Diesel fuel system with advanced priming
View Patent ↗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.
1. 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.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the valve includes a spring, a spool, a fuel line port connected to the second fuel line and a purge port, and
wherein the spool is configured to be
urged by spring bias of the spring into a closed position that disables fluid communication between the fuel line port and the purge port, and
moved by the increased pressure, against the spring bias, into an open position that enables fluid communication between the fuel line port and the purge port.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the valve includes a bore that extends along an axis, the spool includes a piston that isolates a first section of the bore from an axially-opposite second section of the bore, the spring is in the first section and urges the piston axially toward the second section, and the second section is in fluid communication with the second fuel line.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second section is in fluid communication with the fuel line port for the increased pressure in the second fuel line to urge the piston axially toward the first section against the spring bias.
5. 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.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the opening and closing are performed by
spring bias of a spring urging a spool in the valve into a closed position that disables fluid communication between the second fuel line and the purge line, and
the increased pressure moving the spool, against the spring bias, into an open position that enables fluid communication between second fuel line and the purge line.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the valve includes a bore that extends along an axis, the spool includes a piston that isolates a first section of the bore from an axially-opposite second section of the bore, the spring is in the first section and urges the piston axially toward the second section, and the second section is in fluid communication with the second fuel line.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the enabling of the fluid communication between the second fuel line and the purge line is achieved by the increased pressure urging the piston toward the first section against the spring bias.