FR2982501A1 - DEVICE FOR SEPARATING A HETEROGENEOUS MIXTURE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for separating a heterogeneous mixture of at least two immiscible liquids comprising an enclosure (2) containing a frustoconical sieve (3) positioned so that its axis of revolution is vertical, said screen (3) defining the boundary between the upper part (4) and the lower part (5) of said enclosure (2), said screen (3) comprising at its apex (7) a first opening (8) intended to allow the passage of said heterogeneous mixture in the lower part (5) of said enclosure (2), communicating with the outside of said enclosure (2), said enclosure (2) comprising a second opening (9), intended to allow the evacuation from the enclosure (2) of the densest liquid, positioned in its lower part (5) and a third opening (10), intended to allow the evacuation from the enclosure (2) of the least dense liquid positioned in the upper part (5) of said enclosure (2) characterized in that the perforations (11) of said screen (3) are aligned on a series of non-intersecting curves (12) each extending from the edge of the first opening (8) to the base (6) of the sieve (3), each of said curves (12) being characterized by the angle alpha formed by the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said frustoconical sieve (3) and the highest point of said curve (12) and the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said screen (3) and the lowest point of said curve (12) and in that the non-intersecting curves of said series has a substantially identical angle alpha.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for separating a heterogeneous mixture of at least two immiscible liquids. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for removing the water present in a fuel. The device according to the invention is more particularly intended to be used upstream of a heat engine.

PRIOR ART The use of a heat engine in a highly humid environment is made difficult by the contamination of the fuel with water from the ambient environment. The presence of water in the fuel causes an increase in the pollution emitted by the engine and a deterioration of the mechanical parts thereof. This situation is often encountered for boat engines and that of all vehicles operating in extreme hygrometric conditions. As it is difficult to prevent the entry of water at the tank, settling filters are placed between the tank and the engine, to filter the water fuels. These filters have several disadvantages related to their structure and their operating principle. First of all, these filters are often made of aluminum and the sulphation of this metal causes oxidation of the metal parts and makes the decanter filter unusable. In addition, the presence of a filter cartridge increases the resistance to the passage of fuel and requires additional effort of the fuel pump. These settling filters are also a major source of waste because they use disposable filter cartridges that are difficult to recycle. A fuel / water separation device which is not waste generating and does not induce resistance to the passage of the fuel is therefore of great use. US Pat. No. 4,257,890 discloses a separating funnel comprising a conical steel screen through which water is separated from the fuel and is deposited by gravity at the bottom of the ampoule. However, this type of device is not commonly used. There is therefore a need to improve the latter type of device. Summary of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for separating a heterogeneous mixture of at least two immiscible liquids comprising an enclosure containing a frustoconical sieve positioned so that its axis of revolution is vertical, said sieve defining the boundary between the upper part and the lower part of said enclosure, said screen comprising at its apex a first opening intended to allow the passage of said heterogeneous mixture in the lower part of said enclosure, communicating with the outside of said enclosure, said enclosure comprising a second opening, intended to allow the evacuation from the enclosure of the densest liquid, positioned in its lower part and a third opening, intended to allow the evacuation from the enclosure of the least liquid dense, positioned in the upper part of said remarkable enclosure in that the perforatio ns of said sieve are aligned on a series of non-intersecting curves each extending from the edge of the first opening to the base of the sieve, each of said curves being characterized by the angle α formed by the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said sieve ALPHX1-FR-1_TEXTE DEPOSE_SO-GE - 3 frustoconical and the highest point of said curve and the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said sieve and the lowest point of said curve and in that the curves secants of said series has a substantially identical angle a. During the passage of the heterogeneous mixture through the sieve, the particular orientation of the perforations causes a swirling movement of said mixture which increases the efficiency of the separation of immiscible liquids.

"The angle formed by the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said frustoconical sieve and the highest point of said curve and the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said sieve and the lowest point of said curve We mean the acute angle formed by the two planes.

By "substantially identical" is meant that the difference between the largest angle and the smallest angle is less than 4 °, preferably less than 2 ° and quite preferentially less than 1 °.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, more than 90% and even more preferably more than 95% of the perforations present on said sieve are aligned on a series of non-intersecting curves each extending from the edge of the first opening. at the base of the sieve surface. According to a preferred embodiment, said screen is covered with a material that promotes coalescence. By "coated" is meant to mean that at least a portion of the material constituting said sieve, in contact with the external medium is a material promoting coalescence. According to a most preferred embodiment, said material promoting coalescence is based on polyamide. The applicant has found that the presence of this material greatly increases the coalescence of the water at the level of the sieve and improves the efficiency of the device according to the invention. According to an even more preferred embodiment, said screen consists of a material promoting coalescence. According to a preferred embodiment, the perforations have the form of quadrilateral whose largest side to a size less than 3 mm, preferably less than 2 mm and quite preferably less than 1 mm. According to a preferred embodiment, said screen comprises between 10 and 30 perforations / cm 2 and preferably between 15 and 25 perforations / cm 2. According to a preferred embodiment, said enclosure is cylindrical. According to a preferred embodiment, the angle a is between 15 ° and 25 °. According to a preferred embodiment, said second opening is closed by a valve. The presence of this valve makes it possible to open and close intermittently said second opening. According to a preferred embodiment, said frustoconical sieve is positioned so that its top is above its base. According to a preferred embodiment of separation device according to the invention comprises two screens, as described above, superimposed defining the boundary between the upper part and the lower part of said enclosure, the upper screen comprising at its apex a first opening, intended to allow the passage of said heterogeneous mixture in the lower part of said enclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a device according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 2 shows a top view of a frustoconical sieve used in the context of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS According to the first embodiment, the separation device 1 according to the invention comprises an enclosure 2 10 containing a frustoconical sieve 3 positioned such that its axis of revolution is vertical, said sieve defining the boundary between the upper part 4 and the lower part 5 of said enclosure 2. It will be understood that the two parts of the enclosure can communicate not only via the perforations of the frustoconical sieve 3 but also at the periphery of the base of the frustoconical sieve 3. enclosure 2 is preferably made of molded plastic and even more preferably transparent plastic. The transparency of the wall of the enclosure allows the user to verify the proper functioning of the device 1 according to the invention. The enclosure 2 is preferably wholly or partly cylindrical. Most preferably, the upper portion 4 of the enclosure 2 is cylindrical. The diameter of the base 6 of the frustoconical sieve 3 is preferably chosen such that said base 6 is in contact with said enclosure 2. The screen 3 comprises at its top 7 a first opening 8, intended to allow the passage of said mixture heterogeneous in the lower part of said enclosure 2, communicating with the outside of said enclosure 3. The communication with the outside of the enclosure 2 is preferably carried out via a pipe 81. ALPHX1-FR-1_TEXT DEPOSE_SO-GE - 6 - - Furthermore, the chamber 2 comprises a second opening 9, intended to allow the evacuation from the enclosure of the densest liquid, positioned in its lower part. Preferably, the opening 9 is positioned at the lowest point of the enclosure 2 to improve the discharge of the densest liquid (e.g. water). Advantageously, the bottom of the chamber 2 forms a funnel and the opening 9 is placed at the lowest point of this funnel.

Finally, said enclosure 2 comprises a third opening 10, intended to allow evacuation from the enclosure of the less dense liquid, positioned in the upper part of said enclosure. It is thus understood that the mixture enters, via the pipe 81, in the lower part 5 of the enclosure 2. It will then be pumped through the opening 10 in the upper part thereof. The passage of the mixture via the perforations 11 of the sieve 3 causes the coalescence of the water at the upper surface of the sieve. The water will therefore take the form of droplets that will run down the surface of the sieve 3 to its base 6, then join by gravity the bottom of the chamber 2 and finally be discharged via the opening 9. Only , the least dense liquid (eg pure fuel) will therefore be pumped via the opening 10. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the perforations 11 of the sieve 3 are aligned on a series of non-intersecting curves 12 each extending from the edge of the first opening 8 at the base of the surface of the screen 6, each of said curves being characterized by the angle α formed by the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said frustoconical sieve and the highest point of said curve and the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said sieve and the lowest point ALPHX1-FR-1_TEXTE DEPOSE_SO-GE - 7 - of said curve. Moreover, the non-intersecting curves of said series have a substantially identical angle α. The applicant has been able to demonstrate that this particular arrangement of the perforations improves the coalescence effect of the water at the level of the frustoconical sieve 3. This effect is further reinforced by the use of a material that promotes coalescence level of the frustoconical sieve 3.

Industrial Application The present invention is particularly useful in combination with a heat engine. This invention is particularly useful in highly humid environments such as the marine environment and equatorial climates and in environments where condensation occurs inside the tanks. ALPHX1-EN-1_TEXT DEPOSE_SO-GE

Claims (9)

CLAIMS1- Device (1) for separating a heterogeneous mixture of at least two immiscible liquids comprising an enclosure (2) containing a frustoconical sieve (3) positioned so that its axis of revolution is vertical, said sieve (3) defining the boundary between the upper part (4) and the lower part (5) of said enclosure (2), said screen (3) comprising at its top (7) a first opening (8) intended to allow the passing said heterogeneous mixture into the lower part (5) of said enclosure (2), communicating with the outside of said enclosure (2), said enclosure (2) comprising a second opening (9), intended to allow the evacuation outside the enclosure (2) the densest liquid, positioned in its lower part (5) and a third opening (10), intended to allow the evacuation out of the enclosure (10) of the least dense liquid positioned in the upper part (5) of said enclosure ( 2) characterized in that the perforations (11) of said sieve (3) are aligned on a series of non-intersecting curves (12) each extending from the edge of the first opening (8) to the base (6) of the sieve (3), each of said curves (12) being characterized by the angle α formed by the plane passing through the axis of revolution of said frustoconical sieve (3) and the highest point of said curve (12) and the plane 25 passing through the axis of revolution of said screen (3) and the lowest point of said curve (12) and in that the non-intersecting curves of said series has a substantially identical angle a. ALPHX1-EN-1_TEXT DEPOSE_SO-GE- 9 - 2 - Device (1) for separation according to claim 1 characterized in that said screen (3) is covered with a material promoting coalescence. 3 - Device (1) for separation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said sieve (3) consists of a material promoting coalescence. 4 - Device (1) for separation according to one of 2 or 3 characterized in that said material promoting coalescence is based on polyamide. 5- Device (1) for separation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the perforations (11) the perforations have the form of quadrilateral whose largest side to a size less than 3 mm. 6 - Device (1) for separation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said screen (3) comprises between 10 to 30 perforations / cm2. 7 - Device (1) for separation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said enclosure (2) is cylindrical. 8 - Device (1) for separation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the angle 30 is between 15 ° and 25 °. 9- Device (1) for separation according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said second opening (9) is closed by a valve. ALPHX1-EN-1_TEXT DEPOSE_SO-GE