Combined centrifugal force/gravity gas/liquid separator system

Claim 1

A gas/liquid separator system comprising: an outer enclosing tank filled with a demisting packing material, said tank having a gas outlet port and a liquid outlet port located at a top and bottom, respectively, of said tank; at least one generally cylindrical, centrifugal force gas/liquid separator vertically aligned and centrally located within said tank and surround by said packing material, said separator comprising I) a hollow generally cylindrical separator body having: 1) an inlet port in a top sidewall thereof for receiving a tangential inflow of a gas/liquid mixture, and 2) a liquid escape port in a bottom sidewall thereof for allowing liquid separated from the mixture to tangentially exit said cylindrical separator body, wherein said inlet port and said liquid escape port are located 90° apart, and ii) a hollow cylindrical vortex finder positioned concentrically within said cylindrical separator body, said vortex finder having: 1) first gas entrance ports aligned with said inlet port of said separator body for receiving a primary gas flow separated from the mixture, and 2) second gas entrance ports aligned with said outlet port of said separator body for receiving a secondary gas flow separated from the mixture, wherein said cylindrical vortex finder is further provided with a gas escape port to allow the primary and secondary gas flows to exit same, wherein said separator receives a gas/liquid mixture, separates the mixture into respective substantially gas and substantially liquid components, and allows the substantially gas components to exit said gas escape port and the substantially liquid components to exit said liquid escape port, whereby the substantially gas components rise through said packing material for further separation into residual liquid components and separated gas components, and whereby the substantially liquid components drain, under the force of gravity, through said packing material for further separation into residual gas components and separated liquid components, the residual gas components rising through said packing material and mixing with the separated gas components such that a mixture of the residual and separated gas components exit said tank's gas outlet port, and the residual liquid components falling, under the force of gravity, through said packing material and mixing with the separated liquid components such that a mixture of the residual and separated liquid components exit said tank's liquid outlet port; and an inflow line for introducing the mixture into said inlet port, said inflow line being upwardly inclined in a direction of flow of the mixture at a point where said inflow line communicates with said inlet port.