Patent ID: 7677308

Claim:
An apparatus for separating a gas from a liquid under pressure comprising: a tubular housing having an inlet end and an outlet end; a stator in said inlet end of the housing for causing swirling of gas-containing liquid introduced into said inlet end; a drum rotatably mounted in said housing downstream of said stator in the direction of liquid flow between said inlet and outlet ends of the housing; a rotor in an inlet end of said drum for causing the drum to rotate in the housing; an end wall in a downstream end of said drum in the direction of fluid flow through the housing; liquid outlet ports in the periphery of said end wall for discharging liquid from the drum; a gas outlet port in the center of said end wall for discharging gas from the drum; a liquid outlet passage in said housing for receiving liquid from said liquid outlet ports and discharging liquid from said housing; a gas outlet passage in said housing for receiving gas from said gas outlet port and discharging gas from said housing; a first flow restriction in said liquid outlet passage for restricting liquid flow during discharge from the apparatus; and a second flow restriction in said gas outlet passage for restricting gas flow during discharge from the apparatus.