Rectangular Mesh Fabric for Diesel Water Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional diesel fuel filters face challenges in efficiently separating water from diesel emulsions due to the stabilization of emulsions by biodiesel additives and the reduction of water drop sizes by high-performance engines, leading to increased pressure drops and reduced fuel flow rates when using smaller mesh sizes, which compromise separation efficiency and engine performance.
Innovation Solution
A high-performance fabric with a rectangular mesh design, featuring a longer and shorter side ratio between 0.38 and 1, allowing for a larger free surface area while maintaining high separation efficiency, is used to filter diesel fuel, preventing water drops from passing through while allowing diesel to flow freely, thus optimizing separation efficiency and minimizing pressure drops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mesh size of the fabric is reduced to improve water drop blocking capability, then separation efficiency is improved, but pressure drop increases and fuel flow rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by transitioning from a square mesh structure to a rectangular mesh structure where the length-to-width ratio is between 1.5 and 3.0. This asymmetric configuration allows the fabric to maintain small mesh dimensions (providing high separation efficiency) while preserving adequate free surface area (maintaining fuel flow rate). The rectangular geometry optimizes the arrangement of mesh elements to reduce pressure drop while effectively blocking water drops.
2Reliability
If the mesh size is reduced to block smaller water drops, then separation efficiency is improved, but the free surface area decreases causing obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The rectangular mesh structure with length-to-width ratio between 1.5 and 3.0 creates an asymmetric pattern that optimizes free surface area distribution. This allows smaller mesh sizes to be used for blocking fine water drops while the elongated rectangular configuration maintains sufficient open space for fuel flow, preventing the free surface area from becoming excessively small.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the mesh structure by introducing a specific length-to-width ratio (1.5-3.0) for the rectangular mesh. This parameter optimization allows the fabric to achieve both small effective mesh size for drop blocking and adequate free surface area for maintaining flow, resolving the contradiction between separation efficiency and available flow area.
3Reliability
If the number of threads is increased to reduce mesh size, then separation efficiency is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rectangular mesh configuration provides an asymmetric arrangement that achieves high thread density and small effective mesh size without requiring an excessive increase in the total number of threads. The elongated rectangular pattern allows for more efficient packing and distribution of threads, improving separation efficiency while keeping the fabric structure manageable and manufacturable.
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
The rectangular mesh fabric achieves higher separation efficiency with lower residual water content and maintains diesel flow rates, reducing pressure drops and energy requirements, thereby enhancing engine efficiency compared to traditional square mesh filters.
Implementation Method 1
the fabric subject of this invention, which represents the third filtering stage... the use of a precision filtering medium is preferred with pore (mesh) size uniform in space and time in order to be reasonably certain that all the drops with larger size than the characteristic size of the mesh openings (all identical to one another) will be blocked
Implementation Method 2
The second filtering medium is also composed of similar materials appropriately surface-treated or produced using specific materials in such a way as to obtain a coalescence effect of the water droplets dispersed in the diesel
Implementation Method 3
After the coalescence stage, the larger drops, due to the weight difference, will precipitate onto the bottom of the filter where they are then drained off
Data Source
AI summary
A fabric for use in filters separating water from a water/diesel emulsion, and a method of using such a fabric, where the fabric has a rectangular mesh, the sides of which are formed by respective threads. In comparison with prior art fabrics for water/diesel filters, the fabric of the invention offers the advantage of having a higher separation efficiency, thus allowing separation of diesel with a lower residual water content downstream of the filter.