An apparatus separates liquid, gas and solid components of a mixture in a
fluid system. An inlet for receiving the mixture opens into a separation
chamber tangentially with a cylindrical side wall and a gas outlet has an
opening in a first end wall adjacent the inlet to allow gas to exit the
separator. A fluid outlet is located in an opposing second end wall. A
debris passage extends through the cylindrical side wall and oriented so
that the radial velocity of the particles within the separation chamber
directs the particles through the debris passage. The debris passage
leads to a particle collection chamber in which the particles accumulate.
Unlike prior separators that relied on the tangential velocity of the
particles, the present apparatus utilizes the greater radial velocity to
drive the particles from the separation chamber into the particle
collection chamber.