Cyclonic Oil Separator with Tangential Outlet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cyclonic oil separators in refrigeration systems face challenges with high pressure drop and limited space, leading to reduced separation efficiency and increased operating costs, as well as the risk of re-entrainment of collected particles.
Innovation Solution
A cyclonic oil separator design featuring a cylindrical casing with a tangentially oriented inlet and a cylindrical mouth that creates a vortex for efficient gas exit, reducing pressure drop and allowing for a smaller height while maintaining high separation efficiency, along with a frustoconical wall and closing plate to enhance particle collection and prevent re-entrainment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the cyclonic separator becomes narrower to remove smaller particles, then separation efficiency improves, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cyclone separator is divided into multiple sections with different diameters along its length. The upper section has a larger diameter for receiving the gas stream and creating the initial vortex, while the lower section narrows to enhance separation of smaller particles. This segmentation allows the system to maintain low pressure drop in the upper section while achieving high separation efficiency in the lower section.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the cyclone separator have different geometric properties optimized for different functions. The inlet region is designed with specific angles and dimensions to minimize pressure loss during gas entry, while the separation region is narrowed to improve particle removal efficiency. This local optimization of geometry allows simultaneous achievement of low pressure drop and high separation efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If the separator height is increased to improve separation efficiency, then separation performance improves, but available space is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The cyclone separator transitions from a vertically-oriented long structure to a more compact design by utilizing radial and horizontal dimensions. The conical shape and strategically positioned outlets allow the gas stream to complete the separation process in a shorter vertical distance, effectively using three-dimensional space more efficiently to reduce the required height while maintaining separation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cyclone separator employs curved surfaces including a conical lower section and rounded transitions between different diameter sections. These curved geometries guide the gas stream smoothly through the separation process, reducing turbulence and allowing efficient separation to be achieved in a more compact vertical space compared to straight-cylindrical designs.
3Manufacturing precision
If filters are added to increase separation efficiency, then particle removal improves, but pressure loss increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the filter component from the separator system entirely, relying instead on the cyclonic action and geometric design to achieve particle separation. By extracting the filter element, the system eliminates the associated pressure losses and maintenance requirements while maintaining effective separation through the cyclone's centrifugal force and optimized geometry.
4Manufacturing precision
If the separator height is increased to improve separation efficiency, then separation performance improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is segmented into distinct functional sections (inlet region, separation region, outlet region) with clear geometric transitions. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for its specific function while keeping the overall design simple and manufacturable, avoiding the need for complex internal structures or multiple components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves reduced pressure drop and enhanced oil separation efficiency, enabling effective use in spray and flooded evaporators without performance degradation, while minimizing the risk of particle re-entrainment and optimizing space usage.
Implementation Method 1
cyclonic separators are one of the most common types of separators used for the separation of oil from the refrigerant fluid
Implementation Method 2
the gas stream containing entrained particles enter the separator and bend around the inside of the body of the separator towards the bottom part of the separator. However, the entrained particles are not capable of changing direction as fast as the gas does, therefore, heavy particles (entrained particles like oil or water) hit immediately the inner wall of the separator
Implementation Method 3
The gas stream also travels downwards within the separator and at the bottom of the separator due to the vortex effect (created due to the very fast movement of the gas inside the separator) moves upwards towards a gas exit at the top
Implementation Method 4
the gas outlet is oriented tangentially to convey the discharged gas in a second horizontal axis transversal to the vertical axis and tangential to the cylindrical mouth. Such a solution allows to create a vortex near the gas outlet of the separator which helps channel the gas stream, free of the entrained particles, to exit the separator; therefore, pressure drop across the separator is reduced
Data Source
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AI summary
A cyclonic oil separator (1) for separating entrained particles in a gas stream, comprises: a cylindrical casing (2); an inlet (3) for receiving the gas stream and to convey the stream tangentially to the inside of the casing (2); a cylindrical mouth (6), including a first part (6A) and a second part (6B) and extending vertically from the first part (6A), positioned inside a first end of the casing (2), to the second part (6B), projecting vertically from the casing (2); a gas outlet (4). The gas outlet (4) is connected to the second part (6B) of the cylindrical mouth (6) and is oriented tangentially to convey the discharged gas in a horizontal axis (H2) transversal to the vertical axis (V) and tangential to the cylindrical mouth (6).