Patent ID: 8545707

Claim:
A method for coalescing liquid dispersed in a continuous phase comprising gas, the method comprising passing said continuous phase through a crankcase ventilation system comprising a coalescer, wherein the continuous phase flows from upstream to downstream through said coalescer in a horizontally oriented direction relative to gravity, said coalescer comprising fibrous media capturing droplets of said liquid dispersed in said gas, coalescingly growing said droplets into larger drops which further coalesce and grow to form pools that drain, said fibrous media being adapted to reduce pressure drop thereacross by increasing drainage of the liquid therefrom; wherein said coalescer comprises a vertically oriented front face relative to gravity, side walls of said fibrous media, and a hollow interior, said front face having an opening, wherein said continuous phase flows axially through said opening of said front face, into said hollow interior, and exits horizontally through said walls of said fibrous media in said system; wherein said coalescer has a first cross-sectional area along a first horizontal plane perpendicular to said front face, and a second cross-sectional area along a second horizontal plane perpendicular to said front face, said second horizontal plane being vertically below said first horizontal plane, said second cross-sectional area being less than said first cross-sectional area; wherein said coalescer has a perimeter defining a given shape in a vertical plane parallel to said front face, said perimeter having a plurality of chords thereacross, including vertical chords and horizontal chords and the longest of said chords extends vertically; wherein said given shape in said vertical plane is selected from the group consisting of a racetrack shape, an oval shape, a triangle shape, and a trapezoid shape.