System and methods for managing fuel tank temperature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482191-B2
Application number	US-201414290725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2014
Priority date	May 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A system for an engine, comprising: a fuel tank; a thermal regulator comprising a phase-change material, the thermal regulator coupled to the fuel tank; and an engine coolant passage positioned to transfer thermal energy between engine coolant and the phase-change material. In this way, the temperature of the fuel tank may be managed passively by the phase-change material, and actively by engine coolant, thereby allowing heat energy to be shunted away from the fuel tank, cooling the fuel within the fuel tank, and reducing fuel vapor concentration, thus enabling a fuel vapor canister with a reduced size.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for an engine, comprising:
a fuel tank;
a thermal regulator comprising a phase-change material, the thermal regulator coupled to the fuel tank; and
an engine coolant passage positioned to transfer thermal energy between an engine coolant and the phase-change material.

2. The system of claim 1 , where the thermal regulator further comprises the engine coolant passage, which further comprises:
an engine coolant inlet;
an engine coolant outlet; and
a plurality of channels routed within the thermal regulator coupling the engine coolant inlet and the engine coolant outlet.

3. The system of claim 2 , where the engine coolant inlet is coupled to an engine coolant line downstream of a radiator.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a coolant valve coupled to the engine coolant inlet, the coolant valve configured to selectively allow flow of engine coolant into the engine coolant inlet.

5. The system of claim 1 , where the thermal regulator is coupled within the fuel tank, such that the thermal regulator directly contacts fuel disposed within the fuel tank.

6. The system of claim 1 , where the thermal regulator is coupled externally to the fuel tank.

7. The system of claim 6 , where the thermal regulator comprises a fuel tank jacket.

8. The system of claim 7 , where the fuel tank jacket is coupled to the fuel tank via a plurality of fuel tank straps.

9. A method for a vehicle, comprising:
during a first condition, circulating an engine coolant through a thermal regulator comprising a phase-change material, the thermal regulator coupled to a fuel tank.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first condition comprises:
an engine-on condition; and
an ambient temperature above a first threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
during a second condition, circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator comprising a phase-change material, the thermal regulator coupled to a fuel tank, wherein the second condition comprises:
an engine on condition; and
an ambient temperature above a second threshold, the second threshold lower than the first threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , where the second condition further comprises:
an engine run time above a threshold; and
an engine load above a first engine load threshold.

13. The method of claim 11 , where the second condition further comprises:
an engine run time below a threshold; and
an engine load above a second engine load threshold.

14. The method of claim 9 , where circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator further comprises: circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator disposed within the fuel tank.

15. A method for a vehicle, comprising:
during a first condition, circulating an engine coolant through a thermal regulator comprising a phase-change material, the thermal regulator coupled to a fuel tank; and then
opening a fuel tank isolation valve.

16. The method of claim 15 , where the first condition comprises a refueling request.

17. The method of claim 16 , where the first condition further comprises:
an ambient temperature above a first threshold;
a bulk fuel temperature above a second threshold; and
a fuel vapor canister load above a third threshold.

18. The method of claim 15 , where circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator comprises:
circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator for a duration, the duration based on a quantity of thermal energy that, when transferred to engine coolant from the phase-change material, allows a bulk fuel temperature to decrease below a threshold.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
allowing access to a refueling port responsive to a fuel tank pressure decreasing below a threshold.

20. The method of claim 15 , where circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator further comprises: circulating engine coolant through a thermal regulator coupled externally to the fuel tank.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Yang Dennis Seung-Man
• Dudar Aed M
• Pearce Russell Randall
• Siddiqui Shahid Ahmed

Classifications

• Y02T10/126

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02M25/0809

  Judging failure of purge control system · CPC title

• F02M25/0854 Primary

  Details of the absorption canister · CPC title

• F02M2025/0881

  with means to heat or cool the canister · CPC title

• F02M31/20

  for cooling ({F02M31/005 takes precedence; use of cold F02M17/52;} cooling of charging-air or of scavenging-air F02B29/04) · CPC title