Gas-contaminant separator

Abstract

A gas-contaminant separator includes inlet ports at the bottom of each leg of an inverted V-shaped housing and an outlet port at the top vertex. The total cross-sectional area of the inlet ports provide flow velocities below two meters per second and of the outlet port provides flow velocities below one and a half meters per second. First baffles are provided proximate the inlet ports to direct gas-contaminant mixtures towards and into a first contact with each other. Second baffles, disposed above the first contact zone cooperate with the housing to define a primary sedimentary precipitation zone and cause first retroversions of the mixtures towards and across the tops of the first baffles with the bulk of the contaminants being centrifugally precipitated by the first retroversions into the primary sedimentary precipitation zone for sedimentary precipitation to the bottoms of the housing. The sides of the housing cooperate with third baffles to cause second retroversions of primarily gas mixtures across the tops of the second baffles and into a second contact with each other. Fourth baffles, disposed above the second contact zone, cooperating with the housing, define a secondary precipitation zone and cause third retroversions of the mixtures towards and across the tops of the third baffles with the remaining contaminants being centrifugally precipitated by the third retroversions into the secondary sedimentary precipitation zone for sedimentary precipitation onto the second baffles. The sides of the housing cooperate with the fourth baffles to cause fourth retroversions of the gases towards the outlet.