Fuel Filter Vertical Mounting and Inverted Outlet for Vapor Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicles with large displacement engines, the space constraints in the engine room make it difficult to accommodate a large fuel filter, leading to potential clogging due to wax precipitation in diesel engines at low temperatures and vapor particle accumulation, which can reduce fuel flow rate and impair acceleration performance.
Innovation Solution
A fuel supply device configuration where the fuel tank is connected to the fuel filter via a first fuel supply pipe and the fuel filter is connected to the fuel pump via a second fuel supply pipe, with the first connecting portion on the front and the second connecting portion on the rear of the fuel filter, allowing fuel to bypass vapor particles and maintain efficient fuel flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large sized fuel filter is mounted to increase treatment ability for large displacement engines, then the fuel filtering capacity is improved, but it becomes difficult to ensure installation space in the engine room
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the installation dimension from horizontal (in engine room) to vertical (outside engine room on vehicle body frame). The fuel filter is arranged with its longitudinal axis extending in the vertical direction, utilizing the vertical space outside the engine room to accommodate large displacement engine requirements without compromising engine room space.
2Reliability
If an electric heater is mounted on the fuel filter to remove wax precipitation at low temperatures, then the wax removal capability is improved, but vapor particles are generated due to heating of low boiling point components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful vapor particles from the fuel supply path by positioning the fuel outlet at the bottom of the filter element. This allows vapor particles generated by heater operation to be separated from the main fuel flow, preventing them from being drawn into the fuel pump while maintaining the heater's wax removal function.
3Productivity
If vapor particles are collected on the front side of the fuel filter during acceleration, then the fuel flow rate decreases, but this causes deterioration of acceleration performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional connection arrangement by forming the fuel outlet at the bottom of the filter element rather than at the top or side. This inversion ensures that the fuel pump draws fuel from the bottom where vapor particles do not accumulate, maintaining consistent fuel flow rate and acceleration performance.
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 configuration prevents the suction of vapor particles into the fuel pump, ensuring a consistent fuel flow rate and maintaining acceleration performance while allowing for a compact fuel filter installation in space-constrained areas.
Implementation Method 1
a fuel filter which traps and removes foreign substances such as dust from fuel
Implementation Method 2
an electric heater which can increase a temperature of the whole filter is mounted on a fuel filter so as to remove the wax adhering to a filter element by melting
Implementation Method 3
remove the wax adhering to a filter element by melting
Implementation Method 4
a low boiling point component such as alcohol contained in fuel boils at a reduced pressure at a high temperature or under a low atmospheric pressure environment and hence, such a low boiling point component becomes a main factor which generates vapor (vapor bubbles)
Data Source
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AI summary
A fuel supply device of an engine includes: a fuel tank (31); a fuel filter (32) which is disposed in front of the fuel tank in a front-rear direction of a vehicle (V); a fuel pump (33) which is disposed in front of the fuel filter in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; a first fuel supply pipe (34) which connects the fuel tank and the fuel filter to each other; and a second fuel supply pipe (35) which connects the fuel filter and the fuel pump to each other. A first connecting portion (32b) to which the first fuel supply pipe is connected is formed on a front portion of the fuel filter, and a second connecting portion (32c) to which the second fuel supply pipe is connected is formed on a rear portion of the fuel filter.