Separation of a suspension of two immiscible fluids

Claim 1

In an apparatus for separation of a supension of two immiscible fluid components, which apparatus comprises: a generally cylindrical pressure vessel having a main chamber and a secondary chamber at one axial end thereof, separated from each other by a dividing wall, and being provided with means defining an inlet opening into the main chamber, means defining a first outlet for the less dense component exiting from the main chamber and means defining a second outlet for the denser component exiting from the secondary chamber; and a separation means mounted within the main chamber and adapted to provide tortuous passage for fluid from the main chamber to the secondary chamber, whereby the two fluid components tend to be separated by passage through said separation means, whereby the less dense component tends to collect in the upper part of the main chamber and the denser component tends to pass through into the secondary chamber, the separation means being generally rectangular in external configuration in axial section of the vessel; the improvement wherein the means defining the inlet comprises an inlet pipe which enters the main chamber at a position away from the secondary chamber, the inlet pipe being divided into a plurality of discharge pipes extending longitudinally through space defined between the exterior of the separation means and the cylindrical wall of the main chamber, and terminating adjacent the dividing wall separating the main chamber from the secondary chamber whereby fluid discharged from said discharge pipes must reverse its flow and travel to the opposite end of said separation means externally thereof before entering said tortuous passage.

Claim 7

A method for separating the denser and less dense components of a suspension of two immiscible fluid components, the method comprising causing the less dense component to disentrain by causing the fluid to pass by tortuous passage through a separation means, and separating such disentrained less dense component, the method being characterised in that incoming fluid is subject first to flow division then discharged at a location external of but near the downstream end of the separation means and then subjected to flow reversal twice before passing into the upstream end of the separation means.

Claim 8

A method for separating the denser and less dense components of a suspension of two immiscible fluid components, the method comprising causing the less dense component to disentrain by causing the fluid to pass by tortuous passage through a separation means, and separating such disentrained less dense component, the method being characterised in that incoming fluid is subject first to flow division then discharged at a location external of but near the downstream end of the separation means and then subjected to flow reversal twice before passing into the upstream end of the separation means.