Fuel filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9416758-B2
Application number	US-201213725103-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2012
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments may provide a fuel filter that may include a plurality of return fuel conduits axially traversing a filter medium. Each conduit may include an inlet in fluidic communication with the fuel recirculation passage. Each conduit may have a return fuel line exit port adjacent to a distal end of the filter medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel filter comprising:
a plurality of return fuel conduits axially traversing a filter medium, each conduit including an inlet in fluidic communication with a fuel recirculation passage and each having a fuel recirculation passage exit port adjacent to a distal end of the filter medium;
a container for housing the filter medium; and
a fuel line conduit axially traversing the filter medium, including an inlet in fluidic communication with a fuel line inlet and a fuel line exit port in fluidic communication with the plurality of fuel recirculation passage exit ports to at least partially mix respective flows from the plurality of return fuel conduits and the fuel line conduit within the container adjacent the distal end of the filter medium.

2. The fuel filter of claim 1 , wherein the fuel recirculation passage includes an inlet coupling and an outlet coupling, a temperature sensitive valve operatively disposed between the inlet coupling and the outlet coupling and configured to direct at least part of a flow from the fuel recirculation passage to the plurality of return fuel conduits when a temperature of the flow is within a preselected range.

3. The fuel filter of claim 2 , further comprising a manifold formed within the container to receive the flow via the temperature sensitive valve when the temperature of the flow is within the preselected range, the plurality of return fuel conduits being fluidically coupled with the manifold.

4. The fuel filter of claim 1 , further comprising:
an insert configured to fit within the container, and to at least partially support the filter medium in an annular configuration;
the fuel line conduit centrally located within and axially traversing the insert; and
the insert forming an annular channel outlet radially outside the fuel line conduit and radially inside the filter medium.

5. The fuel filter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of return fuel conduits is six conduits.

6. A fuel filter comprising:
a container;
a filter medium in the container; and
conduits extending from inlet couplings located adjacent to a first end of the container to outlets located adjacent to a second end of the container to direct two flows of differing temperatures from the first end to the second end to at least partially thermally mix the two flows near the second end before passing a mixed flow through the filter medium.

7. The fuel filter of claim 6 , wherein one of the two flows is a first flow from a fuel tank and another of the two flows is a second flow from a recirculation passage made relatively warmer than the first flow by heat from one or more engine components.

8. The fuel filter of claim 6 , further comprising an annular manifold located within the first end of the container and configured to receive a relatively warmer of the two flows, and further comprising a plurality of conduits in fluidic communication with the annular manifold, a plurality of outlets located on respective ends of each the respective plurality of conduits to mix the relatively warmer flow with the other of the two flows.

9. The fuel filter of claim 8 , further comprising a temperature sensitive valve configured to regulate flow into the manifold from a recirculation passage.

10. The fuel filter of claim 6 , wherein the container is substantially cylindrical and has a central axis, and further comprising:
a substantially cylindrical insert located within the container, the insert including:
a substantially cylindrical body configured to at least partially support the filter medium in an annular shape;

one of the conduits being a first inlet conduit coupled to a relatively cooler flow, the first inlet conduit being a tube coaxial with the central axis; and
another of the conduits being a plurality of conduits coupled to a relatively warmer flow, the plurality of conduits disposed in an annular chamber radially outside the first inlet conduit.

11. The fuel filter of claim 10 , further comprising an annular shaped manifold formed in a top portion of the insert, the manifold including an annular floor and a circumferential wall intersecting a periphery of the floor, a plurality of semicircular slots formed into the circumferential wall, and a respective plurality of cooperatively disposed holes in the floor providing fluidic access to each respective plurality of conduits.

12. The fuel filter of claim 10 , further comprising an outlet formed as an annular outlet flow channel concentric with and radially outside of the first inlet conduit, the filter medium being an annular filter medium concentric with and radially outside of the annular outlet flow channel.

13. A system for an internal combustion engine comprising:
a first fuel transport line for transporting fuel from a fuel tank;
a second fuel transport line for transporting fuel returned from one or more engine components; and
a fuel filter including:
a container having a first end and a second end;
a filter medium inside the container;
a mixing volume within and near the second end of the container located upstream from the filter medium;
a first conduit coupled to the first fuel transport line near the first end of the container and having a first outlet port open to the mixing volume; and
a second conduit coupled to the second fuel transport line near the first end of the container and having a second outlet port open to the mixing volume.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a temperature sensitive valve configured to control a flow of fuel from the second fuel transport line to the second conduit.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second conduit is six individual conduits each fluidically coupled with a manifold located within and adjacent to the first end of the container, wherein the six individual conduits are substantially equally spaced along a circumferential line concentric with a central axis of the container.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a temperature sensitive valve configured to control a flow of fuel from the second fuel transport line into the manifold.

17. The system of claim 13 , further comprising an outlet conduit configured to receive a filtrate from a downstream side of the filter medium formed as an annular flow channel radially inside the filter medium, and radially outside the first conduit.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first end of the container is a top of the container and the second end of the container is a bottom of the container.

19. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a mounting configuration for attaching the container to an inside location of an engine compartment of a vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Myers Eric
• Budgen Paul Victor

Classifications

• F02M37/0035

  Thermo sensitive valves · CPC title

• F02M33/08

  returning to the fuel tank · CPC title

• F02M37/221

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F02M37/22 Primary

  Arrangements for purifying liquid fuel specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines, e.g. arrangements in the feeding system · CPC title

• F02M37/24

  characterised by water separating means · CPC title