Apparatus and method for pulsation damping and flow measurement in liquid fuel system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for reducing flow pulsations in a fuel system for a liquid fuel engine, the fuel system comprising a fuel tank and a pump for causing fuel to flow through a fuel flow path from the fuel tank through the pump to the engine, the apparatus comprising:
- gas inlet means for introducing gas into the fuel flow path; and
damping means located in the fuel flow path between the pump and the engine for damping flow pulsations in the fuel, the damping means including means for containing a volume of gas in communication with the fuel flowing through the damping means such that flow pulsations in the fuel are transmitted to and damped by the gas, and separation means for automatically removing gas from the damping means at approximately the same rate as the gas is introduced by the gas inlet means, such that said volume of gas is substantially constant over time and such that the fuel flowing from the damping means towards the engine is substantially free of gas.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method are disclosed for reducing flow pulsations and measuring fuel flow in a fuel system for a liquid fuel engine. The engine (54) has associated with it a fuel tank (30) and a pump (32) for causing fuel to flow through a fuel flow path from the fuel tank through the pump to the engine. In one embodiment, the invention comprises a flow sensor (50), gas inlet means (62), and a pulsation damper (46) that includes a chamber (70) in communication with the fuel flowing through the pulsation damper. The flow sensor is positioned in the fuel flow path (44, 48, 52) between the pump and the engine, and serves to measure the rate of fuel flowing to the engine. The gas inlet means introduces gas into the fuel flow path, and preferably directly into the chamber. The pulsation damper is located in the fuel flow path (44, 48) between the pump and the flow sensor, and operates to damp flow pulsations in the fuel and separate the gas introduced by the gas inlet means from the fuel such that the gas does not reach the engine.
25 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus for reducing flow pulsations in a fuel system for a liquid fuel engine, the fuel system comprising a fuel tank and a pump for causing fuel to flow through a fuel flow path from the fuel tank through the pump to the engine, the apparatus comprising:
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gas inlet means for introducing gas into the fuel flow path; and damping means located in the fuel flow path between the pump and the engine for damping flow pulsations in the fuel, the damping means including means for containing a volume of gas in communication with the fuel flowing through the damping means such that flow pulsations in the fuel are transmitted to and damped by the gas, and separation means for automatically removing gas from the damping means at approximately the same rate as the gas is introduced by the gas inlet means, such that said volume of gas is substantially constant over time and such that the fuel flowing from the damping means towards the engine is substantially free of gas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for measuring the fuel consumed by a liquid fuel engine, the engine having associated with it a fuel tank and a pump for causing fuel to flow through a fuel flow path from the fuel tank through the pump to the engine, the apparatus comprising:
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a flow sensor positioned in the fuel flow path between the pump and the engine; gas inlet means for introducing gas into the fuel flow path; and damping means located in the fuel flow path between the pump and the flow sensor for damping flow pulsations in the fuel, the damping means including means for containing a volume of gas in communication with the fuel flowing through the damping means such that flow pulsations in the fuel are transmitted to and damped by the gas, and separation means for automatically removing gas from the damping means at approximately the same rate as the gas is introduced by the gas inlet means, such that said volume of gas is substantially constant over time and such that the fuel flowing from the damping means towards the engine is substantially free of gas. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for reducing flow pulsations in a fuel system for a liquid fuel engine, the fuel system comprising a fuel tank and a pump for causing fuel to flow through a fuel flow path from the fuel tank through the pump to the engine, the method comprising:
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providing a chamber in the fuel flow path between the pump and the engine; introducing a gas into the fuel flow path such that the gas flows into the chamber and forms therein a volume of gas in communication with the fuel flowing through the chamber, such that flow pulsations in the fuel are transmitted to and damped by the gas in the chamber; and removing gas from the chamber at approximately the same rate as the gas is introduced into the fuel flow path, such that the volume of gas in the chamber is substantially constant over time and such that fuel flowing from the chamber towards the engine is substantially free of gas. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for measuring the fuel consumed by a liquid fuel engine, the engine having associated with it a fuel tank and a pump for causing fuel to flow through a fuel flow path from the fuel tank through the pump to the engine, and the method comprising:
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measuring the rate of fuel flow to the engine by means of a flow sensor positioned in the fuel flow path between the pump and the engine; providing a chamber in the fuel flow path between the pump and the flow sensor; introducing a gas into the fuel flow path such that the gas flows into the chamber and forms therein a volume of gas in communication with the fuel flowing through the chamber, such that flow pulsations in the fuel are transmitted to and damped by the gas in the chamber; and removing gas from the chamber at approximately the same rate as the gas is introduced into the fuel flow path, such that the volume of gas in the chamber is substantially constant over time and such that fuel flowing from the chamber towards the engine is substantially free of gas. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification