NZ247215A - Chevron type separator vane with upstream and downstream plates having grooves or ridges and returned flanges on respective outer and inner sides - Google Patents

Description

24 7 2 1 JUKJ996 y c O j' Provisional Specification No. 247215 Date: 19 April 1993 NEW ZEALAND Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION CHEVRON-TYPE SEPARATOR VANE I, Malcolm David Hubbert, a New Zealand citizen, of 16 George Herring Place, Glen Eden, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- 247215 Page 1 24 7 1 This invention relates to a chevron-type separator vane, and to methods of using a plurality of such vanes to remove entrained liquid from a gas flow.

In many processes it is desirable or necessary to remove a liquid mist from a gas stream in which the liquid particles are entrained. The use of impingement vanes is well established. Known vane type separators comprise a series of generally parallel vanes, which define between them zig-zag, sinuous or tortuous paths for the flow of gas, so that at each change of direction, the liquid particles impinge on the surfaces of the vanes, coalesce, and fall or drain out of the gas stream.

In general, vane separators of the known art are comprised of vanes that are of sinuous shape, having a plurality of apexes, or otherwise shaped to induce at least two changes of direction of air flowing between adjacent vanes. The surfaces of the vanes are provided with additional members for the purpose of trapping droplets which have impinged on the vane surface. Such additional members may be formed as external protrusions of the vane surface, or internal channels where the vanes are hollow, or may be separate components which are fastened externally to the vane.

In general, such separator vanes may be relatively expensive to manufacture where several components must be made and assembled to form the vane. Tooling to manufacture the complete vane in a single process may be expensive owing to complex profiles, by reason of varying thickness, ellipsoid sections, hollow cross sections, or number of apexes in the vane. The manufacture of the complete vane in a single process may be expensive because of the difficulties of maintaining dimensional tolerances, owing to complex profiles as above. Machinery with sufficient capacity to manufacture the complete vane in a single process may be expensive owing to the physical size of the vane. 247215 Page 2 2472 15 Separator vanes which are assembled from components may use components which are not all alike, and/or require extensive fastening to produce the finished vane.

In many examples of the known art, the vane profile may be such that individual vanes are difficult to clean in an assembled array. The means of assembling the vanes may need to provide for individual van^s to be removed for cleaning. Further, the vane surfaces between the apexes nay be continuously curved, or oriented at an oblique angle to the axis of fixing an array. Such vanes may therefore be difficult to assemble into parallel arrays. In either of the foregoing situations, the methods of assembly may allow undesirable variation in the spacing of adjacent vanes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a chevron-type vane which is easily manufactured, and which may be easily and accurately assembled into parallel arrays as a module. Modules may be assembled from vanes aligned in either one of two ways. A vane separator may be assembled from any number and alignment of modules, combined together to form overall sinuous paths for the flow of gas. In this manner the design of the gas flow path may be selected to suit the nature of the gas and entrained liquid, and any combination may be easily altered to suit a change in required duty.

In one aspect this invention may broadly to be said to consist of a separator vane with a modified single chevron profile.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional specification, in which a chevron-type vane is viewed in perspective from the inner side (Figure 1), in perspective from the outer side (Figure 2), and in cross section (Figures 3, 4). Figures 5 and 6 247215 Page 3 24 7 2 1 5 are cross section views through modular arrays of parallel vanes.

Figures 1-4 show a chevron type separator vane with an upstream member (1) and a downstream member (2) inclined at an obtuse included angle, such that the vane has distinct inner and outer sides. A flange (3) at the inner side of the downstream edge of the vane, is inclined at an acute included angle to the downstream member. A similar flange (4) on the outer side of the vane, at the apex of the chevron, is inclined at an acute included angle to the upstream member. The flanges (3,4) extend continuously along the full length of the vane. The inner side of the downstream member adjacent to the flange (3), and the outer side of the upstream member, adjacent to the flange (4) are each provided with a plurality of ridges (5), or shallow grooves (6), extending continuously along the full length of the vane.

Such a vane may easily be manufactured by extrusion or other process, from plastic resins, or metallic or ceramic-type materials. The vanes may be manufactured on machines of relatively small capacity, using tooling of relatively low cost, to relatively high accuracy.

Separator vanes manufactured by such methods may be easily cut to lengths as required to suit any application.

A plurality of such vanes may be simply provided with holes through either upstream or downstream member, and easily assembled on tie rods with spacers, in a generally parallel array (Figures 5,6). Such an array may equally be assembled by any other convenient means. Because the member by which the vane is fixed is both flat and perpendicular to the plane of fixing, the vanes may be easily fixed accurately spaced and parallel. 247215 Page 4 24 7 2 When such an array of vanes is placed in the path of a stream of gas in which liquid particles are entrained, the vanes cause the gas to change direction so that the liquid particles impinge upon the outer boundary of the gas flow path, which boundary is defined by a face of the vane bearing ridges or grooves. The ridges or grooves act to assist coalescence of the liquid particles. The flanges which are provided downstream of each ridged or grooved face of the vane act to further assist coalescence of the liquid particles, to arrest flow of liquid in the direction of gas flow, and to assist the liquid to drain from the gas stream.

The vanes may be assembled with the downstream member perpendicular to the plane of the array, (Figure 5), or with the upstream member perpendicular to the plane of the array (Figure 6).

The arrays may be rotated to different orientation. For example, the arrays of Figures 5a and 5b consist of vanes of similar alignment, but the arrays are rotated 180 degrees with respect to each other.

A complex zig zag labyrinth may be simply constructed by adding modular layers of vanes arrayed in either form of alignment, and in any orientation. Further, a vane separator constructed in a like manner may be easily modified by the addition, removal, or re-orientation of a module or modules of vanes to adapt the separator to a change in required performance duty.

In an assembled module, the single chevron profile permits access to all the vane surfaces for cleaning. Thus any module of vanes may be easily removed from an assembled vane separator and cleaned, and the whole vane separator may be easily cleaned without the need to remove individual vanes from the array. 247215 Page 5

Claims (8)

247 2 1 5 WHAT I CLAIM IS

1. A single chevron type separator vane comprising in combination a flat upstream member and a flat downstream member inclined at an

2. A module which forms a device for separating entrained liquid from a gas flow, comprising a plurality of vanes as in claim 1 assembled in a parallel array with the upstream member perpendicular to a plane of the array.

3. A module which forms a device for separating entrained liquid from a gas flow, comprising a plurality of vanes as in claim 1 assembled in a parallel array with the downstream member perpendicular to a plane of the array.

4. A device for separating entrained liquid " obtuse included angle to form a single apex with distinct inner and outer sides, a flange at the inner side of the downstream edge of the vane, inclined at an acute included angle to the downstream member, and extending continuously along the full length of the vane, a flange at the outer side of the vane, at the apex, inclined at an acute included angle to the upstream member, and extending continuously along the full length of the vane, a plurality of grooves or ridges extending continuously for the full length of the vane, along the inner side of the downstream member, adjacent to the flange, a plurality of grooves or ridges extending continuously for the full length of the vane, along the outer side of the upstream member, adjacent to the flange. more modules as in claims 2 or 3. 247 2 1 5

5. A chevron type vane for separating entrained liquid from a gas flow, substantially as described and as illustrated in the drawings accompanying the provisional specification.

6. A module which forms a device for separating entrained liquid from a gas flow, comprising a plurality of chevron type vanes as in claim 5 assembled in a parallel array with the upstream member perpendicular to a plane of the array.

7. A module which forms a device for separating entrained liquid from a gas flow comprising chevron type vanes as in claim 5 assembled in a parallel array with the downstream member perpendicular to a plane of the array.

8. A device for separating entrained liquid from a gas flow comprising one or more modules as in claims 6 or 7. Malcolm Hubbert. Applicant. * AUG 1996 VK A ^ 247215 Page 7