MODULAR FUEL VAPOR CANISTER

• US 20160341156A1
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yang, Dennis Seung-Man, Dudar, Aed M., Pearce, Russell Randall
• Granted Patent: US 10,316,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0606 Fuel temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0045 Estimating, calculating or determining the purging rate, amount, flow or concentration
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 2025/0881 with means to heat or cool the canister
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0809 Judging failure of purge control system
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0854 Details of the absorption canister

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a fuel vapor canister with a modular configuration that may include a number of physically and releasably coupled canister modules, each module including a temperature sensor embedded therein and filled with one of a number of adsorbents. The temperature sensors may be utilized in combination with information regarding module position and the adsorbents within each module to indicate whether one or more of the individual canister modules are not functioning as desired, where such indications are determined during either refueling events, or during canister purging events. In this way, costs associated with servicing fuel vapor canisters may be reduced, the lifetime of fuel vapor canisters may be improved, an overall reduction in undesired evaporative emissions may be achieved, and the capacity of the canister may be readily adjusted based on emissions standards.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

adsorbing fuel vapors or desorbing fuel vapors in a plurality of individual vapor storage modules coupled to a vehicle fuel tank;

monitoring a plurality of temperature sensors each coupled to one of the individual modules; and

indicating that one or more of the individual modules are not functioning as desired responsive to a monitored temperature change being different than an expected temperature change during the adsorbing or desorbing of fuel vapors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adsorbing fuel vapors in the individual vapor storage modules occurs during refueling of the vehicle fuel tank, where fuel vapors generated during the refueling are directed to the individual vapor storage modules for adsorption;

and wherein

adsorbing fuel vapors results in a temperature increase in one or more of the plurality of individual vapor storage modules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein desorbing fuel vapors in the individual vapor storage modules occurs during a purge event, where the purge event further comprises coupling the individual vapor storage modules to an engine intake manifold and to atmosphere to draw fresh air across the individual vapor storage modules such that stored fuel vapors are desorbed and routed to the engine intake manifold for combustion;

and wherein

desorbing fuel vapors results in a temperature decrease in one or more of the plurality of individual vapor storage modules.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the adsorbing or desorbing of fuel vapors in the individual vapor storage modules, recording a loading state of each individual module, where the loading state includes an indication of a fuel vapor saturation level within each individual module.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the expected temperature change is based on the loading state of each individual module prior to the adsorbing or desorbing of fuel vapors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the expected temperature change is further based on an expected amount of fuel vapors adsorbed or desorbed by individual modules during the adsorbing or desorbing.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein responsive to an indication that one or more of the individual vapor storage modules are not functioning as desired, the one or more individual vapor storage modules that are not functioning as desired can be replaced without replacing remaining modules.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each individual module is fluidically coupled to at least one other individual module;

wherein at least one temperature sensor is positioned within each individual module;

wherein each individual module houses adsorbent material for capturing and storing fuel vapors from the vehicle fuel tank; and

wherein

the adsorbent material within each individual module can differ between the individual modules.

9. A method comprising:

adsorbing fuel vapors or desorbing fuel vapors in a plurality of individual vapor storage modules connected together in series, the individual vapor storage modules comprising a modular fuel vapor canister which is coupled to a fuel tank; and

evaluating performance of each the individual modules responsive to a monitored temperature change being different than an expected temperature change in the individual modules during either the adsorption of fuel vapors or the desorption of fuel vapors.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the expected temperature change corresponds to a refueling event where fuel vapors generated in the fuel tank are routed to the fuel vapor canister for storage;

and wherein

the expected temperature change is related to the amount of fuel added to the tank.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

recording a loading state of each individual module of the modular fuel vapor canister prior to the refueling event; and

wherein

the expected temperature change in each individual canister module is further related to the loading state of each individual canister module prior to the refueling event.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the expected temperature change corresponds to a fuel vapor canister purging event where the modular fuel vapor canister is coupled to an intake manifold and to atmosphere to route fuel vapors from the modular fuel vapor canister to the intake manifold;

and wherein

the expected temperature change is related to the duration of the fuel vapor canister purging event.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

recording a loading state of each individual module of the modular fuel vapor canister prior to the purging event; and

wherein

the expected temperature change in each individual module is related to the loading state of each individual canister module prior to the purging event.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein evaluating performance of each the individual modules responsive to a monitored temperature change being different than an expected temperature change includes indicating that one or more of the individual modules are not functioning as desired;

where an individual module not functioning as desired includes an adsorbent material in the one or more individual canister modules being degraded, or a temperature sensor in the one or more individual modules being non-functional.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein responsive to an indication that one or more of the individual modules are not functioning as desired:

activating a heating element within the one or more individual modules; and

indicating that the temperature sensor in the one or more individual modules is functional responsive to an indicated temperature change corresponding to the heating element being activated.

16. A fuel vapor canister, comprising:

a plurality of individual canister modules forming a modular fuel vapor canister, said canister modules sequentially arranged in series and releasably physically coupled;

wherein each canister module is filled with a vapor adsorbent material;

wherein a first end module is positioned at a first end of the sequential arrangement;

wherein a second end module is positioned at a second end of the sequential arrangement; and

wherein

a plurality of intermediate modules are positioned between the first end module and the second end module.

17. The vapor canister of claim 16, wherein the first end module includes a first port and a second port at a first end, where the first end module is physically coupled to an intermediate module at a second end;

wherein each of the plurality of intermediate modules is physically coupled to a first canister module at a first end, and is physically coupled to a second canister module at a second end; and

wherein

the second end module is physically coupled to an intermediate module at a first end, and includes a third port at a second end.

18. The vapor canister of claim 17, wherein the first port is selectively fluidly coupled to a fuel tank;

wherein the second port is selectively fluidly coupled to an intake manifold of a vehicle engine; and

wherein

the third port is selectively fluidly coupled to atmosphere.

19. The vapor canister of claim 16, further comprising:

at least one temperature sensor embedded within each individual canister module.

20. The vapor canister of claim 19, wherein the at least one temperature sensors are configured to indicate a temperature within each individual canister module to a controller;

wherein the controller is a controller storing instructions in non-transitory memory, that when executed, cause the controller to;

indicate that one or more of the individual modules are not functioning as desired responsive to a monitored temperature change being different than an expected temperature change during an adsorbing or a desorbing of fuel vapors;

wherein the adsorbing of fuel vapors occurs during a fuel tank refueling event; and

wherein the desorbing of fuel vapors occurs during a canister purge event.