Cyclone separator for separating steam from water

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING STEAM AND WATER FROM A FLUID MIXTURE OF SUCH CONSTITUENTS COMPRISING: A FLUIDIMPERVIOUS UPRIGHT CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR HOUSING HAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS; A PARTIAL CYLINDER FORMED BY CUTTING AWAY THE UPPER PORTION OF A CYLINDER SO AS TO DEFINE AN UPPER HELICAL BOUNDARY, SAID PARTIAL CYLINDER BEING COAXIALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND SPACED FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SIDE WALL OF SAID TUBULAR HOUSING SO AS TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR SPACE THEREBETWEEN, SAID PARTIAL CYLINDER BEING SPACED FROM THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID HOUSING; A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING HELICAL DEFLECTOR STRIP SPANNING SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM SAID CYLINDER HELICAL UPPER BOUNDARY INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR HOUSING ALONG ITS LENGTH AND DEFINING THE UPPER LIMIT OF A DESCENDING HELICAL PATH, SAID HELICAL DEFLECTOR STRIP EXTENDING THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY A SINGLE CONVOLUTION ABOUT SAID CYLINDER ALONG THE HELICAL UPPER BOUNDARY FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID CYLINDER TO ALLOW FREE GRAVITATIONAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MIXTURE BELOW SAID STRIP; A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED TANGENTIAL INLET MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID TUBULAR HOUSING SIDE WALL ADJACENT AND BELOW THE UPPER END OF SAID STRIP IN INTRODUCING A STEAM-WATER MIXTURE INTO SAID ANNULAR SPACE BELOW THE UPPER END OF THE STRIP AND ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID STRIP SO THAT SAID STRIP WILL ACT AS AN UPPER FLUID GUIDE; MEANS SPACED BENEATH SAID CYLINDER AND ABOVE SAID LOWER END FOR FURTHER SEPARATION OF SAID MIXTURE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A DISC HAVING A PLURALITY OF PERIPHERAL ANGULARLY DISPOSED DEFLECTOR VANES, LIQUID OUTLET MEANS DISPOSED THROUGH SAID LOWER END OF SAID TUBULAR HOUSING, OUTLET MEANS SPACED FROM AND OF SMALLER CROSS-SECTION THAN SAID CYLINDER DISPOSED THROUGH SAID UPPER END OF SAID TUBULAR HOUSING FOR RECEIVING STEAM.