U.S. patent application number 15/973926 was filed with the patent office on 2018-11-15 for filter element for a liquid filter.
The applicant listed for this patent is MANN+HUMMEL GmbH. Invention is credited to Andres Moreno Linares.
Application Number | 20180326331 15/973926 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51265696 |
Filed Date | 2018-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180326331 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moreno Linares; Andres |
November 15, 2018 |
FILTER ELEMENT FOR A LIQUID FILTER
Abstract
An annular filter element, including: a filter medium having
circumferentially closed about an axis and extended along the axis,
the axis defining an axial direction; wherein the filter medium has
a radially outer flow face and a radially inner flow face, the
radially inner flow face surrounding an inner clean space in the
filter element; wherein the filter element is through-flowable
radially from a radial outside to a radial inside of the filter
element; a water separation screen inserted into the clean space,
the water separation screen formed separately from the filter
element, the water separation screen connected to the filter
element or to a component situated at the filter element.
Inventors: |
Moreno Linares; Andres;
(Ludwigsburg, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MANN+HUMMEL GmbH |
Ludwigsburg |
|
DE |
|
|
Family ID: |
51265696 |
Appl. No.: |
15/973926 |
Filed: |
May 8, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15016572 |
Feb 5, 2016 |
9962637 |
|
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15973926 |
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PCT/EP2014/066711 |
Aug 4, 2014 |
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15016572 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01D 29/15 20130101;
B01D 2201/4084 20130101; B01D 2201/291 20130101; B01D 29/036
20130101; B01D 35/005 20130101; B01D 36/003 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B01D 35/00 20060101
B01D035/00; B01D 29/03 20060101 B01D029/03; B01D 36/00 20060101
B01D036/00; B01D 29/15 20060101 B01D029/15 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 5, 2013 |
DE |
10 2013 012 918.4 |
Claims
1. An annular filter element, comprising: a filter medium having
circumferentially closed about an axis and extended along the axis,
the axis defining an axial direction; wherein the filter medium has
a radially outer flow face and a radially inner flow face, the
radially inner flow face surrounding an inner clean space in the
filter element; wherein the filter element is through-flowable
radially from a radial outside to a radial inside of the filter
element; an end plate having: an axial inner surface; and an
opposite axial outer surface; wherein the axial inner surface of
the end disk is arranged on an axial end face of the filter medium;
and a water separation screen inserted into the clean space, the
water separation screen formed separately from the filter element,
the water separation screen connected to the filter element or to a
component situated at the filter element.
2. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein the filter
element has an end plate arranged on an axial end face of the
filter medium; wherein the water separation screen is connectable
to the end plate.
3. The filter element according to claim 2, wherein the water
separation screen has a collar arranged proximate to an axial end
of the water separation screen; wherein a sealing element is
provided between the collar and the end plate.
4. The filter element according to claim 3, wherein the sealing
element is configured as a sealing lip integrally molded onto the
collar.
5. The filter element according to claim 3, wherein the sealing
element is configured as a separate sealing ring situated between
the collar and the end plate.
6. The filter element according to claim 3, wherein the water
separation screen has a separation shell having an outer diameter;
wherein the collar has an outer diameter that is greater than the
outer diameter of the separation shell.
7. The filter element according to claim 2, wherein the water
separation screen is connected via a latch connection to the end
plate.
8. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein the water
separation screen is cylindrically formed.
9. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein the water
separation screen is conically formed.
10. The filter element according to claim 1, wherein a coalescing
element is arranged adjacent to the filter element.
11. The filter element according to claim 10, wherein the
coalescing element is arranged at a clean side of the filter
element.
12. The filter element according to claim 1, comprising: a tubular
center pipe is inserted into the clean space of the filter element;
the water separation screen is inserted into and arranged in the
center pipe.
13. A liquid fuel filter, comprising: a filter housing; a filter
element according to claim 1 arranged within an interior of the
filter housing.
14. The liquid fuel filter according to claim 13, wherein the
housing includes a water collecting space for collecting water
separated from the fuel; wherein the clean space in the filter
element is flow-connected at a first axial end to the water
collecting space; wherein the clean space is flow-connected at an
opposing second axial end to a liquid outflow line for the cleaned
liquid.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
15/016,572, filed, Feb. 5, 2016, which is a continuation of
international application No. PCT/EP2014/066711, filed Aug. 4, 2014
and designating the United States, the international application
claiming a priority date of Aug. 5, 2013, based on prior filed
German patent application No. 10 2013 012 918.4, the entire
contents of the aforesaid US application, aforesaid international
application and the aforesaid German patent application being
incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a filter element for a
liquid filter, in particular for fuel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The publication WO 2004/082804 A1 describes a filter system
for diesel fuels, which has an annular particle filter as a filter
element in a filter housing. Also, an annular coalescing element is
connected upstream of the filter element, which has the object to
aggregate droplets of water dispersively present in the fuel into
larger droplets to facilitate the water separation. The coalescing
element is mounted upstream of the filter element; both components
are mounted about a center pipe centrally situated in the receiving
space of the filter housing, which serves to discharge the cleaned
fuel.
[0004] When filtering fuel, first the coalescing element is
through-flown radially from the outside to the inside, a separation
of droplets of water occurring at the interior wall of the
embracing filter housing, which outflow downward into a water
reservoir. Subsequently, the fuel is passed radially from the
outside to the inside through the filter element and the cleaned
fuel is axially discharged via the center pipe.
[0005] Furthermore, it is known from the publication EP 1 326 693
B1 to through-flow an annular filter element radially from the
outside to the inside, having a cylindrical clean space having a
center pipe, for filtering hydraulic oil. The filter device has a
bypass valve between the raw side and the clean side, which is
loaded with force in the closing position by a pressure spring,
which is braced at a screen housing protruding into the interior of
the filter element. When opening the bypass valve, the unfiltered
fluid flows through the wall of the screen housing into the clean
space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The object of the present invention is to effectively
separate dispersively contained droplets of water with simple,
constructive measures when filtering liquids.
[0007] The filter element according to the present invention is
inserted into a liquid filter, which advantageously is a fuel
filter, preferably a diesel fuel filter. An application for, for
example, filtering hydraulic oil is, however, also possible.
[0008] In a filter housing, the liquid filter has an annular filter
element, which particularly serves as a particle filter and which
is radially through-flown from the outside to the inside. The
interior of the hollow cylindrical filter element forms the clean
space via which the cleaned fluid is axially discharged. A center
pipe may be inserted into the clean space, adding stability to the
filter medium of the filter element which, for example, is embodied
in a pleated manner.
[0009] The filter element has a water separation screen which is
inserted into the interior of the filter element, if applicable,
into the center pipe. The water separation screen forms a component
configured separately from the filter element or from the center
pipe and is connected to the filter element or a component situated
at the filter element. The droplets of water, which are included in
the liquid, thus, for example, in the fuel or the hydraulic oil,
are separated at the water separation screen. The clean space in
the filter element is axially flow-connected at one end to a water
collecting space situated in the filter housing and, at the other
end, to a liquid outflow line, via which the cleaned fluid is
discharged from the liquid filter. The discharge of the separated
water at the water separation screen on the one hand and of the
cleaned liquid on the other, thus, occurs in axially opposite
directions from the clean space within the filter element. This,
for example, enables an arrangement of the liquid filter in which
the water collecting space is situated in the bottom area of the
filter housing and the cleaned fluid is discharged axially upwards
from the clean space. The water received into the water collecting
space may, for example, be discharged from the filter housing via a
valve. Thus, the outflow of separated droplets of water from the
water separation screen into the water collecting space is carried
out in the direction of the weight of the droplets of water.
[0010] The water separation screen may be inserted in the center
pipe and is through-flown by the cleaned fluid. Advantageously, the
outer diameter of the water separation screen is smaller than the
interior diameter of the center pipe. The cleaned fluid flows
radially from the outside through the openings in the wall of the
water separation screen to the inside and subsequently flows
axially from the clean space. The droplets of water carried along
in the liquid are separated at the outer shell of the water
separation screen, which, following the weight force, are guided
downwards at the outer wall of the water separation screen in the
direction of the water collecting space.
[0011] The connection between the water separation screen and the
filter element or a component of the filter element is particularly
carried out in a releasable manner, for example, via a latch
connection so that when the latch position is achieved, the water
separation screen is positively and/or non-positively connected to
the filter element or to a component of the filter element.
Expediently, the water separation screen is connected to an end
plate which is fitted at the end face onto the filter medium of the
filter element. It is categorically also possible to connect the
water separation screen to the center pipe.
[0012] Preferably, the water separation screen is cylindrically
formed, a conical embodiment of the water separation screen being
also conceivable. The water separation screen expediently extends
over the total axial length of the clean space or of the center
pipe in the clean space.
[0013] According to a further expedient embodiment, a coalescing
element expediently integrated in the filter element is, in
addition to the filter element, situated in the liquid filter. The
fluid to be cleaned is a dispersive mixture of two liquids, for
example, fuel having dispersively embedded water, which are to be
separated from each other. With the aid of the coalescing element,
fine droplets of water may be joined to larger droplets, however,
without causing a separation. Thus, only larger droplets of water
are generated in the coalescing element which, after
through-flowing the coalescing element, are separated at the water
separation screen located in the clean space. The coalescing
element is, for example, situated on the clean side of the filter
element, particularly between the radial interior side of the
filter medium of the filter element and the center pipe. It may be
also considered that the coalescing element is situated on the raw
side of the filter element or that it is integrated into the filter
element.
[0014] For a flow-proof connection between the raw side and the
clean side of the filter element, it is advantageous to provide a
sealing element between the water separation screen and the
component of the filter element at which the water separation
screen is held. Insofar as the water separation screen is connected
to the end plate, the sealing element may be situated between a
collar of the water separation screen and the end plate. The collar
is integrally formed with the water separation screen and is
located at the end face of the water separation screen. It may be
expedient to configure the collar having a greater outer diameter
than the separation shell of the water separation screen.
[0015] The sealing element between the water separation screen and
the component of the filter element is either integrally formed
with the collar, particularly as a sealing lip molded onto the
collar, or formed as a separate sealing element in the form of a
sealing ring.
[0016] A further exemplary embodiment relates to an annular filter
element for a liquid filter, through-flowable radially from the
outside to the inside, having an interior clean space in the filter
element into which a water separation screen is inserted, which is
formed separately from the filter element and which is connected to
the filter element or a component situated at the filter element,
the filter element being formed by a coalescing element. Thus,
first the coalescing element and subsequently the water separation
screen is through-flown, both forming a joint assembly. A particle
filter is not mandatory in this exemplary embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Further advantages and expedient embodiments may be
concluded from the further claims, the description of the figures
and the drawings.
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a liquid filter for
filtering fuel;
[0019] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the liquid
filter having marked flow arrows to indicate the flow path;
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a perspective, partially sectional view of a
filter element, which is part of the liquid filter, having a water
separation screen situated in the interior clean space;
[0021] FIG. 4 shows a further, partially sectional illustration of
the filter element;
[0022] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of detail V from FIG. 4;
[0023] FIG. 6 shows an end face connection between the water
separation screen and an end plate of the filter element in a
variation of the embodiment.
[0024] In the figures, same components are provided with the same
reference characters.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] FIG. 1 perspectively shows a fluid filter 1 for filtering
fuel, preferably diesel fuel. In a filter housing 2, liquid filter
1 has a filter element for filtering the fuel. In the upper end
face region of filter housing 2, a heating device 3 is located, in
which the supplied fuel is preheated before it is fed into the
filter element in filter housing 2. A radial inflow line 4 for
supplying the unfiltered fuel and a radial outflow line 5 for
discharging the filtered fuel is also located in the upper region
of filter housing 2.
[0026] FIG. 2 shows liquid filter 1 in a longitudinal section.
Filter housing 2 accommodates annular filter element 6, which is
through-flown radially from the outside to the inside by the fluid
to be filtered. Accordingly, the cylindrical interior in filter
element 6 forms clean space 7 from which the cleaned fluid is
axially discharged.
[0027] A center or support pipe 8, which preferably is made out of
plastic and braces the filter medium of filter element 6 and which
provides stability to said filter medium, is inserted into clean
space 7 of filter element 6. Central pipe 8 lines clean space
7.
[0028] A coalescing element 9 delimited radially inwards by center
pipe 8 is located on the radially interior side of the filter
medium of filter element 6. An agglomeration of finely distributed
droplets of water in the fuel occurs in coalescing element 9 so
that said droplets accumulate into larger droplets.
[0029] A water collecting space 10, in which water separated when
filtering the fluid is collected, is located in the bottom region
near the ground in filter housing 2. The collected water can be
discharged from water collecting space 10 in the filter housing via
a bottom sided opening and a valve.
[0030] A water separation screen 11, embodied as a hollow cylinder
and having an outer diameter which is smaller than the interior
diameter of center pipe 8, is inserted into clean space 7 so that
an intermediate annular space is formed. Water separation screen 11
extends axially like center pipe 8 over the total length of clean
space 7 or of filter element 6. The droplets of water carried along
in the fuel, are separated at the outer surface shell of water
separation screen 11. As indicated by the vertical downward
pointing arrow, the separated droplets of water are discharged via
the bottom axial end face of clean space 7 into water collecting
space 10.
[0031] The wall of water separation screen 11 has a plurality of
passage openings, via which the cleaned fuel may through-flow
radially inwards from the annular space between center pipe 8 and
water separation screen 11 into the interior of water separation
screen 11. Subsequently, the cleaned fuel liberated from the water
droplets is axially discharged via the end face of clean space 7
lying axially on the top, which is flow-connected to outflow line
5.
[0032] FIG. 3 shows filter element 6 in a perspective and partially
sectional view. Filter medium 12 of filter element 6 is embodied as
a pleated filter and is enclosed on both end faces by respectively
one end plate 13, 14. In the area of upper end plate 6, via the
central opening of which the cleaned fluid is discharged from clean
space 7, water separation screen 11 has a radially widened collar
15 connected in a latch-closing manner via snap or latch hooks 16
to end plate 13. Latch hooks 16 are molded at the inward facing
side at end plate 13 or integrally formed with end plate 13 (see
also FIGS. 4, 5). In the connected state, latch hooks 16 engage
behind a circumferential, radially outer ring shoulder at collar
15.
[0033] As may particularly be concluded from FIG. 5, a sealing lip
17, which abuts at the radially inner side of latch hooks 16, is
molded adjacent to the free end face and, in the radially outer
area, to collar 15. Latch hooks 16 may optionally also be
configured as a continuous circumferential latch ring at the bottom
side of end plate 13. A flow-proof seal between the radially outer
clean side having water containing fuel and the radially inner
clean side having fuel not containing water is provided via sealing
lip 17.
[0034] End plate 13 has on its axially outward facing end face an
axially protruding support collar 20, onto which a cover 18 is
fitted. On the radially inner side of support collar 20, a sealing
ring 19 is located, which, as may be concluded from FIG. 3, is
braced radially outwards at a section of end plate 13.
[0035] As may further be concluded from FIG. 5, the free end face
of collar 15 is, in the assembled state, located directly below end
plate 13. During assembly, water separation screen 11 has to be
inserted axially from the opposite side into clean space 7 or
center pipe 8.
[0036] FIG. 6 shows a variation of the embodiment of filter element
6, in which the sealing between water separation screen 11 and
upper end plate 13, in contrast to the preceding exemplary
embodiment, is not carried out via a molded sealing lip but via a
separately configured sealing ring 21. Sealing ring 21 is braced
radially inwards at a circumferential ring shoulder at end face
support collar 20 of water separation screen 11. Sealing ring 21
abuts radially outwards at the inner surface of latch hooks 16 or,
in the case of a circumferential embodiment, of the latch collar,
which is integrally formed with end plate 13 and which is located
at the bottom side of end plate 13. For installation, water
separation screen 11 may be inserted in the axial direction from
above through upper end plate 13 into the clean space in filter
element 6.
* * * * *