Low intake restriction air precleaner
First Claim
1. An air precleaner that separates particulates from air, comprising:
- (a) a base assembly having an inlet port through which air enters the precleaner;
(b) a hood mounted to the base assembly and having a discharge port for discharging particulates, the hood and base assembly defining an air space, a circumferential gap between the hood and base assembly, and a series of vanes mounted in the gap at an angle between radial and tangential to define channels between the vanes through which air is directed into the air space; and
(c) a rotor assembly that is rotatably mounted within the air space that rotates to fling particulates outward toward the hood for expulsion through the discharge port.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air precleaner includes a base assembly, a hood mounted to the base assembly and spaced from the base assembly to define a circumferential gap, and a rotor assembly mounted for rotation within the air space between the hood and base assembly. The base assembly has an outlet port that is connectable to an engine intake. Inlet ports may be formed between web supports connecting an outer circumferential wall to an inner circumferential wall of the base assembly. A series of vanes are mounted in the gap between the hood and base assembly at an angle between radial and tangential to define channels between them through which air is directed into the air space between the hood and base assembly with both an inward and tangential component of velocity. The air drawn in through the channels between the vanes provides a strong tangential component of air velocity impacting upon the rotor to maintain high efficiency of particulate removal. The additional air drawn in through the channels at the gap between the hood and base assembly significantly reduces the restriction of air drawn in through the precleaner as compared to conventional precleaner designs in which air enters only through inlet ports formed at the bottom of the precleaner. The bottom of the air precleaner may be closed so that intake air enters the precleaner only through the channels around the periphery of the precleaner, allowing the precleaner to be mounted on or adjacent to other surfaces.
83 Citations
43 Claims
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1. An air precleaner that separates particulates from air, comprising:
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(a) a base assembly having an inlet port through which air enters the precleaner;
(b) a hood mounted to the base assembly and having a discharge port for discharging particulates, the hood and base assembly defining an air space, a circumferential gap between the hood and base assembly, and a series of vanes mounted in the gap at an angle between radial and tangential to define channels between the vanes through which air is directed into the air space; and
(c) a rotor assembly that is rotatably mounted within the air space that rotates to fling particulates outward toward the hood for expulsion through the discharge port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An air precleaner that separates particulates from air, comprising:
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(a) a hood with a cylindrical sidewall and having a discharge port for discharging particulates;
(b) a base assembly having an inner circumferential wall that terminates in an inner end and that defines an outlet port through which air exits the precleaner, the hood and base assembly defining an air space, a plate extending outwardly from the inner circumferential wall to close off the air space beneath the hood, the hood spaced from the base assembly to define a circumferential gap, and a series of equally spaced vanes mounted in the gap at an angle between radial and tangential to define channels between the vanes through which air is directed into the air space; and
(c) a rotor assembly that is rotatably mounted within the air space and that rotates when air enters through the channels between the vanes to fling particulates outward toward the hood for expulsion through the discharge port. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An air precleaner that separates particulates from air, comprising:
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(a) a base assembly having an inlet port through which air enters the precleaner, and an outlet port through which air exits the precleaner;
(b) a hood mounted to the base assembly and having a discharge port for discharging particulates, the hood and base assembly defining an air space so that the air space and the inlet and outlet ports and the discharge port are in fluid communication, the hood spaced from the base assembly to define a circumferential gap, and a series of vanes mounted in the gap at an angle between radial and tangential to define channels between the vanes through which air is directed into the air space; and
(c) a rotor assembly that is rotatably mounted within the air space and that rotates when air enters through the inlet port to fling particulates outward toward the hood for expulsion through the discharge port. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An air precleaner that separates particulates from air, comprising:
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(a) a base assembly having an inlet port through which air enters the precleaner, and an outlet port through which air exits the precleaner;
(b) a hood with a cylindrical side wall mounted to the base assembly and having a discharge port for discharging particulates formed as a slot in the side wall, the hood and the base assembly defining an air space so that the air space and the inlet and outlet ports and the discharge port are in fluid communication, the hood spaced from the base assembly to a circumferential gap, and a series of equally spaced vanes mounted in the gap at an angle between radial and tangential to define inwardly converging channels between the vanes through which air is directed into the air space; and
(c) a rotor assembly that is rotatably mounted within the air space and that rotates when air enters through the inlet port to fling particulates outward toward the hood for expulsion through the discharge port, wherein the rotor assembly further includes an axle mounted to the hood, a hub that is rotatably mounted upon the axle, and a plurality of arms attached to the hub in the path of air entering through the inlet port and the gap, the air causing the hub to rotate upon the axle and the arms to fling particulates outward, wherein the arms include each at least a blade that is in a plane axial to the hub. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification