Liquid-gas separator

Abstract

An improved liquid/gas separator is disclosed for separating liquid and gas from a mixture that is mostly gas, within a zero gravity or variable gravity working environment. The separator includes a main housing that defines a pre-swirl chamber for receiving a liquid/gas mixture and an adjacent cylindrical separator chamber for containing liquid and gas separated from the mixture. A main shaft is rotationally secured along an interior longitudinal axis of the main housing and includes a hub portion defining exhaust slots in fluid communication with an exhaust duct within the hub for passing gas out of the separator chamber. A plurality of apertured coalescing disks are secured to the hub portion of the main shaft within the separator chamber for rotationally impacting liquid droplets and directing any droplets, bubbles or sheets of liquid formed on the disks away from the shaft toward and into a rotating liquid ring formed adjacent an interior circumference of the separator chamber. A level control system automatically maintains optimal separation of the liquid and gas by controlling a depth of the liquid ring and includes a level control valve in fluid communication with opposed inner and outer surfaces of the liquid ring so that the valve senses changes in a pressure differential between pressures adjacent the opposed surfaces of the liquid ring and variably discharges the liquid out of the liquid/gas separator in response to those sensed changes to control the depth of the liquid ring.