DRAINING AND SEALING DEVICE FOR MIST ELIMINATORS

Abstract

The present patent of invention application refers to a draining and sealing device (1), belonging to the field of forward flow or reverse flow mist eliminators or polygonal plate systems used in various industries, which consist of a tubular body (10) formed by an optional upper portion (11) comprising a cover e having a closed upper end (12) and radial drainage openings (13); an intermediate attachment portion comprising a thread (14) or welding ring (15) or flange (16); and a lower tubular portion (17) provided with a lower end having drainage holes (18); said drainage and sealing device (1) also being formed by a body of drainage and sealing fibers (20) housed in the lower tubular portion (17) that provides drainage of the collected liquid and sealing against the countercurrent circulation of mist-containing gas; said drainage and sealing device (1) may have the tubular body (10) without no upper portion (11).

Claims

1-7. (canceled)

8. A draining and sealing device for a mist eliminator of the forward flow or reverse flow type, or of parallel plates installed as a polygonal arrangement, being formed of a fiber filter body (100) housed between two concentric or parallel screens, which hangs in an opening of a mirror (101), having an open upper end and a lower end closed with a closure (103), on which opening the draining and sealing device or said reverse flow mist eliminator is mounted, being formed of the tubular filter body (100) that stands in the mirror opening (101) and is provided with a closed upper end and a lower open end, wherein the draining and sealing device is mounted on the mirror opening (101) and comprises: a tubular body (10), formed by: an upper portion (11) comprising a cover, having a closed upper end (12) and radial drainage openings (13); an intermediate portion for attachment to the lower closure opening (103) of the filter body (100) or attachment to the mirror opening (101), said intermediate portion comprising a thread (14); and a lower tubular portion (17) having a lower side or lower end of the side face provided with drainage holes (18); and a body of drainage and sealing fibers (20) housed in the lower tubular portion (17) that provides drainage of the collected liquid and sealing against the countercurrent circulation of mist-containing gas (201).

9. The draining and sealing device of claim 8, wherein: the tubular body (10) further comprises a tubular portion (17) the upper end of which is opened and constitutes an axial drainage opening (13) and the lower side or lower end of the side face is provided with drainage holes (18), said body (10) being also formed at its upper end by the threaded attachment portion (14), and the draining and sealing device (1) is also formed by the body of draining and sealing fibers (20) housed in the tubular portion (17).

10. The draining and sealing device of claim 8, wherein the attachment portion of the draining and sealing device (1) in the lower closure opening (103) of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) or in the mirror opening (101) is a welding ring (15).

11. The draining and sealing device of claim 8, wherein the attachment portion of the draining and sealing device (1) in the lower closure opening (103) of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) or in the mirror opening (101) is a flange (16).

12. The draining and sealing device of claim 8, wherein the draining and sealing device (1) has a body made of parts mounted on each other or a (single-piece) monoblock body.

13. The draining and sealing device of claim 8, wherein the draining and sealing device (1) may have a diameter smaller than or greater than the diameter of the outlet of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) and circular or polygonal outline.

14. The draining and sealing device of claim 8, wherein the retained mist drainage openings (18) are circular or slit-shaped.

15. The draining and sealing device of claim 9, wherein the attachment portion of the draining and sealing device (1) in the lower closure opening (103) of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) or in the mirror opening (101) is a welding ring (15).

16. The draining and sealing device of claim 9, wherein the attachment portion of the draining and sealing device (1) in the lower closure opening (103) of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) or in the mirror opening (101) is a flange (16).

17. The draining and sealing device of claim 9, wherein the draining and sealing device (1) has a body made of parts mounted on each other or a (single-piece) monoblock body.

18. The draining and sealing device of claim 9, wherein the draining and sealing device (1) may have a diameter smaller than or greater than the diameter of the outlet of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) and circular or polygonal outline.

19. The draining and sealing device of claim 9, wherein the retained mist drainage openings (18) are circular or slit-shaped.

20. The draining and sealing device of claim 10, wherein one or more of: the draining and sealing device (1) has a body made of parts mounted on each other or a (single-piece) monoblock body, the draining and sealing device (1) may have a diameter smaller than or greater than the diameter of the outlet of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) and circular or polygonal outline, or the retained mist drainage openings (18) are circular or slit-shaped.

21. The draining and sealing device of claim 11, wherein one or more of: the draining and sealing device (1) has a body made of parts mounted on each other or a (single-piece) monoblock body, the draining and sealing device (1) may have a diameter smaller than or greater than the diameter of the outlet of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) and circular or polygonal outline, or the retained mist drainage openings (18) are circular or slit-shaped.

22. The draining and sealing device of claim 15, wherein one or more of: the draining and sealing device (1) has a body made of parts mounted on each other or a (single-piece) monoblock body, the draining and sealing device (1) may have a diameter smaller than or greater than the diameter of the outlet of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) and circular or polygonal outline, or the retained mist drainage openings (18) are circular or slit-shaped.

23. The draining and sealing device of claim 16, wherein one or more of: the draining and sealing device (1) has a body made of parts mounted on each other or a (single-piece) monoblock body, the draining and sealing device (1) may have a diameter smaller than or greater than the diameter of the outlet of the fiber filtering tubular body (100) and circular or polygonal outline, or the retained mist drainage openings (18) are circular or slit-shaped.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0022] The attached figures refer to the device for draining and sealing mist eliminators, that is the object of the present patent, in which:

[0023] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show the device in perspective, front and cutaway views, respectively, in a possible embodiment in which the receiving surface attachment portion is a threaded portion;

[0024] FIG. 4 shows the device without the cover for protection against falling debris;

[0025] FIGS. 5 and 6 show a version of the device in which the surface attachment portion is a welding ring; FIG. 5 shows the device with the cover on and FIG. 6 shows the device with no cover;

[0026] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a version of the device in which the surface attachment portion is a flange; FIG. 7 shows the device with the cover on and FIG. 8 shows the device with no cover;

[0027] FIG. 9 shows a detail of the device being used in a forward flow mist eliminator;

[0028] FIG. 10 shows a detail in which the device is being used in a reverse flow mist eliminator;

[0029] FIGS. 11 and 12 show a possible embodiment of the device having a body in a (single-piece) monoblock construction, wherein FIG. 11 shows an embodiment with no cover; and FIG. 12 shows an embodiment with the cover on;

[0030] FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of the device with drainage openings for the retained mist arranged laterally;

[0031] FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of the device having a diameter that is greater than the outlet of the reverse flow mist eliminator; said device having drainage openings for the retained mist arranged on the lower face thereof;

[0032] FIG. 15 shows the same device as the previous figure but with drainage openings for retained mist arranged laterally;

[0033] FIG. 16 shows an schematic cutaway illustration of the previous figure showing the device with a circular outline;

[0034] FIG. 17 shows the same figure as the previous one, but showing a device with a polygonal, namely, hexagonal outline;

[0035] FIGS. 18 and 19 show variants of possible embodiments of the retained mist drainage openings, where FIG. 18 shows circular openings and FIG. 19 shows slit-shaped openings;

[0036] FIGS. 20 and 21 are an schematic of the forward flow mist eliminator provided with the conventional siphon draining device that is replaced by the device of the present application, wherein FIG. 11 shows a cutaway view of the mist eliminator and FIG. 12 shows its lower end in detail, on which the conventional siphon draining device is mounted; and

[0037] FIGS. 22 and 23 shows an schematic of the reverse flow mist eliminator provided with the conventional siphon draining device that is replaced by the device of the present application, wherein FIG. 13 shows a cutaway view of the mist eliminator and FIG. 14 shows its lower end in detail, where the conventional siphon draining device is installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

[0038] As illustrated in the above figures, the draining and sealing device 1 (FIGS. 1 to 10) of the present application is intended to be used in either a forward flow (FIGS. 20, 21) or a reverse flow (FIGS. 22, 23) mist eliminator 100 acting as a seal that drains the retained liquid and provides a seal against countercurrent circulation of mist-containing gas.

[0039] Said draining and sealing device 1 is essentially comprised of a tubular body 10 formed, from top to bottom (FIGS. 1, 2, 3) of: an upper portion 11 comprising a cover for protection against falling debris, said portion 11 being provided with a closed upper end 12 and radial drainage openings 13; an intermediate portion for attachment to a surface of the receiving equipment; said intermediate attachment portion can comprise a thread 14 (FIGS. 1 to 3) or welding ring 15 (FIGS. 5, 6) or attachment flange 16 (FIGS. 7, 8) and a lower tubular portion 17 having a lower end provided with drainage holes 18; said draining and sealing device 1 being formed by a body of draining and sealing fibers 20 housed in the lower tubular portion 17 that provides drainage of the collected liquid and sealing against countercurrent circulation of mist-containing gas.

[0040] Optionally, the tubular body 10 may not contain an upper portion 11 comprising a cover for protection against falling debris (FIGS. 4, 6, 8), in which case said tubular body 10 consisting of the draining and sealing device 1 comprises: the tubular portion 17 whose upper end is opened and represents an axial drainage opening 13 and the lower end is provided with drainage holes 18; said body 10 being also formed at the upper end by the threaded type attachment portion 14 (FIGS. 1 to 4) or welding ring 15 (FIG. 6) or flange 16 (FIG. 8) said draining and sealing device 1 being also formed by a body of draining and sealing fibers 20 housed in the tubular portion 17, which provides drainage of the collected liquid and sealing against countercurrent circulation of mist-containing gas.

[0041] In detail, the tubular body 10 of the draining and sealing device 1 can be made of several materials, such as metallics, plastics, metals coated with plastics or even ceramics, wherein the closed upper end 12 is formed by a cover; lower openings 18 are provided on a cover. Where the device 1 has a threaded attachment portion 14 a faceted maneuvering band is provided next to the thread.

[0042] The choice of materials as well as the fibers used will depend on the individual characteristics of each process.

[0043] Fibers comprising the draining and sealing fiber body 20 can be of various natures, materials, diameters and geometries (either woven or not). They are packed to ensure proper drainage without preventing the contaminated gas from passing through the filter beds.

[0044] The draining and sealing device 1, in any of the embodiments, can be attached to the filtering element of the mist eliminator 100 or to the mirror 101 through a thread 14 (FIGS. 3, 4) or weld (FIGS. 5, 6) or flange 16 (FIGS. 7, 8). Size of said draining and sealing device 1 can range from 12.5 mm () to 600 mm (24) in diameter and from 25 mm to 2000 mm in height, depending on the process conditions and the expectation of drainage and liquids, viscosity and other parameters.

[0045] Thus, where the mist eliminator is a forward flow mist eliminator, the draining and sealing device 1 having the above construction crosses the lower closing end 103 (FIG. 9) of the filtering element 100, where it is attached via a thread 14 or welding ring 15 or flange 16. Under this condition, the retained mist 200 retained by the filter 100 coalesces on the inner surface thereof, flows through the closing end 103, enters the device 1, is drained through its fiber body 20 and either returns to the process or is removed, while said fiber body 20 provides sealing against mist-containing gas 201 that flows in countercurrent to the retained mist 200.

[0046] Thus, where the mist eliminator is a forward flow mist eliminator, the draining and sealing device 1 is mounted on the mirror (FIG. 10), in which case the mist 200 retained by the filter 100 flows through the outer surface thereof, flows over the mirror 101, enters the draining and sealing device 1 and is drained through the fiber body 20 that simultaneously prevents the passage of mist-containing gas 201.

[0047] In the basic design described above, the draining and sealing device 1 of the present patent may be changed in terms of materials, sizes, functional and ornamental configurations without falling out of the claimed scope of protection.

[0048] In this regard, the draining and sealing device 1 can be designed with parts mounted to each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 or optionally they may have a single-piece monoblock body, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, which show embodiments of the device without and with a cover 11, respectively; said body also housing a fiber body 20 and having openings for draining the retained mist 18.

[0049] The draining and sealing device 1 may have retained mist drainage openings 18 arranged on the lower face thereof, as described and illustrated above, or arranged laterally, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0050] The draining and sealing device 1 may have smaller diameter than the outlet of the forward flow fiber filtering body 100, as described and illustrated above, or it may have greater diameter, as illustrated in FIG. 14 and be provided with lower (FIG. 14) or side (FIG. 15) drainage openings 18, as well as a circular (FIG. 16) or polygonal (FIG. 17) outline.

[0051] Drainage openings 18 can be circular (FIG. 18) or slit-shaped (FIG. 19).