US3268085A

US3268085A - Apparatus for separating a mixture into its components

Info

Publication number: US3268085A
Application number: US271059A
Authority: US
Inventors: Meer Pieter Marinus Van Der
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-04-11
Filing date: 1963-04-08
Publication date: 1966-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 1983-08-23
Also published as: BE630712A; FR1352657A; NL106685C; GB1021736A; DE1269591B

Description

1966 P. M. VAN DER MEER 3,268,085

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE INTO ITS COMPONENTS Filed April 8, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Shee s Sheet 2 P. M. VAN DER MEER US FQR SEPARATING A MIXTURE INTO ITS COMPONENTS Aug. 23, 1966 A RA Filed April 8.

United States Patent 3,268,085 APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE INTO ITS COMPONENTS Pieter Marinus van der Meer, Gemaalweg 6, Lemmer, Netherlands Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,059 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Apr. 11, 1962, 277,087 2 Claims. (CL 210-511) The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating into its components a mixture of a first liquid and a heavier other liquid and/or a heavier solid, which comprises a generally closed vessel, the wall of which is provided with a passage, a nozzle from which the mixture can spout under pressure being arranged to face at least a portion of said passage, said passage being provided with a collar tapering towards the centre of the passage and inclified towards the interior of the vessel.

Such an apparatus has already been proposed as in US. Patent 3,106,529, and I have now found that the construction according to this prior proposal can be improved upon by taking some measures which result especially in an increase of the separating efiiciency.

To this effect the apparatus of the type referred to is so constructed, according to the invention, that the passage in the wall is partly closed by the nozzle, the extreme edge of which reaches at least substantially up to the plane which touches the inner edge of the collar, said edge being formed as a sharp edge, the area of the remaining annular part of the passage being equal to the cross-sectional area of the nozzle bore.

The apparatus according to the invention may further be so constructed that the width of the annular part of the passage is small with respect to the circumference.

The apparatus according to the invention may also be so constructed that the wall thickness of the nozzle is large with respect to the radius of the nozzle bore.

According to the invention, the apparatus may further be so constructed that the edge of the nozzle is rounded off so that the end of the nozzle bore flares outwardly in the direction of spouting.

Furthermore, the apparatus according to the invention may be so constructed that the collar bounds the passage by a cylindrical plane extending from the sharp inner edge a certain distance in axial direction.

In illustration of the invention and purely by way of example, an embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, the essential part of the apparatus.

A vessel 1 is closed at the top with a cover 2. At the bottom the vessel 1 is closed with a cover 3, while there is also provided a discharge conduit 4 at that place, which can be shut off by a valve 5. The matter separated from the liquid to be processed can be discharged by means of the conduit 4. The cover 2 is provided with a passage 6, in which is fitted a downwardly extending tube '7. A collar member 8 is further fitted in this passage 6 from above. This collar member 8 includes a circumferential collar 9 which tapers towards the centre and terminates in a cylindrical end face 9' having a cutting edge 10. The collar 9 is downwardly inclined towards the cutting edge '10. In the opening defined by the cutting edge 10 is located the end 11 of a nozzle 12. The external diameter of this end :11 is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the cutting edge 10, so that a narrow annular slot remains between the two members just referred to.

The nozzle 12 has a longitudinal bore, the bottom part "ice of which is indicated at 13. The cross-sectional area of the bore 13 is equal to the area of the annular slot between the

parts

10 and 11. As best seen in FIG. 2, the lower end of the bore 13 is flared outwardly. Between the collar 9 and the nozzle 12 is a circumferential free space 14. The nozzle 12 is mounted in a carrying member 115. On the cover 2 and over the carrying member 15 is placed a hood 16 provided with a liquid discharge tube -17 and a vent 18. A liquid supply tube 19 terminates in the top of the carrying member 15. A first pressure gauge 20 indicates the pressure in the supply conduit 19. A second pressure gauge 21 indicates the pressure in the vessel 1. Extending through cover 2 is further a discharge conduit having a valve 23.

As to the operation of the apparatus, the following is observed.

Through the supply conduit a liquid under pressure is supplied to the nozzle =12 by means of a high pressure pump (not shown). This liquid may, for example, consist of contaminated oil. The pressure of the supplied liquid is indicated by the pressure gauge 20 after opening a valve 24.

Let it be assumed that the vessel 1 is already filled with previously supplied oil, the valve 5 and the valve 23, naturally, being closed. It is also assumed that the oil not only fills the vessel 1 but stands againstthe underside of the collar 9. A jet of oil spouting down through the bore 13 of the nozzle 12 will therefore strike the oil already present in the vessel 1. In this striking process the downc-oming jet of liquid will be widened in radial direction and flare outwardly. The occurence of this phenonmenon is promoted by the channel 14 being itself also diverging downwardly, so that the jet of oil has the space to behave as just described. Since the liquid already present is virtually non-compressible, the supplied liquid will have to remove itself again. This is possible and takes place through the narrow slot between the cutting edge 10 and the end 11 of the nozzle. It will be evident that the liquid supplied, which first moves vertically downwardly and then spouts away diagonally or even vertically upwards, will be subjected to a very strong centrifugal force, which is directed downwardly. For, over a very small distance, the downwardlymoving liquid practically has to reverse its direction. Heavier contaminations are thereby to a very great extent separated by being flung away. Also the cutting edge 10 performs a function in the separation of contaminations. As it is, the contaminations are mainly found near the axis of the jet of liquid supplied.

Consequently, when the supplied jet is diverged and deflected the impurities are at the outside of the bend of the curling liquid. The liquid in which the impurities are contained is, as it were, cut oif and forced to stay in the vessel 1. Consequently, it is only the liquid which was at the outside of the supplied jet and contained the least contaminations, which spouts upwards through the annular slot between the

parts

10 and 11.

It is essential for the subject construction that the diameter of the bore 13 should be small with respect to the diameter of the said annular slot, while at the same time the cross-sectional area of the bore 13 should be equal to the area of the annular slot. It is thereby achieved that the width of the annular slot, i.e. measured in radial direction, can be very small. This implies that only an extremely thin peel is taken from the jet of liquid, as a result of which the purity of the reflected liquid is considerably increased. The reflected liquid is discharged through ports 25 and subsequently flows off through the tube 17. Any air can escape through the venting pipe 18. When the valve 23 is opened to some extent, not all of the liquid supplied will be reflected through the slot 14, but a small proportion will flow otf through the conduit 22. This may be effected to cause a slight downward current in the tube 7, so that the muchcontaminated liquid does not remain in the upper regions of the vessel 1, but will soon sink down as a result of the downward flow.

For determining the extent to which to open the valve 23, use can be made of the reading of the pressure gauge 21, which is provided with a valve 26, the position of which can be controlled by the eifective passage of the valve 23. As the collar 9 terminates in a cylindrical surface 9', which has some axial extent, it is possible for the cutting edge 10 or the bottom portion of the collar 9 which defines the cutting edge to be ground down, should this be desired. This configuration of the collar .is

especially possible by virtue of the annular slot according under pressure into said vessel, said nozzle having an axial bore and being arranged in facing relation with at least a portion of said opening, said vessel including a collar at said opening which tapers in narrowing fashion into the interior of the vessel, said collar including an inner edge defining an opening therein, said nozzle extending within said collar, said nozzle having an extreme edge which reaches at least substantially to the plane of the inner edge of the collar, said nozzle edge and said collar edge being spaced radially from one another to form therebetween an annular passage, said edge of the collar being formed as a sharp edge, the area of the annular passage being equal to the cross-sectional area of the nozzle bore.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the nozzle is rounded off so that the end of the nozzle bore flares outwardly in the direction of discharge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 485,915 11/1892 Duckham 55--17 3,106,529 10/1963 Van der Meer 2lO-5l1

Claims

1. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING INTO ITS COMPONENTS A MIXTURE OF A FIRST LIQUID AND A HEAVIER SUBSTANCE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A GENERALLY CLOSED VESSEL PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING, A NOZZLE FOR DISCHARGING THE MIXTURE UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID VESSEL, SAID NOZZLE HAVING AN AXIAL BORE AND BEING ARRANGED IN FACING RELATION WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID OPENING, SAID VESSEL INCLUDING A COLLAR AT SAID OPENING WHICH TAPERS IN NARROWING FASHION INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE VESSEL, SAID COLLAR INCLUDING AN INNER EDGE DEFINING AN OPENING THEREIN, SAID NOZZLE EXTENDING WITHIN SAID COLLAR, SAID NOZZLE HAVING AN EXTREME EDGE WHICH REACHES AT LEAST SAUBSTANTIALLY TO THE PLANE OF THE INNER EDGE OF THE COLLAR, SAID NOZZLE EDGE AND SAID COLLAR EDGE BEING SPACED RADIALLY FROM ONE ANOTHER TO FORM THEREBETWEEN AN ANNULAR PASSAGE, SAID EDGE OF THE COLLAR BEING FORMED AS A SHARP EDGE, THE AREA OF THE ANNULAR PASSAGE BEING EQUAL TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE NOZZLE BORE.