Diesel exhaust fluid tank breather assembly

• US 9,186,632 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Schroeder, Luke A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Duane
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, MINH CHAU THI
• Application Number:
  US14/103,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20150159529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 554/86, 553/854, 554/18, 554/95, 555/24, 55D/IG.17, 961/34, 961/47, 210/321, 210/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/38 Hydrophobic membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/229 Integrated processes (Diffusion and at least one other process, e.g. adsorption, absorption)
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/02 characterised by their properties
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03504 adapted to avoid loss of fuel or fuel vapour, e.g. with vapour recovery systems
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/1406 Storage means for substances, e.g. tanks or reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/1466 Means for venting air out of conduits or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 24/00 Devices, e.g. valves, for venting or aerating enclosures equalising valves F16K17/00; arrangement or mounting in pipes or pipe systems F16L55/07; venting or aerating as an additional function of steam traps or like apparatus F16T; ventilation of rooms, vehicles, see the appropriate subclass, e.g. F24F

Abstract

A diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) delivery system includes a tank for DEF, usually a urea aqueous solution, and a pump receiving the DEF from the tank for pressurization and delivery through a nozzle to the exhaust system of a work machine. A breather assembly is provided for the DEF tank and includes a housing having an inlet for ambient air and a particle filter adjacent the inlet for filtering particles. A hydrophobic membrane is interposed between the particle filter and an outlet leading to the tank for preventing outflow of DEF vapor and condensate.

Claims

1. A breather assembly for a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank, said breather assembly comprising:

a housing having an inlet for ambient air, an interior chamber and an outlet fluidly connectable to the DEF tank;

a particle filter positioned adjacent said ambient air inlet for filtering particles from the air entering said interior chamber; and

,

a hydrophobic membrane in said interior chamber interposed between said particle filter and said outlet for preventing outflow of DEF vapor and condensate to said interior chamber, said hydrophobic membrane being positioned so that outflow is in a direction lateral to the plane of said membrane and said outlet is lower than said hydrophobic membrane.

2. The breather assembly of claim 1 in which said particle filter is one of a paper filter and a foam filter.

3. The breather assembly of claim 2 wherein said particle filter is a foam filter.

4. The breather assembly of claim 3 wherein said housing is annular and has an annular outer facing recess for receiving an annular foam filter.

5. The breather assembly of claim 4 in which the annular housing has a pair of flat sections for facilitating removal and installation of said annular foam filter.

6. The breather assembly of claim 4 wherein said housing has a plurality of inlets extending radially inward from said outer facing annular groove to said interior chamber.

7. The breather assembly of claim 1 wherein said housing has upper and lower housings and said hydrophobic membrane is sandwiched between said upper and lower housing.

8. The breather assembly of claim 2 wherein said particle filter is a paper filter.

9. The breather assembly of claim 8 having an upper and lower housing wherein said paper filter is positioned within said upper housing.

10. The breather assembly of claim 9 wherein said upper and lower housings have annular abutting flanges removable from one another for replacement of said paper filter.

11. A diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) delivery system comprising:

a tank for DEF;

a pump fluidly connected to said tank for pressurizing DEF;

a nozzle fluidly connected to said pump for receiving pressurized DEF and delivering it to a work machine exhaust system;

a breather tube fluidly connected to said tank;

a breather assembly connected to the upper and of said conduit and comprising a housing having an inlet for ambient air, an interior chamber and an outlet fluidly connected to said breather tube, a particle filter positioned adjacent said ambient air inlet for filtering particles from air entering the interior chamber; and

, a hydrophobic membrane in said interior chamber interposed between said particle filter and said outlet for preventing outflow of vapors and condensate to said interior chamber, said hydrophobic membrane being positioned so that outflow is in a direction lateral to the plane of said membrane and said breather tube is lower than said hydrophobic membrane.

12. The DEF delivery system of claim 11 wherein the particle filter is one of a foam filter and a paper filter.

13. The DEF delivery system of claim 12 wherein said filter is a foam filter.

14. The DEF delivery system of claim 13 wherein said housing is annular and has an outer facing annular recess for receiving said annular foam filter.

15. The DEF delivery system of claim 14 in which the annular housing has a pair of flat sections for facilitating removal and installation of said annular foam filter.

16. The DEF delivery system of claim 12 wherein the particle filter is a paper filter.

17. The DEF delivery system of claim 16 wherein the housing has upper and lower sections and wherein the paper filter is contained within said upper section.

18. The DEF delivery system of claim 17 wherein said upper and lower housings have annular abutting flanges removable from one another for replacement of said paper filter.