Patent ID: 8105422

Claim:
A method for degassing a fluid mixture comprising a carrier liquid and one or more gaseous or vaporizable components in a cyclonic separator in which: the fluid mixture is accelerated in a throat section of a vortex tube such that the static pressure of the fluid mixture is decreased and vaporizable components evaporate into a gaseous phase; the accelerated fluid mixture is induced to swirl within the vortex tube such that the fluid mixture is separated by centrifugal forces into a degassed liquid fraction and a gas enriched fraction; the degassed liquid fraction is induced to flow into a liquid outlet conduit which is located at or near the outer circumference of the vortex tube; and the gas enriched fraction is induced to flow into a gas outlet conduit which is located at or near a central axis of the vortex tube; wherein the fluid mixture is induced to flow as a substantially homogeneously dispersed gas-liquid mixture through the throat section; and that one or more flow straightening vanes induce the fluid mixture to flow in a substantially axial direction relative to a central axis of the throat section.