US Patent 7691185 Recirculating Coanda water extractor

A recirculating water extractor includes a swirl vane, a converging nozzle, and two sumps. The recirculating water extractor may be designed to reintroduce uncollected water droplets back into the air stream upstream of both sumps, which may provide additional opportunities for separation. The Coanda effect may be exploited to increase the discharge of water along a surface. Utilizing a converging nozzle may intensify the centrifugal force applied to the air stream rich with entrained water and may move more of entrained water into contact with the wall of the nozzle, which, in turn, may enhance the liquid/vapor separation compared to prior art water extractors. The recirculating water extractor utilizing the Coanda effect and the method for removing entrained water from an air stream may be suitable for, but not limited to, applications in the aircraft and aerospace industries, for example, by being included in environmental control systems of aircraft.