Vortex separator

Claim 1

A VORTEX PARTICLE SEPARATOR WITH PROVISION TO PREVENT ABRASION BY SEPARATED PARTICLES RETAINED THEREIN, AND/OR EXHAUSTED THEREFROM BY SCAVENGE FLOW, COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END, AN OUTLET AT THE OPPOSITE END AND A CENTRAL PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN, A DEFLECTOR COAXIALLY MOUNTED IN THE PASSAGE ADJACENT THE INLET, HAVING A PLURALITY OF HELICAL VANES ABUTTING THE WALL OF THE PASSAGE, AND POSITIONED AT AN ANGLE TO THE LINE OF FLOW FROM THE INLET TO THE OUTLET SO AS TO CREATE A VORTEX STREAM IN THE INFLUENT AIR, WHICH CONCENTRATES THE CONTAMINANT PARTICLES IN THE WHIRLING STREAM AT THE PERIPHERY OF THE PASSAGE, THEREBY LEAVING THE AIR AT THE CENTER OF THE PASSAGE RELATIVELY CLEAN, A GENERALLY TUBULAR OUTLET MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN THE CENTRAL PASSAGE AT THE OUTLET END OF THE TUBULAR BODY, FOR DELIVERY OF CLEAN AIR FROM THE CENTRAL PASSAGE OF THE TUBULAR BODY, SAID TUBULAR OUTLET MEMBER DEFINING AN ANNULAR CONTAMINANT CHAMBER BETWEEN THE EXTERIOR OF THE OUTLET MEMBER AND THE INTERIOR WALL OF THE CENTRAL PASSAGE OF THE TUBULAR BODY RECEIVING SEPARATED CONTAMINANT PARTICLES, AN OUTLET PORT IN A WALL OF THE ANNULAR CONTAMINANT CHAMBER FOR SCAVENGE FLOW, A WALL EXTENDING BETWEEN THE TUBULAR OUTLET MEMBER AND THE TUBULAR BODY AT THE OUTLET END OF THE ANNULAR CHAMBER CLOSING OFF THE ANNULAR CHAMBER AT THAT END, AND A BAFFLE HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING DEFINING AN INLET INTO THE ANNULAR CHAMBER AND DISPOSED ACROSS THE ENTRANCE TO THE ANNULAR CHAMBER SO THAT THE ANNULAR CHAMBER IS CLOSED OFF AT THAT END, AND ALL FLOW OF AIR AND SEPARATED PARTICLES THAT ENTER THE ANNULAR CHAMBER MUST PASS THROUGH THE OPENING, THE BAFFLE BEING EFFECTIVE AT LEAST WHEN SCAVENGE FLOW CEASES, AND OPTIONALLY, ALSO WHILE SCAVENGE FLOW CONTINUES, TO DEFLECT THE WHIRLING AIR STREAM IN A MANNER TO INHIBIT THE WHIRLING MOVEMENT OF THE PARTICLES RETAINED IN THE CHAMBER, AND THUS PREVENT ABRASION OF THE WALL OF THE TUBULAR BODY THERE, SUBSTANTIALLY WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH THE ENTRY OF PARTICLES INTO THE CHAMBER OR WITH NORMAL SCAVENGE FLOW, THE OPENING HAVING ALARGER AVAILABLE OPEN AREA THAN THE OUTLET PORT FROM THE ANNULAR CHAMBER, SO THAT AT LEAST SOME PARTICLES SMALL ENOUGH TO ENTER THE ANNULAR CHAMBER VIA THE OPENING CANNOT ESCAPE FROM THE ANNULAR CHAMBER.