Method and system for high fuel vapor canister purge flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10060367-B2
Application number	US-201514826997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2015
Priority date	Aug 14, 2015
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for managing fuel vapors in a vehicle fuel system. In one example, a method includes commanding or maintaining closed a vapor blocking valve during a purging operation such that vapor flow is directed from a fuel tank to a fresh air side of a vapor canister via a first restricted vapor line, thereby enabling high purge flow rates and deep vapor canister vacuum while avoiding fuel tank vacuum. In this way, canister purge operation may be made more efficient, thereby reducing hydrocarbon bleed emissions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for an engine, comprising:
during a first condition including a canister purge event, closing a vacuum blocking valve (VBV) and directing vapor flow from a fuel tank to a fresh air side of a vapor canister via a first vapor line; and
during a second condition, opening the VBV and directing vapor flow from the fuel tank to a load/purge side of the vapor canister via a second vapor line, the vapor canister divided into the fresh air side and the load/purge side by a partition housed within the canister, the fresh air side further including a vent line connected to fresh air via a canister vent valve (CVV), the load/purge side connected to an intake manifold via one or more canister purge valves (CPV), including a first CPV and/or a lower restriction CPV.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein directing vapor flow via the first vapor line comprises directing vapor flow through a restriction in the first vapor line.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the restriction is comprised of an orifice or a sonic choke.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein an overall vapor line bifurcates upstream of the restriction into the first vapor line and second vapor line, wherein the VBV is positioned in the second vapor line.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the engine is in operation during the canister purge event.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first vapor line does not couple the fuel tank to the load/purge side of the vapor canister.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, during the canister purge event, commanding open the low restriction CPV.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the canister purge event comprising the open low restriction CPV includes indicating whether a fuel tank vacuum is greater than a threshold.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein indicating the fuel tank vacuum greater than the threshold includes reducing a purge flow rate such that the fuel tank vacuum is maintained below the threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second condition includes a refueling event.

11. A system for an engine, comprising:
a fuel vapor canister partitioned into a fresh air side and a load/purge side;
a fuel tank; and
a bifurcated vapor line connecting the fuel vapor canister to the fuel tank, a first segment of the line comprising a restricted orifice disposed within the first vapor line segment and connecting to the fuel vapor canister on the fresh air side, a second segment of the vapor line comprising a vacuum blocking valve (VBV) disposed within the second vapor line segment and connecting to the vapor canister on the load/purge side.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a canister vent line coupled to the fuel vapor canister on the fresh air side;
a canister vent valve disposed within the canister vent line and configured to selectively couple the fuel vapor canister to fresh air;
a canister purge line coupled to the fuel vapor canister on the load/purge side; and
one or more canister purge valves (CPV) disposed within the canister purge line and configured to selectively couple the fuel vapor canister to an intake manifold.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a controller holding executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to:
during engine operation, command the VBV closed; and
during a refueling event, command the VBV open.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more CPVs comprise a first CPV and a second, low restriction CPV having a lower restriction than the first CPV, and wherein the controller has further instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to, during a canister purge event, open the low restriction CPV and maintain the VBV closed.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein when the VBV is open, the second segment of the vapor line has a smaller amount of restriction than the first segment of the vapor line such that fuel vapor may flow from the fuel tank to the load/purge side of the fuel vapor canister via the open VBV.

16. A system for an engine, comprising:
a fuel vapor canister partitioned into a fresh air side and a load/purge side;
a fuel tank; and
a bifurcated vapor line connecting the fuel vapor canister to the fuel tank, a first segment of the vapor line comprising a restricted orifice disposed within the first vapor line segment and connecting to the fuel vapor canister on the fresh air side, a second segment of the vapor line comprising a vacuum blocking valve (VBV) disposed within the second vapor line segment and connecting to the fuel vapor canister on the load/purge side;
a canister vent line coupled to the fuel vapor canister on the fresh air side;
a canister vent valve disposed within the canister vent line and configured to selectively couple the fuel vapor canister to fresh air;
a canister purge line coupled to the fuel vapor canister on the load/purge side;
a first canister purge valve (CPV) and a second CPV each configured to selectively couple the fuel vapor canister to the an intake manifold, the second CPV having a lower restriction than the first CPV; and
a controller holding executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to:
responsive to a request to perform a canister purge with a target flow rate above a threshold, maintain the VBV closed, open the second CPV, and adjust a position of the first CPV to reach the target flow rate, and
responsive to a request to refuel the fuel tank, open the VBV.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the second segment of the vapor line has a cross-sectional area that is larger than a cross-sectional area of the orifice, and wherein when open, the VBV does not restrict the second segment of the vapor line.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first segment of the vapor line does not couple the fuel tank to the load/purge side of the fuel vapor canister, and wherein the second segment of the vapor line does not couple the fuel tank to the fresh air side of the fuel vapor canister.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Pursifull Ross Dykstra

Classifications

• F02D41/042

  for stopping the engine · CPC title

• F02D41/0032 Primary

  Controlling the purging of the canister as a function of the engine operating conditions · CPC title

• B60K15/03504

  adapted to avoid loss of fuel or fuel vapour, e.g. with vapour recovery systems · CPC title

• F02M25/0836

  Arrangement of valves controlling the admission of fuel vapour to an engine, e.g. valve being disposed between fuel tank or absorption canister and intake manifold · CPC title

• F02M25/089

  Layout of the fuel vapour installation · CPC title