Filter service system and method

• US 7,410,529 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Thaler, David, Crandell, Richard A., DaCosta, Herbert, Fei, Dong, Fluga, Eric Charles, Sellers, Cheryl Lynn, Trethewey, Jeremy, Frazier, Bruce, Hudson, Roger A., Fletcher, Matthew, Gasper, Mark Alan, Vanderspiegel, Natalie Noel, Grimm, Mark T., Mallampalli, Hemant Prasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Duane
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLEMENTE, ROBERT ARTHUR
• Application Number:
  US11/138,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20060070361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 952/78, 952/79, 952/82, 952/91, 952/93, 952/95, 953/00, 953/04, 955/23, 95D/IG.30, 952/80, 952/822, 953/01, 953/02, 953/03, 952/83
• US Class Current: 95/279
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2273/28 Making use of vacuum or underpressure
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/30 for treatment of exhaust gases from IC Engines
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0089 Anti-return means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/68 by means acting on the cake side involving movement with regard to the filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/71 with pressurised gas, e.g. pulsed air
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/023 using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0233 periodically cleaning filter by blowing a gas through the filter in a direction opposite to exhaust flow, e.g. exposing filter to engine air intake

Abstract

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for removing matter from a filtering device of a work machine includes a gas pressurization assembly. An element of the gas pressurization assembly is removably attachable to a first orifice of the filtering device without removing the filtering device from a work machine to which the filtering device is connected. The system also includes a heat source fluidly connected to the gas pressurization assembly.

Claims

1. A method of removing matter from a filtering device of a machine, comprising:

connecting a gas pressurization assembly to a first orifice of the filtering device;

increasing the temperature of a flow of compressed gas supplied by the gas pressurization assembly; and

directing the flow of heated compressed gas to at least a portion of the filtering device without regenerating the filtering device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the flow of compressed gas supplied by the gas pressurization assembly is increased up to at least approximately 200 degrees Celsius.

3. The method of claim 1, further including providing a heat source to assist in increasing the temperature of the flow of compressed gas.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the increasing of the temperature serves to dry soot contained within the at least a portion of the filtering device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein drying soot takes less than approximately two hours.

6. The method of claim 1, further including supplying a negative pressure to at least a portion of the filtering device with a vacuum source.

7. The method of claim 6, further including controllably fluidly coupling a vacuum storage device to the filtering device so as to enable a gas to flow from the filtering device to the vacuum storage device.

8. The method of claim 6, further including controllably fluidly coupling a gas storage device to the filtering device so as to release the stored gas from the gas storage device.

9. The method of claim 6, further including connecting a vibration device to the filtering device while the filtering device is connected to the machine.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vibration device is configured to shake the filtering device and thereby assist in removing matter from the filtering device.

11. A method of removing matter from a filtering device of a machine, comprising:

manipulating a component of an access assembly coupled to an orifice of the filtering device, the access assembly being removably attached to the orifice, the orifice including at least one of an inlet and an outlet of the filtering device through which a flow of exhaust passes;

fluidly connecting a service system to the orifice; and

providing a flow of compressed gas from the service system to the filtering device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein manipulating the component of the access assembly includes removing the component from the filtering device and the fluidly connecting includes coupling a flow distribution device of the service system to the orifice.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein manipulating the component of the access assembly includes rotating the component relative to the filtering device and the fluidly connecting includes coupling a flow distribution device of the service system to the orifice.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the component of the access assembly is one of a removable piping section, a capped Y section of piping, a baffle, and a 90 degree section.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the access assembly further includes at least one of a flange, a fitting, a clamp, and a valve.

16. A system for removing matter from a filtering device of a machine, comprising:

a gas pressurization assembly including a gas storage device coupled to a gas source, an element of the gas pressurization assembly being removably attachable to a first orifice of the filtering device without removing the filtering device from the machine to which the filtering device is connected; and

a heat source fluidly connected to the gas pressurization assembly.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is removably attached to the filtering device and is configured to remove matter from the filtering device while the filtering device is connected to the machine.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the gas source includes a compressor.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein a flow of fluid from the gas storage device is controllably fluidly connectable to the filtering device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the gas storage device includes a high pressure gas tank.

21. The system of claim 16, further including a vacuum source fluidly connected to the filtering device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the vacuum source includes a vacuum pump.

23. The system of claim 21, further including a vacuum storage device coupled to the vacuum source, the vacuum storage device being controllably fluidly connectable to the filtering device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the vacuum storage device includes a gas tank capable of storing a gas at a negative pressure.

25. The system of claim 21, further including a vacuum storage device coupled to the vacuum source, the gas storage device being controllably fluidly connectable to the filtering device and the vacuum storage device being controllably fluidly connectable to the filtering device.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the heat source includes one of a burner, an electric heating coil, a compressed air heating element, a forced air heating element, and a microwave heating element.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the heat source is configured to raise a temperature of pressurized gas supplied to the filtering device sufficient to dry soot contained within the filtering device.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein the heat source is configured to increase the temperature of a flow of compressed gas generated by the gas pressurization assembly up to at least approximately 200 degrees Celsius.

29. The system of claim 16, further including a vibration device removably attachable to the filtering device without removing the filtering device from the machine.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the vibration device extends along substantially an entire length of a filter media of the filtering device.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the vibration device includes two or more separate components removably attached to the filtering device.

32. The system of claim 16, wherein the filtering device is a particulate filter for an internal combustion engine.

33. A system for removing matter from a filtering device of a machine, comprising:

a gas pressurization assembly, an element of the gas pressurization assembly being removably attachable to a first orifice of the filtering device;

a heat source fluidly connected to the gas pressurization assembly; and

a vibration device removably attachable to the filtering device.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the vibration device is a gyroscopic gear-type device.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the vibration device is substantially ring-shaped.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the system is removably attached to the filtering device and is configured to remove matter from the filtering device while the filtering device is connected to the machine.

37. The system of claim 33, further including a vacuum source fluidly connected to the filtering device.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the heat source includes one of a burner, an electric heating coil, a compressed air heating element, a forced air heating element, and a microwave heating element.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the gas pressurization assembly includes a gas source fluidly connected to the filtering device;

and the heat source is configured to increase the temperature of a flow of compressed gas generated by the gas source up to at least approximately 200 degrees Celsius.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the heat source is configured to raise a temperature of pressurized gas supplied to the filtering device sufficient to dry soot contained within the filtering device.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein the vibration device includes two or more separate components removably attached to the filtering device.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the vibration device extends along substantially an entire length of a filter media of the filtering device.

43. The system of claim 33, wherein:

the element of the gas pressurization assembly is removably attachable to the first orifice of the filtering device without removing the filtering device from the machine to which the filtering device is connected; and

the vibration device is removably attachable to the filtering device without removing the filtering device from the machine.