Patent Application
20070128057
The present invention relates to a motor electrical connector and/or electrical receptor within a discharge head or motor housing wherein the electrical connector and/or electrical receptor is protected by liquid immersion as a safety measure.
In service station environments, fuel is delivered to fuel dispensers from underground storage tanks (USTs), sometimes referred to as fuel storage tanks. USTs are large containers typically located beneath the ground that contain fuel. A separate UST is provided for each fuel type, such as low-octane gasoline, high-octane gasoline, and diesel fuel. In order to deliver the fuel from the USTs to the fuel dispensers, a pump, which is typically a submersible turbine pump (STP), is provided that pumps the fuel out of the USTs and delivers the fuel to the fuel dispensers through a main fuel piping conduit running beneath the ground in the service station area.
There may be a plurality of USTs 20 in a service station environment if more than one type of fuel 22 is to be delivered by the fuel dispensers 10 in the service station. For example, one UST 20 may contain a high octane of gasoline, another UST 20 may contain a low octane of gasoline, and yet another UST 20 may contain diesel. The UST 20 is typically a double-walled tank comprised of an inner vessel 23 that holds the fuel 22 surrounded by an outer casing 25. The outer encasing 25 provides an added measure of protection to prevent any leaked fuel 22 from the inner vessel 23 from reaching the ground. Any fuel 22 leaked from a leak in the inner vessel 23 will be captured in an annular or interstitial space 27 that is formed between the inner vessel 23 and the outer casing 25.
A submersible turbine pump (STP) 30 is provided to pump the fuel 22 from the UST 20 and deliver the fuel 22 to the fuel dispensers 10. An example of a STP 30 is The Red Jacket® pump manufactured and sold by the Veeder-Root Company and disclosed at http://www.rediacket.com. Another example of a STP 30 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,409, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The STP 30 is comprised of a STP housing 36 that incorporates electronics (not shown), and is typically located inside a leak containment sump 32.
The STP 30 is connected to a riser pipe 38 that is mounted using a mount 40 connected to the top of the UST 20. The riser pipe 38 extends down from the STP 30 and out of the STP housing 36. A fuel supply pipe (not shown) is coupled to the STP 30 and is located inside the riser pipe 38. The fuel supply pipe extends down into the UST 20 in the form of a boom or piping assembly 42, which is connected to a motor (not illustrated in
The piping assembly 42 is typically connected a discharge head 70, which is in turn connected to the outer housing 44 that contains the pump (not illustrated in
The STP 30 may be electrically coupled to a tank monitor 62, such as the Veeder-Root Company TLS-350™ monitor, or a site controller 64, such as the Gilbarco G-Site® or Passport® point-of-sale system, via a communication link 66, so that the STP 30 can be controlled to deliver the fuel 22 to one or more fuel dispensers 10 when a fuel dispenser 10 requests a fueling transaction.
When one or more fuel dispensers 10 in the service station are activated to dispense fuel 22, the STP 30 electronics are activated, and the STP 30, via electrical communications through the electrical connector in the discharge head 70, causes the motor to rotate the turbine inside the outer housing 44 to pump the fuel 22 into a pump inlet 46 and through the discharge head 70 into the piping assembly 42. The fuel 22 is drawn through the piping assembly 42 and into the STP housing 36 and delivered to a main fuel piping conduit 48. The main fuel piping conduit 48 is coupled to the fuel dispensers 10 in the service station whereby the fuel 22 is delivered to a vehicle (not shown).
Also as illustrated in
As is common with fuel handling devices and components, safety and regulatory requirements are issues that affect design and must be taken into consideration. For instance, the STP 30 is installed in an area of the fueling environment classified as a “Zone 0” area, meaning that there is a continuous presence of fuel vapors above the level of fuel 22. Certifications in this area require that the energized motor electrical connectors must be continuously submersed in liquid fuel so that explosive vapors are not present in the connector area. Since the liquid fuel 22 from the UST 20 flows through the turbine inside the outer housing 44 and past the electrical connector 72 inside the discharge head 70 (of
Thus, there exists a need to provide a motor, connector, and/or discharge head that allows a motor to be electrically and fluidly connected to a discharge head so that liquid, such as fuel, drawn as a result of the motor operation, can be delivered through the discharge head and into the piping assembly like that illustrated in
The present invention is an improved design for coupling a motor housing to a discharge head, wherein an electrical connector, that is supported by an electrical receptor within the discharge head or motor housing and that electrically couples the motor to the STP, is completely surrounded or immersed by liquid for safety and regulatory requirement issues.
In one embodiment, the discharge head receives liquid from an outer housing containing a motor that drives a pump to draw fluid or liquid and discharge the fluid into an inlet of the discharge head. The discharge head provides an internal main liquid flow path to discharge the liquid received from the motor housing to a piping assembly coupled through an orifice on the top of the discharge head. The discharge head also provides an orifice and an electrical receptor for receiving an electrical connector to couple to the motor in the outer housing to control the motor. The electrical connector is formed as an end of an electrical conduit that is located inside the piping assembly. The electrical connector is placed inside the receptor of the discharge head which is formed as part of the inside casting of the discharge housing and securely attached thereto.
Indented or grooved supporting structures are provided in the discharge head to connect an outer wall of the discharge head to the electrical receptor provided inside the discharge head for support such that the base of the discharge head has at least one inlet orifice for receiving the fluid from the motor housing. Inlet orifices are formed by support ribs to provide a liquid flow path for liquid exiting the motor housing to be delivered through a main liquid flow path in the discharge head and coupled to a liquid flow path of the piping assembly. At least one indentation is provided in the supporting structures to provide an annular ring flow path completely surrounding or immersing the electrical receptor and/or electrical connector so that the liquid received from the motor housing completely surrounds or immerses the electrical receptor and/or electrical connector.
In one embodiment, the supporting structures may be one or more ribs creating one or more fluid inlet orifices in the base of the discharge head. The indentations may be grooves having either sharp or smoothed bends.
The discharge head may contain one or more mounting screw orifices that are adapted to receive a mounting screw to firmly attached the discharge head to the motor housing. The discharge head may also contain an alignment pin orifice that is adapted to receive an alignment pin from the motor housing to align the connection of the discharge head to the motor housing.
The piping assembly and/or electrical conduit may be connected to the discharge head via threaded orifices. The discharge head may contain a thread throat that is connected to the electrical receptor on one end and is threaded on its other end to receive an electrical conduit containing the electrical connector on its end.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the indented supporting structures may be provided as part of the motor housing or as part of a gasket that fits in between the motor housing and the discharge head when connected. In the embodiment of the gasket having grooved or indented rib supporting structures, the gasket must have enough thickness and rigidity to provide grooved ribs which allow the liquid to completely immerse or surround the electrical connector in the flow path formed by the annular flow path ring without being completely compressed between the motor housing and the discharge head when the two are securely connected to each other.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the invention in association with the accompanying drawing figures.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustrate the best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.
The present invention is an improved design for coupling a motor housing to a discharge head, wherein the electrical connector, that is supported by an electrical receptor within the discharge head and that electrically couples the motor to the STP is completely surrounded or immersed by liquid for safety and regulatory requirement issues. The prior art designs, including the prior art design illustrated in
In one embodiment of the present invention, grooved or indented ribs are provided in the discharge head as support structures between an outer wall of the discharge head and an electrical receptor provided inside the discharge head, to provide a liquid flow path around the electrical receptor and thus allow immersion of the electrical connector. The electrical receptor provides an orifice for receiving and supporting the electrical connector. Inlet orifices are formed by the support structures to provide a liquid flow path for liquid exiting the motor housing to be delivered through a main liquid flow path in the discharge head and coupled to a liquid flow path of the piping assembly. Indentations or grooves in the support structures provide an annular ring flow path completely surrounding or immersing the electrical connector so that the liquid completely surrounds or immerses the electrical receptor and/or electrical connector.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the grooved support structures may be provided as part of the motor housing, or as part of a gasket or multiple seals that fit in between the motor housing and the discharge head. In the embodiment of the gasket having grooved or indented rib supporting structures, the gasket must have enough thickness and rigidity to provide grooved ribs to allow the fluid to completely immerse or surround the electrical connector in the flow path formed by the annular flow path ring without being completely compressed between the motor housing and the discharge head when the two are securely connected to each other.
As illustrated in
The discharge head 70 contains four mounting screw orifices 94 that receive mounting screws 96 to secure the discharge head and motor housing receptacles 88, 90 firmly together. The motor housing 87 contains female threaded orifices (not shown) to receive the mounting screws 96 for a secure fit. In
An alignment pin orifice 98 is provided internally in the casting of the discharge head 70 to receive an alignment pin 100. The alignment pin 100 is part of the motor housing 87 and extends upward from the receptacle 90 of the motor housing 87 to fit inside the alignment pin orifice 98. This alignment pin orifice 98 is provided so that that electrical connector 72 of the discharge head 70 aligns properly with the electrical connector 72 inside the motor housing 87, since the fitting between the discharge head 70 and the motor housing 87 is a concentric fitting that could be easily fitted together incorrectly if an alignment aid(s) is not provided. However, the present invention does not specifically require an alignment pin structure or any alignment aid fitting structure.
The cross-sectional view of the discharge head 70 shows the inner wall 80 of the receptor 74 that surrounds the receptor 74 where the electrical connector 72 is provided. An outlet orifice 101 is provided at the top of the discharge head 70 for receiving the piping assembly 42. The discharge head 70 contains an outer wall 102 formed by the outlet orifice 101 in part having a thickness designed to support the piping assembly 42, the internal components of the discharge head 70, the mounting screw orifices 94, and the alignment pin orifice 98. Liquid inlets 103 are formed at the base of the discharge head 70 from the space between an outer wall 102 and the electrical receptor 74, so that fluid from the motor housing 87 can flow into the discharge head 70. The discharge head 70 contains a main liquid flow path 104 that is fluidly coupled to the liquid inlet 103 and the piping assembly 42 when connected to the discharge head 70 so that liquid can flow from the motor housing 87 into the liquid inlet 103, through the main liquid flow path 104, and out through the piping assembly 42 to eventually be delivered to the fuel dispensers 10.
The piping assembly 42 is a conduit or pipe, which may be 1 ½ inches in diameter for example, that contains a threaded end 105 and screws into a threaded orifice 106 formed as part of the discharge head 70 to form a secure fit between the piping assembly 42 and the discharge head 70. In this manner, a liquid flow path 107 inside the piping assembly 42 is fluidly coupled to the main liquid flow path 104 to deliver liquid up the piping assembly 42 to the STP 30.
The piping assembly 42 contains an inner electrical conduit 113 that extends downward through an electrical conduit orifice 114 formed as part of the discharge head 70. The electrical conduit 113 contains a threaded end 116 that screws into a threaded throat 118 provided within the internal casting of the discharge head 70 such that the electrical connector 72 on the end of the inner electrical conduit 113 rests inside and is supported by the electrical receptor 74. The electrical conduit 113 contains electrical pins (not shown) that are coupled to electrical wires 112 carried in the electrical conduit 113 from the STP 30 that couple to the motor via the motor housing 87 as discussed above.
An important feature of the present invention is that the space between the outer wall 102 and the electrical connector 72 forms the liquid inlets 103 as part of the discharge head 70 that allows liquid discharged from the motor housing 87 to totally surround or immerse the electrical connector 72 and/or the electrical receptor 74. In one embodiment of the present invention, the ribs 82 are used to connect the electrical receptor 74 to the outer wall 102 for support. The ribs 82 form part of the casting of the discharge head 70 and are grooved to allow liquid to totally surround or immerse the electrical connector 72 and receptor 74.
After the liquid flows into the main liquid flow path 104 of the discharge head 70, as indicated by the arrows pointing upward, the liquid flows into the liquid flow path 107 provided in a hollow portion of the piping assembly 42 that surrounds the electrical conduit 113 and is coupled to the main liquid flow path 104 of the discharge head 70 as previously discussed. The liquid flows upward to the STP 30 for eventual delivery to the fuel dispensers 10.
The electrical connector 72 is illustrated as containing a rubber grommet 119 surrounding wire connection pins 120. The electrical connector 72 is part of the base of the electrical conduit 113 and not the casting of the discharge head 70. The wire connection pins 120 are inserted through the orifice (not shown) that forms the receptor 74, wherein the electrical connector 72 is attached into the discharge head 70. The wire connection pins 120 connect to motor wiring connections 138 (illustrated in
Four ribs or arm-like support structures 124 are provided as part of the discharge head 70 casting that connect the electrical receptor 74 to the outer wall 102 of the discharge head 70. The outer wall 102 is an outer portion of the discharge head 70 that provides an overall support structure for the piping assembly 42, the internal components and castings of the discharge head 70, as well as for the mounting screw orifices 94 and the alignment pin orifice 98, as previously discussed above.
Because it is necessary to provide the main liquid flow path 104 (illustrated in
The ribs 124 form the liquid inlets or orifices 103 between the ribs 124 and their outer connection points 130 to the outer wall 102 and the electrical receptor 74 that receive liquid from the motor housing 87. Note that other supporting structures may be employed, including more or less support ribs 124 than four, or different structures, and the present invention is not limited to any particular type of supporting structure.
In the present invention and unlike the prior systems, like that described and illustrated in
The grooves or indentations 128 in the ribs 124 create an annular ring 134 or annular flow path ring 134 inside the discharge head 70 where liquid will completely surround the electrical connector 72 and/or electrical receptor 74. In this manner, the liquid flowing from the motor housing 87 into the discharge head 70 will flow into the orifices 103 of the discharge head 70 and onto the main liquid flow path 104 as normal. But, the liquid will also flow through the grooves 128 of the ribs 124 and pass between different liquid inlets/orifices 103 created by the ribs 124 into the annular flow path ring 134 formed by the grooves 128 such that the liquid will completely surround the electrical connector 72 and/or electrical receptor 74. The grooves or indentations 128 in the ribs 124 may be any type of indentation or groove, having smooth or rigid edges and/or turns so long as a portion of the rib 124 is located in a plane above the plane of the bottom of the discharge head 70 (plane ‘B’) such that a N annular flow path ring is formed to allow liquid to flow around and inside the annular flow path ring 134 to completely surround or immerse the electrical connector 72.
Alternatively, as illustrated in
In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in
The indentations 148 are formed between the receptor ring 150 and gasket material 154 that forms the gasket 92, as one integral piece. Liquid flow orifices 156 are provided in the gasket 92 between the indentations 148 such that the liquid flow orifices 156 are fluidly coupled to each other as a result, forming an annular flow path ring 158. Thus, the liquid flowing from the motor housing 87 will travel through the liquid flow orifices 156 and in between the indentations 148 inside the annular flow path ring 158 before exiting the motor housing 87 and into the main liquid flow path 104 of the discharge head 70. Thus, the electrical connectors of the discharge head/motor housing 72, 136 will be completely surrounded or immersed by the liquid when using the gasket 92.
The gasket 92 must be made of a flexible and/or rigid material, having a certain specified thickness, so the annular flow path ring 158 formed by indentations or grooves 148 form an annular ring flow path 158 in a manner that it does not compress on itself when the outer housing 44 is attached to the discharge head 70. Otherwise, the compression of the gasket 92 would cut off or block the annular flow path ring 158 around the receptor ring 150 when the gasket 92 is fitted and compressed between the discharge head 70 and the outer housing 44 defeating the intent of the present invention. Examples of materials that may be used to form the gasket 92 are cellulose fiber, cork, graphite, or rubber, all with or without a metal insert, as needed or desired. The gasket 92 may have a thickness of at least 1.5 millimeters. Two or more gaskets or seals 92 may be employed as needed or desired to individually seal the inside and outside walls of the annular flow path ring 158 and liquid flow orifices 156.
Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow. Note that the terms “surrounded” or “immersed” means a path for liquid where the discharge head and motor housing are connected. The present invention may be used with any motor or motor housing and discharge head or discharge receiver devices where it is desired that an electrical connector inside the motor housing and/or discharge head be surrounded or immersed by liquid contained inside the motor housing and/or discharge head. The electrical connector of the discharge head and the motor may be either a female or male connection, or any type of connection where an electrical connection is made.
