Fuel transferring system and method of use

• US 20090314384A1
• Filed: 06/23/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Musket Corp. (Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Musket Corp. (Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores Incorporated)
• Inventors: Strobel, Steven C., Edge, Joshua, Brakefield, Michael C., Zaruba, Leroy
• Granted Patent: US 8,109,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/67
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0476 Vapour recovery systems
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/16 Arrangements of liquid meters
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/3227 relating to venting of a container during loading or unloading
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/62 power operated
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/78 Arrangements of storage tanks, reservoirs or pipe-lines

Abstract

A portable system for transferring liquids such as fuels from a first tank to a second tank. The first tank may be, for example, a railcar and the second tank a transport trailer. The portable system is separated into multiple compartments with an engine compartment and a pump compartment. A wall separates the engine and pump compartments and may be sealed to prevent the passage of air or vapor therethrough. The pump is utilized to transfer liquid from the first tank to the second tank.

Claims

1. A portable system for transferring a liquid from a first tank to a second tank comprising:

a trailer connectable to a vehicle;

a pump having a pump inlet and a pump outlet mounted on the trailer;

an inlet hose connectable to the first tank and the pump inlet for communicating liquid from the first tank to the pump;

an outlet hose connectable to the second tank and the pump outlet for communicating the liquid from the pump to the second tank; and

a vapor conduit having a first end connectable to the first tank and a second end connectable to the second tank, wherein vapor from the second tank may be communicated through the vapor conduit into the first tank as liquid from the first tank enters the second tank.

2. The portable system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fuel-powered engine mounted in the trailer;

a generator driven by the engine for providing power to an electric motor that drives the pump, wherein the trailer is separated into a plurality of compartments and wherein the fuel-powered engine and pump are in separate compartments

3. The portable system of claim 1, comprising:

a flow meter in communication with the outlet of the pump for measuring the amount of liquid pumped by the pump through the outlet line; and

a pressure valve for removing vapor from the liquid prior to the liquid entering the flow meter; and

a vapor tank in communication with the pressure valve for receiving the vapor removed from the liquid.

4. The portable system of claim 3, further comprising a recirculation line connected at one end to the vapor tank and communicated with the pump inlet.

5. The portable system of claim 4, wherein liquid in the vapor tank is communicated through the recirculation line to an inlet line connected to the pump inlet.

6. The portable system of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor mounted on the trailer for measuring the temperature of the liquid from the outlet of the pump.

7. The portable system of claim 6, further comprising a flow meter for measuring the amount of liquid pumped from the pump outlet to the outlet hose.

8. The portable system of claim 6, further comprising a computer in the trailer for receiving signals from the temperature sensor and the flow meter, and for performing a gross to net calculation for converting the gross amount of liquid through the meter to a net amount of liquid.

9. A portable system for transferring a liquid from a first tank to a second tank comprising:

a trailer towable by a vehicle;

a pump with a pump inlet and a pump outlet mounted to the trailer;

an inlet conduit connectable to the pump inlet and to the first tank;

an outlet conduit connectable to the second tank and to the pump outlet;

a flow meter mounted on the trailer in communication with the pump outlet;

a pressure valve for removing vapor from the liquid before it enters the flow meter;

a vapor tank mounted on the trailer; and

a pressure valve line for communicating vapor removed by the pressure valve to the vapor tank.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising a recirculation line connected to the vapor tank and to the inlet conduit wherein liquid in the vapor tank is delivered from the vapor capture tank to the inlet conduit.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

a suction hose having an open end; and

a valve having an inlet communicated with the suction hose and an outlet communicated with the inlet conduit, wherein the suction hose pulls liquid that has condensed or dripped into a catch pan in the trailer and communicates the liquid into the inlet line.

12. The portable system of claim 9, further comprising a vapor conduit connected to the first and second tanks, wherein vapor from the second tank is communicated into the first tank, as liquid from the first tank is communicated into the second tank.

13. The portable system of claim 9, the trailer comprising:

a pump compartment in which the pump is mounted; and

an engine compartment separated from the pump compartment, wherein the engine compartment comprises a fuel-powered engine and a generator driven by the engine for providing power to a pump motor in the pump compartment.

14. The portable system of claim 9, further comprising a temperature sensor mounted in the trailer and positioned to measure the temperature of liquid passing through the pump outlet.

15. The portable system of claim 14, further comprising a computer mounted to the trailer for receiving signals from the temperature sensor and flow meter and calculating a net amount of liquid transferred from the first tank to the second tank.

16. A portable system for transferring liquid from a first tank to a second tank comprising:

a trailer towable by a vehicle, the trailer being separated into a plurality of compartments;

a pump with a pump inlet and a pump outlet mounted in a first compartment of the trailer for communicating liquid from the first tank to the second tank;

a pump motor mounted in the first compartment for driving the pump; and

a power source for providing power to the pump motor, the power source being located in a second compartment in the trailer, the second compartment being sealed from the first compartment.

17. The portable system of claim 16, the power source comprising:

a fuel powered engine; and

a generator driven by the engine, wherein the generator provides electric power to the pump motor.

18. The portable system of claim 17, wherein the liquid being transferred from the first tank to the second tank may be used as the fuel for the engine.

19. The portable system of claim 16, further comprising a vapor balancing system for limiting the amount of vapor vented to the atmosphere from the second tank as liquid from the first tank is transferred thereto.

20. The portable system of claim 19, wherein the vapor balancing system comprises a vapor conduit connected to the first tank and the second tank for communicating vapor from the second tank to the first tank as liquid from the first tank enters the second tank.

21. The portable system of claim 16, further comprising a pressure valve for removing vapor from the liquid after the liquid exits the pump outlet.

22. The portable system of claim 21 further comprising:

a vapor tank mounted in the trailer for receiving vapor from the pressure valve; and

a recirculation line connected to the vapor tank for recirculating liquid in the vapor tank to the pump inlet.