US 12,478,899 B2
Maintenance of hydrodynamic separators
Davis B. Moravec, Burnsville, MN (US); Daryl L Quam, Bloomington, MN (US); Jacob A. Nelson, Bloomington, MN (US); Bradly G. Hauser, Minneapolis, MN (US); Matthew P. Goertz, Bloomington, MN (US); Timothy J. Streed, Eden Prairie, MN (US); and Connor J. Colling, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Assigned to Donaldson Company, Inc., Bloomington, MN (US)
Filed by Donaldson Company, Inc., Bloomington, MN (US)
Filed on Jun. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/830,195.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/195,839, filed on Jun. 2, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0395768 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. B01D 21/00 (2006.01); B01D 21/26 (2006.01); B01D 21/34 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 21/34 (2013.01) [B01D 21/0024 (2013.01); B01D 21/26 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a hydrodynamic separator element defining:
an element inlet,
an element outlet having a first element outlet and a second element outlet,
a second outlet flow path upstream of the second element outlet, and
a plurality of curved microfluidic channels arranged to operate in parallel, wherein each microfluidic channel defines:
a channel inlet downstream of the element inlet, and
a channel outlet having a first channel outlet upstream of the first element outlet and a second channel outlet upstream of the second outlet flow path;
a first flow generator in fluid communication with the plurality of microfluidic channels, wherein the first flow generator is configured to generate fluid flow at a first flow rate from the element inlet to the element outlet;
a maintenance system in fluid communication with the hydrodynamic separator element, wherein the maintenance system is configured to modify the fluid flow through the separator element by: (i) pulsing the fluid flow through the hydrodynamic separator element, (ii) reversing the fluid flow direction from the element outlet to the element inlet, or (iii) obstructing the fluid flow through at least a portion of a channel;
a first outlet flow path upstream of the first element outlet, wherein each first channel outlet extends to the first outlet flow path, and the maintenance system comprises a barrier disposed in the first outlet flow path, wherein the barrier is a mechanical component slidably disposed in the first outlet flow path, and the barrier has a length greater than the distance between two consecutive channel outlets along the first outlet flow path, whereby the barrier is configured to obstruct at least two consecutive first channel outlets; and
a controller in operative communication with the maintenance system, wherein the controller is configured to selectively engage and disengage the maintenance system to modify the fluid flow.