Fuel pressure regulartor with jet pump
In at least some implementations, a jet pump includes a main body having a first inlet, an inlet passage communicated with the inlet, a second inlet, an intake passage communicated with the second inlet, an outlet, and an outlet passage communicated with the outlet and with the intake passage, a jet carried by the main body and having a jet inlet communicated with the inlet passage so that fluid flowing in the inlet passage flows through the jet inlet, and a jet outlet having a flow area less than the jet inlet and less than the inlet passage. The main body is formed in one piece and the jet is a separate piece of material that is inserted into the inlet passage after the main body has been formed.
1 . A fuel pressure regulator, comprising:
a housing having:
a first body defining: an inlet, a portion of a pressure regulating chamber in communication with the inlet, a jet pump inlet in communication with the pressure regulating chamber, a nozzle in fluid communication with the jet pump inlet, a discharge chamber in fluid communication with the nozzle, an intake passage in fluid communication with the discharge chamber for ingress of fuel from the fuel tank, and an outlet in fluid communication with the discharge chamber; and,
a second body coupled to the first body defining a dry chamber and a second portion of the regulating chamber;
a diaphragm carried by the housing and defining part of the pressure regulating chamber, the diaphragm having a first position closing the valve seat and a second position in which fuel flows through the valve seat, a spring in the dry chamber for biasing the diaphragm into the first position; and
a secondary fuel pump carried by the housing, the secondary fuel pump having a nozzle and an intake passage communicated with an area downstream of the nozzle and with the outlet, wherein the nozzle is aligned with the outlet and fuel that flows through the valve seat then flows through the nozzle prior to exiting the housing through the outlet, and wherein fuel flow through the nozzle creates a drop in pressure to draw fuel into the housing through the intake passage.
2 . The fuel regulator of claim 1 wherein the nozzle is formed in a same piece of material as the first body.
3 . The fuel regulator of claim 1 wherein the intake passage is formed in a same piece of material as the first body.
4 . The fuel regulator of claim 1 wherein the nozzle, valve seat, inlet and outlet are provided in the first body.
5 . The fuel regulator of claim 1 which also includes a regulating valve having an inlet communicated with the valve seat and with the nozzle, the regulating valve including a valve element that opens when the pressure of fuel downstream of the valve seat and upstream of the nozzle is greater than a threshold pressure.
6 . The fuel regulator of claim 1 wherein the inlet and the outlet are defined in passages that extend from a same side of first body.
7 . A fuel pressure regulator, comprising:
a housing that is distinct from a fuel tank, having a first body with a valve seat, the housing having a second body coupled to the first body, the housing having an inlet, a pressure regulating chamber in communication with the inlet, and the housing has an outlet;
a diaphragm carried by the housing and defining part of the pressure regulating chamber, the diaphragm having a first position closing the valve seat and a second position in which fuel flows through the valve seat; and
a secondary fuel pump carried by the housing, the secondary fuel pump having nozzle and an intake passage communicated with an area downstream of the nozzle and with the outlet, wherein the nozzle is aligned with the outlet and fuel that flows through the valve seat then flows through the nozzle prior to exiting the housing through the outlet, wherein fuel flow through the nozzle creates a drop in pressure to draw fuel into the housing through the intake passage.
8 . The fuel regulator of claim 7 wherein the nozzle is formed in the same piece of material as the first body.
9 . The fuel regulator of claim 7 wherein the intake passage is formed in the same piece of material as the first body.
10 . The fuel regulator of claim 7 wherein the nozzle, valve seat, inlet and outlet are provided in the first body.
11 . The fuel regulator of claim 7 which also includes a regulating valve having an inlet communicated with the valve seat and with the nozzle, the regulating valve including a valve element that opens when the pressure of fuel downstream of the valve seat and upstream of the nozzle is greater than a threshold pressure.
12 . The fuel regulator of claim 7 wherein the inlet and the outlet are defined in passages that extend from the same side of first body.
13 . A pressure regulator for pumping fuel in a fuel tank, the pressure regulator comprising:
a first body defining: an inlet; a first portion of a regulating chamber in fluid communication with the inlet; a jet pump inlet in fluid communication with the regulating chamber; a valve seat between the regulating chamber and the jet pump inlet; a nozzle in fluid communication with the jet pump inlet; a discharge chamber in fluid communication with the nozzle; an intake passage in fluid communication with the discharge chamber for ingress of fluid from the fuel tank; and an outlet in fluid communication with the discharge chamber;
a second body defining: a dry chamber; and a second portion of the regulating chamber;
a diaphragm coupled between the first and second body to move between a normally closed position against the valve seat to prevent fuel from flowing through the valve seat and an open position spaced from the valve seat to allow fuel to flow through the valve seat; and
a spring in the dry chamber for biasing the diaphragm into the normally closed position,
wherein when the diaphragm is moved from the normally closed position to the open position by sufficient fuel pressure in the regulating chamber, fuel passes through the valve seat to the jet pump inlet so that the nozzle increases a velocity of the fuel that discharges into the discharge chamber, thereby creating a negative pressure in the discharge chamber to draw additional fuel from the fuel tank into the intake passage to join the fuel flowing through the nozzle and, thereby, functioning as a jet pump.
14 . The pressure regulator of claim 13 , wherein: the discharge chamber is relatively larger than the jet pump inlet; the diaphragm carries a valve head for sealingly contacting the valve seat; and the outlet includes a venturi.
15 . The pressure regulator of claim 13 , further comprising a filter attached to the intake passage.
16 . The pressure regulator of claim 13 , wherein the inlet and the outlet open in a same direction.
17 . The pressure regulator of claim 13 , wherein the first body forms a regulating passage in fluid communication with the jet pump inlet and further comprising a second pressure regulating valve in the regulating passage for selectively allowing fuel flow through the regulating passage when a threshold is exceeded to prevent too high of a pressure being present downstream of the valve seat.