Device for increasing the total amount of separation of a vortex separator

Claim 1

IN A VORTEX SEPARATOR FOR SEPARATING OUT PARTICULATE MATERIAL ENTRAINED IN A CARRIER FLUID, THE SEPARATOR COMPRISING A VORTEX CHAMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL AND A PAIR OF OPPOSITE END WALLS, INLET MEANS AT ONE OF SAID END WALLS FOR SUPPLYING A PRIMARY FLOW OF CARRIER FLUID WITH ENTRAINED MATERIAL TO SAID CHAMBER IN A CIRCULATORY PATH ABOUT A PRIMARY FLOW AXIS, OUTLET MEANS AT THE OTHER OF SAID END WALLS FOR DISCHARGING THE CARRIER FLUID FROM SAID CHAMBER, A COLLECTION SPACE FOR THE MATERIAL SEPARATED FROM THE CARRIER FLUID, SAID COLLECTION SPACE BEING LOCATED IN SAID CHAMBER AND SURROUNDING SAID INLET MEANS, NOZZLE MEANS IN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL FOR INJECTING SECONDARY FLUID IN A DIRECTION TANGENTIAL TO THE CIRCULATORY PATH OF SAID PRIMARY FLOW AND INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO SAID PRIMARY FLOW AXIS AT A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM SAID INLET MEANS, SAID SECONDARY FLUID BEING INJECTED ALONG A HELICAL FLOW PATH INTO SAID CHAMBER AND HAVING A COMPONENT OPPOSED TO SAID PRIMARY FLOW SO THAT A CIRCULATORY SECONDARY FLOW COAXIAL WITH SAID CIRCULATOR PRIMARY FLOW IS SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID PRIMARY FLOW, SAID CIRCULATORY SECONDARY FLOW HAVING A VORTEX SINK NEAR SAID INLET MEANS AND A VORTEX SOURCE SPACED FROM SAID INLET MEANS ALONG SAID PRIMARY FLOW AXIS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FLOW GUIDE MEANS HAVING A ROTATIONALLY SYMMETRICAL SHAPE AND EXTENDING COAXIAL TO AND INSIDE SAID CIRCULATORY FLOWS, SAID FLOW GUIDE MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF LENGTHS, EACH WITH AN END OF MINIMUM CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA, AN ENDMOST ONE OF SAID LENGTHS HAVING SAID END THEREOF LOCATED AT SAID PRIMARY FLOW INLET MEANS, THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID LENGTHS OF SAID FLOW GUIDE MEANS INCREASING TO A MAXIMUM VALUE IN THE PRIMARY FLOW DIRECTION FROM SAID ENDS OF MINIMAL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND THEN DECREASING IN SAID DIRECTION AGAIN TO A MINIMUM VALUE, THE RATE OF INCREASE IN CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA PER UNIT LENGTH OF SAID LENGTHS OF SAID FLOW GUIDE MEANS BEING GREATER THAN THE RATE OF DECREASE PER UNIT LENGHT THEREOF IN A DIRECTION FROM SAID INLET MEANS TOWARD SAID OUTLET MEANS.