Gas-liquid separator

Claim 1

A separator for removing entrained liquids from a moving gas stream comprising an elongate vessel having a liquid collecting chamber therein, an inlet conduit opening into the chamber and means providing a liquid outlet from the chamber; a conical deflector in the chamber spaced from the vessel wall with its conical axis aligned with the inlet conduit, the deflector converging toward the inlet conduit and having a plurality of vanes on the upstream end thereof for deflecting and swirling an inflowing stream of gas and entrained liquid outwardly toward the vessel wall and thereby depositing liquid thereon for removal through the liquid outlet; means between the deflector and the inlet conduit opening for removing liquid slugs before swirling the stream; means in the chamber for reversing the flow of gas and liquid entrained therein from a first horizontal path adjacent the vessel wall flowing in the downstream direction through a second horizontal, unobstructed path spaced from the vessel wall flowing in the upstream direction to a third horizontal path spaced from the vessel wall flowing in the downstream direction, the flow reversing means comprising a closed shell having an inlet adjacent the downstream end of the chamber and conduit means extending into the shell having an inlet upstream of the shell inlet, the conduit means extending out of the chamber; helical means inside the conduit means and within the shell confines for swirling the gas and thereby centrifugally depositing any entrained liquid therein onto the interior wall thereof; means for removing liquid from the interior wall of the conduit means; and outlet means for discharging the gas from the conduit means and the vessel.