Cost-effective tunable precleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8951337-B2
Application number	US-201113278363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2011
Priority date	Mar 15, 2011
Publication date	Feb 10, 2015
Grant date	Feb 10, 2015

Abstract

An inertial separation air precleaner system includes a replaceable insert removably mounted to the precleaner and altering air flow velocity through the precleaner by changing flow area of the flowpath through the precleaner housing. The replaceable insert is replaceable with a different insert for the same precleaner housing, which different insert provides a different flow area through the precleaner housing, enabling a selectable precleaner efficiency vs. restriction trade-off as chosen by a user for a particular application, enabling tuning of precleaner performance by the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air precleaner for a filter downstream thereof, comprising a precleaner housing having an inlet receiving incoming dirt laden air, a vane structure imparting centrifugal force on said air to inertially separate dirt particles therefrom to preclean said air, and an outlet discharging precleaned air, said precleaner housing having a flowpath therethrough from said inlet to said outlet, a replaceable insert removably mounted to said precleaner, wherein said vane structure provides a first flow area for said flow path and said replaceable insert provides a second flow area for said flow path to alter air flow velocity through said precleaner housing, said replaceable insert being a separate member from said vane structure and in series with said vane structure, said replaceable insert being replaceable independently of said vane structure, said replaceable insert being replaceable without replacing said vane structure, wherein said replaceable insert is replaceable with a different insert for the same said precleaner housing, said different insert providing a different flow area through said precleaner housing, enabling a selectable precleaner versus restriction trade-off as chosen by a user for a particular application, enabling tuning of precleaner performance by said user for said particular application, wherein the different flow area, the first flow area and the second flow area are different.

2. The air precleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the replaceable insert is removably mounted to a central region of the air precleaner.

3. The air precleaner according to claim 1 , wherein the replaceable insert is removably mounted to a central hub of at least one of the inlet and outlet.

4. The air precleaner according to claim 1 wherein said inlet comprises a circular inlet having a central hub and an outer circumferential sidewall, said vane structure comprises a plurality of vanes extending radially outwardly from said hub to said sidewall, said sidewall being radially spaced outwardly of said hub by an annular gap therebetween, said flowpath flowing through said annular gap in an annulus, said annulus having a radial width between an inner circumference and an outer circumference, said outer circumference circumscribing said inner circumference, said replaceable insert being disposed at said inlet and changing the diameter of at least one of said inner and outer circumferences to change said second flow area by changing said radial width of said annulus.

5. The air precleaner according to claim 4 wherein said replaceable insert is at said hub and increases said diameter of said inner circumference to reduce said radial width of said annulus.

6. The air precleaner according to claim 1 comprising a series of said replaceable inserts each being selectable for removable and replaceable mounting to said precleaner housing and providing differing flow areas of said flowpath through said precleaner housing to provide differing precleaner efficiency versus restriction trade-offs for user selection and concordant tunable precleaner performance.

7. The air precleaner according to claim 6 wherein said replaceable insert is selected from at least one of a cap, a disc, and a ring.

8. The air precleaner according to claim 6 wherein said replaceable insert is upstream of said vane structure.

9. The air precleaner according to claim 8 wherein said replaceable insert is at said inlet.

10. An air precleaner for a filter downstream thereof, comprising a precleaner housing having an inlet receiving incoming dirt laden air, vane structure imparting centrifugal force on said air to inertially separate dirt particles therefrom to preclean said air, an outlet discharging precleaned air, said precleaner housing having a flowpath therethrough from said inlet to said outlet, a replaceable insert removably mounted to said precleaner housing and altering air flow velocity through said precleaner housing by changing flow area of said flowpath through said precleaner housing, said replaceable insert being a separate member from said vane structure and in series with said vane structure, said replaceable insert being replaceable independently of said vane structure, said replaceable insert being replaceable without replacing said vane structure, wherein said replaceable insert is replaceable with a different insert for the same said precleaner housing, said different insert providing a different flow area through said precleaner housing, enabling a selectable precleaner versus restriction trade-off as chosen by a user for a particular application, enabling tuning of precleaner performance by said user for said particular application, wherein said inlet comprises a circular inlet having a central hub and an outer circumferential sidewall, said vane structure comprises a plurality of vanes extending radially outwardly from said hub to said sidewall, said sidewall being radially spaced outwardly of said hub by an annular gap therebetween, said flowpath flowing through said annular gap in an annulus, said annulus having a radial width between an inner circumference and an outer circumference, said outer circumference circumscribing said inner circumference, said replaceable insert being disposed at said inlet and changing the diameter of at least one of said inner and outer circumferences to change said flow area by changing said radial width of said annulus, wherein said replaceable insert is at said hub and increases said diameter of said inner circumference to reduce said radial width of said annulus, and a series of said replaceable inserts of increasing diameter providing selectively differing reductions: of said radial width of said annulus, each of said replaceable inserts being selectable for removable and replaceable mounting to said precleaner housing at said inlet at said hub and providing differing flow areas of said flowpath through said precleaner housing to provide differing precleaner efficiency versus restriction trade-offs for user selection and concordant tunable precleaner performance.

11. An air precleaner for a filter downstream thereof, comprising a precleaner housing having an inlet receiving incoming dirt laden air, vane structure imparting centrifugal force on said air to inertially separate dirt particles therefrom to preclean said air, an outlet discharging precleaned air, said precleaner housing having a flowpath therethrough from said inlet to said outlet, a replaceable insert removably mounted to said precleaner housing and altering air flow velocity through said precleaner housing by changing flow area of said flowpath through said precleaner housing, said replaceable insert being a separate member from said vane structure and in series with said vane structure, said replaceable insert being replaceable independently of said vane structure, said replaceable insert being replaceable without replacing said vane structure, wherein said replaceable insert is replaceable with a different insert for the same said precleaner housing, said different insert providing a different flow area through said precleaner housing, enabling a selectable precleaner versus restriction trade-off as chosen by a user for a particular application, enabling tuning of precleaner performance by said user for said particular application, and a series of said replaceable inserts each being selectable for removable and replaceable mounting to said precleaner housing and providing differing flow areas of said flowpath through said precleaner housing to provide differing precleaner efficiency versus restriction trade-offs for user selection and concordant tunable precleaner performance, wherein said replaceable insert is downstream of s

Assignees

• Tofsland Kenneth M
• Fallon Stephen L
• Cummins Filtration Ip Inc

Inventors

• Tofsland Kenneth M
• Fallon Stephen L

Classifications

• B01D50/20 Primary

  Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00 · CPC title

• B01D45/16 Primary

  generated by the winding course of the gas stream {, the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes} · CPC title