Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS, LIQUIDS AND GASES WITH
INTEGRAL DRIVE MOTOR HAVING A HOLLOW MOTOR SHAFT DEFINING AN
IMPELLER DRUM
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to the field of devices for separating
flowable material from immiscible gaseous, fluid and solid mixtures. More
specifically
the present invention relates to an axial flow pump apparatus for separating
immiscible
fluids, and preferably solids as well, having different specific gravities,
including
lo separating particulate solids from liquids, and solids from other
particulate solids, liquids
from liquids, and gases from liquids.
Description of the Prior Art:
There have long been separating devices for separating materials in mixtures
having different specific gravities. Yet none have satisfactorily and
economically
separated particulate
solids, liquids and/or gases from liquids without a pressure drop and with a
small footprint,
despite the need for such devices.
Separation of contaminants including solids, liquids and gases from a
composite
fluid stream is needed in virtually every industry such as petroleum, sewage,
manufacturing and mining, to name a few. In the oil and gas industry, produced
water
comprises over 98% of the total volume of exploration and production
wastewater
produced in the United States. Produced water is the associated water that is
produced
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along with oil and/or gas during normal production operations. Produced water
is not a
marketable product, so it must be disposed of (with this said, many companies
are now
seeking ways to purify the water to drinking water standards). Produced water
may be
contaminated with either oil, solids, gases or a combination thereof. In many
land-based
production operations, the produced water is either injected into a disposal
well or is re-
injected into a producing well to maintain reservoir pressure and enhance oil
recovery.
Produced water must be treated prior to re-injection because many of the
components
can be harmful to the formation or the associated piping. In the case of
suspended oil
associated with the produced water, it can be separated and sold to generate
revenue for
lo the facility.
Millions of gallons of diesel fuel and jet fuel are transported
by ships to
various parts of the world for refueling of planes at sea and for delivery to
ports. These
transport ships contain many compartments for holding the diesel and jet fuel.
While the
fuels are in these compartments, they may become contaminated with water.
However,
fuel contaminated with water is unsuitable for use. Thus, at the point of
delivery, any fuel
contaminated with water will be rejected, and must be returned to the point
from which it
was shipped for refinement. The re- transportation and refinement of the fuel
is both costly
and time consuming.
Centrifugal separators for the separation of immiscible fluids of different
specific
gravities are well known. These centrifugal separators employ a rotor for
rotating the
mixture of fluids, causing the fluid having the lighter specific gravity to
migrate to the
center of the rotating mass, and the fluid having the heavier specific gravity
to migrate to
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the perimeter, where it be extracted. Examples of such centrifugal separators
are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,712 to Arnaudeau, U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,821 to
Monson
et al., German patent No. 1,186,412 to Groppel, and Swiss patent No. 563,186
to
Reynolds. Flow pumps and blowers built on the same general principle are
disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 1,071,042 to Fuller and U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,893 to Dean,
respectively, and
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,276,382, 3,786,996, and 3,810,635.
However, none of these devices provides a sufficiently great G-force in a
continuous flow and without a significant pressure drop to create a well-
defined boundary
between the fluids as they separate under centrifugal force, e.g. by forcing
the fluid having
the lighter specific gravity to a tight core in the center of a tube of the
fluid having the
heavier specific gravity, whereby the fluid having the heavier specific
gravity can be drawn
off in a single pass without the need for additional treatment of the fluid
having the lighter
specific gravity. Further, none of these devices provides an adjustable
mechanism for
drawing off the fluid having the heavier specific gravity.
SUMMARY
An apparatus is provided for separating a fluid having a lighter specific
gravity from
a fluid having a heavier specific gravity and for separating fluids having
lighter specific
gravity from fluids having a heavier specific gravity, the apparatus including
an electric
motor including an annular stator and a rotor having a rotor shaft having a
hollow interior
defining a rotatable drum having a drum rotational axis, the rotor passing
through the
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stator and rotatably mounted on shaft mounting structure; a fluid passage
structure for
receiving fluids and solids of a mixture stream to be separated having a
longitudinal axis,
the fluid passage structure including a the rotatable drum and an impeller
contained within
the rotatable drum for separating with centrifugal force the constituents of
the stream into
radially arrayed layers of progressively increasing specific gravity, with
solids at the outer
layer; and a discharge manifold in fluid communication with the rotatable drum
for
individually separating stratified layers of the mixture; so that the impeller
axially propels
the steam through manifolds for selective layer removal through radially
placed removal
pipes.
o
The impeller may include a number of impeller blades mounted within the drum
and protruding radially inward toward the drum rotational axis. The rotational
drum may
include a drum inlet coupled to a mixture input conduit for delivering the
mixture from a
mixture source to the rotatable drum, and a drum outlet sealingly and
rotatably coupled
to a mixture output conduit leading to the manifold, so that the drum is
rotatable about the
rotatable drum axis relative to the mixture input conduit and to the mixture
output conduit.
The apparatus may additionally include a solid removal pipe along the
discharge manifold
for separating a solid from the fluid mixture which has been stratified by
rotation of the
mixture and discharging the solid.
An apparatus is further provided for separating a fluid having a lighter
specific
gravity from a fluid having a heavier specific gravity and for separating
fluids having lighter
specific gravity from fluids having a heavier specific gravity, the apparatus
including an
electric motor with an annular stator and a rotor having a rotor shaft having
a hollow
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interior defining a rotatable drum having a drum rotational axis and a drum
inlet and a
drum outlet, the rotor passing through the stator and rotatably mounted on a
shaft
mounting structure; a fluid passage structure for receiving fluids and solids
of a mixture
stream to be separated, the fluid passage structure having a longitudinal axis
and
including a the rotatable drum and a rotatable impeller positioned in the
fluid passage
structure for imparting a swirling axial movement to the fluids in the fluid
passage structure
downstream of the impeller means and in the discharge conduit and causing the
fluids
and solids having the heavier specific gravity to migrate outwardly to form a
radial array
of circumferential layers of progressively heavier specific gravities from the
center of the
o mixture stream outwardly; a discharge manifold in fluid communication
with the rotatable
drum for separating individual stratified layers from the mixture; and
discharge means
connected to the discharge conduit for selectively discharging the fluids of
each given
layer of the mixture stream.
The impeller may include at least two concentric helical blades each having an
inlet end and an outlet end, and the helical blades each terminating short of
the
longitudinal axis of the fluid passage means to define a hollow core through
which the
fluids pass.
The apparatus may additionally include a solids separation structure including
an
inlet gap defined between the drum inlet and the motor and an inlet solids
receiving
chamber defined between the rotor and the motor and having an inlet solids
discharge
port for draining solids collected in the inlet solids receiving chamber, and
an outlet gap
defined between the outlet gap and the motor and an outlet solids receiving
chamber
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defined between the rotor and the motor and having an outlet solids discharge
port for
draining solids collected in the outlet solids receiving chamber.
The apparatus may additionally include an inlet discharge pipe in fluid
communication with the inlet solids discharge port. The apparatus may
additionally
include an outlet discharge pipe in fluid communication with the outlet solids
discharge
port. The hollow rotor shaft preferably is tubular. The shaft mounting
structure may include
a shaft bearing structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion taken in
conjunction with
the following drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is cross-sectional side view of a fluid axial flow type pump operated
by a
hollow rotor shaft of a drive motor in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 1A is a front perspective view as in FIG. 1 showing the apparatus motor,
rotor
and drum, the inventive inlet and outlet solids separation mechanisms,
including the inlet
and outlet gaps, inlet and outlet solids receiving chambers located between
the rotor and
the motor, inlet and outlet solids discharge ports opening from receiving
chambers into a
radial and downwardly protruding inlet and outlet discharge pipes.
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FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a fluid axial flow type pump with
seals in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the pump of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view of the pump of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the pump of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the pump and discharge
manifold of
FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed
herein;
however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely
exemplary of
the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific
structural
and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting,
but merely as
a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled
in the art to
variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed
structure.
It is thus a feature of the present disclosure to provide a method and
apparatus for
separating immiscible fluids having different specific gravities which
greatly
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simplifies the mechanical complexity of the device by eliminating the need for
couplings,
belt drives, and sprockets, and for bearings outside the drive motor.
It is another feature of this disclosure to provide a method and apparatus for
separating immiscible fluids having different specific gravities with a
compact device with
reduced size and cost.
It is still another feature of this disclosure to provide a method and
apparatus
capable of separating liquids, solids and/or gases from liquids and from each
other in
immiscible fluids having different specific gravities with only one treatment
stage.
It is finally a feature of the present disclosure to provide such a method and
o apparatus in which mechanical wear of bearings is not an issue for
reliable operation, and
the life of the apparatus is increased greatly, and as much as ten fold or
more.
The mixture stream of solids, liquids and gases is rotated as it passes
through the
rotating drum, which takes the form of a hollow, and preferably tubular rotor
shaft of an
electric motor, the rotor shaft having inwardly protruding impeller blades.
The rotor shaft
and surrounding rotor pass through the stator of the motor to separate with
centrifugal
force the constituents of the stream into radially arrayed layers of
progressively increasing
specific gravity, with solids at the outer layer. The inwardly protruding
impeller blades
axially propel the steam through manifolds for selective layer removal through
radially
placed removal pipes. Where solids are removed, they are discharged through a
removal pipe along the discharge manifold. At least one and preferably both
ends of the
drum preferably are sealingly and rotatably coupled to conduits, specifically
to a mixture
input conduit at the drum inlet end delivering the mixture from the mixture
source to the
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drum, and a mixture output conduit leading to the manifolds so that the drum
is rotatable
about its axis relative to the conduits.
The optional solids separation means preferably are provided at the drum inlet
and
drum outlet to enhance the efficiency of solids separation and the rotational
efficiency of
the drum so that friction resistance to rotation is eliminated and much
greater rotational
speeds can be reached with high separation efficiency.
The inlet and outlet solids separation mechanisms at the rotatable drum inlet
and
drum outlet, greatly increase solids removal efficiency and apparatus
operation. Inlet
solids separation mechanism includes an annular inlet gap between the motor
and drum
o inlet of at least 1/20,000 inch, opening into an annular inlet solids
receiving chamber
located between the rotor and the motor. An inlet solids discharge port opens
from inlet
solids receiving chamber into a radial and downwardly protruding inlet
discharge pipe.
By the same token, the outlet solids separation mechanism includes an annular
outlet
gap between the motor and the drum outlet of at least 1/20,000 inch, opening
into an
annular outlet solids receiving chamber between the rotor and the motor. An
outlet solids
discharge port opens into a radial and downwardly protruding outlet discharge
pipe.
As a result, when the motor is operating, the drum and impeller rotate to
produce
a vortex in a mixture stream, referred to by the present applicant's trademark
name
VORAXIALTM, in the stream in the rotor shaft so that centrifugal forces are
produced to
separate solids, liquids and gases having different specific gravities.
This vast improvement discovered by applicant using an electric motor with a
hollow rotor shaft has been entirely unrecognized in the materials separation
industry.
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Applicant has found that using the hollow rotor shaft of a motor to spin the
cylindrical rotor
assembly and pump the fluid increases the separator reliability, reduces
system size and
complexity, and reduces the system cost. This is a high reliability rotating
separator with
no bearings other than any the drive motor may contain, and no mechanical
transmission
devices. That is, there is no need for separator bearings outside the drive
motor, which
are typically the first components to fail, and no need for couplings, belts
or sprockets.
Examples of mixture combinations of material phase components which can be
separated
from a mixture by the present hollow rotor shaft separator apparatus include:
Liquid / liquid
lo Liquid/solid
Liquid / liquid / solid
Liquid / solid / solid
Liquid / liquid / gas
Liquid / solid / gas
Liquid / liquid / solid / gas
Liquid / solid / solid / gas
Liquid / gas
where solid / solid combinations are particulate solids moving within a flow
stream.
Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like characteristics and
features
of the present invention shown in the various FIGURES are designated by the
same
reference numerals.
An apparatus 10 is disclosed for separating immiscible fluids and solids
having
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different specific gravities from a liquid and solids mixture in FIG. 6.
Separator 10 comprises a fluid flow device 100 (FIG. 2) of the axial pump type
in
the form of an electronic motor 120 having a hollow rotor shaft 112 a drive
motor 120
having seals, a discharge manifold 200, and an upstream discharge conduit 300
connecting fluid flow device 100 and discharge manifold 200, as disclosed in
U.S. Patent
Number 5,084,189 issued to the present applicant on January 28, 1992, the
contents of
which are incorporated by reference. Here, the electric motor 120 with hollow
drive shaft
112 is the fluid flow device. See FIGS. 1 and 2. Discharge manifold 200 can be
fluid
connected to a downstream discharge conduit 400 for carrying the fluid having
the lighter
specific gravity. As illustrated in FIG. [[2]] 1, axial pump 100 comprises
fluid passage
means including the hollow rotor shaft 112, which defines a rotatable conduit
or cylindrical
rotatable drum 110 mounted for rotation and having two ends in the form of a
drum inlet
122 and a drum outlet 124. Drum 110 provides a passageway for the fluids and
solids.
A feature of the present disclosure is that the rotating drum 110 is an
integral part
of the electric drive motor 120. The mixture stream of solids, liquids and
gases is rotated
as it passes through the rotating drum 110, which takes the form of a hollow,
and
preferably tubular rotor shaft of an electric motor, the rotor shaft having
inwardly
protruding impeller blades 140. The rotor shaft 112 and surrounding rotor 114
pass
through the stator 116 of the motor 120 to rotate drum 110 and separate with
centrifugal
force the constituents of the stream into radially arrayed layers of
progressively increasing
specific gravity, with solids at the outer layer. The inwardly protruding
impeller blades 140
axially propel the stcam stream through a discharge manifold 200 for selective
layer
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removal through radially placed removal pipes (not shown). Where solids are
removed,
they are discharged through a solids removal pipe (not shown) along the
discharge
manifold 200. Additional solids discharge is provided at the solids discharge
pipe in
manifold 200. At least one and preferably both ends of the drum 110 are
sealingly and
rotatably coupled to discharge conduit 300 (FIG. 2) so that the drum 110 is
rotatable about
its axis relative to conduit 300.
The optional solids separation means preferably are provided at the drum inlet
122
and drum outlet 124 to enhance the efficiency of solids separation and the
rotational
efficiency of the drum 110 so that friction resistance to rotation is
eliminated and much
o greater rotational speeds can be reached with high separation efficiency.
The inlet and outlet solids separation mechanisms at the rotatable drum inlet
122
and drum outlet 124, greatly increase solids removal efficiency and apparatus
operation.
The impeller preferably comprises helical blades 140 formed integrally with
drum 110 to
rotate with drum 110.
The apparatus of the present disclosure includes inlet and outlet solids
separation
mechanisms (not shown) at the rotatable drum inlet 122 and drum outlet 124, to
greatly
increases solids removal efficiency and apparatus operation. Inlet solids
separation
mechanism includes an annular inlet gap (not shown) between the motor 120 and
drum
inlet 122 of at least 1/20,000 inch, opening into an annular inlet solids
receiving chamber
(now shown) located between the rotor 130 and the motor 120. An inlet solids
discharge
port (not shown) opens from inlet solids receiving chamber into a radial and
downwardly
protruding inlet discharge pipe (not shown). By the same token, the outlet
solids
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separation mechanism includes an annular outlet gap (not shown) between the
motor
120 and drum outlet 122 of at least 1/20,000 inch, opening into an annular
outlet solids
receiving chamber (not shown) between the rotor 130 and the motor 120. An
outlet
solids discharge port (not shown) opens into a radial and downwardly
protruding outlet
discharge pipe (not shown).
As the drum 110 rotates, the blades 140 rotate the mixture stream fluids and
solids
within the drum 110 so that the solids, which have the highest specific
gravity are
propelled against the drum 110 wall and the fluids stratify into radial layers
of
progressively increasing specific gravity from the center of the stream
outwardly. As the
blades 140 propel the flowing mixture stream through the drum 110, some of the
solids
layer enters the inlet and outlet solids receiving chambers through the inlet
and outlet
gaps, respectively, and is discharged through respective inlet and outlet
discharge pipes.
Referring to FIG. 2, blades 140 extend radially inwardly short of the
longitudinal
axis of drum 110 to provide or define an axial hollow core or opening 150. As
blades 140
rotate, core 150 will initiate a low pressure area in the center of the flow
line, with the high
velocity, higher specific gravity fluid on the outer perimeter, as shown with
respect to
water W in FIG. 6 to provide an inherent separation of the fluids, whether
liquids or gases,
and of solids. Where the lower specific gravity fluid, solid or gas, L in FIG.
6, gets
channeled to the center of the fluid stream while the higher specific gravity
fluid, solid or
gases, F in FIG. 6 gets channeled to the outside of the fluid stream again
providing an
inherent separation of the fluids.
Blades 140 preferably have a higher axial pitch at their inlet ends 152 (FIG.
2)
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which is gradually reduced to a smaller axial pitch at their outlet ends 154.
Preferably,
blades 140 have an axial pitch of approximately ten inches at their inlet ends
152 and an
axial pitch of approximately five inches at their outlet ends 154. Although
these axial
pitches will provide the desired volume and swirl velocity, they can be varied
without
departing from the spirit of the invention. These units are scalable in design
and thus
can be manufactured to various sizes to handle different flow rates.
Blades 140 preferably will supply a flow volume of ten inch axial pitch, and
as the
helical pitch reduces to five inches, the swirl velocity increases greatly to
provide a tight
swirling axial movement of the fluids. With the reduction in pitch of blades
140, the swirl
o velocity and the centrifugal force are both doubled in comparison to
blades of uniform
pitch.
Because of their configuration, each of blades 140 is in contact with the
fluids for
a complete revolution. Continuous contact with the fluids for one complete
revolution is
necessary to change the swirl velocity and provide a smooth transition from
low to high
centrifugal action. Blades 140 also create less turbulence than, for example,
shorter
impeller blades would. This is a great advantage when one of the fluids is oil
or another
liquid which is easily emulsified, as the reduced turbulence will prevent
emulsification.
Axial pumps such as pump 100 are normally powered and require a suitable power
source such as a motor for rotating an input shaft 160 drivingly connected to
gearing 170
or a drive belt 172. With the hollow rotor shaft motor shaft design, gearing
is eliminated,
and the motor and rotating drum is an integral unit. This greatly simplifies
the separator
design and improves reliability. A detailed description of the structure
associated with
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the drive mechanism for pump 100 can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,786,996 and
3,810,635, which are specifically incorporated herein by reference, and made a
part
hereof as though reproduced herein, with respect to their descriptions of the
structure
associated with the drive mechanism for a pump.
Upstream discharge conduit 300 has an inlet end 310 (FIG. 6) and an outlet end
312. Inlet end 310 can be fluid connected by conventional means to the tank or
other
container holding the fluids to be separated, at the point of delivery of the
fluids. Drum
110 (FIG. 2) is conventionally fluid connected at its outlet end 154 to the
inlet end 310 of
upstream discharge conduit 300. Outlet end 312 tapers outwardly, that is, its
outer edge
314 tapers outwardly in the downstream direction from the inner surface 320 to
the outer
surface 322 of upstream discharge conduit 300, for a purpose to be described
hereinafter.
The angle of the taper, that is, the angle between edge 314 and outer surface
322
preferably is approximately 12 degrees, to obtain optimum results.
Discharge manifold 200 comprises an axially movable conduit section 210 having
substantially the same inner diameter as drum 110, and having an inlet end 212
(FIG. 6)
and an outlet end 214 (FIG. 2). An upstream seal 220 is affixed to conduit
section 210 for
sealingly connecting conduit section 210 at its inlet end 212 to the outlet
end 312 of
upstream discharge conduit 300, and permitting relative axial movement of
conduit
section 210 and upstream discharge conduit 300. Inlet end 212 tapers
outwardly, i.e.,
its outer edge 230 tapers outwardly in a downstream direction from the inner
surface 232
to the outer surface 234 of conduit section 210 for mating engagement with
tapered outer
edge 314 of upstream discharge conduit 300. For this purpose, the angle formed
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outer edge 230 and inner surface 232 of conduit section 210 is substantially
the same as
the angle formed between outer edge 314 and outer surface 322 of upstream
discharge
conduit 300.
An adjustment assembly 240 is provided for moving conduit section 210 into and
out of engagement with outlet end 312 of upstream discharge conduit 300 for
respectively
closing and opening discharge manifold 200.
Adjustment assembly 240 comprises a platform 250 extending to discharge
manifold 200 upstream of outlet end 312 of upstream seal 220. Upstream seal
220
includes seal members 280, disposed in grooves 282 near upstream end 274 of
upstream
o seal 220, to seal against the outer surface 322 of upstream discharge
conduit 300. An
operating handle 252 is provided for operating discharge manifold 200. Handle
252 has
a distal end 254 extending outwardly from platform 250 and a proximal end 256
by which
it is pivotally mounted to platform 250. A link 260 is pivotally mounted at
one end to
moveable conduit section 210 and pivotally mounted at the other end to
proximal end 256
of handle 250 through a slot (not shown) in platform 250. As handle 252 is
pivoted, its
motion is transmitted to movable conduit section 210 through link 260. Thus,
when handle
252 is pivoted towards upstream discharge conduit 300, movable conduit section
210
moves away from upstream discharge conduit 300 to open discharge manifold 200;
and
when handle 252 is rotated away from upstream discharge conduit 300, movable
conduit
section 210 moves away from upstream discharge conduit 300 to close discharge
manifold 200, and upstream discharge conduit 300. Movable conduit section 210
can
be fully engaged, fully disengaged, or any position in between, depending upon
the
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amount handle 252 is rotated. A gauge (not shown) can be provided on platform
250 (e.g.
at the slot) to indicate by the position of handle 252 what percentage
discharge manifold
200 is open.
Platform 250 has an upstream end 262 and a downstream end 264. A first block
270 joins upstream end 262 to upstream discharge conduit 300 and also acts as
a stop
for discharge manifold 200 in it full closed position. A second block 272
extends
downwardly from downstream end 264 of platform 250 and acts as a stop for
discharge
manifold 200 in the full open position.
Upstream seal 220 has an upstream end 274 and a downstream end 276.
o
Upstream end 274 seals outlet end 312 of upstream discharge conduit 300.
Downstream
end 276 is fixed to inlet end 212 of moveable 10 conduit section 210 upstream
of link 260,
e.g., by a weld 278.
Seals are provided between upstream end 274 relative to outlet end 312 of
upstream discharge conduit 300. A circumferential discharge channel 290 is
provided
at downstream end 276 immediately adjacent the termination of the taper in
edge 314 of
upstream discharge conduit 300 to receive the fluid of lighter specific
gravity circulating
adjacent inner surface 320 of upstream discharge conduit 300 when discharge
manifold
200 is open. A discharge port 292 opens into discharge channel 290 for
receiving and
discharging water from discharge channel 290.
Movable conduit section 210 is sealingly connected at its outlet end 214 to
downstream discharge conduit 400 with a seal 500 as shown in FIG. 2. Referring
now
to FIGS. 2 and 6, the operation of the invention will n-ew be described with
reference of
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the delivery of diesel or jet fuel from a transport ship, which fuel has been
contaminated
by sea water. However, it should be understood that application of the
invention is not
limited to the separation of water and fuel or to use in the context of fuel
transport ships,
but can be used for the separation of any two fluids having different specific
gravities, e.g.
oil and water where water is the primary fluid, sludge and treated water in a
water
purification system, or in reverse osmosis.
In operation, the fluids in their unseparated state are fed into inlet 122 of
drum 110,
which is the hollow rotor shaft 122 of the drive motor 120, using conventional
means. As
blades 140 rotate, the water W (which has a heavier specific gravity than the
fuel L) swirls
o in a vortex adjacent the inner surface 320 of upstream discharge conduit
300. The fuel F
as the primary fluid, occupies the entire flow line. It is noted that, if the
water W were the
primary fluid, the water W, which then becomes F in FIG. 6, would still
migrate to the
perimeter, but the low pressure initiated by hollow core 150 would cause the
fuel, in this
instance L (which has a lighter specific gravity) to be compressed into a
tight core around
the axis of upstream discharge conduit 300, as shown in dotted lines in FIG.
6. However,
if the water W were the primary fluid, then discharge manifold 200 would be
replaced by
a different discharge manifold, which does not constitute a part of this
invention.
With discharge manifold 200 in the full open position as shown in FIG. 6, the
water
W will flow between edge 314 of upstream discharge conduit 300 and edge 216 of
movable conduit section 210 into discharge channel 290, and out through
discharge port
292. The fuel F, separated from the water W, will continue to flow through
discharge
manifold 200 and out through downstream discharge conduit 400 to its
destination.
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Thus, it will be seen that the present invention provides a unique method for
separating immiscible fluids having different specific gravities. While a
preferred
embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it should be understood that
the spirit
and scope of the invention are to be limited solely by the appended claims,
since
numerous modifications of the disclosed embodiment will undoubtedly occur to
those of
skill in the art.
While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in
various
terms or certain embodiments or modifications which it has assumed in
practice, the
scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be,
limited thereby
io and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the
teachings
herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth
and scope of the
claims here appended.
19
