Method of filtering fuel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926898-B2
Application number	US-201514685713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Sep 20, 2011
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A filter element is provided with a snorkel that facilitates bleeding of air along the outside periphery of a tubular filter media pack to a bleed chamber contained within the filter element. This may be employed in fuel filtration applications during installation and removal of filter elements whereby air can be temporarily trapped in a housing containing the filter element. The snorkel thus vents the air along the outside of the filter element and then into a bleed chamber where it can be communicated to a standpipe having an isolated bleed passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of filtering fuel while venting air through a filter element installed in a housing, comprising:
filtering fuel through filter media of the filter element;
venting air trapped in the housing through a snorkel integrally part of the filter element;
extending the snorkel along an outside periphery of the filter media;
sealing a bleed chamber around a standpipe that extends into the filter element to receive filtered fuel, the bleed chamber being formed in the filter element;
communicating the vented air into the sealed bleed chamber in sealed isolated relation to the filtered fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: providing a bottom end cap at a bottom end of the filter media, the bottom end cap having a bottom and a raised floor spaced from the bottom, and extending the sealed bleed chamber into a space between the raised floor and the bottom.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: constraining the snorkel to an inside periphery of top and bottom end caps at opposed ends of the filter media.

4. A method of filtering fuel while venting air through a filter element installed in a housing, comprising:
filtering fuel through filter media of the filter element;
venting air trapped in the housing through a snorkel integrally part of the filter element;
extending the snorkel along an outside periphery of the filter media,
wherein the filter element comprises a top end cap; a bottom end cap below the top end cap and defining a central opening receiving a standpipe therethrough; and the filter media comprising a tubular ring of filter media extending between the top and bottom end caps, the tubular ring of filter media defining a central open volume receiving the standpipe; and
wherein the tubular ring of filter media is a pleated filter media comprising vertically extending pleats, and wherein the snorkel extends vertically between adjacent pleats of the vertically extending pleats.

5. A method of filtering fuel, comprising:
installing a filter element on a standpipe within a filter housing, the standpipe including a first passage for clean fuel and a second passage for at least one of air and unfiltered fuel, the filter element comprising a top end cap; a bottom end cap below the top end cap and defining a central opening receiving the standpipe therethrough; a tubular ring of filter media extending between the top and bottom end caps, the tubular ring of filter media defining a central open volume receiving the standpipe;
filtering fuel through the filter element to generate a clean fuel flow through the first passage;
venting air contained in the filter housing through the second passage through a bleed conduit in the filter element that extends at least partially outside of the central open volume.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the tubular ring of filter media is a pleated filter media comprising vertically extending pleats, and wherein a snorkel extends vertically between adjacent pleats of the vertically extending pleats and has an entrance opening that is closer to the top end cap than the bottom end cap.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the top end cap is imperforate without any openings to the central volume.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising sealing along the standpipe at vertically spaced locations above and below a bleed port and connecting the bleed conduit to a chamber disposed between the vertically spaced locations.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising venting around a bottom end of the tubular ring of filter media.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the tubular ring of filter media defines an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and wherein the venting extends through a region between the inner diameter and the outer diameter.

11. A method of filtering fuel, comprising:
installing a filter element on a standpipe within a filter housing, the standpipe including a first passage for clean fuel and a second passage for at least one of air and unfiltered fuel, the filter element comprising a top end cap; a bottom end cap below the top end cap and defining a central opening receiving the standpipe therethrough; a tubular ring of filter media extending between the top and bottom end caps, the tubular ring of filter media defining a central open volume receiving the standpipe, the tubular ring of filter media defines an inner diameter and an outer diameter;
filtering fuel through the filter element to generate a clean fuel flow through the first passage;
venting air contained in the filter housing at least partially through a region extending radially between the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the tubular ring of filter media.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the venting is through a conduit provided by the filter element, such that during removal of the filter element, the conduit is removed therewith.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said venting comprises venting around a bottom end of the tubular ring of filter media.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising supporting an inner periphery of the tubular ring of filter media with a support core during said filtering, and wherein the conduit is routed in spaced relation to the support core.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the top end cap is imperforate without any openings to the central open volume.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tubular ring of filter media is a pleated filter media comprising vertically extending pleats, and wherein a snorkel extends vertically between adjacent pleats of the vertically extending pleats and has an entrance opening that is closer to the top end cap than the bottom end cap.

Assignees

• Allen Randy R
• Marshall James N
• Baldwin Filters Inc

Inventors

• Allen Randy R
• Marshall James N

Classifications

• B01D2201/305

  Snap, latch or clip connecting means · CPC title

• B01D29/21

  with corrugated, folded or wound sheets · CPC title

• B01D2201/0415

  Details of supporting structures · 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