Fuel Can Water-Separating Member Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel containers fail to effectively separate and trap water from liquid fuels, leading to water contamination and potential leakage during transportation and dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A fuel can with a non-planar, internal water-separating member that divides the container into a fuel chamber above and a water chamber below, utilizing the immiscibility of water and liquid fuels to separate and trap water beneath the divider, ensuring only fuel is dispensed when tilted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fuel containers are used, then the container structure is simple, but water cannot be separated from the liquid fuel leading to water contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel container is segmented into two distinct chambers by the water-separating member: a fuel chamber for storing liquid fuel and a water chamber for collecting separated water. This segmentation allows water and fuel to be physically separated based on their immiscibility and density differences, with water settling in the lower chamber and fuel remaining in the upper chamber, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining simple structure and achieving effective water separation.
Solution Approach 2:
A water-separating member acts as an intermediary structure between the fuel and water phases. This non-planar divider with its specific geometry (including inclined surfaces and drainage features) facilitates the separation process by providing a interface where water can coalesce and drain into the water chamber while preventing water from mixing with the fuel in the fuel chamber.
2Reliability
If water separates from the liquid fuel, then water can be trapped in the water chamber, but the container requires tilting to pour which complicates the dispensing process
Solution Approach 1:
The water-separating member incorporates dynamic elements including an inclined surface that rotates or tilts with the container during dispensing. This inclined surface acts as a movable barrier that dynamically blocks the water chamber opening during normal storage, but automatically opens to allow water drainage when the container is tilted for fuel dispensing, thus maintaining fuel purity while simplifying the dispensing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The water-separating member is pre-configured with drainage pathways and blocking features that are activated automatically upon tilting. The inclined surface is preliminarily positioned to block water flow during storage, and when the container is tilted for dispensing, the geometry naturally shifts to open the drainage path, allowing water to drain before fuel flows out, ensuring pure fuel dispensing without complex manual intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively separates and traps water within the container, preventing water from being poured with the fuel and allowing for easy water removal after fuel consumption, enhancing the integrity and usability of the fuel container.
Implementation Method 1
Water may separate from the liquid fuel because the liquid fuel and the water are immiscible
Implementation Method 2
The liquid fuel and the water may separate into a fuel layer on top and a water layer under the fuel layer
Data Source
AI summary
The fuel can with water-separating member comprises a fuel can and a water-separating member. The fuel can may be a container for a liquid fuel. The water-separating member may be a non-planar, internal divider that creates a fuel chamber above the water-separating member and a water chamber below the water-separating member. Water may separate from the liquid fuel because the liquid fuel and the water are immiscible. The liquid fuel and the water may separate into a fuel layer on top and a water layer under the fuel layer. The water layer may lie entirely within the water chamber beneath the water-separating member such that the water is trapped behind the water-separating member when the fuel can is tilted to pour the liquid fuel.