AMMONIA CANISTER CONNECTION DEVICE

Abstract

An ammonia canister connector is disclosed having a male component and a female component which reversibly couple to one another to form a secure connection. The male component has a base with an internal threaded portion for detachable connection to an ammonia canister tap, a fluid filter within the base, and a nipple section extending from the base and having at least two seal members. Similarly, in various embodiments, the female component is connectable to a feed line and includes a receptacle defined by a sidewall and configured to accept the nipple section of the male component, a sleeve positioned about the receptacle sidewall and capable of limited sliding movement, a locking mechanism positioned within the receptacle sidewall for alternately engaging and disengaging from the nipple section when inserted within the receptacle, wherein the locking mechanism is actuated by the sliding movement of the sleeve, and a check valve within the female component for preventing back flow to the receptacle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present device relates to a connector for containers. More specifically, the device relates to a safety connector for an ammonia canister (or cartridge) used on internal combustion engines for exhaust gas after-treatment systems.

BACKGROUND

Compression ignition engines provide advantages in fuel economy, but produce both NO_x and particulates during normal operation. New and existing regulations continually challenge manufacturers to achieve good fuel economy and reduce the particulates and NO_x emissions. Lean-burn engines achieve the fuel economy objective, but the high concentrations of oxygen in the exhaust of these engines yields significantly high concentrations of NO_x as well. Accordingly, the use of NO_x reducing exhaust treatment schemes is being employed in a growing number of systems.

One such system is the direct addition of ammonia gas to the exhaust stream. It is an advantage to deliver ammonia directly in the form of a gas, both for simplicity of the flow control system and for efficient mixing of reducing agent, ammonia, with the exhaust gas. The direct use of ammonia also eliminates potential difficulties related to blocking of the dosing system, which are cause by precipitation or impurities, e.g., in a liquid-based urea solution. In addition, an aqueous urea solution cannot be dosed at a low engine load since the temperature of the exhaust line would be too low for complete conversion of urea to ammonia (and CO₂).

Due to its caustic nature, transporting ammonia as a pressurized liquid or gas can be hazardous if the container bursts, as the result of an accident, or if a valve or tube breaks. Ammonia can be provided as a solid in the form of disks or balls loaded into a cartridge or canister. The canisters are then loaded into a mantle or other storage device and secured to the vehicle for use. When an appropriate amount of heat is applied to the canisters, the ammonia-containing solid storage material releases ammonia gas which is routed to an injector for entry into the exhaust system of a vehicle. While the use of solid ammonia may be less of a safety issue due to the small amount of heat required to release the ammonia as a gas and the equilibrium pressure at room temperature which can be below 1 bar, even a small discharge as a result of leaks or at disconnect can be harmful if inhaled or contacted by skin or other tissue.

Eventually the ammonia in a canister is depleted and must be recharged or replaced. Some ammonia gas may reside in the connection tubing and may be discharged upon disconnection. Such conditions and procedures may increase the possibility of an accidental ammonia exposure.

Thus, the present device provides a safety connector for facilitating quick and secure connection and disconnection of ammonia canisters. These and other problems are addressed and resolved by the disclosed systems and method of the present application.

SUMMARY

There is disclosed herein a device which avoids the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.

Generally, an ammonia canister connector is disclosed having a male component and a female component which reversibly couple to one another to form a secure connection. In various embodiments, the male component comprises a base having an internal threaded portion for detachable connection to an ammonia canister tap, a fluid filter within the base, and a nipple section extending from the base and having at least two seal members.

Similarly, in various embodiments, the female component is connectable to a feed line and comprises a receptacle defined by a sidewall and configured to accept the nipple section of the male component, a sleeve positioned about the receptacle sidewall and capable of limited sliding movement, a locking mechanism positioned within the receptacle sidewall for alternately engaging and disengaging from the nipple section when inserted within the receptacle, wherein the locking mechanism is actuated by the sliding movement of the sleeve, and a check valve within the female component for preventing back flow to the receptacle.

In an embodiment of the connector, the fluid filter comprises a sintered metal filter. The filter may have an average pore size in the range of from about 1 to about 10 microns, typically about 7 microns.

In an embodiment of the connector, the nipple section has a length and diameter incompatible with standard hydraulic and pneumatic couplers and the receptacle has a depth and internal diameter incompatible with standard hydraulic and pneumatic couplers.

These and other aspects of embodiments of the invention are described in the following detailed description and shown in the appended drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating the operation of ammonia delivery system in cooperation with an vehicle engine, exhaust gas after-treatment system and vehicle electronics;

FIG. 2 is a partial view of an ammonia canister utilizing an embodiment of the present connector;

FIG. 3 is a close-up of an embodiment of the two-piece connector; and, Appendix.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1-3 and the Appendix, embodiments of a system and methods are described to one of skill in the relevant art. Generally speaking, an ammonia delivery system, designated with the reference number 10 in the figures, typically works in conjunction with an internal combustion engine 12, an exhaust gas after-treatment system 14, and vehicle electronics 16. Typically, the ammonia provided for use in the delivery system 10 is carried on-board and requires periodic recharging.

In an embodiment of the ammonia delivery system 10, a canister 20 of the type known to those skilled in the art, contains a supply of ammonia in solid form. The canister 20, with its release valve positioned to best be coupled to the ammonia delivery line, is loaded into a canister carrier and secured in place. Through the fluid line 24, the canister 20 is connected to a metering system 22 as well.

The connection between the canister 20 and the fluid line 24 is accomplished using a special connector 26 to prevent accidental leakage of the ammonia from either the canister 20 or the connection between the fluid line 24 and the canister 20. The connector 26 is comprised of a male component 60 and a female component 62.

The male component 60 comprises a base 70 having an internal threaded portion 71, preferably left-handed threads, for detachable connection to the ammonia canister valve, a fluid filter within the base 70, and a nipple section 72 having at least two seal members 73 and extending from the base 70. An O-ring seal (not shown) may be provided within the base 70 of the component 60, as well. The male component 60 is preferably made from stainless steel or similar material for corrosion resistance and submergiblity for the recharge process.

The female component 62 connects to the fluid line 24 using a barbed-connector 80 inserted within the fluid line 24 and a hose clamp (not shown) tightened about the fluid line 24 and barbed-connector 80. The female component 62 comprises a receptacle 81 defined by a sidewall 82 and configured to accept the nipple section 72 of the male component 60, a sleeve 83 positioned about the receptacle sidewall 82 and capable of limited sliding movement, a locking mechanism 84 positioned within the receptacle sidewall 82 for alternately engaging and disengaging from the nipple section 72 when inserted within the receptacle 81, and a check valve (not shown) within the female component 62 for preventing back flow of fluid into the receptacle 81. The locking mechanism 84 is preferably a ring of bearings, as is typically used in a quick-disconnect mechanism, and is actuated by the sliding movement of the sleeve 83. The sleeve 83 is sized to allow for actuation and thereby removal of the female component 62 from the male component 60 using a single hand. The female component 62 is also preferably made from stainless steel or similar material for corrosion resistance and submergiblity for the recharge process.

The connector 26 is designed to provide filtering capability using the sintered metal filter within the male component 60. Preferably, the metal filter has an average pore size in the range of from about 1 to about 10 microns, with about 7 microns being the most preferred average pore size. The filter-fitted male component 60 has a flow rate capability of at least 4500 gallon/hour allowing full cartridge recharge in about 60 minutes.

Uniquely, the components 60 and 62 of connector 26 are not compatible with standard hydraulic and/or pneumatic couplers. For example, the nipple section 72 of the male component 60 has a length and diameter incompatible with standard hydraulic and pneumatic couplers. Likewise, the receptacle 81 has a depth and internal diameter incompatible with standard hydraulic and pneumatic couplers.

The canister 20, when depleted, may be recharged in a manner known to those skilled in the art. To the extent a hose is required to be coupled to the canister 20 for recharging, a female component 62 will be required on the charging hose.

In most systems, a plurality of canisters will be used to provide greater travel distance between recharging. However, the current system works sufficiently with a single canister, for some applications and as desired or necessary. A heating jacket (not shown) is typically used around the canister to bring the solid ammonia to a sublimation temperature.

Once converted to a gas, the ammonia is metered at the ammonia flow module (AFM) 28 and directed to an exhaust gas after-treatment system 14 having an ammonia injector 30, as shown in FIG. 1. The AFM 28 includes a controller 34 for metering flow of ammonia to the injector. By “metering” it is meant that the controller 34 controls ammonia flow (rate and duration) and stores information about such details including the amount of ammonia required by the exhaust gas after-treatment system 14, the amount of ammonia being delivered, the canister providing the ammonia, the starting volume of deliverable ammonia in the canister, and other such data which may be relevant to determining the amount of deliverable ammonia in each canister. The information may be monitored on a periodic or continuous basis.

Claims

1. An ammonia canister connector comprising:

a male component comprising: a base having an internal threaded portion for detachable connection to an ammonia canister tap; a fluid filter within the base; a nipple section having at least two seal members and extending from the base;

a female component connectable to a feed line and comprising: a receptacle defined by a sidewall and configured to accept the nipple section of the male component; a sleeve positioned about the receptacle sidewall and capable of limited sliding movement; a locking mechanism positioned within the receptacle sidewall for alternately engaging and disengaging from the nipple section when inserted within the receptacle, wherein the locking mechanism is actuated by the sliding movement of the sleeve; a check valve within the female component for preventing back flow to the receptacle.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the fluid filter comprises a sintered metal filter.

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein the metal filter has an average pore size in the range of from about 1 to about 10 microns.

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein the average pore size is about 7 microns.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the base comprises left-handed threads.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein the base further comprises an integrated O-ring seal.

7. The connector of claim 1, wherein the nipple section has a length and diameter incompatible with standard hydraulic and pneumatic couplers.

8. The connector of claim 1, wherein the receptacle has a depth and internal diameter incompatible with standard hydraulic and pneumatic couplers.

9. The connector of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is slidable about the receptacle sidewall using one-hand.

10. The connector of claim 1, wherein the male component is comprised of stainless steel.

11. The connector of claim 1, wherein the female component is comprised of stainless steel.

12. The connector of claim 1, wherein the male component has a flow rate capability of at least 4500 gallon/hour.