Fluid conditioning module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957940-B2
Application number	US-201514589154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A fluid conditioning system includes a first filter mount having a first filter inlet port and a first filter outlet port, a first motor, a first pump operatively coupled to the first motor, a second filter mount having a second filter inlet port, a second pump, and a controller operatively coupled to the first motor. The controller is configured to operate the first pump at a flowrate that is higher than a flowrate of the second pump. An outlet of the first pump is fluidly coupled to the first filter inlet port via a first filter inlet conduit, and an inlet of the first pump is fluidly coupled the first filter outlet port via a first filter outlet conduit. An inlet of the second pump is fluidly coupled to the first filter outlet port via the first filter outlet conduit.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fluid conditioning system, comprising:
a first filter mount having a first filter inlet port and a first filter outlet port;
a second filter mount having a second filter inlet port;
a first motor;
a first pump operatively coupled to the first motor via a first shaft,
an outlet of the first pump being fluidly coupled to the first filter inlet port via a first filter inlet conduit that extends from the outlet of the first pump to the first filter inlet port and that does not include the second filter inlet port, such that the first filter inlet port receives a discharge pressure from the outlet of the first pump,
an inlet of the first pump being fluidly coupled to the first filter outlet port via a first filter outlet conduit;

a second pump,
an inlet of the second pump being fluidly coupled to the first filter outlet port via the first filter outlet conduit,
an outlet of the second pump being fluidly coupled to the second filter inlet port via a second filter inlet conduit that extends from the outlet of the second pump to the second filter inlet port and that does not include the first filter inlet port, the second filter inlet port being disposed downstream of the outlet of the second pump along a flow direction extending from the inlet of the second pump toward the outlet of the second pump; and
a block defining the first filter mount and the second filter mount, the first pump being fastened to the block, the first filter inlet conduit being defined by the block,
wherein the first filter outlet conduit is defined by the block,
wherein the second pump is fastened to the block, and the second filter inlet conduit is defined by the block,
wherein the first pump and the second pump are fastened to a first side of the block, and
wherein the first filter inlet port and the second filter inlet port are defined by apertures through a second side of the block, the second side of the block being opposite the first side of the block.

2. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the second pump is mechanically coupled to the first motor.

3. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising a second motor mechanically coupled to the second pump.

4. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet of the first pump is fluidly coupled to a fluid reservoir via a flow path that does not include the second pump,
the inlet of the second pump is fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir via a flow path that does not include the first pump, and
the first filter inlet conduit does not include the fluid reservoir.

5. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure regulating valve, an outlet port of the second filter mount being fluidly coupled to the first filter inlet conduit via the pressure regulating valve along a flow path that includes the second filter mount, the pressure regulating valve, and the first filter inlet conduit disposed fluidly in series with one another,
wherein the pressure regulating valve is disposed downstream of the second filter mount along the flow direction extending from the inlet of the second pump toward the outlet of the second pump, and
wherein the first filter inlet conduit is disposed downstream of the pressure regulating valve along the flow direction extending from the inlet of the second pump toward the outlet of the second pump.

6. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the first motor, the controller being configured to operate the first pump at a flowrate that is higher than a flowrate of the second pump.

7. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein an outlet port of the second filter mount is fluidly coupled to an inlet of a common rail fuel pump via a common rail supply conduit, the outlet port of the second filter mount being disposed fluidly in series with the common rail fuel pump, the outlet port of the second filter mount being disposed upstream of the common rail fuel pump along a flow direction that extends from an inlet of the common rail fuel pump toward an outlet of the common rail fuel pump.

8. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the first motor is operatively coupled to the second pump via a second shaft.

9. The fluid conditioning system of claim 8 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the first shaft is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the second shaft.

10. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising a second motor operatively coupled to the second pump via a second shaft.

11. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein a first direction extends from the first pump toward the second pump, and the first filter inlet port is located beside the second filter inlet port along the first direction.

12. The fluid conditioning system of claim 11 , wherein the first motor is disposed between the first pump and the second pump along the first direction.

13. The fluid conditioning system of claim 12 , further comprising a second motor operatively coupled to the second pump via a second shaft, the second motor being disposed between the first motor and the second pump along the first direction.

14. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first filter removably coupled to the block by the first filter mount; and
a second filter removably coupled to the block by the second filter mount,
wherein the first filter mount is configured to removably fasten the first filter to the block such that the first filter inlet port of the block is in fluid communication with an inlet of the first filter, and such that the first filter outlet port of the block is in fluid communication with an outlet of the first filter,
wherein the second filter mount further has a second filter outlet port, and
wherein the second filter mount is configured to removably fasten the second filter to the block such that the second filter inlet port of the block is in fluid communication with an inlet of the second filter, and such that the second filter outlet port of the block is in fluid communication with an outlet of the second filter.

15. The fluid conditioning system of claim 6 , further comprising a pressure sensor in fluid communication with an outlet port of the second filter mount via a second filter outlet conduit, the pressure sensor being operatively coupled to the controller,
the controller being further configured to adjust the flowrate of the second pump based at least partly on a signal from the pressure sensor.

16. The fluid conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein the outlet of the first pump is directly coupled to the first filter inlet port via the first filter inlet conduit.

17. The fluid conditioning system of claim 16 , wherein the outlet of the second pump is directly coupled to the second filter inlet port via the second filter inlet conduit.

18. A method for conditioning a fluid through a fluid conditioning system, the fluid conditioning system including
a first filter mount having a first filter inlet port and a first filter outlet port,
a second filter mount having a second filter inlet port,
a first motor,
a first pump operatively coupled to the first motor via a first shaft, an outlet of the first pump being fluidly coupled to the first filter inlet port via a first filter inlet conduit that extends from the outlet of the first pump to the first filter inlet port and that does not include the second filter inlet port, such that the first filter inlet port receives a discharge pressure from the ou

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Shafer Scott F
• Hackett David E
• Tian Steven Y
• Lehman Martin

Classifications

• F02M37/0052

  Details on the fuel return circuit; Arrangement of pressure regulators · CPC title

• B01D35/26

  Filters with built-in pumps {filters provided with a pump mounted in or on the casing (aquarium pumps or filters A01K63/04)} · CPC title

• F02M63/0265 Primary

  Pumps feeding common rails · CPC title

• F02M37/007

  characterised by its use in vehicles, in stationary plants or in small engines, e.g. hand held tools · CPC title

• F02M37/22

  Arrangements for purifying liquid fuel specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines, e.g. arrangements in the feeding system · CPC title