Hydrocyclones

Claim 1

A PRESSURE PIPE LINE HYDROCYCLONE FOR SEPARATING HEAVIER MATERIALS FROM LIQUID CAPABLE OF OPERATING AT LINE PRESSURES OF APPROXIMATELY 100 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH OR MORE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A CLOSED CYLINRICAL PRESSURE VESSEL HAVING DOME-SAPED ENDS AND A WALL THICKNESS DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND SAID PRESSURES, A CONICAL HOLLOW VORTEX MEMBR OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER LENGTH THAN MAXIMUM DIAMETER HAVING A CONSTRICTED UNDERFLOW DISCHARGE APEX END ARRANGED COAXIALLY OF AND WHOOLY WITHIN SAID PRESURE VESSEL WHEREBY THE LINE PRESSURES ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID VORTEX MEMBER ARE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALIZED, SAID VORTEX MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM THE ENS OF THE VESSEL WITH THE PERIPHERY OF ITS WIDE END ENGAGING THE VESSEL AND DIVIDING THE SAME INTO A FEED RECEIVING AND VORTEX FORMING CHAMBER AND INTO AN UNDERFLOW RECEIVING CHAMBER, A TUBULAR VORTEX FINDER EXTENDING AXIALLY IN SAID FEED RECEIVING AND VORTEX CHAMBER TOWARD THE WIDE END OF SAID CONICAL MEMBER FORMING AN ANNULAR ZONE BETWEEN SAID FINDER AND THE WALL OF THE CHAMBER AND OPERATING TO DISCHARGE THE OVERFLOW FRACTION THERETHROUGH FROM SAID FEED RECEIVING AND VORTEX CHAMBER, A TANGENTIAL INLET MEANS CONSTRUCTED FOR CONNECTION TO A PIPELINE FOR INTRODUCING THE FEED MIXTURE UNDER LINE PRESSURE INTO THE ANNULAR ZONE SURRONDING SAID VORTEX FINDER, WITH SAID UNDERFLOW FRACTION BEING DELIVERED THROUGH SAID CONSTRICTED END INTO SAID UNDERFLOW RECEIVING CHAMBER, AND SAID OVERFLOW PASSING OUT THROUGH SAID VORTEX FINDER, UNDERFLOW OUTLET MEANS FOR DISCHARGING UNDERFLOW MATERIAL CONTAINED UNDER PRESSURE IN SAID UNDERFLOW RECEIVING CHAMBER, AND OVERFLOW OUTLET MEANS CONSTRUCTED FOR CONNECTION TO THE PIPELING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VORTEX FINDER FOR DISCHARGING SAID OVERFLOW AGAINST LINE PRESSURE, SAID CONICAL VORTEX FORMING MEANS HAVING AT ITS OPEN END A LATERAL OUTLET AND A TRANSVERSE MEMBER, BEYOND SAID LATERAL OUTLET PREVENTING AXIAL FLOW OF SAID UNDERFLOW DISCHARGED INTO SAID UNDERFLOW RECEIVING CHAMBER, SAID LATERAL OUTLET AND MEMBER BEING SPACED SUFFICIENTLY ABOVE THE LOWERMOST PORTION OF THE UNDERFLOW CEIVING CHAMBER TO PROVIDE SETTLING SPACE THEREIN BELOW THE LATERAL OUTLET, FOR THE UNDERFLOW, SAID MEMBER HAVING AN AXIALLY POSITIONED LIQUID RETURN OPEN THEREIN, AND A LIQUID RETURN DUCT HAVING A INLET END IN SAID RECEIVING CHAMBER ABOVE AND FUNCTIONALLY REMOTE FROM SAID LATERAL OUTLET, SAID DUCT HAVING ITS OTHER END CONNECTED TO SAID RETURN OPENING.