US 12,330,173 B1
Method and apparatus for modular hydrocyclone
Virgilio Garcia Soule, Cypress, TX (US)
Assigned to TETRA Technologies, Inc., The Woodlands, TX (US)
Filed by TETRA Technologies, Inc., The Woodlands, TX (US)
Filed on Oct. 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/483,036.
Application 18/483,036 is a continuation of application No. 17/827,960, filed on May 30, 2022, granted, now 11,779,937, issued on Oct. 10, 2023.
Application 17/827,960 is a continuation of application No. 16/819,922, filed on Mar. 16, 2020, granted, now 11,344,897, issued on May 31, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/830,254, filed on Apr. 5, 2019.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B04C 5/04 (2006.01); B01D 21/26 (2006.01); B04C 5/06 (2006.01); B04C 5/081 (2006.01); B04C 5/085 (2006.01); B04C 5/103 (2006.01)
CPC B04C 5/04 (2013.01) [B01D 21/267 (2013.01); B04C 5/06 (2013.01); B04C 5/081 (2013.01); B04C 5/085 (2013.01); B04C 5/103 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cyclone centrifuge apparatus for separating or classifying at least two components of different densities, comprising:
(a) a housing having a cylindrical separating chamber with an interior wall including upper and lower portions and an interior top, and a cylindrical separating chamber longitudinal axis, a housing inlet to the cylindrical separating chamber, a first outlet and a second outlet from the cylindrical separating chamber, wherein the housing inlet has an inlet longitudinal axis;
(b) a first flow conditioning assembly disposed in the cylindrical separating chamber downstream of the housing inlet for creating vortical flow in the cylindrical separating chamber;
(c) the flow conditioning assembly including:
(i) a removable cylindrical tube removably disposed in the cylindrical separating chamber, the removable cylindrical tube having
a top and bottom,
a cylindrical tube interior,
an interior tube wall surrounding the cylindrical tube interior,
an inlet to the cylindrical tube interior,
a first outlet and a second outlet from the cylindrical tube interior,
the inlet to the cylindrical tube interior being fluidly connected to the housing inlet to the cylindrical separating chamber,
the first outlet and the second outlet from the cylindrical tube interior being fluidly connected respectively to the first outlet and the second outlet from the cylindrical separating chamber,
wherein the housing inlet is located between the top and bottom of the removable cylindrical tube;
(ii) a helical vane removably disposed in the cylindrical tube interior and having
an inner edge contacting a central helical tube, and
an outer area contacting the interior tube wall,
with upper and lower spaced apart vane elements creating a helical volume pathway to direct fluid from the housing inlet of the cylindrical separating chamber across the helical pathway volume before exiting the helical pathway and into the remainder of the cylindrical separating chamber;
(d) a second flow conditioning assembly which, while keeping the housing, is selectively replaceable with the first flow conditioning assembly during a field operation and after replacement being disposed in the cylindrical separating chamber downstream of the inlet for creating vortical flow in the separating chamber.