FR2566844A1 - Equipment for the elimination of the solid residues which accumulate in filter devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to equipment for the elimination of the solid residues which accumulate in filter devices, especially of the type used in installations which feed liquid gases to the internal combustion engines of vehicles. The invention comprises a chamber or vessel 5 arranged upstream of the filter 6 and in which the solid residues accumulate, mostly in the form of splinters or chips. At least one hard body 12 is housed inside the vessel 5 with complete freedom of movement. The body is made to move inside the chamber or vessel 5 and to interact with the walls of the latter under the effect of the movements to which the chamber itself is subjected and therefore of the stresses to which the body 12, by virtue of its own inertia, is subjected by the walls.

Description

 The invention relates to an apparatus for removing solid residues which are piled up in filtering devices.

 It is used specifically, but not exclusively, in filtering devices, in particular of the type used for filtering liquid gases (liquefied petroleum gases) in installations intended to supply the internal combustion engines of vehicles.

 In this type of installation, the liquid gas, before it is sent to the pressure reducer, is subjected to filtration in a filtering device, with which is normally associated a by-pass valve, usually with electromagnetic control. The need to filter the gas is imposed by the presence in the gas of solid residues of different nature, especially in the form of chips.

 These residues tend to pile up and obstruct the filter. Normally the filter comprises a filtering surface, at its upper part, and a chamber or tank placed below in which the solid resids are collected.

 In order to overcome this inevitable drawback of clogging the filter on the part of solid residues which pile up over time, there is currently a frequent cleaning of the filter or even its frequent replacement; this in order to prevent possible sudden stops in the gas supply, due to an unexpected obstruction of the filter. Obviously frequent cleaning of the filter or its replacement involves costly operations which on the other hand are not able to avoid said unexpected phenomenon of partial or total obstruction of the filter.

 In order to solve this problem in an acceptable manner, solutions have been proposed which consist, for example, of adopting particularly sophisticated filter elements.

 Another proposed solution is that of retaining at least the ferrous shavings at the bottom of the chamber or tank of the filter using magnets. These proposed solutions have many drawbacks and above all are not able to solve the problem satisfactorily and definitively.

 The main purpose of the present invention is therefore to eliminate all the drawbacks mentioned above.

 The invention as characterized in the claims, solves the problem of providing an apparatus for the elifflination of solid residues which are piled up in filtering devices.

 An advantage provided by the present invention consists in the great simplicity of operation which allows a long service life.

 Another advantage provided by the apparatus of the invention consists in that it can be applied in a very simple manner to filtering devices already in use, of the type used for filtering liquid gases in installations intended to supply motors to internal combustion.

 Yet another advantage is represented by the fact that the apparatus allows the use of very simple and therefore inexpensive filters or filter elements.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the following detailed description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the invention given simply by way of nonlimiting example using the drawings attached, in which: - Figure 1 is a section of the apparatus in question executed along a vertical plane; - Figure 2 is a section of the same apparatus carried out along the line I-I of Figure 1.

 Referring to said figures, there is indicated at I a filter device with which is associated, at its upper part, a bypass valve 2 with electromagnetic control. The assembly is placed in the conduit by means of which the liquefied gas is conveyed from a tank to a pressure reducer-vaporizer having the function of supplying the internal combustion engine of a vehicle.

 In 3 the liquefied gas inlet pipe is indicated, while in 4 the outlet pipe is indicated. Through the conduit 3 the liquefied gas arrives at a chamber or tank 5 which is closed at its upper part by an annular filter 6. At the center of the annular filter 6 6 there is the inlet 7 for the liquid.

 The chamber or tank 5 is closed at its lower part and its bottom is concave, in the form of a bowl.

 Referring to the direction of flow of the fluid, the chamber or tank 5 is located upstream of the filter 6.

Indeed the liquefied gas reaches it, from the inlet 7, through the conduit 3. The outlet of the chamber 5 of the liquefied gas, on the contrary, takes place through the filter 6, beyond which the liquid continues its way upwards along the channels 8 to an upper chamber 9 in which the shutter 10 of the bypass valve 2 operates. The shutter 10 is actuated by the electromagnet 11. Obviously c It is in chamber 5 that all the solid residues present in the liquefied gas are piled up, for the most part in the form of chips.

 In order to eliminate these types of residues from the chamber or tank 5 it is provided, according to the invention, that a hard body is housed, with complete freedom of movement, inside the chamber itself; according to the embodiment illustrated, this hard body consists of a ball 12.

 The ball 12 is formed of a material provided with a density appreciably greater than that of the liquid, formed of the liquefied gas, present in the chamber 5 and its dimension is such that it can carry out movements of a certain importance at inside the room.

 In particular the chamber 5 has its bowl-shaped bottom, shaped so as to allow, along its entire surface, the contact and the rolling and sliding of the ball 12 without any hindrance. During normal operation, the ball 12 is forced to move inside the chamber 5 due to the stresses which it must undergo, on account of its inertia, on the part of the walls of the chamber following the movements to which the latter is subject.

 In fact, the chamber 5 in particular and in general the filtering device 1 and the bypass valve 2 are connected to the chassis of the vehicle, the engine of which is supplied by means of the combustible gas which flows through the filtering device 1. By Consequently, while the vehicle is running, there is transmission to the filtering device 1 and therefore to the walls of the chamber 5, of vibrations and movements which produce more or less violent interactions between the walls and the ball 12 which, by virtue of its own inertia, tends to oppose changes in its state of rest or movement.

 The solid residues present in the chamber or tank 5 tend to settle at the bottom and are therefore subjected to a kind of grinding by effect of the relative movement of the ball 12 during the normal running of the vehicle, with respect to the internal walls of the room 5.

 The action of the ball 12 causes a grinding and a progressive grinding of the solid residues until when they are reduced to dimensions so small that they can pass through the filter 6. Once this situation is reached, the solid residues finely ground, suspended in liquefied gas, can pass through the filter 6 without obstructing it, go up to the upper chamber 9 and exit, if the obturator 10 is lifted, through the outlet duct 4. That is to say -to say that the residues can be removed, eliminated from the chamber 5 in which they had been piled up.

 The action of the invention, because it depends on the running condition of the vehicle, is proportional to the quantity of liquid and therefore of solid residues which are introduced through the inlet duct 3 into the chamber 5 .

 The application of the invention makes it possible to minimize, if not completely eliminate, the maintenance operations of the filtering device 1 and of the bypass valve 2.

 Obviously, instead of a single body consisting of the ball 12, different solutions can be provided, such as for example the presence inside the chamber 5 of several hard bodies which may be in the form of balls or have a different shape.

 Of course, many modifications of a practical nature may be made to the construction details of the apparatus of the invention without thereby departing from its protective framework as defined in the claims which follow.

Claims (4)

1. Apparatus for the elimination of solid residues which are piled up in filtering devices, in particular of the type used for filtering liquid gases in installations which supply the internal combustion engines of vehicles, characterized in that it comprises at least one chamber or tank (5), disposed upstream of the filter (6), in which said residues pile up, inside which is housed, with complete freedom of movement, at least one hard body (12) of which the density is considerably greater than that of the liquid present in the chamber, provided that said body (12) is pushed to move inside said chamber (5) and to interact in contact with the walls of the latter this. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said body (12) is forced to move inside the chamber (5) by effect of the stresses which it must undergo, by virtue of its own inertia, by the walls of the chamber itself because of the movements to which the latter is subjected.  3. Apparatus according to claims d and 22 characterized in that said body (12) is spherical and is freely housed inside a chamber or tank (5) whose bottom is in the form of a bowl; -this bottom being shaped so as to allow correct contact and therefore the rolling and / or sliding of said body (12) over its entire surface. 4. Apparatus according to claims I to 3, characterized in that the chamber (5) is fixed to the chassis of a vehicle whose engine receives the liquid gas which flows in said chamber in order to be subjected to filtering, either directly by means of an oscillating and / or elastic support.