Radial counterflow separation filter with focused exhaust
An improved apparatus for filtration has a fluid mixture feed comprising light and heavy fractions fed into the workspace between counter-rotating disk impellers within a tank, thereby forming vortices in the workspace. A static radial exhaust array is located axially in the workspace, comprising exhaust channels, each of which has a peripheral end facing the workspace and an inner end communicating with an axial exhaust drain. An axial pump produces low pressure in the axial exhaust drain, thereby drawing in and anchoring the vortices to the peripheral ends of the exhaust channels so that the exhaust channels can extract the contents of the vortex cores. Vanes can be incorporated into the workspace surface of each disk impeller so that the opposed vanes pass in close proximity, forming vortices along a plurality of radial lanes of intersection, with the peripheral openings of each of the exhaust channels aligned with at least one of the lanes of intersection in the workspace. The feed can be a peripheral feed which enters the workspace radially inward through the periphery of the workspace, or the feed can enter the workspace radially outward through a static axial feed array.
1. An apparatus for filtration comprising:
a fluid mixture feed comprising light and heavy fractions, fed into a tank;
at least one pair of disk impellers within the tank, arranged in parallel and defining a workspace between them, the disk impellers capable of coaxial counter-rotation as the feed enters the workspace to form vortices in the fluid mixture in the workspace;
one or more motors coupled to the disk impellers to produce said counter-rotation;
a static radial exhaust array located axially in the workspace between the disk impellers and approximately centered on an axis of rotation of the disk impellers, said static radial exhaust array comprising a plurality of exhaust channels, each channel having a peripheral end facing the workspace and an inner end communicating with an axial exhaust drain; and
an exhaust pump to produce low pressure in the axial exhaust drain to draw the vortices into the workspace so that a plurality of vortex ends is anchored to the peripheral ends of the plurality of exhaust channels.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising vanes incorporated into the workspace surface of each disk impeller, arranged in a non-radial fashion so that, as the disk impellers counter-rotate and the opposed vanes pass in close proximity, the passing vanes will form vortices in the workspace along a plurality of radial lanes of intersection, and the peripheral ends of each of the exhaust channels are aligned with at least one of the lanes of intersection in the workspace to anchor and increase the performance of the vortices.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the fluid mixture is advected toward the axis of rotation or away from the axis of rotation, depending on the direction of rotation of the disk impellers and an angle of the vane relative to an orthogonal line from the axis of rotation.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the angle of the vane varies relative to the distance from the axis of rotation to change the direction of advection relative to the axis of rotation.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral ends of the exhaust channels are incorporated as peripheral openings in a continuous disk shaped structure with the inner ends of the exhaust channels coupled to a hollow interior in communication with the axial exhaust drain.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a static axial feed array having at least one axial feed pipe and a plurality of feed channels.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the feed channels are coplanar with the exhaust array peripheral ends.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the feed channels are located above the plane of the exhaust array peripheral ends.
9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the feed channels are located below the plane of the exhaust array peripheral ends.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the feed channels are located both above and below the plane of the exhaust array peripheral ends.
11. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the feed channels are coplanar and also located both above and below the plane of the exhaust array peripheral ends.
12. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein both the static axial feed array and the exhaust array are incorporated into a continuous static structure.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid mixture feed is a peripheral feed which enters the workspace radially inward through the periphery of the workspace.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the peripheral feed into the workspace is a uniform feed from the tank.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the peripheral feed into the workspace is done through at least one peripheral feed pipe coupled to a static axial feed array comprising a plurality of feed channels located between the peripheral ends of the exhaust array.
16. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the static axial feed array has at least one axial feed pipe and a plurality of feed channels located between the peripheral ends of the exhaust array.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the feed channels are located closer to the axis of rotation relative to the exhaust array peripheral ends.
18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the feed channels are located farther from the axis of rotation relative to the exhaust array peripheral ends.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral exhaust ends are in a conical shape to focus on the vortex cores.
20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the exhaust channels are tilted at an angle relative to a radial line drawn orthogonally from the axis of rotation, in order to produce an exhaust vortex into the axial exhaust drain.