Patent ID: 8075656

Claim:
A separator assembly for removing material that is entrained in a gas stream comprising: a. a housing having inlet and outlet ports for the gas from which material is to be removed, the inlet and outlet ports being located toward the upper end of the housing, and having a flow director positioned so that gas flowing into the housing flows over the flow director so that the incoming gas is made to follow a generally helical path within the housing; and b. a shield which extends across the housing towards the lower end thereof so as to leave a collection space between it and the lower end in which material that is separated from the gas stream can collect, with at least one opening in or around the shield through which the material can flow past the shield into the collection space, in which the face of the shield which is directed towards the upper end of the housing is bowl-shaped when the shield is viewed in cross-section from one side, and wherein the part of the cross-sectional shape of the shield which is closest to its perimeter is straight, and the cross-sectional shape of the shield curves smoothly in the concave sense to its center point so that the shape of the face is the inverse of an inverted cone with a rounded tip.