Patent ID: 8555827

Claim:
A crankcase ventilation oil separator for an internal combustion engine, comprising: a swirl chamber device including a circumferentially extending wall section defining a swirl chamber within, said swirl chamber extending along a longitudinal axis of said swirl chamber device; a tangential inlet arranged at an inlet-side end of said swirl chamber device, said tangential inlet introducing a vent gas stream into said swirl chamber producing a swirling action of said vent gas stream around an interior of said cylindrical wall section, said swirling action coagulating oil droplets, separating oil entrained in said vent gas stream; a common outlet arranged at an opposing outlet-side end of said swirl chamber device relative to said longitudinal axis, said common outlet in fluid communication with said swirl chamber; and wherein a said vent gas stream and said coagulated oil droplet exit said swirl chamber device through said common outlet; wherein the swirl chamber has arranged downstream thereof a post-separator collecting said coagulated oil droplets; wherein said swirl chamber tapers at least section wise along said longitudinal axis from said tangential inlet to said common outlet; wherein said taper is either conically or by a jump in diameter of said circumferentially extending wall section; wherein said common outlet is arranged coaxial to said longitudinal axis of the swirl chamber device; wherein said post-separator define a collecting chamber in fluid communication with said common outlet, said collecting chamber collecting said coagulated oil droplets from said vent gas stream flowing from said common outlet by sedimentation separation of said coagulated oil droplets from said vent gas stream; wherein said post-separator further includes a plurality of impact surfaces arranged as a labyrinth providing a tortuous flow path form said vent gas stream exiting said common outlet; wherein at least one of said impact surfaces is arranged at least approximately perpendicularly to said longitudinal axis of said swirl chamber; wherein a plurality of swirl chambers are connected to process said vent gas stream in parallel to one another; a slide register having at least one control opening extending therethrough said control opening in fluid communication with said vent gas stream upstream of said swirl chamber devices; a base plate having at least one control opening extending therethrough; wherein said register is slidable relative to said base plate, said sliding opening or blocking correlated control openings in said register and said base plate controlling flow of said vent gas stream through said control openings; wherein said control openings in said base plate are in fluid communication with said tangential inlet of said swirl chamber; and wherein said register is operable for motor load-dependent activation and deactivation of individual swirl chambers.