Turbine fuel pump with fuel jet

• US 5,452,701 A
• Filed: 05/23/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TI Group Automotive Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Walbro Corporation (Sun Capital Partners Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tuckey, Charles H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moulis, Thomas N.
• Application Number:
  US08/247,560
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 123/509, 123/510, 123/514, 417/80, 417/83, 417/84, 417/423.3
• US Class Current: 123/509
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/077 with means modifying or controlling distribution or motion of fuel, e.g. to prevent noise, surge, splash or fuel starvation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03105 with supplementary interior tanks inside the fuel tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/03236 characterised by special filters, the mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/025 Feeding by means of a liquid fuel-driven jet pump jet pumps per se F04F
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/106 the pump being installed in a sub-tank

Abstract

An electrically operated fuel pump for automotive vehicles which utilizes a turbine pump rotor operating in an annular pumping channel having circumferentially spaced inlet and outlet ports. The pumping channel has opposed sides with a circumferential array of radially curved grooves axially opposed to the periphery of the impeller and extending radially inwardly from the impeller vanes. The pump has a main outlet leading to the engine to be supplied with fuel. A secondary outlet leads to a fuel jet positioned to direct fuel into a venturi passage to draw fuel from a pump inlet and discharge it into a reservoir in a main fuel tank, the pump being located in the reservoir. A biased valve in the secondary outlet opens when the pump outlet pressure reaches a predetermined pressure to insure adequate fuel flow to the engine upon cold start conditions before fuel is drawn by the jet and venturi and delivered to the reservoir.

Claims

1. An electric-motor fuel pump for installation in a vehicle fuel tank that comprises,

a housing including a main fuel outlet and a main fuel inlet opening to the exterior of said housing immediately adjacent the bottom thereof and immediately adjacent the bottom of the fuel tank when installed therein,

an electric motor in said housing and including a rotor and means for applying electrical energy to said motor to rotate said rotor in said housing, and

a turbine pump in said housing and including an impeller coupled to said rotor for co-rotation therewith and having a periphery with a circumferential array of vanes, an arcuate pumping channel surrounding said impeller periphery and communicating with said main fuel outlet and a turbine pump fuel inlet coupled with said pumping channel and communicating with the exterior of said housing immediately adjacent the bottom thereof and being located immediately adjacent the bottom of the fuel tank when installed therein,

said pump having a base housing which includes the main fuel inlet, a secondary fuel outlet in said base housing in communication with said pumping channel, a jet in said secondary fuel outlet, a venturi passage having an outlet end opening to the exterior of said housing and an inlet end axially opposed to said jet, said venturi passage being in communication with said main fuel inlet, whereby turbine pump outlet fuel in said secondary outlet discharging into said jet draws fuel into said venturi passage through said main inlet and discharges fuel from said venturi passage outlet end.

2. A fuel pump as defined in claim 1 in which there is provided a main fuel tank for a vehicle, a reservoir within said main fuel tank, said fuel pump being mounted on said base housing in said reservoir, said outlet end of said venturi passage being open to said reservoir, said turbine pump having a primary fuel outlet in communication with the interior of said reservoir, whereby fuel from said secondary outlet of said turbine pump passes through said jet into said venturi passage and draws fuel from said main inlet and moves it into said reservoir.

3. A fuel pump as defined in claim 1 in which said secondary fuel outlet in said base comprises an L-shaped passage having a first end at said pumping channel and a second end at said jet, said venturi passage in said base being axially aligned with said jet, said inlet end of said venturi passage being located above said main fuel inlet whereby fuel from said jet discharges into said inlet end of said venturi passage to draw fuel from said main inlet and move it through said venturi.

4. A fuel pump assembly as defined in claim 3 in which a foot valve in said base provides a one-way passage into said main fuel inlet.

5. A fuel pump as defined in claim 1 in which the turbine pump also comprises a circumferential array of generally radially oriented grooves on each side of said impeller, communicating with said pumping channel and extending generally radially inward of the periphery of said impeller.

6. An electric-motor fuel pump for installation in a fuel tank that comprises,

a housing including a main fuel inlet and a fuel outlet,

an electric motor including a rotor and means for applying electrical energy to said motor to rotate said rotor in said housing, and

a turbine pump in said housing and including an impeller coupled to said rotor for co-rotation therewith and having a periphery with circumferential array of vanes, an arcuate pumping channel surrounding said impeller periphery and communicating with said fuel outlet and a turbine pump inlet coupled to said pumping channel and opening to the exterior of said housing immediately adjacent the bottom of said housing,

said fuel pump having a base housing in which is formed the main fuel inlet, a secondary fuel outlet including an outlet passage in said base housing in communication with said pumping channel, a jet located in said secondary outlet passage, a biased valve in said outlet passage biased against flow from said pumping channel, a venturi passage in said base housing having an outlet end, and having an inlet end axially opposed to said jet, said venturi passage being in communication with said main fuel inlet, and means biasing said valve to allow flow to said outlet passage and said jet upon outlet pressure in said pumping channel reaching a predetermined value, whereby turbine pump outlet fuel in said secondary outlet passage discharging into said jet draws fuel into said venturi passage through said main fuel inlet and discharges fuel from said venturi passage outlet end.

7. A fuel pump assembly as defined in claim 6 in which said main fuel inlet is mounted in said base housing directly adjacent the bottom of said main fuel tank, and said jet and inlet end of said venturi passage are aligned substantially horizontally above said main fuel inlet, the axis of said jet and said venturi passage being positioned three quarters of an inch or less above the bottom of said main fuel tank.

8. A fuel pump as defined in claim 7 in which said base housing is comprised of a first pump channel plate positioned below said turbine pump impeller, and a second base plate subjacent said first plate having the secondary fuel outlet, said jet and said venturi passage formed therein.

9. A fuel pump assembly as defined in claim 7 in which a sock filter is located on the bottom of a fuel tank and having an outlet opening to said main fuel inlet.

10. A fuel pump assembly as defined in claim 9 in which said main fuel tank has a reservoir with a raised bottom wall above said sock filter, said bottom wall having an opening to receive and locate said pump base housing.

11. A fuel pump as defined in claim 6 in which said pump housing comprises a base inlet housing and a top outlet housing joined by a sealed encapsulating cylindrical shell, said main inlet being in said base housing, a cylindrical filter jacket surrounding said shell formed of fuel filter material and having a portion enclosing said turbine pump inlet in said base inlet housing to filter fuel flowing from said reservoir to said turbine pump inlet.

12. A fuel pump as defined in claim 6 in which the turbine pump also comprises a circumferential array of generally radially oriented grooves on each side of said impeller, communicating with said pumping channel and extending generally radially inward of the periphery of said impeller.

13. A fuel pump as defined in claim 6 in which said secondary fuel outlet in said base comprises an L-shaped passage having a first end at said pumping channel and a second end at said jet, said venturi passage in said base being axially aligned with said jet, said inlet end of said venturi passage being located above said main fuel inlet whereby fuel from said jet discharges into said inlet end of said venturi passage to draw fuel from said main inlet and move it through said venturi.

14. An electric motor fuel pump for installation in a vehicle fuel tank which comprises, a housing having a cylindrical shell, a first end cap received and carried by said shell adjacent one end thereof and having a fuel outlet, a second end cap carried by said shell adjacent the other end thereof and having a fuel inlet opening to the exterior of said housing immediately adjacent the bottom thereof and immediately adjacent the bottom of the fuel tank when the fuel pump is installed therein, an electric motor received in said housing and having a rotor journalled for rotation in said housing, a turbine pump in said housing and having an impeller coupled to said rotor for rotation therewith, an array of vanes circumferentially spaced apart about the periphery of said impeller, an arcuate pumping channel surrounding said impeller periphery, a first outlet coupled with said pumping channel and communicating with said main fuel outlet, a second outlet coupled with said pumping channel, an inlet coupled with said pumping channel and having an opening communicating with the exterior of said housing immediately adjacent the bottom thereof, and said inlet opening being located immediately adjacent the bottom of the fuel tank when the fuel pump is installed therein, a jet coupled to said secondary fuel outlet, and a venturi carried by said second cap and having an inlet end disposed generally axially downstream of said jet and communicating with said fuel inlet in said second end cap, and an outlet opening to the exterior of said housing immediately adjacent the bottom thereof and said outlet being located immediately adjacent the bottom of the fuel tank when the fuel pump is installed therein and spaced from said fuel inlet of said turbine pump.

15. A fuel pump assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein when said fuel pump is installed in a fuel tank, said opening of said inlet to said pump channel is within about 0.65 of an inch of the bottom of the tank.