Patent ID: 8360251

Claim:
A coalescing media for coalescing a mixture of two phases, namely a continuous phase and a dispersed phase, the mixture flowing through the media from upstream to downstream, the media comprising at least three adjacent layers of fibrous coalescing media material that extend in series from upstream to downstream, namely a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer have porosities ε 1 , ε 2 , and ε 3 , respectively, and ε 2 >ε 1 and ε 2 >ε 3 , wherein the media is configured for capturing droplets of the dispersed phase and coalescingly growing the droplets into larger drops which further coalesce and grow to a sufficient size whereby they are released from the media, and wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer have respective solidities, the solidity for the second layer being no more than about 75% as much as the solidity for the first layer, and the solidity for the second layer being no more than about 75% as much as the solidity for the third layer, and wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer have mean flow pore diameters, M 1 , M 2 , and M 3 , respectively, and M 2 is about 10-100 μm.