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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9421553-B2
Application number	US-201113216049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2011
Priority date	Aug 23, 2010
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

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 through which a mixture of a fluid and either particulates or droplets flow at high volume flow rates, the flow chamber comprising:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber;
a fluid outlet through which fluid exits the flow chamber;
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;
one or more ultrasonic transducers; and
one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer;
wherein each transducer is configured to form a three-dimensional acoustic field at a different ultrasonic frequency and each ultrasonic frequency is optimized 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 continuously causing particulates or droplets to agglomerate, coalesce, cluster, clump, or grow and increase in size such that they continuously fall out of the acoustic field due to gravity and exit the flow chamber via the solids outlet or rise out of the acoustic field due to buoyancy forces and exit the flow chamber via the low density outlet.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic transducers operate at a frequency in a range of 1 MHz to 10 MHz.

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

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic transducers are embedded in a wall of the flow chamber.

5. An apparatus as in claim 3 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a flat series.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein there are two or more ultrasonic transducers that are arranged in a parallel array within an inner portion of the flow chamber.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the flow chamber is vertically oriented with the low density outlet being on an upper portion and the solids outlet being on a lower portion.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the flow chamber is horizontally oriented with the low density outlet being on the upper portion and the solids outlet being on the lower portion.

9. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the flow chamber is diagonally oriented with the low density outlet being on the upper incline and the solids outlet being on the lower incline.

10. An apparatus as in claim 6 , wherein the multi-phase fluid inlet is disposed between the low density outlet and the two or more ultrasonic transducers.

11. An apparatus as in claim 6 , wherein the multi-phase fluid inlet is at an acute angle from an outer wall of the flow chamber relative to the solids outlet.

12. An apparatus as in claim 7 , wherein the fluid outlet is disposed between the two or more ultrasonic transducers and the solids outlet.

13. An apparatus as in claim 9 , wherein the multi-phase fluid inlet is at an obtuse angle from an outer wall of the flow chamber relative to the solids outlet.

14. An apparatus as in 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.

15. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein each transducer is optimized for a specific range of particles 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 non-zero contrast factor.

16. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the one or more ultrasonic transducers each generate a three-dimensional acoustic field perpendicular to the direction of the mean flow in the flow channel.

17. An apparatus as in claim 13 , wherein the one or more three-dimensional acoustic fields have a horizontal orientation.

18. An apparatus as in claim 13 , wherein the one or more three-dimensional acoustic fields have a vertical orientation.

19. An apparatus as in claim 13 , wherein the one or more three-dimensional acoustic fields exert acoustic radiation force on the particulate for which the ultrasonic frequency is optimized for, such that the particulate is trapped in its corresponding three-dimensional acoustic field against a fluid drag force, and wherein the particulate is concentrated in the acoustic field over time.

20. An apparatus as in claim 1 , wherein the solids outlet is tapered.

21. An apparatus as in claim 1 , 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.

22. A method of separating particulate and/or droplets from a fluid comprising:
flowing the fluid past one or more positions within a flow chamber at a flow rate of up to 120 mL/min; and
forming three-dimensional acoustic fields at the one or more positions,
wherein each three-dimensional acoustic field is maintained at a different ultrasonic frequency, wherein each ultrasonic frequency is optimized for a specific range of particulate or droplet sizes and wherein particulates and/or droplets of an optimized size are trapped in their corresponding three-dimensional acoustic field against the flow of the fluid, thereby clustering the particulates in their corresponding three-dimensional acoustic field such that the clustered particulates and/or droplets increase in size and they continuously fall out of the acoustic field due to gravity or rise out due to buoyancy forces and cause the clustered particulates and/or droplets to 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;
a fluid outlet through which fluid exits the flow chamber, the at least one multi-phase fluid inlet being located above the fluid outlet;
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, the low density outlet being located above the solids outlet and the at least one multi-phase fluid inlet;
one or more ultrasonic transducers located between the fluid outlet and the multi-phase fluid inlet; and
one or more reflectors corresponding to each transducer.

23. An apparatus comprising:
a flow chamber through which is flowed a mixture of a fluid and a particulate at a rate of up to 120 mL/minute, the flow chamber comprising:
at least one multi-phase fluid inlet through which multi-phase fluid enters the flow chamber;
a fluid outlet through which fluid exits the flow chamber;
a solids outlet through which clustered particulates or droplets having a density at or above a pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber, the solids outlet being located on a lower portion of the flow chamber; and
a low density outlet through which clustered particulates or droplets having a density below the pre-defined threshold exit the flow chamber, the low density outlet being located above the at least one multi-phase fluid inlet on an upper portion of the flow chamber;
one or more ultrasonic transd

Assignees

• Dionne Jason
• Lipkens Bart
• Rietman Edward A
• Flodesign Sonics Inc

Inventors

• Dionne Jason
• Lipkens Bart
• Rietman Edward A

Classifications

• C02F1/36

  ultrasonic vibrations · CPC title

• B01D21/283

  Settling tanks provided with vibrators · CPC title

• C12M47/02

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

• B01D21/28

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