US3494474A

US3494474A - Hydrocyclone separator with vortex starter

Info

Publication number: US3494474A
Application number: US786940A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mark R Estabrook
Original assignee: Barnes Drill Co
Current assignee: Barnes Drill Co
Priority date: 1968-12-26
Filing date: 1968-12-26
Publication date: 1970-02-10
Anticipated expiration: 1987-02-10

Description

HYDRQCYCLONE SEPARATOR WITH VORTEX STARTER Filed Dec. 26., 1968 Feb. 10, 1970 M. IR. ESTABROO'K 2 Sheets-Sheet z q-rro msyf United States Patent 3,494,474 HYDROCYCLONE SEPARATOR WITH VORTEX STARTER Mark R. Estabrook, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Barnes Drill Co., Rockford, III., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 786,940 Int. Cl. B01d 21/26 US. Cl. 210-512 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vortex starter encircles the vortex finder of a Hydroclone separator and defines a guiding surface for eflecting a smooth transitional flow of fluid into the Hydroclone and for inducing vortical flow of the fluid along an assigned path so as to increase the flow rate through a Hydroclone with a given pressure drop. The starter also serves as a valve and may be turned, either manually or automatically, to various angular positions within the Hydroclone to enable an optimum constant pressure drop to be maintained across the Hydroclone with different rates of flow into the Hydroclone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the separation of solid particles from fluid in a Hydroclone separator of the type having a treating chamber into which dirty fluid under pressure is directed through an inlet opening to creae a vortical flow through the chamber toward an outlet at one end of the chamber. In a well known manner, such a separator produces a swirling flow of solid particles and accompanying fluid along the wall of the chamber for removal through the outlet end and also produces a counterflow of clean fluid reversely along the axis of the chamber for withdrawal through a so-called vortex finder located near the inlet opening.

One example of a known Hydroclone of this general character is shown in United States Patent 3,235,090. Separators of this type have various uses which include the cleaning of drycleaning fluid for reuse and the removal from machine tool coolants of solid particles which are picked up during circulation of the coolant through a using system. Of course, in any cleaning operation the object is to remove as many and as fine as particles as possible and thereby deliver the fluid output for use in optimum condition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One important object of the present invention is to improve the separation ability of a Hydroclone with a given pressure drop by guiding the dirty fluid into the treating chamber in a specially assigned path to reduce the turbulence and restrictive effect of the fluid in the area of the chamber adjacent the inlet opening and thereby increase the flow rate through the chamber to enable the removal of more contamination in a given period of time. A related object is to increase the velocity of the fluid and to augment the normal swirling action of the Hydroclone by providing a unique vortex starter within the chamber to guide the dirty fluid smoothly into the chamber and to induce the fluid to flow in a guided vortical pah almost immediately after entering the chamber.

The invention also resides in the novel construction of the vortex starter and in its coaction with the vortex finder and the inlet opening to effect a smooth transitional flow of the dirty fluid from the inlet opening into the chamber and then to induce vortical swirling of the fluid along a guided path.

Another important object of the invention is to utilize the vortex starter as a valve to change the effective area 3,494,474 Patented Feb. 10, 1970 "ice of the inlet opening and thus enable an optimum pressure drop to be maintained across the Hydroclone and to enable the Hydr-oclone to operate with equal efficiency with different volumes of fluid input to the Hydroclone.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan View of one embodiment of a new and improved Hydroclone separator incorporating the novel features of the present inveniion.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the vortex starter in a moved position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the vortex starter and the vortex finder.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of a Hydroclone separator incorporating the features of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a Hydroclone separator 10 of the type having an upper cylindrical whirl chamber 11 (FIG. 2) into which a stream of dirty fluid under pressure is injected tangentially through an inlet pipe 13 and a circular inlet opening 14, a body 15 with an in ernal conical wall 16 and defining a chamber in which the inlet flow creates a vortical flow around the wall and downwardly toward the lower or smaller end of the body, and an outlet (not visible) at the smaller end passi g separated solids or particles out of the body for collection and removal. The vortical flow in the separator along the conical wall results in an inner, and reverse, vortical counterflow upwardly along the axis of the cone and through the whirl chamber 11 where the cleaned fluid passes out of the separator through an outlet pipe 17. The latter is connected to a removable cover plate 19 closing the top of the whirl chamber and receives the counterflow through a tubular vortex finder 20 which is disposed in and coaxial with the whirl chamber in radially spaced opposing relation with the inlet opening The separation ability of a separator with a given pressure drop across the inlet and

outlet pipes

13 and 17 increases progressively with increases in the flow rate of the fluid through the separator. In other words, by increasing the flow rate and thus the velocity of the fluid, more particles and finer particles can be removed from the fluid in a given period of time.

In accordance with one of the primary aspects of the present invention, the flow rate through a separator 10 with a given pressure dro is increased over and above that which has been possible heretofore by guiding the stream of dirty fluid into the chamber 11 along a specially assigned path to reduce fluid turbulence in the chamber and thus reduce the restrictive effect created by the fluid itself so as to enable a higher velocity flow. For these purposes, a unique vortex starter 21 (FIGS. 2 and 7) is located within the chamber 11 adjacent the inlet opening 14 to efiect a smooth transitional flow of dirty fluid from the inlet opening into the chamber and then to guide the fluid along a positive vortical path thereby to start the fluid through its swirling motion more quickly than otherwise would be the case. With this arrangement, turbulence within the chamber is reduced and results in an increase in the flow rate with the same pressure drop across the separator to improve the efficiency and performance of the separator.

Herein, the vortex starter 21 preferably but not necessarily comprises an enlarged annular collar which is formed integrally with the upper end of the vortex finder 20 and which is sealed against the wall of the swirl chamber 11 by an O-ring 23 (FIG. 2). Formed on the lower side of the starter, i.e., the side facing the lower outlet end of the body 15, is a polished guide surface which serves to direct the inflowing dirty fluid smoothly into the chamber and then to induce the fluid to flow in a vortical path. The guide surface is formed by cutting away part of the lower side of the starter and coacts with the vortex finder and the wall of the chamber 11 to define a downwardly opening annular channel for the inflowing fluid.

In this instance, the guide surface on the starter 21 includes a relatively straight entry portion 24 (FIGS. 2 and 7) located adjacent the upper edge 25 of the inlet opening 14 and extending into the chamber 11 tangentially of the vortex finder 20. Usually, the inlet opening is inclined downwardly toward the outlet end of the body 15 at a small angle such as five degrees, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to direct the inflowing fluid in a downwardly extending path through the chamber 11. To reduced turbulence as the fluid enters the chamber, the entry guiding surface 24 is inclined downwardly at the same or approximately the same angle as the inlet opening and is disposed in a plane extending generally tangential to the upper edge 25 of the opening as shown in FIG. 4. The entry surface 24 thus forms within the chamber a smooth continuation of the upper edge of the inlet opening and serves to guide the stream of fluid into the chamber with reduced turbulence so that the velocity of the fluid is retarded less by the restrictive effect of the fluid itself. Also, it will be noted that an upright side wall 26 (FIG. 7) is formed alongside the entry surface as a result of the cutting away of the starter to form the surface, and such wall forms a continuation of the inner side edge of the inlet opening when the starter iS positioned as shown in FIG. 3. While the entry surface 24 has been shown as lying in a generally flat plane, its initial upstream portion, if desired, may be curved in accordance with the curvature of the upper edge of the inlet opening and then merge or feather gradually into a flat plane.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. and 7, the tangentially extending entry surface 24 extends straight downwardly along the underside of the vortex starter 21 to the intersection a of the surface with a perpendicular radius through the center of the starter and the vortex finder 20. At this point, a spiraled surface 30 merges gradually with the entry surface 24 and spirals progressively around and downwardly along the starter and the vortex finder at a constant lead angle which in this particular instance is about six degrees or just slightly greater than the angle of inclination of the entry surface. The spiraled surface 30 terminates short of meeting the initial upstream portion of the wall 26.

Because of the spiraled surface 30, the stream of dirty fluid is immediately guided into an assigned vortical path upon passing from beneath the entry surface 24 and is induced at once to swirl downwardly and around the chamber. The spiraled surface thus augments the normal swirling action produced in the separator and starts the fluid through its vortical path almost immediately after the fluid enters the chamber 11 thereby to reduce turbulence in the chamber and to reduce the restrictive effect which otherwise would be created by the fluid in seeking out its path. The flow rate through the separator thus is increased.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the new and improved vortex starter 21 of the present invention not only effects a smooth transitional flow of fluid into the chamber 11 but also induces swirling of the fluid along an assigned vortical path. Turbulence within the chamber thus is reduced, with tests having shown that the starter enables the removal of more particles and particularly a greater quantity of finer particles in a given time period with a separator having a given pressure drop. In addition to reducing turbulence, it is believed that the starter, by keeping the fluid in an assigned path, prevents stray particles from short-circuiting or proceeding directly from the inlet opening 14 to the outlet pipe 17 without passing along the body 15.

In another aspect, the invention contemplates supporting the vortex starter 21 for rotation in the chamber 11 and utilizing the starter selectively as a valve to establish the velocity of the fluid flowing through the inlet opening 1 4 to enable an optimum constant pressure drop to be maintained across the separator with a particular flow rate through the separator. In this way, the separator may be matched to the particular volume output of the pressure pump supplying the fluid or may be correlated with other variable aspects of its operating environment without any impairment in the efficiency of the separator.

To support the vortex starter 21 for rotation in the chamber 11, an enlarged flange 35 (FIG. 2) is formed around the upper side of the starter and rests on a shoulder 36 formed around the wall of the chamber. By removing the cover plate 19, the starter 21 may be turned to and set in different selected positions in which a peripheral wall 40 of the starter either opens the inlet Opening 14 entirely (see FIG. 3) or covers and closes all or any part of the inlet opening (see FIG, 6) to change the flow therethrough. The peripheral wall 40 is located between the initial end of the entry surface 24 and the terminal end of the spiral surface 30 (see FIG. 7) and is of suf ficient arcuate width to cover practically the entire width of the inlet opening 14 when the starter is turned to a fully closed position. Also, the wall 40 is of suflicient height to cover the opening from top to bottom when in a closed or partially closed position.

By turning the vortex starter 21 to cause the wall 40 to cover a selected area of the inlet opening 14, the velocity of the flow through and directly at the opening may be adjusted in accordance with the volume of fluid flowing through the separator 10 to permit an optimum pressure drop to be maintained across the separator. The separator thus may be set to operate with approximately equal efliciencies when installed in different circulating systems even though various flow characteristics of the systems may difler.

A second embodiment of a separator incorporating the features of the invention is shown schematically in FIG. 8 in which parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are indicated by the same but primed reference numerals. In this instance, the vortex starter 21' is turned to different angular positions automatically in response to changes in the flow rate through the separator 10' and automatically changes the velocity of the flow to enable an optimum constant pressure drop to be maintained even though the volume input to the separator may vary continu usly.

As shown in FIG. 8, the vortex starter 21' is adapted to be turned by a hydraulic actuator 50 including a piston 51 which slides back and forth in a cylinder 53 in response to pressure changes in opposite ends of the cylinder. A rod 54 carried by the piston is connected to an arm 55 projecting out of the whirl chamber 11' and fastened to the vortex starter 21. Thus, reciprocation of the piston turns the vortex starter back and forth within the chamber to cause the wall 40' to cover and uncover the inlet opening 14. A spring 56 compressed between the piston and the head end of the cylinder urges the vortex starter toward a closed position and may be adjusted to position the starter relative to the inlet opening to maintain an optimum pressure drop across the separator when the flow rate through the separator is constant.

The rod end of the cylinder 53 is connected to the inlet line 13 by a line 59 while the head end of the cylinder is connected to the outlet line 17' by a line 60. Thus, the position of the piston 51 within the cylinder 50, and hence the position of the vortex starter 21, is determined by the pressure of the fluid in the inlet line 13' as =balanced against the pressure of the fluid in the outlet line 17 and the force exerted by the spring 56. Accordingly, if the pressure in the inlet line 13' decreases, the vortex starter is turned automatically to cause the wall 40' to close ofl? a greater portion of the inlet opening 14' and to change the flow rate of the fluid through the opening until the difierence in the pressures in the two lines again becomes equal to the force exerted by the spring. Thus, a constant pressure drop is maintained automatically across the separator to enable the latter to handle variable flows with approximately equal efliciency.

I claim as my invention:

1. A Hydroclone for separating contaminants from dirty fluid and comprising a treating chamber of circular cross-section having an outlet end for the contaminants, an inlet opening extending generally tangentially into said chamber for directing a stream of dirty fluid under pressure into the chamber, and a tubular vortex finder disposed in and coaxial with said chamber and spaced radially inwardly from said inlet opening in opposing relation with the latter, the improvement in said Hydroclone comprising, a vortex starter coaxial with said vortex finder and having an exposed guiding surface facing said outlet end, said guiding surface having an entry portion located adjacent said inlet opening on the side of said stream opposite said outlet end and having a portion merging with said entry portion and spiraling progressively around and along said vortex finder toward said outlet end thereby to start the dirty fluid swirling smoothly in a vortical path through said chamber toward said outlet end, said starter further including a peripheral wall extending parallel to the adjacent wall of the chamber and located next to the entry portion of said guiding surface, and means mounting said vortex starter for turning within said chamber and for angular adjustment of said peripheral wall to any selected position across said inlet opening whereby said peripheral wall may be moved across various areas of the inlet opening to close off the latter and establish the velocity of the stream flowing into said chamber.

2. A Hydroclone for separating contaminants from dirty fluid and comprising a treating chamber of circular cross-section having an outlet end for the contaminants, an inlet line with an inlet opening extending generally tangentially into the chamber for directing dirty fluid under pressure into the chamber to create a vortical flow of dirty fluid through the chamber toward said outlet end, a tubular vortex finder disposed in and coaxial with said chamber for directing a vortical counterfiow of cleaned fluid reversely through said chamber, and an outlet line communicating with said vortex finder for conducting the cleaned fluid away from the chamber, the improvement in said Hydroclone comprising, a vortex starter coaxial with said vortex finder and having an exposed guiding surface facing said outlet end, said guiding surface having an entry portion located adjacent said inlet opening on the side of said stream opposite said outlet end and having a portion merging with said entry portion and spiraling progressively around and along said vortex finder toward said outlet end thereby to start the dirty fluid swirling smoothly in a vortical path through said chamber toward said outlet end, said vortex starter being mounted for rotation within said chamber and including a peripheral wall movable across said inlet opening to close oiT various areas of the opening, and an actuator connected to turn said vortex starter in response to pressure changes in said inlet and outlet lines thereby to main- ;ain a constant pressure drop across said inlet and outlet mes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,796,808 6/1957 Scott 210-512 X 3,288,300 11/1966 Bouchillon 210512 JAMES L. DECESARE, Primary Examiner US Cl. X.R.