Fuel pump with integral vapor trap system and related method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020318590-A1
Application number	US-202016910666-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 24, 2020
Priority date	Oct 6, 2017
Publication date	Oct 8, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An in-tank fuel pump assembly and mounting system is disclosed which may be configured for mounting inside a fuel tank. The assembly includes a pump housing, pump mounted to the housing, and pressure relief valve. The housing may comprise upper and lower pump housing units coupled together. The upper housing unit is configured for mounting to a tank opening, which in one implementation may be the fuel fill opening. The lower housing unit extends into the tank to approximately the bottom of the tank. A fuel fill fluid pathway is created through the housing for adding fuel to the tank while the pump assembly remains in situ. The upper housing unit may include a removable fuel cap. The pump housing may include an integral vapor trap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel vapor trap system comprising:
a fuel tank defining an internal reservoir for storing fuel; a fuel pump comprising a pump housing disposed at least partially inside the reservoir, the pump housing comprising a vapor vent nozzle fluidly coupled to a vapor recovery canister and the reservoir via a vapor passageway extending through a body of the pump housing to the reservoir; the vapor passageway defining a vapor trap configured to allow vaporous fuel to pass through the vent nozzle to the vapor recovery canister, but separate and return liquid fuel entrained in the vaporous fuel to the reservoir.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vapor passageway is configured to return liquid fuel to the reservoir of the fuel tank in a substantially vertical direction, and pass vaporous fuel to the vapor vent nozzle at an angular direction to the vertical direction.

3 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the angular direction is horizontal.

4 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vapor passageway comprises a vertical section fluidly coupled directly to the reservoir and an angular section angularly disposed to the vertical section and fluidly coupled directly to the vent nozzle.

5 . The system according to claim 4 , wherein the angular section is horizontal.

6 . The system according to claim 5 , wherein the vapor vent nozzle is horizontally oriented and located on the pump housing outside of the reservoir of the fuel tank.

7 . The system according to claim 4 , wherein the angular section of the vapor passageway has a smaller diameter than the vertical section.

8 . The system according to claim 4 , wherein the liquid fuel entrained in the vaporous fuel flows back to the reservoir of the fuel tank within the vertical section of the vapor passageway via gravity.

9 . The system according to claim 4 , wherein the vertical section comprises a lower leg of configured to draw vaporous fuel accumulating in a top of the reservoir of the fuel tank above a fuel surface level, and an upper leg configured to draw vaporous fuel accumulating within an internal cavity of the pump housing.

10 . The system according to claim 9 , wherein the upper leg is fluidly coupled to a portion of the internal cavity within an upper section of the pump housing located outside of the fuel tank.

11 . The system according to claim 10 , wherein the upper section of the pump housing is configured to rotationally couple a fuel cap thereto.

12 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the upper leg is fluidly coupled to the internal cavity of the upper section below the fuel cap when coupled thereto which encloses a top opening of the pump housing.

13 . The system according to claim 11 , wherein the fuel cap comprises an internal chamber configured to hold a carbon fuel vapor canister for treatment of vaporous fuel emissions.

14 . The system according to claim 9 , wherein the angular section of the vapor passageway is arranged and fluidly coupled to the vertical section between the lower and upper legs such that vaporous fuel flowing through the lower and upper legs of the vertical section of the vapor passageway converge and are combined at an entrance to the angular section.

15 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the pump housing comprises an upper housing unit and a lower housing unit collectively defining an internal cavity, an upper section of the upper housing unit remaining outside of the fuel tank when the pump housing is mounted thereto.

16 . The system according to claim 15 , wherein the pump housing is mounted inside a fuel fill opening of a fuel tank configured for adding fuel to fuel tank.

17 . The system according to claim 16 , wherein the fuel fill opening and pump housing are collectively configured for at least partial insertion of a fueling nozzle therein associated with the external fuel source to direct fuel dispensed from the fueling nozzle through the internal cavity of the pump housing and into the reservoir of the fuel tank.

18 . A fuel pump with integral vapor trap, the fuel pump comprising:
a pump housing configured for mounting to a wall of a fuel tank through an opening in the wall; the pump housing comprising an internal cavity and a vapor vent nozzle fluidly coupled to a vapor recovery canister and a reservoir of the fuel tank via a vapor passageway extending through a body of the pump housing to the reservoir; the vapor passageway defining a vapor trap configured to allow vaporous fuel to pass through the vent nozzle to the vapor recovery canister, but separate and return liquid fuel entrained in the vaporous fuel to the reservoir.

19 . The fuel pump according to claim 18 , wherein the vapor passageway is further fluidly coupled to the internal cavity of the pump housing and configured to draw and combine vaporous fuel from both the reservoir of the fuel tank and internal cavity of the pump housing.

20 . A method for removing vaporous fuel from a fuel system, the method comprising:
providing a fuel tank including an internal reservoir for storing fuel, and a pump housing mounted to the fuel tank and including an internal cavity fluidly coupled to the reservoir; drawing accumulated vaporous fuel from the reservoir via a vapor passageway formed through a body of the pump housing; and flowing the vaporous fuel from the vapor passageway through a vapor vent nozzle on the pump housing to a vapor recovery canister.

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Bykowski Jonathan T

Classifications

• B60K2015/03236

  characterised by special filters, the mounting thereof · CPC title

• B60K2015/0438

  using screw or bayonet · CPC title

• B60K15/0406

  Filler caps for fuel tanks · CPC title

• B60K2015/03514

  with vapor recovery means · CPC title

• B60K2015/03296

  Pressure regulating valves · CPC title