Patent GB-1364943-A (GB)
Title: Vortex flow system for separating a mixture of two liquids having different densities such as oil and water
IPC: C10G33/06
Filed: 1972-03-01
Abstract: 1364943 Vortex separators UNITED AIRCRAFT CORP 1 March 1972 [17 March 1971 (2)] 9448/72 Heading B2P  A vortex separator for separating a mixture of two liquids of different densities into its constituents comprises a cylindrical chamber 18, Fig. 2A, means 23 for injecting the mixture under pressure tangentially into the chamber through a plurality of ducts 24 located substantially at one end of the chamber so as to swirl the mixture axially within the chamber to generate a vortex therein whereby a core 25 consisting predominently of lower density liquid is produced extending axially at the centre of the chamber the core being surrounded by a volume of higher density liquid having a lesser content of the lower density liquid, an opening for extracting at least a portion of the core of liquid located centrally in one of the end walls of the chamber, and an exhaust port for the higher density liquid located in the end wall 20 of the chamber opposite the end of the chamber at which the mixture is injected. The separator, which may be made of fibre glass, plastics, fibre-glassreinforced-plastics or stainless steel may be used to separate oil from water at oil spills in rivers, bays or the open ocean. The mixture is picked up by a skimmer and fed to a pump which delivers it under pressure through inlet ducts 23 and a plurality of tangentially directed injectors 24 located on the end wall of the chamber 18. The oil is removed through a duct 26 which may be connected to a storage tank and the water is discharged through a duct 28 to the original body of water. A core plate 30 supported by a rod 32 is located on the vortex centre line and prevents oil from being entrained with the exiting water. The core plate may have an exit passage for the removal of oil. The assembly of skimmer, pump, separator and container may be mounted on a ship or a floating platform. In Fig. 3A, a port 54 in the core plate 44 communicates with an oil line 56. A pipe 50 coaxial with the line 56 serves for removal of an oil-rich water fraction to a line 52 which feeds it back to the vortex chamber 40. Water substantially free of oil is removed through the annular space between the pipe 50 and a pipe 46. In a modification of this figure, Fig. 3B (not shown), there is no core plate and oil is removed through a central duct (56') coaxial with pipes (50') and (46'). In Fig. 4, a tapered plug 62 is positioned in the oil exit port 58 of the vortex separator 60 and its position may be varied automatically by a servo-mechanism 66, or manually, in response to the oil content of the incoming oilwater mixture detected by a capacitor-type oil sensor 84, and/or the water content of the exiting oil is detected by another oil sensor 90, and/or the size of the core of oil in the vortex separator is detected by an output logic device 80 electrically connected to electrode rings A, B and A', B' contained respectively in the core plate 68 and end wall 74 of the separator, to vary the area of the oil exit port and control the oil flow exhausting from the separator. A variable iris valve may be used in place of the tapered plug. The vortex separator may also be used for removing impurities such as soluble salts from fuels by a washing process in which the water is added to the fuel to dissolve the salts.