Patent US20140166596A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US20140166596A1
Active / In Force
US
⏱️ 7.3 years remaining
Method and system for water drainage in fuel system
Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings LLC
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Filing: 2014-02-21
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2034-02-21
Abstract
Abstract Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle including an engine and a fuel system. In one embodiment, a water drainage system for a fuel system comprises a fuel tank, a fuel-water separator in fluid communication with the fuel tank, and a purge tank in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator and the fuel tank, the purge tank separate from the fuel tank. The water drainage system further includes a fuel property sensor for detecting a presence of water and a purge line in fluid communication with the purge tank for removing fluid from the purge tank, a flow of the fluid from the purge tank controlled by a check valve.
Inventors
- 👤 Larry Gene Anderson
- 👤 Sivanaga Venu Varma Dantuluri
- 👤 Dennis Shea
- 👤 Morse N. Taxon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 23:14
CPC Classifications
F02M37/221; F; F02; F02M; F02M37/00; F02M37/22; F02M37/24; F02M37/26; F02M37/28; F02D; F02D19/00; F02D19/06; F02D19/0602; F02D19/0605; F02M35/00; F02M35/02; F02M35/04; F02M35/042; G; G01; G01N; G01N33/00; G01N33/26; G01N33/28; G01N33/2835; G01N33/2847
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
92 words
1 . A water drainage system for a fuel system, the water drainage system comprising: a fuel tank; a fuel-water separator in fluid communication with the fuel tank; a purge tank in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator and the fuel tank, the purge tank separate from the fuel tank; a fuel property sensor for detecting a presence of water; and a purge line in fluid communication with the purge tank for removing fluid from the purge tank, a flow of the fluid from the purge tank controlled by a check valve.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
92 words
1 . A water drainage system for a fuel system, the water drainage system comprising: a fuel tank; a fuel-water separator in fluid communication with the fuel tank; a purge tank in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator and the fuel tank, the purge tank separate from the fuel tank; a fuel property sensor for detecting a presence of water; and a purge line in fluid communication with the purge tank for removing fluid from the purge tank, a flow of the fluid from the purge tank controlled by a check valve.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
2 . The water drainage system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel property sensor comprises a first element to measure kinematic viscosity, a second element to measure dielectric constant, and a third element to measure temperature.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
3 . The water drainage system of claim 2 , wherein the fuel property sensor is operably coupled to the purge tank.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
4 . The water drainage system of claim 2 , wherein the fuel property sensor is operably coupled to the fuel tank.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
5 . The water drainage system of claim 1 , wherein the check valve is positioned in the purge line near a top of the purge tank.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
6 . The water drainage system of claim 1 , wherein the purge tank includes a drain for draining water out of the purge tank.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
7 . The water drainage system of claim 1 , further comprising a separator water sensor operably disposed in the fuel-water separator for detecting a presence of water.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
94 words
8 . A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising: pumping a first mixture of fuel and water from a fuel tank; separating the first mixture of fuel and water into separated fuel and a second mixture of fuel and water; delivering the separated fuel to an engine of the vehicle; delivering the second mixture of fuel and water to a purge tank separate from the fuel tank; returning fuel from the purge tank to the fuel tank; and outputting a first notification if water exceeds a threshold level in the purge tank.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
94 words
8 . A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising: pumping a first mixture of fuel and water from a fuel tank; separating the first mixture of fuel and water into separated fuel and a second mixture of fuel and water; delivering the separated fuel to an engine of the vehicle; delivering the second mixture of fuel and water to a purge tank separate from the fuel tank; returning fuel from the purge tank to the fuel tank; and outputting a first notification if water exceeds a threshold level in the purge tank.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
64 words
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein returning fuel from the purge tank to the fuel tank comprises returning the fuel from the purge tank to the fuel tank via a check valve positioned in a purge line fluidically coupling the purge tank to the fuel tank, the check valve preventing drain-back of fuel from the fuel tank to the purge tank.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
55 words
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein outputting the first notification if water exceeds the threshold level in the purge tank comprises determining if water exceeds the threshold level in the purge tank via a sensor coupled to the purge tank, and outputting the first notification if the water exceeds the threshold level.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein determining if water exceeds the threshold level in the purge tank via the sensor coupled to the purge tank comprises detecting a presence of water in the purge tank at the sensor based on a dielectric constant measured by the sensor.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the presence of water in the purge tank is further detected based on a kinematic viscosity measured by the sensor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
57 words
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining one or more parameters of fuel in the fuel tank based on a kinematic viscosity, dielectric constant, and temperature of fuel in the purge tank measured by the sensor, and further based on a flow rate of fuel from the purge tank to the fuel tank.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising adjusting one or more engine operating parameters based on the determined one or more parameters of the fuel in the fuel tank.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
77 words
15 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: indicating if a water level exceeds a threshold level in a fuel-water separator via a sensor operably disposed in the fuel-water separator; stopping the engine in response to the water level exceeding the threshold level in the fuel-water separator; and outputting a second notification in response to the sensor operably disposed in the fuel-water separator indicating the water level exceeds the threshold level in the fuel-water separator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
185 words
16 . A vehicle system, comprising: a fuel tank; a fuel-water separator in fluid communication with the fuel tank; a separator water sensor operably disposed in the fuel-water separator for detecting a presence of water; an engine in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator; a duct in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator; a purge tank in fluid communication with the duct and the fuel tank, the purge tank receiving liquid from the duct via an outlet near a bottom of the purge tank, the purge tank separate from the fuel tank; a fuel property sensor operably disposed in the purge tank for detecting a presence of water; a purge line in fluid communication with the purge tank and the fuel tank for removing fluid from the purge tank; a fuel drain-back prevention valve in the purge line; and a controller in communication with the separator water sensor, the fuel property sensor, and the engine and configured to: detect if a water level exceeds a threshold level in the purge tank; and detect if a water level exceeds a threshold level in the fuel-water separator.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
185 words
16 . A vehicle system, comprising: a fuel tank; a fuel-water separator in fluid communication with the fuel tank; a separator water sensor operably disposed in the fuel-water separator for detecting a presence of water; an engine in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator; a duct in fluid communication with the fuel-water separator; a purge tank in fluid communication with the duct and the fuel tank, the purge tank receiving liquid from the duct via an outlet near a bottom of the purge tank, the purge tank separate from the fuel tank; a fuel property sensor operably disposed in the purge tank for detecting a presence of water; a purge line in fluid communication with the purge tank and the fuel tank for removing fluid from the purge tank; a fuel drain-back prevention valve in the purge line; and a controller in communication with the separator water sensor, the fuel property sensor, and the engine and configured to: detect if a water level exceeds a threshold level in the purge tank; and detect if a water level exceeds a threshold level in the fuel-water separator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
17 . The vehicle system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to output a notification to an operator of the vehicle system if the water level exceeds the threshold level in the purge tank.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
18 . The vehicle system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to stop the engine in response to a water level exceeding the threshold level in the fuel-water separator.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
47 words
19 . The vehicle system of claim 16 , wherein the fuel property sensor measures kinematic viscosity, dielectric constant, and temperature and determines the presence of water in the purge tank at the sensor based on one or more of the kinematic viscosity, dielectric constant, and temperature.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
20 . The vehicle system of claim 19 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust one or more engine fueling parameters based on the measured kinematic viscosity, dielectric constant, and temperature.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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