Fuel filter insert having a pre- and a main filter element, and a fuel filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016265496-A1
Application number	US-201615066151-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Mar 13, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel filter insert for a fuel filter including: a pre-filter element having a upper and lower end plate, the end plates arranged on opposing ends of filter medium of the pre-filter element; a main filter element having upper and lower end plates, the end plates arranged on opposing ends of filter medium of the main filter element; wherein the pre-filter element and the main filter element as arranged one above the other in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the fuel filter insert; wherein at least one of the filter elements is through-flowable from the outside to the inside by fuel in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis; and a flow channel for the fuel pre-filtered by the pre-filter element; wherein the flow channel is arranged to extend in the axial direction between the pre-filter element and the main filter element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel filter insert for a fuel filter comprising:
a pre-filter element having and upper and lower end plates, the end plates arranged on opposing ends of filter medium of the pre-filter element; and a main filter element having upper and lower end plates, the end plates arranged on opposing ends of filter medium of the main filter element; wherein the pre-filter element and the main filter element as arranged one above the other in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the fuel filter insert; wherein at least one of the filter elements is through-flowable from the outside to the inside by fuel in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis; and a flow channel for the fuel pre-filtered by the pre-filter element; wherein the flow channel is arranged to extend in the axial direction between the pre-filter element and the main filter element; wherein the flow channel in the axial direction is directly limited by and the end plates of the pre-filter element and an end plate of the main filter element.

2 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 1 , wherein
an end plate of the pre-filter element and of the main filter element limiting the flow channel are connected to each other and are integrally formed, for jointly removing the main and pre-filter element as a unitary component.

3 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one spacer element is arranged are situated between and connecting one of the end plates of the pre-filter element to one of the end plates of the main filter element; wherein the at least one spacer element each are molded with and formed in one piece with the connected end plates of the pre-filter and the main filter elements.

4 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 1 , wherein
the main filter element comprises
a water separation unit operable to separate water from fuel.

5 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 4 , wherein
the water separation unit comprises
a water separation gap which is, at one end, fluidically connected or connectable to a water discharge channel;
wherein the water discharge channel extends in the axial direction at least in sections through the pre-filter element.

6 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 5 , wherein
the water discharge channel is limited on the radially outer side, relative to the longitudinal axis, by a wall element which is attached to and molded in one piece with one of the two end plates of the main filter element, limiting the flow channel.

7 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 6 , wherein
the wall element forms together with a lower end plate of the pre-filter element a receiving gap for receiving a water discharge nozzle of a filter housing.

8 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 4 , wherein
the water separation unit comprises
a coalescing medium which is fluidically connected downstream of the filter medium of the main filter element.

9 . The fuel filter insert according to claim 1 , wherein
the filter medium of the pre-filter element and/or the main filter element is braced and on a radial inside on a support pipe.

10 . A fuel filter comprising
a filter housing; and a fuel filter insert arranged in an interior of the filter housing, the fuel filter insert including:
a pre-filter element having and upper and a lower end plate, the end plates arranged on opposing ends of filter medium of the pre-filter element ; and
a main filter element having and upper and a lower end plate, the end plates arranged on opposing ends of filter medium of the main filter element;
wherein the pre-filter element and the main filter element as arranged one above the other in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the fuel filter insert;
wherein at least one of the filter elements is through-flowable from the outside to the inside by fuel in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis; and
a flow channel for the fuel pre-filtered by the pre-filter element;
wherein the flow channel is arranged to extend in the axial direction between the pre-filter element and the main filter element; and
wherein the flow channel in the axial direction is directly limited by and the end plates of the pre-filter element and an end plate of the main filter element;
wherein the fuel filter insert having the two end plates of the pre-filter element limiting the flow channel sealingly abuts against an inner side of the the filter housing; wherein a lateral fuel outlet is formed at the filter housing, via which the flow channel is fluidically connectable to a fuel pump to pump the fuel pre-filtered by the pre-filter element via a fuel inlet formed on the side of the filter housing, to the main filter element.

11 . The fuel filter according to claim 10 , wherein
the filter housing comprises a ventilation pipe which at least partially extends through an interior of the fuel filter insert.

12 . The fuel filter according to claim 11 , wherein
the ventilation pipe radially limits a water discharge channel of a water separation unit of the fuel filter insert on the inside.

13 . The fuel filter according to claim 12 , wherein
the ventilation pipe at one end is connected to a fuel return line of the filter housing to return the fuel to a fuel tank.

14 . The fuel filter according to claim 10 , wherein
the main filter element includes a water separation unit operable to separate water from fuel; wherein the water separation unit includes
a water separation gap which is, at one end, fluidically connected or connectable to a water discharge channel;
wherein the water discharge channel extends in the axial direction at least in sections through the pre-filter element;
wherein the water discharge channel is limited on the radially outer side, relative to the longitudinal axis, by a wall element which is attached to and molded in one piece with one of the two end plates of the main filter element, limiting the flow channel; wherein the wall element forms together with a lower end plate of the pre-filter element a receiving gap for receiving a water discharge nozzle of a filter housing; wherein the filter housing has a water discharge nozzle sealingly extending into the receiving gap between the wall element and the lower end plate of the pre-filter element.

15 . The fuel filter according to one claim 10 wherein
the filter housing includes
a fuel discharge channel arranged below the fuel filter insert;
wherein, when the fuel filter insert is in the operating position in the filter housing, a respective raw side of the pre-filter element and of the main filter element is sealed vis-a-vis the fuel discharge channel by the fuel filter insert sealing abutting against at the filter housing; and
wherein the raw side of the main filter element is fluidically connectable to the fuel discharge channel via the raw side of the pre-filter element by moving the fuel filter insert in the axial direction out of its operating position.

Assignees

• Mann & Hummel Gmbh

Inventors

• Baumann Christoph
• Razgani Idriss
• Eble Jonas
• Spelter Lars
• Mueller Christopher

Classifications

• B01D17/045 Primary

  with coalescers · CPC title

• B01D35/005

  Filters specially adapted for use in internal-combustion engine lubrication or fuel systems · CPC title

• B01D35/30

  Filter housing constructions · CPC title

• B01D29/56

  in series connection · CPC title

• F02M37/221 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic