BRPI1001353A2 - fuel system and vehicle equipped with this system - Google Patents

Abstract

FUEL SYSTEM AND VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THIS SYSTEM. The object of the present invention consists of a fuel system (10) that has the purpose of supplying an internal combustion engine (11) with fuel. This system includes: - at least one main tank (12) to accommodate the fuel. - a secondary tank (13) to which the fuel is transferred from the main tank (12) and from which the fuel is conveyed, through a flexible fuel pipe (25), to the internal combustion engine (11); - a Venturi tube (20) for transferring fuel from the main tank (12) to the secondary tank (13). The fuel system (10) is characterized by the fact that the transfer of fuel from the main tank (12) to the secondary tank (13) takes place in such a way that compressed air is conducted through the Venturi tube (20) and from there In this way a suction force is produced, so that the fuel is sucked through a first duct (16) into the Venturi tube (20) where it is mixed with compressed air and through a second duct (23) it is conducted to a secondary tank (12). The present invention also aims at a vehicle that is equipped with the fuel system (10) described above.

Description

"FUEL SYSTEM AND VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THIS SYSTEM"

Technical Field

The object of the present invention is a fuel system according to the introduction to claim 1.

The object of the present invention is also a vehicle which is equipped with a fuel system according to the present invention.

Fundamentals

Many vehicles, which are employed, for example, for the transport of people and goods, are driven by a combustion engine in which a liquid fuel is used to produce the necessary mechanical movement. The vehicle for this reason is equipped with either a fuel tank or a plurality of fuel tanks, which must contain sufficient fuel to operate the vehicle for a specified period of time.

To ensure a reliable and continuous supply of fuel to the fat vehicle, the fuel is transferred from a main tank or a plurality of main tanks, in which most of the fuel is stored, to a smaller container / tank in which The fuel level is always so high that a continuous flow of fuel from the container / tank can be guaranteed, regardless of the vehicle's inclination or any movement of the fuel. This container / tank is often referred to as the secondary tank.

Fuel transfer from the main tank or main tank to the container / tank can be by means of a Venturi tube. The Venturi pipe in this case is so arranged that no spent fuel is driven from the engine through the Venturi pipe and cannot be driven into the smaller container / tank. In the segment of the Venturi tube, which has a narrow cross section, a flexible tube is connected, whose opposite end is in the main tank, so that the fuel is drawn from the main tank through this flexible tube and is mixed with the fuel returned to the Venturi pipe before it reaches the smaller container / tank. In this way the fuel in the smaller container / tank is kept at a constant level and a reliable continuous flow of fuel from the container / tank to the engine can be ensured.

Such a fuel system, however, needs a strong and continuous flow of returned fuel to produce the necessary fuel transfer from the main tank to the smaller tank / container and if any flow interruption occurs or if the flow is weak, no sufficient fuel transfer.

Consequently, there is a need for reliable fuel transfer from the main tank to the smaller container / tank.

Summary of the Invention The present invention proposes to solve the above problem. This objective is achieved with a fuel system according to the independent claim.

The problem described above is solved by causing the Venturi pipe instead of being fed with the variable current of the fuel returned by the engine to be fed by compressed air.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the existing fuel system can be easily modified and thus improved as the existing system should only be complemented by a pair of compressed air conduction components. Venturi1 tube so that you have the improved system according to the present invention.

A further advantage of the fuel system according to the present invention is that it does not cause a rise in fuel temperature in the secondary tank, which with current solutions is inevitable as fuel returned from the fuel is used. engine that is warmed up to produce the transfer of fuel15 from the main tank to the secondary tank.

According to one embodiment of the present invention the secondary tank is equipped with an air evacuation valve to prevent overpressure in the tank. This mode results in a system with greater reliability as there is no risk of undesirable overpressure in the secondary tank.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, at a narrow point in the second conduit through which the fuel / air is transported, an air evacuation unit is disposed through which at least part of the arch is exhausted from the fuel. Venturi tube and thus introduced into the duct. This embodiment may be employed with the solution described above for air evacuation or may be used as a separate solution to avoid overpressure in the smaller tank. This mode offers the advantage of reducing the risk of foaming in the smaller tank, because at least part of the air is eliminated from the air fuel mixture before this mixture reaches the secondary tank.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the compressed air hose conducts air to the Venturi tube. In this case a valve may be arranged in the compressed air hose with which the air flow through the compressed air hose may be controlled. This mode thus allows control of the amount of fuel that is transferred from the main tank to the secondary tank.

The Venturi tube has a segment with a reduced cross section, and the first conduit is connected to this segment. This mode results in a fuel-efficient system that is easily produced, assembled and disposed in a vehicle.

The object of the present invention is also a vehicle which is equipped with one of the fuel systems described above.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the compressed air is driven by an existing system in a vehicle to the fuel system Venturi pipe. In such a case, it is not necessary to mount a separate additional device in the vehicle for driving the compressed air to the fuel system.

In one embodiment, compressed air is carried from a braking system with a compressor to the Venturi pipe in the vehicle fuel system. This is an advantageous feature as the vehicle does not need to be equipped with an additional system and a system that already exists in the vehicle can be purchased.

Short Description of the Figures

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the fuel system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a Venturi tube embodiment.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the fuel system 10 according to the claims. The fuel system is intended to continuously and reliably supply an internal combustion engine 11 with the desired amount of fuel. To the fuel system belongs a main tank 12 in which the fuel is stored. The volume of the main tank 12 is such that a sufficient desired amount of fuel is obtained at satisfactory fueling intervals. This volume is determined by the type of vehicle, the internal combustion engine 11 to be built-in and the amount of fuel. fuel to be used by the engine 11.

Main tank 12 has an appropriate geometric shape which is adapted to the available space and desired volume.

When large quantities of fuel are required or desired or when space available for main tank 12 is limited, a plurality of communicating fuel tanks can be arranged in each vehicle to increase the total available volume and allow better utilization of available space. .

A secondary tank 13 also belongs to the fuel system. The fuel is continuously transferred from the main tank 12 or the tank into the secondary tank 13, so that the fuel in this tank during vehicle operation is always kept at a higher level. than the fuel in the main tank 12. This ensures that there is always a sufficient amount of fuel in the secondary tank 13 to continuously satisfy the temporarily high engine fuel requirement 11. The secondary tank 13 in the embodiment illustrated in illustration 1 consists of a separate chamber from the main tank 12 integrated with main tank 12. Wall 14, which separates secondary tank 13 from main tank 12, has a hole 15 so that when the desired secondary tank fuel level is reached, ie when As the fuel level rises to the bottom edge of hole 15, the fuel in the tank River 13 is returned through port 15 to main tank 12. This is important to prevent overfilling of secondary tank 13 with fuel, as overfilling may lead to leakage in the connections and other secondary tank 13.

The secondary tank may, however, consist of a separate tank that is disposed separately from the main tank. The secondary tank in this case should be fitted with a drain back to the main tank to avoid overfilling the secondary tank.

Both main tank 12 and secondary tank 13 may have different geometric shapes, depending on the space available on the vehicle in question. The main tank 12, however, is preferably of a shape that allows as complete emptying as possible of the main tank 12. The secondary tank 13 should have a shape that allows fuel in the tank to be brought to the region in which the fuel is transferred. preferably for the engine 11 such that the bottom of the tank is projected with surfaces inclined relative to this region so that the fuel accumulates at the desired point in the secondary tank 13.

Transfer of fuel from main tank 12 to secondary tank 13 occurs via a first conduit 16 from which an end 17 flows into the bottom 18 of main tank 122 to ensure that the maximum amount of fuel in main tank 12 can be met. used and be transferred to the secondary tank 13.

For transferring fuel from the main tank 12 to the secondary tank 13, a Venturi pipe 20 is employed. The Venturi pipe 20 has, as shown in Figure 2, an essentially straight pipe portion 21, which has an equal segment 22. with a considerably reduced cross-sectional surface. When a fluid flows through the pipe portion 21, the reduced surface produces an elevation of the stream velocity in segment 22, which in turn produces a suction force in the first conduit 16 (Figure 1) whose second end 19 is connected in segment 22 with reduced cross section. The suction force produced in the first conduit 16 causes the fuel to be carried from the main tank 12 to the Venturi tube 20, where it is mixed with the fluid, in this case air, which flows through the tube part 21, continuing through a second conduit 23 which flows into the secondary tank 13.

In the fuel system 10 illustrated in Figure 1 the compressed air is fed from a compressor 32 through a compressed air hose 24 to the Venturi tube 20. Then the fuel from the main tank 12 is mixed with the compressed air in the tube part 21 of the Venturi tube 20, and the fuel-air mixture is conducted through the second conduit 23 to the secondary tank 13.

Air in the fuel must be eliminated from the fuel before the fuel is transferred to engine 11 to ensure the desired function of engine 11. This may occur in the secondary tank 13, which is equipped with an unillustrated air exhaust valve, to prevent an overpressure within the tank, as an overpressure in the tank would be associated with a high risk of failure as considerable amounts would enter the tank along with the fuel. Alternatively, air evacuation may be produced by means of an air evacuation unit 30 which is disposed at a suitable point in the second conduit 23 to eliminate as much air as possible from the fuel before the fuel reaches the secondary tank 13. A combination of these solutions should also be envisaged when one of these solutions is achieved with only the desired effect. Air evacuation unit 30 has a filter that eliminates air from the fuel.

The fuel is finally driven from the secondary tank 13 to the internal combustion engine 11. This is by means of a fuel line 25 having one end 26 suitably disposed near the bottom 27 of the secondary tank 13, while the other end is. connected to motor 11.

The fuel system 10 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 also has a valve 31 which is disposed at a suitable point in the compressed air duct 24. The valve 31 provides control of the compressed air flow to the Venturi 20 and so on. fuel which is transferred from main tank 12 to secondary tank 13. Control of valve 31 preferably takes place, for example, depending on the actual gas intake in the engine, as this intake will influence the fuel used in the engine.

The fuel system 10 according to the present invention is suitably disposed on a vehicle, on a truck, for example. The main tank 12 or main tanks in this case are arranged at a suitable point on the vehicle. Several vehicles have either a compressed air system or several compressed air systems because certain functions of these vehicles are driven by compressed air, which is produced by a motor compressor 32. An example of a compressed air driven system is the braking system 33 of trucks. In this case the compressed air is conveyed from the existing system to the Venturi tube 20 and through it can be employed for the desired transfer of fuel from the main tank 12 to the secondary tank 13.

The present invention has been described above with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, some modifications may be contemplated:

- The specific mode of the Venturi1 tube may be varied to adapt to specific data;

- the tank mode may be varied with respect to the shape and mutual dimensional relationships and may be adapted to the vehicle in which the system is employed as well as

desired system characteristics.

- gases under pressure other than air may be used.

While the present invention has been described with reference to embodiment examples, the present invention is not limited to these embodiment examples, but is defined based on the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. Fuel system (10) for fueling an internal combustion engine (11) with fuel, the fuel system having the following components: - at least one main tank (12) for containing the fuel, - one tank (13) to which fuel from the main tank (12) is transferred and from which the fuel is fed to the internal combustion engine (11) through a fuel hose (25) - a venturi tube (20) which serves to transfer fuel from the main tank (12) to the secondary tank (13), characterized by the fact that the transfer of fuel from the main tank (12) to the secondary tank (13) takes place by compressed air is passed through and through the Venturi tube 20 to produce a suction force in a first conduit 16, one end (17) of this major notch conduit (12) being if another end connects Venturi pipe (20) such that fuel in the main tank is drawn through the first conduit (16) into the Venturi pipe, where it is mixed with compressed air and conducted through a second conduit (23) to the secondary tank (13). Fuel system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the secondary tank (13) consists of a component that is an integral part of the main tank (12) or a separate tank disposed separately from the main tank (12). . Fuel system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the secondary tank (13) is equipped with an air exhaust valve to prevent overpressure in the tank. Fuel system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at a suitable point in the second conduit (23) an air exhaust unit (30) is provided through which at least a portion of the arch runs. inside the conduit (23) is eliminated from the fuel. Fuel system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the compressed air hose (24) drives compressed air from a compressor (32) into the Venturi tube (20) and that A valve (31) is arranged in the compressed air hose (24) with which the air flow through the compressed air hose (24) can be controlled and the amount of fuel that can be controlled can also be controlled. is transferred from the main tank (12) to the secondary tank (13). Fuel system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Venturi tube (20) has a segment (22) with a reduced cross section and that the first conduit (16) is connected to this segment. (22). Vehicle Characterized by the fact that it has a fuel system according to one of claims 1-6. Vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that the compressed air is obtained from an existing vehicle system to the fuel system (10). 9 Vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that the compressed air for the fuel system (10) is supplied to the venturi tube (20) of a braking system (33) with a compressor (32).