Abstract: The separation of liquid and/or solid components from a multiphase fluid stream passing through a supersonic fluid separator is enhanced by injecting a surface active agent into the fluid stream passing through the separator. Preferably the spray is injected via an injection tube that has a positive or negative electrical potential, whereas one of the walls of the separator housing has an opposite electrical potential, so that the injected spray and any liquid droplets and/or particles formed around the injected nuclei are induced to flow towards said electrically loaded wall.

Abstract: A cyclonic fluid separator for separating condensable, liquid and/or solid components from a fluid mixture includes an upstream fluid inlet section in which the fluid mixture is accelerated to a supersonic velocity to expand and cool the fluid mixture such that one or more condensable fluid components are liquefied and/or solidified; a downstream separation section in which condensables depleted and condensables enriched fluid fractions are separated and fed into separate outlets; and a midstream vortex generation section which includes a plurality of tilted wings of which the wing tips are located at relatively large mutual spacings and at a small spacing from the inner wall of the midstream vortex generation section such that during normal operation of the separator adjacent to the various wing tips widely spaced vortices of swirling fluid are generated in the fluid stream flowing through the housing, which vortices are still separated from each other at the entrance of the downstream separation section.

Abstract: A cyclonic fluid separator for separating one or more condensable components, such as water, and/or solids, such as smoke or sand particles, from a fluid mixture has a tubular housing having a fluid inlet section in which the fluid mixture is accelerated to a supersonic velocity and thereby expanded and cooled such that condensable components condense and/or solidify, one or more wings for inducing the fluid mixture to swirl within a central section of the tubular housing, a fluid separation section in which a tubular vortex finder is movably arranged, a condensables enriched fluid outlet which is connected to an annular space surrounding the tapered tubular vortex finder and a condensables depleted fluid outlet which is connected to the interior of the tapered tubular vortex finder.

Abstract: The separation of liquid and/or solid components from a multiphase fluid stream passing through a supersonic fluid separator is enhanced by injecting a surface active agent into the fluid stream passing through the separator. Preferably the spray is injected via an injection tube that has a positive or negative electrical potential, whereas one of the walls of the separator housing has an opposite electrical potential, so that the injected spray and any liquid droplets and/or particles formed around the injected nuclei are induced to flow towards said electrically loaded wall.

Abstract: A cyclonic fluid separator of the type comprising a tubular throat portion in which a fluid mixture is accelerated to a subsonic or supersonic speed and thereby expanded and cooled down so that condensable components condense and/or solidify and then swirl into a diverging fluid outlet section that comprises an outer secondary outlet for condensables enriched fluid components and an inner primary outlet for condensables depleted fluid components comprises swirl imparting vanes that protrude from a central body that extends through at least part of an inlet section of the separator, wherein the central body has, at a location upstream of the throat portion, a larger outer width (2Ro max) than the smallest inner width (2Rn min) of the throat portion.

Abstract: A nozzle of converging-diverging shape for creating mist flow at supersonic velocity comprising: a throat having a characteristic diameter D*; an inlet having a characteristic diameter D1, positioned a distance L1 upstream of the nozzle throat; and an outlet having a characteristic diameter D2, positioned a distance L2 downstream of the nozzle throat, wherein the ratio of L2/(D2−D*) is larger than 4, but smaller than 250; an inertia separator based thereon, and a method for supersonic separation of one or more components of a predominantly gaseous stream.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for removing solid particles from a particle containing stream of fluid, the method including the steps of: inducing the stream to flow at supersonic velocity through a conduit; inducing a swirling motion to the supersonic stream of fluid thereby causing the particles to flow to a radially outer section of a collecting zone in the stream; and extracting the solid particles into an outlet stream from the radially outer section of the collecting zone. The apparatus is an apparatus effective for performance of this method.