Patent ID: 8919185

Claim:
An apparatus for producing swirling flow in a pipeline, the apparatus comprising in flow series: an inlet pipe; a flow deflection section; a flow deflector, wherein the flow deflector comprises a conical deflection surface disposed in the flow deflection section at the upstream end of the outlet pipe facing the inlet pipe, and wherein the conical flow deflection surface points towards the inlet pipe; and an outlet pipe; wherein: the inlet pipe is configured such that fluid arrives in the flow deflection section from the inlet pipe flowing in an axial direction with respect to the inlet flow pipe; the outlet pipe has one or more apertures formed in a radially outward side wall thereof for the entrance of the fluid to the outlet pipe from the flow deflection section, the apertures extending in an axial direction along the sidewall and being configured such that the fluid entering the outlet pipe through the apertures adopts a swirling flow in the outlet pipe; the flow deflection section is configured to produce a deflected flow of the fluid that is rotationally symmetric about an axis that is coaxial with the inlet and outlet pipes; and the radially outward side wall of the outlet pipe in which the apertures are formed is smooth without projections thereon to provide that disturbance of fluid flow entering the apertures is reduced and the fluid arriving at the apertures maintains a substantial component of flow in said axial direction.