Patent ID: 6962199

Claim:
A method for removing condensables from a gas stream, the method comprising the steps of: (A) inducing the natural gas stream to flow at supersonic velocity through a conduit of a supersonic inertia separator and thereby causing the fluid to cool to a temperature that is below a temperature/pressure at which the condensables will begin to condense, forming separate droplets and/or particles; (B) separating the droplets and/or particles from the gas; and (C) collecting the gas from which the condensables have been removed, characterized in that the supersonic inertia separator is located in the vicinity of a gas production well for the separation of condensables from the natural gas stream produced through said well and wherein in step (B) a swirling motion is induced to the supersonic stream thereby causing the condensables to flow to a radially outer section of a collecting zone in the stream, followed by the subsonic or supersonic extraction of the condensables into an outlet stream from the radially outer section of the collecting zone, and wherein the swirling motion in imparted by a wing placed in the supersonic flow region.