FILTER ASSEMBLY WITH WATER EVACUATION AND METHODS

• US 20150182892A1
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baldwin Filters Incorporated (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Baldwin Filters Incorporated (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Inventors: Schweitzer, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 9,737,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/0415 Details of supporting structures
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/291 End caps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/34 Seals or gaskets for filtering elements for removable closures, lids, caps or filter heads B01D2201/304
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/21 with corrugated, folded or wound sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 35/005 Filters specially adapted for use in internal-combustion engine lubrication or fuel systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 36/003 Filters in combination with devices for the removal of liquids B01D35/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 210/05 Coalescer

Abstract

A filter assembly, a filter cartridge and method of filter fluid are provided. The filter assembly includes a filter base, a filter housing and a filter cartridge within the housing. The filter cartridge strips water from the dirty fluid flowing through the assembly. The filter cartridge defines a pair of fluid flow paths extending through a central cavity thereof. The fluid flow paths carry and keep separated a flow of cleaned fluid after it passes through filter media of the cartridge as well as the water that has been stripped from the dirty fluid flow.

Claims

1. A filter cartridge for use in a reusable filter housing and for filtering dirty fluid supplied by a dirty fluid port of a filter base to which the filter cartridge and filter housing are releasably attachable, the filter base including a clean fluid port through which cleaned fluid exits and a return port through which separated water separated from the dirty fluid exits, the filter cartridge comprising:

a tube of filter media extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis and defining a central cavity;

a first end cap portion sealingly attached to the first end of the tube of filter media, the first end cap portion carrying;

a dirty fluid inlet defined by a dirty fluid inlet seal arrangement that fluidly seals with and fluidly communicates with the dirty fluid port of the filter base on an upstream side of the tube of filter media;

a clean fluid outlet defined by a clean fluid outlet seal arrangement that fluidly seals with and fluidly communicates with the clean fluid port of the filter base on a downstream side of the tube of filter media, the tube of filter media being fluidly interposed between the dirty fluid inlet and the clean fluid outlet such that fluid flow through the clean fluid outlet must pass through the tube of filter media;

a return outlet defined by a return outlet seal arrangement that fluidly seals with and fluidly communicates with the return port, flow of separated water through the return outlet bypassing the tube of filter media and flowing operably through the central cavity of the tube of filter media separated from both clean fluid and dirty fluid flows.

2. The filter cartridge of claim 1, wherein the dirty fluid inlet is spaced axially from the first end of the filter media along the longitudinal axis and is positioned, at least in part, radially inward from an outer diameter of the tube of filter media, the first end cap portion defining a radially outward directed flow passage that extends radially outward relative to the longitudinal axis when flowing in the downstream direction from the dirty fluid inlet.

3. The filter cartridge of claim 2, wherein the radially outward directed flow passage is spaced axially from the first end of the tube of filter media.

4. The filter cartridge of claim 1, further comprising:

a return flow passage extending through the internal cavity of the tube of filter media, the return flow passage fluidly interposed between the dirty fluid inlet and the return outlet, the flow of separated water passing through the return flow passage;

a clean flow passage extending through the internal cavity from a downstream side of the tube of filter media to the clean fluid outlet, the clean flow passage being fluidly separated from the return flow passage.

5. The filter cartridge of claim 4, further comprising a second end cap portion attached to the second end of the tube of filter media, the second end cap portion including a central aperture passing therethrough, the return flow passage fluidly communicating with an exterior of the tube of filter media through the central aperture.

6. The filter cartridge of claim 5, further comprising a centertube portion positioned within the internal cavity of the tube of filter media, the centertube portion including a central passage providing the return flow passage, the central passage in fluid communication with the exterior of the tube of filter media through the central aperture of the second end cap portion.

7. The filter cartridge of claim 6, wherein the central passage of the centertube includes an inlet axially spaced apart from the return outlet, the inlet being spaced axially away from the second end of the tube of filter media with the inlet being positioned outside of the internal cavity of the tube of filter media.

8. The filter cartridge of claim 5, wherein the centertube portion includes a second fluid passage radially spaced from the central passage, the second fluid passage providing the clean flow passage, the second fluid passage having an inlet within the central cavity of the tube of filter media and fluidly communicating with the clean fluid outlet through the second fluid passage.

9. The filter cartridge of claim 7, wherein the centertube includes an axially extending tubular portion that extends axially through the central aperture of the second end cap portion, the distal end of the axially extending tubular portion defining the inlet of the central passage.

12. A method of filtering a fluid comprising:

receiving a dirty fluid at an inlet port of a filter base;

separating water from the dirty fluid prior to the dirty fluid passing into a central cavity of a tube of filter media of a filter cartridge according to claim 1 attached to the filter base, passing the water to a sump region formed between the filter cartridge and a filter housing in which the filter cartridge is positioned;

passing the dirty fluid through the tube of filter media to remove particulate from the dirty fluid and converting the dirty fluid into clean fluid;

passing the clean fluid through a clean fluid flow path that has an inlet within the central cavity of the tube of filter media;

expelling the clean fluid from the clean fluid flow path through a clean fluid outlet of the filter cartridge;

passing the water through a return flow passage that extends through central cavity of the tube of filter media; and

expelling the water through a return outlet of the filter cartridge.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the water enters the return flow passage through an inlet of the return flow passage that is positioned axially outside of the central cavity of the tube of filter media.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising replacing the filter cartridge with a new filter cartridge including replacing the return flow passage while replacing the filter cartridge.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the dirty fluid inlet seal arrangement includes a first radially inward directed seal and a first radially outward directed seal, the first radially outward directed seal having a smaller diameter than the first radially inward directed seal, the dirty fluid inlet being the annular gap formed between the first radially inward directed seal and the first radially outward directed seal of the dirty fluid inlet seal arrangement;

the clean fluid inlet seal arrangement includes a second radially inward directed seal and the first radially outward directed seal, the second radially inward directed seal being positioned radially inward relative to the first radially outward directed seal, the clean fluid outlet being the gap formed between the first radially outward directed seal and the second radially inward directed seal; and

the return outlet seal arrangement provided by the second radially inward directed seal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second radially inward directed seal and the first radially outward directed seal are provided by a single seal member.

10. A filter cartridge for use in a reusable filter housing and for filtering dirty fluid supplied by a dirty fluid port of a filter base to which the filter cartridge and filter housing are releasably attachable, the filter base further including a clean fluid port and a return port, the filter cartridge comprising:

a tube of filter media extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis and defining a central cavity;

a dirty fluid inlet that seals with and fluidly communicates with the dirty fluid port of the filter base on an upstream side of the tube of filter media;

a clean fluid outlet that seals with and fluidly communicates with the clean fluid port on a downstream side of the tube of filter media, the tube of filter media being fluidly interposed between the dirty fluid inlet and the clean fluid outlet such that fluid flow through the clean fluid outlet must pass through the tube of filter media;

a return outlet that seals with and fluidly communicates with the return port, fluid flow through the return outlet bypassing the tube of filter media.

11. A filter assembly comprising:

a filter base including a dirty fluid port, a clean fluid port and a return port;

a filter housing removably attachable to the filter base defining an internal cavity; and

a filter cartridge removably positioned within the internal cavity of the filter housing, the filter cartridge including;

a tube of filter media extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis and defining a central cavity;

a dirty fluid inlet that seals with and fluidly communicates with the dirty fluid port of the filter base on an upstream side of the tube of filter media;

a clean fluid outlet that seals with and fluidly communicates with the clean fluid port on a downstream side of the tube of filter media;

a return outlet that seals with and fluidly communicates with the return port;

the filter cartridge and filter housing defining a sump region therebetween that is downstream from the tube of filter media and upstream of the return outlet when the filter cartridge is mounted within the filter housing, the return outlet in fluid communication with the sump region when the filter cartridge is mounted within the filter housing;

the sump region collecting water separated from dirty fluid prior to the dirty fluid passing through the tube of filter media.