US 12,441,642 B2
Gas-liquid-solid separator
Yehor Pererva, Logan, UT (US); and Ronald C. Sims, Logan, UT (US)
Assigned to Utah State University, Logan, UT (US)
Filed by Yehor Pererva, Logan, UT (US); and Ronald C. Sims, Logan, UT (US)
Filed on Jun. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/841,076.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/210,910, filed on Jun. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0396510 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. C02F 3/28 (2023.01)
CPC C02F 3/2846 (2013.01) [C02F 3/2866 (2013.01); C02F 2301/04 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas-liquid-solid separator, comprising:
a separator body having a vertical outer wall;
a gas collector having a vertical gas collector wall surrounded by the outer wall, the gas collector further comprising a gas inlet opening at a bottom of the gas collector;
a gas stream outlet exiting the gas collector;
an annular volume between the gas collector wall and the outer wall;
a plurality of inclined flow channels within the annular volume, wherein individual flow channels have a channel inlet opening at a bottom of the individual flow channels, wherein the individual flow channels slope upward following a helical path between the gas collector wall and the outer wall; and
a gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening in a floor of the separator body, wherein the mixture inlet opening is in fluid communication with the gas inlet opening of the gas collector and the channel inlet openings of the inclined flow channels, and wherein the mixture inlet opening is positioned below the gas inlet opening, and wherein the mixture inlet opening has a top-down profile that fits within a top-down profile of the gas inlet opening wherein a gas-liquid-solid mixture stream is capable of entering the separator body through the gas-liquid-solid mixture inlet opening, wherein the separator is an integrated part of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor.