
IS DEFINED AS PROVIDING AT LEAST THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE, AND
NOT MORE THAN TWO OR THREE, CONTINUOUS GAPS, WITH EACH GAP
WIDTH NOT LESS THAN 1/8" AND NOT MORE THAN 1/2", AS EXITS
FOR BOTH LIQUID AND RECYCLED CARRIER GAS. INHERENT WITHIN
THIS LIMITATION OF THE PRESENT ART, ARE THE PROBLEMS OF
DISTRIBUTION OF CARRIER GAS AND RESULTANT PROPORTIONING OF
LIQUID REMOVAL EFFICIENCY BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL GAPS. THESE
LIMITATIONS OF THE PRESENT ART RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT SHORT
FALL OF THE OIL FIELD STANDARDS FOR LIQUID-FROM-GAS SEPARATION
OF ,1 GALLON PER MrlSCF, IN THIS ART, THERE IS FIRST NEEDED A NUMBER, FORM, SIZE AND DISTRIBUTION OF OPENINGS IN THE WALLS OF CYLINDRICAL, TUBULAR, CENTRIFUGAL SFPARATORS, WHICH WILL MORE EFFICIENTLY
SEPARATE LIQUID AND GAS THAN THE PRIOR ART, FURTHER, THERE
IS NEEDED A DRAINAGE STRUCTURE FOR MULTI-TUBULAR COMBINATIONS, WHICH WILL PREVENT THE RETURN OF LI~UID TO THE TUBES FOR RE-ENTRAINMENT BY THE GAS, THERE ARE TWO GENERAL APPROACHES WHICH ~lAY BE MADE
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF THIS
TYPE OF SEPARATOR, IN A DIRECT COMPARATIYE SENSE, THE NUMBER, SIZE AND DISTRIBUTION OF WALL O~ENINGS REQUIRED TO OBTAIN .1 GAIL.ON PER MMSCF MAY BE DEFINED AS A MULTIPLE OF THE OPENING
~5 EMBODIED IN ONE OF THE SINGLE CONTINUOUS GAPS OF THE DIS-CLOSURES ~F THE PRIOR ART RECITED ABOVE, AN INTRIGUING
ALTERNATIVE IS TO RELATE THE OPENINGS REQUIRED TO ANOTHER
PHYSICAL DIMENSION OF THE TUBE, SUCH AS ITS DIAMETER, IN THE
FIRST TECHNIQUE, THE PRIOR ART EMPLOYMENT OF A CONTINUOUS
WALL GAP, HAVING A WIDTH OF 1/~ TO 1/2 , COULD BE RECITED
AS A BASE FOR DEFTNING THE GAPS REQUIRED AS A MULTIPLE
THEREOF, IN THE SECOND TECHNIQUE, THE TOTAL AREA OF WALL OPENINGS
WOULD BE A STIPULATED R~TIO OF THE DIAMETER OF THE TUBE, AS AN
EXAMPLE. IN EITHER TECHNIQUE, THE~E I5 A PROBLEM OF FINDING THE
WALL OPENING SYSTEM, WHICH WILL EFFICIENTLY SEPARATE THE GAS AND
LIQUID OF MIXTURES TO BE PROCESSED.
THE PRESENT INVENTION CONTEMPLATES A LIQUID~GAS SEPARATOR
WHICH INCLUDES A TUBE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE IN ITS FIRST END A GAS
IN WHICH LIQUID IS ENTRAINED, MEANS AT THE FIRST END OF THE TUBE
FOR FORMING A VORTEX OF THE LIQUID AND GAS ENTERING THE FIRST END
OF THE TUBE WHICH FORCES THE LIQUID TO THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE
TUBE, ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH THE WALL OF THE TUBE WHEREIN
EACH ELONGATED OPENING HAS A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8" AND IS
EXTENDED IN A PLANE NORMAL THE AXIS OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN THE
ELONGATED OPENINGS ARE DISTRIBUTED ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH
OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN THE TOTAL AREA OF ALL THE OPENINGS IS AT
LEAST TEN TIMES THAT OF THE AREA OF A CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL
OPENING 1/8" WIDE THROUGH THE WALL OF A TUBE OF THE SAME DIAMETER, A CASING SEALED SUBSTANTIALLY GAS TIGHT TO THE EXTERNAL WALL OF
THE TUBE ABOVE AND BELOW THE ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH THE TUBE
WALL AND WHEREIN THE CASING FORMS A CHAMBER WITH THE EXTERNAL
TUBE WALL IN WHICH THE LIQUID PASSING THROUGH THE ELONGATED
OPENINGS CQLLECTS, THE TUBE HAVING A SECOND END PRO~IDING A
GAS OUTLET FROM WHICH GAS IS WITHDR~WN AFTER THE LIQUID HAS BEEN
FORCED THROUGH THE TUBE WALL OPENINGS, AND A CONDUIT CONNECTED
TO THE CHAMBER THROUGH W~IICH THE LIQUIDS COLLECTED IN THE
CHAMBER ARE WITHDRAWN.
THE INVENTION FURTHER CONTEMPLATES A PLUR~LITY OF
TUBULAR SEPAR~TORS IN ORIENTATION WITH BAFFLES MOUNTED BETWEEN
THE SEPARATORS TO PROVIDE A DRAIN SURFACE FOR LIQUIDS FROM THE
OPENINGS.
THE INVENTION FURTHER CONTEMPLATES A METHOD OF SEPARATING
GAS AND ENTRAINED LIQUID ~ITH SUCH A SEPARATOR WHICH INCLUDES

`THE STEPS CONDUCTING GAS AND ENTRAINED LIQUID INTO THE FIRST END
OF THE TUBE, VORTEXING THE GAS AND LIQUID TO FORCE THE LIQUID
THROUGH THE ELONGATED OPENINGS IN THE WALL OF THE TUBE, APPLYING
A PRESSURE TO THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF THE TUBE WHICH IS SUB-STANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE PRESSURE INSIDE THE TUBE, COLLECTING THE
LIQUID FLOWING THROUGH THE WALL OPENINGS OF THE TUBE, WITH-DRAWING THE LIQUIDS FROM THE COLLECTION, AND WITHDR~WING THE GAS
FROM THE SECOND END OF THE TUBE.

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-~'ONSIDERATION OF THE WRITTEN SPECIFICATION~ APPENDED CLAIMS, AND ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS~
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 IS A SECTIONED ELEVATION OF A TUBULAR~ CENTRIFUGAL
GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR, IN WHICH THE PRESENT INVENTION IS EMBODIED;
FIG. 2 IS A SECTIONED ELEVATION OF THE PART O~ THE
SEPARATOR TUBE HAVING OPENINGS IN THE FORM OF SLOTS;
FIG. 3 IS A-`SECTIONED ELEVATION OF A SEPARATOR WALL
SHOWING THE OPENINGS IN THE FORM OF HOLES;
FIG. 4 IS A SECTIONED ELEV~TION OF A NUMBER OF THE
SEPARATORS OF FIG. 1 MOUNTED IN A SINGLE CASING;
FIG. 5 IS A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CARRY-OVER OF LIQUID FROM THE CYLINDRICAL, TUBULAR SEPAR~TORS WITH
VARIOUS GAP LENGTHS; AND
FIG. 6 IS A GRAPHICAL PLOT OF CARRYOVER FROM A 3"
DIAMETER TUBULAR SEPARATOR WITH VARIOUS GAP WIDTHS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
GENERAL ANALYSIS
_ A REAPPRAISAL OF THE CYLINDRICAL, TUBULAR, CENTRI-FUGAL TYPE OF SEPARATOR, USING ONE, TWO OR THREE GAPS, REVEALS
THAT THE VELOCITY OF THE VORTE~ED GASES INTRODUCED INTO THE
TUBE ARE IN THE RANGE 40 ~ 65 FPS, WITH 60 FPS BEING A
TYPICAL VALUE. WITH THIS VELOCI~Y OF GAS OVER THE SPIRALLED
LIQUID, THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID WAS SELDOM SMOOTH. THE
VELOCITY HEAD PRESSURE CAN BE EXT~EMELY HIGH ON THE FILM OF
LIQUID THRO~N TO THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE HOLLOW CYLINDER~
THE LIQUIDS THROWN TO THE NALL FORMED A SPIRAL PATTERN~ WITH
A HIGH DEGREE OF FORCE BETWEEN THE LIQUID SURFACE AND THE
GASES.

T - i ~0 11()- C

THE VELOCITY OF THE LIQUIDS, DRIVEN BY THE GAS, WAS SO GREAT THAT THE LIQUIDS WOULD READILY JUMP A GAP IN
THE WALL OF THE TUBULAR SURFACE. THEREFORE, IT APPEARED
THAT THE STEPPED GAP PIONEERED IN THE ~ORTA-TEST PATENT DIS-CLOSURE WOULD READILY SHAVE, OR SKIM, THIS LIQUID FROM THE
WALL WITH LAMINAR FLOW TO OUTSIDE THE WALL. IN VlEh' OF THIS
THEORY, IT WAS SURPRISING TO DISCOVER THAT THE STEPPED GAP
ACTUALLY CREATED A CHAOTIC CONDITION, WHICH DISRUPTED THE
LAMINAR FLOW OF THE LI~UiDS THROUGH THE GAP,AND THAT UNDER
THESE CHAOTIC FLOW CONDITIONS, A PORTION OF THE GAS FLOWED
AROUND THE GAP, TAKING LIQUID WITH IT. THIS BYPASS OF THE
LIQUID AROUND THE GAP WAS FOUND TO INCREASE GREATLY WITH IN-CREASED OP~RATING PRESSURE AND VELOOITY OF THE MIXTURE VOR-TEXED THROUGH THE CYLINDRICAL TUBE. VELOCITIES OF 30 TO 160 FPS WERE ORSERVED AS THROWING LIQUID FROM THE GAPS, BUT ALSO
LEAVING HIGHER PORTIONS OF THE LIQUID IN THE GAS FLOWING
THROUGH THE TUBULAR SEPARATOR, AS GAS SPIRALLING VELOCITIES
INCREASED FROM ~0 TO 160 FPS, LIQUID CARRYOVER WAS ALSO OB-SERVED TO INCREASE. IT WAS SUDDENLY. REALIZED, AT THE END OF
THESE TESTS, THAT A NUMBER OF GAPS COULD BE DETERMINED, WHICH
WOULD PROVIDE A SATISFACTORY OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF LIQUID RE-MOVALI FUR~HER, IT EVOLVED THAT IT WAS UNNECESSARY TO PROVIDE
FOR RECYCLE OF CARRIER GAS TO ATTAIN THE EFFICIENCY. THE LIQUID, UNDER THE FORCE OF THE VORTEX, ~IAS THROWN THROUGH THE WALL
OPENINGS, ALTHOUGH THE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE ACROSS THE
OPENINGS WAS MAINTAINED QUITE SMALL, OR SUBSTANTIALLY NON-EXIS-IENT. WHATEVER GAS WAS FLOWED THROUGH THESE OPENINGS WAS
QUICKLY RETURNED TH~OUGH THE SAME, OR OTHER OPENIN~S, WHEN A
GAS-TIGHT CHAMBER WAS PROVIDED OVER THE OPENINGS, IN OTHER
WORDS, THERE WAS NO CARRIER GAS TO RECYCLE.

T-7~01 10-~

THE ART THAT DEVELOPED AFTER THE PORTA-TEST SYSTEM
LIMITED ITSELF TO STRUGGLING WITH ADAPTING GNLY ONE, TWO OR
THREE FULL, OR CONTINUOUS, GAPS IN THE WALL OF THE CYLINDRI-CAL, TUBULAR SEPARATQR, THIS LIMITED SYSTEM OF THE ONE-TWO-THREE GAPS RE-QUIRES THAT EACH OF THESE LIMITED NUMBER OF GAPS MUST HAVE A
HIGH EFFICIENCY OF LIQUID REMOVAL, WITH A HIGH FORCED CARRIER
GAS RATE PER INCH OF GAP LENGTH. FURTHER, THE CARRIER GAS MUST
BE CAREFULLY DIVIDED BETWEEN THE GAPS, ~slTHIN THIS SYSTEM, THE POINT IS QUICKLY REACHED WHERE THE AMOUNT OF FORCED
CARRIER GAS TO BE RECYCLED UPSETS THE SEPARATION IN AN
ANNULUS CREATED BY A CASING PROVIDED ABOUT THE GAPS. THERE-FORE, THE BALANCING OF THE AMOUNT OF GAS FLOWED THROUGH THE
LIMITED NUMBER OF CONTINUOUS GAPS IS A CONTINUOUS ENGINEERING
PROBLEM, AND IS FURTHEP~ CO~PLICATED BY THE DISRUPTION OF THE
SPIRAL LIOUID FLOW ON THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE TUBE~ THE
SPIRALS BEING WEAKENED BY EACH GAP, IT IS A CONCEPTION OF
THE INVENTION THAT A LARGE GAP AREA MUST BE PROVIDED, AS
COMPARED TO THE AREA OF A SINGLE, CONTINUOUS, FULL GAP OF THE
PRIOR ARr, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE O~ERALL EFFICIENCY REQUIRED
OF THIS TYPE OF SEPARATING SYSTEM, ~ORE SPECIFICALLY, UNDER THIS CONCEPT, IS THE DIS~
COV~Y THAT OPENING ARRANGEMENT IN THE WALL OF THE TUBE
- S~P.~RATOR ~IUST BASICALLY PROVIDE A SIZE AT LEAST GREATER
THAN THAT OF TEN CONTINUOUS GAPS, VALID AS THIS STATEMENT
ISJ IT IN,HERENTLY SKIRTS CLOSE TO BEING INDEFINITE. ~RECI-SION DEMANDS ~LEAR DEFINITION.OF THE SIZE OF THE AREA OF
PRI~R ART GAPS, OF WHICH THE AREA OF THE NEW GAP SYSTEM IS
A MULTIPLE.

r-/~ollo-~

REDUCTION TO PRACTICE IN THE PRIOR ART UTILIZED
, 1, 2, OR 3 FULL, CONTINUOUS GAPS, EUT THE WIDTH OF THESE
GAPS WAS VARIED FROM ABOUT 1/8' TO AS HIGH AS 1/2', THE

TEN TIMES THAT OF A SINGLE 1/8" WIDTH CONTINUOUS GAP. THIS
GIVES A DEGREE OF STABILITY TO THE DEFINITION OF THE INVEN-TION, PARTICULARLY IF THE INVENTION USES OPENINGS OF SUB-STANTIALLY l/gn WIDTH. THESE OPENINGS ARE UNDER THE CONCEPT
OF THE INVENTION IF THEY ARE RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE, 1/~' IN
WIDTH AND ARE DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE SEPARATOR TUBE LENGTH
UNTIL A TOTAL AREA IS OBTAINED EQUAL TO AT LEAST TEN TIMES
THE AREA OF 1/OU CONTINUOUS GAP OF THE PRIOR ART. ~OWEVER, THE PRIOR ART GAPS ARE NOT SIMPLY LIMITED TO A 1/8 WIDTH, BUT MAY BE 1/4" OR EVEN AS GREAT AS 1/2", 0N ONE END OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPT, THE INVENTION
MAY BE COMPARED TO A SINGLE l/g" CONTINUOUS GAP OF THE PRIOR
ART. ADMITTEDLY, HOWEVER, THE MINIMUM MULTIPLE OF PRIOR ART
GAPS, WHOSE WIDTHS ARE GREATER THAN 1/~ , IS NOT PRECISELY
RELATED BY DATA AVAILABLE FROM`TESTS OF REDUCTIONS TO PRACTICE~
MORE PRECISION IN THE DEFINITION OF THE INVENTIVE
CONCEPT APPEARS AVAILABIE IN SIMPI.E DUPLICATION OF OPENINGS
IN THE WALI OF THE SEPARATOR.TUBE UNTIL THE DESIRED EFFICIENCY
OF SEPARATION IS OBTAINED. 0F COURSE, THE TUBE IS NOT LIMITED
TO A ~ DIAMETER SIZE, SIZES PRESENTLY RANGE FROM 3" TO 6".
.5 ~ITH EACH SIZE, THERE IS SOME TOTAI AREA OF OPENINGS WI1H
WHICH THE DESIRED EFFICIENCY CAN BE OBTAINED. THEREFOR~, ~F-TUBE IS CERTAINLY A DEFINITE SYSTEM FOR TEACHING THE INVENTION, IN EXEMPLIFICATION OF THIS CONTRAST WITH THE PRIOR
ART, THE 3' DIAMETER TUBULAR SEPARATOR IS USED. A REASONABLE

ASSUMPTION IS THAT THE LIMITED NUMBER OF PRIOR ART GAPS EACH
.t HAVE WIDTHS OF SUBSTANTIALLY 1/~". THEREFORE, A RATHER SPECI-FIC GAP AREA IS AYAILABLE, WITH WHICH TO CONTRAST THE PRIOR
ART. FROM THIS BASIC CONCEPT OF THE PRESENT INVENTIO~I, THE
WALL CAN BE PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS OR GAPS, WHICH ARE APPRO-XIMATELY 1/8" IN WIDTH, BUT WHOSE TOTAL LENGTH IS AT LEAST
TEN TIMES THAT OF THE CONTINtJOUS GAP OF THE PRIOR ART.
REDUCING THE BASIC CONCEPT OF THE INVENTION TO
PRACTICE, IT IS OBSERYED THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF OPENINGS
WHICH PROVIDE THE LARGE AREA, COMPARED TO T~E PRIOR ART, WOULD EACH HAVE A RELATIVELY LOW EFFICIENCY IN LIQUID REMOVAL.
~IOWEVER, THE OPENINGS COULD BE DISTRIBUTED ALONG A LENGTH OF
THE TUBULAR SEPARATOR AND PROVIDE THE OVERALL EFFICIENCY RE-QUIRED.
AN AUXILIARY DISCOVERY WAS THAT THERE IS REALLY NO

THE SEPARATOR TUBE WITH THE CARRIER GAS ALSO FLOWING THROUGH
THE OPENINGS. IN THE FIRST ASPECT, THE INVENTION IS BROADLY
THAT OF ADDING OPENING AREA FAR BLYOND THAT OF THE PRIOR ART.
IF ENOUGH AREA WAS PROVIDED ~Y THE ADDITION OF A SUFFICIENT
NUMBER OF OPENINGS, CARRIER GAS BECAME RELATIVELY UNI~1PORTANI
AS A FA~'0R IN ~4RCING LIQU.ID THROUGH THE INCREASED NU~IBER
OF OPENINGS, EACH OF THE OPENINGS HAS A RELATIVELY LOW LEYEL
OF EFFICIENCY, THE OVEKALL EFFICIENCY WAS GAINED BY SIMPLY
ADDING OPENINGS. THUSJ THE FORCED CARRIE'R GAS OF THE PRIOR
A~T FADES AS A FhCTOR IN THE TRANSPORT OF LIQUID THROUGH TH-E
'WALL OPENINGS.
AS THE INCREAS~ NUMBER OF W~LL 0PENINGS RENDER THE
FORCED CARRIER GAS IMPOTENT, THERE WAS A DISC0VERY THAT ELIMI-NATION OF CARRIER GAS WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY SIMPLIFY A REDUCTION

-~ T-7~0110-C

TO PRACTICE-OF THE INVENTION. TRUE, SOME SMALL AMOUNT OF GAS
IS FORCED THROUGH THE WALL OPENINGS AND INTO THE GAS-TIGHT
CHAMBER PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THIS SMALL AMOUNT OF GAS ENTERED
THE ANNULUS BETWEEN THE SEPARATOR TUBE AND THE CASING, DESPITE
THE FACT THAT THE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE ACROSS THE OPENINGS
WAS SMALL, OR SUBSTANTIALLY NON-EXISTENT. IT IS OBVIOUS TO
THE OBSERVER THAT THE GAS EITHER COMES BIGHT BACK THROUGH THE
SAME OPENINGS IT ENTERED FROM THE SEPARATOR TUBE, OR RE-ENTERS
THE TUBE THROUGH ONE OF THE OTHER OPENINGS. THEREF~RE, UNDER
THE CONCEPTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION, AND ~ITH THE GAS-TIGHT
CASING, NO PROVISION IS NEEDED TO DRAW OFF FORCED CARRIER GAS
AND CONDUCT IT TO A LOW PRESSURE POINT IN THE SYSTEM.
~T MUST BE EMPHASIZED THAT THE PATH PROVIDED BETWEEN
THE INSIDE OF THE CYLINDRICAL TUBE OF THE SEPARATOR AND THE
ANNULUS PROVIDED BY AN EXTERNAL CASING OVER THE PATHS, MAY
BE VARIOUSLY REFERRED TO AS GAPS, HOLES, OPENINGS, SLOTS, ETC. THE INVENTION IS CONCERNED WITH THE NUMBERJ SHAPE, AND
DISTRIBUTION OF THESE PATHS THROUGH THE WALL OF THE SEPARATOR
TUBE~ EUT LET NO INCONSISTENCY IN THE USE OF THESE TERMS
OBSCURE THEIR FUNCTION WITHIN THE CONCEPT OF THE INVENTION.

DIRECTED TO REFERENCES TO THE GAS, WHICH FLOWS THROUGH THE
PATHS, WHETHER CONSIDERING THE PRIOR ART~ OR THE PRESENT
EMBODIMENT OE THE INVENTION, THE PRIOR ART HAS BEEN EXCLUSIVELY
2~ CONCERNED WITH DEIIBERATELY PASSING A PORTION OF THE LIQUID-ENTRAINING GAS THROUGH THE WALL OPENINGS WITH THE LIQUID FORCED
THRQUG~ THE OPENINGS AND RECYCLING THIS GAS, THI~ GAS PASSING
THROUGH THE OPENINGS IS DUBBED FORCED CARR~ER GAS~ AND IS CON-DUCTED TO A LOW PRESSURE POINT IN THE SYSTEM, TO JOIN THE
SEPARATED GAS. THIS IS THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE PRIOR ART
OBVIATED IN THE PRESENT INYENTION. IN CONTRAST, THE PRESENT

lNVENTION HAS A PORTION OF THE GAS FLOWING OUT OF THE WALL
OPENINGS WITH THE LIQUID, BUT RETURNING QUICKLY TO THE TUBE
INTERIOR. THIS GAS IS PROPERLY TERMED AS NATURALLY FLOWING
OUT OF THE TUBE AND RETURNING THERETO BY THE SHORTEST
PRACTICAL ROUTE.
HOPEFULLY, THERE REMAIN ONLY MINOR PROBLEMS OF
TERMINOLOGY IN THE DISCLOSURE AND COMMON SENSE APPLICATION
OF THE TERMS WILL KEEP THE DISCLOSURE CLEAR, CONCISE AND
CONSISTENT.
FIG
IN THE FIRST DRAWING, THERE IS SHOWN WITH A SECTIONED
ELEVATION, A SEPARATOR TUBE 1, VERTICALLY ORIENTED TO RECEIVE (1) A MIXTURE OF LIQUID AND GAS TO BE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER.
THE MIXTURE INLET 2 PASSES THE MIXTURE INTO SOME FO~M OF (2) DEVICE 3 WHICH SPINS, OR VORTEXES, THE MIXTURE AS IT FLOWS
UP INTO SEPARATOR TUBE 1. LIQUID SEPARATED FROM THE GAS
IS COLLECTED IN GAS-TIGHT CASING 4 IN A COLLECTION 5. THE (4) LIQUID IS WITHDRAWN FROM COLLECTION 5 THROUGM OUTLET 6. THE (6) GAS, SEPARATED FROM THE LIQUID, LEAVES SEPARATOR TUBE 1 AT
20 UPPER OUTLET 7, (7 UNDER THE CONCEPTS OF THE INVENTION, THE LIQUID

THE INTERNAL WALL OF TUBE 1. THIS LIQVID FLOWS THROUGH THE

~5 CASING 4. THE NOVELTY RESIDES IN THE FORM, NUMBER, DISTRI-BUTION AND SIZE OF OPENINGS 8 IN THE WALL OF TUBE 1 ~ITHIM
THE COMBINATION OF FIG. 1.
THIS ARRANGEMENT OF STRUCTURE, AND ITS RELATION
TO THE MIXTURE OF ~AS AND LIQVID ENTERING AT 2~ ~ILL FUNCTION
UNDER THE BASIC THEORY OF OPERATION SET FORTH IN THE PRECEDING

JENERAL ANALYSIS SECTION. THE FORCE UPON THE LIOUID WILL
FLOW IT THROUGE A NUMBER OF THE OPENINGS 8~ THE PRESSURE

ON THE INTERNAL W~LL OF SEPARATOR TU~E 1, THE RESULT IS
THAT SOME GAS WILL BE FORCED THROUG~ OPENINGS 8~ CASING 4 IS A DEAD END FOR THIS GAS~ THE GAS WILL NATURALLY RETURN
TO SEPARATOR TUBE 1~ EITHER THROUGH THE SAME OPENING THROUGH
WHICH IT WAS FORCED, OR A-DOWNSTREAM OPENING, ALL OF THE
GAS WILL THEN FLOW FROM SEPARATOR TUBE 1 AT OUTLET 7, ANY
OF THE WELL-KNOWN MECHANISMS FOR ~ITHDRAWAL (NOT SHOWN~

OUTLET 6, IN FULL DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION, THE DIMENSIONS
OF THE ACTUAL REDUCTION TO PRACTICE ARE RE-EMPHASIZED. TUBE
1 MAY BE FORMED OF A LIGHT-GAUGE METAL~ IT IS IN THE SPECIFIC
FORM OF A HOLLOW CYLINDER~ ~AVING A DI~METER OF SUBSTANTIALLY
3". OF COURSE, THE INVENTION IS NOT LIMITED TO A TUBE OF THIS
SIZE, BUT MUCH MEANINGFUL PERFORMANCE DATA HAS BEEN COMPILED
IN TESTS OF THIS SIZE TUBE. ITS PERFORMANCE IS WELL WITHIN
THE PARAMETERS ASCRIBED TO THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE INVENTION.
THE HEART OF THE MATTER IS IN THE SIZE, FORM AND
DISTRIBUTION OF OPENINGS 8. IN FIG. 1, THESE OPENINGS ARE
SIMPLY INDICATED AS RECTANGULAR SLOTS, ~ITH THE WIDTH OF
SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8". THE NUMBER, LENGTH AND DISTRIBUTION OF
THE SLOTS OF FIG. 1 ARE TO B~ TAKEN IN LrMITATION OF THE
INVENTION. SUBSEQUENT DRAWING FIGURES WILL CONTEMPLATE THEIR
STRUCTURE MORE SYECIFICALLY. THE ~VERALL TEACHING IS TH~T
THE TOTAL ~ENGTH OF THESE SLOTS IN A 3" TUBE IS AT LEAST 100"
IN LENGTH TO LIFT T~EIR FUNCTION WELL ABOVE THAT OF THE
PRIOR ART CONTINUOUS GAP, ~ 13 r~

T - 7~ n - c ~2 ~

THE PRESENT INVENTION IS TO BE COMPARED WITH THAT
PRIOR ART WHICH DISCLOSES CONTINUOUS GAPS IN THE WALLS OF
TUBES. MORE SPFCIFICALLY, THE MEASURE OF THE EFFECTIVE
OPENINGS PROVIDED BY THE PRESENT INVENTION IS BASED ON A
SINGLE, CONTINUOUS GAP AS DISCLOSED BY THE PRIOR ART. THE

AREA PROVIDED BY A SINGLE,CONTINUOUS GAP IS REQUIRED TO
ATTAIN THE EFFICIENCY OF SEPARATION DESIRED, IN MAKING
THIS COMPARISON) IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THE CONTINUOUS GAP
IS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED AS AN INTERRUPTION IN THE WALL OF
A SINGLE TUBE WITHIN WHI~H THE MIXTURE OF GAS AND LIQUID
IS VORTEXED, OR THE GAP IS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED AS BETWEEN
TWO TUBE SECTIONS, AXIALLY ALIGNED AND SPACED FROM EACH
OTHER TO FORM THE CONTINUOUS GAP. THUS, THE PRIOR ART
DISCLOSING CONTINUOUS GAPS FORMS A BASE FOR DEFINING THE
INVENTION AS EMBODIED IN GAPS, OR OPENTNGS, AT LEAST TEN
1IMES THAT PRCVIDED BY THE SINGLE CON~INUOUS GAP OF THE
PRIOR ART.
DISTRIBUTION._ARRAN'GE~1E~T AN~ ~UM~ER OF 0PENIN-GS
FIG. ~
FIG. 2 DISCLOSES A FOR~ WHIC5~ IS READILY FABRICATED
FOR OPENINGS IN THE SEPARATOR TUBE'. GIVEN RECTANGULAR SHAPE

SLOTS 20 CAN BE ~SED TO OBTAIN THE DESIRED EFFICIENCY, IF (20) ~5 THE MORE-OR-LESS STANDARD 1/~" ~IDTH IS USED, THE EFFICIENCY
REQUIREMENTS MAY BE CONVENIENTLY ES1'ABLISHED IN TERMS OF
TOTAL LENGTH. AS AN EXAMPLE, A 3 SEPARATOR TUBE WILL
REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF 100' OF 1/~' WIDTH OPENINGS OF THIS
RECTANGULAR FORM.
THE INVENTION IS NOT TO BE LIMITED IN ANY WAY TO
RECTANGULAR SLOTS ORIENTED IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF

... . ...
~ , . .

I-7~011~-C

THE SEPARATOR TUBE. THIS ARRANGEMENT IS DISCLOSED IN FIG, 2 BUT IT IS NO MORE LIMITING THAN THE FACT THAT THE SLOTS THEM-SELVES ARE SHOWN AS RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE. THE SLOTS MAY BE
ARRANGED AS OPENINGS THROUGH THE SEPARATO~ TUBE WALL AT AN
ANGLE TO A PLANE NORMAL THE AXIS OF THE SEPARATOR TUBE. NO
EVIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANCE INDICATES THE FUNCTIONAL ADVANTAGE
IN SEPARATION IF THE SLOTS ARE SO ARRANGED. HOWEVER, THE
INVENTION CERTAINLY CONTEMPLATES THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE
MAY BE AT LEAST SOME FABRICATING ADVANTAGE OF SUCH ARRANGEMENTS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE SLOTS ARE NOT REGIMENTED INTO
SHARP, CORNERED RECTANGLES~ IT IS WELL WITHIN THE SCOPE OF
THE INYENTION FOR THE SLOTS TO HAVE ROUNDED END PROFILES TO
WHICH THE TERM 'OBLONGn MAY BE APPLIED, IN FIG. 2, THE OPENINGS ARE DISCLOSD AS FORMED
IN THE TUBE WALL DEVELOPED IN A PLANE. THIS DRAWING CON-VENTION HAS THE AD~ANTAGE OF SHOWING CLEARLY THE SHAPE AND
ARRANCEMENT OF THE OPENINGSJ ALTHOUGH OBVIOUSLY THE VIEW IS
OF A FLAT SHEET OF MATERIAL, WHICH WILL BE FORMED INTO THE
HOLLOW CYLINDER OF THE SEPARATOR TUBE.
FIG. 3 ~ IG. 3 IL!USTRATES A CIR~ULAR FORM AND SCATTERED
DISTRIBUTION OF OPENING~ 15, IN THE WALL 16 OF A SEPARATOR ~1~3 TUBE, SIMILAR TO THAT OF FIG, 1. THIS FIGURE IS OFFERED
SIMPLY TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE SHAPE OF THE OPENINGS IN THE
WALL OF THE SEPARATOR TUBE MAY VARY FROM THE SHAPE OF
~PENINGS 8 DISCLOSED IN FIG~ 1~ AND VARIATIONS AS DISCUSSED
IN CONNECTION WITH FIGI 2, ~OR SO LONG AS THE TOTAL AREA
OF OPENINGS FALLS WITHIN THE SIZE FORMULATED WITHIN THE
CONCEPT, SEPARATION WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE EFFICIENCY
REQUIRED.

- lS -, . . ....

~ 6~

AS IN FIG. 2, FIG. 3 DISCLOSES THE DEVELOPED WALL
OF THE SEPARATOR TUBE. THE WALL IS DEVELOPED IN A PLANE TO
DISCLOSE CLEARLY THAT THE OPENINGS 15 ARE CIRCULAR. AGAIN, THE WALL DISCLOSED WILL BE FORMED INTO A HOLLOW CYLINDER
FOR THE TUBULAR SEPARATOR.
FLGI_4 FIG. 4 DISCLOSES A VERY PRACTICAL EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION, WHEREIN A PLURALITY OF SEPARATOR TUBES ARE VERTI-CALLY MOUNTED WITHIN A COMMON GAS-TIGHT CASING, 0BVIOUSLY, THERE ARE FLOW STREAMS OF LIQUID AND GASJ WHICH REQUIRE THE
GAS CAPACITY AFFORDED BY A NUMBER OF TUBES. THEREFORE, IN
FIG. 4~ IT IS ILLUSTRATED HOW A PLURALITY OF SEPARATOR TUBES
25 MAY BE MOUNTED IN A VESSEL 26 WITH A COMMON CHAMBER 27J (25}
INTO WHICH THE SEPARATOR TUBE WALL OPENINGS EJECT THEIR (27 LIQUID LOADS. THE MIXTURES OF LIOUIDS AND GAS TO BE

CONDUIT 29. - (29) THERE IS A PECULIAR PROBLEM IN THE MULTI-TUBULAR
SEPARATOR ARRANGEMENT. IF THE INDIVIDUAL TUBES ARE SPACED
CLDSE TO EACH OTHER, THE LIQUID EJECTED THROUGH THE WALL
OPENINGS OF ONE TUBE WILL CONTACT THE WALL OF AN ADJACENT
TUBE. THE NATURAL FLOW OF CARRIER GAS OF THE TUBE WALL
OPENINGS WILL RE-ENTRAIN SUCH LIQUID AND CARRY IT BACK
INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE TUBE, 0BVIOUSLY, A PATH MUST BE
PROVIDED FOR THE LIQUID EMITTED FROM ALL TUBE~ TO ENABLE
THE LIQUID TO GRAVITATE TO A LOWER COLLECTION OF THE LIQUID
IN C~IAMBER 27,-STRATEGICALLY PLACED SOLIV BAFFLES 28 ARE POSITIONED (28) BETWEEN ADJAC~NT SEPARATOR TUBES 25 TO FORM INTERCEPTING AND
DRAINAGE SURFACES FOR LIQUID EJECTED FROM THE SEPARATOR TUBES.

T-7~30110-r:

IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT ANY LIQUID FROM THE TUBES LANDING

SURFACE TO JOIN THE LOWER LIQUID COLLECTION.
LITTLE IMAGINATION IS REQUIRED UNDER THE GUIDELINES
OF THE DISCLOSURE TO CONCLUDE THAT THE INVENTION IS NOT
LI~1ITED TO A YERTICAL ORIENTATION OF THE SEPARATOR TUBES 25.
THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT IS THE VERTICAL ARRANGEMENT DISCLOSED, BUT IT IS READILY CONCEIVABLE THAT THE OVERALL DESIGN COULD
REQUIRE HORI~ONTAL ORIENTATION OF SIMILAR SEPARATOR TUBES.
FURTHER, IT SHOULD NOW BE APPARENT THAT A SEPARATOR TUBE
ORIENTATIONJ OTHER THAN VERTICAL, WILL REQUIRE MODIFICATION
OF THE BAFFLES BETWEEN THE TUBES, IN ORDER THAT THE BAFFLES
FUNCTION AS CONTACT AND DRAINAGE SURFACES FOR THE LIQUID DIS-CHARGED FROM THE SEPARATOR TUBES.
~RAPHE~ PERFORMANCE
FIG.5 FIG. 5 IS A GRAPHICAL PLOT, WITH WHICH THE CARRYOVER
LIQUID OUTPUT OF A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SEPARATOR IS COMPARED
WITH TUBE WALL SLOTS OF VARIOUS TOTAL LENGTHS. THE DATA IS
~0 STABILIZED WITH A 3" DIAMETER SEPARATOR TUBE AND SLOT-SHAPED
OPENINGS SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8" IN WIDTH.
THE CONTRAST~BETWEEN THE PRIOR ART PERFORMANCE, USING RECOMBINED FORCED CARRIER GAS AND NON-RECIRCULATED
NATURAL CARRIER GAS FLOW, IS SHOWN BY PLOTS A AND B. ~LOT A
~5 SHOWS THE VARIATION OF CARRYOVER, WITH A SPECIFIED AMOUNT OF
FORCED CARRIER GAS, WHICH IS RECOMBINED WITH THE MAIN FLOW, AND PLOT ~ SHOWS THE VARIATION OF CARRYOVER, WITH ONLY
NATURAL CARRIER GAS, THE FIRST ABSCISSA OF THE GRAPHICAL PLOT IS SIMPLY
IN TERMS OF TOTAL LENGTH OF 1/8 WIDTH SLOTS. THE SECOND

T-780110-~.

~BSCISSA IS IN TERMS OF MULTIPLES OF THE LENGTH OF A CON-TINUOUS GAP OPENING IN THE WALL.
FIRSTJ IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE USE OF THE FORCED
CARRIER GAS RECOMBINATION SYSTEM DOES HAVE A RANGE OF PER-FORMANCE BETTER THAN THE NATURAL CARRIER GAS FLOW SYSTE~I, ~IOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCES DIMIrJISH AS THE GAP LENGTH IN-CREASES. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, THE GAP LENGTH OF 100 AND
ABOVE SHOWS A TREMENDOUS DECREASE IN CARRYOVER, COMPARED
WITH THE PRIOR ART 1, 2, 3 CONTINUOUS GAPS, ALSO, AT THIS
POINT OF GAIN, IN THE DIMINISHMENT OF CARRYOVER, THE MULTIPLE
OF TEN BECO~ES SIGNIFICANT, THE CONCLUSION IS THAT IN THE
~" DIAMETER TUBE, THE DATA CLEARLY SUPPORTS 100 AND ABOVE
WITH THE TOTAL GAP LENGTH AS THE TREMENDOUS GAIN WITH THE
PRESENT INVENTION, COMPANION TO THIS DATA IS THE MULTIPLE
OF TEN OF THE SINGLE, CONTINUOUS GAP TYPE OPENINGS. THE
GAIN DOES LEVEL OFF~ THE GAP OF FIG. 5 EVIDENCES THIS GAIN
AS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT FROM 200'~ OR A 20 ONE-GAP
MULTIPLE AND BEYOND. IN THIS REGION, IT IS TO BE NOTED THAT
THE USE OF RECOMBINED FORCED CARRIER GAS MAKES NO SIGNIFICANT
~0 DIFFERENCE, FIG. ~ ~
FIG, 6 GIVES FURTHER DATAJ WHICH BINDS THE CONCEPT
MORE TIGHTLY TO THE ACTUAL REDUCTION TO PRACTICE, IN THIS
GRAPH, CARRYOVER IS NOW PLOTTED AGAINST VARIATIONS OF GAP
7.~ WIDTH, AGAIN, THE 3 DIAMETER SEPARATOR TUBE PERFORMANCE
IS ANALYZED, PLOT A SHOWS THE CARRYOVER VARIATION AND THE
SINGLE,CONTINUOUS GAP WIDTH IS VARIED OVER A RANGE INCLUDING
1/8 ~O 1/2 , nBVIOUSLY, THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE ONE-GAP
SYSTEM IS IN THE 1/8 TO 1/4 RANGE, PLOT B OF THE GRAPH OF
FIG. 6 SHOWS THE CARRYOVER PERFOR~IANCE OF 250 TOTAL LENGTH
GAP SYSTEM WITH WIDTHS VARIED TO INCLUDE 1/8' TO 1/2".

--~ T-780110-C

0BVIOUSLY, THE 1/8' TO 1/4" RANGE HAS T~E BETTER PERFORMANCE, , Q~CL~SIQN
THE SCOPE OF THE INVENTION BECOMES MORE EVIDENT
WITH EACH PIECE OF DATA ACCUMULATED. LOGICALLY, THE I~VEN-TION WAS GROUNDED UPON THE TESTING OF THE PRIOR ART UNDERPRACTICAL FIELD CONDITIONS. SURPRISING DEFICIENCIES WERE
UNCOVERED, IT SUDDENLY BECAME EVIDENT THAT THE STEPPED GAP
SYSTEM, OR ANY OTH~R 1, 2, 3 GAP SYSTEM, WAS NOT AS GOOD AS
HAD BEEN ASSUMED. THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE ADDITION OF ONE
OR TWO EXTRA CONTINUOUS GAPS COULD BE PROVIDED IN THE SERIES

DATA TAKEN AT ELEVATED PRESSURES, WHILE THESE OLD IDEAS
CRUMBLED, NEW CONCEPTS TOOK THEIR PLACE5.
UNDER THE NEW CONCEPTS, A GREAT LEAP FORWARD WAS
MADE IN THE TOTAL AREA OF OPENINGS PROVIDED IN THE WALLS OF
THE TUBULAR SEPARATOR. SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH, THIS AREA EX-PANSION ATTAINED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AT TEN TI~IES
THE OLD SINGLE, CONTINUOUS GAP AREA. 0F COURSE, THE FORMU-LATION OF THIS IMPROVEMENT, IN TERMS OF TOTAL GAP LENGTHS, WAS SIMPLY AN ALTERNATE EXPRESSION OF THE AREA TO BE PRO-VIDED BY THE OPENINGS IN THE SEPARATOR WALL, AT THE SAME TIME THE TUBE WALL OPENING AREA WAS
BEIN~ EXPANDED, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE NEED TO RECOMBINE
THE CARRIER GAS WAS ANACHRONISTIC. ANOTHER LONG-HELD BELIEF
TUMBLED. THE PROMISE OF SIMPLIFICATION RESIDES IN THE CONCEPT
THAT FORCED CARRIER GAS ROUTES NEED NOT BE PROVIDED, FROM THE FOREGO1NG, IT WILL BE SEEN THAT THIS INVEN-~ION IS ONE WEIL ADAPTED TO ATTAIN ALL OF THE ENDS AND OBJECTS
HEREINABOVE SET FORTH, TOGETHER WITH OTHER ADVANTAGES WHICH
ARE OBVIOUS AND INHERENT TO THE METHOD AND APPARATUS, T-7801 1~)-C

IT WILL BE UNDERSTOOD THAT CERTAIN FEATURES AND
SUBCOMBINATIONS ARE OF UTILITY AND MAY BE EMPLOYED WITHOUT
.~
REFERENCE TO OTHER FEATURES AND SUBCOMBINATIONS. THIS IS
CONTEMPLATED BY AND IS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE INVENTION.
S AS MANY POSSIBLE EMBODIMENTS MAY BE MADE OF THE
INVENTION WITHOUT DEPARTING FROM THE SCOPE THEREOF, IT IS
TO BE UNDERSTOOD THAT ALL MATTER HEREIN SET FORTH OR SHOWN
IN THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS IS TO BE INTERPRETED IN AN
ILLUSTRATIVE AND NOT IN A LIMITING SENSE.
10`

~0 ~5 ~0 .

Claims (5)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A LIQUID-GAS SEPARATOR, INCLUDING, A TUBE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE IN ITS FIRST END A GAS IN
WHICH LIQUID IS ENTRAINED, MEANS AT THE FIRST END OF THE TUBE FOR FORMING A VORTEX
OF THE LIQUID AND GAS ENTERING THE FIRST END OF THE TUBE WHICH
FORCES THE LIQUID TO THE INTERNAL WALL OF THE TUBE, ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH THE WALL OF THE TUBE WHEREIN
EACH ELONGATED OPENING HAS A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8" AND IS
EXTENDED IN A PLANE NORMAL THE AXIS OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN THE
ELONGATED OPENINGS ARE DISTRIBUTED ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH
OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN THE TOTAL AREA OF ALL THE OPENINGS IS
AT LEAST TEN TIMES THAT OF THE AREA OF A CONTINUOUS CIRCUM-FERENTIAL OPENING 1/8" WIDE THROUGH THE WALL OF A TUBE OF THE
SAME DIAMETER, A CASING SEALED SUBSTANTIALLY GAS TIGHT TO THE EXTERNAL
WALL OF THE TUBE ABOVE AND BELOW THE ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH
THE TUBE WALL AND WHEREIN THE CASING FORMS A CHAMBER WITH THE
EXTERNAL TUBE WALL IN WHICH THE LIQUID PASSING THROUGH THE
ELONGATED OPENINGS COLLECTS, THE TUBE HAVING A SECOND END PROVIDING A GAS OUTLET
FROM WHICH GAS IS WITHDRAWN AFTER THE LIQUID HAS BEEN FORCED
THROUGH THE TUBE WALL OPENINGS, AND A CONDUIT CONNECTED TO THE CHAMBER THROUGH WHICH THE
LIQUIDS COLLECTED IN THE CHAMBER ARE WITHDRAWN.

2. THE SEPARATOR OF CLAIM 1, IN WHICH, EACH OF THE ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH THE TUBE WALL
IS IN THE FORM OF A RECTANGLE.

3. A SEPARATOR FOR MIXTURES OF GAS AND LIQUID, INCLUDING, A TUBE HAVING A FIRST END AND A SECOND END, A MEANS AT THE FIRST END OF THE TUBE FOR DEVELOPING THE

ORCE OF A VORTEX ON A GAS IN WHICH LIQUID IS ENTRAINED WHICH
FLOWS INTO THE FIRST TUBE END, A MULTIPLICITY OF ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH THE WALL
OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN EACH ELONGATED OPENING IS IN A PLANE
NORMAL THE AXIS OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN EACH ELONGATED OPENING
IS SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8" IN WIDTH AND THE TOTAL LENGTH OF ALL THE
ELONGATED OPENINGS IS AT LEAST TEN TIMES THE LENGTH OF A
CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL-OPENING OF SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8" WIDTH
THROUGH THE WALL OF A TUBE OF THE SAME DIAMETER, A CASING SEALED SUBSTANTIALLY GAS TIGHT TO THE EXTERNAL
WALL OF THE TUBE ABOVE AND BELOW THE OPENINGS IN THE TUBE WALL
AND FORMING A CHAMBER EXTERNAL THE TUBE WALL IN WHICH THE LIQUID
FROM THE OPENINGS COLLECTS, AND A CONDUIT CONNECTED THROUGH THE WALL OF THE CHAMBER
THROUGH WHICH THE LIQUIDS COLLECTED IN THE CHAMBER ARE WITHDRAWN, WHEREBY GAS SEPARATED FROM THE LIQUIDS IS FLOWED FROM
THE SECOND END OF THE TUBE.

4. THE SEPARATOR OF CLAIM 3, IN WHICH, EACH OF THE MULTIPLICITY OF ELONGATED OPENINGS THROUGH
THE WALL OF THE TUBE IS IN THE FORM OF A RECTANGLE,

5. A METHOD FOR SEPARATING GAS AND ENTRAINED LIQUID WITH A
TUBE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS AND HAVING ELONGATED OPENINGS
THROUGH THE WALL OF THE TUBE WHEREIN EACH ELONGATED OPENING HAS
A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY 1/8" AND IS EXTENDED IN A PLANE NORMAL
THE AXIS OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN THE ELONGATED OPENINGS ARE
DISTRIBUTED ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH OF THE TUBE AND WHEREIN
THE TOTAL AREA OF ALL THE OPENINGS IS AT LEAST TEN TIMES THAT
OF THE AREA OF A CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL OPENING 1/8" WIDE
THROUGH THE WALL OF A TUBE OF THE SAME DIAMETER, INCLUDING, CONDUCTING GAS AND ENTRAINED LIQUID INTO THE FIRST END
OF THE TUBE, VORTEXING THE GAS AND LIQUID TO FORCE THE LIQUID THROUGH

THE ELONGATED OPENINGS IN THE WALL OF THE TUBE, APPLYING A PRESSURE TO THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF THE TUBE
WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE PRESSURE INSIDE THE TUBE, COLLECTING THE LIQUID FLOWING THROUGH THE WALL OPENINGS
OF THE TUBE, WITHDRAWING THE LIQUIDS FROM THE COLLECTION, AND WITHDRAWING THE GAS FROM THE SECOND END OF THE TUBE.