Claims
- 1. A vapor recovery system for use in a fuel dispensing environment, said system comprising:a) a fuel dispenser having a product delivery line and a vapor recovery line; b) a storage tank connected to said product delivery line and said vapor recovery line, said storage tank for storing product and recovering vapor from said vapor recovery line; c) a ventilation system associated with said storage tank for relieving pressure within said storage tank; d) a vapor recovery pump fluidly connected to said vapor recovery line for drawing vapors through said vapor recovery line into said storage tank; e) a hydrocarbon concentration sensor associated with said ventilation system; f) a vapor flow rate sensor proximate one said hydrocarbon concentration sensor and associated with said ventilation system; and g) a control system operatively connected to said pump and each of said sensors, said control system for calculating a flow rate and a hydrocarbon concentration through said ventilation system based on readings of said sensors; wherein said vapor recovery pump is proximate said processing unit; wherein said ventilation system includes a processing unit; and wherein said sensors are positioned between said pump and said processing unit.
- 2. A vapor recovery system for use in a fuel dispensing environment, said system comprising:a) a fuel dispenser having a product delivery line and a vapor recovery line; b) a storage tank connected to said product delivery line and said vapor recovery line, said storage tank for storing product and recovering vapor from said vapor recovery line; c) a ventilation system associated with said storage tank for relieving pressure within said storage tank; d) a vapor recovery pump fluidly connected to said vapor recovery line for drawing vapors through said vapor recovery line into said storage tank; e) a hydrocarbon concentration sensor associated with said ventilation system; f) a vapor flow rate sensor proximate one said hydrocarbon concentration sensor and associated with said ventilation system; and g) a control system operatively connected to said pump and each of said sensors, said control system for calculating a flow rate and a hydrocarbon concentration through said ventilation system based on readings of said sensors; and h) at least a second vapor flow sensor and at least a second hydrocarbon concentration sensor associated with said ventilation system.
- 3. A method of running diagnostic tests on a vapor recovery system for a fuel dispenser environment, said method comprising the steps of:a) positioning a hydrocarbon concentration sensor and vapor flow rate sensor in a vapor recovery system proximate one another; b) testing to see if a vapor recovery rate is appropriate based on a fuel dispensing rate; c) determining if a vapor recovery pump is running at an inappropriate time; d) determining if there is a leak in the vapor recovery system; and e) determining if the vapor recovery pump is not running at an inappropriate time.
- 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of determining if a membrane within the vapor recovery system is functioning appropriately.
- 5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of generating an error message if any of the diagnostic tests return improper results.
- 6. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of determining if the vapor recovery pump is running backwards.
- 7. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of determining if the valve is struck within the vapor recovery system.
- 8. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of generating a report indicating the results of the diagnostic tests.
Parent Case Info
This application is a 1.53 (b ) Continuation of application Ser. No. application Ser. No. 09/442,263 filed Nov. 17, 1999, entitled VAPOR FLOW AND HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATION SENSOR FOR IMPROVED VAPOR RECOVERY IN FUEL DISPENSERS.
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/442263 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/783178 |
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US |