Axial, triple-separation, diffusion apparatus and method

Abstract

A reservoir containing an essential oil feeds to an eductor injecting a jet forming a plume of air entraining oil droplets. A series of drift chambers act as velocity reducers to alternately slow the flow droplets with entry, and then reaccelerate them upon exit through an exit channel. A micro cyclone separator operates between at least two of the drift chambers, exposing the flow to circumferential direction and centripetal acceleration driving comparatively larger droplets out of the flow away from comparatively finer droplets sufficiently small to remain with the flow of air. Separation of comparatively larger droplets, effectively eliminates “spitting” of liquids that might or rapid drift onto surrounding surfaces.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is: 
     
         1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus capable of atomizing and separating droplets of liquid atomized into a flow of air, the apparatus comprising:
 an atomizer capable of drawing directly from a reservoir of the liquid;   a drift chamber operably connected to receive from the atomizer the flow and the droplets entrained therein and separate out of the flow comparatively larger ones of the droplets while leaving in the flow comparatively smaller ones of the droplets; and   the drift chamber being capable of separating by having an inlet thereinto passing the flow in an inlet direction through an inlet cross-sectional area, an outlet exiting therefrom in an outlet direction through an outlet cross-sectional area, and a flow region therebetween having a flow cross-sectional area less than both the inlet cross-sectional area and the outlet cross-sectional area, a drain capable of passing the comparatively larger droplets as liquid toward the reservoir, and the drift chamber requiring at least one change of direction of the flow orthogonal to the inlet flow direction.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , comprising:
 an atomization unit including the atomizer and drift chamber;   a housing containing a pump capable of pressurizing air into an air outlet line directing air toward the atomization unit.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22  comprising a registration mechanism capable of registering the air outlet line and a corresponding inlet line receiving air into the atomizer, connecting them without tools. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23  comprising a sliding seal automatically engaged to connect the atomizer to the pump by sliding the atomization unit into registration with respect to the housing. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the atomization unit selectively slides into and out of supporting engagement to be supported by the housing. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the atomization unit comprises the reservoir selectively securable to and removable from the atomizer in fixed relation. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , comprising a seal between the atomization unit and the pump selectively closeable, by sliding the atomization unit into engagement with the housing, and openable by removal from said engagement. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , comprising a separator operably connected to the drift chamber and capable of directing the flow in a spiral direction rising away from the reservoir in order to pass coalesced liquid resulting from the comparatively larger droplets separated out from the flow. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the apparatus includes a pump enclosed in a housing and capable of pressurizing ambient air as the flow;   the atomizer unit automatically seals the pump into fluid communication with the atomizer by dropping vertically into the housing.   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the atomizer directs the flow downward toward the reservoir;   the atomizer operates as an eductor exchanging momentum between the flow and the liquid.   
     
     
         31 . An apparatus capable of atomizing and separating droplets of liquid atomized into a flow of air, the apparatus comprising:
 an atomizer capable of atomizing into droplets a liquid by receiving a flow of pressurized air and a drawing thereinto a supply of the liquid from a reservoir;   a drift chamber operable as a first separator by operably connecting to receive the flow and droplets from the atomizer, change the direction of the flow, and change a cross-sectional area through which the flow passes; and   a port capable of directing comparatively larger ones of the droplets, coalesced to a return liquid, in consequence of the first separator, back into the reservoir.   
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 31 , comprising a second separator operably connected to receive the flow, change direction repeatedly in a spiraling direction, and pass the coalesced comparatively larger droplets downward along a floor of the separator rising away from the reservoir. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 31 , comprising the reservoir selectively secureable to and removable from the atomizer in fixed relation. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein the atomizer comprises an eductor. 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 33 , comprising a pump selectively connectable to and removable from the atomizer. 
     
     
         36 . The apparatus of  claim 35 , comprising a housing containing the pump and the atomizer and reservoir integrable into an atomization unit selectively connectable to and removable from connection with the pump by selective insertion into the housing and removal therefrom of the atomization unit directly and without tools. 
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , comprising a seal automatically engaging between the pump and atomizer in consequence of the atomization unit sliding into engagement with the housing without tools. 
     
     
         38 . The apparatus of  claim 37 , comprising a registration mechanism capable of registering the seal in an operable position automatically in consequence of the atomization unit sliding into engagement with the housing. 
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 38  wherein the atomizer injects the flow directly toward the reservoir. 
     
     
         40 . A method of atomizing and separating droplets of liquid atomized into a flow of air, the method comprising:
 providing an atomizer, drift chamber, and pump operably connected to be capable of atomizing into droplets a liquid, drawn from a source, and separate out therefrom comparatively larger ones of the droplets from the flow;   providing a flow of pressurized air;   drawing into the flow a stream of the liquid from a reservoir;   atomizing the stream into the droplets in the flow;   separating out from the flow the comparatively larger ones of the droplets by changing a direction of the flow and a cross-sectional area through which it flows through the drift chamber; and   directing the comparatively larger ones of the droplets, coalesced to a return liquid, in consequence of the first separator, back into the reservoir.