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US 9,316,187 B2Granted
Diesel fuel system with advanced priming
AssigneeCarter Fuel Systems, LLC
InventorsJohn Lee Saler, Kyle Dean Achor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to an aerating device for a fuel system, and in particular, to an aerating device for a fuel system supplying fuel to an engine from a fuel tank. The invention includes, for example, a solenoid valve accessing a flow path to the fuel tank, and a control unit opening a closing the solenoid valve, such that opening of the solenoid valve permits fuel and air to flow back through the flow path to the fuel tank and naturally separate.
Claims8
An apparatus comprising:
- a priming pump;
- a first fuel line configured to channel fuel from a fuel tank to the priming pump;
- a high pressure pump configured to pump fuel to an engine;
- a second fuel line configured to channel the fuel from the priming pump to the high pressure pump;
- a fuel filter in the second fuel line;
- a fuel sensor that is included in the fuel filter and is configured to sense presence of fuel in the second fuel line;
- a controller configured to:
- activate the priming pump in response to the fuel sensor not sensing fuel in the second fuel line, to cause an increased pressure in the second fuel line, and
- deactivate the priming pump in response to the fuel sensor sensing fuel in the second fuel line, to cause a decreased pressure in the second fuel line;
- and
- a valve connected to the second fuel line, the valve being configured to:
- open in response to the increased pressure caused by the activating of the priming pump, to release air from the second fuel line to outside the apparatus to avoid the air, released by the valve, from entering the high pressure pump, the engine and the fuel tank, and
- close in response to the decreased pressure caused by the deactivating of the priming pump.
10 more elements
A method performed by a fuel line apparatus, the method comprising:
- channeling fuel through a first fuel line, from a fuel tank to a priming pump;
- channeling the fuel through a second fuel line, from the priming pump to a high pressure pump;
- activating the priming pump in response to a fuel sensor in the second fuel line not sensing presence of fuel in the second fuel line, to cause an increased pressure in the second fuel line;
- deactivating the priming pump in response to the fuel sensor sensing presence of fuel in the second fuel line, to cause a decreased pressure in the second fuel line;
- in response to the increased pressure caused by the activating of the priming pump, a valve, connected to the second fuel line, opening to release air from the second fuel line to outside the apparatus to avoid the air, released by the valve, from entering the high pressure pump, the engine and the fuel tank;
- in response to the decreased pressure caused by the deactivating of the priming pump, the valve closing.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.