Gas/liquid separator

Claim 2

A gas/liquid separator comprising: a hollow 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) an outlet 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 outlet port are located 90° apart; and 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 means to allow the primary and secondary gas flows to exit same.

Claim 3

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 1, wherein said inlet and outlet ports are identically dimensioned rectangles.

Claim 4

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 2 wherein a height-to-width ratio of said identically dimensioned rectangles is at least 2:1.

Claim 5

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 3, wherein cross-sectional area of said first gas entrance ports is approximately equal to that of said inlet port, and wherein cross-sectional area of said second gas entrance ports is approximately equal to that of said outlet port.

Claim 6

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 4, wherein said first and second gas entrance ports are identically dimensioned slot arrangements.

Claim 7

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 5, wherein each of said slot arrangements comprises three identically dimensioned slots positioned around said cylindrical vortex finder in a 120° relationship.

Claim 8

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 6, wherein each of said slots is vertically aligned in an axial direction of said cylindrical vortex finder, and further wherein the length of each of said slots is equal to the height of said identically dimensioned rectangles.

Claim 9

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 7, wherein each of said slots has first and second slot portions, said first slot portion being dimensionally longer and wider than said second slot portion.

Claim 10

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 8, wherein said first slot portion is above said second slot portion at said first gas entrance ports, and wherein said first slot portion is below said second slot portion at said second gas entrance ports, whereby said first and second gas entrance ports are symmetrical to one another with respect to the center of said vortex finder.

Claim 11

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 1, wherein cross-sectional area of said first gas entrance ports is approximately equal to that of said inlet port, and wherein cross-sectional area of said second gas entrance ports is approximately equal to that of said outlet port.

Claim 12

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 1, wherein said first and second gas entrance ports are identically dimensioned slot arrangements.

Claim 13

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 11, wherein each of said slot arrangements comprises three identically dimensioned slots positioned around said cylindrical vortex finder in a 120° relationship.

Claim 14

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 12, wherein each of said slots is vertically aligned in an axial direction of said cylindrical vortex finder.

Claim 15

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 13, wherein each of said slots has first and second slot portions, said first slot portion being dimensionally longer and wider than said second slot portion.

Claim 16

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 14, wherein said first slot portion is above said second slot portion at said first gas entrance ports, and wherein said first slot portion is below said second slot portion at said second gas entrance ports, whereby said first and second gas entrance ports are symmetrical to one another with respect to the center of said vortex finder.

Claim 17

A gas/liquid separator comprising: a first hollow cylindrical body having identically dimensioned, rectangular inlet and outlet ports positioned to enter a sidewall of said first cylindrical body in a tangential fashion at opposite ends thereof, said inlet and outlet ports further facing 90° away from each other; a second hollow cylindrical body located concentrically within said first cylindrical body and having a gas exit port, said second cylindrical body further being provided with perforations aligned with said inlet and outlet ports, whereby when a gas/liquid mixture enters said first cylindrical body through said inlet port, a vortex flow is created therein such that: 1) gas is separated from the mixture and enters said second cylindrical body via the perforations aligned with said inlet and outlet ports, and 2) liquid is separated from the mixture and exits said first cylindrical body via said outlet port; and means for allowing the gas entering said second cylindrical body to exit same.

Claim 18

A gas/liquid separator comprising: a first hollow cylindrical body having identically dimensioned, rectangular inlet and outlet ports positioned to enter a sidewall of said first cylindrical body in a tangential fashion at opposite ends thereof, said inlet and outlet ports further facing 90° away from each other; a second hollow cylindrical body located concentrically within said first cylindrical body and having a gas exit port, said second cylindrical body further being provided with perforations aligned with said inlet and outlet ports, whereby when a gas/liquid mixture enters said first cylindrical body through said inlet port, a vortex flow is created therein such that: 1) gas is separated from the mixture and enters said second cylindrical body via the perforations aligned with said inlet and outlet ports, and 2) liquid is separated from the mixture and exits said first cylindrical body via said outlet port; and means for allowing the gas entering said second cylindrical body to exit same.

Claim 19

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 16, wherein said perforations aligned with said rectangular inlet port comprise a first plurality of slots vertically extended in an axial direction of said second cylindrical body, each of said first plurality of slots having a length corresponding to the height of said rectangular inlet port, and wherein said perforations aligned with said rectangular outlet port comprise a second plurality of slots vertically extended in an axial direction of said second cylindrical body, each of said second plurality of slots having a length corresponding to the height of said rectangular outlet port.

Claim 20

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 17, wherein cross-sectional areas of each of said rectangular inlet and outlet ports are approximately equal to cross-sectional areas of said first and second plurality of slots, respectively.

Claim 21

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 17, wherein each of said first and second plurality of slots comprises three identically dimensioned slots positioned around said second cylindrical body in a 120° spaced apart relationship.

Claim 22

A gas/liquid separator as in claim 16, wherein a height-to-width ratio of each of said identically dimensioned rectangular inlet and outlet ports is at least 2:1.