JP6332047B2 - Moisture aggregator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a moisture aggregating apparatus for aggregating moisture in a fuel supplied to an internal combustion engine.

  Conventionally, a device described in Patent Document 1 is known as a water aggregating apparatus that agglomerates water contained in fuel. The moisture aggregating device described in Patent Document 1 is provided in a fuel filter device for removing foreign matters in the fuel, and the moisture agglomerated by the moisture aggregating device is separated from the fuel and drained outside the vehicle. . However, in response to the demand for miniaturization of the fuel filter device, the one described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the fuel filter device is enlarged due to the size of the moisture aggregation device. As a solution to this problem, the one described in Patent Document 2 is known. The moisture aggregating apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is provided in a fuel tank, and drains the condensed and separated water droplets outside the vehicle by operating a drain pump.

JP 2013-96368 A JP 2011-21517 A

  In general, the fuel tank is not a part that requires frequent replacement and there are few maintenance opportunities. Therefore, it is difficult to adopt a simple manual draining structure as a structure for discharging the coagulated and separated water droplets to the outside. is there. Therefore, a structure that automatically drains water periodically using a drain pump is required like the water aggregating apparatus described in Patent Document 2, and the structure becomes complicated and the cost is high because the drain pump must be provided. There is a problem of becoming.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a moisture aggregating apparatus that can reduce the size of the fuel filter device and simplify the structure inside the fuel tank.

  A water aggregating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an aggregating member (70) for aggregating water in the fuel sucked up from the fuel tank outside the fuel filter device (3) for removing foreign substances contained in the fuel. And a discharge pipe (716) for discharging the agglomerated water together with the fuel to the fuel filter device.

  According to the water aggregating device of the present invention, the water agglomerated by the aggregating member is discharged together with the fuel to the fuel filter device. Therefore, the function of aggregating moisture can be provided in addition to the fuel filter device, and the fuel filter device can be provided with a function of draining outside the vehicle. Therefore, the fuel filter device can be downsized as compared with the case where the fuel filter device has a structure for condensing moisture. Further, since the fuel filter device is a part that needs to be replaced regularly, a simple draining structure by hand is sufficient without using a drain pump as a structure for draining water accumulated in the fuel filter device. . Therefore, the structure in the fuel tank can be simplified as compared with the case where the drainage pump is provided.

  Note that the reference numerals in parentheses in the scope of claims are intended only to exemplify corresponding configurations in the embodiments described later in order to facilitate understanding of the description, and are not intended to limit the content of the invention. Absent.

Overview of common rail fuel injection system Explanatory drawing of the moisture aggregation apparatus in a 1st embodiment Explanatory drawing of the moisture aggregation apparatus in other embodiments Explanatory drawing of the moisture aggregation apparatus in other embodiments

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the anti-tank bottom 21 side of the fuel tank 2 viewed from the reservoir 20 in FIG. The lower side is the direction of gravity in the on-vehicle state. A common rail fuel injection system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a fuel tank 2, a fuel filter device 3, a low pressure fuel pump 22, a high pressure fuel pump 4, a common rail 5, an injector 6, a moisture aggregating device 7, and a reflux pipe 8. .

  The fuel tank 2 is a container for storing fuel therein, and contains the moisture aggregation device 7 and the reservoir 20 inside. The reservoir 20 is, for example, a bottomed cylindrical resin container body, and is placed on the tank bottom surface 21 in the fuel tank 2 to hold a part of the fuel in the fuel tank 2 therein. ing. The reservoir 20 is provided with a low-pressure fuel pump 22. The fuel liquid level in the reservoir 20 is equal to or greater than the fuel liquid level in the fuel tank 2. As a result, even if the vehicle is tilted (even if the fuel tank 2 is tilted), a part of the fuel in the fuel tank 2 can be reliably retained in the reservoir 20. A first fuel pipe 718 connected to the moisture aggregating device 7 is connected to the discharge port of the low-pressure fuel pump 22. In the present embodiment, the fuel stored in the fuel tank 2 is light oil.

  The low-pressure fuel pump 22 plays a role of pressurizing the fuel sucked from the fuel tank 2 and discharging it to the moisture aggregating device 7 through the first fuel pipe 718. As the low-pressure fuel pump 22, for example, a trochoid pump or a vane pump can be used.

  The high-pressure fuel pump 4 plays a role of further pressurizing the fuel discharged from the low-pressure fuel pump 22 and supplying it as high-pressure fuel into the common rail 5. For example, a plunger pump can be used as the high-pressure fuel pump 4.

  The common rail 5 holds the fuel pressurized by the high-pressure fuel pump 4 in an accumulated state. An injector 6 for injecting fuel into each cylinder of the engine is connected to the common rail 5 according to the number of cylinders. The fuel accumulated in the common rail 5 is injected from each injector 6. In addition, a reflux pipe 8 is connected to the common rail 5. The surplus fuel in the common rail 5 returns to the fuel tank 2 via the return pipe 8.

  Low-pressure fuel such as fuel and leak fuel that flows into the control pressure chamber of each injector 6 and is used for injector operation, and low-pressure fuel such as leak fuel from the high-pressure fuel pump 4 are also discharged. Then, the fuel is returned to the fuel tank 2 via the return pipe 8.

  The common rail fuel injection system 1 is connected to an ECU (not shown) as a control device. This ECU optimally controls the flow rate of the fuel discharged from the high-pressure fuel pump 4 based on the input fuel pressure inside the common rail 5, the engine speed Ne, the accelerator opening α, and the like. Further, the ECU controls the opening / closing timing of the solenoid valve of the injector 6 connected to the common rail 5. Thus, the fuel injection timing and the fuel injection amount into each cylinder of the engine are controlled.

  The fuel filter device 3 includes a filtering member 30, a settling part 31, and a manual valve 32. The filter member 30 may be a chrysanthemum filter formed by bending a porous sheet made of, for example, a pulp material or a nonwoven fabric. The filtering member 30 plays a role of capturing solid foreign substances contained in the fuel and suppressing the passage of the filtering member 30. The sedimentation part 31 plays the role as a saucer for storing the water | moisture content contained in a fuel. The settling portion 31 is disposed in the lower part of the gravity direction than the filtering member 30 in the fuel filter device 3. The manual valve 32 is disposed at the lower end in the direction of gravity inside the fuel filter device 3. The manual valve 32 can be manually operated, and is used to take out moisture, solid foreign matters, and the like stored in the settling portion 31 to the outside of the fuel filter device 3.

  Next, the water aggregation apparatus 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of fuel and moisture.

  The moisture aggregating device 7 is disposed inside the fuel tank 2 and plays a role of agglomerating and enlarging the moisture contained in the fuel in the fuel tank 2. The water aggregating device 7 is disposed inside the fuel tank 2 as viewed from the reservoir 20 on the side opposite to the tank bottom 21, that is, above the reservoir 20 in FIG. 2. The moisture aggregation device 7 includes a moisture aggregation layer 70 and a housing 71. The moisture aggregation layer 70 is accommodated in the housing 71, and for example, a chrysanthemum-like water-repellent filter formed by bending a porous sheet made of a pulp material or a nonwoven fabric can be used. The moisture aggregation layer 70 has a cylindrical shape, and the horizontal direction in FIG. 2 is the radial direction of the cylinder. Further, a hollow portion in the cylindrical moisture aggregation layer 70 is a post-aggregation region 726 described later. Specifically, the moisture aggregation layer 70 is disposed in an aggregation layer region 725 described later. The fuel containing moisture is agglomerated in the process of passing through the moisture agglomerated layer 70 to become large particles. Since water has a specific gravity greater than that of fuel, the spilled water settles in the direction of gravity and separates from the fuel.

  The housing 71 has a resin water aggregation container 711 and a flange portion 712. The water aggregation container 711 and the flange portion 712 are integrally formed. The inside of the housing 71 is sealed with a water aggregation container 711 and a flange portion 712. A space surrounded by the water aggregation container 711 and the flange portion 712 is partitioned into a water aggregation area 714 and a water accumulation area 715 by a partition plate 713. Further, the water aggregation region 714 is divided into a pre-aggregation region 724, an aggregation layer region 725, and a post-aggregation region 726. The pre-aggregation region 724, the aggregation layer region 725, and the after-aggregation region 726 have a cylindrical shape when viewed from above and below. The pre-aggregation region 724 is a region before the fuel supplied to the moisture aggregation device 7 through the first fuel pipe 718 passes through the moisture aggregation layer 70, and is a water aggregation container 711 than the aggregation layer region 725 described later. Exists on the outside of Further, the pre-aggregation region 724 communicates with the water storage region 715 through a separation hole 77 described later. The agglomerated layer region 725 is a region where the water agglomerated layer 70 is disposed, and is a region where moisture in the fuel is agglomerated, and is a region interposed between the pre-aggregation region 724 and a post-aggregation region 726 described later. It is. Further, the aggregated layer region 725 communicates with the water reservoir region 715 through a separation hole 77 described later. The post-aggregation region 726 exists in the center of the water aggregation container 711 when viewed from the up-down direction, and communicates with the second fuel pipe 716.

  The flange portion 712 is a substantially flat resin member, for example. The flange portion 712 is attached to the ceiling surface 23 of the fuel tank 2 from the outside of the fuel tank 2 and is formed in the ceiling surface 23 of the fuel tank 2. This is a member for closing 24. The flange portion 712 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the opening 24. The flange portion 712 is fixed to the ceiling surface 23 of the fuel tank 2 by, for example, screwing or the like.

  A second fuel pipe 716 and a water discharge pipe 717 are integrally formed on the flange portion 712. The second fuel pipe 716 is formed so as to extend upward from a substantially central position in the left-right direction of the flange portion 712. The third pipe 9 is connected to the end of the second fuel pipe 716 opposite to the post-aggregation region 726 described later. The fuel filter device 3 is connected to the end of the third pipe 9 opposite to the side to which the second fuel pipe 716 is connected. The second fuel pipe 716 includes a large diameter part 721 and a small diameter part 722. The large-diameter portion 721 is disposed on both the upstream side and the downstream side in the second fuel pipe 716 with respect to the position of the connection portion 76. The small diameter portion 722 is disposed at the position of the connecting portion 76. That is, in the second fuel pipe 716, the large diameter portion 721 is on both the upstream side and the downstream side of the small diameter portion 722. Further, the diameter of the second fuel pipe 716 in the large diameter part 721 is larger than the diameter of the second fuel pipe 716 in the small diameter part 722.

  The water discharge pipe 717 is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction along the side surface of the water aggregation container 711, and is formed continuously to the first vertical part 74, and is formed in the right direction in FIG. The 1st horizontal part 75 extended horizontally toward is provided. The second fuel pipe 716 and the first horizontal portion 75 are connected at the connection portion 76. Further, a predetermined gap is provided between an end of the first vertical portion 74 opposite to the side where the first horizontal portion 75 is formed and a container bottom surface 723 of a water aggregation container 711 described later. . The connecting portion 76 is disposed outside the fuel tank 2.

  The water aggregation container 711 is a bottomed cylindrical resin container. In addition, the container bottom surface 723 of the water aggregation container 711 has the lowest position at which the water discharge pipe 717 is disposed when viewed from the up and down direction compared to other positions. That is, the container bottom surface 723 is inclined so that a portion facing the water discharge pipe 717 (hereinafter referred to as the water reservoir 78) in the container bottom surface 723 becomes a valley.

  The partition plate 713 is a resin member on a substantially flat plate. A plurality of separation holes 77 are formed in the partition plate 713. The plurality of separation holes 77 face a second boundary portion 728 that is a boundary between the post-aggregation region 726 and the aggregation layer region 725 from a portion that faces the first boundary portion 727 that is a boundary between the pre-aggregation region 724 and the aggregation layer region 725. A plurality of portions are formed at predetermined intervals from each other. That is, the separation hole 77 is formed in the part of the partition plate 713 that faces the aggregated layer region 725. Further, it is not formed in the portion facing the post-aggregation region 726.

  A first fuel pipe 718 is connected to the water aggregation container 711. In particular, the first fuel pipe 718 is directly connected to communicate with the pre-aggregation region 724.

  Next, the flow of fuel and the process of water aggregation will be described with reference to FIG.

  The fuel discharged from the low-pressure fuel pump 22 flows into the pre-aggregation region 724 of the moisture aggregation device 7 through the first fuel pipe 718. The fuel that flows into the pre-aggregation region 724 flows into the aggregation layer region 725. The fuel flows from the pre-aggregation region 724 through the aggregation layer region 725 to the post-aggregation region 726. The fuel that has flowed into the post-aggregation region 726 flows into the second fuel pipe 716.

  In the process of passing through the moisture aggregation layer 70 in the aggregation layer region 725, the moisture contained in the fuel is aggregated and becomes large particles. Since water has a higher specific gravity than light oil, the water that has been agglomerated and granulated falls to the lower part of the agglomerated layer region 725, passes through the separation hole 77 provided in the partition plate 713, and moves to the water reservoir region 715. The moisture that has moved to the water reservoir region 715 descends over the inclined container bottom surface 723 and is collected in the water reservoir 78. Then, the water accumulated in the water reservoir 78 reaches the connecting portion 76 through the water discharge pipe 717 and merges with the fuel flowing through the second fuel pipe 716. The moisture contained in the fuel flowing in the water discharge pipe 717 and the second fuel pipe 716 is larger than the moisture contained in the fuel flowing in the first fuel pipe 718.

  Moisture and fuel that merged at the connecting portion 76 flow into the third pipe 9 through the second fuel pipe 716 and are discharged to the fuel filter device 3.

  The fuel and moisture discharged to the fuel filter device 3 are separated inside the fuel filter device 3. Specifically, moisture settles in the fuel filter device 3 due to gravity and is stored in the settling portion 31. On the other hand, the fuel is sent to the high-pressure fuel pump 4.

  Next, the effect of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  (1) A moisture aggregation layer 70 having a function of aggregating moisture contained in the fuel is provided in the fuel tank 2, and the agglomerated moisture is discharged together with the fuel to the fuel filter device 3. Therefore, the fuel filter device 3 does not have a function of aggregating moisture. Therefore, the fuel filter device 3 can be downsized as compared with the case where the moisture aggregation layer 70 is provided inside the fuel filter device 3. Further, a drainage function to the outside of the vehicle is realized by a manual valve 32 provided in the fuel filter device 3. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a drain pump as a structure for draining water accumulated in the fuel filter device 3. Therefore, the structure of the fuel filter device 3 can be simplified as compared with the case where a drain pump is provided. Furthermore, the cost can be reduced by the amount that the drain pump is unnecessary.

  (2) The diameter of the second fuel pipe 716 in the large diameter part 721 is larger than the diameter of the second fuel pipe 716 in the small diameter part 722. The large diameter portion 721 is located on the upstream side of the second fuel pipe 716 relative to the position of the connection portion 76, while the small diameter portion 722 is disposed at the position of the connection portion 76. Therefore, the connection part 76 can be made into a low pressure, while the water reservoir part 78 vicinity becomes a high pressure. Therefore, even if a pump is not used as the power for sucking up the water accumulated in the water reservoir 78, it can be sucked up by the pressure difference, and the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  (3) The container bottom surface 723 is inclined so that the water reservoir 78 is a valley. Therefore, compared with the case where it is not inclined, the water moved to the water reservoir region 715 is surely collected in the water reservoir 78. Therefore, the water can be discharged from the water discharge pipe 717, and it can be suppressed that the condensed water remains in the water reservoir region 715.

  (4) The connecting portion 76 is disposed outside the fuel tank 2. The connection portion 76 is a portion where the water sucked up from the water discharge pipe 717 and the fuel passing through the second fuel pipe 716 merge, and noise may occur during the merge. In general, the noise generated inside the fuel tank is more audible to the passengers inside the vehicle than the noise generated outside the fuel tank. By adopting the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the noise generated at the connection portion 76 from being heard by the occupant compared to the configuration in which the connection portion 76 is disposed inside the fuel tank 2.

(Other embodiments)
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, As long as it belongs to the technical scope of this invention, you may deform | transform as follows.

  In the above embodiment, the second fuel pipe 716 includes the large-diameter portion 721 and the small-diameter portion 722 having a diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter portion 721. However, as shown in FIG. It is good.

  In the above embodiment, the connecting portion 76 is configured to be present on the side opposite to the reservoir 20 than the ceiling surface 23 of the fuel tank 2, that is, outside the fuel tank 2, but as shown in FIG. 23 may be present on the reservoir 20 side, that is, in the fuel tank 2.

  In the above embodiment, the large diameter portion 721 is located on the upstream side and the downstream side of the second fuel pipe 716 relative to the position of the connection portion 76, while the small diameter portion 722 is located at the position of the connection portion 76. It was decided that it was arranged. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the small-diameter portion 722 may be formed at a position upstream of the connection portion 76 in the second fuel pipe 716.

  In the above embodiment, a part of the water aggregating device 7 is arranged inside the fuel tank 2, but it may be outside the fuel tank 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Common rail type fuel injection system, 2 Fuel tank, 3 Fuel filter apparatus, 7 Water aggregation apparatus, 70 Water aggregation layer, 71 Housing, 711 Water aggregation container, 712 Flange part, 713 Partition plate, 716 2nd fuel piping, 717 Water Discharge piping, 721 large diameter part, 722 small diameter part, 76 connection part, 77 separation hole, 78 water reservoir

Claims (3)

An aggregating member (70) for aggregating moisture in the fuel sucked up from the fuel tank outside the fuel filter device (3) for removing foreign matters contained in the fuel;
A discharge pipe (716) for discharging the agglomerated water together with the fuel to the fuel filter device;
A water aggregating apparatus characterized by A water reservoir (78) for storing the condensed water;
A water discharge pipe (717) for sucking moisture from the water reservoir,
A connecting portion (76) to which the water discharge pipe and the discharge pipe are connected;
The discharge pipe has a diameter at the connection portion smaller than a diameter at the upstream side of the connection portion,
The water aggregating apparatus according to claim 1. The connecting portion is disposed outside the fuel tank;
The water aggregating apparatus according to claim 2.

Images