Fuel vapor management system
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsJeffrey Joseph Brautigan, Alex Larry Hummer, Jeong Yeol Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel vapor management system for an automotive vehicle includes a vapor tower in fluid communication with a vapor purge outlet of a fuel pump. A fluid treatment section, such as a screen, is disposed between the fuel pump vapor purge outlet and the vapor tower. The fluid treatment section reduces the size and momentum of purged vapor bubbles such that the purged vapor bubbles in the vapor tower may rise in the vapor tower and separate from liquid fuel thereby, allowing liquid fuel to flow out of the vapor tower and allowing fuel vapor to escape from the vapor tower away from the inlet of the fuel pump inlet.
Claims20
A fuel vapor management system for an automotive vehicle having a fuel tank and an internal combustion engine, with said fuel vapor management system comprising:
- a fuel pump for pumping fuel from the fuel tank to the engine, with said fuel pump having a fuel pump inlet and a fuel pump vapor purge outlet for purging fuel vapor bubbles from said fuel pump;
- a vapor tower in fluid communication with said fuel pump vapor purge outlet;
- and,
- a fluid treatment element disposed between said fuel pump vapor purge outlet and said vapor tower, with said fluid treatment section reducing the size and momentum of purged vapor bubbles such that the purged vapor bubbles in said vapor tower may separate from liquid fuel, thereby allowing liquid fuel to flow out of said vapor tower and allowing fuel vapor to escape from said vapor tower away from said fuel pump inlet.
A fuel vapor management system for an automotive vehicle having a fuel tank and an internal combustion engine, with said fuel vapor management system comprising:
- a reservoir mounted inside and in fluid communication with the fuel tank;
- a fuel pump for pumping fuel from said reservoir to said engine, with said fuel pump having a fuel pump inlet and a fuel pump vapor purge outlet for purging fuel vapor bubbles from said fuel pump;
- a vapor tower disposed within said reservoir and in fluid communication with said fuel pump vapor purge outlet, with said vapor tower comprising:
- a vapor tower inlet at a bottom end of said vapor tower in communication with said fuel pump vapor purge outlet;
- a deflector positioned in said vapor tower so as to deflect purged vapor bubbles entering said vapor tower upward therein;
- a vapor tower vapor outlet at a top end of said vapor tower;
- and,
- a liquid fuel outlet at said bottom end of said vapor tower;
- and,
- a screen disposed between said fuel pump vapor purge outlet and said vapor tower inlet, with said screen reducing the size and momentum of purged vapor bubbles such that purged vapor bubbles in said vapor tower may rise therein and separate from liquid fuel, with the liquid fuel thereafter flowing into said reservoir through said liquid fuel outlet and with fuel vapor thereafter escaping from said vapor tower through said vapor outlet away from said fuel pump inlet.
A fuel delivery reservoir for an automotive vehicle having a fuel pump for pumping fuel from a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine, with said reservoir comprising:
- a vapor tower attached to said reservoir for collecting purged fuel vapor from the fuel pump, with said vapor tower comprising a fluid treatment element at an inlet thereof for reducing the size and momentum of purged vapor bubbles such that purged vapor bubbles in said vapor tower may separate from liquid fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.