Screen Basket Vortex Breaker with Radial Vanes and Cross-Tees
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vortex breakers are ineffective in reducing swirling flow for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other fluids, often requiring large sizes that limit their effectiveness and usability in various applications.
Innovation Solution
A vortex breaker apparatus featuring a screen basket with radially disposed vanes, including cross-tees, and a baffle plate to redirect fluid flow, which is designed to minimize vortex formation while maintaining a smaller size compared to conventional breakers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional screen basket breaker is used to reduce vortex flow, then vortex reduction is achieved, but the breaker requires a large size (4-5 times the outlet diameter) which limits its applicability
Solution Approach 1:
The breaker is segmented into multiple functional components: a screen basket with radially spaced vanes, cross-tees extending from the vanes, and a baffle plate. This segmentation allows each component to contribute to vortex reduction in a coordinated manner, achieving effective vortex breaking in a more compact overall size
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds radial dimensionality to the flow control mechanism by positioning vanes and cross-tees in a radial pattern around the outlet. This radial arrangement creates multiple flow modification zones that work together to eliminate vortices more efficiently than conventional axial designs, reducing the required breaker diameter
2Device complexity
If a basic vaned vortex breaker is used, then the structure is simple, but it is ineffective for LNG applications due to turbulent flow and small vortexes forming beyond the vanes
Solution Approach 1:
The screen basket acts as an intermediary component between the incoming turbulent flow and the outlet. The radially spaced vanes with cross-tees create intermediate flow modification zones that progressively reduce turbulence and prevent small vortexes from forming, making the breaker effective for LNG applications while maintaining reasonable structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the breaker have specialized functions: the screen basket provides initial flow conditioning, the radially spaced vanes create localized flow redirection zones, the cross-tees disrupt small vortexes, and the baffle plate provides final flow straightening. This local specialization of quality allows effective LNG flow control without excessive overall complexity
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 solution effectively reduces vortex formation with minimal impact on flow resistance and pressure drop, allowing for a smaller-sized vortex breaker that can be used in a wider range of applications, including those with LNG.
Implementation Method 1
Fluids exiting a vessel tend to swirl and form a vortex
Implementation Method 2
a flow modifier disposed within the basket adjacent the outlet. The flow modifier may include a plurality of vanes disposed radially around the outlet
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2D
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A vortex breaker fits over an outlet of a vessel. The breaker has a basket disposed on a base with an opening communicating with the vessel's outlet. The basket has a cylindrical sidewall screen with profiled wires arranged around bars that extend from the base. The basket also has a top screen attached to the sidewall screen. The top screen has wires arranged across a plurality of bars. Fluid flow passing through the screens is directed by the profiled wires and the bars. Below the top screen, a baffle plate diverts the fluid flow passing through the top screen to the periphery of the top plate. Inside the basket, a flow modifier has a vanes attached to the base and disposed radially around the base's opening. At least some of the vanes have cross-tees extending from the vane's sides to break the radially directed flow inside the basket.