Service station leak detection and recovery system
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a leak in a fueling distribution system in a retail fuel dispensing environment with a fuel dispenser, said method comprising:
- dispensing fuel throughout the fueling environment in an inner conduit of a double-walled conduit;
capturing a leak from said inner conduit with an outer conduit of said double-walled conduit;
returning fuel leaked into said outer conduit to a sump positioned proximate a submersible turbine pump in the fueling environment; and
detecting the leak at said sump.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fueling environment 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 or a sump proximate the submersible turbine pump 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 to 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.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a leak in a fueling distribution system in a retail fuel dispensing environment with a fuel dispenser, said method comprising:
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dispensing fuel throughout the fueling environment in an inner conduit of a double-walled conduit;
capturing a leak from said inner conduit with an outer conduit of said double-walled conduit;
returning fuel leaked into said outer conduit to a sump positioned proximate a submersible turbine pump in the fueling environment; and
detecting the leak at said sump. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A fueling environment, comprising:
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a plurality of fuel dispensers;
a double-walled piping system adapted to connect fluidly said plurality of fuel dispensers in a daisy chained arrangement such that fuel is delivered to each of said fuel dispensers from an underground storage tank by an inner conduit, and leaks within said piping system are returned to a sump chamber outside said 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. - View Dependent Claims (12, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A piping system for a fueling environment, comprising:
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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 catches leaked fuel; and
a plurality of leak detectors positioned in said outer conduit, each of said plurality associated with at least one of said plurality of fuel dispensers and adapted to detect leaks as fuel returns in said outer conduit. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A fueling environment, comprising:
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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
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. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification