Portable pre-filtering fuel filler device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9427684-B2
Application number	US-201414448837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2014
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A portable pre-filtering fuel filler device is described herein. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device includes a fuel inlet opening, an interior fuel conduit in fluidic communication with the fuel inlet opening, and a water chamber positioned vertically below the interior fuel conduit. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device further includes a fuel filter in fluidic communication with the water chamber and positioned vertically above the water chamber and a fuel outlet opening in fluidic communication with the fuel filter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable pre-filtering fuel filler device comprising:
a fuel inlet opening;
an interior fuel conduit in fluidic communication with the fuel inlet opening;
a water chamber positioned vertically below the interior fuel conduit;
a fuel filter in fluidic communication with the water chamber and positioned vertically above the water chamber;
a fuel outlet opening in fluidic communication with the fuel filter;
an upper wall physically coupled to a portion of the interior fuel conduit below the fuel filter, where the upper wall extends radially outward and downwardly from the interior fuel conduit toward the water chamber defining a fuel vapor flow path, and where the upper wall is located between the fuel filter and the water chamber with a bottom surface of the upper wall facing the water chamber and a coaleser and a top surface of the upper wall facing the fuel filter; and
a gap located between side surfaces of the upper wall and a housing of the fuel filler device, where the side surfaces force fuel vapor to turn around before flowing to the fuel filter.

2. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , where the fuel filter circumferentially surrounds the interior fuel conduit.

3. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , wherein the coaleser is positioned directly downstream of an end of the interior fuel conduit and configured to separate water from a fuel mixture exiting the interior fuel conduit.

4. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 3 , where the coaleser is positioned adjacent to an upper wall of the water chamber.

5. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 3 , where a width of the coaleser is greater than a width of the interior fuel conduit and less than a width of the upper wall.

6. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , where the fuel outlet opening is positioned vertically below the fuel inlet opening and vertically above the water chamber.

7. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , where the fuel filter is positioned upstream of the interior fuel conduit and where the interior fuel conduit is in direct fluidic communication with the fuel outlet opening.

8. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , further comprising a drain valve coupled to the water chamber.

9. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , where the fuel outlet opening is included in a filler nozzle.

10. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 9 , where the filler nozzle tapers in a downstream direction.

11. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 9 , where the filler nozzle includes an intake opening in direct fluidic communication with the fuel filter.

12. A system comprising:
a portable pre-filtering fuel filler device including:
a fuel inlet opening;
an interior fuel conduit positioned downstream of the fuel inlet opening;
a coaleser positioned directly downstream of an end of the interior fuel conduit adjacent to a bottom surface of an upper wall;
a water chamber positioned vertically below the interior fuel conduit;
a fuel filter positioned downstream of the interior fuel conduit and vertically above the water chamber;
the upper wall is physically coupled to a portion of the interior fuel conduit extending below the fuel filter, where the upper wall defines a flow path of the interior fuel conduit to the coaleser by being spaced away from the fuel filter and extending radially outward before extending downward to the water chamber, and where the upper wall is located between the fuel filter and water chamber, where the bottom surface of the upper wall faces the water chamber and the coaleser and a top surface of the upper wall faces the fuel filter, the upper wall further comprising side surfaces radially spaced away from a housing of the portable device; and
a fuel outlet opening positioned downstream of the fuel filter; and

a vehicle having a vehicle fuel tank filling inlet shaped to receive a portion of the portable device.

13. The system of claim 12 , where the fuel outlet opening is positioned vertically below the fuel inlet opening and vertically above the water chamber.

14. The system of claim 12 , where a width of the coaleser is greater than a width of the interior fuel conduit, and where the width of the coaleser is less than a width of the upper wall.

15. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a drain valve coupled to the water chamber.

16. The system of claim 15 , where the drain valve is adjacent to a lower wall of the water chamber.

17. The system of claim 12 , where the coaleser is configured to separate water from a fuel mixture exiting the interior fuel conduit.

18. A portable pre-filtering fuel filler device comprising:
a fuel inlet opening;
an interior fuel conduit positioned directly downstream of the fuel inlet opening;
a coaleser positioned directly downstream of an end of the interior fuel conduit and configured to separate water from a fuel mixture exiting the interior fuel conduit;
a water chamber positioned vertically below the interior fuel conduit;
a fuel filter positioned downstream of the interior fuel conduit and vertically above the water chamber;
an upper wall spaced away from the fuel filter, the upper wall physically coupled to and extending radially outward from a portion of the interior fuel conduit vertically below the fuel filter, and where the upper wall extends downward toward the water chamber at a portion of the upper wall nearest to a housing of the portable device, the upper wall further comprising a bottom surface facing the water chamber and the coaleser, a top surface facing the fuel filter and the interior fuel conduit, and a side surface facing the housing, and where the housing is radially spaced away from the upper wall such that fuel vapor turns around before flowing to the fuel filter from the interior fuel conduit; and
a filler nozzle including a fuel outlet opening and positioned downstream of the fuel filter, vertically above the water chamber, and vertically below the fuel inlet opening.

19. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 18 , where the fuel filter circumferentially surrounds the interior fuel conduit.

20. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 18 , further comprising a drain valve coupled to the water chamber and a handle coupled to a housing enclosing the fuel filter.

21. The portable pre-filtering fuel filler device of claim 1 , wherein the inner wall is annular and U-shaped, and is radially spaced away from the housing of the fuel filler device.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Welch Jeremy

Classifications

• B01D17/08

  Thickening liquid suspensions by filtration · CPC title

• B01D17/045

  with coalescers · CPC title

• B60K15/04

  Tank inlets (B60K15/077 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2015/0458

  Details of the tank inlet · CPC title

• B01D17/02

  Separation of non-miscible liquids · CPC title