Claims:CLAIMS

We Claim

1. A high pressure fuel pump (10), said high pressure fuel pump (10) comprising:
a housing (12);
a barrel (14) positioned within said housing (12) and secured within said housing (12);
an element chamber (16) defined within said barrel (14) and adapted to receive a plunger (18) that is adapted to reciprocate within the element chamber (16) to facilitate delivering pressurized fuel from the element chamber (16) of the high pressure fuel pump (10) to a fuel injector; characterized in that
at least one heat conducting fin (20) extending through a first bore (22) defined in said housing (12) and through a second bore (24) defined in said barrel (14) such that a first end of the at least one heat conducting fin (20) is positioned within the element chamber (16) of said high pressure fuel pump (10) and in flow communication with pressurized fuel that is within the element chamber (16) of said high pressure fuel pump (10) to facilitate channeling heat away from the element chamber (16) of said high pressure fuel pump (10).

2. The high pressure fuel pump (10) in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the at least one heat conducting fin (20) extends partially within the element chamber (16) of said high pressure fuel pump (10) such that an end of the at least one heat conducting fin (20) is positioned above a top dead center position of said plunger (18) of said high pressure fuel pump (10).

3. The high pressure fuel pump (10) in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the at least one heat conducting fin (20) is in flow communication with the element chamber (16) and in contact with said barrel (14) of said high pressure fuel pump (10) such that the heat generated in the element chamber (16) and the heat contained in said barrel (14) are channeled to an end of the at least one heat conducting fin (20) that is in flow communication with a heat sink.

4. The high pressure fuel pump (10) in accordance with Claim 3, wherein the end of the at least one heat conducting fin (20) that is in flow communication with said heat sink is secured to said housing (12) of said high pressure fuel pump (10) by welding the end of the at least one heat conducting fin (20) that is in flow communication with said heat sink to said housing (12) of said high pressure fuel pump (10).

5. The high pressure fuel pump (10) in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the at least one heat conducting fin (20) extends through the first bore (22) defined in said housing (12) and through the second bore (24) defined in said barrel (14) and is in flow communication with the element chamber (16) of the high pressure fuel pump (10) such that the at least one heat conducting fin (20) is in contact with a sidewall of said barrel (14) and with a sidewall of said housing (12) of said high pressure fuel pump (10) such that the heat is transferred from the sidewall of said barrel (14) to said at least one heat conducting fin (20) by conduction and from the element chamber (16) to said at least one heat conducting fin (20) by convection.

6. The high pressure fuel pump (10) in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said at least one heat conducting fin (20) is manufactured from a high thermal conductivity material such as but not limited to aluminum and copper.
, Description: Complete Specification:

The following specification describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
Field of the invention
[0001] This invention relates to a high pressure fuel pump, and more specifically to a plurality of fins that are adapted to dissipate heat from an element chamber and a barrel of the high pressure fuel pump to a heat sink.

Background of the invention
[0002] IN 202141038617 describes a high pressure fuel pump. The high pressure fuel pump comprises a housing, and a fuel galley that is positioned within the housing and adapted to receive fuel from a fuel supply line that is in flow communication with a fuel tank at one end and with the fuel gallery at its opposite second end. A plurality of fins are in flow communication with the fuel gallery at its first end and is adapted to dissipate heat from fuel that flows through a chamber that is defined within the fuel gallery at its opposite second end.

Brief description of the accompanying drawing
[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a high pressure fuel pump depicting a plurality of fins that each extend between an element chamber and a barrel of the high pressure fuel pump at its first end and a heat sink at its opposite second end in one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments
[0004] A high pressure fuel pump 10 is described. The high pressure fuel pump 10 comprises a housing 12. A barrel 14 is positioned within the housing 12 and secured within the housing 12. An element chamber 16 is defined within the barrel 14 and is adapted to receive a plunger 18 therein that is adapted to reciprocate within the element chamber 16 to facilitate delivering pressurized fuel from the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to a fuel injector. At least one heat conducting fin 20 extends through a first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12, and through a second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14 such that a first end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is positioned within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 and in flow communication with the pressurized fuel that is within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to facilitate channeling heat away from the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the opposite second end of the at least one fin 20.

[0005] Figure 1 illustrates a high pressure fuel pump 10 depicting a plurality of fins 20 that each extend between an element chamber 16 and a barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 and a heat sink in one embodiment of the invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the high pressure fuel pump 10 comprises a housing 12. The housing 12 is adapted to position a barrel 14 therein such that the barrel 14 is secured within the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. An element chamber 16 is defined within the barrel 14 and extends from a top end of the barrel 14 until a bottom end of the barrel 14. A plunger 18 is positioned within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10, and is adapted to reciprocate within the element chamber 16 from a bottom dead center position to a top dead center position. The reciprocation of the plunger 18 within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 facilitates pressurizing and delivering the pressurized fuel from within the element chamber 16 to a fuel injector.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, at least one heat conducting fin 20 extends through a first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12 and through a second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14. The first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12 and the second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14 are sized such that the at least one heat conducting fin 20 forms a tight interference fit with the first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12 and the second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14. Due to the tight interference fit that is formed between the at least one heat conducting fin 20 and the first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12 and the second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 cannot be withdrawn from the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 without the means of appropriate machine tools. More specifically, the width of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is reduced by means of a forging operation before the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is positioned within the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. When the temperature of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is restored to its normal temperature, the width of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 increases, thereby forming a tight interference fit between a circumference of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 and the first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12 and the second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14. The end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is inserted through the first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12 and through the second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14 is positioned within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. Due to the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 being positioned within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is in flow communication with the pressurized fuel that is within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. Therefore, the heat that is generated within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 due to the pressurized fuel flows via the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in flow communication with the element chamber 16 and is channeled through a longitudinal length of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in contact with the barrel 14 and the housing 12, and is finally discharged to a heat sink that is in flow communication with the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20. In an exemplary embodiment, the heat sink may be the atmospheric air that is in flow communication with the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 and constantly absorbs the heat that is dissipated from the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20. Therefore, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 facilitates channeling heat away from the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 through the longitudinal length of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 as well as the barrel 14 to be ultimately discharged to the heat sink that is in flow communication with the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 extends partially within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. More specifically, the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is located above a top dead center position of the plunger 18 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. Therefore, when the plunger 18 translates from its bottom dead center position towards its top dead center position and reaches its top dead center, the clearance between the plunger 18 and the top of the cylinder head of the high pressure fuel pump 10 is used to accommodate the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. Therefore, the heat that is generated within the element chamber 16 due to the pressurized fuel once the pressurized fuel is delivered from the element chamber 16 to the fuel injector is channeled via the longitudinal length of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is positioned within the element chamber 16 to the heat sink that is located at the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20. Moreover, the heat that is transferred from the high temperature pressurized fuel that is within the element chamber 16 to the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 is channeled by convection from the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 via the longitudinal length of the at least one heat conducting fin 20. Therefore, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 serves to channel the heat from the element chamber 16 as well as from the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 via its longitudinal length. From the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20, the heat absorbed by the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is discharged to the heat sink.
[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in flow communication with the heat sink is secured to the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. More specifically, the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in flow communication with the heat sink is welded to the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. Therefore, by welding the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in flow communication with the heat sink to the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is secured to the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. The at least one heat conducting fin 20 extends through the first bore 22 that is defined in the housing 12, and through the second bore 24 that is defined in the barrel 14. Therefore, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is in flow communication with the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 such that the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is in contact with a sidewall of the barrel 14 and with a sidewall of the housing 12 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. The heat is transferred from the sidewall of the barrel 14 to the at least one heat conducting fin 20 by the process of conduction due to the physical contact between the at least one heat conducting fin 20 and the barrel 14, and from the element chamber 16 to the at least one heat conducting fin 20 by the process of convection.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is manufactured from a high thermal conductivity material such as but not limited to aluminum and copper. In an alternate exemplary embodiment, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 is manufactured from any high thermal conductivity material that allows for the transfer of heat from the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in flow communication with the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10. In addition, the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is manufactured from the high thermal conductivity material allows for the transfer of heat from the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the heat sink via the longitudinal length of the at least one heat conducting fin 20.

[0010] A working of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is adapted to dissipate heat from the element chamber 16 and the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the heat sink is described as an example. As the plunger 18 translates from its bottom dead center position towards its top dead center position, the pressurized fuel that is present within the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 generates heat that is required to be dissipated to an external environment. After the pressurized fuel from within the element chamber 16 is channeled to the fuel injector, the heat that is accumulated within the element chamber 16 and in the residual fuel that is present within the element chamber 16 is discharged via the end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 that is in flow communication with the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 by the process of convection. In addition, the heat that is accumulated within the element chamber 16 and in the residual fuel that is present within the element chamber 16 is transferred to the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 by the process of convection. The heat that is contained within the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 is therein transmitted to the at least one heat conducting fin 20 by the process of conduction. The heat that is absorbed by the end portion of the at least one heat conducting fin 20 from the element chamber 16 and the heat that is absorbed by the at least one heat conducting fin 20 from the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 is channeled along the longitudinal axis of the at least one heat conducting fin 20. Therein, the heat that is channeled along the longitudinal axis of the at least one heat conducting fin 20, and that was absorbed from the element chamber 16 and from the barrel 14 is dissipated to the heat sink that is in flow communication with the opposite second end of the at least one heat conducting fin 20. Due to the dissipation of the heat that was absorbed from the element chamber 16 and the barrel 14 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 to the heat sink, the temperature of the barrel 14 and the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10 is substantially reduced. Due to a reduction in the temperature of the barrel 14 and a reduction in the temperature of the element chamber 16 of the high pressure fuel pump 10, the life span of the element chamber 16 and the barrel 14, as well as the efficiency of the high pressure fuel pump 10 is substantially enhanced.

[0011] It must be understood that the embodiments explained above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Many modifications in the embodiments with regard to dimensions of various components are envisaged and form a part of this invention. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.