Multi-function separator

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of filtering a particulate contaminant out of the fluid.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 additionally comprising maintaining relatively constant flow velocity along the length of the coalescing tubes.

Claim 5

A vessel for removing contaminants from a fluid stream comprising: a shell having an inlet and an outlet; a coalescing section manifolded to said inlet; a drain for said coalescing section; an adsorbent section proximate to said coalescing section and in fluid communication with said outlet; and a distribution baffle interposed between said coalescing section and said outlet for managing the flow of the fluid stream therethrough.

Claim 6

A vessel for removing contaminants from a fluid stream comprising: a shell having an inlet and an outlet; a coalescing section manifolded to said inlet; a drain for said coalescing section; an adsorbent section proximate to said coalescing section and in fluid communication with said outlet; and a distribution baffle interposed between said coalescing section and said outlet for managing the flow of the fluid stream therethrough.

Claim 7

The vessel of claim 4 wherein said coalescing section comprises hollow, porous tubes.

Claim 8

The vessel of claim 5 wherein said distribution baffle comprises an elongate plate having holes arranged in rows parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plate, the holes varying in size from smallest holes nearest to said outlet to largest holes farthest from said outlet.

Claim 9

The vessel of claim 6 wherein said shell has an inside surface and said tubes have outside surfaces defining, along with the outside surface of said tubes, an interstitial volume for said coalescing section into which the fluid stream flows toward said distribution baffle at fluid velocity, and the tubes are sized and arranged in the interstial volume so that the fluid velocity is relatively constant within the interstitial volume, the sizing and arrangement of the tubes in the interstitial volume being determined by calculating fluid velocity at a point within the interstitial volume by (1) determining the interstitial area of a plane that is parallel to said distribution baffle and passes through the point within the interstitial volume, (2) determining the flowrate of the fluid through the interstitial area of the plane, and (3) dividing the flowrate by the interstitial area of the plane to yield the fluid velocity.

Claim 10

The vessel of claim 5 wherein a contaminant in the fluid is an entrained liquid and said hollow porous tubes are arranged in said coalescing section so that the velocity of fluid flow is less than the entrainment velocity of the entrained liquid in the fluid.

Claim 11

The vessel of claim 8 further comprising a filter section interposed between said adsorbent section and said outlet.

Claim 12

The vessel of claim 9 further comprising a second baffle interposed between said filter section and said outlet for managing flow.

Claim 13

The vessel of claim 10 wherein said second baffle comprises a tube having a plurality of holes through the walls thereof wherein a filter comprising said filter section is constructed in the shape of a hollow tube fitting over said second baffle.

Claim 14

The vessel of claim 11 further comprising a third baffle located within said adsorbent section for managing flow, wherein said shell and said distribution, second, and third baffles are elongate and are arranged with respective longitudinal axes parallel to the longitudinal axis of said shell.

Claim 15

The vessel of claim 12 wherein said third baffle comprises an elongate plate having holes arranged in rows parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, the holes varying in size from smallest holes nearest to said outlet to largest holes farthest from said outlet.

Claim 16

The vessel of claim 13 wherein the adsorbent in said adsorbent section comprises activated carbon.

Claim 17

The vessel of claim 14 wherein said tubes comprising said coalescing section are comprised of fiberglass.

Claim 18

The vessel of claim 15 wherein the filter in said filter section comprises a pleated paper filter element.

Claim 19

A multi-function separator for removing contaminants from a gas stream comprising: a source gas stream; an inlet in fluid communication with the source gas stream; a coalescing section in fluid communication with the inlet; a plurality of elongate porous tubes within the coalescing section for coalescing an entrained liquid contaminant in the source gas stream, wherein the source gas stream flows longitudinally into the porous robes and flows radially out of the porous tubes; a drain to remove the coalesced entrained liquid; an adsorbent section in fluid communication with the coalescing section for removing vapor from the gas stream; a first elongate fluid distribution baffle located between the coalescing section and the adsorbent section, the first fluid distribution baffle having a plurality of holes spaced along the length thereof for evenly distributing flow into the adsorbent section; a filter section in fluid communication with the adsorbent section for removing particulate contaminants from the gas stream; an outlet in fluid communication with the filter section, wherein the filter section is between the adsorbent section and the outlet; and a second fluid distribution baffle located between the filter section and the outlet, the second fluid distribution baffle having a plurality of holes spaced along the length thereof for evenly distributing flow into the filter section.

Claim 20

A multi-function separator for removing contaminants from a gas stream comprising: a source gas stream; an inlet in fluid communication with the source gas stream; a coalescing section in fluid communication with the inlet; a plurality of elongate porous tubes within the coalescing section for coalescing an entrained liquid contaminant in the source gas stream, wherein the source gas stream flows longitudinally into the porous robes and flows radially out of the porous tubes; a drain to remove the coalesced entrained liquid; an adsorbent section in fluid communication with the coalescing section for removing vapor from the gas stream; a first elongate fluid distribution baffle located between the coalescing section and the adsorbent section, the first fluid distribution baffle having a plurality of holes spaced along the length thereof for evenly distributing flow into the adsorbent section; a filter section in fluid communication with the adsorbent section for removing particulate contaminants from the gas stream; an outlet in fluid communication with the filter section, wherein the filter section is between the adsorbent section and the outlet; and a second fluid distribution baffle located between the filter section and the outlet, the second fluid distribution baffle having a plurality of holes spaced along the length thereof for evenly distributing flow into the filter section.

Claim 21

The multi-function separator of claim 17 wherein the longitudinal axis of the first distribution baffle is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubes and the gas flow direction from the tubes to the first distribution baffle is transverse to the longitude of the tubes.

Claim 22

The vessel of claim 18 wherein the gas flow from the tubes to the first distribution baffle has a velocity, wherein the coalescing section, the first distribution baffle, and the tubes are designed to yield a single velocity, for design conditions, so that the gas flow through a plane within the coalescing section and parallel to the first distribution baffle is relatively equal at all points in the plane.

Claim 23

The vessel of claim 19 wherein the coalescing section, the first distribution baffle, and the tubes are designed to yield a velocity for the design conditions that is less than the entrainment velocity for the entrained liquid contaminant in the gas stream.

Claim 24

The vessel of claim 20 wherein the filter section comprises a tubular filter placed over a perforated tube, wherein the tubular filter is surrounded by adsorbent, and the gas stream flows radially inwardly through the tubular filter into the perforated tube and out through the outlet.

Claim 25

A multi-function separator comprising: an elongate shell with an inlet and an outlet for connection in a gas stream; first and second baffles arranged longitudinally in the elongate shell and having a plurality of holes therethrough for passing gas between first, second and third compartments inside said shell defined by said first and second baffles; a coalescer in the first compartment in said shell for removing entrained liquid contaminants from the gas stream; an adsorbent in the second compartment in said shell for removing vapor contaminants from the gas stream from which liquid contaminants have been removed; and a filter in the third compartment in said shell for removing particulates from the gas stream from which both liquid and vapor contaminants have been removed, the holes in said first and second baffles being arranged to allow plug flow of the gas stream between first, second, and third compartments.

Claim 26

A multi-function separator comprising: an elongate shell with an inlet and an outlet for connection in a gas stream; first and second baffles arranged longitudinally in the elongate shell and having a plurality of holes therethrough for passing gas between first, second and third compartments inside said shell defined by said first and second baffles; a coalescer in the first compartment in said shell for removing entrained liquid contaminants from the gas stream; an adsorbent in the second compartment in said shell for removing vapor contaminants from the gas stream from which liquid contaminants have been removed; and a filter in the third compartment in said shell for removing particulates from the gas stream from which both liquid and vapor contaminants have been removed, the holes in said first and second baffles being arranged to allow plug flow of the gas stream between first, second, and third compartments.

Claim 29

An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said coalescing section comprises a plurality of parallel, porous, hollow tubes manifolded to said inlet.

Claim 30

An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said baffle is provided with a plurality of apertures of different sizes arranged and sized so that the smallest apertures are nearest the inlet and the largest apertures are furthest from the inlet.

Claim 31

An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said baffle separates said coalescing section from a subsequent processing section.

Claim 32

An apparatus according to claim 26 wherein the subsequent processing section is an adsorbing section.

Claim 33

An apparatus according to claim 27 wherein said adsorbing section contains activated carbon.

Claim 34

An apparatus according to claim 27 wherein, between said adsorbing section and said outlet, a filtering section is provided.

Claim 35

An apparatus according to claim 29 wherein said filtering section comprises at least one apertured baffle associated with a filter element.

Claim 36

An apparatus according to claim 30 wherein the apertured baffle associated with the filter element has a ratio of aperture area to baffle area which increases with increasing distance from said outlet.

Claim 37

An apparatus according to claim 27 wherein a further baffle is associated with said adsorbing section.

Claim 38

An apparatus according to claim 32 wherein said further baffle has a ratio of aperture area to baffle area which increases with increasing distance from said inlet.

Claim 39

An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said baffle is located adjacent said outlet.

Claim 40

An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein said inlet and said outlet comprise the inlet and outlet to a single shell, said coalescing section, said drain, and said baffle being within the shell.