Patent ID: 8702952

Claim:
An electrically energized compact coalescer for breaking oil and water emulsions, comprising an elongated, closed shell having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; a plurality of concentric cylindrical electrodes mounted in an internal chamber formed in the closed shell and forming annular flow passages between the electrodes; an external power supply electrically connected to the electrodes, for energizing said electrodes, said energized electrodes being fully encapsulated with insulation to enable an electrostatic field to be applied to an electrically conductive emulsion fluid, for generating a non-laminar flow of the emulsion through said flow passages, wherein elongated elements are disposed in said flow passages at an angle with respect to the electrodes longitudinal axis and extending for at least a portion of the length of the electrodes, whereby the elongated elements induce a gentle swirling motion in the fluid flowing through said flow passages and that the fluid will follow a spiraling pattern at least partially around the annular flow passages, wherein the elongated elements comprise helical vanes configured to impart a circumferential component to a flow velocity of the fluid flowing into said flow passages in an axial direction, wherein the angle at which the elongated elements are disposed is between 30 and 60 degrees, and further wherein the angle varies according to the diameter of the electrodes.