CA2270152A1 - Apparatus and method for removing entrained liquid from gas or air - Google Patents

Apparatus and method for removing entrained liquid from gas or air Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2270152A1
CA2270152A1 CA002270152A CA2270152A CA2270152A1 CA 2270152 A1 CA2270152 A1 CA 2270152A1 CA 002270152 A CA002270152 A CA 002270152A CA 2270152 A CA2270152 A CA 2270152A CA 2270152 A1 CA2270152 A1 CA 2270152A1
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
gas
bed
liquid
solid material
porous solid
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002270152A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ian S. Parker
Robert J. Mckenzie
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HYDRO PACIFIC TECHNOLOGIES Inc
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of CA2270152A1 publication Critical patent/CA2270152A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D53/00Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
    • B01D53/26Drying gases or vapours
    • B01D53/266Drying gases or vapours by filtration
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D46/00Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours
    • B01D46/30Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using loose filtering material

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Filtering Of Dispersed Particles In Gases (AREA)

Abstract

Apparatus for removing liquid entrained or dissolved in gas from the gas which includes a distributor (82) located proximate an inlet region of a bed (74) containing a network of channels bounded by solid material having sharp protuberances, so as to cause the liquid entrained in the gas to condense, for directing the gas through said bed (74). A collector (87), located proximate an outlet region of said bed (74), is operative to collect the liquid that has condensed in the bed (74) and to direct the gas which emerges from the bed (74) away from the bed.

Description

.,. .., . a . . " ".. .. ..
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REMOVING ENTRAINED
AND DISSOLVED LIQUID FROM GAS OR AIR
FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for removing entrained and dissolved liquid from gas or air.
BACKGROUND
It is known in the art to pass gas through a filter bed so as to remove suspended impurities. However, the accumulation of impurities in the filter bed tends to clog the bed and inhibit further gas flow.
Moreover, moisture trapped in the gas tends not to precipitate in the filter bed. Filter beds of desiccant materials such as silica gel or calcium chloride have been used as in U.S. Patent No. 3,465,503 issued to Henderson and U.S. Patent No. 913,325 issued to Touzimsky. In the latter Patent the airflow is around the outside of a central cylinder of the desiccant bed.
Materials such as fibre glass and steel mesh are known for use in removing entrained but not dissolved liquid from a gas stream. U.S.
Patent No. 5,061,300 issued to Alexander, III describes a coalesces filter which removes liquid from air. It relies on air passing first upwardly through a fibrous metallic coalescing material, and then downwardly through a filter material.
Canadian Patent No. 1,125,671 issued to John R. McKenzie discloses an apparatus for filtering moisture and impurities from natural gas utilizing a gravel bed as a filter and a series of metal baffle plates to inhibit gas flow. Gravel particles greater than one inch are used. The bed is such that only filtering is accomplished without any reduction in the dew point. Thus, dissolved liquid in the gas is not removed leaving significant moisture still in the gas.
- . ~ ..n.:. _ _ -~l.r~~

. ,_.
~ ~ 9 s i ~ v ~ v ~~ ~ sv It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for removing liquid entrained and dissolved in gas from the gas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided apparatus for removing liquid entrained or dissolved in gas from the gas. The apparatus includes a distributor located proximate an inlet region of a bed containing a network of channels bounded by non-porous solid material having sharp protuberances so as to cause the liquid to condense. Further included is a collector located proximate an outlet region of the bed operative to collect the liquid that has condensed in the bed and direct the gas which emerges from the bed away from the bed. Prior efforts have removed the mist or non-dissolved moisture in air but not the dissolved moisture. As a result the present apparatus causes a reduction in the dew point of the gas that passes through the device.
The non-porous solid material may be formed by particulates and may, in fact, be gravel. A further refinement which increases liquid extraction efficiency is to mix sand with the gravel.
The means for directing may be a plate having an array of holes through which the gas may pass so as to distribute the gas over substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the bed.
The means for collecting may include means for applying gravitational force to the liquid so as to cause it to move in a direction away from the flow of the gas.
Preferably the apparatus may include a housing having an inlet chamber, a filter chamber and an outlet chamber. The inlet chamber r1 ~7jt~TT

., . ", .. ..
may have a gas port for admitting gas therein and a distributor at an input end of the bed for distributing the gas over a cross-sectional area of the bed.
Advantageously the housing may be a cylindrical tank.
In another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of removing liquid entrained or dissolved in gas from the gas which includes directing the gas through a bed containing a network of channels bounded by non-porous solid material having sharp protuberances which cause the liquid entrained in the gas to condense, and collecting the liquid that has condensed and directing the gas which emerges from the bed away from the bed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as other features and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the detailed description which follows, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view in elevation of a vertical arrangement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWING
Referring to Figure 1, a vertical orientation of an apparatus for separating liquids from gases and air is shown in which cylindrical tank 70 has three regions. The first region is an inlet chamber 72 separated by a plate 71 from a second region which is a filter section 74. Filter section 74 is separated by a plate 81 from a third region which is an outlet chamber 76. Inlet pipe 78 forms a passageway for gas or air into the inlet chamber 72. Pipe 80 having an inlet near a closed end of the inlet chamber 72 provides fluid communication between the latter chamber and the filter section 74 through a plurality of 1/2 inch holes 82 spaced one inch apart at .: , _ ~i.r-~.

7 ~ y 1 ' 1 1 1 ,' .. .) , , ., ..
the other end of pipe 80. Filter section 74 is filled with a gravel bed with gravel particles in the range of 1 /4 inch in diameter mixed with sand. The amount of sand may vary from being negligible to any desired amount that may be selected to give a required drying efficiency as balanced against allowed inlet to outlet pressure drop. Plate 81 has a vcentral portion with an array of 1/2 inch holes 84 therethrough, and an annular array of holes 86 around the outside. Beneath the outside holes is a tubular baffle 88 which extends into the outlet chamber 76. A collector 87 at the bottom of outlet chamber 76 collects condensed liquid. A pipe 91 near the top of the outlet chamber 76 provides for the exit of gas while near the bottom is a pipe 92 designed as a passageway for separated liquid.
In this case gas or air enters pipe 78, fills inlet chamber 72 and enters at the top of pipe 80. Typically the pressure in chamber 72 is in the region of 800 to 1200 psi. The gas then passes through holes 82 into the gravel bed in filter section 74. As a result of passing over sharp-edged regions of the granules, the entrained and dissolved liquid in the gas condenses and flows to the outside and downwardly. The liquid passes through holes 86 and into the bottom of outlet chamber 76 where it flows out pipe 92 upon reaching the level of the outlet nozzle 93. Clean gas which emerges through holes 84 exits through outlet port 90 of pipe 91 with very little pressure drop from the pressure in the inlet chamber 72.
Moreover, after passing through the apparatus the dew point of the gas is lowered indicating that entrained and dissolved liquid is being removed from the gas.
It has been found that the efficiency of liquid separation from gas is directly dependent on the amount of sand contained in the gravel bed. For example, with natural gas, sand lowers the moisture content of the gas from 7 pounds per million cubic feet which is obtained with no sand to under 2 pounds per million cubic feet which is obtained with a significant amount of sand.
_. -;::__ .. :-r .., , v ~. ~ sv While gravel and sand have been found to work well in separating liquid from gas, other types of arrangements may be used. For example, drilled nozzle plates or multiple or single orifice devices may be used. Similarly, particles of broken glass with fines Or any other granular material could be used, whether the structure of the particles is ordered or disordered. Materials that work less well would include porous materials such as lava rock. T'he important thing is that the bed contains a network of channels bounded by non-porous solid material having sharp protuberances. No significant cooling of the gas from inlet to outlet is required to achieve condensation.
While gravity separation of condensed liquids has been disclosed in each of the embodiments described above, cyclone or velocity separation systems could be used.
In the present embodiments particle sizes of the order of 1/4 inch have been described. However, the preferred size range depends upon the gas flow rates.
Accordingly, while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.
,..,_.,

Claims (15)

We Claim:
1. Apparatus for removing liquid entrained and dissolved in gas from the gas, said apparatus having a housing (70) with a gas inlet (78), a gas outlet (90) and a fluid outlet (92), comprising:
(a) a distributor (82) located proximate said gas inlet (78);
(b) a bed (74) in said housing (70) containing a network of channels bounded by non-porous solid material having sharp protuberances, so as to cause the liquid entrained and dissolved in the gas to condense, said distributor (82) operative to disperse gas coming from said gas inlet (78) over an inlet end of said bed (74);
(c) a collector (87) located proximate an outlet region of said bed (74) operative to collect the liquid that has condensed in said bed and direct the gas which emerges from said bed (74) away from said bed to said gas outlet (90).
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said non-porous solid material is formed by particulates.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said non-porous solid material is gravel.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said non-porous solid material is gravel mixed with sand.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distributor (82) is a plate having an array of holes through which the gas may pass so as to distribute the gas over substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the bed (74).
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collector (87) is located so that gravitational force is applied to said liquid so as to cause it to move in a direction away from the flow of said gas entering said gas outlet (90).
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said housing (70) has a gas inlet chamber (72) and a gas outlet chamber (76) wherein said gas inlet (78) is located in said gas inlet chamber (72) for admitting gas therein and said gas outlet (90) is located in said gas outlet chamber for conducting gas therefrom.
8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said housing (70) is cylindrical.
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an axis of said housing is horizontal and said collector (87) is located vertically below said bed (74) when said apparatus is in operation.
10. A method of removing liquid entrained and dissolved in gas from the gas, comprising:
(a) directing said gas through a bed (74) containing a network of channels bounded by non-porous solid material having sharp protuberances which cause the liquid entrained and dissolved in the gas to condense without absorbing the liquid; and (b) collecting the liquid that has condensed and directing the gas which emerges from the bed (74) away from the bed.
11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the non-porous solid material is formed by particulates.
12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the non-porous solid material is gravel.
13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the non-porous solid material is gravel and sand.
14. A method according to claim 10, including a distributor mounted at an inlet to said bed to distribute said gas over said inlet region.
15. A method according to claim 10, including a collector near an outlet from said bed positioned to collect liquid condensed in said bed.
CA002270152A 1997-02-14 1997-02-14 Apparatus and method for removing entrained liquid from gas or air Abandoned CA2270152A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/CA1997/000107 WO1998035744A1 (en) 1997-02-14 1997-02-14 Apparatus and method for removing entrained liquid from gas or air

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2270152A1 true CA2270152A1 (en) 1998-08-20

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AU (1) AU1714597A (en)
CA (1) CA2270152A1 (en)
WO (1) WO1998035744A1 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9610524B2 (en) 2012-04-02 2017-04-04 Robert McKenzie Separator for a gas stream
US9744489B2 (en) 2014-07-11 2017-08-29 Robert McKenzie Phase separator using pressure differential

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010035510A1 (en) 2010-08-25 2012-03-01 Areva Np Gmbh Process for pressure relief of a nuclear power plant, pressure relief system for a nuclear power plant and associated nuclear power plant
CN103993873B (en) * 2014-05-29 2017-02-01 淮南矿业(集团)有限责任公司 Pressure measuring device
EP2974782B1 (en) * 2014-07-17 2017-03-08 Antonio Munoz Segura Steam conditioner-separator apparatus
CN104989383A (en) * 2015-07-08 2015-10-21 淮南矿业(集团)有限责任公司 Gas pressure measuring device and gas pressure measuring system

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3751231A (en) * 1971-01-21 1973-08-07 A Niedzielski Apparatus for use in treating fluids
US3653181A (en) * 1971-03-09 1972-04-04 Air Inc Van Deliquescent desiccant gas dryer and method
JPS5850766B2 (en) * 1975-12-09 1983-11-12 川崎重工業株式会社 Shuujin Sochi
US4290785A (en) * 1979-02-12 1981-09-22 Alldredge Robert L Dust collector and method of operation
DE3916624A1 (en) * 1989-05-22 1990-12-06 Ieg Ind Engineering Gmbh FILTER WITH A SCHUETT BODY FILLING
US5512088A (en) * 1994-06-23 1996-04-30 Interglobe Gas Technology, Inc. Separator

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9610524B2 (en) 2012-04-02 2017-04-04 Robert McKenzie Separator for a gas stream
US9744489B2 (en) 2014-07-11 2017-08-29 Robert McKenzie Phase separator using pressure differential

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1998035744A1 (en) 1998-08-20
AU1714597A (en) 1998-09-08

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EEER Examination request
FZDE Discontinued