Gas and liquid separator

Claim 1

A separator for separating the liquid and gaseous components of a fluid stream comprising a cylindrical tank, a conduit opening radially into the tank, baffle means secured to and extending around the interior surface of the tank and comprising spaced side walls projecting substantially horizontally from the interior surface of the tank and a base interconnecting edges of the side walls remote from the surface of the tank and defining with the side walls a channel, said channel being inclined slightly downwardly of the tank, the upper end of the channel being closed and the lower end being opened, said conduit opening to the interior of the channel close to the upper end, said side walls being of progressively lesser height towards the closed end of said channel and said base having a substantially vertical edge secured to said interior surface of the tank to close the upper end of the channel; said tank having a gas discharge outlet in its upper extremity, said baffle means being located downwardly of said gas discharge outlet and said tank being completely free of inward projections between the baffle means and said discharge outlet; a float controlled liquid discharge outlet at the bottom of said tank, the upper one of said side walls of the baffle means being extended beyond the open end of the channel and secured to said interior surface of the tank to form a shelf for preventing drip from being blown from the top of the channel at the open end thereof; whereby a fluid stream entering the tank through said inlet is redirected and confined to a path downwardly and around the inner cylindrical surface of the tank to become separated into its gaseous and liquid components.