Water separation group

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11352991-B2
Application number	US-201816647444-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2018
Priority date	Sep 15, 2017
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A water separation group is for a fuel filtration and separation assembly of a vehicle fuel circulation system. The assembly includes an assembly casing extending along a longitudinal axis positionable in the vehicle in a horizontal position and accommodating a filtration group for filtering dirty fuel. The water separation group is positionable in the assembly casing in fluidic connection with the filtration group and extends along a main axis parallel to and/or coincident with the longitudinal axis. The water separation group includes a separator and a blocking device below the separator to prevent return of separated water to the separator. The blocking device includes a blocking surface extending longitudinally forming an angle with the direction of the main axis that inclines at least a portion of the blocking surface to allow water separated from the fuel to flow towards the wall from which the blocking surface extends.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A water separation group for a fuel filtration and separation assembly of a fuel circulation system of a vehicle, wherein the assembly comprises:
i) an assembly casing which extends along a longitudinal axis positionable in the vehicle in a horizontal position, fluidically connected with the fuel circulation system, comprising an inlet wall comprising at least one inlet mouth and an outlet wall comprising at least one outlet mouth;
ii) a filtration group for filtering dirty fuel from suspended solid particles and impurities, housed in said assembly casing in fluidic connection with the inlet mouth;
wherein the water separation group is positionable inside the assembly casing in fluidic connection with the filtration group and with the outlet mouth and extends along a main axis so that in a configuration wherein the separation group is mounted in the assembly casing, the main axis and the longitudinal axis are parallel and/or coincident;
wherein the water separation group defines a water separation chamber within the assembly casing proximate the filtration group and horizontally aligned with the filtration group, comprising:
a separator housed in the separation chamber fluidically connectable with the outlet mouth extending in longitudinal direction starting from said outlet wall and comprising a hollow supporting structure, with a clean side fluidically connected with the outlet mouth, said supporting structure comprising at least one passage opening through which the fuel flows, wherein the separator comprises a separation surface with a hydrophobic filter arranged transversely to the passage opening;
a blocking device positioned below the separator dividing the separation chamber into an upper region wherein the separator is housed, and a lower region, wherein the water separated from the fuel is collected, the upper region and the lower region being longitudinally aligned with the filtration group, wherein the blocking device is adapted to prevent return of water in the upper region comprising a blocking surface extending in a longitudinal direction forming an oblique angle with the direction of the main axis which inclines at least a portion of said blocking surface to allow the water separated from the fuel to flow towards said outlet wall.

2. Water separation group according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking device comprises at least one drainage channel extending in a longitudinal direction forming an opposite angle with respect to the angle formed by the blocking surface, so that the water separated by the separator flows from the upper region to the lower region in a double slide direction.

3. Water separation group according to claim 2 , wherein the blocking device comprises two drainage channels arranged at side edges of the blocking surface.

4. Water separation group according to claim 3 , wherein the blocking device comprises at least one passage opening adapted to put the upper region and the lower region in fluidic communication, wherein said passage opening is formed at the side edges of the blocking surface.

5. Water separation group according to claim 1 , wherein the separator has a development in a longitudinal direction with respect to the vertical direction, and the supporting structure comprises a plurality of passage openings on which a plurality of separation surfaces are present, wherein the separation surfaces are arranged with respect to the direction of the main axis inclined to converge moving away from the outlet wall.

6. Water separation group according to claim 5 , wherein the separator comprises an upper separation surface and a lower separation surface, the lower separation surface facing towards the blocking surface.

7. Water separation group according to claim 5 , wherein the blocking surface is inclined, forming an angle with the direction of the main axis equal to the inclined angle according to which the separation surfaces extend, so that the blocking surface is parallel to the lower separation surface.

8. Water separation group according to claim 1 , wherein the separator has a development in a longitudinal direction with respect to the vertical direction, and the supporting structure comprises a passage opening on which a separation surface is present, wherein the separation surface is arranged orthogonally to the direction of the main axis.

9. Water separation group according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting structure is covered with a hydrophobic mesh, identifying at each passage opening a respective separation surface.

10. Water separation group according to claim 1 , further comprising a main body which extends along the main axis and delimits therein the separation chamber comprising a bottom wall fluidically connected with the outlet wall and the at least one outlet mouth, wherein the main body supports the separator and the blocking device operatively connected with said bottom wall.

11. Water separation group according to claim 10 , wherein the main body has, axially opposite the bottom wall, an opening through which the filtered fuel flows.

12. Fuel filtration and separation assembly of a fuel circulation system of a vehicle, comprising:
i) an assembly casing which extends along a longitudinal axis positionable in the vehicle in a horizontal position, fluidically connected, the fuel circulation system comprising an inlet wall comprising at least one inlet mouth and an outlet wall comprising at least one outlet mouth;
ii) a filtration group for filtering the dirty fuel from suspended solid particles and impurities, housed in said assembly casing in fluidic connection with the inlet mouth;
iii) a water separation group, for separating the water from the filtered fuel, housed in said assembly casing in fluidic connection with the outlet mouth, according to claim 1 .

13. Fuel filtration and separation assembly, according to claim 12 , wherein the filtration group comprises at least one tubular filtration insert which extends longitudinally, defining a filtration chamber.

14. Fuel filtration and separation assembly, according to claim 12 , wherein the filtration group and the separation group are mutually separated by a partition wall comprised in the filtration group, or in the separation group, or in the casing, having perpendicular extension with respect to the longitudinal axis dividing the filtration chamber from the separation chamber.

15. Fuel filtration and separation assembly, according to claim 12 , wherein the assembly casing has an elongated shape between the inlet wall and the outlet wall, constant, having side walls parallel to the longitudinal axis.

16. Fuel filtration and separation assembly according to claim 12 , further comprising a fuel heating group associable with the fuel filtration group with a longitudinal mutual engagement, at the opposite end thereof with respect to which the water separation group is arranged.

17. Method of assembling a fuel filtration and separation assembly according to claim 12 , comprising the steps of:
having an assembly housing which extends along the longitudinal axis comprising side walls and an outlet wall having an outlet mouth;
inserting the separation group in the assembly housing so as to fluidically connect the separation group with the outlet mouth;
inserting the filtration group longitudinally in the assembly housing with the separation group and the filtration group longitudinally aligned;
the assembly casing closing the assembly housing with the inlet wall to fluidically connect the filtration group with the inlet mouth.

Assignees

• Ufi Filters Spa

Inventors

• Girondi Giorgio

Classifications

• B01D29/52

  in parallel connection · CPC title

• B01D29/21

  with corrugated, folded or wound sheets · CPC title

• B01D36/005

  Liquid level sensing means, e.g. for water in gasoil-filters · CPC title

• B01D29/56

  in series connection · CPC title

• B01D2201/29

  Filter cartridge constructions · CPC title