Systems and methods for closed crankcase ventilation and air filtration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650927-B2
Application number	US-201514610303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Aug 16, 2012
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A system for providing air to an internal combustion engine is described. The system includes a crankcase ventilation unit that separates oil from the unrefined blowby gas and discharges refined blowby gas. A conduit delivers the refined blowby gas to an air cleaner housing. The air cleaner housing includes a first chamber that receives intake air through a first port, a second chamber that receives intake air from the first chamber and refined blowby gas from the conduit through a second port, and a third chamber that receives a mixture of intake air and refined blowby gas from the second chamber and discharges the mixture through a third port. A primary filter element filters the intake air as it passes from the first chamber to the second chamber. A secondary filter element filters the mixture as it passes from the second chamber to the third chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing combustion air to an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:
a crankcase ventilation unit that receives unrefined blowby gas from a crankcase of the internal combustion engine, that separates oil from the unrefined blowby gas with an air-oil separator, and that discharges refined blowby gas;
an air cleaner housing having a flowpath therethrough from upstream to downstream; and
a conduit that connects the crankcase ventilation unit to the air cleaner housing so as to deliver the refined blowby gas to the air cleaner housing, thereby forming a closed crankcase ventilation system;
wherein the air cleaner housing comprises:
a first chamber that receives intake air through a first port;
a second chamber downstream of the first chamber that receives intake air from the first chamber and that receives refined blowby gas from the conduit through a second port;
a third chamber downstream of the second chamber that receives a mixture of intake air and refined blowby as from the second chamber and that discharges the mixture through a third port;
a primary filter element that filters the intake air as it passes from the first chamber to the second chamber; and
a secondary filter element that filters the mixture as it passes from the second chamber to the third chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a forced induction device downstream of the air cleaner housing that pressurizes the mixture before it reaches the internal combustion engine.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the secondary filter element prevents debris from reaching the forced induction device.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the secondary filter element prevents ice fumed from mixing relatively colder intake air with relatively hotter refined blowby gas from reaching the forced induction device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary filter element further separates oil from the refined blowby gas.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the secondary filter element comprises a coalescing filter.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the secondary filter element comprises a rotating coalescing filter.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary filter element comprises foam.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary filter element comprises an oleophobic medium.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the air cleaner housing further comprises a mass air flow sensor located downstream of the first port and upstream of the second port.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the mass air flow sensor is located downstream of the primary filter element.

Assignees

• Cummins Filtration Ip Inc

Inventors

• Subedi Yashpal
• Schwandt Brian W
• Schwartz Scott W

Classifications

• F01M13/04 Primary

  having means for purifying air before leaving crankcase, e.g. removing oil · CPC title

• F02M25/06 Primary

  adding lubricant vapours · CPC title

• F01M13/022

  using engine inlet suction · CPC title

• Y10S55/19

  Crankcase ventilation · CPC title

• F01M2013/0438

  with a filter · CPC title