CENTRIFUGAL TYPE GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR

Abstract: An improved centrifugal type gas-liquid separator is composed of a rotatable hollow disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber (3) having a separated liquid outlet (2) on its outer circumferential surface, a housing (13) surrounding the gas-liquid separation chamber liquid-tightly outside there­ of so as not to restrain its rotation and liquid-tightly defining a reservoir chamber (8) of separated liquid between the inner circumference of its outer portion and the outer circumference of the gas-liquid separation chamber, a separated liquid extraction port (9) through which the sepa­ rated liquid can be extracted continuously from the reservoir chamber of the same housing, tubular rotary shafts (5) inserted to the proximity of the rotary center axis of the gas-liquid separation chamber along the rotary center axis from the opposite sides for feeding gas-liquid mixture fluid (6) into the gas-liquid separation chamber through one of the tubular rotary shafts and for ejecting the separated liquid through the other tubular rotary shaft, and means actuated by the separated liquid within the disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber for extract­ ing the separated liquid through the separated liquid extraction port on the outer circumference of the gas-­ liquid separation chamber.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator, and more particularly to a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator which can reliably separate and extract gas and liquid from gas-liquid mixture fluid under a gravity-free state or a minute-gravity state such as the cosmic space. Description of the Prior Art: Within a minute-gravity environment in the cosmic space, a mixture of liquid such as, for example, water and gas such as, for example, air cannot be separated easily by relying upon a difference in a specific gravity as is the case with separation on the earth. When human beings live or proceed scientific experiments within a minute-gravity environment, there is a necessity of utilizing and reclaiming water or other liquids, and in a plant or a system for handling these liquids, when the liquids coexist with gases such as air, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, methane, etc. there would occur the case where a gas-liquid separating operation is necessitated. Heretofore, as a gas-liquid separating device under a minute-gravity state, centrifugal separator means and membrane separator means have been proposed. DE-C-744 753 discloses an apparatus for destroying foam representing the most relevant prior art. This apparatus is adapted to separate liquid from a gas-liquid mixture being supplied to this apparatus. The separated liquid is fed to a liquid outlet and the separated gas is fed to a gas outlet. However, in the case where the fed gas-liquid mixture is rich in the gas, there is a probability that the gas flows out of the liquid outlet. On the other hand, in the case where the fed gas-liquid mixture is rich in the liquid, there is a probability that the gas is mixed with the liquid. Moreover, in this known apparatus there always must be liquid at the separated liquid outlet and it is required that the gas-liquid mixing ratio and the feed amount of the gas-liquid mixture and the gas outlet are interlocked with the detection of the liquid or the liquid amount at the separated liquid outlet. Accordingly, all the above-mentioned gas-liquid separators in the prior art involved the following problems to be solved: (1) In some cases, separation of gas from liquid could not be effected reliably. (2) In a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator, in the event that a centrifugal force is not present, leakage of gas and liquid, especially of gas, could not be prevented. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved centrifugal type gas-liquid separator which can reliably achieve separation and extraction of gas and liquid from gas-liquid mixture fluid even under a gravity-free state or a minute-gravity state without leakage of gas nor liquid to the environment. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved centrifugal type gas-liquid separator, in which leakage of gas nor liquid to the environment does not occur even under a non-centrifugal-force condition. According to one feature of the present invention, there is provided a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator comprising a rotatable hollow disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber having a separated liquid outlet on its outer circumferential surface, a housing surrounding the same gas-liquid separation chamber in a liquid-filled manner outside thereof so as not to restrain its rotation and defining a reservoir chamber of separated liquid between the inner circumference of its outer portion and the outer circumference of the aforementioned gas-liquid separation chamber, a separated liquid extraction port through which the separated liquid can be extracted continuously from the aforementioned reservoir chamber of the same housing, tubular rotary shafts inserted to the proximity of the rotary center axis of the aforementioned gas-liquid separation chamber along the rotary center axis from the opposite sides for feeding gas-liquid mixture fluid into the gas-liquid separation chamber through one of the tubular rotary shafts and for ejecting the separated gas through the other tubular rotary shaft, and a valve unit disposed within the gas-liquid separation chamber actuated by the separated liquid within the aforementioned disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber for extracting the separated liquid through the separated liquid extraction port on the outer circumference of the gas-liquid separation chamber. The centrifugal type gas-liquid separator according to the present invention operates in the following manner due to the above-described construction. That is, when the gas-liquid separation chamber is rotated while gas-liquid mixture fluid is being fed through one of the tubular rotary shafts, the gas-liquid mixture fluid is separated into liquid and gas due to a centrifugal force then generated, the separated liquid is ejected into the reservoir chamber through the separated liquid outlet, and then it is extracted continuously from the reservoir chamber through the separated liquid extraction port. The separated gas is extracted through the other tubular rotary shaft. According to the present invention, owing to the above-mentioned construction and operation, gas and liquid can be perfectly separated from gas-liquid mixture fluid and they can be collected without leakage to the environmental space such as the cosmic space. Moreover, there is provided a small-sized light-weight gas-liquid separator that is excellent in handling and economy. Furthermore, according to an additional feature of the present invention, there is provided a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator, in which gas would not leak out to the environment even under a gravity-free and non-centrifugal-force condition. The above-mentioned and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section view of a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator, to which the present invention is applied, having the portion of a valve unit for extracting separated liquid removed; and Figs. 2(A) to 2(E2) are schematic longitudinal cross-section views showing one side portions of the respective hollow disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chambers according to first to fifth preferred embodiments of the present invention, Fig. 2(A) showing a first preferred embodiment, Fig. 2(B) showing a second preferred embodiment, Fig. 2(C) showing a third preferred embodiment, Fig. 2(D) showing a fourth preferred embodiment, and Figs. 2(E1) and 2(E2) showing a fifth preferred embodiment, more particularly, Fig. 2(E1) showing a non-centrifugal-force condition, and Fig. 2(E2) showing the case where a centrifugal force is present and gas-liquid mixture fluid contains liquid. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS: Now a number of preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, with regard to the portion of the centrifugal type gas-liquid separator that is common to the respective preferred embodiment, that is, with regard to the residual portion of the centrifugal type gas-liquid separator having the valve unit actuated by the separated liquid in the gas-liquid separation chamber for extracting the separated liquid through the separated liquid extraction port of the gas-liquid separation chamber removed, description will be made with reference to Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, a torque is applied from a driving device 1 to a tubular rotary shaft 5 penetrating through the center of a hollow disc 4 having a plurality of separated liquid outlets 2 on its outer circumferential surface and defining a gas separation chamber 3 therein and rigidly secured to the hollow disc 4, and thereby the hollow disc 4 is rotated. When gas-liquid mixture fluid is fed through a feed piping 6', it is injected into a separation chamber 3 through holes 7 drilled in the tubular rotary shaft 5, and within the hollow disc 4 the gas-liquid mixture fluid is subjected to a centrifugal separating action, so that the liquid having a relatively large specific gravity is sputtered to and accumulated at the outer circumferential portion of the hollow disc 4, and moves to a separated liquid reservoir 8 through the separated liquid outlets 2, and it can be extracted as liquid not containing bubbles through a separated liquid extraction port 9. The gas separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 placed under artificial rotational gravity stagnates in the proximity of the tubular rotary shaft 5, and it is discharged or recovered via the other gas outlets 10 drilled in the tubular rotary shaft 5 and through a gas extraction piping 11 while compensating for a pressure variation in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 that is dependent upon the feed rate of the gas-liquid mixture fluid and the flow rate of the separated and extracted liquid. The interior of the tubular rotary shaft 5 is divided by a partition wall 12 so that the fed gas-liquid mixture fluid may not mix with the gas after separation. Into one end of the tubular rotary shaft 5 is inserted a tip end 6 of a feed pipe 6' fixed to a housing 13, and leakage of the gas-liquid mixture fluid is prevented by an O-ring 14. Into the other end of the tubular rotary shaft 5 is inserted the gas extraction piping 11 and they are sealed by an O-ring 15. The tubular rotary shaft 5 is fitted in and held by a plurality of bearings 16 that can withstand high-speed rotation as accompanied by the hollow disc 4, at the central portion of the housing 13 which is fixedly equipped on a table or the like. On the inner surface of the housing 13 are disposed lip seals 17 by fitting for the purpose of preventing the separated liquid from leaking from the separated liquid reservoir 8 by being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the hollow disc 4. To the separated liquid reservoir 8 is connected a port 19 for deairing of the reservoir chamber that is practiced on the earth before commencement of the operation. Fig. 2 shows first to fifth preferred embodiments of the present invention, and specifically shows a valve unit actuated by the separated liquid in the gas-liquid separation chamber within the aforementioned hollow disc 4 for extracting the separated liquid through the separated liquid outlet of the same gas-liquid separation chamber. Fig. 2(A) shows a first preferred embodiment, in which holders 30 formed of wire nets or perforated plates are fixedly secured to the inner surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, a float shaft 25 having a float 20 and a valve 40 adapted to be pressed against the separated liquid outlet 2 to stop outflow of the separated liquid, secured to its opposite ends, penetrates through the central portions of the holders 30 in a freely slidable manner. When the hollow disc 4 rotates and the gas-liquid mixture fluid is fed into the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 through the drilled holes 7 in the tubular rotary shaft 5, in the case of fed fluid not containing liquid at all the float 20, the float shaft 25 and the valve 40 is moved jointly by a centrifugal force, the valve 40 comes into press contact with the separated liquid outlet 2, and the separated gas flows out through the separated gas outlets 10 drilled in the tubular rotary shaft 5. In the case where liquid is contained in the fed gas-liquid mixture fluid, liquid would accumulate in the surrounding of the valve 40, that is, in an annular space concentric with the axis of the tubular rotary shaft 5 and the valve 40 is immersed in the liquid, but the valve 40 and the separated liquid outlet 2 are continuously held in a press contact state, and outflow of the liquid would not occur. However, if the liquid accumulates further, the float shaft 25 and the float 20 are successively immersed in the liquid. Since the buoyancy of the float 20 and the total weight of the float 20, the float shaft 25 and the valve 40 are regulated in such manner that under the given centrifugal force condition (the artificial gravity condition) the entire assembly may float up when the float 20 has partly sank under the liquid surface, as a result of float-up of the float 20 the valve 40 is separated from the separated liquid outlet 2 for the first time, and outflow of the separated liquid would start. As described above, according to this preferred embodiment, under variation of the mixing proportion as well as the feed rate of the gas-liquid mixture fluid, always only liquid flows out through the separated liquid outlet 2. Fig. 2(B) shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a float 21 serving also as a valve is loosely placed within a space defined by a float holder 31 made of a perforated plate or the like and fixedly secured to the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and a cylinder 32 made of a perforated plate for restricting the movable range of the float 21. In operation when only gas is fed to a rotating hollow disc 4, the float 21 acts as a valve held in press contact with the separated liquid outlet, but when a gas-liquid mixture fluid containing liquid is fed and the float 21 floats up to the liquid surface, only the liquid flows out through the separated liquid outlet 2. Fig. 2(C) shows a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a float 23 associated with an arm for actuating a float switch 70 is disposed within the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, so that the arm can move in accordance with the amount of liquid accumulated within the gas-liquid separation chamber 3. The float switch 70 actuated by the arm of the float 23 opens and closes an electric circuit so as to open and close the separated liquid outlet 2 by means of an electromagnetic unit 73 and a valve 41 moved thereby via lead wires 72, and thereby outflow of the separated liquid is controlled. Fig. 2(D) shows a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is constructed so as to control a valve 41 with the aid of optical means. More particularly, a light flux 100 emitted from a light source 80 disposed outside of a transparent hollow disc 4, penetrates through the transparent disc 4 and is received by a light receiver 82 on the opposite side as focused light or dispersed light via a lens 81 formed on the inner surface of a transparent gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and a difference in the amount of focused light or disposed light between when the separated liquid is present in the optical path within the rotating transparent disc 4 and when it is not present, is sensed by the light receiver 82 and converted into an electric signal, and thereby the electromagnetic unit 73 and the valve 41 are actuated to make only the separated liquid flow out through the separated liquid outlet 2. Figs. 2(E1) and 2(E2) show a fifth preferred embodiment, in which the interior of the hollow disc 4 is partitioned into a gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and a separated liquid chamber 8' by means of blocks 60, and on the side of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 of the block 60 is provided a piston 50 which performs a stroke motion as a result of a centrifugal force. The piston 50 is provided with an inner bore 54, a ball valve 22, a spring 52 for supporting the ball valve 22 and a separated liquid outlet 53. In addition, in the block 60 is assembled a spring 51 for holding the piston 50 in the state shown in Fig. 2(E1) when a centrifugal force is not present, and a plurality of blocks 60 are disposed about the tubular rotary shaft 5 in a well-balanced condition. When a centrifugal force acts as a result of rotation of the hollow disc 4 and liquid is not present in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, the piston 50 makes stroke motion under the condition where the ball valve 22 blocks the piston inner bore 54 as pushed by the spring 52. When liquid is present in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, the balance between the ball valve 22 and the spring 52 acting against the ball valve 22 is broken by the additional centrifugal weight acting upon the liquid, hence the ball valve 22 leaves a valve seat as shown in Fig. 2(E2), and the liquid existing in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and the piston inner bore 54 would pass through the surrounding of the ball valve 22 and flows into the separated liquid chamber 8' through the separated liquid outlet 53. According to this preferred embodiment, regardless of whether the rotation of the hollow disc 4 is present or not, the gas would not leak out through the separated liquid outlet 2 to the outside. In the case where the separator is operated on the earth, in the above-described first to fourth preferred embodiment, unless a centrifugal force is always applied even when a gas-liquid mixture fluid is not fed, gas would leak out through the separated liquid outlet 2, but in the fifth preferred embodiment such anxiety is not present as described above, so that a centrifugal force could be applied only when gas-liquid mixture fluid is fed, and so, this preferred embodiment has an aspect advantageous for operation of a gas-liquid separator. For instance, even within a minute gravity environment in the cosmic space or even under variation of a magnitude of gravity upon carrying up the separator apparatus from the earth to the cosmic space, the fifth preferred embodiment can always maintain the capability that always only liquid is ejected from the separated liquid outlet 2 and only gas is ejected from the gas extraction piping 11. It is to be noted that upon commencement of operation of the gas-liquid separator according to the first to fifth preferred embodiments on the earth, it is necessary to perform deairing of the separated liquid reservoir 8, and in that case, deairing is effected by opening the deairing port 19. As will be obvious from the detailed description above, owing to the above-mentioned structural feature, the present invention can provide the following advantages: (1) Gas and liquid can be perfectly separated from gas-liquid mixture fluid, and they can be collected without leakage to the environmental space such as the cosmic space. (2) There is provided a small-sized light-weight gas-liquid separator that is excellent in handling and economy. (3) By providing, for example, a spring and a piston as used in the fifth preferred embodiment within the hollow disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber, there is provided a centrifugal type gas-liquid separator, in which gas would not leak out to the environment even under a gravity-free or non-centrifugal-force condition.

Claims: A centrifugal type gas-liquid separator comprising a rotatable hollow disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber (3) having a separated liquid outlet (2) on its outer circumferential surface, a housing (13) surrounding said gas-liquid separation chamber (3) in a liquid-filled manner outside thereof so as not to restrain its rotation and defining a reservoir chamber (8) of separated liquid between the inner circumference of its outer portion and the outer circumference of said gas-liquid separation chamber (3), a separated liquid extraction port (9) through which the separated liquid can be extracted continuously from said reservoir chamber (8) of the same housing (13), characterized by tubular rotary shafts (5) inserted to the proximity of the rotary center axis of said gas-liquid separation chamber (3) along the rotary center axis from opposite sides for feeding gas-liquid mixture fluid into the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) through one of the tubular rotary shafts (5) and for ejecting the separated gas through the other tubular rotary shaft (5) and a valve unit (20, 21, 22, 40, 41, 50, 52, 80, 82) disposed within the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) actuated by the separated liquid within said disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber (3) for extracting the separated liquid through the separated liquid extraction outlet (2) on the outer circumference of the gas-liquid separation chamber. A centrifugal type gas-liquid separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said valve unit for extracting the separated liquid comprises a float (20) and an opening/closing valve (40) for the separated liquid outlet (2) disposed within the gas-liquid separation chamber (3). A centrifugal type gas-liquid separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said valve unit for extracting the separated liquid comprises an opening/closing float valve (21) for the separated liquid outlet (2) disposed within the gas-liquid separation chamber (3). A centrifugal type gas-liquid separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said valve unit for extracting the separated liquid comprises means (80, 81, 82) disposed within the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) for detecting the separated liquid within the same chamber and a valve (41) actuated by said detecting means (80, 81, 82) for opening the separated liquid outlet (2). A centrifugal type gas-liquid separator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said valve unit for extracting the separated liquid comprises a piston (50) provided within a block (60) partitioning the hollow disc-shaped gas-liquid separation chamber into an inner (3) and outer (8') chamber and having an inner bore (54) connecting the both chambers (3, 8') and a valve (22) disposed within said piston (50) and actuated by the separated liquid within the gas-liquid separation chamber for opening the inner bore (54) of said piston (50).

Inventors: HANABUSA, OSAMU C/O NAGOYA AIRCRAFT WORKS OF
Applicants: MITSUBISHI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B01D19
IPC codes: B04B5, B01D45, B01D19