GB1566220A - Air/liquid separator - Google Patents

Air/liquid separator Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB1566220A
GB1566220A GB1368778A GB1368778A GB1566220A GB 1566220 A GB1566220 A GB 1566220A GB 1368778 A GB1368778 A GB 1368778A GB 1368778 A GB1368778 A GB 1368778A GB 1566220 A GB1566220 A GB 1566220A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
separator
air
mount face
oil
housing
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.)
Expired
Application number
GB1368778A
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.)
Automotive Products PLC
Original Assignee
Automotive Products PLC
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 Automotive Products PLC filed Critical Automotive Products PLC
Priority to GB1368778A priority Critical patent/GB1566220A/en
Publication of GB1566220A publication Critical patent/GB1566220A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D46/00—Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours
    • B01D46/24—Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using rigid hollow filter bodies
    • B01D46/2403—Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using rigid hollow filter bodies characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element
    • B01D46/2411—Filter cartridges
    • B01D46/2414—End caps including additional functions or special forms
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01D—SEPARATION
    • B01D46/00—Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours
    • B01D46/0027—Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours with additional separating or treating functions
    • B01D46/003—Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours with additional separating or treating functions including coalescing means for the separation of liquid
    • B01D46/0031—Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours with additional separating or treating functions including coalescing means for the separation of liquid with collecting, draining means

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Geometry (AREA)
  • Filtering Of Dispersed Particles In Gases (AREA)

Description

(54) AIR/LIQUID SEPARATOR (71) We, AUTOMOTIVE PRoDUcrS LIMITED, a British Company of Tachbrook Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 3ER, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to separators for removing liquid particles from air and in particular to separators in which the filter element is housed in a permanently closed housing.
The use of air/oil separators on, for example compressors for scavenging entrained oil particles from a current of compressed air is well known. Such separators are usually in the form of filter element which is housed within a pressure vessel.
The air is passed through the filter element in the pressure vessel and the scavenged oil is drained out. The pressure vessel typically has an easily removable portion which allows the filter element to be changed as and when is necessary. The removal of a dirty filter element is messy and the whole operation of opening the pressure vessel, changing the element, and re-closing and re-sealing the pressure vessel is time consuming.
The object of the present invention is to provide an air/liquid separator in which the filter element is permanently enclosed in its housing. The filter element is changed by replacing the complete unit, formed from the housing and the enclosed element.
According to the present invention there is provided an air/liquid separator for removing entrained liquid particles from a current of air and having a filter element housed in a permanently closed housing provided at one end with screw threaded means for detachably mounting the housing in an air flow path, said one end also having inlet means for contaminated air, outlet means for clean air, and drainage means for the liquid. said drainage means comprising a simple gravity flow constantly open outlet from said one end of the housing and which provides a separate path for removal of separated liquid from the housing.
Preferably the housing comprises a canister and said one end is constituted by an end plate which is permanently fastened to the mouth of the canister.
Conveniently the drainage means comprises at least one hole through which the separated liquid leaves the housing.
It is preferably for the separator to be mounted in the air flow path on a mount face inclined to the vertical so that the longitudinal axis of the canister is inclined to the horizontal, or alternatively the side walls of the canister may be inclined, so that depth of the separated liquid is greatest adjacent the drainage means.
An embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal cross-section of an air/oil separator according to this invention; and Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section of an alternative separator according to this invention.
With reference to Fig. 1 the air/oil separator 11 comprises a filter element 12 permanently enclosed within a housing 13. The housing 13 is a canister formed from pressed sheet steel and the mouth 14 of the canister is closed by an end plate 15. The outer peripheral portion of the end plate 15 has an annular pressed sheet steel cover 16 fixed thereon by spot welding. The cover 16 secures the end plate to the mouth 14 of the canister by means of a roll over seam 18, provides a location for an annular seal 20 which acts between the separator and a mount face 22, and provides an abutment surface for a second seal 21 located in a groove in the mount face 22.
The filter element 12 is a tubular element which typically comprises two co-axial tubular filters with an air gap between the two filters. The filter element 12 is held in position between the base wall 17 of the canister and the end plate 15 by supports 23 and 24 on the base wall 17 and end plate 15, respectively, which project one into each end of the tubular filter element 12. The supports 23 and 24 also seal against the respective ends of the filter element so that air cannot by-pass the filter element.
The end plate 15 has a central screw threaded hole 25 for detachably mounting the separator 11 onto a like-threaded spigot 26 fixed into the mount face 22 on, for example, a compressor. The mount face 22 can be machined directly onto the body of the compressor, or as illustrated in Fig. 1 can be on a machined block which is then fixed to the compressor. The central screw threaded hole 25 is surrounded by six cir cumferentially spaced apertures 27 and the outer peripheral portions of the plate 15 have a large number of circumferentially spaced drain holes 28 therein which also pass through the annular cover 16. By hav ing sufficient number of holes 28 or by designing the shape of the holes it can be arranged that at least one hole 28 will be in a position to act as a drain hole when the separator is in its operative position.
The separator is sealed against its mount face 22 by a pair of concentric annular rubber seals 20 and 21 which seat against the annular cover 16. The outer seal 21 is housed in a groove in the mount face 22 and seals the outer periphery of the separ ator against the mount face 22. The inner seal 20 is seated in a groove formed in the cover 16 to seal against the mount face 22 and is located radially between the holes 28 and the apertures 27. It has been found that in practice it is possible to dispense with the inner seal 20 and only use an outer seal 21.
The mount face 22 is inclined at 1-1- degrees to the vertical and the spigot 26 in the mount face is likewise inclined to the horizontal so that when the separator 11 is screwed into position on the mount face - the longitudinal axis A of the canister is inclined at 12 degrees to the horizontal HL so that the periphery of the end plate 15 is disnlaced to a lower position than the end wall 17 of the canister, and hence at least one drain hole 28 will be in position where the oil will collect. The drain holes 28 are arranged to drain off the oil before the build up of oil effectively impairs operation of the filter.
The spigot 26 is tubular and the oil con taminated air is delivered through the centre of the spigot 26, and enters the separator 11 through the central hole 25 and hence into the centre of the tubular element 12. The supports 23 and 24 prevent air from passing through ends of the tubular element 12 and the air is therefore filtered through the two cm axial filters. The filtrate air then leaves the separator 11 via the apertures 27 and - passageways 19 in the mount face 22.
The oil contaminated air passes through the tubular filters and the oil is collected on the filter element. The oil tends to collect at the up-stream surfaces of the two co-axial filters and gravitates towards the bottom of the element 12, then drips down to be collected inside the housing 13 and a reservoir of scavenged oil builds up inside the housing. Since the housing is substan tially horizontal the oil collects in an axially extended pool 29 the surface of which forms a chord on the inner circumference of the canister. When the level of oil has reached the height of one of the plurality of drain holes 28 it will drain from the separator, through the hole 28 and go to drain via passageway 30 in the mount face.
An alternative design is shown in Fig. 2, in which the illustrated separator differs only from that separator illustrated in Fig. 1, in that the canister 31 has a tapered form so that the mouth 32 of the canister is wider than the end wall 33. This allows the hous ing to be mounted horizontally, as is shown in Fig. 2, instead of being mounted on an inclined face as previously described for Fig. 1.
The end plate 35 is of the same construc tion as in Fig. 1, in which the drain holes 38 are located in the outer peripheral por tions of the end plate. Therefore if this separator is fitted to a vertical mount face 37, the oil will collect in the lower part of the canister which lies adjacent the drain holes 38.
Also shown in Fig. 2 is the use of only one annular seal 39 acting to seal the outer periphery of the separator unit 11 to the mount face 22, the cleaned air leaving the separator does not pick up the separated oil.
WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An air/liquid separator for removing entrained liquid particles from a current of air and having a filter element housed in a permanently closed housing provided at one end with screw threaded means for detach ably mounting the housing in an air flow path, said one end also having an inlet means for contaminated air, outlet means for clean air, and drainage means for the liquid, said drainage means comprising a simple gravity flow constantly open outlet from said one end of the housing and which provides a separate liquid flow path for the removal of separated liquid from the hous ing.
2. An air/liquid separator according to Claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a canister and the said one end is constituted by an end ,plate which is permanently fastened to the mouth of the canister.
3. An air/liquid separator according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the drainage means comprises at least one drainage hole through which the separated liquid leaves the housing.
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (1)

  1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.
    supports 23 and 24 also seal against the respective ends of the filter element so that air cannot by-pass the filter element.
    The end plate 15 has a central screw threaded hole 25 for detachably mounting the separator 11 onto a like-threaded spigot
    26 fixed into the mount face 22 on, for example, a compressor. The mount face 22 can be machined directly onto the body of the compressor, or as illustrated in Fig. 1 can be on a machined block which is then fixed to the compressor. The central screw threaded hole 25 is surrounded by six cir cumferentially spaced apertures 27 and the outer peripheral portions of the plate 15 have a large number of circumferentially spaced drain holes 28 therein which also pass through the annular cover 16. By hav ing sufficient number of holes 28 or by designing the shape of the holes it can be arranged that at least one hole 28 will be in a position to act as a drain hole when the separator is in its operative position.
    The separator is sealed against its mount face 22 by a pair of concentric annular rubber seals 20 and 21 which seat against the annular cover 16. The outer seal 21 is housed in a groove in the mount face 22 and seals the outer periphery of the separ ator against the mount face 22. The inner seal 20 is seated in a groove formed in the cover 16 to seal against the mount face 22 and is located radially between the holes 28 and the apertures 27. It has been found that in practice it is possible to dispense with the inner seal 20 and only use an outer seal 21.
    The mount face 22 is inclined at 1-1- degrees to the vertical and the spigot 26 in the mount face is likewise inclined to the horizontal so that when the separator 11 is screwed into position on the mount face - the longitudinal axis A of the canister is inclined at 12 degrees to the horizontal HL so that the periphery of the end plate 15 is disnlaced to a lower position than the end wall 17 of the canister, and hence at least one drain hole 28 will be in position where the oil will collect. The drain holes 28 are arranged to drain off the oil before the build up of oil effectively impairs operation of the filter.
    The spigot 26 is tubular and the oil con taminated air is delivered through the centre of the spigot 26, and enters the separator 11 through the central hole 25 and hence into the centre of the tubular element 12. The supports 23 and 24 prevent air from passing through ends of the tubular element 12 and the air is therefore filtered through the two cm axial filters. The filtrate air then leaves the separator 11 via the apertures 27 and - passageways 19 in the mount face 22.
    The oil contaminated air passes through the tubular filters and the oil is collected on the filter element. The oil tends to collect at the up-stream surfaces of the two co-axial filters and gravitates towards the bottom of the element 12, then drips down to be collected inside the housing 13 and a reservoir of scavenged oil builds up inside the housing. Since the housing is substan tially horizontal the oil collects in an axially extended pool 29 the surface of which forms a chord on the inner circumference of the canister. When the level of oil has reached the height of one of the plurality of drain holes 28 it will drain from the separator, through the hole 28 and go to drain via passageway 30 in the mount face.
    An alternative design is shown in Fig. 2, in which the illustrated separator differs only from that separator illustrated in Fig. 1, in that the canister 31 has a tapered form so that the mouth 32 of the canister is wider than the end wall 33. This allows the hous ing to be mounted horizontally, as is shown in Fig. 2, instead of being mounted on an inclined face as previously described for Fig. 1.
    The end plate 35 is of the same construc tion as in Fig. 1, in which the drain holes
    38 are located in the outer peripheral por tions of the end plate. Therefore if this separator is fitted to a vertical mount face 37, the oil will collect in the lower part of the canister which lies adjacent the drain holes 38.
    Also shown in Fig. 2 is the use of only one annular seal 39 acting to seal the outer periphery of the separator unit 11 to the mount face 22, the cleaned air leaving the separator does not pick up the separated oil.
    WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An air/liquid separator for removing entrained liquid particles from a current of air and having a filter element housed in a permanently closed housing provided at one end with screw threaded means for detach ably mounting the housing in an air flow path, said one end also having an inlet means for contaminated air, outlet means for clean air, and drainage means for the liquid, said drainage means comprising a simple gravity flow constantly open outlet from said one end of the housing and which provides a separate liquid flow path for the removal of separated liquid from the hous ing.
    2. An air/liquid separator according to Claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a canister and the said one end is constituted by an end ,plate which is permanently fastened to the mouth of the canister.
    3. An air/liquid separator according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the drainage means comprises at least one drainage hole through which the separated liquid leaves the housing.
    4. A separator as claimed in Claim 3,
    wherein the drainage hole is arranged in said one end such that whne the separator is mounted in the air flow path the drainage hole is effectively lower than the level at which accumulated separated liquid would impair operation of the filter element.
    3. A separator as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the separator is mounted in the flow path on a mount face inclined to the vertical so that the longitudinal axis of the housing is inclined to the horizontal and the depth of separated liquid is greatest adjacent the drainage means in the said one end.
    6. A separator as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the side walls of the housing are inclined to the longitudinal axis of the housing such that the width of the housing is greatest adjacent the said one end so that when the separator is mounted on a vertical mount face the depth of separated oil is greatest adjacent the drainage means in the one end.
    7. A separator as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein said separate liquid flow path includes an annular space between two concentric annular seals acting between said one end of the separator and a mount face on which the separator is detachably mounted, the radially inner seal also serving to prevent air leaks between said one end and said mount face.
    8. An air/liquid separator substantially as described herein and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
GB1368778A 1978-04-07 1978-04-07 Air/liquid separator Expired GB1566220A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1368778A GB1566220A (en) 1978-04-07 1978-04-07 Air/liquid separator

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1368778A GB1566220A (en) 1978-04-07 1978-04-07 Air/liquid separator

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB1566220A true GB1566220A (en) 1980-04-30

Family

ID=10027587

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1368778A Expired GB1566220A (en) 1978-04-07 1978-04-07 Air/liquid separator

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB1566220A (en)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2171027A (en) * 1985-01-24 1986-08-20 Mann & Hummel Filter Apparatus for separating oil droplets from air
EP0278772A1 (en) * 1987-02-13 1988-08-17 Process Scientific Innovations Limited Air/oil separator
EP0888803A2 (en) * 1997-06-30 1999-01-07 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Filter cartridge
US6485535B1 (en) 1998-02-28 2002-11-26 Donaldson Company, Inc. Conically shaped air-oil separator
US6540801B2 (en) 1997-06-27 2003-04-01 Donaldson Company, Inc. Aerosol separator; and method
US8557007B2 (en) 2005-01-19 2013-10-15 Donaldson Company, Inc. Air/oil separator and inlet baffle arrangement
EP2121165B1 (en) * 2006-12-14 2018-03-21 Mann + Hummel GmbH Liquid separator, particularly oil separator for compressed air systems

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2171027A (en) * 1985-01-24 1986-08-20 Mann & Hummel Filter Apparatus for separating oil droplets from air
EP0278772A1 (en) * 1987-02-13 1988-08-17 Process Scientific Innovations Limited Air/oil separator
WO1988006058A1 (en) * 1987-02-13 1988-08-25 Process Scientific Innovations Limited Air/oil separator
GB2224667A (en) * 1987-02-13 1990-05-16 Process Scient Innovations Air/oil separator
US6758873B2 (en) 1997-06-27 2004-07-06 Donaldson Company, Inc. Aerosol separator and method
US6540801B2 (en) 1997-06-27 2003-04-01 Donaldson Company, Inc. Aerosol separator; and method
EP0888803A3 (en) * 1997-06-30 1999-08-11 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Filter cartridge
EP0888803A2 (en) * 1997-06-30 1999-01-07 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Filter cartridge
US6485535B1 (en) 1998-02-28 2002-11-26 Donaldson Company, Inc. Conically shaped air-oil separator
US6585790B2 (en) 1998-02-28 2003-07-01 Donaldson Company, Inc. Conically shaped air-oil separator
US6797025B2 (en) 1998-02-28 2004-09-28 Donaldson Company, Inc. Conically shaped air-oil separator
US8557007B2 (en) 2005-01-19 2013-10-15 Donaldson Company, Inc. Air/oil separator and inlet baffle arrangement
EP2121165B1 (en) * 2006-12-14 2018-03-21 Mann + Hummel GmbH Liquid separator, particularly oil separator for compressed air systems

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP1059994B1 (en) Conically shaped air-oil separator
US4619764A (en) Repelling-action filter unit and assembly
US4400167A (en) Centrifugal separator
US4288030A (en) Centrifugal separator
US3338416A (en) Rotating self-cleaning strainer
US4498898A (en) Centrifugal separator
SE414372B (en) FILTER OF AUTOMATIC AND CONTINUOUS MEDIUM RETURN FLOW SELF-CLEANING TYPE
GB2414422A (en) Environmentally friendly acid neutralising full flow cartridge
US3483984A (en) Devices for removing impurities from fluids
JPS6112494B2 (en)
US5527463A (en) Liquid filtering device including a vessel and cartridge having cooperating support
US3900400A (en) Dual filter arrangement
GB1566220A (en) Air/liquid separator
GB2204510A (en) Centrifugal separator
US5861093A (en) Serpentine flowpath filtration apparatus with horizontally mounted filters having handles to facilitate removal
US2837214A (en) Filter-demulsifier assembly
US2859876A (en) Filter
US5196119A (en) Filtering system utilizing rotational flow and dual chambers
WO1995013141A1 (en) Centrifugal oil filter
JPH06337007A (en) Filter device of working fluid tank
GB2302818A (en) Rotating drum suction filter
EP3972715A1 (en) Air oil separator
JPH0771404A (en) Filter device for hydraulic fluid
EP0108043B1 (en) Valve mechanism with built-in purifying filter
US3164551A (en) Magnetic cleaner for fluids

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PS Patent sealed
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee