CN114641604A

CN114641604A - Diagnostic ventilation dryer

Info

Publication number: CN114641604A
Application number: CN201980102153.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: N·R·盖克瓦德; J·L·霍沃斯; J·M·库珀; E·C·普赖德
Original assignee: Descarter
Current assignee: Descarter
Priority date: 2019-11-11
Filing date: 2019-11-11
Publication date: 2022-06-17
Also published as: CA3155863A1; EP4058661A4; AU2019474231A1; KR20220093376A; EP4058661A1; WO2021096480A1

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods of providing a vent (100) for a reservoir, the vent (100) including a housing (112), the housing (112) including a plurality of valves (620, 630) including (i) at least one valve in a first configuration configured to permit fluid communication of air from an interior portion of the housing with an exterior of the reservoir, and (ii) at least one valve in a second configuration configured to permit selective passage of air between the exterior of the vent and the interior portion of the vent. The breather further includes a plurality of first openings (114) in the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir, a second opening (116) of the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir, and a desiccant (118) positioned within the housing.

Description

Diagnostic air-permeable member dryer

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to vents for liquid reservoirs. More particularly, the present invention relates to a humidity control vent for a liquid reservoir.

Background

The vent allows expansion of liquid and gas (e.g., air) in a liquid (e.g., lubricant) reservoir while preventing contamination of the liquid. For liquid reservoirs, such as engine crankcases and lubricant storage reservoirs, as the temperature or air pressure of the surrounding environment changes and the contents of the reservoir change (i.e., the fluid level in the reservoir changes), water vapor and dust particles in the air may be pulled into the liquid through the expanding and contracting action of the air and liquid in the reservoir. Currently, the vent is replaced on a schedule, whether or not the vent is at the end of its useful life, as it is difficult to determine when the vent has reached the end of its useful life. Alternatively, the breather utilizes a color changing desiccant to indicate when the breather has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. Color-changing desiccants require a transparent breather housing that is generally more fragile than an opaque breather housing, present chemical incompatibility issues, and according to some guidelines, the chemicals used to change color may be considered toxic. Further, depending on the location and environment of the reservoir and vent, the color change may be weak, difficult to see, and thus difficult to interpret. For example, breather dryers (e.g., desiccant aerators) are typically mounted on lubricating fluid reservoirs in large wind turbines. The nacelle in these turbines is often narrow and includes many dark, hard-to-reach areas near the lubrication reservoir where the breather is located. Thus, the visibility of the vent and any color change is difficult to see. Additionally, the nacelle may typically only be accessible when the wind turbine is shut down (i.e., stopped and not generating electricity).

Disclosure of Invention

Aspects of the present invention provide a breather device with a desiccant therein.

In one aspect, a vent for a reservoir is provided that includes a housing including a plurality of valves including (i) at least one valve in a first configuration configured to permit fluid communication of air from an interior portion of the housing with an exterior of the reservoir, and (ii) at least one valve in a second configuration configured to permit selective passage of air between the exterior of the vent and the interior portion of the vent.

The breather further includes a plurality of first openings in the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir, a second opening of the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir, and a desiccant positioned within the housing.

In another aspect, a vent for a reservoir includes a housing including a plurality of first openings in the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir, and a plurality of vent plugs configured to be coupleable to at least one of the plurality of first openings. The breather may include a second opening of the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir, a desiccant positioned within the housing, and a cap including a valley therein configured to correspond to a lip at a top portion of the housing to form a seal when placed in contact, the cap having a domed outer surface.

Many other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a vent having a humidity sensor in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method of determining an end-of-life condition of a vent in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a vent with dual humidity sensors according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a partial view of a vent in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a vent in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a base ring of a breather housing, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the base ring of the breather housing of fig. 6, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates a partial front view of an exemplary embodiment of a vent in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a cap according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 illustrates a bottom right perspective view of a cap according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the present invention.

To facilitate an understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms are defined below. Terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms such as "a," "an," and "the" are not intended to refer to only a single entity, but include the general class of which specific examples may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but its use does not define the invention, except as set forth in the claims.

Referring to fig. 1, a vent 100 for a reservoir includes a housing 112, a first opening 114 in the housing, a second opening 116 in the housing, a desiccant 118, a humidity sensor 102, and a controller 104. The first opening 114 in the housing is configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir. The second opening in the housing is configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir.

The desiccant 118 is positioned within the housing 112 such that air passing from the exterior to the interior of the reservoir through the vent 100 must pass through the desiccant 118. Air passing from the exterior to the interior of the reservoir may bypass the desiccant 118 or be directed through the desiccant 118.

The humidity sensor 102 is positioned within the housing 112. The humidity sensor 102 is operable to provide a humidity signal indicative of a humidity level in the vicinity of the humidity sensor 102. In one embodiment, the vent 100 further includes a temperature sensor 120 associated with the housing 112 (e.g., positioned in or near the housing 112). In one embodiment, the humidity sensor 102 is integrated with the temperature sensor 120. The temperature sensor 120 is also electrically connected to the controller 104, and the temperature sensor 120 is operable to provide a temperature signal to the controller 104 indicative of the temperature proximate the temperature sensor 120. In one embodiment, the housing 112 includes an adapter to position the humidity sensor 102, the pressure sensor 140, and/or the temperature sensor 120 away from a main portion of the housing 112.

The controller 104 is electrically connected to the humidity sensor 102. The controller 104 may be local to the housing 112 or remote from the housing 112. The controller 104 may be electrically connected to the humidity sensor 102 via a wired or wireless communication link. The communication link may be analog or digital. The controller 104 is operable to determine an end-of-life condition of the vent 100 as a function of the humidity signal received from the humidity sensor 102. In one embodiment, the controller 104 is operable to determine an end-of-life condition based on the humidity signal received from the humidity sensor 102 and the temperature signal received from the temperature sensor 120. The controller 104 uses the temperature signal and the humidity signal to determine the relative humidity associated with the desiccant 118. In actual use, after the breather 100 is initially installed on the reservoir, the relative humidity stabilizes, and the breather 100 reaches its end of service life (i.e., end of life) when the relative humidity reaches a predetermined maximum relative humidity. In one embodiment, the relative humidity may be stabilized at approximately 20% to 25% and generally linearly increased to a maximum relative humidity of approximately 40% (i.e., a relative humidity that indicates the end of life or end of service life of the vent 100). In one embodiment, the controller 104 is operable to determine the end-of-life condition by: an estimated time to life remaining or an estimated percentage to life remaining is determined as a function of the determined relative humidity and a historical rate of change of the relative humidity calculated by the controller based on previous relative humidity calculations.

In one embodiment, the vent 100 further includes a display 130. The display 130 is electrically connected to the controller 104. The display 130 may be local to the controller 104 or remote from the controller 104. The electrical connection between the display 130 and the controller 104 may be wired or wireless, and may communicate data in analog or digital format. The controller 104 is operable to provide an end-of-life signal indicative of an end-of-life state (i.e., an end-of-life condition) determined by the controller 104. The display 130 is operable to receive an end-of-life signal from the controller 104 and to display an indication of the end-of-life status of the vent 100 to an observer in dependence upon the received end-of-life signal. The end-of-life signal is indicative of at least one of a relative humidity value, a percentage of life remaining, and an estimated remaining life time. The end-of-life status displayed by display 130 includes at least one of a relative humidity value, a percentage of life remaining, or an estimated time to life remaining as indicated by the end-of-life signal provided by controller 104.

In one embodiment, vent 100 further includes a pressure sensor 140. The pressure sensor 140 is positioned within the housing 112 such that air that reaches the desiccant 118 from the interior of the reservoir through the vent 100 must pass the pressure sensor 140. The pressure sensor 140 is operable to provide a pressure signal to the controller 104 indicative of the air pressure in the vicinity of the pressure sensor 140. The controller 104 is further configured to determine a fault condition when the pressure signal indicates that the air pressure near the pressure sensor 140 is above a predetermined pressure limit. In operation, when this pressure is above a predetermined limit, it can be concluded that the reservoir's airflow requirements have not been properly matched with a properly sized vent (i.e., a larger volume vent should be used with a given reservoir), that the vent 100 is improperly installed, or that particle or humidity saturation (i.e., end of life or end of useful life) has been reached and is no longer effective. In one embodiment, pressure sensor 140 is a differential pressure sensor that includes a first pressure sensor in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir and a second pressure sensor in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir. In this embodiment, when the differential pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 140 exceeds a predetermined limit, the controller 104 is operable to determine a fault condition and communicate the fault condition to the display 130 for display to an observer.

In one embodiment, the housing 112 includes a rigid or semi-rigid body 142 and a cap 146. The breather 100 has a foam bottom 160, a foam top 162, a particulate filter bottom 164, a particulate filter top 166, and a filter ring 190. The space between the foam top 162 and the cap 146 defines a vent headspace 170. The foam top 162 is between the desiccant 118 and the cap 146. The vent 100 includes a standpipe 110. The riser 110 has a riser bottom end 106 and a riser top end 108. The riser bottom end 106 includes a threaded section 180 operable to engage corresponding threads of the reservoir. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the humidity sensor 102 is substantially surrounded by a desiccant 118. That is, the humidity sensor 102 is located within the desiccant 118. In another embodiment, the humidity sensor 102 is located within the vent cap headspace 170 of the vent 100. In one embodiment, the pressure sensor 140 is also included/located within the vent cap headspace 170. In another embodiment, the humidity sensor 102 is located within the riser 110. It is contemplated that humidity sensor 102 may be located within desiccant 118, partially within desiccant 118 on the side of second opening 116 of desiccant 118 such that air must flow through humidity sensor 102 when passing between desiccant 118 and second opening 116, or outside desiccant 118 on the side of second opening 116 of desiccant 118 such that air must flow through humidity sensor 102 when passing between desiccant 118 and second opening 116. It is contemplated within the scope of the claims that vent 100 may include any number of first openings 114 and any number of second openings 116. In an embodiment, the first opening 114 includes a two-way pressure limiting check valve. The check valve reduces the exposure of the desiccant 118 to the atmosphere to extend the useful life of the desiccant 118, and thus the breather 100. The pressure restriction prevents small pressure fluctuations in the reservoir from passing air through the desiccant 118 while allowing larger, smaller transient pressure changes to pass air through the desiccant 118 and maintain the proper pressure in the reservoir (e.g., substantially atmospheric or ambient pressure). In one embodiment, the check valve is limited to 0.2 psi in either direction.

During venting, humid air from the reservoir headspace enters the standpipe bottom side 106 and flows upward into the breather headspace 170. The air then passes through the foam filter top 162 and the particulate filter 166 to remove dust particles in excess of 3 microns from the air. The air then passes through the desiccant 118 where the desiccant 118 absorbs or adsorbs moisture from the air.

During inhalation, the vent 100 draws air from the surrounding space through the first opening 114. This air first passes through the bottom foam filter 160 and then through the bottom particulate filter 164 where particles above 3 microns are removed. The air then passes through the desiccant 118 where moisture is absorbed or adsorbed by the desiccant 118 and clean dry air enters the top side of the standpipe 108 where it can flow into the reservoir headspace.

In one embodiment, the initial installation of the vent 100 on the reservoir includes removing the vent 100 from the package, attaching the vent 102 threads of the reservoir corresponding to the threaded portion 180 of the standpipe 110, and providing power to the controller 104. After initial installation, the desiccant 118 absorbs or adsorbs moisture from the reservoir headspace, and the relative humidity in the reservoir headspace and the breather 100 decreases. In one embodiment, the controller 104 is configured to ignore the humidity signal from the humidity sensor 102 until the humidity signal indicates that the humidity level near the humidity sensor 102 has decreased below a predetermined maximum humidity level. In one embodiment, the predetermined maximum humidity level is a relative humidity level, and the controller 104 determines from both the temperature signal provided by the temperature sensor 120 and the humidity signal provided by the humidity sensor 102 that the humidity level near the humidity sensor 102 has decreased below the predetermined maximum humidity level. In another embodiment, the controller 104 is configured to ignore the humidity signal for a predetermined period of time after the initial installation of the vent 100 on the reservoir to allow the humidity near the humidity sensor 102 to fall below a predetermined maximum humidity level. As the air intake and exhaust continues, the desiccant 118 gradually reaches its full saturation capacity and will no longer absorb or adsorb moisture from the air passing therethrough. This allows humid air to pass through and into and out of the tank headspace if the vent 100 is not replaced.

Referring to fig. 2, a method 200 of determining an end-of-life condition of the vent 100 begins at 202 when the controller 104 receives power. At 204, the control delays the program in terms of time or relative humidity calculated as described above to allow the humidity inside the vent 100 to stabilize. In one embodiment, the controller 104 delays the start of the humidity sensor monitoring cycle for a predetermined period of time to allow the humidity in the reservoir and desiccant 118 to stabilize after the breather 100 is installed on the reservoir. It is contemplated within the scope of the claims that the delay may be more or less than 24 hours, depending on the intended environment of the vent 100, including system properties (e.g., volume of the reservoir, headspace of the reservoir, number of vents, etc.). At 206, the controller 104 reads the temperature sensor 120 and the humidity sensor 102. At 208, the controller 104 calculates the actual relative humidity in the vent 100 based on the data read from the temperature sensor 120 and the humidity sensor 102. At 210, the controller 104 determines whether the relative humidity is greater than 40%. If the controller determines that the relative humidity is not greater than 40%, the controller 104 provides the relative humidity to the display 130 (e.g., an LCD display) for display to a viewer and again samples the temperature sensor 120 and the humidity sensor 102 at 206. If the controller 104 determines at 210 that the relative humidity is greater than 40%, the controller 104 sends the relative humidity to the display 134 at 214 for display to the viewer. At 214, the controller 104 may also set an alarm or provide additional input to the display 130 indicating that the vent 100 has reached the end of its useful life. When the controller 104 stops receiving power, the method terminates at 216.

It is contemplated that the breather 100 disclosed herein may be used with reservoirs containing lubricating oil, hydraulic fluid, and special chemicals to protect those contents from moisture and particulate ingestion under virtually any conditions in any application. It is also contemplated that the desiccant 118 may include silica gel (all varieties); activated alumina; molecular sieves (all varieties); activated carbon/charcoal (all varieties); aluminosilicate gel: KC-Trockenperlen N, KC-Trockenperlen WS; calcium sulfate; ZR gel particles (ZR, TI); sodium polyacrylate; hygroscopic/deliquescent salts; and ethylene glycol or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the electronic components (e.g., controller 1044 and display 130) are encapsulated in a water impermeable material (e.g., epoxy) to avoid particle contamination and premature failure.

Referring to fig. 3, in one embodiment, the vent 100 includes dual humidity sensors. The humidity sensor 102 is a first humidity sensor 102 positioned within the housing 112 and substantially surrounded by the desiccant 118. The first humidity sensor 102 is operable to provide a first humidity signal to the controller 104 indicative of a first humidity level in the vicinity of the first humidity sensor 102.

The second humidity sensor 302 may be integral with the pressure sensor 140 and positioned within the housing 112 such that air passing through the vent 100 from the interior of the reservoir to the desiccant 118 and vice versa must pass through the second humidity sensor 302. The second humidity sensor 302 is operable to provide a second humidity signal to the controller 104 indicative of a second humidity level in the vicinity of the second humidity sensor. It is contemplated within the scope of the claims that the second humidity sensor 302 may be located within a threaded adapter such that the threads of the threaded portion or section 180 of the housing 112 are adapted to the threads of the corresponding section of the reservoir. In such an embodiment, the housing 112 is considered to comprise a threaded adapter.

The controller 104 is electrically connected to both the first humidity sensor 102 and the second humidity sensor 302. The controller is operable to receive a first humidity signal from the first humidity sensor 102 and a second humidity signal from the second humidity sensor 302. The controller 104 is operable to determine an end-of-life condition of the vent 100 as a function of the first and second humidity signals. When the first humidity level indicated by the first humidity signal is substantially equal to or greater than the second humidity level indicated by the second humidity signal, the controller 104 operates normally as described above to determine the end-of-life condition by determining the relative humidity associated with the first humidity sensor 102.

In one embodiment, the controller 104 may determine the fault condition when the first humidity level indicated by the first humidity signal is less than the second humidity level indicated by the second humidity signal. A first humidity level less than a second humidity level indicates that the reservoir is not completely dry (i.e., the relative humidity at the second humidity sensor 302 still trends downward after the breather 100 is initially installed on the reservoir) or that moisture has somehow entered the reservoir. In one embodiment, the controller 104 distinguishes between initial installation and moisture penetration into the reservoir based on the rate of decrease of the relative humidity at the second humidity sensor 302 and the time after initial installation (i.e., power up of the controller 104). That is, if the rate of decrease of the relative humidity of the second humidity sensor 302 decreases without a corresponding increase in the humidity at the first humidity sensor 102, the controller 104 determines that there is water intrusion into the reservoir. In this embodiment, the controller 104 determines the fault condition only when the controller 104 determines that there is water intrusion into the reservoir.

In one embodiment, the determined end-of-life condition is another fault condition. The controller 104 determines the dew point based on the pressure signal from the pressure sensor 140 and the temperature signal from the temperature sensor 120. The controller 104 determines a fault condition when a second humidity level near the second humidity sensor 302 indicates that the second humidity level is greater than the dew point. In one embodiment, the controller 104 is operable to transmit the fault status (i.e., end-of-life condition) to a remote terminal or display 130.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a partial view of a vent 400 according to aspects of the present disclosure. The breather 400 may include one or more components of the breather 100 previously described herein. The vent 400 may include a housing 410. In various embodiments, housing 410 may be equivalent to housing 112 previously described herein. The housing 410 may include one or more ribs 412 around the outer surface of the housing 410. In various embodiments, the ribs 412 may be formed by providing recesses or cavities in the outer surface of the housing 410 and may be used to provide a gripping surface, increase structural integrity, and/or reduce overall material costs. The housing 410 may be configured to house one or more components, such as the desiccant 118, therein.

The vent 400 may include a cap 420 at an outer surface of the vent 410 (e.g., at a top surface of the housing 410). In various embodiments, cap 420 may be equivalent to cap 146 previously described. In various embodiments, the

cap

146, 420 may be removably coupled to the

breather

100, 400, 800 by a lip or other exterior surface of the housing of the

breather

100, 400, 800, e.g., via a valley at an interior portion of the

cap

146, 420, as described below with reference to fig. 10. Although illustrated at a top surface of the housing 410, it should be appreciated that at least a portion of the cap 420 may be placed at an outer surface of the housing 410 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additional features of cap 420 are described below with reference to fig. 9.

The vent 400 may include at least one first opening 430. In various embodiments, the at least one first opening 430 may be equivalent to the first opening 114 previously described herein. The first opening 430 in the housing 410 may be configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir, depending on the state of the vent plug 440 that may be coupled thereto. The at least one vent plug 440 may be configured to permit fluid communication from an interior portion of the housing 410 of the

vent

100, 400, 800 with air outside the

vent

100, 400, 800. The at least one vent plug 440 may optionally be configured to permit fluid communication between air outside the

vent

100, 400, 800 and an interior portion of the housing 410 of the

vent

100, 400, 800. The vent 400 may further include a threaded section 180 and a second opening 116, as previously described with reference to fig. 1.

Fig. 5 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a vent in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The vent 400 may include a base ring 500 at a bottom portion thereof. In various embodiments, the base ring 500 can form part of the vent 400 and/or can be separately coupled. The base ring 500 can include at least one vent plug 440 configured to correspond to the at least one first opening of the housing 400. The plurality of vent plugs 440 may be coupled to one another via at least one connector 510. In various embodiments, the size, shape, and/or geometry of the at least one vent plug 440 and/or connector 510 may be set according to particular design or operating parameters associated with the vent 400 and/or the reservoir to which the vent 400 may be coupled. Valve ring size, shape, and/or geometry may be used to provide noise cancellation and/or airflow optimization. In the embodiment illustrated by fig. 5, the riser plug 520 may be selectively coupled to the second opening 116. Riser plug 520 may be used to block at least a portion of second opening 116 and may be removed in whole or in part.

Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a base ring according to aspects of the present disclosure. The base ring 600, or a portion thereof, can be coupled inside the

vent

100, 400, 800, for example between the base ring 500 and the desiccant 118. In various embodiments, the filter (e.g., bottom foam filter 160 and/or particulate filter 164) may optionally be configured to be placed above base ring 600 or below base ring 600. The base ring 600 can include at least one

valve

620, 630. The base ring 600 can be configured to connect with at least one

valve

620, 630 in either the first or second configuration. For purposes of discussion herein, the

valves

620, 630 may be identical in at least one aspect of shape and/or configuration, but are not limited thereto. The valve 620 illustrated by fig. 6 can be considered to be in a first configuration whereby the flat face of the valve 620 faces outwardly from the exterior of the base ring 600 relative to the

vents

100, 400, 800 to which the base ring 600 is connectable. The valve 620 may be configured to permit the selective passage of air between the interior portion of the

vent

100, 400, 800 and the exterior of the reservoir. The valve 630 may be considered a second configuration and may be configured to permit air to selectively pass between an exterior of the

vent

100, 400, 800 and an interior portion of the

vent

100, 400, 800. The valve 630 may be configured alongside the base ring 600 such that at least one channel 632 is formed to permit air flow between the interior of the

vent

100, 400, 800 and the exterior of the

vent

100, 400, 800. Although two passages 632 are illustrated in fig. 6 for each valve 630, it should be appreciated that a single or multiple passages 632 may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The valve 630 can include a notch 634 configured to limit movement of the valve 630 relative to the base ring 600. At least a portion of the outer surface of the base ring 600 may be flared or provided with a larger outer radius than at least a portion of the

vent

100, 400, 800 to expand outwardly from the

vent

100, 400, 800 by a distance at which any water or moisture may drip from the

vent

100, 400, 800.

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the base ring of fig. 6, according to aspects of the present disclosure. The inner portion 700 of the base ring 600 may include one or

more valves

620, 630. Each

valve

620, 630 may be provided in either the first configuration or the second configuration and is previously described with reference to fig. 6. The valve 620 illustrated by fig. 6 can be considered to be in a first configuration whereby the flat face of the valve 620 faces outwardly from the exterior of the base ring 600 relative to the

vents

100, 400, 800 to which the base ring 600 is connectable. The valve 630 illustrated by fig. 7 may be considered a second configuration in which the valve 630 faces flat inward toward an interior portion of the

housing

112, 410 of the

vent

100, 400, 800. The valve 620 may be configured to permit air to selectively pass between an interior portion of the

vent

100, 400, 800 and an exterior of the reservoir, e.g., via the at least one first opening 430. The valve 620 may be configured alongside the base ring 600 such that at least one channel 622 is formed to permit air flow between the interior of the

vent

100, 400, 800 and the exterior of the

vent

100, 400, 800 (e.g., via the at least one first opening 430). Although two passages 622 are illustrated in fig. 7 for each valve 620, it should be appreciated that a single or multiple passages 622 may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The valve 620 can include a notch 624 configured to limit movement of the valve 620 relative to the base ring 600.

Fig. 8 illustrates a partial front view of an exemplary embodiment of a vent in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The breather 800 includes a

housing

112, 410, the

housing

112, 410 optionally having at least one rib 412. At least a portion of the riser 110 can be configured to pass through at least a portion of the interior space of the

housing

112, 410. In various embodiments, the ratio of the longitudinal length of the

housing

112, 410 to the length of the riser 110 may be predetermined, determined, and/or adjusted, for example, by selecting a riser 110 of an appropriate size, a

housing

112, 410 appropriately sized relative to the riser 110, and/or providing at least one of the riser 110 and/or the

housing

112, 410 with an adjustable size. The ratio of the size or length of the

housing

112, 410 to the standpipe 110 can be selected or otherwise achieved to provide optimized gas flow conditions within the

breather

100, 400, 800. The second opening 116 and the threaded section 180 are located at the base of the vent 800. The at least one first opening 430 may be provided at a base ring of the vent 800 and may optionally be filled in whole or in part by at least a portion of the vent plug 440.

Fig. 9 illustrates a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a cap according to aspects of the present disclosure. Cap 420 includes a body 910, body 910 having a connection end 920 and a closed end 950. In various embodiments, the cap 420 may be configured to removably couple with the

vent

100, 400, 800, e.g., at the

housing

112, 410 thereof, in the manner previously described herein. The link end 920 may include at least one rib 930. The ribs 930 may be configured to provide gripping surfaces, for example, for placement, replacement, or adjustment of the cap 420 and/or the

vent

100, 400, 800. A lip 940 is positioned at the outer surface of the cap 420. In various embodiments, at least one of the lip 940 and/or the rib 930 may be used, for example, to remove excess moisture from the

housing

112, 410 of the

vent

100, 400, 800. At least a portion of closed end 950 may form a dome shape at its outer surface. The domed surface may be configured to provide structural integrity to the cap 420 and/or the

breather

100, 400, 800, may be used to promote air flow within the

breather

100, 400, 800, and may provide more efficient water egress at its surface relative to non-domed surfaces.

Fig. 10 illustrates a lower right perspective view of a cap according to aspects of the present disclosure. The cap 420 includes at least one valley 1000 at an interior portion thereof. At least a portion of one valley 1000 may be configured to correspond to a lip at the top portion of the

housing

112, 410 to form a seal when placed in contact. The cap 420 may also include at least one bracket 1010. The at least one shelf 1010 may be configured to act as a spacer between the cap 420 and the

vent

100, 400, 800, may be configured to increase the structural integrity of at least a portion of the cap 420, and/or may be used to direct the flow of gas within at least a portion of the cap 420 and/or the

vent

100, 400, 800.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques (e.g., data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof). Likewise, the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, depending on the application and functionality. Furthermore, the various logical blocks, modules, and circuits described herein may be implemented or implemented with: a general-purpose processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a conventional processor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, or a combination of several computing devices), a digital signal processor ("DSP"), an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a field programmable gate array ("FPGA") or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Similarly, the steps of a method or process described herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. While embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

A controller, processor, computing device, client computing device, or computer, such as described herein, includes at least one or more processors or processing units and a system memory. The controller may also include at least some form of computer readable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer-readable storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Communication media may embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the modulated data signal, which has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media. As used herein, a server is not intended to refer to a single computer or computing device. In an embodiment, a server will typically include an edge server, a plurality of data servers, a storage database (e.g., a large-scale RAID array), and various networking components. It is contemplated that these devices or functions may also be implemented in virtual machines and spread across multiple physical computing devices.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize many equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of the invention and are covered by the claims.

All combinations and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the combination and method of the present invention have been described in terms of the examples included herein, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the combination and/or method and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Thus, while particular embodiments of the present invention have been described as novel and useful in diagnostic breather dryers, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A vent for a reservoir, the vent comprising:

a housing comprising a plurality of valves including (i) at least one valve in a first configuration configured to permit fluid communication of air from an interior portion of the housing with an exterior of the reservoir, and (ii) at least one valve in a second configuration configured to permit selective passage of air between an exterior of the vent and the interior portion of the vent;

a plurality of first openings in the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir;

a second opening of the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir; and

a desiccant positioned within the housing.

2. The vent of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of vent plugs configured to be couplable to at least one of the plurality of valves.

3. The vent of claim 2, wherein at least two of the plurality of vent plugs are coupled to each other by at least one connector.

4. The vent of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one valve couplable to at least one of the plurality of first openings.

5. The vent of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of valves coupled to one another using a connector, the plurality of valves comprising at least one valve in a first configuration configured to permit fluid communication from an interior portion of the housing with air outside the reservoir.

6. The vent of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of valves coupled to one another using a connector, the plurality of valves comprising at least one valve in a second configuration configured to permit air to selectively pass between an exterior of the vent and an interior portion of the vent.

7. The vent of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of ribs extending outwardly from the housing.

8. The vent of claim 1, wherein the vent comprises a cap comprising a valley therein, the valley configured to correspond to a lip at a top portion of the housing to form a seal when placed in contact.

9. The vent of claim 8, wherein the cap comprises a domed outer surface.

10. A vent for a reservoir, the vent comprising:

a housing comprising a plurality of first openings in the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air outside the reservoir, and a plurality of vent plugs configured to be coupleable to at least one of the plurality of first openings;

a second opening of the housing configured to be in fluid communication with air inside the reservoir;

a desiccant positioned within the housing; and

a cap including a valley therein configured to correspond to a lip at a top portion of the housing to form a seal when placed in contact, the cap having a domed outer surface.

11. The vent of claim 10, wherein at least two of the plurality of vent plugs are coupled to each other by at least one connector.

12. The vent of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of valves coupled to one another using a connector, the plurality of valves comprising at least one valve in a first configuration configured to permit fluid communication from an interior portion of the housing with air outside the reservoir.

13. The vent of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of valves coupled to one another using a connector, the plurality of valves comprising at least one valve in a second configuration configured to permit air to selectively pass between an exterior of the vent and an interior portion of the vent.

14. The vent of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of ribs extending outwardly from the housing.

15. The vent of claim 10, wherein the housing further comprises a plurality of valves including (i) at least one valve in a first configuration configured to permit fluid communication of air from an interior portion of the housing with an exterior of the reservoir, and (ii) at least one valve in a second configuration configured to permit selective passage of air between the exterior of the vent and the interior portion of the vent.