Vortex tube separating device

Claim 1

A method of cleaning a particle containing gas flow stream from particles in a gas cleaning device, or recovering particles from a particle containing gas flow stream in a particle recovering device, of the kind comprising: an outer round tube having an inlet at one end which will be an upstream end in use, and an opposed end which will be a downstream end in use, the outer round tube having a continuously divergent portion extending from the inlet downstream through a predetermined axial distance; an axially arranged vortex or rotating flow generator in a vortex generating region in the tube downstream of the inlet; a separate region downstream of the vortex generating region, said predetermined axial distance being at least equal to the cumulative length of the vortex generating region and the separation region; a peripheral outlet region toward the periphery of the tube downstream of the separation region; a peripheral outlet region toward the periphery of the tube downstream of the separation region; a central outlet region toward the center of the tube downstream of the separation region; an inner round extraction tube, arranged concentrically within the outer round tube to separate the peripheral and central outlet regions, having an inlet at an upstream end thereof which is at a predetermined axial position corresponding to the end of the separation region, and an outlet means for the central outlet region at a downstream end thereof, said upstream end of the inner round extraction tube cooperating with the outer round tube to define an annular inlet of the peripheral outlet region; locating means locating the inner round extraction tube toward the downstream end thereof to the outer round tube such that the inner round extraction tube extends cantilever fashion in an upstream direction from the locating means and such that the inlet of the peripheral outlet region is circumferentially continuous and without circumferentially interrupted structure; and outlet means for the peripheral outlet region toward a downstream end thereof, the method including introducing the particle containing gas flow stream axially into the outer round tube via its inlet; inducing rotating flow in said particle containing gas flow stream by guiding it through the vortex generator; allowing the particles to concentrate toward the outer periphery of the flow stream on account of the rotating flow; guiding a particle enriched portion of the flow stream, toward the center of the tube, into the central outlet region; guiding a particle depleted portion of the flow stream, toward the center of the tube, into the central outlet region; and allowing the flow to diverge along said continuously divergent portion of the outer round tube.

Claim 2

A method of cleaning a particle containing gas flow stream from particles in a gas cleaning device, or recovering particles from a particle containing gas flow stream in a particle recovering device, of the kind comprising: an outer round tube having an inlet at one end which will be an upstream end in use, and an opposed end which will be a downstream end in use, the outer round tube having a continuously divergent portion extending from the inlet downstream through a predetermined axial distance; an axially arranged vortex or rotating flow generator in a vortex generating region in the tube downstream of the inlet; a separate region downstream of the vortex generating region, said predetermined axial distance being at least equal to the cumulative length of the vortex generating region and the separation region; a peripheral outlet region toward the periphery of the tube downstream of the separation region; a peripheral outlet region toward the periphery of the tube downstream of the separation region; a central outlet region toward the center of the tube downstream of the separation region; an inner round extraction tube, arranged concentrically within the outer round tube to separate the peripheral and central outlet regions, having an inlet at an upstream end thereof which is at a predetermined axial position corresponding to the end of the separation region, and an outlet means for the central outlet region at a downstream end thereof, said upstream end of the inner round extraction tube cooperating with the outer round tube to define an annular inlet of the peripheral outlet region; locating means locating the inner round extraction tube toward the downstream end thereof to the outer round tube such that the inner round extraction tube extends cantilever fashion in an upstream direction from the locating means and such that the inlet of the peripheral outlet region is circumferentially continuous and without circumferentially interrupted structure; and outlet means for the peripheral outlet region toward a downstream end thereof, the method including introducing the particle containing gas flow stream axially into the outer round tube via its inlet; inducing rotating flow in said particle containing gas flow stream by guiding it through the vortex generator; allowing the particles to concentrate toward the outer periphery of the flow stream on account of the rotating flow; guiding a particle enriched portion of the flow stream, toward the center of the tube, into the central outlet region; guiding a particle depleted portion of the flow stream, toward the center of the tube, into the central outlet region; and allowing the flow to diverge along said continuously divergent portion of the outer round tube.