Fuel filter of an internal combustion engine, and filter element of a fuel filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9718005-B2
Application number	US-201414299611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 9, 2011
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is a fuel filter ( 10 ) for fuel, in particular diesel fuel, of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, and to a filter element of such a fuel filter. A housing ( 12 ) has at least one fuel inlet ( 26 ) for the fuel to be cleaned, at least one fuel outlet ( 18 ) for cleaned fuel, and at least one water outlet ( 30 ) for water which has been separated from the fuel. The filter element ( 36 ) is arranged in the housing ( 12 ), said filter element sealingly separating the fuel inlet ( 26 ) from the fuel outlet ( 18 ). The filter element ( 36 ) has a filter medium ( 38 ) which is designed as a hollow body and which can be permeated from the inside to the outside or from the outside to the inside in order to filter the fuel. The filter element ( 36 ) has a coalescing medium ( 58 ) designed as a hollow body for separating water contained in the fuel. The coalescing medium ( 58 ) is arranged downstream of the filter medium ( 38 ) in the flow path ( 78 ) of the fuel, around said filter medium, or in the interior ( 45 ) delimited by the filter medium. The coalescing medium ( 58 ) includes at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing system consisting of a coalescing material ( 60 ) which is suitable for coalescing water and which has at least 20 wt. % of regenerated fibers, preferably at least 50 wt. %.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel filter for fuel of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
a housing including:
at least one fuel inlet for the fuel to be cleaned;
at least one fuel outlet for cleaned fuel; and
at least one water outlet for water which has been separated from the fuel;

a filter element arranged within an interior of the housing, the filter element sealingly separating the fuel inlet from the fuel outlet, the filter element including:
a filter medium formed in a hollow body, the filter medium permeated from the inside to the outside or from the outside to the inside in order to filter the fuel;
a coalescing medium formed as a hollow body for separating water contained in the fuel;
wherein the coalescing medium is arranged downstream of the filter medium in a flow path of the fuel;
wherein the coalescing medium is arranged circumscribing around said filter medium or in an interior delimited by the filter medium;
wherein the coalescing medium comprises:
a pre-coalescing layer formed by a nonwoven layer of spunbond or meltblown synthetic fibers, the pre-coalescing layer arranged on and abutting against the filter medium at a clean side of the filter medium;
at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer consisting of a coalescing material which is suitable for coalescing water and which has at least 20 wt. % regenerated fibers, wherein the regenerated fibers consist of hydrophilic Lyocell fibers or hydrophilic viscose fibers;
wherein the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer has a larger pore diameter than the pre-coalescing layer;
wherein the pre-coalescing layer is arranged directly on an upstream regenerated-fiber coalescing layer of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer;

wherein the coalescing medium does not contain glass fibers.

2. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the coalescing material of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer consists of a non-woven material.

3. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one coalescing layer consists of substantially 100% percent by weight Lyocell fibers.

4. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the regenerated fibers of the coalescing material of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer are viscose fibers; and
wherein the coalescing material comprises a percent by weight of less than 95% viscose fibers.

5. The fuel filter according to claim 4 , wherein
the coalescing material comprises at least one of: a hydrophobic polyester polymer or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

6. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the coalescing material of the regenerated-fiber coalescing layer consists substantially of viscose fibers having a percent by weight of approx. 80% and a hydrophobic polymer having a percent by weight of approx. 20%.

7. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the pre-coalescing layer synthetic fibers are polyester.

8. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one coalescing layer is a plurality of abutting layered coalescing layers having a percent by weight of at least 80% by weight regenerated fibers.

9. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the coalescing material of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer has a weight per unit area of between 75 g/m2 and 180 g/m2; or
the synthetic fibers of the pre-coalescing layer has a weight per unit area of between 80 to 120 g/m2.

10. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the coalescing material of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer has an average pore diameter of approx. 60 to 150 μm; or
wherein the pre-coalescing layer has an average pore diameter of approx. 1 to 30 μm.

11. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the coalescing medium is circumferentially wrapped around and onto the filter medium.

12. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the coalescing material of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer or the pre-coalescing layer comprises an expandability or elasticity in the circumferential direction of the coalescing medium, which is less than the expandability or elasticity thereof in the axial direction of the coalescing medium.

13. The fuel filter according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one coalescing layer consists of viscose fibers having a percent by weight of approx. 80% and a hydrophobic polymer having a percent by weight of approx. 20%.

14. A filter element of a fuel filter for fuel of an internal combustion engine which can be arranged in a housing of the fuel filter in such a way that it sealingly separates a fuel inlet of the housing from a fuel outlet, and which comprises:
a filter medium formed in a hollow body, the filter medium permeated from the inside to the outside or from the outside to the inside in order to filter the fuel;
a coalescing medium formed as a hollow body for separating water contained in the fuel;
wherein the coalescing medium is arranged downstream of the filter medium in a flow path of the fuel;
wherein the coalescing medium comprises:
a pre-coalescing layer formed by a nonwoven layer of spunbond or meltblown synthetic fibers, the pre-coalescing layer arranged on and abutting against the filter medium at a clean side of the filter medium;
at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer consisting of a coalescing material which is suitable for coalescing water and which has at least 20 wt. % regenerated fibers, wherein the regenerated fibers consist of hydrophilic Lyocell fibers or hydrophilic viscose fibers;
wherein the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer has a larger pore diameter than the pre-coalescing layer;
wherein the pre-coalescing layer is arranged directly on an upstream regenerated-fiber coalescing layer of the at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing layer;

wherein the coalescing medium does not contain glass fibers.

15. The filter element according to claim 14 , wherein
the at least one coalescing layer consisting of a coalescing material has at least 50 wt. % regenerated fibers.

16. The filter element according to claim 14 , wherein
the at least one coalescing layer consists of substantially 100% by weight Lyocell fibers.

17. The filter element according to claim 14 , wherein
the at least one coalescing layer consists of viscose fibers having a percent by weight of approx. 80% and a hydrophobic polymer having a percent by weight of approx. 20%.

Assignees

• Mann & Hummel Gmbh

Inventors

• Klein Martin
• Veit Martin

Classifications

• B01D36/003

  Filters in combination with devices for the removal of liquids (B01D35/185 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D17/045

  with coalescers · CPC title

• B01D2201/291

  End caps · CPC title

• B01D35/005

  Filters specially adapted for use in internal-combustion engine lubrication or fuel systems · CPC title

• F02M37/221

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic