Modular Vane Separator With Rounded Pockets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vane separators are limited in their ability to handle high gas velocities and particulate content, leading to particulate escape downstream, increased pressure drop, and weight, while also requiring excessive welding and material usage.
Innovation Solution
A vane separator design featuring undulating vanes with rounded pocket edges and a modular structure without a central spine, allowing for increased gas velocity, improved particulate collection, reduced weight, and minimized welding, fabricated from curved sheet metal strips.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If gas is forced through a vane separator at high velocity, then productivity increases, but particulate escapes from the outlet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by providing rounded leading edges on the pocket openings of the vane separator. This curved geometry encourages liquid droplets to enter the pockets more effectively, improving particulate collection efficiency at higher gas velocities. The rounded edges create smoother flow transitions and reduce turbulence that would otherwise cause particulate escape.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the vane separator by modifying the pocket opening configurations and undulating vane shapes. These parameter changes optimize the separator's performance at high gas velocities by improving the capture efficiency of particulate while maintaining structural integrity and flow characteristics.
2Reliability
If narrow gaps between vanes are used, then particulate collection improves, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rounded leading edges on the pocket openings reduce flow separation and turbulence that would occur with sharp edges. This curvature allows for slightly wider effective gaps while maintaining particulate collection efficiency, thereby reducing the pressure drop across the separator.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the gap dimensions and vane configurations by changing geometric parameters to achieve an optimal balance between particulate collection and pressure drop. The undulating vane shapes and modified pocket geometries allow for improved flow characteristics that reduce pressure loss.
3Strength
If traditional vane separator design is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vane separator into modular components with undulating vanes that can be manufactured separately and assembled. This segmentation allows for optimized, lightweight construction of each component while maintaining overall structural integrity through the modular assembly design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters and construction methods by using curved sheet metal strips with optimized thickness and geometry. This allows for reduced material usage while maintaining structural strength, thereby decreasing the overall weight of the separator.
4Ease of manufacture
If continuous steel base strip is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but material usage and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the continuous base strip by segmenting the vane structure into discrete, modular components. Each vane is a separate element that can be manufactured independently from curved sheet metal strips, reducing material usage and allowing for more efficient manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the continuous steel base strip from the traditional vane separator design. By taking out this unnecessary component, the design achieves weight reduction and material savings while maintaining structural integrity through the undulating vane configurations.
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 enables a 6-21% increase in gas velocity before particulate breakthrough, maintains comparable pressure drop, reduces weight by 19%, and decreases manufacturing costs by 20-22% through reduced material and welding requirements.
Implementation Method 1
rounded leading edge for encouraging liquid droplets to enter a pocket opening and pocket
Implementation Method 2
rounded leading edge for encouraging liquid droplets to enter a pocket opening and pocket
Implementation Method 3
narrow zig-zag passageways through which a gas stream is forced such that the flow of gas as well as the solid and liquid particulate rapidly changes direction several times
Implementation Method 4
Solid and liquid particles have a higher density and mass than gas and are not able to rapidly change direction. As a result, particulates will impinge on the vane structures and collect inside vane pockets
Implementation Method 5
particulates will impinge on the vane structures and collect inside vane pockets
Data Source
AI summary
A vane-type separator with pockets for removing solid and liquid particles entrained in a gaseous stream. Vanes are fabricated from a plurality of modular components which may be assembled to form vanes of varying lengths. The vanes include pockets with rounded leading edges to encourage particulate to impinge on the vane and move into the pockets by surface tension and aerodynamic forces. The vane-type separator allows for a higher gas stream velocity before particulate is found downstream of the vane-type separator.