Fuel processor apparatus for diesel powered vehicles

A new fuel processor apparatus for diesel engines, particularly diesel engine powered vehicles, with the apparatus having no moving parts and no internal gaskets or connections to leak or deteriorate, and said apparatus being capable of removing water from the diesel fuel while promoting filterability and combustion efficiency of the fuel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention broadly relates to a new fuel processing apparatus for 
diesel engine powered trucks and automotive vehicles, as well as other 
diesel engine power installations. 
The state of the art is indicated by the following cited references (U.S. 
Pat. Nos.): Dunman #4,091,782; Quinn #4,146,002; Gratzmuller #3,354,872; 
McMinn #3,396,512; McCabe #3,762,548; Campbell #3,768,730; Richard 
#3,913,543; Cheysson #3,925,204; Virgil #3,935,901; McQuerry #3,209,816; 
Rehm #3,962,999; Zabenski #4,015,567; Amano #4,027,639; Linder #4,044,742; 
Hawkins #4,072,138; and Richards #4,091,265. 
In the past when diesel fuel was plentiful and relatively inexpensive there 
were significantly fewer problems with the quality of the diesel fuel 
because of the substantial competition between sellers of the fuel. 
Refineries, distributors, and retailers of the fuel were careful to keep 
water out of the fuel, and they usually did not pump out the heavy 
settlings from the bottom of the fuel storage tanks. In more recent times, 
with shortages of oil, the fuel suppliers can sell essentially all of 
their available oil with little difficulty. Additionally, fuel suppliers 
in the past have blended kerosene and other fuels with lower cloud and 
pour points to Diesel Fuel to facilitate cold weather flow and use. Fuel 
allocations due to government regulations and oil shortages have now made 
it almost impossible to continue this practice. The result has been a 
distinct tendency toward lesser quality fuel containing substantially more 
impurities such as water and particulate materials which are very 
disruptive to proper operation of a diesel engine. 
Accordingly, a main object of this invention is to provide a new and 
improved fuel processor apparatus for diesel trucks and other diesel 
powered automotive vehicles to remove water from the diesel fuel, while at 
the same time providing for increased fuel economy. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a new fuel processor 
apparatus which includes a unique built-in but removable fuel filter 
element (e.g., of either the spin-on or drop-in type). 
Another object of the invention is to provide a new fuel processor 
apparatus which heats the fuel to promote filterability, combustion 
efficiency, water removal, and to reduce crystallization of fuel wax 
elements. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a new fuel processor 
apparatus which removes water from the fuel to protect the fuel pump and 
fuel injection components and protects fuel filter elements to extend the 
filter operation life. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a new fuel processor 
apparatus which when installed in the heater water line circuit, permits 
automatic operator control of heat to the fuel processor apparatus, in 
that the operator controls the passenger compartment heat and the fuel 
processor heat simultaneously. 
Another objective of the invention is to be able to utilize the heat energy 
of crankcase or lubricating oil from the engine--either air or water 
cooled--to heat the diesel fuel to obtain the benefits of this invention. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in 
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical installation of the fuel processor apparatus 
generally designated 10 in accordance with the invention. The apparatus 10 
is preferably constructed in the form of a seamless extruded aluminum 
vessel 12 which has a vent or filler plug 14 at the top and a drain 
fitting 16 at the bottom of the vessel. Hot coolant liquid (e.g., from the 
heater return water line circuit or oil from engine) is introduced to the 
vessel 12 through an inlet line 18. The heated coolant liquid is 
introduced to the interior of the vessel 12 via the inlet fitting 20 and 
flows through the central portion of the vessel in straight-through 
fashion by means of flow-through conduit 22, from which it passes to the 
outlet conduit 24 which is connected to the vessel 12 by means of the 
fitting 26. The hot coolant liquid leaves the vessel 12, passes through 
the conduit 24 and is returned via a heater line to the water pump (not 
shown) of the vehicle. The construction of the fuel processor apparatus 12 
and and interior conduit 22 is preferably of aluminum because of its 
excellent heat transfer quality and compatibility with the vehicle cooling 
system. However, other construction materials can of course be used. 
Cold wet diesel fuel from the fuel tank of the truck or vehicle is 
introduced to the apparatus 10 via the fuel inlet line 28 and the inlet 
fitting 30 from which it passes into the interior of the vessel 12. The 
diesel fuel once passing thorugh the internal portion of the vessel 12 is 
heated by counter-action and contact with the hot coolant liquid passing 
through the conduit 22. Due to the heat exchange action which takes place 
within the vessel 12 and also due to the significant difference between 
the specific heat of fuel oil and the specific heat of water contained 
therein, the suspended water (as well as any ice crystals suspended in the 
fuel) are separated out of the fuel and settle to the bottom of vessel 12 
in the form of collected water 32 beneath the diesel fuel 33. 
The water-free heated fuel then passes out the outlet conduit 34 via the 
fitting 36, and then the water-free heated fuel is introduced to a primary 
fuel filter 38 from which it is transmitted to the diesel engine. 
A bracket 40 and U-bolt clamping means 42, 44, can be used to suitably 
mount the fuel processor apparatus at any sturdy convenient location on 
the vehicle. 
There now follows a description of the embodiment of the invention shown in 
FIGS. 2-5, wherein the fuel processor apparatus includes a built-in 
integral fuel filter. In the embodiment of FIGS. 2-5 the fuel processor 
apparatus 100 is constructed in the form of a generally elongated 
cylindrical vessel 102 which has an integral filter member 104 at the top 
thereof and a drain plug 106 at the bottom thereof. Hot coolant liquid 
(e.g., from the heater return water line circuit) is introduced to the 
vessel 102 through an inlet line 108 from which it assumes the flow path 
through the vessel 102 to pass through the interior of the vessel by means 
of flow through conduit 109, and subsequently it passes to the water 
outlet conduit 110. 
Cold or unprocessed diesel fuel from the fuel of the truck or vehicle is 
introduced to the apparatus 100 via the fuel inlet line 112 from which it 
passes into the interior of the vessel 102 by means of the conduit 113. 
The diesel fuel once passing through the internal portion of the vessel 
102 is heated by counter-action and contact with the hot coolant liquid 
passing through the conduit 109. Due to the heat exchange action which 
takes place within the vessel 102 and also due to the significant 
difference between the specific heat of the fuel oil and the specific heat 
of the water contained therein, the suspended water, (as well as any ice 
crystals suspended in the fuel) are separated out of the fuel and settle 
to the bottom of the vessel 102 in a fashion similar to the operation of 
the FIG. 1 embodiment. The water-free heated fuel then passes out of the 
vessel 102 by means of the conduit or passage way 115 which introduces the 
fuel to the filter element 104, which includes a filtering material 
designated 117. The filtration material 117 operates to remove particulate 
material which resides in the diesel fuel. 
The filter element 104 is a spin-on type of filter (or it could be a 
drop-in type filter) which is integrally connected to the apparatus 100 by 
means of a threaded connection 119. After the fuel has passed through the 
filtration material 117 the fuel exits from the filter via the conduit 121 
and the fuel outlet conduit 123. 
Additional features which are present in the embodiment designated 100, and 
particularly as shown in FIG. 2 are that the bottom of the vessel 102 may 
suitably include a transparent or see-through section designated 127 so 
that the collected water can be observed at the bottom of the vessel 102, 
thus facilitating removal of the water at periodic intervals. In addition, 
the lower length of the vessel 102 can be extended to make the overall 
fuel processor apparatus 100 of variable capacity depending upon the fuel 
requirements of the engine. A bracket means 125 can be used to suitably 
mount the fuel processor apparatus 100 at any sturdy convenient location 
on the vehicle. 
The fuel processor apparatus of the invention functions in a manner related 
more closely to a chemical or petro-chemical device rather than a 
mechanical device. Certain highly advantageous considerations in 
accordance with the invention are as follows: 
(1) The specific heat of fuel oil is approximately one third that of water. 
(2) The specific gravity of fuel oil is approximately 80% of the specific 
gravity of water. (3) The coefficient of expansion differential between 
diesel fuel and water is so significantly different that when the fuel is 
heated, the twin phenomena of specific heat and coefficient of expansion 
causes water entrapped or suspended in the fuel to quickly separate and 
fall out--where it can be collected and drained away. (4) The surface 
tension of free water--once it is separated in the device of the 
invention--prevents water in the fuel processor from becoming resuspended 
in the fuel. (5) Bacterial growth occurs in fuels but essentially only 
when water is present. Bacteria are a major threat to fuel filters due to 
their clogging action. Bacteria have demonstrated their ability to "wick" 
themselves up around fuel filters to permit their propagation on filter 
elements--thus rapidly clogging filters and causing engines and vehicle 
downtime and repair costs. Water in the fuel can also result in the 
formation of sulfuric acid which is harmful to engine accessories and 
operation. The device of the present invention through its action of 
removing water from the fuel acts to alleviate the problems of bacteria 
formation and sulfuric acid formation. (6) The fuel processor device of 
this invention effectively dewaters fuel, removing over 99.7% of all 
suspended water--including that formed through the deterioration of the 
hydrocarbon molecule, and oxidation by the free oxygen in the atmosphere. 
(7) Ice crystals form in fuel during cold weather [-32.degree. or lower] 
when molecules of water are present in fuels. The specific gravity of ice 
is very near that of fuel and permits ice to flow with the fuel to the 
filters. When this occurs, ice crystals can completely clog or seriously 
reduce fuel flow to the engine. The specific heat value for ice is 0.505 
[or approximately 1/2 that of water]; ice crystals melt quickly in the 
fuel processor apparatus of this invention. The newly formed liquid water, 
being much colder than the fuel and consequently much heavier, immediately 
falls to the bottom of the fuel processor where it can be drained away. 
(8) Prevention of paraffin formations when ambient temperatures may drop 
below the cloud point of the fuel is accomplished by the fuel processor of 
the invention. In particular the greater weight of the molecules of 
parrafins and naphthenes are maintained in their liquid state. By enabling 
these heavy fuel elements to be used during cold weather, fuel economy is 
realized and the costs of adding chemicals or lighter grade fuels to 
dissolve the paraffin is eliminated. (9) Fuel oil, especially diesel fuel, 
shrinks when cooled. Fuel injectors operate by displacing a specific 
volume, therefore the heat potential of diesel fuel on a volume basis 
changes according to temperature. The fuel processor of this invention 
aids in improving fuel economy in diesel powered equipment in cold weather 
by restoring the diesel fuel molecule to a temperature consistent with 
factory engine calibrations and settings. 
While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention 
disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will 
be apparent that the invention will be susceptible to modification, 
variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair 
meaning of the subjoined claims.