Process and apparatus for treatment of jet engine exhaust

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REMOVING PARTICULATES FROM AND REDUCING THE NOISE LEVEL OF THE STREAM OF HIGH THRUST HOT GAS EMANATING AS THE EXHAUST FROM A JET ENGINE HAVING A SONIC VIBRATION IN SAID GAS STREAM AT A FREQUENTLY OF 30-16,000 CYCLES PER SECOND AND AN ENERGY LEVEL OF 40-200 DECIBELS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. DIRECTING THE FLOW OF SAID HOT GAS STREAM THROUGH A HOLLOW SHELL HAVING A COVERING INLET SECTION OPEN TO THE ATMOSPHERE, AN INTERMEDIATE MIXING ZONE AND A DIVERGING EXIT SECTION COMMUNICATING WITH A DOWNSTREAM COOLING MEANS HAVING A BED OF PACKING UNITS, AND INDUCING THE FLOW OF A LIMITED AMOUNT OF AIR INTO SAID STREAM THROUGH SAID INLET SECTION; B. INTRODUCNG A LIQUID INTO SAID STREAM OF HOT GAS AT SAID MIXING ZONE, SAID LIQUID BEING VAPORIZABLE AT THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID HOT GAS AND BEING EFFECTIVE TO COOL SAID GAS WHILE LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF AIR BEING INDUCED THEREIN THROUGH SAID INLET SECTION; C. VAPORIZING SUFFICIET OF SAID LIQUID IN SAID STREAM SO THAT THE SAID GAS IS SATURATED WITH SAID VAPOR AT A TEMPERATURE OF 85*-200*F,; D. COOLING SAID GAS STREAM BELOW THE DEW POINT THEREOF AT SAID COOLING MEANS BY PASSING SAID GAS STREAM IN ONE DIRECTION THROUGH SAID BED WHILE PASSING A LIQUID COOLANT THROUGH SAID BED IN ANOTHER DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID ONE DIRECTION, WHEREBY LIQUID IS CONDENSED ON THE PARTICULATES IN SAID STREM WHILE SAID SONIC VIBRATION CONTINUES TO EXIST THEREIN; E. DIRECTING SAID STREM ON THE SURFACES OF SAID PACKING UNITS, WHEREBY SAID PARTICULATES ARE IMPINGED AND DEPOSITED ON SAID SURFACES; AND, F. REMOVING SAID DEPOSITED PARTICULATES FROM THE SAID SURFACE BY MEANS OF THE LIQUID COOLANT PASSING THROUGH SAID BED.

Claim 10

An apparatus for removing particulates from a stream of hot gases emanating as the high-thrust exhaust from a jet engine having a sonic vibration of 30-60,000 cycles per second and 40-200 decibels and reducing the noise level in said stream comprising: a. a hollow means for receiving the high-thrust hot gas stream and adapted to having the hot gas stream pass therethrough, said hollow means having a converging inlet section, an intermediate mixing zone and a diverging exit section with the upstream end of said inlet section being open to the atmosphere and suitably dimensioned to accommodate the induced flow of a limited amount of air into said gas stream; b. means for introducing a liquid coolant into said stream of hot gases at said mixing zone, said liquid being vaporizable at the temperature of said hot gas; c. and cooling means for receiving the mixture of hot gases, induced air and vaporized lIquid coolant from the diverging exit section of said hollow means and for cooling said mixture below the dew point thereof whereby liquid is condensed on the particulates in said mixture while said sonic vibration continues to exist therein, said cooling means being characterized by a bed of packing units through which the said mixture is passed in one direction, and by means for passing a liquid coolant through said bed in another direction transverse to said one direction, whereby the particulates in said mixture are impinged and deposited on the surfaces of said packing units and thereafter removed therefrom by the liquid coolant passing through said bed.

Claim 11

An apparatus for removing particulates from a stream of hot gases emanating as the high-thrust exhaust from a jet engine having a sonic vibration of 30-60,000 cycles per second and 40-200 decibels and reducing the noise level in said stream comprising: a. a hollow means for receiving the high-thrust hot gas stream and adapted to having the hot gas stream pass therethrough, said hollow means having a converging inlet section, an intermediate mixing zone and a diverging exit section with the upstream end of said inlet section being open to the atmosphere and suitably dimensioned to accommodate the induced flow of a limited amount of air into said gas stream; b. means for introducing a liquid coolant into said stream of hot gases at said mixing zone, said liquid being vaporizable at the temperature of said hot gas; c. and cooling means for receiving the mixture of hot gases, induced air and vaporized lIquid coolant from the diverging exit section of said hollow means and for cooling said mixture below the dew point thereof whereby liquid is condensed on the particulates in said mixture while said sonic vibration continues to exist therein, said cooling means being characterized by a bed of packing units through which the said mixture is passed in one direction, and by means for passing a liquid coolant through said bed in another direction transverse to said one direction, whereby the particulates in said mixture are impinged and deposited on the surfaces of said packing units and thereafter removed therefrom by the liquid coolant passing through said bed.