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EP-3274065-B1 - FUEL-AIR SEPARATOR AND IMPROVED FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM

EP3274065B1EP 3274065 B1EP3274065 B1EP 3274065B1EP-3274065-B1

Inventors

  • EKSTAM, CHARLES L.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20160325

Claims (15)

  1. An air separator (100) comprising: a vessel (12) defining a hollow interior chamber (13) having an inlet (14) configured for receiving fuel from a fuel source, an outlet (20) configured for fluidic communication with an engine, an air-bleed (22) configured to receive and remove a quantity of undesired gas bubbles in fluidic communication with a discharge port (24); filter media (26) positioned within said chamber (13) for contact with fuel received therein; and a conduit (32) located within said filter media (26) for delivering fuel passing through said filter media to said outlet; said air separator (100) being configured to remove a quantity of undesired gas bubbles from said fuel prior to passage of said fuel through said outlet (20) from said vessel (12) to said engine, said undesired gas bubbles passing through said air-bleed (22), characterized in that said air-bleed (22) has a fluidic mixing alcove (30), the fluid mixing alcove (30) being configured to entrap and enhance selective passage of said gas bubbles through the air bleed (22) and out through said discharge port (24) by virtue of: the fluidic mixing alcove (30) having an input opening area and an exit opening area, the opening area being larger than the exit area and the fluidic mixing alcove (30) having a continuous taper from the opening area to the exit area; and a gas collection area (28) exiting into the fluidic mixing alcove (30), the gas collection area being an indentation sloping in the direction of the fluidic mixing alcove (30) opening area and having a reducing area as the gas collection area (28) narrows toward the opening area of the fluidic mixing alcove (30).
  2. An air separator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the gas collection area (28) is dimensioned as a depression surrounding the fluidic mixing alcove.
  3. A fuel delivery system comprising a fuel tank (300), a fuel pump (400), an air separator (100) and an engine (200), wherein the air separator (100) is fluidically mounted between the fuel pump (400) and the engine (200), the air separator (100) being as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2.
  4. The fuel delivery system of claim 3 wherein the air separator (100) further comprises a lid configured to facilitate ready access to said chamber (13).
  5. The fuel delivery system of claim 4, wherein the air bleed (22) is located in said lid.
  6. The fuel delivery system of any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the engine (200) utilizes one of the following: (i). a combustible liquid, (ii). a petroleum-based liquid, (iii). diesel fuel, (iv). gasoline, (v). alternative or renewable fuels.
  7. The fuel delivery system of any one of claims 3 to 6 wherein the system further comprises both a filter located between the fuel tank and the fuel pump and a filter (500) located between the fuel pump (400) and the engine (200).
  8. The fuel delivery system of claim 7 wherein the air separator (100) attaches to the filter (500) located between the fuel pump and the engine.
  9. The fuel delivery system of claim 7 wherein the filter (500) located between the fuel pump and the engine has a base (52) to which the air separator (100) connects.
  10. An air separator installation set for attaching an air separator (100) to a fuel delivery system comprising: an air separator (100) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, and attachment means for attaching the air separator (100) to the fuel delivery system by fluidically mounting it between a fuel pump (400) and engine (200).
  11. The air separator installation set of claim 10 wherein the set further comprises means for connecting the separator (100) to a secondary fuel filter (500) having an attachable base (52).
  12. An air separator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air separator (100) has a clean side and a dirty side and the air-bleed (22) is located on the clean side of the air separator.
  13. An air separator as set forth in claim 12 further comprising a second air-bleed.
  14. An air separator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air separator (100) further comprises a filter head (34) atop the filter media (26) and a flow divider (32) configured as a flexible wiper blade which is positioned below the filter head (34).
  15. The air separator of claim 14 further comprising a filter nipple (36) located below the filter head (34).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial. No. 62/138,222, filed March 25, 2015, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/174,920, filed June 12, 2015, and U.S. Patent Application 15/041896, filed February 11, 2016. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The subject matter described herein relates generally to an improved air separation system for combustible liquids, petroleum-based and renewable and alternative fuels, especially fuel for diesel and other internal combustion engines. Combustible fuel and especially diesel, engines typically utilize a fuel injection system to timely inject fuel directly into the cylinder. The injection timing is predetermined by the engine designer, and is based on known facts. Any uncontrolled or outside event or condition that affects the injection timing that is not predetermined or that affects the spray pattern, will cause the engine's efficiency to degrade. A persistent concern for such engines is the presence of air and vapor within the fuel. Entrained air and vapor in combustible fuel and combustible fuel systems, varies with fuel temperature, barometric pressure and altitude of engine operation, filter plugging, and at the different operating RPM's of the engine. Air and vapor present in combustible, especially diesel, fuel, and especially in varying amounts, are not found to be among the predetermined conditions factored into the injection timing parameters. Among the problems presented by their presence is the degradation of engine efficiency due to the compressibility of air/vapor. In unit injectors, this leads to retarded injection timing, spray pattern disruption and a poor burn, in turn, resulting in reduced power output of the engine, increased fuel consumption and increased exhaust emissions. In "Common Rail" systems, the air/vapor displaces the fuel in the "High Pressure Pump" barrel. This prevents the "High Pressure Pump" from reaching its designed output volume. This in turn prevents the system from maintaining the correct pressure for proper spray patterns and injection rates, degrading engine efficiency. Air also causes permanent damage to the components of the fuel injection system. Air can displace the fuel or lubricant between the barrel and plunger. This allows metal on metal contact and galling of the components, leading to injector failure. Also, as the plunger begins its injection stroke, the sudden compression causes the air bubble to implode. When the collapsing bubble is adjacent to the barrel wall, the outer wall of fuel of the collapsing bubble impacts the barrel surface with sufficient destructive force to dislodge microscopic particles of metal. This is commonly referred to as "pitting of the barrel", and in time can render the injector useless. "Tip erosion" occurs as the air bubble exits the injector tip. Air, being less viscous than diesel fuel passes through the injector tip more quickly than the fuel. The fuel behind the air bubble suddenly impacts the tip with a force that dislodges microscopic particles of metal. As tip erosion increases the bore size of the ports of the injector tip, a poor spray pattern increasingly results. A decrease of the metal between the ports leads to degradation of the structural integrity of the injector tip, which can eventually lead to the loss of the injector tip and catastrophic engine failure. The operational deficiencies and inefficiencies of the diesel engine are well known, but commercial implementations of such engines have failed to address this problem. Applicant has previously provided unique systems and apparatus for removing entrained air from the fuel prior to the fuel's entering into the engine's fuel pump while additionally maintaining a net positive pressure head to the pump inlet, thus reducing pump cavitation and the formation of vapor. Applicant's Patent No. 5,355,860 discloses a three filter system for removing entrained air from diesel fuel. The device, which feeds fuel to the engine's transfer or fuel pump, was an early pioneer approach for removing entrained air from the fuel. Applicant's Patent No. 5,746,184 (the " '184 Patent"), a continuation in part of Patent No. 5,355,860, discloses a commercial model of the system that efficiently removes the entrained air and addresses pump cavitation. A product incorporating the principals of the '184 Patent has been successfully sold under the trademark, Fuel Preporator®, model numbers FPI and FP1200 by PureFlow Technologies, Inc. This device utilizes a filter to separate entrained air and vapors from the fuel (Ref. Cummins Service Topic 5-135, 1965) and a "Primary" air/vapor discharge port located on the dirty side of the filter to facilitate the removal of the separated air/vapors. Additionally, a second air/vapor discharge port located on the clean side of the filter is used to discharge air/vapors that have been pressure flashed through the filter. The meth