Centrifugal and impingement oil separator

Claim 1

An oil separator comprising: means for use with an oil separation and return system for the compressor means of a refrigeration system including a vessel for receiving the relatively high pressure vapor-oil discharged from a compressor, said vessel having a receiving chamber with a cylindrical wall and a tangential inlet for connection to the compressor discharge conduit, oil outlet means at the lower end of said vessel, a turbine wheel rotatably mounted in said receiving chamber and positioned in line with said tangential inlet for receiving the impact of refrigerant vapor thereon, said turbine wheel having vanes on its exterior portion and a central portion that is open for the passage of vapor, a flow reverter mounted in spaced relation beneath said turbine wheel, said flow reverter comprising plate means extending laterally of said vessel and spaced from the wall thereof for enabling oil to freely flow downwardly of said wall but vapor flow is deflected upwardly towards the central portion of said turbine wheel, said vessel having a vapor discharge chamber above said receiving chamber and sealed therefrom except for the central portion of said turbine wheel, said discharge chamber having a vapor outlet, said flow reverter being positioned for causing substantially oil-free vapor to be deflected upwardly through the central portion of said turbine wheel for passage through said outlet directly to a filter means, and said turbine wheel being driven by the relatively high pressure refrigerant vapor-oil at a rapid rate, the oil in said vapor impinging thereon and being thrown outwardly into contact with the side walls of the vessel and draining downwardly to the oil outlet means sufficient that the oil is separated from the vapor and the vapor flows through the vessel to the vapor outlet.