High-volume fast separation of multi-phase components in fluid suspensions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071383-B2
Application number	US-201615245044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2016
Priority date	Aug 23, 2010
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A flow chamber is provided through which is flowed a mixture of a fluid and a particulate. The flow chamber comprises at least one multi-phase water inlet through which multi-phase water enters the flow chamber, a water outlet through which water exits the flow chamber, a solids outlet through which particles having a density at or above a pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber, and a low density outlet through which particles having a density below the pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber. Also provided are one or more ultrasonic transducers and one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer to acoustically filter the fluid and cause particles/fluid to be selectively diverted to one of the outlets. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a flow chamber comprising:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber at a high volume flow rate;
at least one solids outlet;
one or more ultrasonic transducers; and
one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer;
each transducer being configured to form a three-dimensional acoustic field at a different ultrasonic frequency and each ultrasonic frequency being configured for a specific range of particulate sizes to, along with a geometry of the flow chamber, selectively separate particulates or droplets having a density at or above a pre-defined threshold from the multi-phase fluid by trapping the particulates or droplets in the three-dimensional acoustic field so that they agglomerate, coalesce, cluster, clump, or grow and increase in size such that they continuously fall out of the acoustic field and exit the flow chamber via the at least one solids outlet.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic transducers operate at a frequency in a range of 100 kHz to 20 MHz.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fluid outlet through which fluid exits the flow chamber;
a low density outlet through which particulates or droplets having a density below the pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the multi-phase fluid inlet is disposed between the low density outlet and the one or more ultrasonic transducers.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the fluid outlet is disposed between the one or more ultrasonic transducers and the at least one solids outlet.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the flow chamber is oriented such that the multi-phase fluid is gravity fed from the multi-phase fluid inlet towards the solids outlet.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the particles are selected from the group consisting of microalgae, yeast, fungi, bacteria, spores, gases or oils, metal oxides, metal particles, clays, dirt, plastics, and any particulate with a nonzero contrast factor.

8. An apparatus comprising:
a flow chamber comprising:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber at a high volume flow rate;
at least one low density outlet;
one or more ultrasonic transducers; and
one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer;
each transducer being configured to form a three-dimensional acoustic field at a different ultrasonic frequency and each ultrasonic frequency being configured for a specific range of particulate sizes to, along with a geometry of the flow chamber, selectively separate particulates or droplets having a density below the pre-defined threshold from the multi-phase fluid by trapping the particulates or droplets in the three-dimensional acoustic field so that they agglomerate, coalesce, cluster, clump, or grow and increase in size such that they separate from the acoustic field and exit the flow chamber via the at least one low density outlet.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic transducers operate at a frequency in a range of 100 kHz to 20 MHz.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a fluid outlet through which fluid exits the flow chamber; and
a solids outlet through which particulates or droplets having a density at or above a pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the multi-phase fluid inlet is disposed between the at least one low density outlet and the one or more ultrasonic transducers.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the fluid outlet is disposed between the one or more ultrasonic transducers and the solids outlet.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the flow chamber is oriented such that the multi-phase fluid is gravity fed from the multi-phase fluid inlet towards the solids outlet.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the particles are selected from the group consisting of microalgae, yeast, fungi, bacteria, spores, gases or oils, metal oxides, metal particles, clays, dirt, plastics, and any particulate with a nonzero contrast factor.

15. An apparatus comprising:
a flow chamber comprising:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber at a high volume flow rate;
at least one fluid outlet;
one or more ultrasonic transducers; and
one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer;
each transducer being configured to form a three-dimensional acoustic field at a different ultrasonic frequency and each ultrasonic frequency being configured for a specific range of particulate sizes to, along with a geometry of the flow chamber, selectively separate particulates or droplets from the multi-phase fluid by trapping the particulates or droplets in the three-dimensional acoustic field, the remaining multi-phase fluid exiting the flow chamber via the at least one fluid outlet.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a solids outlet through which particulates or droplets having a density at or above a pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber; and
a low density outlet through which particulates or droplets having a density below the pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the flow chamber is oriented such that the multi-phase fluid is gravity fed from the multi-phase fluid inlet towards the solids outlet.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the particles are selected from the group consisting of microalgae, yeast, fungi, bacteria, spores, gases or oils, metal oxides, metal particles, clays, dirt, plastics, and any particulate with a nonzero contrast factor.

19. An apparatus comprising:
a flow chamber comprising:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber at a high volume flow rate;
at least one outlet;
one or more ultrasonic transducers; and
one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer;
each transducer being configured to form a three-dimensional acoustic field at a different ultrasonic frequency and each ultrasonic frequency being configured for a specific range of particulate sizes to, along with a geometry of the flow chamber, selectively separate particulates or droplets from the multi-phase fluid by trapping the particulates or droplets in the three-dimensional acoustic field so that they agglomerate, coalesce, cluster, clump, or grow and increase in size such that they continuously separate from the acoustic field and exit the flow chamber via the at least one solids outlet.

20. A method of separating particulate and/or droplets from a multi-phase fluid, comprising:
flowing the multi-phase fluid through a flow chamber at a flow rate of up to 120 mL/min; and
trapping particulates or droplets in a three-dimensional acoustic field against the flow of the multi-phase fluid within the flow chamber, each three-dimensional acoustic field being maintained at a different ultrasonic frequency, and each ultrasonic frequency being configured for a specific range of particulate or droplet sizes, such that the particulates or droplets agglomerate, coalesce, cluster, clump, or grow and increase in size such that they continuously fall out of the acoustic field due to gravity or rise out due to buoyancy forces and exit the flow chamber;
wherein the flow chamber comprises:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber;
at lea

Assignees

• Flodesign Sonics Inc

Inventors

• Dionne Jason
• Lipkens Bart
• Rietman Edward

Classifications

• C02F1/36

  ultrasonic vibrations · CPC title

• C12M47/02

  Separating microorganisms from the culture medium; Concentration of biomass (separating microorganisms from their culture media C12N1/02) · CPC title

• B01D21/28

  Mechanical auxiliary equipment for acceleration of sedimentation, e.g. by vibrators or the like · CPC title

• B03B5/00 Primary

  Washing granular, powdered or lumpy materials; Wet separating (separating by pneumatic tables or by pneumatic jigs B03B4/00) · CPC title

• B01D21/283

  Settling tanks provided with vibrators · CPC title