MARINE FUEL AGITATION HEATER WITH FILTER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a marine fuel agitation heater with at least one filter, and more particularly to a marine fuel agitation heater having a fuel heating element including a heating chamber formed of a heater for heating a mixed fuel oil input to the heating chamber and an impeller for agitating the mixed fuel oil, and a filter which filters the fuel oil heated in the heating element and supplies a better quality of mixed fuel oil to a main engine.

Background Art

Generally, in the case that a mixed fuel oil tries to be used in a marine diesel engine, a fuel oil is heated or agitated in order to enhance quality of the fuel oil supplied to a main engine, to thereby obtain an increased viscosity and an excellent quality of fuel.

But, ships may be driven using fuel oils of the low-grade due to the economic reasons, as possible as the main engine is possibly driven. Accordingly, a method of driving the main engine in a ship using the low-grade fuel oil is needed.

Here, the bunker-A or bunker-C fuel oil is representative of the low-grade fuel oil which is not appropriate to be directly used

for the main engine. An addictive is mixed with the low-grade fuel oil to be used as the fuel oil for the main engine. As a result, a process of enhancing the quality of a mixed fuel oil is needed before the fuel oil has been transferred to a fuel injection pump of the main engine.

For this purpose, a primarily heated mixed fuel oil is discharged from a service tank, and then supplied to a main engine via a settling tank. However, the temperature of the mixed fuel oil easily gets cold in the process where the mixed fuel oil heated in the service tank is transferred to the main engine, and the stability of a viscosity is not maintained. As a result, there is a problem that the quality of the mixed fuel oil used for the main engine is lowered.

Moreover, an apparatus for circulating and heating the mixed fuel oil put into in the service tank is not equipped. Accordingly, there is also a problem that the temperature of the mixed fuel oil staying in the service tank and the settling tank is not increased. Such problems obstruct the stability in the viscosity and agitation of the mixed fuel oil. Accordingly, the mixed fuel oil is solidified in the heating chamber and accumulated on the surface of the heater. As a result, the lifetime of the heater is shortened, and the lifetime of the main engine which uses the unstable mixed fuel oil is also shortened.

Disclosure of the Invention

To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a marine fuel agitation heater with filters, using the entire structure of a fuel heating apparatus for a ship in which a mixed fuel oil is primarily heated in a service tank, and then the temperature of the temperature-lowered mixed fuel oil is raised up before supplying the mixed fuel oil to a main engine of a ship via a settling tank, to accordingly prevent unstability of a viscosity in the mixed fuel oil and enhance quality of the mixed fuel oil, in Korean Utility-model Registration No. 351579 to the same applicant, entitled "Fuel heating apparatus for ship" which was already registered on May 17, 2004.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a marine fuel agitation heater with a plurality of filters, in which each filter includes a inner tube having micro-throughholes and an outer tube having an inlet and an outlet, in a manner that the impurities of the mixed fuel oil which flows into the main engine are removed and thus a better quality of mixed fuel oil is supplied to the main engine., in addition to the Korean Utility-model Registration No. 351579 technology.

To accomplish the above object of the present invention, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a marine fuel agitation heater, comprising: a heater unit and at least one filter coupled with the heater unit, wherein the heater

unit comprises: a cylindrical heating bath including a number of agitation plates; a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet, and a fuel circulation tube, each having a valve formed on the cylindrical heating bath; a cover on which an air valve and a pressure gauge are formed, in which the cover is formed at the upper portion of the heating bath and is coupled with the heating bath by means of an anchoring bolt; a heater having a power supply in the inner side of the heating bath; an impeller which is formed on a shaft by means of a motor and a coupling, in which the impeller is driven together with drive of the motor; a bearing case on which-a packing and bearings are formed in order to maintain the smooth rotation of the shaft and the airtightness of the heating bath toward the outer side of the shaft, wherein the filter including an outer tube having an inlet and an outlet and an inner tube having a number of micro-throughholes in which the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube, and a lid is located on a filter support stand which is fixed to the heating bath of the heater unit, and wherein a first connection tube is connected between the inlet of the filter and the fuel outlet, and a second connection tube is connected between the outlet of the filter and a main engine.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an isolated perspective view of a filter applied in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the filter of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the filter of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a state diagram in which a filter according to the present invention is combined with a heater; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operational process of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

Hereinbelow, a marine fuel agitation heater with a plurality of filters according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . Referring to FIGs .1 through 4, a marine fuel agitation heater, according to the present invention, includes a heater unit 20 and at least one filter 27 coupled with the heater unit 20.

The heater unit 20 includes: a cylindrical heating bath 2 including a number of agitation plates 1; a fuel inlet 4, a fuel outlet 5, and a fuel circulation tube 6, each having a valve 3 formed on the cylindrical heating bath 2; a cover 9 on which an air valve 7 and a pressure gauge 8 are formed, in which the cover 9 is formed at the upper portion of the heating bath 2 and is coupled with the heating bath 2 by means of an anchoring bolt 10; a heater 2 having

a power supply 11 in the inner side of the heating bath 2; an impeller 16 which is formed on a shaft 15 by means of a motor 13 and a coupling 14, in which the impeller 16 is driven together with drive of the motor 13; a bearing case 19 on which a packing 17 and bearings 18 are formed in order to maintain the smooth rotation of the shaft 15 and the airtightness of the heating bath 2 toward the outer side of the shaft 15.

The filter 27 includes an outer tube 23 having an inlet 21 and an outlet 22 and an inner tube 25 having a number of micro-throughholes 24 in which the inner tube 25 is inserted into the outer tube 23, and a lid 26 is located on a filter support stand

28 which is fixed to the heating bath 2 of the heater unit 20.

In addition, a first connection tube 29 is connected between the inlet 21 of the filter 27 and the fuel outlet 5, and a second connection tube 29' is connected between the outlet 22 of the filter and a main engine 34.

The agitation heater unit 20 including the heating bath 2 in which the heater 12 and the impeller 16 are formed and the filter support stand 28 on which the filter 27 is formed, operates as follows.

Mixed fuel oil is primarily heated in a service tank 31 which supplies the mixed fuel oil as a fuel for a ship and then the mixed fuel oil is supplied to the main engine 34 via a settling tank 32 from the service tank 31 by a service pump 33 coupled with the

settling tank 32 so as to be used as the fuel for the ship.

As described above, the mixed fuel oil is heated and agitated using the heater unit 20 before the mixed fuel oil is supplied for the main engine 34 of the ship, to thereby allow the mixed fuel oil to be changed into an excellent quality of fuel oil. When a certain amount of the mixed fuel oil supplied through the service pump 33 from the settling tank 32 flows into the heating bath 2 via the fuel inlet 4, and an electric power is applied to the heater unit 20, the heater 12 formed in the heating bath 2 is heated by the electric power produced from the electric power supply 11, to thereby make the inner temperature of the heating bath 2 rise up and to simultaneously make the temperature of the mixed fuel oil contacting the heater unit 12 rise up.

In order to agitate the mixed fuel oil having flown into the heating bath 2, power generated in an external drive motor 13 is transferred to the shaft 15 driving the impeller 16 via the coupling 14. Accordingly, the impeller 16 rotates along with the rotation of the shaft 15 thereby agitating the mixed fuel oil.

When the mixed fuel oil is agitated by the drive of the impeller 16 in the heating bath 2, in the present invention, the mixed fuel oil contacts a plurality of agitation plates 1 formed in the heating bath 2. Thus, the agitation and filtering or dilution of the mixed fuel oil can be speedily performed and simultaneously an excellent quality of viscosity can be maintained.

The bearings 18 in the bearing case 19 formed in the outer side of the shaft 15 driving the impeller 16 plays a role of performing a function of smoothly rotating the shaft 15. The packings 17 formed at the top and bottom of the bearing case 19 play a role of preventing the mixed fuel oil from leaking out from the heating bath 2.

The pressure gauge 8 and the air valve 7 which are formed in the cover 9 fixed by means of the anchoring bolt 10 at the upper side of the heating bath 2, in order for a user to recognize the pressure of the inner side of the heating bath 2. When a user desires to eject the internal pressure of the heating bath 2 as necessary, according to display of the pressure gauge 8, the pressure of the heating bath 2 can be stably maintained using the air valve 7.

The heater 20 which is supplied with the mixed fuel oil from the settling tank 32 includes the fuel inlet 4, the fuel outlet 5, and the fuel circulation tube 6, each having a valve 3, so that a user can regulate the amount of the flowing mixed fuel oil. The mixed fuel oil which has been heated in the heating bath 2 and changed into an excellent quality of fuel through agitation and filter or dilution is supplied to the main engine 34 via the fuel outlet 5.

The mixed fuel oil which has been heated in the heating bath 2 and agitated and filtered or diluted is circulated into the service tank

31 via the fuel circulation tube 6.

In the present invention, a mixed fuel oil flows into a first

connection tube 29 coupled with the fuel outlet 5 of the heater unit 20 and the mixed fuel oil flowing into the main engine 34 via a second connection tube 29' is filtered in the filter 27. The operation of the filter 27 follows. The filter 27 is put on the filter support stand 28 fixed to the outer side of the heater unit 20 by weld. When the mixed fuel oil which is ejected via the fuel outlet 5, flows into the inner tube 25 of the filter 27 via the filter inlet 21 after passing through the first connection tube 29, the impurities included in the mixed fuel oil which is unable to pass through the micro-throughholes 24 remains in the inner tube 25 by the micro-throughholes 24 of the inner shell 25, and only an excellent quality of mixed fuel oil is discharged from the inner tube 25 and moves to the outer tube 23, to then be supplied to the main engine 34 via the second connection tube 29' .

A plurality of the filters 27 may be provided in the present invention. A valve 3' is formed on the connection pipes 29 and 29' , respectively. Even in the case that one filter 27 on the filter support stand 28 is cleaned and thus the filtering process of the filter 27 is stopped, another filter 27 performs the filtering process . Accordingly, even in the case that one filter 27 is cleaned, an excellent quality of mixed fuel oil is supplied to the main engine 34.

In the present invention, the filters 27 may be directly

adhered to the heating bath 2, or they may be installed separately from the heating bath 2 according to a working condition . It belongs to the category of the present invention that the mixed fuel oil to be ejected from the heating bath 2 is supplied to the main engine 34 via the filters 27.

A support stand 35 on which the heating bath 2 is placed and another stand 35 on which the motor 13 positioned to the upper side of the heating bath 2 is fixed are formed in the present invention. Accordingly, the heating bath 2 and the motor 13 can be installed and set up, so that a user can drive the heater unit 20.

As described above, a mixed fuel oil which has been primarily heated in a service tank 21 is heated again and agitated using a fuel oil heater unit 20 in which a heating bath 2 having a plurality of agitation plates 1, a heater 12, and an agitation impeller 16 is formed. Accordingly, when the mixed fuel oil put into the heating bath 2 is supplied to a main engine 34 of a ship, it has an effect that an excellent quality of the marine fuel can be used.

In the present invention, the fuel oil whose temperature is increased through the heating bath 2 is supplied. Thus, the sufficient temperature of the fuel oil showing the viscosity suitable for the spray or jet an invention is stably maintained. The present invention provides an effect of preventing carbide accumulated on the surface of the heater 12 heating the mixed fuel oil from being produced.

The present invention increases the temperature of the fuel oil supplied to the main engine 34 of the ship. Therefore, the fuel oil of the low temperature is supplied to the main engine 34 whose temperature has been increased, to thereby prevent the failure of the main engine 34. As a result, the present invention provides an effect of extending the lifetime of the main engine 34. Further, since the main engine 34 is driven by a mixed fuel oil obtained by mixing a high-grade fuel oil with a low-grade fuel oil, the high-grade fuel oil can be saved to thereby minimize the economic burden.

Also, the mixed fuel oil ejected from the heater unit 20 is filtered by the filter 27 formed in the heater unit 20, to thereby provide an effect of supplying an excellent quality of the mixed fuel oil to the main engine 34. As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to particularly preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is possible for one who has an ordinary skill in the art to make various modifications and variations, without departing off the spirit of the present invention. Thus, the protective scope of the present invention is not defined within the detailed description thereof but is defined by the claims to be described later and the technical spirit of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention provides a marine fuel agitation heater with at least one filter to thereby supply an excellent quality of mixed fuel oil to a main engine, to thus prevent the failure of the main engine, to thereby provide an effect of extending the lifetime of the main engine, and thereby minimize the economic burden.