System for removing contaminant particles from a gas

Claim 1

A system for removing contaminants from a gas, said system having, in combination, a housing having an inlet and an outlet to define a passage for the flow of gas carrying aerosol contaminants, a vortex cleaner assembly disposed within said passage and including a plurality of parallel tubes disposed in said passage and alined with the flow of gas through the passage, said tubes being alined in rows in each of two perpendicular directions, a plurality of vortex generators, one for each of said tubes and each disposed adjacent the inlet end of the associated tube to impart a rotational flow to the gas flowing through the tube, the rotational flow of the gas causing a major portion of the contaminants in the gas to be separated from the main flow of gas through said tubes, means for removing the separated contaminants from said passage, said vortex generators being constructed to impart rotational flows of preselected hands through said tubes with the flow through each tube being of the opposite hand from the flow through adjacent tubes in both of said perpendicular directions whereby the velocity vectors of the flow from any two tubes are in the same direction and of substantially the same magnitude in the region of adjacent flow so that the well-defined rotational flow of gas through said tubes is maintained without substantial turbulence as the gas leaves the vortex cleaner assembly, and a depth-type barrier filter disposed in said passage downstream of said vortex cleaner assembly between the vortex cleaner assembly and the outlet of the passage and extending across the passage to further remove contaminants from the gas as it passes through the filter by gradually converting the well-defined rotational flow of the gas to a well-defined laminar flow, said rotational flow facilitating penetration of said gas into said filter before conversion to laminar flow, thereby effecting deposition of contaminant particles throughout the thickness of said filter.

Claim 2

A system for removing contaminants from a gas, said system having, in combination, a housing having an inlet and an outlet to define a passage for the flow of gas carrying aerosol contaminants, a vortex cleaner assembly disposed within said passage and including a plurality of parallel tubes disposed in said passage and alined with the flow of gas through the passage, said tubes being alined in rows in each of two perpendicular directions, a plurality of vortex generators, one for each of said tubes and each disposed adjacent the inlet end of the associated tube to impart a rotational flow to the gas flowing through the tube, the rotational flow of the gas causing a major portion of the contaminants in the gas to be separated from the main flow of gas through said tubes, means for removing the separated contaminants from said passage, said vortex generators being constructed to impart rotational flows of preselected hands through said tubes with the flow through each tube being of the opposite hand from the flow through adjacent tubes in both of said perpendicular directions whereby the velocity vectors of the flow from any two tubes are in the same direction and of substantially the same magnitude in the region of adjacent flow so that the well-defined rotational flow of gas through said tubes is maintained without substantial turbulence as the gas leaves the vortex cleaner assembly, and a depth-type barrier filter disposed in said passage downstream of said vortex cleaner assembly between the vortex cleaner assembly and the outlet of the passage and extending across the passage to further remove contaminants from the gas as it passes through the filter by gradually converting the well-defined rotational flow of the gas to a well-defined laminar flow, said rotational flow facilitating penetration of said gas into said filter before conversion to laminar flow, thereby effecting deposition of contaminant particles throughout the thickness of said filter.

Claim 5

A system for removing contaminants from a gas, said system having, in combination, a housing having an inlet and an outlet to define a passage for the flow of a gas carrying aerosol contaminants, a vortex cleaner assembly disposed within said passage and including a plurality of parallel tubes disposed in said passage and alined with the flow of gas through the passage, said tubes being alined in rows in each of two perpendicular directions, a plurality of stationary helical vanes, one for each of said tubes and each disposed adjacent the inlet end of said tube and extending longitudinally thereof to impart a rotational flow to the gas flowing through the tube, the rotational flow of the gas causing a major portion of the contaminants in the gas to be separated from the main flow of gas through said tubes, means for removing the separated contaminants from said passage, the vane in each of said tubes being of opposite hand from the vanes in all adjacent tubes in both of said perpendicular directions whereby the flow from any tube is correspondingly opposite in hand from the flow from adjacent tubes and the velocity vectors of the flow from any two tubes are in the same direction and of substantially the same magnitude in the region of adjacent flow so that the well-defined rotational flow of gas through said tubes is maintained without substantial turbulence as the gas leaves the vortex cleaner assembly, and a barrier filter disposed in said passage downstream of said vortex cleaner assembly between the vortex cleaner assembly and the outlet of the passage and extending across the passage to further remove contaminants from the gas as it passes through the filter by gradually converting the well-defined rotational flow of the gas to a well-defined laminar flow, said rotational flow facilitating penetration of said gas into said filter before conversion to laminar flow, thereby effecting deposition of contaminant particles throughout the thickness of said filter, said filter including a thickness of wire mesh through which the gas flows and the wire mesh being coated with a film of oil whereby contaminants in the gas impact upon the oil and are removed from the gas.

Claim 6

A system for removing contaminants from a gas, said system having, in combination, a housing having an inlet and an outlet to define a passage for the flow of a gas carrying aerosol contaminants, a vortex cleaner assembly disposed within said passage and including a plurality of parallel tubes disposed in said passage and alined with the flow of gas through the passage, said tubes being alined in rows in each of two perpendicular directions, a plurality of stationary helical vanes, one for each of said tubes and each disposed adjacent the inlet end of said tube and extending longitudinally thereof to impart a rotational flow to the gas flowing through the tube, the rotational flow of the gas causing a major portion of the contaminants in the gas to be separated from the main flow of gas through said tubes, means for removing the separated contaminants from said passage, the vane in each of said tubes being of opposite hand from the vanes in all adjacent tubes in both of said perpendicular directions whereby the flow from any tube is correspondingly opposite in hand from the flow from adjacent tubes and the velocity vectors of the flow from any two tubes are in the same direction and of substantially the same magnitude in the region of adjacent flow so that the well-defined rotational flow of gas through said tubes is maintained without substantial turbulence as the gas leaves the vortex cleaner assembly, and a barrier filter disposed in said passage downstream of said vortex cleaner assembly between the vortex cleaner assembly and the outlet of the passage and extending across the passage to further remove contaminants from the gas as it passes through the filter by gradually converting the well-defined rotational flow of the gas to a well-defined laminar flow, said rotational flow facilitating penetration of said gas into said filter before conversion to laminar flow, thereby effecting deposition of contaminant particles throughout the thickness of said filter, said filter including a thickness of wire mesh through which the gas flows and the wire mesh being coated with a film of oil whereby contaminants in the gas impact upon the oil and are removed from the gas.