Reductant Fill System with Automatic Purge Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing reductant fill systems require frequent refilling and often necessitate operators to climb onto vehicles to refill reductant tanks, posing safety risks and efficiency issues due to stranded reductant in supply lines that can freeze and block, leading to machine downtime.
Innovation Solution
A reductant fill system comprising a reductant tank, a receiver, a first valve, a reductant supply line, a level sensor, and a controller that allows for ground-level refilling and automatic purging of stranded reductant in the supply line, ensuring safe and efficient operation by controlling the flow and venting processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If reductant is supplied through a supply line to the reductant tank, then the reductant tank can be refilled, but stranded reductant in the supply line may freeze and block the line
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a purge operation before the reductant supply line can become blocked. When the level sensor detects that the reductant tank is full, the controller activates the pump to draw reductant through the supply line and vent it, clearing any stranded reductant before freezing can occur. This preliminary action prevents the harmful effect rather than addressing it after occurrence.
Solution Approach 2:
The level sensor provides continuous feedback on the reductant level in the tank to the controller. When the tank reaches full capacity, the controller uses this feedback signal to initiate the purge operation, automatically detecting when intervention is needed to prevent blockage and maintaining optimal system operation.
2Ease of operation
If operators manually refill reductant tanks, then the tank can be refilled, but operators must climb onto vehicles posing safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service refilling where the vehicle's own pump and control systems perform the refilling operation automatically. The pump draws reductant from the supply line and delivers it to the tank without operator intervention, while the level sensor and controller manage the process automatically, eliminating the need for operators to climb onto vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump acts as an intermediary between the reductant supply source and the tank. Instead of operators directly handling the refilling process, the pump mediates the transfer of reductant, enabling ground-level operation and eliminating safety risks associated with manual refilling from elevated positions.
3Reliability
If the reductant supply line remains connected during purging, then stranded reductant can be removed, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump serves multiple functions: it normally supplies reductant to the tank during refilling operations, and it also performs the purge function to clear stranded reductant from the supply line. By making the pump multi-functional, the system avoids adding separate dedicated purge equipment, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while maintaining reliable supply line clearance.
Data Source
AI summary
A reductant fill system is provided. A reductant tank is configured to store a reductant. A receiver is configured to receive a supply of the reductant from an off-board reservoir. A first valve is in communication with the reductant tank and is configured to control a reductant flow into the reductant tank. A reductant supply line is in fluid communication with the receiver. The reductant supply line is configured to provide the reductant flow to the first valve. The reductant level sensor is configured to generate a signal based on a level of reductant in the reductant tank. A controller is communicably coupled to the reductant level sensor. The controller is configured to purge a stranded reductant in the reductant supply line, based on the signal generated by the reductant level sensor.