Patent Application
20110036428
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to storage and transfer systems for fuel and other liquids, and particularly to a liquid distribution system having a T or Y configuration that is capable of drawing liquid from either of two branches of the T or Y via an output pump in the third leg or branch of the T or Y.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need to transfer liquids from one container or vessel to another is nearly universal. Some examples of such need are found in the automotive field when it is necessary to defuel a vehicle or to draw fuel from one vehicle for use in another vehicle. This can occur in automotive salvage yards, where it is necessary to remove the fuel and other fluids from a vehicle before the vehicle is crushed for recycling. Authorities in various localities may also require that vehicles be defueled prior to their display in an indoor environment, e.g., a shopping mall, arena, etc., as for display at an auto show or the like. It is also often necessary in the aviation industry to defuel or remove some fuel from an aircraft for various reasons, e.g., fuel contamination, reduction of aircraft weight, fuel system maintenance, etc. The need to transfer liquids from one container to another is not limited to the automotive and aviation fields, and may extend to many other liquids and environmental fields as well.
While smaller containers may merely be tipped or inverted to drain their contents, this is clearly not feasible with larger containers, e.g., installed vehicle fuel tanks and the like. In such situations, one of two methods is generally employed to drain the contents: Either a drain in the bottom of the tank is accessed, or the contents are removed by siphoning or pumping out the liquid. The technique of draining the contents from a drain in the bottom of the tank is rather cumbersome in the case of most automotive vehicles, as most vehicles are not equipped with such a drain. The relatively small diameter fuel line requires a fair amount of time to drain the contents, particularly in the case of a relatively large tank with a large quantity of fuel. Aircraft tanks are universally equipped with drains, but these are primarily for the purpose of checking a fuel sample before flight and do not provide high fuel flow rates.
Moreover, there is the question of what to do with the fuel after it has been removed from the tank. Generally it is emptied into any handy makeshift container that might be available, with no consideration of contamination or mixing with other liquids. Not only does this waste the valuable fuel, but it requires additional expense for disposal of the liquid as hazardous waste.
Thus, a liquid distribution system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The liquid distribution system includes a closed tank with a standpipe extending upwardly therefrom. A T or Y fitting, i.e., a pipe fitting or the like having three legs or branches, is installed at the top of the standpipe, with a selectively openable shutoff valve disposed between the standpipe and the T or Y fitting. A flexible hose extends from another branch of the fitting, with another selectively openable shutoff valve between the fitting and the hose. A pump (manual, electric, hydraulic, etc.) is installed on the third branch of the fitting, with there preferably being a filter and meter installed downstream of the pump. An outlet hose or line with a dispensing nozzle is installed downstream of the pump, and of the filter and meter, if so installed.
The system may be installed on a tank that is in turn installed as a portable unit on or in a motor vehicle, or may alternatively be installed as a fixed, immobile station, if so desired. The pump may be operated electrically by electrical power from the motor vehicle or other electrical source as desired, or a manual or hydraulic pump may be provided as an alternative. The system is particularly useful for drawing fuel from one tank or container and transferring it to another tank or container or to the system tank, or transferring fuel from the system tank to another tank or container, as desired. While the liquid distribution system is particularly well suited for use in transferring fuel from one tank or container to another, the system may be used for the transfer of any liquid other than fuel from one tank or container to another or to or from the system tank, if so desired.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The present invention is a liquid distribution system, for use in transferring or distributing various liquids as desired from one container or source to another. The system is particularly well suited for use in transferring fuel from the tank of a vehicle to a storage tank integrated with the system, or to another tank or container as desired.
A standpipe 16 extends through the top of the tank 12 and downwardly therein, with the lower end of the standpipe 16 positioned close to the bottom of the tank in order to draw substantially all of the liquid therefrom if so desired. The outlet end 18 of the standpipe is disposed externally to the tank 12. A first shutoff valve 20 is installed upon the outlet end 18 of the standpipe 16. The valve 20 may be a manually actuated valve, as shown in the drawings, or may alternatively comprise a power actuated (e.g., electrically operated) valve, if so desired. The valve 20 is selectively opened or closed by the operator of the system 10 as desired, according to the liquid flow path desired.
A three-way pipe fitting 22 or the like, i.e., a T or Y pipe fitting, etc., has a first leg 22a connected to the first shutoff valve 20. A pump 24 has its inlet side 24a connected to the second leg second leg 22b of the three-way fitting 22, with the pump 24 extending therefrom. The pump 24 of
A flexible dispensing line or hose 30 extends from the outlet side or port 24b of the pump 24. Preferably, a filter 32 is installed at the outlet side or port 24b of the pump 24, with a liquid quantity meter 34 also installed in the dispensing line 30. The filter 32 and meter 34 are preferably both installed in a rigid outlet pipe assembly extending from the immediately adjacent pump outlet 24b, with the flexible dispensing line 30 extending from the meter 34. The filter 32 and/or meter 34 may be deleted from the liquid distribution system 10 if so desired, but at least the filter 32 is desired in the installation, and the meter 34 is desired as well for fuel and/or other liquids having relatively high value or where tracking the quantity passing through the system 10 is important or critical. The flexible dispensing line or hose 30 has a distal or outlet end 36, with a selectively operable dispensing nozzle 38 extending therefrom.
The third leg 22cof the three-way fitting 22 includes a second selectively openable shutoff valve 40 connected thereto and extending therefrom. The shutoff valve 40 may be essentially identical to the shutoff valve 20 installed between the upper or outlet end 18 of the standpipe 16 and the first leg 22a of the three-way fitting 22. A flexible intake hose or line 42 extends from the shutoff valve 40, with the intake hose or line 40 preferably having a rigid extension 44 extending from the distal end thereof.
In accordance with the above-described settings, no fuel or other liquid can be drawn from the storage tank 12 when the pump 24 is operating. Any fuel or other liquid transferred by the system 10 is drawn through the intake line 42 and open second valve 40, through the pump 24, thence through the filter 32 and meter 34 and out the dispensing line 30 and nozzle 38. In the example of
The first and second valve settings or positions shown in the environmental view shown in
Accordingly, the liquid distribution system 10 in its various embodiments provides a versatile and useful means of handling fuel or other liquids that would otherwise be wasted. While the system 10 may be used to handle and distribute virtually any liquid, it is particularly useful for defueling salvage vehicles in auto recycling centers and the like, permitting the fuel in those vehicles to be used, rather than being disposed of as hazardous waste. The system 10 is also useful in the aviation industry, for defueling aircraft for various purposes (maintenance, weight reduction, etc.). Aviation fuel is notoriously expensive even in comparison to automotive and other fuels, and the present system allows such recovered fuel to be stored and used rather than being disposed of. The filtration system describe herein filters the fuel twice during use of the system, i.e., once when the fuel is pumped from the vehicle or aircraft tank and into the storage tank 12, and again when the fuel is pumped from the storage tank 12 for use in another vehicle or aircraft. Thus, any fuel dispensed from the system 10 is virtually assured of purity and will be safe for use in the desired system or environment.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
