Annular separator apparatus and method

Abstract

An unheated, essential oil diffuser relies on a pressurized air stream to educt oil from a reservoir, followed by separators including separation chambers and an annular channel. The latter is a long channel having an aspect ratio (L/d) of from about 10 to about 120, for length L and thickness d. Thickness d is effective diameter, also known as hydraulic diameter (4 times c.s. area, divided by “wetted” or exposed perimeter), and may be from about 25 to about 100 thousandths of an inch (0.6 to 2.5 mm) across the thin passage, with a target range of from about 55 to 75 mils (0.7 to 1 mm). This geometry provides laminar flow at Reynolds number values less than a few hundred for virtually its complete distance of from under one inch (25 mm) to over three inches (76 mm).

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is: 
     
         1 . A method of separating atomized droplets of a liquid, the method comprising:
 educting an essential oil from a reservoir into a flow of a stream of air;   spraying the essential oil into a chamber as a distribution of droplets suspended in the flow;   passing the droplets through a separator channel having walls defining an aspect ratio of length-to-effective-diameter capable of drifting comparatively larger droplets towards the walls during passage along the length;   removing the comparatively larger droplets from the distribution of droplets by lateral migration thereof across the flow to the walls.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising passing the flow vertically along the separator channel. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising passing the flow upward along the separator channel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising providing a material for the walls having a surface tension with the comparatively larger droplets effective to create an attractive force attracting the comparatively larger droplets to the walls. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising coalescing the comparatively larger droplets against the walls. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising draining the coalesced comparatively large droplets toward the reservoir. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing a drive system effective to pressurize the stream of air;   providing the walls to be concentric with one another, and enclosing the drive system;   providing a first cooling channel between the drive system and the walls;   cooling the drive system by drawing the stream of air into the drive system by way of the first cooling channel; and   thermally isolating the drive system by passing the stream between the walls.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising limiting transfer of sound from the drive system by the first cooling channel and the separator channel. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising controlling the duty cycle of the drive system based on a size of space to be conditioned by the droplets and an intensity of conditioning of the space, both selected by a user and controlled by the drive system duty cycle, where duty cycle is represented by a relationship between a first time span in which the drive system operates and a second time span selected from total elapsed time and time spent by the drive system not operating. 
     
     
         10 . A method of separating atomized droplets of a liquid, the method comprising:
 atomizing an oil, drawn from a reservoir and rendered droplets by a flow of air;   passing the flow into a channel defined by walls capable of drifting comparatively larger droplets of the droplets toward the walls;   drifting the comparatively larger droplets toward the walls by passing the flow toward an exit end of the channel;   coalescing the comparatively larger droplets by adhering to the walls.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , comprising:
 passing the flow vertically along the channel;   passing a liquid formed from the comparatively larger droplets coalesced on the walls; and   reintroducing back into the reservoir the liquid.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , comprising obstructing the flow in a forward direction along the path, in at least three distinct directions and locations corresponding thereto. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , comprising:
 providing a material for the wall having a surface tension with the droplets effective to create an attractive force urging the droplets to adhere to the wall: and   changing the direction of the comparatively larger droplets with respect to the flow in three mutually orthogonal directions.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  comprising integrating the reservoir and the wall in fixed relation to one another to move in rigid body motion together as a single unit. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , comprising providing controls for the flow, visible and operable to a user on a top surface of the wall. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , comprising providing controls visible and operable to a user on a top surface of the wall. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , comprising providing a housing enclosing removably together the reservoir and path. 
     
     
         18 . A method of separating atomized droplets of a liquid, the method comprising:
 atomizing the liquid, drawn from a reservoir and rendered droplets by a flow of air;   passing the flow along a path defined by a wall;   providing an exit;   directing comparatively larger droplets of the droplets toward the wall by changing their direction with respect to the flow in each of at least three directions prior to passing through the exit;   coalescing back to a contiguous liquid film the comparatively larger droplets removing from the flow by adhering to the wall; and   reintroducing back into the reservoir the contiguous liquid film coalesced.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , comprising:
 shaping the wall to coalesce the comparatively larger droplets of the droplets by drifting them out of the flow as a result of the flow changing direction;   obstructing the flow in a forward direction along the path, in at least four distinct directions and locations corresponding thereto;   providing a material for the wall having a surface tension with the droplets effective to create an attractive force urging the droplets to adhere to the walls;   integrating the reservoir and the wall in fixed relation to one another to move in rigid body motion together as a single unit;   providing controls for the flow, visible and operable to a user on a top surface of the wall.