US2405998A - Liquefied petroleum gas equipment - Google Patents
Liquefied petroleum gas equipment Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US2405998A US2405998A US397096A US39709641A US2405998A US 2405998 A US2405998 A US 2405998A US 397096 A US397096 A US 397096A US 39709641 A US39709641 A US 39709641A US 2405998 A US2405998 A US 2405998A
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- Prior art keywords
- tank
- valve
- liquid
- conduit
- gas
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
- F16K1/00—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces
- F16K1/30—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces specially adapted for pressure containers
- F16K1/304—Shut-off valves with additional means
- F16K1/305—Shut-off valves with additional means with valve member and actuator on the same side of the seat
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
- F16K1/00—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces
- F16K1/30—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces specially adapted for pressure containers
- F16K1/304—Shut-off valves with additional means
- F16K1/306—Shut-off valves with additional means with a valve member, e.g. stem or shaft, passing through the seat
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
- F16K1/00—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces
- F16K1/30—Lift valves or globe valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces specially adapted for pressure containers
- F16K1/307—Additional means used in combination with the main valve
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/6851—With casing, support, protector or static constructional installations
- Y10T137/6855—Vehicle
- Y10T137/6881—Automotive
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/6851—With casing, support, protector or static constructional installations
- Y10T137/6966—Static constructional installations
- Y10T137/6991—Ground supporting enclosure
- Y10T137/6995—Valve and meter wells
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/7287—Liquid level responsive or maintaining systems
- Y10T137/7297—With second diverse control
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/7287—Liquid level responsive or maintaining systems
- Y10T137/7358—By float controlled valve
- Y10T137/7439—Float arm operated valve
- Y10T137/7475—With toggle or second lever connected to valve
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/7722—Line condition change responsive valves
- Y10T137/7781—With separate connected fluid reactor surface
- Y10T137/7784—Responsive to change in rate of fluid flow
- Y10T137/7787—Expansible chamber subject to differential pressures
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/7722—Line condition change responsive valves
- Y10T137/7781—With separate connected fluid reactor surface
- Y10T137/7793—With opening bias [e.g., pressure regulator]
- Y10T137/7822—Reactor surface closes chamber
- Y10T137/7828—Valve head on yoke
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/7722—Line condition change responsive valves
- Y10T137/7781—With separate connected fluid reactor surface
- Y10T137/7793—With opening bias [e.g., pressure regulator]
- Y10T137/7822—Reactor surface closes chamber
- Y10T137/7828—Valve head on yoke
- Y10T137/7829—Yoke has valve closing bias
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/8593—Systems
- Y10T137/86292—System with plural openings, one a gas vent or access opening
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/8593—Systems
- Y10T137/877—With flow control means for branched passages
- Y10T137/87829—Biased valve
- Y10T137/87837—Spring bias
- Y10T137/87861—Spring coaxial with valve
Definitions
- the present invention relates to liquefied petroleum gas equipment and more particularly to apparatus for handling liqueed petroleum gas.
- the petroleum product employed in the system with which the present invention is concerned is preferably a hydrocarbon of the paraffin series such as butane or propane or a mixture of both, preferably stored in an underground tank in the form of a liqueed gas which, with the assistance of the heat of the earth and reduction in pressure, is vaporized for ⁇ use in a dwelling as a substitute for natural gas. 4
- One Way of vaporizing the liqueiied gas is the so-called batch system in which vaporization is carried on in the storage tank and vapor is withdrawn in the form of gas from the tank.
- the other way of vaporizing the liquefied gas is the so-called flash system in which the liquefied gasis withdrawn as a liquid from the tank and passed through a pressure reducing regulator which causes the liquid to flash into vapor.
- the storage tank is generally buried below the frost line, and the temperatures experienced there maintain a vapor pressure in the tank.
- This vapor pressure is constant at any given temperature and although it is relied upon in most installations to force liquefied gas or vapor from the storage tank, it cannot be relied upon lor utilized for the purpose of preventing the overfilling of the tank when liquid or vapor is sup- .plied to the tank under a higher pressure as by a pump. Condensation of the vapor will take place progressively and the level of liquid in the tank will continue to rise as long as a liquid pressure is imposed upon the tank greater than the vapor pressure of the liqueed gas in the tank.
- a iilling means which re- 42 Claims. (Cl. 62-1) lies upon storage tank pressure as a criterion in determining when the liquid level is reached, does not take in account the presence of air or a gas foreign to liqueed petroleum gas in the tank.
- quantity of liquid in the storage tank is by weight.
- one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a liqueed petroleum gas system for the storage and dispensing of thegas in which the storage means is protected against overlling in an improved manner, a means being provided that is related to a constant factor which can be relied upon ⁇ in determining. the volume vof liquid present in relationship to its absolute weight.
- Another object of the invention is to provide an improved system for the filling of storage tanks whether they be lled by gravity or by a forced kfeed pump,.
- the present invention provides an improved multiple function tting or head which can be attached as a single unit to a tank whether the tank isl provided with a riser pipe or not.
- LConventional fittings heretofore used have been formed of cast metal, whereas the ⁇ present construction is so designed as to be constructed not Vonly as a casting but as a forged body. This eliminates the wastepresent with cast bodies rejected because of porosity and provides a lighter unit.
- a further object of the invention is to proL vide an improved head so constructed andarranged that a single dip tube is utilized to provide for liquid eduction when the system is used as a flash system and also serves to agitate or stir the contents of the tank when vthe tankis lled and withdraw the liquid contents if upon occasion it becomes desirable to empty the tank.
- a further object of the invention is to provide an improved flashdispensing system wherein the first stage of pressure reduction is provided with an improved pressure regulator.
- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally through a tank illustrating the structure and arrangements of the preferred embodiment of the invention when the storage tank is being filled and the system is in operation.
- Fig. 3 is a top view of the fitting as taken upon the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.
- Fig. 5 is a section taken upon the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.
- Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating another embodiment of the invention.
- Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing the iill pipe and gauge control which can be used alternatively with the fittings shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6.
- Fig. 9 is a lateral view of the device illustrated in Fig. 8 taken at a 90 angle.
- Fig, 11 is an enlarged vertical section throug the first stage pressure regulator shown in Fig. 1.
- a pressure tested, corrosion treated tank is buried in the ground 2
- the tank is provided with a riser pipe 23 which is welded at the lower end thereof to the tank 20 as at 24 where it is disposed over an opening 25 in the top of the tank.
- the-pipe 23 receives thereon a concrete curb box 26 having a cover 1 hinged thereto which when closed, may be locked (padlock not shown) and fastened to the hasp 28.
- the length of the pipe 23 is determined in relationshipto the depth at which it is expected to bury the tank 20 so that the upper end of the pipe is disposed well down in the box 26 after the installation is made.
- the upper end of the pipe 23 is threaded as at 3
- the head 32 comprises a body carrying a pipe or dip tube 33 which extends to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank as shown in the particular embodiment illustrated in Fig. l where, through an opening 34, liquid from the body thereof within the ⁇ tank may be withdrawn into the pipe .33 in. a manner which will be described in further detail hereafter.
- the liquid then iiows through pipe 33, through fitting or head 32 and passes outwardly and downwardly through tubing 35 which has an excess length thereof bent back and forth along the top of the tank as at 36 to absorb heat therefrom.
- the tube 36 leads to a iirst stage pressure reduction regulator 37 which has an elongated back cap 38 disposed inside the tank and is supported upon ⁇ a iiange plate 4l welded to the tank over an opening 42 therein.
- a service pipe 43 leads to a second stage regulator 44 which may be located near the iiist stage regulator if desired but preferably is disposed inside the dwelling where the gas is to be used.
- the hose ⁇ 45 supplies liquefied gas to the tank 28 through the pipe 33 which is supported upon the fitting 32 in communication with the hose 45.
- FIG. 2 the body forging for the fitting 32 is illustrated as it appears before machining.
- the forging 55 is made with two dies whose line of separation follows the outline contour of the forging as seen in plan View.
- the lower die (not shown) provides a cylindrical shell 56 at the base having a cavity 64 therein and the upper die in cooperation with the lower die provides upwardly extending bosses 51, 58 and 59 and laterally extending bosses ⁇ 6i), 6l and 62, the space between the inclined bosses being provided with a bulk of metal 63.
- the open space 64 in the shell 56 is separated from the metal 63 by a wall 65 which in the particular embodiment shown, is of suiicient thickness to permit the dies to function to their best advantage.
- the boss 51 is provided as a liquid outlet and inlet connection having a double valve construction.
- the boss is drilled out to a depth indicated at 61 where it is in communication with an upwardly drilled and threaded opening -68 in a portion H of the wall 65.
- a cylindrical well which serves as a guide 13. The guide is located .beyond'the end 5 of the plug
- valve member 15 which is spring pressed outwardly by av compression spring 18.
- the boss is threaded as at 11 to a depth providing an annular shoulder 18 beyond which the walls are undercut as at 8
- the valve 15 is held in place by a retainer 82 screwed in place against the shoulder 18.
- the retainer 82 provides a valve seat 83 for the valve 15.
- the valve'1-5 is drilled out as at 84 to receive for mounting thereon the stem 85 of a second valve 81 having a cavity therein 88 on its upper face.
- a spring 80 is positioned in the bore 84 and bears at one end upon the valve 15 and at the other end upon the bottom of the valve 81, tending to force it outwardly.
- is removably mounted in the cavity 86 on the upper face of the valve 01, being held in place by a washer and screw assembly 92.
- a connection and seating member 93 is removably engaged in the threaded portion 11 of the boss and isprovided upon its lower end with a land or valve seat 94 against which the valve member 81 closes.
- the member 93 Adjacent its upper end the member 93 is internally threaded as at 95 to receive a closure plug l98.
- the member 93 is also externally threaded by heavy threads y91 to receive a iilling hose or adapter connection 98 carried upon the end of the hose 45.
- is provided with a passage drilled to a predetermined depth into the body portion of the forging where it is connected to the chamber 80 by a passage
- is enlarged to provide the shoulder
- is provided with a threaded downwardly opening outlet
- 2 is mounted in a carrier H3 to cooperate with a shutoi seat
- 2 has its stem threaded into the carrier
- 3 On its outer end the carrier
- 24 tapered at its inner end, extends through boss 80 and communicates with the intersecting passages
- 34 is cross sectionally contoured as at
- 38 is provided as required.
- 28 is provided with an L-shaped passage
- a cutter (not shown) provides a cylindrical cavity
- 48 having a hexagonal outer contour, the corners of which serve to guide the spring guide with respect to the wall
- the spring guide is threaded to receive a disc retainer
- 52 in the spring guide is held in place by an adjustable spider
- is continuously in open communication with the interior 0f the tank through a drilled passage
- 51 is provided to prevent the collection of moisture around the valve seat.
- the boss 62 is provided with enough body stock that a threaded opening can be provided therethrough to receive a safety relief valve such as that shown in the Buttner et al. Patent No. 2,254,209, when, upon occasion, such is required.
- is preferably provided to remove any accumulation of air which might be present at the top of the riser pipe.
- This vent connection is received in the boss 58 where it is drilled out as at
- the spring extends through a guide opening
- 11 places the valve
- the stock 63 is machined to proper dimension to receive a liquid level gauge 8
- This machining serves also to remove as much metal stock as possible for salvage from the forging, the salvage being an item of economy and savings.
- the wall 65 may be merely drilled to provide a journal for the shaft
- 80 is provided to receive a gasket
- 84 is compressed to provide a seal by means of four bolts
- 92 for the gauge are shown in Fig. 3.
- 83 is operated by a oat
- 93 is counterbalanced .by a weight
- 91 is pivotally fastened to be operated by the float arm
- the lead nut engages a helical cut 284 on the lower end of the gauge shaft
- The-lead nut is mounted for rectilineal movement with respect to the bracket 202 and the discrepancy of alignment existing between the arcuately moving float arm and the rectilineal movement of the lead nut 20
- brackets 202 are secured in pla-ce by sleeves or clamps 206 fastened in place at any convenient height upon the pipe 33.
- the construction illustrated and described herein provides a compactness for this purpose, whose overall sectional diameter is small enough to permit same to be lowered through the riser pipe 23 quite easily.
- is controlled by the iioat
- the stop 2lb ⁇ is capable of being so set that the swivel eye 2
- 98 are so selected that slight movement of the float at the fill limit will move the fiapper valve 2
- a buckle joint is provided in the arm
- This joint is made by fashioning the arm
- the rivet 2 I 8 is disposed in a Vertical plane so that when the float portions 223 are super-imposed one upon the other, the shaft
- a light tension-spring 223 is eyeleted to engage the free end 224 of the shaft portion
- 98 buckles each time required by the closeness of the side walls of the tank and ultimately straightens to place the float in its expected path of operation.
- 981 is preferably made of a bi-metal strip which fiexes in a Vertical plane with temperature changes. This is provided to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction of the body of liquefied gas present in the tank so that,'due to the cooperation of the float determining the volume and the b-i-metal strip determining the temperature, there is an automatic adjustment for temperature changes in determining the absolute weight of liquid present in the tank.
- the arrangement of the bi-metal is such that the arm exes upwardly to delay the action of the dapper valve 2
- is adapted for batch vaporization only and the iill pipe 33a does not extend to the bottom of the tank but constitutes the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.
- the ll opening is machined to receive a safety check valve 234 spring pressed outwardly by a spring 235 which forces the valve 234 to close against a seat 236 on the bottom of a retainer 231.
- the retainer 231 is preferably separated from the filler body 238 which of itself, carries a spider 24
- the valve 243 is spring pressed outwardly by a, spring 244 to engage a seat 245 machined in the filler body 288.
- the check valves open simultaneously only upon the application of a pressure outside of the tank.
- 43a comprises an insert.
- the forgings illustrated herein are made of bronze or brass.
- 43 ⁇ a is made of aluminum or similar metal or material which oxidizes very rapidly to form a thin layer of aluminum oxide which has glass-like characteristics very favorable to the prevention of cohesion between the seat and disc
- 43a. is threaded into the forged body as at 246 with the opening 241 therethrough provided with a geometrical contour suitable to receive a. wrench that can be used to tighten or loosen the seat
- Vsafety relief valve in the form of a' fuse plug 248 is illustrated in this embodiment in the form which can be used with the first described embodiment if desired.
- a pipe which can be much smaller than the riser pipe 23 a screw ange 25
- the bosses are disposed at such angles to each other that four bolts 255 may be employed to secure the head in position.
- the outlet boss 256 receives an excess ow check valve 251 therein, which is held in place by a retainer 258 inserted inside of the conical seat 26
- the P. O. L. connection shown in Fig. 4 comprises a male member carried by the head whereas in Fig. 6 the opening ⁇ is a female member.
- the needle valve which controls the flow of gas to the outlet opening is in this particular embodiment, disposed in a separate boss 262 as shown in Fig. 7.
- the valve seat 263 is formed in the body of the fitting 23
- the ll pipe 33a. as illustrated in Fig. 9 is sov disc 231 held in place by a retainer 288.
- is provided to hold the valve 261 in a normally open position.
- a recess 212 upon the inside of the tting receives the valve 261 with a shielding lip 213 at thetop thereof to deflect the flow of liquid in front of the valve.
- 99 of the float may be of rigid construction without the buckle joint therein .and the parts described may be inserted in place until the float engages the bottom of the tank and is jiggled to itsextended kposition by manual vibration of the head 32 before the bolts 255 are tightened in place.
- means can be employed to move the iloat outwardly a slight distance so that it will move out along the tank bottom to its correct position when the ll pipe 33a is lowered.
- the marginal edge of the diaphragm is received against a shoulder 295 machined in the body 215 above the valve compartment 296 and is held in place by a bonnet 291.
- the bonnet is threaded to receive ascrew 298 to serve as a guide and as an adjusting member for the compression spring 30
- the other end of the spring rests against the diaphragm plate 292 toY urge the yoke downwardly to open the port 282 to the valve compartment 2 96.
- a cap 302 is received uponY the adjusting screw to lserve a double purpose,v namely to lock the screw 298 againstv movement and in cooperation with a washer 303 to seal the'bonnet.
- a half union 304 is threaded therein to support a vent tube 305 at one end thereof.
- the other end of the tube 365 carries a glycerin cup loA 306 with the opening 301 thereof submerged in sealed contact' with an adapter 3
- is constructed as an integral spider to serve as a guide for the valve element 286 as supported by a backcap spring 3 fl which rests at one end upon the spider and steadies the operation ofr the valve.
- the adapter at the bottom thereof is internally threaded as at 3I5 to receive an elongated backcap 3
- 9 is received in the tank through an opening 3
- the rst stage regulator 31 thus described is assembled as a unit outside of the tank and is mounted upon the tank -by means of an internally threaded ange plate 3 8 welded to the tank as at 32
- the service truck In operation, after the tank has been installed, the service truck is backed into position and the hose 45 connected to the iill connection.
- the fuel pump d1 is started and with the check valve 2
- 93 begins to rise and operate the liquid level gauge to indicate the level present in the tank at any given moment during filling operations.
- the temperature of the liquid in the .truck tank 4S is higher than the ultimate temperature of the liquid in the buried tank 20, particularly if the tank is being serviced in mild or summer weather. It is a common practice to estimate the quantity of liquid supplied to a tank in relationship to the temperature of the liquid. If this temperature is taken at the truck tank and the truck tank is warm as compared with the vliquid in the tank, there will be a discrepancy between the meter reading 52 and the volume indicated upon the liquid level gauge
- 93 is pivoted as at
- the arm is influenced immediately and directly by the temperature thereof, this temperature being maintained quite uniform throughout the body of liquid by the turbulence created by the liquid being introduced directly into the body thereof.
- the bi-metal portion thereof begins to flex in response to the temperature of the liquid and vary the position of the float
- This relates the lling operation and the maximum level to ⁇ the absolute quantity of liquid in the' tank.
- This arrangement is of particular advantage where the tank is buried, where the temperature is substantially uniform and a safe volume of liquid can be more closely determined, yet takes care of the contingency of liquid being supplied to the tank at a temperature above orbelow .the temperature which will ultimately exist for the liquid as buried in the ground.
- 9817 will eliminate the need of computation from the reading of the gauge since the hand, in combination with the metal strip, will determine the absolute volume of liquid gas present in the tank, by a weight criterion, said gauge being graduated in pounds if need be and computed in relationship to vapor volume also present in the tank.
- the swivel eyelet ZIS engages the stop 216, moves the valve 2Il out into the path of ll liquid, the inward movement of which carries the valve 2H to its closed position. This immediately creates a back pressure upon the hose 45, the meter 52 stops its operation and the output of the pump 41 is bypassed back to the tank -through the by-pass relief valve 54,
- the manual cut-off needle valve H2 may be opened and the pet cock valve set for either batch or flash vaporization.
- liquid will then beconducted to the iirst stage regulator 31 where it will pass through the opening 282 to be, vaporized by ⁇ a reduction of pressure to the extent that heat present in the regulator body is sufiicient to support vaporization.
- the heat therein will provide adequate vaporization for an average draw of fuel in the service line.
- a pressure storage tank receiving heat from an outside source, means for withdrawing liquid from the tank, a pressure regulator connected toV said means' to receive said liquid and having a portion thereof disposed in heat exchange contact with the liquefied gas in the tank.
- a pressure storage tank receiving heat fromV an outside source, means ⁇ for withdrawing gas from the tank, a pressure regulator including a valve connected to said means and having a chamber on the low pressure side of they valve disposed in heat exchange contact with the liquefied gasin the tank.
- a Vstorage tank In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing device of the class described, a Vstorage tank, a service pipe connected to the tank, a pressure regulator having a bridge therein with the inlet port below the outlet port, a section of said regulator being disposedin said tank to receiveheat therefrom, said bridge being arranged in position to be warmed by vapor passing from said section out through said outlet port of the regulator.
- a storage tank means selectively withdrawing liquid or vapor from the' tank, a service pipe connected to -saidineans'apressure regulator connected in said servcepipe, a section of said regulator receiving heat from said tank for assuring vaporization of the iiuid withdrawn in the pipe.
- a storage tank a tting for iilling and selectively withdrawing liquefied or vaporized gas from the tank, a service pipe connected to the iitting including aV pressure regulator supported upon the tank and having a portion thereof warmed by the contents of said tank.
- a combined pressure reducer and vaporizer for liquefied petroleum gas comprising a body having a valve chamber, a valve in the chamber, means responsive to the pressure in the valve chamber for operating said valve, and an elongated heat exchange member mounted upon the body for expanding fluid :admitted to the valve chamber throughthe Valve.
- a liquefied gas dispensing system having a storage tank, means for lling the tank including a conduit extending to the bottom of the tank, a valve closing in the direction of inflow of liquid in the-conduit, a double valve obstructing the outflow of liquid in said conduit, a service conduit, and means connecting the service conduit with the first conduit below said double valve.
- a liquefied gas dispensing system having a storage tank, means for iilling the tank including a conduit extending to the bottom of the tank, a valve closing in the direction of inflow of liquid in the conduit, a double valve obstructing the outflow of liquid in said conduit, a service conduit and means connecting the service conduit with the first conduit below said double valve, a vaporizing expansion valve means connected to the conduit including a heat exchange element, and a pressure regulator for reducing the pressure of the gas to a service pressure and to withstand the surge of filling liquid in the service conduit when the iirst valve closes.
- a filling device for liquefied petroleum gas storage tank comprising a die formed head secured to the tank and having an opening therein, a safety check valve in said opening, a conduit extending to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank in communication with said opening, a valve in said conduit, means responsive to the .level of liquid in the tank, and means interconnecting the responsive means and the second valve including a lost motion device.
- a filling device for liquefied petroleum gas systems comprising an inlet conduit, means for introducing liquefied gas into the conduit, a valve closing in the direction of iiow of said introduced gas disposed in said conduit, means responsive to the quantity of liquid introduced through the conduit for operating said valve, and means controlled by said responsive means for indicating variations in said quantity.
- unitary means secured to said tank including a conduit for performing the functions of filling the tank with liquefied gas to a predetermined level and evacuating the tank of liquid fuel and educting gas from the tank for consumption through said conduit.
- a liquefied fuel gas dispensing system of the class described having a pressure storage tank buried in heat exchange relationship with the earth to absorb heat therefrom, a unitary fitting secured in sealed relation to the tank and having a bifurcated passage therethrough, a conduit element carried by the fitting and interconnecting said passage and a point adjacent the bottom of the tank, means for controlling the iiow of fuel through one of said bifurcations including a manually controlled valve and a check valve, and means for controlling the flow of fuel through the other bifurcation including a check valve and a valve closing outwardly, means interconnecting theY last two valves for holdingr the outwardly closing valve open when said last check valve is moved positively to its open position.
- a head constructed to be secured in sealed relation to the tank including a fill conduit, a valve controlling the inflow of liquefied gas through the conduit, and means constructed to respond to the level and temperature of liquid in the tank for operating the valve.
- a head constructed to be secured to the tank including a body portion, a lill conduit body portion and extending therefrom and having an opening at its outer end, a valve closing in the direction of liow of liquefied gas through the conduit towards the opening and free to open with flow of liquid in the opposite direction, and means constructed to respond to the level of liquid in the tank for operating the valve, said means including an element for responding to the temperature of the liquid in the tank for governing the operation of said level responsive means.
- a head including a body receivable on the tank, a conduit carried by the body and opening at one end into the tank when the head is in place, a valve closing in the direction of flow of liquid through the conduit and out of said opening, means constructed to respond to the level of liquid in the tank for operating the valve, filling and dispensing conduits in the body in communication with the conduit head of the valve, and automatic valve means controlling the outflow of gas through the dispensing conduit.
- a pressure storage tank buried in the ground to receive heat from the ground, means including a conduit for iilling the tank to a predetermined level with liquefied gas to provide a body of liquid in the tank and for withdrawing the gas from the tank, said means including an inlet for receiving filling liquid into the conduit and an outlet for dispensing liquid from the conduit, a closed bottom tube extending into the space within the tank in heat exchange relation with the body of liquid, and a pressure reducer connected to said outlet and mounted upon said tube With the valve compartment of the pressure reducer draining into the tube.
- a pressure storage tank buried in the ground to store in heat exchange relationship with the ground a liquefied petroleum gas in both its liquid and vapor phases
- means for educting gas from the tank in its liquid phase a tube in the tank in heat exchange relationship with the liquid in the tank, a pressure reducer connected to said educting means and mounted upon said tube with the valve compartment of the pressure reducerrdraining into the tube.
- a pressure storage tank .buried in the ground to receive heat from the ground
- fitting means secured to the tank for filling the tank with liquefied gas to a predetermined level, said heat vaporizing said gas to maintain a gauge pressure in the tank, means for educting liquefied gas from the tank for consumption including a service conduit, said conduit including a pressure regulator having a valve compartment connected to said eductingV means and a regulator body mounted upon said tank having a backcap in heat exchange relationship with the liquid contents of the tank below said .predetermined level, said valve compartment and backcap having a common outlet for gas vaporized under reduced pressure;
- a pressure tank buried in the ground for storing liquid gas and to receive heat from the ground, said heat vaporizing said gas to maintain a gauge pressure in the tank, means for educting liqueed gas from the tank in its liquid phase, a unitary pressure-regulator connected to said means to receive the educted liquid fuel and having an elongated backcap thereon, means for mounting the regulator upon the tank with the baekcap disposedinside the tank, and means for insulating the regulator from heat eX- change contact with outsidetemperature.
- a pressure storage tank buried in the ground to receive heat from the ground and having therein a liquefied gas, said heat Vaporizing said gas to maintain a gauge pressure in the tank, means for educting gas from the tank under said gauge pressure to a fitting outside the tank, a pressure reducer for lowering the pressure upon the educted gas from said gauge pressure, and
- conduit means for conducting'the educted liquid from the fitting to the pressure reducer disposed in heat exchange relationship with the contents ofthe tank.
- a storage tank a service pipe connected to the tank to educt liquid therefrom ⁇ and including a rst stage pressure regulator and a section of the pipe ahead of the first ⁇ stage regulator receiving latent heat of vaporization from the contents of said tank said regulator being arranged to accomplish the rst stage of pressure reduction upon the educted liquid.
- a pressure reducer for vaporizing liqueiied gas comprising a body portion, an inlet and outlet for the reducer, a valve between the inlet and outlet, a diaphragm formingone wall of a valve chamber surrounding said valve for operating the valve, and an elongated backcap upon the body providing an expansionchamber therebeyond of 18 substantial volume on the outlet side of the valve into which chilled unvaporized gas gravitates to absorb heat.
- said head comprising a unitary body having a .plurality of bosses thereon, means for filling and emptying the tank associated with one boss and including a passage through the body and a conduit element carried by the body in communication with said passage, a service connection and control in another boss including a service passage through the body having a section for communication with the top of the tank, means interconnecting said service passage and conduit element including a valve for closing said section, means for obstructing the iniiow of liquid through said conduit element but readily permitting outiiow through the conduit element at all times, and means carried by said body for operating said obstructing means at a predetermined level of liquid in the tank.
- a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser pipe comprising a body having a plurality of bosses thereon one machined to provide space for receiving a iilling valve and another machined to provide space for a service line cutoff valve, a dip tube carried by the body to extend to the bottom of the tank when the head is installed and disposed in communication with the filling valve space and with said service valve space.
- a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser'pipe comprising a unitary body having a plurality of bosses thereon, one machined to provide space for receiving ay combination evacuating and iilling valve in one boss and another machined to provide space fora service line cutoff valve in another boss, and a dip tube to extend to the bottom of the tank when the head is installed and communicating with the evacuating-filling valve space and said service valve space.
- a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser pipe comprising a die formed body having a plurality of machined bosses thereon, filling means in one 'boss for connection with a filler hose, an eduction control in another boss for connection with a service line, a passageway between said filling means and eduction control, a passageway interconnecting the education control and the top of the tank when the head is installed, means for closing the first passageway and opening the other passageway to the riser pipe, and dip tube means carried by said body connected to the filling means.
- a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser pipe comprising an integral body having a plurality of machined bosses thereon, a iilling valve in one boss, an eduction control in another boss for connection with a service line and having'two inlets, one leading to said iilling valve and the other to the riser pipe when the head is installed, means for closing said iirst inlet and opening the second inlet to the riserv pipe,- dip tube means carried by said body connected tothe filling valve, and means 19 including a valve in said dip tube for preventing the iilling of the tank above a predetermined level.
- a liqueiied gas dispensing system having a storage tank provided with a threaded opening in connection therewith, a head, means for mounting the head with respect to said opening in sealed relationship, said head comprising an integral body, a gauge mounted thereon, a filling device including a conduit carried by the body, normally open control means in said lling device, and means for operating said gauge and closing said normally open means for preventing overfilling of the tank.
- a head adapted to be secured in sealed relation to the tank and comprising a die formed body with a plurality of bosses thereon, a service outlet in one boss for communicating withthe tank, a lling device disposed in another boss, and means carried by the body connected to the filling device to place it in communication with the tank and including a conduit receivable in the tank and a trap valve to prevent overfllling of the tank, the outlet. of said means being below the inlet of the service outlet so that filling liquid will not enter the service outlet.
- a unitary head of the class described comprising a forged body having upwardly extending bosses thereon, one of said bosses having a machined opening therein with a safety check valve mountedtherein, a drilled conduit leading from the opening to the bottom of the body, means at the opening for mounting a tube upon the body in communication with said conduit, an eduction passage communicating with said conduit having therein a shut-off valve, a second conduit opening on the bottom of the body and leading to said passage, and a valve placing the passage in communication with one of said conduits.
- a unitary assembly for connection with respect to a tank for storing and dispensing liqueiied petroleum gas comprising a body having a passage therethrough, a, lling conduit carried by the body in communication with the passage and extending to the bottom of the tank when the assembly is installed, a branch conduit leading to a service connection, a conduit arranged to lead from the top of the tank into the branch and a selector valve disposed at the junction of said conduits.
- a delivery tank means a dispensing tank means, means for detachably connecting the tank means to convey liquid from one tank means to another, including a pump connected to one tank means; a head connected to the other tank means and a iiexible conduit interconnecting the pump and head, said pump including a pressure relief by-pass connected to the outlet of the pump, a conduit carried by said head, a valve in the conduit, and a device responsive to the level of liquid in the dispensing tank means for actuating the last mentioned valve.
- a head for a liqueed petroleum gas storage tank comprising a forged body'constructed and arranged to be fastened to said tank, a filling passage therethrough and a back pressure check valve disposed therein, a service conduit in said body including means upon the body for securing a service pipe thereto, a liquid eduction tube assembled on the body in communication with the passage to extend to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank, a vapor eduction passageway in said body, means for selectively connecting the service conduit in communication with the eduction tube or the eduction passageway and including means for closing off one While the other is in operation.
- valve means controlling the inflow of liqueed gas through the conduit, means responsive to the levelV of liquid in the tank for operating the valve and including means responsive to the temperature of the liquid in the tank for governing the operation of said level responsive means.
- a tank a head, .a fill conduit carried thereby, said head comprising valve means controlling -the inflow of liquefied gas through the conduit, mechanism responsive to the level of liquid in the tank for loperating the valve including heat sensitive means arranged to be submerged in head exchange contact with the liquid and responsive to the temperature of the liquid in the tank for modifying the action of the balance of the rest of said mechanism.
- a liqueed petroleum fuel dispensing system having a pressure storage tank; a head receivable upon the tank comprising a unitary body having a plurality of bosses; filling means extending through one of the bosses including a.
- conduit felement carried by the body and adapted to extend to the bottom yof the tank when the head is in place; dispensing means extending through another boss and including a passage in communication with said conduit element and a passage in communication with the top of the tank when the head is in place, "a Valve for obstructing at will the ow of fuel through one of the passages; and means associated with said lling means for obstructing the flow of filling liquid through the conduit element including a device arranged to be actuated when a predetermined level of liquid in the tank is reached.
- a head receivable upon the tank comprising a unitary body having a plurality of bosses; lling means extending through one of the bosses including a conduit element carried by the body and adapted to extend to the bottom of the tank when Athe head is in place; dispensing means extending through another boss and including a passage in communication with said conduit element and a passage in communication with the top of the tank when the head is in place, a valve for yobstructing at will the flow of fuel through said passage in communication Wi-th said conduit element; and means associated with said lling means for obstructing the new of lling liquid through the conduit element including a device arranged to be actuated when a predetermined level of liquid in the tank is reached.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
Description
w. c. BLVr'rNrERv ETAL, LIQUEFIED PETROLEM GAS EQUIPMENT I Aug. 2go, 1946.
, Filed June 7, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug 20 l9.46- w. c. BUTTNER ET'AL l 2,4%,998
1 LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS EQUIPMENT Filed June -7, 1941 5 .She'vetS-Sheet JAW/N L. .5a/No5 WOM 20 @45 w. c. BUT-musa` E1- AL 25465599 LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS EQUIPMENT Fiied June '7, 1941 5 sheets-shew;- 5
,lszvenomsz WILL/.4M C. BUTT/viz Patented Aug. 20, 1946 LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS EQUIPMENT William C. Buttner, Winnetka, and Savin L.
Y Sundstrom, Chicago, Ill.,
` Bastian BlessingCo.,
tion of Illinoisl assignors to The i Chicago, Ill., a corpora- Application June 7, 1941, Serial No. 397,096
The present invention relates to liquefied petroleum gas equipment and more particularly to apparatus for handling liqueed petroleum gas.
The petroleum product employed in the system with which the present invention is concerned, is preferably a hydrocarbon of the paraffin series such as butane or propane or a mixture of both, preferably stored in an underground tank in the form of a liqueed gas which, with the assistance of the heat of the earth and reduction in pressure, is vaporized for`use in a dwelling as a substitute for natural gas. 4
One Way of vaporizing the liqueiied gas is the so-called batch system in which vaporization is carried on in the storage tank and vapor is withdrawn in the form of gas from the tank. The other way of vaporizing the liquefied gas is the so-called flash system in which the liquefied gasis withdrawn as a liquid from the tank and passed through a pressure reducing regulator which causes the liquid to flash into vapor.
The storage tank is generally buried below the frost line, and the temperatures experienced there maintain a vapor pressure in the tank. This vapor pressure is constant at any given temperature and although it is relied upon in most installations to force liquefied gas or vapor from the storage tank, it cannot be relied upon lor utilized for the purpose of preventing the overfilling of the tank when liquid or vapor is sup- .plied to the tank under a higher pressure as by a pump. Condensation of the vapor will take place progressively and the level of liquid in the tank will continue to rise as long as a liquid pressure is imposed upon the tank greater than the vapor pressure of the liqueed gas in the tank.
' An overfilled tank is very dangerous for well known reasons, and devices have heretofore been used to warn when the maximum level prescribed by the National Board of Fire Underwriters is reached during filling operations. These, however, rely principally upon the personal care and observation of the service man. Such devices are represented in type by the conventional maximum level dip tubes which are vented to atmosphere to provide a warning fog. However, this means as well as the venting of vapor to the return tank does not make allowance for expansion and contraction of the liquid itself under ternperature changes.
Those devices which do not rely upon the observation of the operator, depend upon conditions such as pressure which is a variable factor influenced by many conditions other than vapor For instance, a iilling means which re- 42 Claims. (Cl. 62-1) lies upon storage tank pressure as a criterion in determining when the liquid level is reached, does not take in account the presence of air or a gas foreign to liqueed petroleum gas in the tank.
quantity of liquid in the storage tank is by weight.
In view of the fact though, that it is impossible to actually weigh a' tank when it is buried, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a liqueed petroleum gas system for the storage and dispensing of thegas in which the storage means is protected against overlling in an improved manner, a means being provided that is related to a constant factor which can be relied upon `in determining. the volume vof liquid present in relationship to its absolute weight.
The present inventi'onpositively prevents overfilling of the tank whether the operator is present and watching the operation or temporarily ab.' sent at the time the maximum llevel is reached in the storage tank and the present invention, 'fur thermore,V eliminates the need for making computations involving temperature when thetank is filled.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved system for the filling of storage tanks whether they be lled by gravity or by a forced kfeed pump,.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an improved multiple function tting or head which can be attached as a single unit to a tank whether the tank isl provided with a riser pipe or not. LConventional fittings heretofore used have been formed of cast metal, whereas the `present construction is so designed as to be constructed not Vonly as a casting but as a forged body. This eliminates the wastepresent with cast bodies rejected because of porosity and provides a lighter unit. A further object of the invention is to proL vide an improved head so constructed andarranged that a single dip tube is utilized to provide for liquid eduction when the system is used as a flash system and also serves to agitate or stir the contents of the tank when vthe tankis lled and withdraw the liquid contents if upon occasion it becomes desirable to empty the tank.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved flashdispensing system wherein the first stage of pressure reduction is provided with an improved pressure regulator.
These being among the objects of the invention, other and further objects will become apparent from the drawings, the description relating thereto and the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally through a tank illustrating the structure and arrangements of the preferred embodiment of the invention when the storage tank is being filled and the system is in operation.
Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the body forging of the tting illustrated in Fig. l before machining.
Fig. 3 is a top view of the fitting as taken upon the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a section taken upon the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a section taken upon the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating another embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 7 is a section taken upon the line 1-1 in Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing the iill pipe and gauge control which can be used alternatively with the fittings shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6.
Fig. 9 is a lateral view of the device illustrated in Fig. 8 taken at a 90 angle.
Fig, 10 is an enlarged view-of the float construction shown in Fig. l, and
Fig, 11 is an enlarged vertical section throug the first stage pressure regulator shown in Fig. 1.
Referring now to the drawings-in further detail and particularly to Fig. 1, a pressure tested, corrosion treated tank is buried in the ground 2| .below the frost line-22 thereof to absorb heat from the earth to warm the liquid (not shown) which is stored in thetank, such as a liquefied butane or propane or a mixture of both.
With this arrangement the heat of the earth is relied upon to establish a vapor pressure in the tank which may be utilized to force fuel either in. its liquefied state or its vapor phase,
out of the tank.
The tank is provided with a riser pipe 23 which is welded at the lower end thereof to the tank 20 as at 24 where it is disposed over an opening 25 in the top of the tank. At its top, the-pipe 23 receives thereon a concrete curb box 26 having a cover 1 hinged thereto which when closed, may be locked (padlock not shown) and fastened to the hasp 28. i
The length of the pipe 23 is determined in relationshipto the depth at which it is expected to bury the tank 20 so that the upper end of the pipe is disposed well down in the box 26 after the installation is made. The upper end of the pipe 23 is threaded as at 3| to receive a cap (not shown) which prevents foreign matter entering .thetank during shipment and installation after which the cap is removed and a fitting or head 32 is threaded thereon.
The head 32 comprises a body carrying a pipe or dip tube 33 which extends to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank as shown in the particular embodiment illustrated in Fig. l where, through an opening 34, liquid from the body thereof within the `tank may be withdrawn into the pipe .33 in. a manner which will be described in further detail hereafter. The liquid then iiows through pipe 33, through fitting or head 32 and passes outwardly and downwardly through tubing 35 which has an excess length thereof bent back and forth along the top of the tank as at 36 to absorb heat therefrom. The tube 36 leads to a iirst stage pressure reduction regulator 37 which has an elongated back cap 38 disposed inside the tank and is supported upon `a iiange plate 4l welded to the tank over an opening 42 therein. Beyond the first stage regulator 3T a service pipe 43 leads to a second stage regulator 44 which may be located near the iiist stage regulator if desired but preferably is disposed inside the dwelling where the gas is to be used.
The tank is provided with an initial supply of liquefied gas and replenished from time to time through a hose connection 45 and valve 49 leading froma service truck 46, being supplied with liquefied gas under pressure by means of a reversible pump 41 whose intake 48 is connected to the bottom of the tank 46 and whose output is carried to the hose 45 by means of a conduit 5I which includes a meter 52 that is connected to the truck tank 46 by a by-pass including an elbow 53 and a pressure relief valve 54.
Although provision has been shown for venting the storage tank 20 back to the supply tank 46 during filling operations, equalization of pressures between the two tanks is had through the hose 45 when connected. In fact, during the summer months the tank y46 because of the sun shining on it, will have a vapor pressure which is greater than the vapor pressure in the buried tank 20. This pressure assists the pump 41 in driving liqueeld gas into the tank 20. Then, whenever flow through the pipe 45 is obstructed the meter .52 imll stop registering and the by-pass relief valve 54 will come into operation.
The hose `45 supplies liquefied gas to the tank 28 through the pipe 33 which is supported upon the fitting 32 in communication with the hose 45.
Unit assembly Referring now to Fig. 2 the body forging for the fitting 32 is illustrated as it appears before machining. The forging 55 is made with two dies whose line of separation follows the outline contour of the forging as seen in plan View. The lower die (not shown) provides a cylindrical shell 56 at the base having a cavity 64 therein and the upper die in cooperation with the lower die provides upwardly extending bosses 51, 58 and 59 and laterally extending bosses `6i), 6l and 62, the space between the inclined bosses being provided with a bulk of metal 63.
The open space 64 in the shell 56 is separated from the metal 63 by a wall 65 which in the particular embodiment shown, is of suiicient thickness to permit the dies to function to their best advantage.
All contours of the forging taper from the line of separation, the shell 56 tapering downwardly and being provided with sufficient stock to receive threads 65 therein, Fig. 4, and the wall 65 being provided with sufficient stock and thicknesses where required, to receive the several units assembled therewith which will now be described.
In the particular embodiment illustrated with reference to Fig. 4, the boss 51 is provided as a liquid outlet and inlet connection having a double valve construction. The boss is drilled out to a depth indicated at 61 where it is in communication with an upwardly drilled and threaded opening -68 in a portion H of the wall 65. In this Wall is formed a cylindrical well which serves as a guide 13. The guide is located .beyond'the end 5 of the plug |28 (Fig. 3) and receives'the stem 14 of a valve member 15 which is spring pressed outwardly by av compression spring 18.' The boss is threaded as at 11 to a depth providing an annular shoulder 18 beyond which the walls are undercut as at 8| to provide a valve chamber 80 for the valve 15 with sufficient clearance between the valve 15 and the walls 8| to permit free flow of liquid past the edges of the valve 15. The valve 15 is held in place by a retainer 82 screwed in place against the shoulder 18. The retainer 82 provides a valve seat 83 for the valve 15. The valve'1-5 is drilled out as at 84 to receive for mounting thereon the stem 85 of a second valve 81 having a cavity therein 88 on its upper face.
A spring 80 is positioned in the bore 84 and bears at one end upon the valve 15 and at the other end upon the bottom of the valve 81, tending to force it outwardly. The seating portion of compressible material 9| is removably mounted in the cavity 86 on the upper face of the valve 01, being held in place by a washer and screw assembly 92. A connection and seating member 93 is removably engaged in the threaded portion 11 of the boss and isprovided upon its lower end with a land or valve seat 94 against which the valve member 81 closes. y
Adjacent its upper end the member 93 is internally threaded as at 95 to receive a closure plug l98. The member 93 is also externally threaded by heavy threads y91 to receive a iilling hose or adapter connection 98 carried upon the end of the hose 45.
The lateral boss 6| is provided with a passage drilled to a predetermined depth into the body portion of the forging where it is connected to the chamber 80 by a passage |00 drilled downwardly through the forging for purpose of withdrawing gas from the tank in its vapor form through its lower end, or in liquid form through its upper end as desired under the control of a petcock |26. At |03 the passage |0| is enlarged to provide the shoulder |04 which forms an abutment for an excess iiow check valve |05 held in place by a check seat |08 drilled and cut to a hexagonal form as at |01 to receive a service wrench.
Outwardly of the check seat |05, the boss '6| is provided with a threaded downwardly opening outlet |08 which receives a conventional P. O. L. coupling to which is fastened the tubing 35. The needle valve ||2 is mounted in a carrier H3 to cooperate with a shutoi seat ||4 in the check seat |08 to prevent the flow of fluid through the passage |0|. The needle valve ||2 has its stem threaded into the carrier ||3 and the shaft H6 thereof surrounded by a packing ||1 held in place by a packing gland H8. The stem is squared at its outer end as at |2| to receive a tool for rotation, whereby the needle valve may be opened or closed at will. y
On its outer end the carrier ||3 is threaded to receive a wing cap |22 provided with an-annular cavity |23 cross sectionally shaped to mate with the squared nut |2| whereby the cap may be utilized as the tool required to operate the needle valve when the cap is removedand turned end for end.
A bore |24, tapered at its inner end, extends through boss 80 and communicates with the intersecting passages |80 and |0| In this bore is received the tapered pet-cock valve |28 already.
mentioned and shaft |34 which valve is held' in place by a compression spring |21 disposedin- CFI wardly of the place where a retainer |28. rests against a shoulder I3|.
At its outer end the shaft |34 is cross sectionally contoured as at |35 in an irregular manner to receive a tool (not shown) thereon inonly one relationship so that the relative position of the -pet cock valve |28 can be determined. A sealing cap |38 is provided as required. The pet `cockvalve |28 is provided with an L-shaped passage |38 therein and in one position the passage Y|38 as shown in Fig. 4 connects the vapor educti'on portion of passage |00 with the service passage |0| for batch vaporization as shown, whereas when the pet cock valve is turned 90 counter clockwise from its position shown in Fig. 4, the passage |38 connects the service passage |0|A 4with the liquid eduction compartment 80 for purpose of iiash vaporization. It willi be further seen also that the'` openingv of one of the passages by the movement of the pet cock will close the other.
In this way whenever the system is being operated with batch or flash vaporization, filling operations in which liquefied gas is forced into the tank. through the compartment and pipe 33, do not in any way affect the service characteristics of the system. Furthermore, Whenever it is desirable to empty tne tank, as more particularly described in the Norway Patent No. 2,361,- 865; there is no opportunity for vapor to reach thev compartment through the vapor withdrawal passage |38 to break the suction, if set for batch vaporization. In the event the system is operating on ash vaporization aswhen the petcock is set for liquid eduction, the filling operation in no way affects the service conditions even if air is present in the hose line. Any air that might happen to be in the hose 45 at the time the connection was made, will be forced past the passage |00 and into the tank without entering the service line |0|. Any air that might enter the passage |38V due to gas being used at the appliance will tend to bubble back into the incoming liquid since the inlet of passage |38 opens upwardly.
From the description thus far, it will be seen that a new and improved liquefied gas. dispensing method and apparatus is provided for batch orflash vaporization with only one dip tube being required for the purposes mentioned. A Boss 59 (Fig. 5) is drilled out to receive a safety pressure relief valve |4I, many characteristics of which are more fully described in the Buttner et al. Patent No. 2,254,209.`
A cutter (not shown) provides a cylindrical cavity |42 inthe boss 59. at the bottom of which isprovideda raised valve seat |43 and at its oute end the wall |44 is internally threaded as at l 5.
Mounted within the cavity |42 is a spring guide |48 having a hexagonal outer contour, the corners of which serve to guide the spring guide with respect to the wall |44. At its lower end the spring guide is threaded to receive a disc retainer |41 which holds a composition disc |48 in its proper position to cooperate with the seat |43. A compression spring |5| disposed in a depression |52 in the spring guide is held in place by an adjustable spider |53 threadedly received in the cavity by threads |45, where after adjustment, it is held in place by a drop of solder |54. vThe safety valve |4| is continuously in open communication with the interior 0f the tank through a drilled passage |56 which forms the innerl boundary and the port area of the valve 7 seat. |43. A weep-hole |51 is provided to prevent the collection of moisture around the valve seat.
Lest the capacity of the safety relief valve |4| is insufficient for any particular installation, the boss 62 is provided with enough body stock that a threaded opening can be provided therethrough to receive a safety relief valve such as that shown in the Buttner et al. Patent No. 2,254,209, when, upon occasion, such is required.
A vent connection |6| is preferably provided to remove any accumulation of air which might be present at the top of the riser pipe. This vent connection is received in the boss 58 where it is drilled out as at |62 to receive a slug check |68 that is held normally open by a spring |63 i. e. away from a retainer |35 whose lower face comprises a valve seat. The spring extends through a guide opening |64 in the slug check retainer |65, the outer end of the spring abutting against a spider |86 which serves also as a, guide for the stem |61 of the safety check |58 mounted within a body |1| which body has a machined valve seat |12 thereon cooperating with a' disc |13 upon the valve |68. The safety check valve |68 is kept normally closed by a compression spring |14 and is positively opened by a pin |15 supported on thevalve, whenever the body cap |16 is removed and an attachment is connected to the body |1| that has a projection thereon engaging the pin |15. This attachment may be a valved outlet bleeding into the atmosphere or may be a hose connection returning toa tank, suchv as the tank 46 shown in Fig. 1, if it is desirable to prevent any escape of gas to the atmosphere as a fire precaution under exceptional conditions.
A passageway |11 places the valve |68 in direct and continuously open communication with the top of the riser pipe 23, and a weep-hole |18 is provided in the slug check |62 to equalize pressures on opposite sides thereof to open it again when normal conditions are resumed after it has been brought into operation.
Gauge The stock 63 is machined to proper dimension to receive a liquid level gauge 8| preferably with an opening or hole |82 as large as possible cut through the wall 65 to accommodate the shaft |83 of the gauge and to provide room for visual investigation of the interior of the tank, if upon occasion, such may bel desired and the tting 32 is threaded with a luting compound such as litharge to the riser pipe 23 against ready removal. This machining serves also to remove as much metal stock as possible for salvage from the forging, the salvage being an item of economy and savings. However, the wall 65 may be merely drilled to provide a journal for the shaft |83 at the top thereof in which case very slight leakage would be experienced if it became desirable to open up the gauge to replace either the dial or the hand therein if the gauge is not a sealed magnetic gauge.
Aroundthe upper part of the machined opening 82, a recess |80 is provided to receive a gasket |84 which isV disposed below the flange |85 upon the gauge housing |83. The gasket |84 is compressed to provide a seal by means of four bolts |81 (Fig. 3) threaded into the metal 63. The dial |9| and hand |92 for the gauge are shown in Fig. 3.
The gauge shaft |83 is operated by a oat |93 (Fig. 1) which is pivoted as at |94 to a collar |95 which forms either a coupling between two sections of pipe 33 or a sleeve heldin place on the pipe 33 by any suitable means such as a lock screw (not shown). The float |93 is counterbalanced .by a weight |96, and, at a predetermined point |99 spaced from the pivotpin |94, a thrust shaft |91 is pivotally fastened to be operated by the float arm |98 to move a lead nut element 20| (Fig, y8) up and down along a bracket 292, a part of said element being guided in a slot 293 (Fig. 9). The lead nut engages a helical cut 284 on the lower end of the gauge shaft |83.
The-lead nut is mounted for rectilineal movement with respect to the bracket 202 and the discrepancy of alignment existing between the arcuately moving float arm and the rectilineal movement of the lead nut 20|, is accommodated by a pivotal connection 205 between the thrust arm |91 and the lead nut 28 In this way movement of the float |93 translated to the pivotal point |94, moves the lead nut 20| along the bottom end of the shaft |83 to rotate it.
Depending upon diierent types of installations and different lengths of pipe 33 the brackets 202 are secured in pla-ce by sleeves or clamps 206 fastened in place at any convenient height upon the pipe 33. The construction illustrated and described herein provides a compactness for this purpose, whose overall sectional diameter is small enough to permit same to be lowered through the riser pipe 23 quite easily.
At the lower end of the dip pipe 33, a tting 201 is threaded thereto which has the opening 34 therein, the tting being provided with a valve seat 208 engaged by a :dapper valve 2|| pivotally mounted within the fitting as at 2| 2 upon a shaft which extends laterally beyond the iitting to receive a crank arm 2 i3 carrying a thrust shaft 2 I4 thereon. The arm 2|3 is weighted to hold the valve 2|| normally away from the seat 208 but when the thrust shaft 2 I4 is actuated, the apper valve 2| is moved away from its resting position. When so moved, and with liquid being forced into the tank, the stream of liquid will cause the flapper valve to close thereby obstructing further ilow of liquid through the opening 34. This provides a positive means for preventing the ow of liquid into the tank when a predetermined level is reached.
The operation of the valve 2|| is controlled by the iioat |93 through means of a swivel eye 2|5 slidable on shaft 2 I4 engaging an adjustable stop upon the thrust shaft 2|4. The stop 2lb` is capable of being so set that the swivel eye 2|5 engages it slightly prior to the time that the liquid in the tank carries the oat 83 to the maximum safe filling limit. The leverages of the crank arm 2|3 and the point at which the swivel eye 2|5 is located upon the float arm |98 are so selected that slight movement of the float at the fill limit will move the fiapper valve 2|| enough to cause the incoming liquid to close it and thereby positively prevent overiilling of the tank.
In order to have the fioat |93 fully responsive to the liquid level through the expected range in the tank, the oat arm |98 is made long enough to engage the bottom of the tank well to one side of the pipe 33, the float |93 in its fully lowered position being indicated in phantom at 2 I1. With this construction and arrangement the pipe 33, float |93, gauge |8|, and itting 201 can be lowered as a unit through the riser pipe and the float is urged slightly from vertical to start it on its lateral movement in the tank.
However, it will be noted that the head 32 is screwed into place upon the riser pipe 23 and this requires rotation ofthe pipe 33. In order to have the' oat arm |98 long enough to have the oat |93 function as described the length thereof is greater than the radius of the tank and therefore the arm would be bent if it otherwise were rigid throughout its length when the fitting 32 was screwed into place.
Referring to Fig. 10, a buckle joint is provided in the arm |98 which permits the turning of the pipe 33 at the time of installation or removal Without injury to the float. This joint is made by fashioning the arm |98 in two sections |980. and |98b with their adjacent ends ilattened in a manner capable of being super-imposed one upon the other and pivotally mounted by a rivet 2|8 so that the float can move from the position indicated at 22| to the position indicated in phantom at 222. The rivet 2 I 8 is disposed in a Vertical plane so that when the float portions 223 are super-imposed one upon the other, the shaft |98 transmits a vertical force as though it were a rigid construction. A light tension-spring 223 is eyeleted to engage the free end 224 of the shaft portion |9817 to pull the shaftportion |9817 into axial alignment with the shaft portion |98a whenever the float |93 is free for that purpose, the other-end of the spring 223 being pinned to the shaft portion |98a by a hook 225 disposed longitudinally in the shaft |9811. at a distance suflicient to impose upon the spring 223, the force which is necessary for it to accomplish its purpose.
Thus, whenever the head or tting is rotated, the oat arm |98 buckles each time required by the closeness of the side walls of the tank and ultimately straightens to place the float in its expected path of operation.
rihe arm |981) is preferably made of a bi-metal strip which fiexes in a Vertical plane with temperature changes. This is provided to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction of the body of liquefied gas present in the tank so that,'due to the cooperation of the float determining the volume and the b-i-metal strip determining the temperature, there is an automatic adjustment for temperature changes in determining the absolute weight of liquid present in the tank. The arrangement of the bi-metal is such that the arm exes upwardly to delay the action of the dapper valve 2|| so that there will be a measured overlling of the tank in relation to outage required for liquid contracting after it has been cooled by earth temperature. The lling operation will be stopped before a fixed theoretical level is reached if the liquid happens to be colder than the ultimate temperature which it will assume in the tank, thereby permitting sufficient room for the liquid to expand safely when it warms.
Referring now to the embodiment illustrated` splined shaftv 233 of the gauge |8|a in drive relationship.
Furthermore, in this particular embodiment the head 23| is adapted for batch vaporization only and the iill pipe 33a does not extend to the bottom of the tank but constitutes the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.
In view of the fact that liquid withdrawal for emptying the tank is not contemplated in this' particular embodiment which is more or less adapted for aboveground installations where'the tank used is small enough to be shipped back and forth between the fuel dealer and his customers in the ordinary course of business, if necessary, the ll opening is machined to receive a safety check valve 234 spring pressed outwardly by a spring 235 which forces the valve 234 to close against a seat 236 on the bottom of a retainer 231. In this embodiment the retainer 231 is preferably separated from the filler body 238 which of itself, carries a spider 24| that serves as a guide for the stem 242 of a valve 243. The valve 243 is spring pressed outwardly by a, spring 244 to engage a seat 245 machined in the filler body 288. In this construction the check valves open simultaneously only upon the application of a pressure outside of the tank.
A modification of the safety valve |4| is shown in this construction wherein the Valve seat |43a comprises an insert. As a general rule, the forgings illustrated herein are made of bronze or brass. In this embodiment the valve seat |43`a is made of aluminum or similar metal or material which oxidizes very rapidly to form a thin layer of aluminum oxide which has glass-like characteristics very favorable to the prevention of cohesion between the seat and disc |48, this being one of the features of the present invention. The insert |43a. is threaded into the forged body as at 246 with the opening 241 therethrough provided with a geometrical contour suitable to receive a. wrench that can be used to tighten or loosen the seat |43a. for installation or repair.
A further Vsafety relief valve in the form of a' fuse plug 248 is illustrated in this embodiment in the form which can be used with the first described embodiment if desired.
In mounting the fitting 23| upon ariser pipe 23a, a pipe which can be much smaller than the riser pipe 23, a screw ange 25| is threaded on to the riser pipe 23a and is grooved at 252 to re- -ceive a gasket 253'compressed between the machined face 254 upon the bottom of the fitting 23| and the screw flange 25| which are held in sealed relationship by bolts 255.
With this particular embodiment the bosses are disposed at such angles to each other that four bolts 255 may be employed to secure the head in position. The outlet boss 256 receives an excess ow check valve 251 therein, which is held in place by a retainer 258 inserted inside of the conical seat 26| which receives a P.O. L. connection such as that shown in Fig. 4 at The P. O. L. connection shown in Fig. 4 comprises a male member carried by the head whereas in Fig. 6 the opening `is a female member. The needle valve which controls the flow of gas to the outlet opening is in this particular embodiment, disposed in a separate boss 262 as shown in Fig. 7. In this particular construction, the valve seat 263 is formed in the body of the fitting 23| andthe threaded shaft is threadedly received also directly in the body, a cross drilledpassageway 264 being provided between the two bosses 262 and 256.
The ll pipe 33a. as illustrated in Fig. 9 is sov disc 231 held in place by a retainer 288.
21| is provided to hold the valve 261 in a normally open position.
A recess 212 upon the inside of the tting receives the valve 261 with a shielding lip 213 at thetop thereof to deflect the flow of liquid in front of the valve.
The valve 261 and weight 21| are so balanced that any appreciable pressure upon the weight or the pin 214 disposed upon the arm 269 of the valve, will cause the flap valve to leave the recess 212 and enter the path of the incoming iiuid. The flowing fluid then causes the valve to close and when closed, the valve positively stops the flow of liquid into the tank at any point where the float |93 is set to actuate the pin 214.
In this particular embodiment, as where the tting 23| is mounted upon the tcp of the riser pipe without need for rotary movement, the arm |99 of the float may be of rigid construction without the buckle joint therein .and the parts described may be inserted in place until the float engages the bottom of the tank and is jiggled to itsextended kposition by manual vibration of the head 32 before the bolts 255 are tightened in place. However, it will be yappreciated that means can be employed to move the iloat outwardly a slight distance so that it will move out along the tank bottom to its correct position when the ll pipe 33a is lowered.
Referring lnow to Fig. l1 an improved rst stage Y the body 215 and it turns downwardly and terminates in a Valve port 282 bounded by a valve seat 283. lA yoke 284 straddles the bridge 28| and is threaded at 285 to carry an externally hexagonal valve member 28E upon which is mounted a valve At its upper end, the yoke has a reduced portion 29| threaded to receive a diaphragm plate 292 which holds the diaphragm 293 in place vagainst a shoulder 294.
The marginal edge of the diaphragm is received against a shoulder 295 machined in the body 215 above the valve compartment 296 and is held in place by a bonnet 291. The bonnet is threaded to receive ascrew 298 to serve as a guide and as an adjusting member for the compression spring 30| at one end thereof. The other end of the spring rests against the diaphragm plate 292 toY urge the yoke downwardly to open the port 282 to the valve compartment 2 96.
After the desired tension has been placed upon the spring 30| `to provide for the maintenance of a pressure in the valve compartment of substantially tol 10 lbs. per square inch, a cap 302 is received uponY the adjusting screw to lserve a double purpose,v namely to lock the screw 298 againstv movement and in cooperation with a washer 303 to seal the'bonnet. At the top of the cap, a half union 304 is threaded therein to support a vent tube 305 at one end thereof. The other end of the tube 365 carries a glycerin cup loA 306 with the opening 301 thereof submerged in sealed contact' with an adapter 3|2 by a swivel' nut 3|3. The male member 3|| is constructed as an integral spider to serve as a guide for the valve element 286 as supported by a backcap spring 3 fl which rests at one end upon the spider and steadies the operation ofr the valve. The adapter at the bottom thereof is internally threaded as at 3I5 to receive an elongated backcap 3|5 which serves as a wall in heat exchange contact with a liquid in the tank 20. The backcap 3|9 is received in the tank through an opening 3|1. The rst stage regulator 31 thus described is assembled as a unit outside of the tank and is mounted upon the tank -by means of an internally threaded ange plate 3 8 welded to the tank as at 32| and external threads 322 upon the adapter 3|2 are received in the flange and sealed against leakage by litharge or some other suitable pipe joint seal.
In operation, after the tank has been installed, the service truck is backed into position and the hose 45 connected to the iill connection.
The fuel pump d1 is started and with the check valve 2|2 held in its normally opened position, liquefied gas will flow into the tank and develop therein a gauge pressure and the incoming liquid will force the air to the top of the riser pipe where it may be progressively vented to the atmosphere or to the truck tank in the manner described. As the liquid level rises in the tank it covers the opening 3d; thereafter agitation of the vapor in the tank is reduced to a minimum so that any air therein may be maintained in a more or less stratified condition to be vented as suggested.
The iioat |93 begins to rise and operate the liquid level gauge to indicate the level present in the tank at any given moment during filling operations.
As a general rule, the temperature of the liquid in the .truck tank 4S is higher than the ultimate temperature of the liquid in the buried tank 20, particularly if the tank is being serviced in mild or summer weather. It is a common practice to estimate the quantity of liquid supplied to a tank in relationship to the temperature of the liquid. If this temperature is taken at the truck tank and the truck tank is warm as compared with the vliquid in the tank, there will be a discrepancy between the meter reading 52 and the volume indicated upon the liquid level gauge |8|,
vIn view of the fact that the maximum safe level of any given liquefied gas varies with the temperature of that gas for any particular tank there is a possibility of the tank being overlled under certain circumstances or underlled under other circumstances, if the level limit is arbitrarily fixed for the tank regardless of temperature.
In the particular embodiment illustrated, the float |93 is pivoted as at |94 preferably below the upper ll limit s0 that as the level rises, the arm of the float is submerged and is brought in contact with the liquid. Thereby, the arm is influenced immediately and directly by the temperature thereof, this temperature being maintained quite uniform throughout the body of liquid by the turbulence created by the liquid being introduced directly into the body thereof.
Once the liquid comes in contact with the arm |98,'the bi-metal portion thereof begins to flex in response to the temperature of the liquid and vary the position of the float |93 with respect to the swivel eyelet 2|5 sliding on the shaft 2|4 so that the valve 2| lA may be actuated at diiierent levels depending upon temperatures. This relates the lling operation and the maximum level to `the absolute quantity of liquid in the' tank. This arrangement is of particular advantage where the tank is buried, where the temperature is substantially uniform and a safe volume of liquid can be more closely determined, yet takes care of the contingency of liquid being supplied to the tank at a temperature above orbelow .the temperature which will ultimately exist for the liquid as buried in the ground. Furthermore, the bi-metal strip in the -arm |9817 will eliminate the need of computation from the reading of the gauge since the hand, in combination with the metal strip, will determine the absolute volume of liquid gas present in the tank, by a weight criterion, said gauge being graduated in pounds if need be and computed in relationship to vapor volume also present in the tank.
Once the float |93 approaches the point where the filling operation is to be stopped, the swivel eyelet ZISengages the stop 216, moves the valve 2Il out into the path of ll liquid, the inward movement of which carries the valve 2H to its closed position. This immediately creates a back pressure upon the hose 45, the meter 52 stops its operation and the output of the pump 41 is bypassed back to the tank -through the by-pass relief valve 54,
Afterthe tank 2li has been filled and vented the manual cut-off needle valve H2 may be opened and the pet cock valve set for either batch or flash vaporization. In the event it is set for flash vaporization, liquid will then beconducted to the iirst stage regulator 31 where it will pass through the opening 282 to be, vaporized by `a reduction of pressure to the extent that heat present in the regulator body is sufiicient to support vaporization. Under normal operations with the regulator buried in the protective shell as shown below the frost line, the heat therein will provide adequate vaporization for an average draw of fuel in the service line. In the event, however, an excessive draw is made upon the system, liqueiied gas which does not acquire suicient heat to vaporize at the regulator nozzle will fall to the bottom of the backcap 316 where it will come in contact with the metal thereof, which has been warmed by the liquid in the tank from heat absorbed from the earth. There, under the low pressure existing in the backcap, the liquefied gas will vaporize and return to the top of the regulator to go into the service line and be carried to the second stage reduction, where vaporization at 1l inches of water column is further assured. As mentioned, the inlet pressure to the second stage regulator is had at a pressure of 5# to 10#.
Consequently, from the description had of the present invention, it will be seen that in addition to the stated and apparent objects of the invention, a method and apparatus for storing and dispensing liquefied petroleum gas is herebyl pro-y vided which is simple in construction, easy to manufacture, install and service, and simple to operate, being within the safety factors prescribed by various authorities for the liquefied petroleum gas industry. Furthermore, having shown and described certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilledV in the art that various and further uses, modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.
What is claimed is:
1.'In a liquefied gas dispensing system of the class described,v 'a pressure storage tank receiving heat from an outside source, means for withdrawing liquid from the tank, a pressure regulator connected toV said means' to receive said liquid and having a portion thereof disposed in heat exchange contact with the liquefied gas in the tank.
2. In a liqueiied gas dispensing system of the class described, a pressure storage tank receiving heat fromV an outside source, means `for withdrawing gas from the tank, a pressure regulator including a valve connected to said means and having a chamber on the low pressure side of they valve disposed in heat exchange contact with the liquefied gasin the tank. f
. 3'. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing device of the class described, a Vstorage tank, a service pipe connected to the tank, a pressure regulator having a bridge therein with the inlet port below the outlet port, a section of said regulator being disposedin said tank to receiveheat therefrom, said bridge being arranged in position to be warmed by vapor passing from said section out through said outlet port of the regulator.
4. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing device of the class described, a storage tank, means selectively withdrawing liquid or vapor from the' tank, a service pipe connected to -saidineans'apressure regulator connected in said servcepipe, a section of said regulator receiving heat from said tank for assuring vaporization of the iiuid withdrawn in the pipe.
5. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing device of the class described, a storage tank," a tting for iilling and selectively withdrawing liquefied or vaporized gas from the tank, a service pipe connected to the iitting including aV pressure regulator supported upon the tank and having a portion thereof warmed by the contents of said tank.
6. A combined pressure reducer and vaporizer for liquefied petroleum gas comprising a body having a valve chamber, a valve in the chamber, means responsive to the pressure in the valve chamber for operating said valve, and an elongated heat exchange member mounted upon the body for expanding fluid :admitted to the valve chamber throughthe Valve.
7. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having a storage tank, means for lling the tank including a conduit extending to the bottom of the tank, a valve closing in the direction of inflow of liquid in the-conduit, a double valve obstructing the outflow of liquid in said conduit, a service conduit, and means connecting the service conduit with the first conduit below said double valve.
8. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having a storage tank, means for iilling the tank including a conduit extending to the bottom of the tank, a valve closing in the direction of inflow of liquid in the conduit, a double valve obstructing the outflow of liquid in said conduit, a service conduit and means connecting the service conduit with the first conduit below said double valve, a vaporizing expansion valve means connected to the conduit including a heat exchange element, and a pressure regulator for reducing the pressure of the gas to a service pressure and to withstand the surge of filling liquid in the service conduit when the iirst valve closes.
9. In combination, a plurality of tanks, a reversible pump on'one tank including a by-pass controlled by a valve opening in the direction of flow of liquid through the by-pass from the outlet side of the pump; a head upon the other tank including a ller opening and a conduit connected Y thereto and extending to the bottom of said other tank, a valve in said conduitclosing in the direction of flow of liquid through said conduit intov said other tank, a iiexible conduit for interconnecting the filler opening and the outlet side of the pump including a manual cut-oir valve, a liquid level responsive device in said other tank for actuating said conduit valve at a predetermined level, said conduit valve when actuated closing with the flow of liquid throughthe conduit and creating a back pressure in the hose to open said by-pass valve until said manual valve is closed.
10. A filling device for liquefied petroleum gas storage tank comprising a die formed head secured to the tank and having an opening therein, a safety check valve in said opening, a conduit extending to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank in communication with said opening, a valve in said conduit, means responsive to the .level of liquid in the tank, and means interconnecting the responsive means and the second valve including a lost motion device.
11. A filling device for liquefied petroleum gas systems comprising an inlet conduit, means for introducing liquefied gas into the conduit, a valve closing in the direction of iiow of said introduced gas disposed in said conduit, means responsive to the quantity of liquid introduced through the conduit for operating said valve, and means controlled by said responsive means for indicating variations in said quantity.
12. In a liquefied fuel gas dispensing system of the class described having a pressure storage tank buried in heat exchange relationship with the earth to absorb heat therefrom, unitary means secured to said tank including a conduit for performing the functions of filling the tank with liquefied gas to a predetermined level and evacuating the tank of liquid fuel and educting gas from the tank for consumption through said conduit.
13. In a liquefied fuel gas dispensing system of the class described having a pressure storage tank buried in heat exchange relationship with the earth to absorb heat therefrom, a unitary fitting secured in sealed relation to the tank and having a bifurcated passage therethrough, a conduit element carried by the fitting and interconnecting said passage and a point adjacent the bottom of the tank, means for controlling the iiow of fuel through one of said bifurcations including a manually controlled valve and a check valve, and means for controlling the flow of fuel through the other bifurcation including a check valve and a valve closing outwardly, means interconnecting theY last two valves for holdingr the outwardly closing valve open when said last check valve is moved positively to its open position.
14. For use in combination with a liquefied petroleum -gas dispensing tank; a head constructed to be secured in sealed relation to the tank including a fill conduit, a valve controlling the inflow of liquefied gas through the conduit, and means constructed to respond to the level and temperature of liquid in the tank for operating the valve.
l5. For use in combination with a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing tank; a head receivable on the tank including a lill conduit, a normally open valve for controlling the inow of liqueiied gas through the conduit, and ymeans, constructed to respond to the level of liquid in the tank for actuatingl the valve, said mean-s including.. means for responding tothe temperature of the 16v liquid in the tank for varying the point at which said level responsive means operates to actuate said valve.
16. For use in combination with a liqueed petroleum gas dispensing tank; a head constructed to be secured to the tank including a body portion, a lill conduit body portion and extending therefrom and having an opening at its outer end, a valve closing in the direction of liow of liquefied gas through the conduit towards the opening and free to open with flow of liquid in the opposite direction, and means constructed to respond to the level of liquid in the tank for operating the valve, said means including an element for responding to the temperature of the liquid in the tank for governing the operation of said level responsive means.
17. For use in combination with a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing tank having an opening therein; a head adapted to close said opening including a body member, a conduit carried by the body member to extend to the bottom of the tank when the head is in place, a valve closing in the direction of iiow of liquid through the conduit from the body member and opening with the flow of liquid through the conduit in the opposite direction, means for responding to the level of liquid in the tank for actuating the closing of said valve, a lilling conduit in the head in communication with the rst conduit ahead of said valve and including a back flow check valve, and an outlet conduit in the head in communication with the first conduit between said valves.
18. For use with a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing tank, a head including a body receivable on the tank, a conduit carried by the body and opening at one end into the tank when the head is in place, a valve closing in the direction of flow of liquid through the conduit and out of said opening, means constructed to respond to the level of liquid in the tank for operating the valve, filling and dispensing conduits in the body in communication with the conduit head of the valve, and automatic valve means controlling the outflow of gas through the dispensing conduit.
19. In a liquefied gas dispensing system of the class described, a pressure storage tank buried in the ground to receive heat from the ground, means including a conduit for iilling the tank to a predetermined level with liquefied gas to provide a body of liquid in the tank and for withdrawing the gas from the tank, said means including an inlet for receiving filling liquid into the conduit and an outlet for dispensing liquid from the conduit, a closed bottom tube extending into the space within the tank in heat exchange relation with the body of liquid, and a pressure reducer connected to said outlet and mounted upon said tube With the valve compartment of the pressure reducer draining into the tube.
20. In a liquefied gas dispensing system of the class described, the combination of a pressure storage tank buried in the ground to store in heat exchange relationship with the ground a liquefied petroleum gas in both its liquid and vapor phases, means for educting gas from the tank in its liquid phase, a tube in the tank in heat exchange relationship with the liquid in the tank, a pressure reducer connected to said educting means and mounted upon said tube with the valve compartment of the pressure reducerrdraining into the tube.
21, In a liquefied gas dispensing system of the class described, the combination of a pressure V,pand the educted liquid, and means connecting said conduit through the tting and pressure reducer and arranged for warming said educted liquid with heat from `the contents of said tank.
22. In a liquefied gas dispensing system of the class described, a pressure storage tank .buried in the ground to receive heat from the ground,
fitting means secured to the tank for filling the tank with liquefied gas to a predetermined level, said heat vaporizing said gas to maintain a gauge pressure in the tank, means for educting liquefied gas from the tank for consumption including a service conduit, said conduit including a pressure regulator having a valve compartment connected to said eductingV means and a regulator body mounted upon said tank having a backcap in heat exchange relationship with the liquid contents of the tank below said .predetermined level, said valve compartment and backcap having a common outlet for gas vaporized under reduced pressure;
23. In a liquefied fuel gas dispensing system of the class described, a pressure tank ,buried in the ground for storing liquid gas and to receive heat from the ground, said heat vaporizing said gas to maintain a gauge pressure in the tank, means for educting liqueed gas from the tank in its liquid phase, a unitary pressure-regulator connected to said means to receive the educted liquid fuel and having an elongated backcap thereon, means for mounting the regulator upon the tank with the baekcap disposedinside the tank, and means for insulating the regulator from heat eX- change contact with outsidetemperature.
24. In a liqueiied gas dispensing system of the class described, a pressure storage tank buried in the ground to receive heat from the ground and having therein a liquefied gas, said heat Vaporizing said gas to maintain a gauge pressure in the tank, means for educting gas from the tank under said gauge pressure to a fitting outside the tank, a pressure reducer for lowering the pressure upon the educted gas from said gauge pressure, and
conduit means for conducting'the educted liquid from the fitting to the pressure reducer disposed in heat exchange relationship with the contents ofthe tank. i
25. In a liquefied gas storage and dispensing device of the class described, a storage tank, a service pipe connected to the tank to educt liquid therefrom `and including a rst stage pressure regulator and a section of the pipe ahead of the first `stage regulator receiving latent heat of vaporization from the contents of said tank said regulator being arranged to accomplish the rst stage of pressure reduction upon the educted liquid.
26. A pressure reducer for vaporizing liqueiied gas comprising a body portion, an inlet and outlet for the reducer, a valve between the inlet and outlet, a diaphragm formingone wall of a valve chamber surrounding said valve for operating the valve, and an elongated backcap upon the body providing an expansionchamber therebeyond of 18 substantial volume on the outlet side of the valve into which chilled unvaporized gas gravitates to absorb heat.
27. For use in a liqueed petroleum gas dispensing system having a pressure storage tank; a
head receivable upon the tank, said head comprising a unitary body having a .plurality of bosses thereon, means for filling and emptying the tank associated with one boss and including a passage through the body and a conduit element carried by the body in communication with said passage, a service connection and control in another boss including a service passage through the body having a section for communication with the top of the tank, means interconnecting said service passage and conduit element including a valve for closing said section, means for obstructing the iniiow of liquid through said conduit element but readily permitting outiiow through the conduit element at all times, and means carried by said body for operating said obstructing means at a predetermined level of liquid in the tank.
28. For use in a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a buried storage tank and including a riser pipe; a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser pipe comprising a body having a plurality of bosses thereon one machined to provide space for receiving a iilling valve and another machined to provide space for a service line cutoff valve, a dip tube carried by the body to extend to the bottom of the tank when the head is installed and disposed in communication with the filling valve space and with said service valve space.
29. For use in a liqueiied petroleum gas dispensing system having 'a buried 'storage tank including a riser pipe; a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser'pipe comprising a unitary body having a plurality of bosses thereon, one machined to provide space for receiving ay combination evacuating and iilling valve in one boss and another machined to provide space fora service line cutoff valve in another boss, and a dip tube to extend to the bottom of the tank when the head is installed and communicating with the evacuating-filling valve space and said service valve space.
30. For use in a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a buried tank and a riser pipe; a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser pipe comprising a die formed body having a plurality of machined bosses thereon, filling means in one 'boss for connection with a filler hose, an eduction control in another boss for connection with a service line, a passageway between said filling means and eduction control, a passageway interconnecting the education control and the top of the tank when the head is installed, means for closing the first passageway and opening the other passageway to the riser pipe, and dip tube means carried by said body connected to the filling means.
31. For use in a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a'buried tankincluding a riser pipe; a head adapted to be removably connected to the riser pipe comprising an integral body having a plurality of machined bosses thereon, a iilling valve in one boss, an eduction control in another boss for connection with a service line and having'two inlets, one leading to said iilling valve and the other to the riser pipe when the head is installed, means for closing said iirst inlet and opening the second inlet to the riserv pipe,- dip tube means carried by said body connected tothe filling valve, and means 19 including a valve in said dip tube for preventing the iilling of the tank above a predetermined level.
32. In a liqueed gas dispensing system having a storage tank provided with a threaded opening, a headJ means for mounting the head with respect to said opening in sealed relation, said head comprising a unitary body, a gauge mounted thereon, a filling device, normally open control means connected to said lling device, and float means for operating said gauge and closing said normally open means to prevent overfilling of the tank.
33. In a liqueiied gas dispensing system having a storage tank provided with a threaded opening in connection therewith, a head, means for mounting the head with respect to said opening in sealed relationship, said head comprising an integral body, a gauge mounted thereon, a filling device including a conduit carried by the body, normally open control means in said lling device, and means for operating said gauge and closing said normally open means for preventing overfilling of the tank.
34. For use in a liqueiied petroleum gas dispensing system having a pressure storage tank; a head adapted to be secured in sealed relation to the tank and comprising a die formed body with a plurality of bosses thereon, a service outlet in one boss for communicating withthe tank, a lling device disposed in another boss, and means carried by the body connected to the filling device to place it in communication with the tank and including a conduit receivable in the tank and a trap valve to prevent overfllling of the tank, the outlet. of said means being below the inlet of the service outlet so that filling liquid will not enter the service outlet.
35. A unitary head of the class described comprising a forged body having upwardly extending bosses thereon, one of said bosses having a machined opening therein with a safety check valve mountedtherein, a drilled conduit leading from the opening to the bottom of the body, means at the opening for mounting a tube upon the body in communication with said conduit, an eduction passage communicating with said conduit having therein a shut-off valve, a second conduit opening on the bottom of the body and leading to said passage, and a valve placing the passage in communication with one of said conduits.
36. A unitary assembly for connection with respect to a tank for storing and dispensing liqueiied petroleum gas, comprising a body having a passage therethrough, a, lling conduit carried by the body in communication with the passage and extending to the bottom of the tank when the assembly is installed, a branch conduit leading to a service connection, a conduit arranged to lead from the top of the tank into the branch and a selector valve disposed at the junction of said conduits.
37. In combination, a delivery tank means, a dispensing tank means, means for detachably connecting the tank means to convey liquid from one tank means to another, including a pump connected to one tank means; a head connected to the other tank means and a iiexible conduit interconnecting the pump and head, said pump including a pressure relief by-pass connected to the outlet of the pump, a conduit carried by said head, a valve in the conduit, and a device responsive to the level of liquid in the dispensing tank means for actuating the last mentioned valve.
38. A head for a liqueed petroleum gas storage tank comprising a forged body'constructed and arranged to be fastened to said tank, a filling passage therethrough and a back pressure check valve disposed therein, a service conduit in said body including means upon the body for securing a service pipe thereto, a liquid eduction tube assembled on the body in communication with the passage to extend to a point adjacent the bottom of the tank, a vapor eduction passageway in said body, means for selectively connecting the service conduit in communication with the eduction tube or the eduction passageway and including means for closing off one While the other is in operation.
39. In a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having an underground storage tank; a head, a fill conduit carried by the head and extending to the bottom of the tank, valve means controlling the inflow of liqueed gas through the conduit, means responsive to the levelV of liquid in the tank for operating the valve and including means responsive to the temperature of the liquid in the tank for governing the operation of said level responsive means.
40. In a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system, a tank, a head, .a fill conduit carried thereby, said head comprising valve means controlling -the inflow of liquefied gas through the conduit, mechanism responsive to the level of liquid in the tank for loperating the valve including heat sensitive means arranged to be submerged in head exchange contact with the liquid and responsive to the temperature of the liquid in the tank for modifying the action of the balance of the rest of said mechanism.
4l. For use in' a liqueed petroleum fuel dispensing system having a pressure storage tank; a head receivable upon the tank comprising a unitary body having a plurality of bosses; filling means extending through one of the bosses including a. conduit felement carried by the body and adapted to extend to the bottom yof the tank when the head is in place; dispensing means extending through another boss and including a passage in communication with said conduit element and a passage in communication with the top of the tank when the head is in place, "a Valve for obstructing at will the ow of fuel through one of the passages; and means associated with said lling means for obstructing the flow of filling liquid through the conduit element including a device arranged to be actuated when a predetermined level of liquid in the tank is reached.
42. For use in a liquefied petroleum fuel dispensing system having a pressure storage tank; a head receivable upon the tank comprising a unitary body having a plurality of bosses; lling means extending through one of the bosses including a conduit element carried by the body and adapted to extend to the bottom of the tank when Athe head is in place; dispensing means extending through another boss and including a passage in communication with said conduit element and a passage in communication with the top of the tank when the head is in place, a valve for yobstructing at will the flow of fuel through said passage in communication Wi-th said conduit element; and means associated with said lling means for obstructing the new of lling liquid through the conduit element including a device arranged to be actuated when a predetermined level of liquid in the tank is reached.
WILLIAM C. BUTTNER.
SAVIN L. SUNDSTROM.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US397096A US2405998A (en) | 1941-06-07 | 1941-06-07 | Liquefied petroleum gas equipment |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US397096A US2405998A (en) | 1941-06-07 | 1941-06-07 | Liquefied petroleum gas equipment |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US2405998A true US2405998A (en) | 1946-08-20 |
Family
ID=23569813
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US397096A Expired - Lifetime US2405998A (en) | 1941-06-07 | 1941-06-07 | Liquefied petroleum gas equipment |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US2405998A (en) |
Cited By (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2951502A (en) * | 1957-05-08 | 1960-09-06 | Bastian Blessing Co | Horizontal filler |
US2967541A (en) * | 1957-01-07 | 1961-01-10 | Bastian Blessing Co | Liquefied gas filler valve assembly |
US3363641A (en) * | 1965-04-09 | 1968-01-16 | Gerald D. Mylander | Automatic flow control valve responsive to liquid level |
US3420282A (en) * | 1966-06-02 | 1969-01-07 | American Cyanamid Co | Liquid filling machine |
US3885589A (en) * | 1972-05-18 | 1975-05-27 | Gurtner Sa | Cock and pressure-reducer unit for liquefied-gas reservoirs |
US5088436A (en) * | 1990-04-02 | 1992-02-18 | Thad Keenan | Apparatus for charging gas pressurized beverage storage and dispensing systems |
US6584997B1 (en) | 1998-03-30 | 2003-07-01 | Caterpillar Inc. | Overflow prevention mechanism for liquid transfer systems |
US20040079439A1 (en) * | 2002-07-02 | 2004-04-29 | Economy Controls Corporation | Closed loop fluid transfer system for liquid supply and vapor recovery |
US20130105109A1 (en) * | 2011-10-31 | 2013-05-02 | Velma Jean Richards | Energy Thermostatic Thermos System (Heating and Cooling Containment) |
US20130105498A1 (en) * | 2011-10-27 | 2013-05-02 | Kodama Plastics Co., Ltd. | Resin container |
US9470348B1 (en) * | 2014-10-14 | 2016-10-18 | Raymond P. Bass | Flange adapter plate assembly |
-
1941
- 1941-06-07 US US397096A patent/US2405998A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2967541A (en) * | 1957-01-07 | 1961-01-10 | Bastian Blessing Co | Liquefied gas filler valve assembly |
US2951502A (en) * | 1957-05-08 | 1960-09-06 | Bastian Blessing Co | Horizontal filler |
US3363641A (en) * | 1965-04-09 | 1968-01-16 | Gerald D. Mylander | Automatic flow control valve responsive to liquid level |
US3420282A (en) * | 1966-06-02 | 1969-01-07 | American Cyanamid Co | Liquid filling machine |
US3885589A (en) * | 1972-05-18 | 1975-05-27 | Gurtner Sa | Cock and pressure-reducer unit for liquefied-gas reservoirs |
US5088436A (en) * | 1990-04-02 | 1992-02-18 | Thad Keenan | Apparatus for charging gas pressurized beverage storage and dispensing systems |
US6584997B1 (en) | 1998-03-30 | 2003-07-01 | Caterpillar Inc. | Overflow prevention mechanism for liquid transfer systems |
US20040079439A1 (en) * | 2002-07-02 | 2004-04-29 | Economy Controls Corporation | Closed loop fluid transfer system for liquid supply and vapor recovery |
US6945286B2 (en) * | 2002-07-02 | 2005-09-20 | Economy Controls Corporation | Closed loop fluid transfer system for liquid supply and vapor recovery |
US20130105498A1 (en) * | 2011-10-27 | 2013-05-02 | Kodama Plastics Co., Ltd. | Resin container |
US8523003B2 (en) * | 2011-10-27 | 2013-09-03 | Kodama Plastics Co., Ltd. | Resin container |
US20130105109A1 (en) * | 2011-10-31 | 2013-05-02 | Velma Jean Richards | Energy Thermostatic Thermos System (Heating and Cooling Containment) |
US9470348B1 (en) * | 2014-10-14 | 2016-10-18 | Raymond P. Bass | Flange adapter plate assembly |
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