Patent Grant
9896325
The present invention relates generally to the field of hydrocarbon and fuels production; more specifically, to the field of maintaining and cleaning equipment and systems for processing hydrocarbons and fuels; and more particularly still, to a vacuum vapor liquid recovery system.
Large industrial complexes are utilized to process raw hydrocarbons in order to produce the fuels and related materials that our complex economy relies upon to move goods, run factories, heat homes, transport food, keep machinery operating smoothly, and otherwise allow our modern lives to continue. In particular, oil and gas plants/refineries are often large, complex facilities with huge storage and processing tanks, miles of pipelines, and untold numbers of towers, valves, pipes, and related equipment that make up the systems. Many of these structures must be periodically drained, cleaned and maintained.
Currently, low-points in such systems often contain drain valves which can be opened to flush out residue liquids, vapors, etc. (collectively, “refuse”) that remain after the primary materials have been removed from the system(s). Catch basins, tubs, open-air tanks, etc. are often placed under such drain valves in order to catch some portion of this refuse and a vacuum truck is then used to suck up what materials flow into these basins. However, since much of the refuse is gaseous vapor or volatile liquids, the vacuum truck is left only what liquids haven't evaporated into the environment. Hooking the vacuum truck directly to the system is often impossible; and, when possible, it can be unwise to do so, as the vacuum the truck employs can damage the sometimes fragile equipment in the systems.
What is needed is a piece of portable equipment that can be easily relocated between drain sites and allows for the capture of both liquids and gases/vapors directly from the systems. Such a device should be capable of containing both liquids and vapors, must be able to withstand the vacuum from the vacuum truck, and should have safety valve(s) to release and handle varying vacuums so that the system that is being drained is protected therefrom.
A vacuum vapor liquid recovery system employs a strong vacuum vessel or tank that can withstand vacuums without damage. The vacuum vessel may be portable and configured to accept a plurality of inflow drain lines for receiving waste liquid/vapors from a processing system. Additionally, at least one primary outflow drain line is attached to the vacuum vessel to which a vacuum truck or other similar recovery equipment can be connected in order to pump out whatever liquids/vapors have been drained into the vacuum vapor liquid recovery system. Additional features can include wheels to assist in moving and positioning the vacuum vapor liquid recovery system, tow bar, transport handles, support legs, sight port, a wash out connector, a vacuum relief, etc.
In the following discussion, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. Furthermore, lists and/or examples are often provided and should be interpreted as exemplary only and in no way limiting embodiments to only those examples. Similarly, in this disclosure, language such as “could, should, may, might, must, have to, can, would, need to, is, is not”, etc. and all such similar language shall be considered interchangeable whenever possible such that the scope of the invention is not unduly limited. For example, a comment such as: “item X is used” can be interpreted to read “item X can be used”.
Exemplary embodiments are described below in the accompanying Figures. The following detailed description provides a comprehensive review of the drawing Figures in order to provide a thorough understanding of, and an enabling description for, these embodiments. One having ordinary skill in the art will understand that in some cases well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.
Referring now to the drawings,
In the embodiment illustrated in
The vacuum vessel device 400 comprises a plurality of inflow drain line ports 450 that are attached to the vacuum vessel device 400. In one embodiment, at least one of the plurality of inflow drain line ports 450 extends upwards from a top surface of the vacuum vessel device 400. The plurality of inflow drain line ports 450 are adapted to releasably attach to incoming drain lines so as to receive therethrough the last remaining liquids/vapors from a system.
An outflow drain line 50 can be attached at the low point 51 on the vacuum vessel device 400. The outflow drain line 50 has a plurality of attachments 58 that allow it to be connected to a vacuum truck or similar gas/vapor pumping device. In one embodiment the outflow drain line 50 extends outwards and slightly downwards from the vacuum vessel device 400 so that no pooling locations are created therein. In another embodiment one or more additional outflow drain lines 50 are incorporated into the vacuum vapor liquid recovery system.
A sight port 430 can be incorporated into the vacuum vessel device 400. The sight port 430 provides a means for a person to visually inspect the interior of the vacuum vessel device 400. There are many reasons why this can be desirable, including: determining if anything is entering the vacuum vessel device 400, determining if materials are exiting, determining the amount of materials in the vacuum vessel device 400, etc. The sight port 430 can be built with glass, plastic, or any other suitably strong and sufficiently transparent material(s).
A vacuum relief valve 440 can also be attached to the vacuum vessel device 400. The vacuum relief valve 440 can serve to automatically relieve a vacuum at a certain level (or maintain it at that level), say at three inches of mercury, for example. In other embodiments other levels of vacuum relief valves 440 are contemplated. In yet another embodiment, a user-selectable, variable-setting vacuum relief valve 440 can be employed.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
The vacuum vapor liquid recovery system 10 illustrated in
The frontal support and repositioning structure 300 illustrated in
Extending from the proximal end of the handle collar is a handle neck 326. The handle neck 326 extends to the wheel fork 340 which surrounds the front wheel 20 and attaches the handle components to the wheel 20. In an alternate embodiment, the wheel fork 340 utilizes a single arm on one side of the wheel 20 rather than the more common two-arm fork extending on either side of the wheel 20. In another embodiment the handle neck, handle collar, handle stand, etc. can be replaced by a simple handle attached to the wheel fork 340.
The wheel fork 340 attaches to an axle of the front wheel 20, allowing the wheel to roll freely as needed and yet provide the user with the leverage to rotate the orientation of the front wheel 20 via the mounting member 350. The mounting member 350 can similarly comprise a one or two arm fork which rotatably mounts the front wheel 20 to the mounting support 360. The mounting member 350 is free to rotate within the mounting support 360 such that the front wheel can be oriented in any direction as desired by the user. A lock cap 355 secures the mounting member 350 to the mounting support 360.
The mounting support 360 is attached to a front portion of the vacuum vessel device 400. The mounting support 360 supports the front of the vacuum vessel device 400 and keeps it oriented correctly such that the low point 51 of the vacuum vessel device 400 remains the low point as the system 10 is repositioned. A handle rest support 370 can be attached to the mounting support 360. The handle rest support 370 provides a structure against which the handle can be rested when not in use. The handle rest support 370 can also incorporate a handle retention device 380 which can comprise a simple flexible grasping clamp which receives within it the handle and securely holds it in place until swung out therefrom by the user. Other types of handle retention means can be utilized in the handle retention device 380, including magnets, springs, etc.
The rear support and repositioning structure 700 illustrated in
The pull handle 310 attaches to the distal end of the handle collar 320. A handle stand 322 can extend from the handle collar 320, the stand 322 can be adapted to hold the handle off of the ground when the pull handle 310 is set down by the user of the system. This allows the pull handle 310 to be easily and quickly grasped when needed rather than attempting to retrieve it from the dirt, mud, or other debris. In another embodiment, a simple handle is used in place of the handle collar, handle stand and pull handle.
In order to employ the vacuum vapor liquid recovery system 10, a user manipulates the frontal support and repositioning structure 300 in order to reposition the system 10 in proximity to one or more drain pipes. The user then attaches one or more drain hoses to the plurality of inflow drain line ports 450 on the system 10 and opens the valves to let material flow down the drain hoses and into the system 10. A vacuum truck or similar recovery equipment can be connected to the plurality of attachments 58 on the outflow drain line 50 in order to induce a vacuum within the system 10 and assist the flow of materials down the drain hoses and into the system 10. Once the drain pipes are emptied, the valves on the drain hoses/pipes can be closed, the drain hoses can be disconnected from the plurality of inflow drain line ports 450 and the vacuum vessel device 400 can be completely emptied into the vacuum truck. The user then again manipulates the frontal support and repositioning structure 300 in order to reposition the system 10 into storage or into position for its next use.
The sight port 430 is seen from above such that the viewing port 436 itself is visible. The viewing port 436 comprises the glass, plastic or similarly transparent material which allows the user to view the interior of the vacuum vessel device 400 and any contents therein. Since the viewing port 436 can be transparent, the interior cavity inside the vacuum vessel device 400 is visible. In other embodiments, non-transparent viewing ports 436 are contemplated, including translucent and opaque. Surrounding the viewing port 436 is a plurality of port attachment means 432. in the embodiment illustrated in
A portion of the outflow drain line 50 is shown extending from the rear of the system 10. The plurality of attachments 58 is illustrated as is the shut-off valve 56. As discussed above, the plurality of attachments 58 is adapted to allow the system 10 to be connected to a vacuum truck or other gas/vapor pumping/recovery devices. The shut-off valve 56 can be extremely useful as way to maintain a vacuum or partial vacuum within the system 10 as well as to ensure no liquids/vapors escape the system when not attached to the vacuum truck. Additionally, the shut-off valve 56 helps to ensure foreign bodies (rodents, insects, etc.) can not enter the system 10 unexpectedly.
A proximal end of the tow bar 560 attaches to the front wheel 20. The distal end of the tow bar 560 attaches to the plurality of hitch assemblies 564 and 565, allowing the system 10 to be towed and maneuvered by a vehicle, such as an all terrain vehicle (ATV), lawn tractor or other tractor, truck, etc. Also depicted in
The first hitch assembly 564 is configured with a ball hitch that attaches to a standard-type trailer ball attached to a tow vehicle. The first hitch assembly 564 can be sized to fit any of the ball sizes used in the industry. The second hitch assembly 565 is configured with a pin hitch that attaches to any trailer hitch requiring a clevis pin type connection. Other trailer/tow-equipment connections are contemplated in other embodiments.
While particular embodiments have been described and disclosed in the present application, it is clear that any number of permutations, modifications, or embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of this disclosure.
Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the embodiments should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the claims encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the claimed subject matter.
The above detailed description of the embodiments is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise embodiment or form disclosed herein or to the particular fields of usage mentioned above. While specific embodiments and examples are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the embodiments provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
Any patents, applications and other references that may be listed in accompanying or subsequent filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references to provide yet further embodiments.
In light of the above “Detailed Description,” the Inventor may make changes to the disclosure. While the detailed description outlines possible embodiments and discloses the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, embodiments may be practiced in a myriad of ways. Thus, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the spirit of the embodiments as disclosed by the inventor. As discussed herein, specific terminology used when describing certain features or aspects should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the embodiments with which that terminology is associated.
While certain aspects are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects.
The above specification, examples and data provide a description of the structure and use of exemplary implementations of the described systems, articles of manufacture and methods. It is important to note that many implementations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/931,824 entitled VACUUM VAPOR LIQUID RECOVER SYSTEM and filed on Jan. 12, 2015, which is specifically incorporated by reference herein for all that it discloses and teaches.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5878767 | Etling | Mar 1999 | A |
| 6036446 | Goodman | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6786700 | Taylor | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 9376011 | Padfield | Jun 2016 | B1 |
| 20090007983 | Healy | Jan 2009 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160199771 A1 | Jul 2016 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62102572 | Jan 2015 | US |
