Fuel filtration system

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC DUMP VALVE APPARATUS COMPRISING: A HOUSING DEFINING A CENTRIFUGE CHAMBER HAVING A TANGENTIAL INLET FOR INTRODUCING A FLUID CONTAINING DISCRETE SOLID PARTICLES INTO THE CHAMBER FOR IMPARTING CENTRIFUGAL FLOW THERETO AND HAVING AN OUTLET FOR DISCHARGE OF CENTRIFUGED FLUID THEREFROM, MEANS FOR FILTERING FLOW THROUGH SAID OUTLET, A COLLECTION CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE CENTRIFUGE CHAMBER FOR COLLECTING SOLID PARTICLES FROM THE CENTRIFUGE CHAMBER AND HAVING AN OUTLER, DUMP VALVE MEANS INCLUDING A VALVE ELEMENT CONTROLLING THE OUTLET OF THE COLLECTION CHAMBER, A PISTON HEAD CONNECTED TO SAID OF THE COLLECTION CHAMBER, A PISTON HEAD CONNECTED TO SAID VALVE ELEMENT, A HOUSING ENCLOSING SAID PISTON HEAD AND PARTMENTS, RESILIENT MEANS IN ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS FOR MAINTAINING THE VALVE ELEMENT IN A FIRST POSITION CLOSING THE OUTLET OF THE COLLECTION CHAMBER, FIRST PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, SECOND PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, A CONTROL VALVE HOUSING HAVING A CHAMBER AND A PAIR OF INLETS FOR A PRESSURIZABLE MEDIUM COMMUNICATING WITH THE FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGE MEANS, A CONTROL VALVE PISTON HAVING AT LEAST THREE SPACED ANNULAR RECESSES THEREIN POSITIONED IN THE CONTROL VALVE CHAMBER FOR SEPARATING THE CHAMBER INTO AT LEAST A PAIR OF OPPOSED COMPARTMENTS, FIRST CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING ONE OF THE CONTROL VALVE COMPARTMENTS WITH THE INLET OF THE CENTRIFUGE CHAMBER, SECOND CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING THE OTHER CONTROL VALVE COMPARTMENT WITH THE CENTRIFUGE FLUID OUTLET OF THE CENTRIFUGE CHAMBER WHEREBY EQUILIBRIUM CONDITIONS IN SAID CONTROL VALVE COMPARTMENTS WILL MAINTAIN THE CONTROL VALVE PISTON IN A FIRST POSITION WITH TWO OF THE CONTROL PISTON RECESSES IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PRESSURIZABLE MEDIUM INTO SAID MEANS FOR INTRODUCING PRESSURIZING MEDIUM INTO SAID PRESSURIZABLE COMPARTMENTS WHILE SAID CONTROL VAVLE IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION, SAID CONTROL VALVE PISTON BEING MOVABLE TO A SECOND POSITON IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETEMINED DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE CONDITION EXISTING BETWEEN THE INLET AND THE CENTRIFUGE FLUID OUTLET OF THE CENTRIFUGE CHAMBER, SAID CONTROL VALVE PISTON BEING SHAPED SUCH THAT IN SAID SECOND POSITION IT BLOCKS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ONE OF SAID PRESSURIZABLE COMPARTMENTS AND ONE OF THE CONTROL PISTON RECESSES TO MOVE SAID DUMP VALVE ELEMENT AND OPEN THE COLLECTION CHAMBER TO PERMIT DISCHARGE OF PARTICLES THEREFROM, A BY-PASS OUTLET COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CONTROL VALVE, MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING SAID ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS WITH THE CONTROL VALVE BYPASS OUTLET WHEN SAID CONTROL VALVE PISTON IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION FOR BYPASSING FLOW FROM THE BLOCKED COMPARTMENT, AND MEANS FOR BYPASSING A PORTION OF THE PRESSURIZING MEDIUM WHEN THE CONTROL VALVE IS IN THE SECOND POSITION FOR CLEANING SAID FILTERING MEANS TO THEREBY RE-ESTABLISH EQUILIBRIUM PRESSURE CONDITIONS IN SAID INLET AND CENTRIFUGED FLUID OUTLET AND TO RETURN SAID CONTROL VALVE PISTON TO SAID FIRST POSITION.