US1698101A - Tangential separator - Google Patents

Description

Jan.s,1929. 1,698,101

M. G. MARTLJNG TANGENTIAL SEPARATOR Filed oct. 18, 1927 ,6W mm;

atroz 11u44/ Patented dan. 8, 1929.

unirse stares MERRIFIELD GRAHAM MARTLING, onrnn UNITED STATES ARMY.

mancini-mien snramiron.

Application, filed october 18, 1927. semi no. 226,9545.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple apparatus for separat-ing solids, such as sand, gravel, particles ot water, etc., from a Huid, the construction being such that the separating of the particles-is done continuously and thoroughly while vthe carryingliquid lis in motion, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawingf i F ig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view ot an apparatus embodying a preferred torni ot my invent-ion;

. F ig. 2 is a vertical sect-ional View von the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3 is asectional view of the preliminary separator; o

Figs. 4l, 5 and 6 are detail vertical sectional views of three modified forms otl the dis` charging-valves.

Referring to the dra-wing by referencenumerals, 10 designates a tubular conduitI which tapers 'ininternal dimensions :trom approximately its upper, inlet end, to its lower, outlet end, and which `is in the form of aconical spiral, the coils gradually decreasing in diameter .toward the lower, outlet end of the tube.

The water or other-fluidV bearing the particlesto be sep-arated is conducted under pressure into the ,upper end of the conduit, said upper end of the conduit being extended laterally a suitable distance to form a convenient linlet portion at 10. To separate out particles that are too large for separation by the separating-tube 10, I provide an inclined screen 11 in the inlet part-10, this screen consistingdesirably of parallel bars, inclining downwardly toward the apparatus, the lower conduit .wall being provided with an opening 12 which leads to a trap-chamber 13 closed by a valve 11i ot the gate type or any other suitable type. From time to time, the valve 14C maybe opened to permit the discharge of accumulated rocks or other foreign substances. At the 'entrance-end 10, l provide also a means 'for injecting air or other gas or fluid lighter than the carrying-fluid for the purpose otl increasing the din'erence between t-lie specilic gravities ot lthe flowing stream and the particles to be separated.V .A simple way ot doing this Vis to provide the conduit 10 with a hollow ring 15 into which is conducted, by a pipe16, compressed air or other iluid, jet openings 17 being'provided in the conduit 10 to permit the air to jet into theiniiowing stream in the form of nu-V merous jets, to thereby intimately mix therair or other fluid with the carrying-fluid. luthierway, the specific gravity of the partic'lesqcan ried by the fluid relative to the flowing stream as a whole is increased, with the result that the subsequent centrifugal-tangential sepa*-k torate l prefer lalso stopping this. row ot perorat-ions at about point y/ shown in F ig. 1, asbeyo-nd this point 1/ the conduit isenlarged gradually in conical form, as shown at' 19, for 'I a purpose hereinafter set forth. j u

As vwill be obvious, the swirlingnaction tial forces which tend to throw the solidparticles carried by the tluid out against theouter wall of the conduit. As the particles pass the openings 18, they will be thrown out through said openings by centrifugal and tangential forces. Since the heavier particles are more subject 'to these forces than the lighter particles, the heavier particles will be discharged ygiven to the fluid as passes downandaround v the conduit sets up centrifugalV and tangenthrough the openings first, and then, as Athe stream progresses, the lighter particles will iinally reach the outer wall and be likewise discharged. rlhe holes are not graduated in size, the separation which takes place is not dependent entirely upon size, but more particularly upon specilic gravity. The question of sizeof the pertorations relative to the size of the separated material is not a material one, so far as my invention is' concerned. All that is Vnecessary is to providev the outer wall with perforations suiliciently large to permit the largest particlesthatget by the screen 11 toibo discharged through these peritorations. By reason of the gradvualreduction in cross-sectional area of the conduit and also the gradualreduction' inthe diameter ot the coils ot the spiral, the speed of the fluid is Vincreased and also its tangential velocity is increased, with the resultthat the centritugal` and ytangential forces Vare gradually increased toward the discharge?.

end of the conduit, wherebyrthe separating Y therein.

action toward the discharge-endis so ,greatly augmented, as compared with the upper end of the conduit, that the lighter or smaller particles flowing in the fluid are discharged through the openings 18. In this way, I am enabled to extract from the moving stream all the foreign', solid substances suspended For the purpose of facilitating the discharge of the foreignA particles at numerous points throughout the length of the conduit,

i I provide-still-fluid chambers thronghoutthe the outer wall ofthe conduit.

'may be emptied from time to time in any suitlength of the conduit. These chambers may be formed by a series of radial partitions 20,

l an outer shell 21, an inner shell 22 and bottom fluid pockets, therefore, materially assist in` the discharge from the conduit of the solid particles as they are carried alongagainst These pockets able manner. I Vshow a simple form of sliding gate 24 in Figs. 1 and 2, but I may employ instead such devices as are shown in Figs. 4, 5-and 6. In Fig. 4;, I provide a trap-chamber 25 outside'of the gate 24 and provide this trap-chamber with a gate-valve 26 this structure is advantageous because the contents of 'the chamber may be discharged WithoutV stopping the operation of the machine or interfering with its operation. In Fig. 5, I show a weighted 'valve 27 for closing the outlet of the chamber; by properly adjusting the weight, this valve may be adapted to dump the collected material automatically. In

Fig. 6, I show a discharge-pipe 28 provided with an ordinary discharge-valve 29.A

`As stated above, I leave more or less of the outer wall of the uppermost coil ofthe conduit imperforate; I- do this in order that before' the stream reaches any of the dischargeopenings 18, the solid particles carried by the stream will have an opportunity of being subjected to the centrifugal and tangential forces sufficiently to have reached the outer wall of the conduit. AThe heavier particles will -reach this outer wall very quickly, while Vthe lighter particles carried by the stream will take more time for yielding to the centrifugal and tangential forces. The sepa- Y rated materialwill naturally be graded as to size, since the larger particles are in practi- VVcally all instances the heavier ones and they therefore will be deposited in the uppen chambers of the apparatus. My prime purpose, however, is to provide in a simple apparatus-a method and machine that will not only separate the easily-separated particles, namely, the heavier particles, but also the very light particles which are more or less impalpable and therefore require to be subjected to greater tangential and centrifugal forces for their separation. As heretofore stated, the delivery-end'lQ of the conduit is shaped to provide an expansionV tube in the form of a truncated pyramid or cone with the larger cross-sectional area at the discharge end; this is highly desirable for the reason that it reduces the back pressure which a restricted discharge-end would otherwise cause.

In'accordance with the provisions ofthe patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, rwhile it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combina.-

tions and relations described, some of vthese maybe altered and others omitted and some of the features of each modification may be embodied in the others without interfering with the more `general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

What I claim as new is:

1.In a separating apparatus, a conduit in the form of a conical spiral, the outer wall of said conduit being perforated at intervals along its length and the interior of said conduit tapering toward itseXit-end, a plurality of still-Huid pockets being arranged along the length of the conduit, each in communication with the conduit through said perforations.

2. In a fluid separating apparatus, a conduit tapering interiorly toward its exit-end, this conduit being in the form of a helix whose coils gradually decrease in size toward the exit-end, the outer wall of said conduit being perforated at intervals along its length, and a series of closed chambers arranged along the length of the conduit in communication with the perforations in the conduit, each chamber beingprovided with a separate discharging means. f

3. In a fluidV separating apparatus, an outer casing, an inner casing, a spiral conduit asduit in the form of a conical spiral, the coils the separated particles ejected through said decreasing in size toward the exiteend of the openings by the tangential and lcentrifugal conduit, the outer Wall of said conduit being forces. 10 provided with openingsat intervals along -itS In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my 5 length and the interior diameter of said consignature.

duit tapering toward its exit-end, and means 'communicating with said openings to receive MERRIFELD GRAHAM MARTLING-

Images