Filter assembly for separating water from fuel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957932-B2
Application number	US-201514680804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2015
Priority date	Apr 11, 2014
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A filter assembly is configured to prevent water from infiltrating a fuel tank and/or engine. The filter assembly may include a housing having a fuel inlet line and a fuel outlet line. The housing defines an internal chamber in fluid communication with the fuel inlet line and the fuel outlet line. Fuel passes into the internal chamber through the fuel inlet, and filtered fuel passes out of the internal chamber to the fuel tank and/or the engine through the fuel outlet line. A filtering frame may be secured within the internal chamber, and may include a coalescing frame portion that is configured to allow water to coalesce thereon and sink toward a bottom of the internal chamber, and a hydrophobic frame portion that is configured to repel the water from a valve coupled to the fuel outlet line. A flow restrictor is configured to float on the water toward the valve. The flow restrictor sealingly engages the valve to prevent fluid from flowing through the valve when a surface level of the water is proximate to the valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filter assembly configured to prevent water from infiltrating one or both of a fuel tank or engine, the filter assembly comprising:
a housing including a fuel inlet line and a fuel outlet line, wherein the housing defines an internal chamber in fluid communication with the fuel inlet line and the fuel outlet line, wherein the housing is configured to allow fuel to pass into the internal chamber through the fuel inlet, and to allow filtered fuel to pass out of the internal chamber to the fuel tank or the engine through the fuel outlet line;
a filtering frame secured within the internal chamber, wherein the filtering frame includes a coalescing frame portion that is configured to allow water to coalesce thereon and sink toward a bottom of the internal chamber, wherein the coalescing frame portion comprises a first rim defining a first central opening connected to an opposed second rim defining a second central opening through a plurality of spaced-apart extension beams, and a hydrophobic frame portion that is configured to repel the water, wherein the hydrophobic frame portion includes a valve, wherein the valve is coupled to the fuel outlet line, wherein the hydrophobic frame portion further includes a plurality of inwardly-canted beams that inwardly cant and extend from the first rim and connect to the valve, wherein the valve comprises a central hub having a valve passage formed therethrough; and
a flow restrictor that is configured to float on the water toward the valve, wherein the flow restrictor sealingly engages the valve to prevent fluid from flowing through the valve when a surface level of the water is proximate to the valve.

2. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a base connected to a cap, wherein the base includes a support floor, and wherein the cap includes the fuel inlet line and the fuel outlet line.

3. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams are regularly spaced about the coalescing frame portion, wherein a radius between each of the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams and a central longitudinal axis of the filtering frame is constant along an entire height of each of the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams, and wherein each of the inwardly-canted beams extends from an internal surface of the first rim proximate to a root of a respective one of the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams.

4. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inwardly-canted beams are regularly spaced about the hydrophobic frame portion.

5. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic frame portion comprises a conic shape.

6. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow restrictor comprises a ball.

7. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein a specific gravity of the flow restrictor is greater than a specific gravity of the fuel and less than a specific gravity of water.

8. The filter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the valve is integrally formed with the hydrophobic frame of the same material as the hydrophobic frame.

9. An equipment system, comprising:
a fuel delivery line;
an engine disposed at an end of the fuel delivery line; and
a filter assembly disposed within the fuel delivery line upstream from the engine, wherein the filter assembly is configured to prevent water from infiltrating the engine, the filter assembly comprising:
a housing including a fuel inlet line and a fuel outlet line, wherein the housing defines an internal chamber in fluid communication with the fuel inlet line and the fuel outlet line, wherein the housing is configured to allow fuel to pass into the internal chamber through the fuel inlet, and to allow filtered fuel to pass out of the internal chamber to the engine through the fuel outlet line;
a filtering frame secured within the internal chamber, wherein the filtering frame includes a coalescing frame portion that is configured to allow water to coalesce thereon and sink toward a bottom of the internal chamber, wherein the coalescing frame portion comprises a first rim defining a first central opening connected to an opposed second rim defining a second central opening through a plurality of spaced-apart extension beams, and a hydrophobic frame portion that is configured to repel the water, wherein the hydrophobic frame portion includes a valve, wherein the valve is coupled to the fuel outlet line, wherein the hydrophobic frame portion further includes a plurality of inwardly-canted beams that inwardly cant and extend from the first rim and connect to the valve, wherein the valve comprises a central hub having a valve passage formed therethrough; and
a flow restrictor that is configured to float on the water toward the valve, wherein the flow restrictor sealingly engages the valve to prevent fluid from flowing through the valve when a surface level of the water is proximate to the valve.

10. The equipment system of claim 9 , wherein the housing further comprises a base connected to a cap, wherein the base includes a support floor, and wherein the cap includes the fuel inlet line and the fuel outlet line.

11. The equipment system of claim 9 , wherein the hydrophobic frame portion comprises a conic shape.

12. The equipment system of claim 9 , wherein the flow restrictor comprises a ball.

13. The equipment system of claim 12 , wherein a specific gravity of the flow restrictor is greater than a specific gravity of the fuel and less than a specific gravity of water.

14. The equipment system of claim 9 , wherein the valve is integrally formed with the hydrophobic frame of the same material as the hydrophobic frame.

15. The equipment system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams are regularly spaced about the coalescing frame portion, wherein a radius between each of the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams and a central longitudinal axis of the filtering frame is constant along an entire height of each of the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams, and wherein each of the inwardly-canted beams extends from an internal surface of the first rim proximate to a root of a respective one of the plurality of spaced-apart extension beams.

16. A filter assembly configured to prevent water from infiltrating one or both of a fuel tank or engine, the filter assembly comprising:
a housing including a base connected to a cap, wherein the base includes a support floor, and wherein the cap includes a fuel inlet line and a fuel outlet line, wherein the base and the cap define an internal chamber that is in fluid communication with the fuel inlet line and the fuel outlet line, wherein the housing is configured to allow fuel to pass into the internal chamber through the fuel inlet, and to allow filtered fuel to pass out of the internal chamber to the fuel tank or the engine through the fuel outlet line;
a filtering frame secured within the internal chamber, wherein the filtering frame consists of (a) a coalescing frame portion that is configured to allow water to coalesce thereon and sink toward a bottom of the internal chamber, wherein the coalescing frame portion consists of a first rim defining a first central opening connected to an opposed second rim defining a second central opening through a plurality of spaced-apart extension beams, and (b) a hydrophobic frame portion that is configured to repel the water from a valve, wherein the valve is coupled to the fuel outlet line, wherein the hydrophobic frame portion consists of a plurality of inwardly-canted beams that connect to the valve, wherein the valve comprise

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Metz Brendan G
• Powers Gina L
• Leblanc Jonathan P
• Cichelli Christopher J

Classifications

• B01D35/157

  Flow control valves: Damping or calibrated passages · CPC title

• B01D36/003 Primary

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

• B01D35/005 Primary

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

• F02M37/221 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• B01D35/1573

  Flow control valves · CPC title