The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 13, 2004
Filed:
Jun. 21, 2001
Gerrick S. Gehner, Peoria, IL (US);
Kevin S. Maki, Peoria, IL (US);
Timothy B. Kustka, Lakeville, MN (US);
Daniel D. Wiest, Peoria, IL (US);
Caterpillar Inc, Peoria, IL (US);
Abstract
A fuel conditioning and measuring system for testing diesel engines includes a fuel conditioning loop having first and second heat exchangers, one employing a heating medium, and one employing a cooling medium. Flow of the heating and cooling mediums to the heat exchangers is controlled by control valves which receive a signal indicative of the temperature of the fuel flowing through the system and compare the measured temperature to a desired temperature to generate a control signal for positioning the control valves appropriately. A mixing tank serves as a buffer between the fuel supply and the test engine to ensure any disturbances from fuel returning from the test engine do not adversely affect the testing of the engine, and provides a mechanism by which the temperature of the fuel can be more accurately controlled. A flow meter and a density meter measure the flow of fuel through the system to provide accurate indications of mass and volumetric flow.