Service station leak detection and recovery system

• US 20030230592A1
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Hutchinson, Ray J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,962,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/1
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/746 by mixing different fuel grades or fuel and oil
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/3209 relating to spillage or leakage, e.g. spill containments, leak detection leak detectors for underground fuel dispensing systems G01M3/2892
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/78 Arrangements of storage tanks, reservoirs or pipe-lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5762 With leakage or drip collecting

Abstract

A fueling environment that distributes fuel from a fuel supply to fuel dispensers in a daisy chain arrangement with a double walled piping system. Fuel leaks that occur within the double walled piping system are returned to the underground storage tank by the outer wall of the double walled piping. This preserves the fuel for later use and helps reduce the risk of environmental contamination. Leak detectors may also be positioned in fuel dispensers detect leaks and provide alarms for the operator and help pinpoint leak detection that has occurred in the piping system proximate to a particular fuel dispenser or in between two consecutive fuel dispensers.

Claims

1. A fuel dispenser comprising:

fuel handling components;

a housing delimiting

a fuel inlet aperture adapted to receive a first double walled conduit, wherein fuel is delivered to the fuel dispenser via a first inner conduit of the first double walled conduit;

a fuel outlet aperture adapted to receive a second double walled conduit wherein fuel may be passed to a downstream fuel dispenser via a second inner conduit of the second double walled conduit; and

a manifold comprising a t-intersection for said first and second inner conduits and allowing fuel to be distributed to said fuel handling components;

said double walled conduits fluidly connected such that an outer conduit positioned at least partially within said manifold extends from said fuel inlet aperture to said fuel outlet aperture and substantially prevents fluid passage from said outer conduit to said manifold.

2. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 wherein said fuel handling components comprise elements selected from the group consisting of:

a fuel pump, a vapor recovery system, a fueling hose, a blender, a flow meter, and a fueling nozzle.

3. The fuel dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a leak detection probe positioned within said outer conduit.

4. The fuel dispenser of claim 3 further comprising a remote communications link adapted to communicate to a site communicator and report leak conditions.

5. The fuel dispenser of claim 3 further comprising a remote communications link adapted to communicate to a tank monitor and report leak conditions.

6. The fuel dispenser of claim 3 further comprising a remote communications link adapted to communicate to a site controller and report leak conditions.

7. A method of detecting a leak in a fueling environment'"'"'s fueling distribution system with a fuel dispenser, said method comprising:

dispensing fuel throughout a fueling environment in an inner conduit of a double walled conduit;

catching a leak from the inner conduit with an outer conduit of the double walled conduit;

returning fluid leaked into the outer conduit to at least one fuel dispenser in the fueling environment; and

detecting the leak at the fuel dispenser.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising returning the fluid leaked into the outer conduit to an underground storage tank.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating an alarm when a leak is detected.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising connecting a plurality of fuel dispensers in a daisy chained arrangement.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising returning fluid leaked to an underground storage tank through a subset of the plurality of fuel dispensers.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising communicating a leak condition to a site communicator.

13. A fueling environment, comprising:

a plurality of fuel dispensers;

a double walled piping system adapted to connect fluidly said plurality of fuel dispenser in a daisy chained arrangement such that fuel is delivered to each of the fuel dispensers from an underground storage tank by an inner conduit and leaks within the piping system are returned to the underground storage tank by an outer conduit; and

at least one leak monitor associated with at least one of said plurality of fuel dispensers, said leak monitor positioned in said outer conduit.

14. The fueling environment of claim 13 wherein said leaks within the piping system are returned to the underground storage tank via gravity.

15. The fueling environment of claim 13 wherein said leaks within the piping system are returned to the underground storage tank with vacuum assistance.

16. A piping system for a fueling environment, comprising:

a double walled pipe comprising an inner conduit and an outer conduit;

a daisy chain arrangement wherein said inner conduit delivers fuel to a plurality of fuel dispensers in turn and said outer conduit is fluidly connected to an underground storage tank to return fluid leaked from said inner conduit to the underground storage tank; and

a leak detector positioned in said outer conduit and associated with at least one of the plurality of fuel dispensers.

17. A fueling environment comprising:

an underground storage tank adapted to store fuel for the fueling environment;

a plurality of fuel dispensers;

a piping network of double walled pipe comprising an inner conduit and an outer conduit, said piping network fluidly connecting said plurality of fuel dispensers, wherein fuel is delivered to said plurality of fuel dispensers via said inner conduit and leaks in said inner conduit are captured by said outer conduit and are returned to said underground storage tank; and

a plurality of leak detectors, each of said leak detectors associated with a different one of said plurality of fuel dispensers and positioned in said outer conduit.

18. The fueling environment of claim 17 wherein said piping network is sloped such that leaks return to the underground storage tank via gravity.

19. The fueling environment of claim 17 wherein said piping network connects said plurality of fuel dispensers in a daisy chain arrangement.

20. The fueling environment of claim 19 wherein a vacuum in said underground storage tank creates a vacuum in said outer conduit so as to cause said leaks to return to the underground storage tank.