Underground storage tank metering system in a service station environment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A meter coupled in close proximity to an underground storage tank fuel pipe that delivers fuel from the underground storage tank to fuel dispensers in a service station environment. The meter measures the total amount of fuel drawn from the underground storage tank. The meter may be placed in a submersible turbine pump or in the main conduit that carries fuel to the fuel dispensers. The meter measurement is compared to the meter measurements in the individual fuel dispensers that receive the fuel drawn from the underground storage tank to determine if a discrepancy exists. A discrepancy may be indicative of meter tampering, meter calibration issues, and/or a leak in the fuel pipeline between the underground storage tank and the fuel dispensers. A leak detection test may be automatically performed if such discrepancy exists and/or an alarm condition generated and communicated.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1-2. -2. (Cancelled).
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3. A system for detecting a discrepancy between the amount of fuel drawn from an underground storage tank to a plurality of fuel dispensers and the amount of fuel measured by the plurality of fuel dispensers, comprising:
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a controller;
a submersible turbine pump fluidly coupled to fuel in the underground storage tank wherein said submersible turbine pump draws the fuel out of the underground storage tank;
a main fuel piping coupled to said submersible turbine pump to carry the fuel drawn by said submersible turbine pump to the fuel dispenser;
a meter coupled inline to said main fuel piping that measures the amount of fuel drawn by said submersible turbine pump from the underground storage tank and delivered to the fuel dispenser, wherein said meter electronically communicates the amount of fuel drawn by said submersible turbine pump to said controller; and
a plurality of fuel dispensers that each receives the fuel from a branch fuel piping coupled to said main fuel piping, wherein each of said plurality of fuel dispensers contains a fuel dispenser meter to measure the amount of the fuel received from said branch fuel piping and wherein said fuel dispenser meter electronically communicates the amount of fuel received from said branch conduit to said controller. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16-18. -18. (Cancelled)
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19. A system for detecting a discrepancy between the amount of fuel drawn from an underground storage tank to a plurality of fuel dispensers and the amount of fuel measured by the plurality of fuel dispensers, comprising:
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a controller;
a submersible turbine pump fluidly coupled to fuel in the underground storage tank wherein said submersible turbine pump draws the fuel out of the underground storage tank;
a main fuel piping coupled to said submersible turbine pump to carry the fuel drawn by said submersible turbine pump to the fuel dispenser;
a meter placed in said submersible turbine pump that measures the amount of fuel drawn by said submersible turbine pump from the underground storage tank and delivered to the fuel dispenser; and
a plurality of fuel dispensers that each receives the fuel from a branch fuel piping coupled to said main fuel piping, wherein each of said plurality of fuel dispensers contains a fuel dispenser meter to measure the amount of the fuel received from said branch fuel piping and wherein said fuel dispenser meter electronically communicates the amount of fuel received from said branch fuel piping to said controller. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. (Cancelled)
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34. A method of measuring the amount of fuel drawn from an underground storage tank that is delivered to a plurality of fuel dispensers in a service station environment, comprising the steps of:
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drawing an amount of fuel from the underground storage tank; and
measuring the amount of fuel drawn from the underground storage tank before the fuel is delivered to the plurality of fuel dispensers. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification