US-12623166-B2 - Filter element with flow directing permeability layers

US12623166B2US 12623166 B2US12623166 B2US 12623166B2US-12623166-B2

Abstract

A media pack includes a filtration sheet and a support sheet that is made from a different material than the filtration sheet. The filtration sheet is coupled to the support sheet. The support sheet is corrugated such that, together, the filtration sheet and the support sheet form a plurality of channels. The channels are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack. In one embodiment, the permeability of the support sheet is less than a permeability of the filtration sheet.

Inventors

Gregory D. Shope
Christopher E. Holm
Shantanu Sanjay Ghatnekar
Wassem Abdalla
Arun P. Janakiraman
Kyle Ellison
Barry Mark Verdegan
Scott W. Schwartz
Jeremiah Cupery
Billy M. Bates

Assignees

CUMMINS FILTRATION INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220624
Priority Date: 20191226

Claims (20)

1 . A media pack, comprising: a filtration sheet; and a corrugated support sheet coupled to the filtration sheet, the corrugated support sheet made from a different material than the filtration sheet, the corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet forming a plurality of channels that are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack, a permeability of the corrugated support sheet being less than a permeability of the filtration sheet so that a bulk of a liquid to be filtered passes through the filtration sheet.
2 . The media pack of claim 1 , wherein the filtration sheet and the corrugated support sheet are stacked on top of one another in an alternating fashion along a radial direction, the plurality of channels being axial flow channels that are arranged in a substantially parallel orientation relative to a central axis of the media pack.
3 . The media pack of claim 1 , wherein the filtration sheet does not include corrugations.
4 . The media pack of claim 1 , wherein the filtration sheet comprises a nanofiber material.
5 . The media pack of claim 1 , wherein the media pack comprises a first filtration stage and a second filtration stage, the second filtration stage having a different permeability than the first filtration stage for a fluid to be filtered.
6 . The media pack of claim 5 , wherein the corrugated support sheet is shared between the first filtration stage and the second filtration stage.
7 . The media pack of claim 5 , wherein the filtration sheet is a multi-layered sheet, and wherein at least one layer of the multi-layered sheet is shared between the first filtration stage and the second filtration stage.
8 . The media pack of claim 1 , wherein the corrugated support sheet comprises an upstream end and a downstream end and is pleated along a plurality of bend lines, the plurality of bend lines extending axially along an axial direction and comprising a first set of bend lines extending from the upstream end axially towards the downstream end, and a second set of bend lines extending from the downstream end axially towards the upstream end, the corrugated support sheet having a plurality of wall segments extending in a serpentine manner between the bend lines, the wall segments extending axially and defining axial channels therebetween that form the plurality of channels, the axial channels having a height along a transverse direction, the transverse direction being perpendicular to the axial direction, at least one of the bend lines tapering in the transverse direction as the at least one of the bend lines extends in the axial direction.
9 . A filter element, comprising: a center tube; a media pack disposed around the center tube, the media pack comprising: a filtration sheet; and a corrugated support sheet coupled to the filtration sheet, the corrugated support sheet made from a different material than the filtration sheet, the corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet forming a plurality of channels that are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack, a permeability of the corrugated support sheet being less than a permeability of the filtration sheet for a fluid to be filtered so that a bulk of the fluid passes through the filtration sheet; and a first endcap coupled to a first axial end of the media pack.
10 . The filter element of claim 9 , wherein the first endcap defines a recessed area, the first axial end of the media pack extending partially into the recessed area and spaced axially apart from an interior surface of the first endcap.
11 . The filter element of claim 9 , wherein the first endcap extends around and is sealingly engaged to an outer perimeter of the media pack.
12 . The filter element of claim 9 , wherein the filtration sheet and the corrugated support sheet are spiral wound around the center tube.
13 . The filter element of claim 9 , wherein the filtration sheet and the corrugated support sheet are stacked on top of one another in an alternating fashion along a radial direction, the plurality of channels being axial flow channels that are arranged in a substantially parallel orientation relative to a central axis of the media pack.
14 . The filter element of claim 9 , wherein the media pack comprises a first filtration stage and a second filtration stage, the second filtration stage having a different permeability than the first filtration stage for a fluid to be filtered.
15 . The filter element of claim 9 , further comprising: a second endcap disposed on a second axial end of the media pack, the second endcap comprising: an upper portion coupled to the second axial end; and a lower portion spaced axially apart from the upper portion; and a hydrophobic filter coupled to the lower portion.
16 . The filter element of claim 9 , wherein the corrugated support sheet comprises an upstream end and a downstream end and is pleated along a plurality of bend lines, the plurality of bend lines extending axially along an axial direction and comprising a first set of bend lines extending from the upstream end axially towards the downstream end, and a second set of bend lines extending from the downstream end axially towards the upstream end, the corrugated support sheet having a plurality of wall segments extending in a serpentine manner between the bend lines, the wall segments extending axially and defining axial channels therebetween that form the plurality of channels, the axial channels having a height along a transverse direction, the transverse direction being perpendicular to the axial direction, at least one of the bend lines tapering in the transverse direction as the at least one of the bend lines extends in the axial direction.
17 . A filter element, comprising: a center tube; a media pack disposed around the center tube, the media pack comprising: a filtration sheet; and a corrugated support sheet coupled to the filtration sheet, the corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet forming a plurality of channels that are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack, the media pack comprising a first filtration stage and a second filtration stage, the second filtration stage having a different permeability than the first filtration stage for a fluid to be filtered, at least one layer of the corrugated support sheet or the filtration sheet being shared between the first filtration stage and the second filtration stage; and an endcap coupled to an axial end of the media pack.
18 . The filter element of claim 17 , wherein the corrugated support sheet is shared between the first filtration stage and the second filtration stage.
19 . The filter element of claim 17 , wherein the filtration sheet is a multi-layered sheet, and wherein at least one layer of the multi-layered sheet is shared between the first filtration stage and the second filtration stage.
20 . The filter element of claim 17 , wherein at least one layer of the corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet is continuous across the first filtration stage and the second filtration stage, wherein the first filtration stage is disposed upstream of the second filtration stage along a flow direction through the media pack, and the filtration sheet of the first filtration stage has a different permeability than the filtration sheet of the second filtration stage.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of and priority to Indian Patent Application No. 201941053893, entitled “Filter Element with Flow Directing Permeability Layers” and filed Dec. 26, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to filters for use with internal combustion engine systems. BACKGROUND Internal combustion engines generally use various fluids during operation. For example, fuel (e.g., diesel, gasoline, natural gas, etc.) is used to run the engine. Air may be mixed with the fuel to produce an air-fuel mixture, which is then used by the engine to run under stoichiometric or lean conditions. Furthermore, one or more lubricants may be provided to the engine to lubricate various parts of the engine (e.g., piston cylinder, crank shaft, bearings, gears, valves, cams, etc.). These fluids may become contaminated with particulate matter (e.g., carbon, dust, metal particles, etc.) which may damage the various parts of the engine if not removed from the fluid. To remove such particulate matter or other contaminants, the fluid is generally passed through a filter assembly (e.g., a fuel filter, a lubricant filter, an air filter, a water filter assembly, etc.) structured to remove the particulate matter from the fluid prior to delivering the fluid. The holding capacity of particular matter within a filter assembly, and thus the overall lifetime of a filter element within the filter assembly, is limited by the size of the filter assembly. SUMMARY In one set of embodiments, a filter element includes a media pack. The media pack includes a filtration sheet and a corrugated support sheet that is coupled to the filtration sheet. The corrugated support sheet is made from a different material than the filtration sheet. The corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet form a plurality of channels that are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack. In another set of embodiments, a filter element includes a center tube, a media pack, and a first endcap. The media pack is disposed around the center tube and includes a filtration sheet and a corrugated sheet that is coupled to the filtration sheet. The corrugated support sheet is made from a different material than the filtration sheet. The corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet form a plurality of channels that are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack. The first endcap is coupled to a first axial end of the media pack. In yet another set of embodiments, a filter element includes a center tube, a media pack, and an endcap. The media pack is disposed around the center tube and includes a filtration sheet and a corrugated support sheet that is coupled to the filtration sheet. The corrugated support sheet and the filtration sheet form a plurality of channels that are alternatively sealed on opposing ends of the media pack. The media pack includes a first filtration stage and a second filtration stage having a different permeability that the first filtration stage for a fluid to be filtered. In some embodiments, a stiffness of the support sheet is greater than a stiffness of the filtration sheet. The permeability of the support sheet (for a fluid to be filtered) is less than or equal to a permeability of the filtration sheet. In some embodiments, the filtration sheet does not include corrugations. In some implementations, the support sheet is made from one of aluminum or a polymeric material. In some embodiments, the media pack includes a first filtration stage and a second filtration stage having a different permeability (for a fluid to be filtered) than the first filtration stage. In particular, the filtration sheet for the first filtration stage may have a lower permeability (for a fluid to be filtered) than a second filtration sheet for the second filtration stage. In some implementations, the first filtration stage may be at least partially separated from the second filtration stage by an adhesive barrier. In another set of embodiments, a filter assembly includes a filter housing and a filter element coupled to the filter housing. The filter element includes a media pack disposed within the filter housing. The media pack includes a filtration sheet and a support sheet that is made from a different material than the filtration sheet. The filtration sheet is coupled to the support sheet. The support sheet is corrugated such that the filtration sheet and the support sheet together form a plurality of channels. The channels are alternately sealed on opposing ends of the media pack. It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject ma