Fuel Feed Sub-tank Standardization via Selective Jet Pump Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel feed apparatuses face challenges in standardizing the fuel pump and sub-tank due to varying specifications of the jet pump unit, and they struggle to maximize fuel storage capacity within the sub-tank.
Innovation Solution
A fuel feed apparatus design featuring a sub-tank with a bottom wall having a first passageway for a suction jet pump unit, allowing for selective mounting and standardization of the fuel pump and sub-tank regardless of jet pump unit specifications, while optimizing fuel storage by positioning the outlet port to prevent fuel loss and utilizing a check valve to maintain pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the jet pump unit is formed integrally with the sub-tank by using resin, then the structure is simplified and manufacturing is easier, but when the specifications of the jet pump unit are altered, the structure of the sub-tank must be altered, preventing standardization
Solution Approach 1:
The jet pump unit is separated from the sub-tank structure, allowing the jet pump unit to be independently manufactured and installed. This segmentation enables the sub-tank to be standardized while allowing different jet pump unit specifications to be accommodated by simply changing the jet pump unit itself rather than redesigning the entire sub-tank.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-tank is designed with a universal structure that can accommodate different jet pump unit specifications. By creating a standardized sub-tank design with appropriate mounting interfaces and passageways, the same sub-tank can work with various jet pump units, achieving standardization while maintaining adaptability.
2Quantity of substance
If the outlet port of the jet pump unit is positioned near the upper edge of the sub-tank, then more fuel can be stored within the sub-tank, but part of fuel discharged from the outlet port flows outside of the sub-tank, causing fuel loss
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet port of the jet pump unit is oriented to discharge fuel in a direction that utilizes the three-dimensional space within the sub-tank effectively. By directing the fuel discharge toward the bottom or sides of the sub-tank rather than upward, the design maximizes fuel storage capacity while preventing fuel from escaping over the upper edge.
Solution Approach 2:
A guide structure or baffle is introduced as an intermediary element between the outlet port and the sub-tank interior. This intermediary directs the fuel flow from the outlet port into the sub-tank, ensuring that fuel discharged at high velocity is properly channeled and contained, preventing loss while allowing the outlet port to be positioned for optimal storage capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If the outlet port of the throat pipe is positioned higher in the sub-tank, then more fuel can be stored within the sub-tank after the fuel pump stops, but the structure becomes more complex and manufacturing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet port of the throat pipe is merged with the upper wall structure of the sub-tank. By integrating the outlet port into the wall itself rather than adding it as a separate component, the design achieves higher positioning of the outlet port for maximum fuel storage while maintaining manufacturing simplicity. The outlet port becomes an inherent feature of the molded sub-tank structure.
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
This design enables standardization of the fuel pump and sub-tank across different jet pump unit specifications and maximizes fuel storage capacity by preventing fuel loss and maintaining pressure, allowing for efficient fuel transfer and storage.
Implementation Method 1
The jet pump unit includes a jet nozzle to generate suction power within the jet pump unit, a throat pipe communicated with the inside of the sub-tank, and a suction port to connect the throat pipe and the outside of the sub-tank. In this structure, fuel is jetted from the jet nozzle toward the throat pipe so that suction power is generated within the jet pump.
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a check valve to maintain pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A fuel feed apparatus includes a sub-tank that is received in the fuel tank and a fuel pump that is received in the sub-tank and pumps fuel in the sub-tank toward the outside of the fuel tank. The sub-tank has a bottom wall that has a first passageway extending in the axial direction of the sub-tank, to which a suction jet pump unit to suction fuel in the fuel tank into the sub-tank can be selectively mounted.