Patent ID: 7901485
Filing Date: 2011-03-08
Classification: B01D,Y02C

Abstract:
1. A method for continuous vortex separation of a gaseous mixture, the gaseous mixture comprising light fractions and heavy fractions, the method comprising: counter-rotating a pair of coaxial centrifugal impellers about an axis of rotation; introducing a feed comprising the gaseous mixture axially along the axis of rotation into a work space defined between the coaxial counter-rotating centrifugal impellers; advecting the feed radially outward away from the axis of rotation through the work space in boundary layers against the impellers as the impellers counter-rotate; centrifugally separating the heavy fractions from the light fractions in fine-scale vortices of a shear layer between the boundary layers; advecting the separated light fractions radially inward to the axis of rotation through the work space; extracting light fractions from the work space axially along the axis of rotation; and advecting the separated heavy fractions radially outward away from the axis of rotation and out of the periphery of the work space.