Fuel supply apparatus

A fuel supply apparatus to supply fuel from a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine, comprising;

• a pump to discharge the fuel in the fuel tank;
• a return passage branched from a fuel passage, which is connected to the pump, to return a part of the fuel discharged from the pump into the fuel tank;
• and
• a valve device to control a flow rate in the return passage, wherein the valve device has:
• a housing;
• an inner passage provided in the housing and to communicate with both the fuel passage and an inside of the fuel tank;
• and
• a valve body provided in the inner passage and to change a minimum flow passage cross-sectional area of the inner passage,
• the inner passage includes:
• a first flow passage to communicate the fuel passage with the inside of the fuel tank regardless of a fuel temperature of the fuel discharged with the pump;
• and
• a second flow passage to be blocked with the valve body, when the fuel temperature is lower than a predetermined vapor generation temperature, and not to be blocked with the valve body when the fuel temperature is equal to or higher than the vapor generation temperature,
• the first flow passage includes a first outflow,
• the second flow passage includes a second outflow,
• the valve body is formed with a bimetal plate including two types of metal having mutually different thermal expansion coefficients and laminated in a flow direction of the fuel in the inner passage,
• the valve body is at a position to enable to block the second outflow, and
• the second outflow is to be blocked with the valve body when the fuel temperature is lower than the vapor generation temperature and is not to be blocked with the valve body when the fuel temperature is equal to or higher than the vapor generation temperature.