Gas-liquid separator

Claim 1

A gas-liquid separator comprising: (a) an outer cylinder having a peripheral sidewall and first and second end walls; (b) a gas collecting inner cylinder having a gas discharge end and disposed within said outer cylinder, said inner and outer cylinders defining an annular space therebetween, said inner cylinder being formed with an arcuate opening in a sidewall portion thereof for communicating said annular space with the interior of said inner cylinder at a selected location between said outer cylinder end walls and being sized to receive gas separated from the introduced fluid by centrifugal separation; (c) a fluid inlet provided proximate said first end wall of the outer cylinder, said fluid inlet being tangential to said peripheral sidewall of said outer cylinder for introducing fluid into said annular space and in conjunction with the said walls of said outer cylinder being adapted to impart an initial circular motion to the introduced fluid leaving said inlet; (d) a fluid outlet provided proximate the second end wall of the outer cylinder; (e) means for imparting a helical flow to the circulating fluid, the helical flow carrying the fluid in said annular space from proximate said fluid inlet to proximate said fluid outlet, said means including annular guide plates defining fluid passageways; and (f) means communicating with said discharge end of the inner cylinder for removing separated gas therefrom.