Liquid chemical dispensing unit

• US 3,976,227 A
• Filed: 01/27/1975
• Issued: 08/24/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chemtech Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ROK Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Ray, Manuel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marmor, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US05/544,403
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 222/136, 222/145, 222/129.1, 222/129.2, 222/394, 222/4, 222/176, 222/6, 137/260, 137/209, 137/263, 137/575, 211/71, 211/74, 280/79.3
• US Class Current: 222/136
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 4/02 for feeding measured , i.e. prescribed quantities of reagents
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/007 At least a part of the apparatus, e.g. a container, being provided with means, e.g. wheels, for allowing its displacement relative to the ground
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/04 with pressurised or compressible container aerosol containers B65D83/14; with pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8622 Plural top-to-bottom connected tanks

Abstract

A liquid chemical storage and dispensing unit is disclosed in which a mobile cart supports upper and lower groups of pressure sealable storage tanks containing liquid chemicals. Conduits couple a pressure distributing gas manifold to the upper tanks. Tank pairs comprising one tank each of the upper and lower groups are serially coupled by conduits of equal effective internal dimension extending between an open end within a lower region of the upper tanks and inlet fittings on the lower tanks. An open end in the lower tanks communicates liquid chemical therein via conduits of equal effective internal dimension to a nozzle receiving liquid chemical collecting manifold. A plurality of tank pairs are thereby coupled in parallel between the gas manifold and the liquid chemical collecting manifold providing simultaneous emptying of the tank pairs at an enhanced potential liquid chemical flow rate. In operation, tanks are individually filled with liquid chemical and the cart is transported to a point of use. A gas pressure source coupled to the gas manifold forces liquid chemical through the upper tanks to the lower tanks and from the lower tanks to an outlet coupled to the liquid chemical collecting manifold. Thereafter the pressurized tanks successively feed chemical on demand to coupled sprayers until the last tank is empty.

Claims

1. Apparatus for storing and dispensing a liquid chemical at a uniform spray rate comprising:

a cart having a frame structure comprising a rectangular base, the base including a rectangular lower tank support bed horizontally disposed and having a marginal lip extending upward from the bed;

four vertically extending L-shaped riser struts, each joined to a different corner of the base;

a first pair of bed support struts, the struts of the first pair being disposed parallel to one another, and the first pair defining a plane normal to the L-shaped riser struts, and a second pair of bed support struts disposed normal to and in the plane of the first pair of bed support struts, the first and second pairs of bed support struts being joined to the riser struts;

a planar rectangular upper bed for supporting a plurality of tanks, the bed having edge portions disposed on the first and second pairs of bed support struts;

upper and lower longitudinal panel supports disposed horizontally in a parallel spaced-apart relationship above the upper and lower beds, respectively;

upper and lower apertured rectangular guide panels having a plurality of tank guiding openings therein for maintaining a plurality of tanks in a spaced-apart relationship and in an upright position, the panels being positioned horizontally and having edge portions disposed on the upper and lower panel supports;

an upper set of cylindrical tanks disposed upright on the upper bed and within the openings of the upper panel, and a lower set of cylindrical tanks disposed upright on the lower tank support bed and within the openings of the lower panel, each of the upper and lower tanks being of the type having a cylindrical liquid support chamber, an upper portion, a gas-impervious inlet fitting on the upper portion including a short tube extending partly into the chamber, an outlet fitting including a siphon tube extending substantially into the chamber for communicating a fluid from the bottom of the chamber to the fitting, a liquid loading opening within the upper portion of the tank, and a gas-tight locking unit for sealing the opening following the loading of a liquid chemical into the tank;

a gas manifold comprising a pipe having two closed ends, a plurality of hose fittings and a pressure receiving fitting;

a liquid manifold comprising a pipe having a closed end and a plurality of hose fittings along the length thereof and a liquid outlet fitting opposite the closed end;

a plurality of pressure communicating hose elements coupling the hose fittings of the gas manifold to the inlet fittings of the upper tanks;

a plurality of fluid communicating hose elements coupling the outlet fittings of the upper tanks to the inlet fittings of the lower tanks; and

a plurality of liquid communicating hose elements coupling the outlet fittings of the lower tanks to the inlet fittings of the liquid manifold;

the fluid dispensing system thereby providing a plurality of serially connected upper and lower tank pairs, the pairs being connected in parallel between the liquid and gas manifolds to provide a simultaneously depletable liquid chemical at an outlet of the manifold at a high available flow rate.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and wherein:

the system is arranged to provide a potential liquid chemical flow of at least 15 quarts per minute;

the intake gas manifold is couplable to a pressure source of the order of 20 pounds per square inch;

each cylindrical chamber has a capacity of the order of 20 quarts; and

the cart supports twelve tanks, six of which are disposed along two adjacent rows on the upper tank support bed and six of which are disposed along two adjacent rows on the lower tank support bed.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 and wherein:

the gas manifold pipe has a diameter on the order of 1 inch, a length of 22 inches and is laterally disposed between the two adjacent rows of tanks above the upper tank support bed;

the liquid manifold pipe has a diameter on the order of 1 inch, a length of 22 inches and is laterally disposed between the two adjacent rows above the lower tank support bed;

the liquid manifold further comprises an elbow pipe element and an upright pipe having an inner diameter not substantially less than about 0.5 inch, the elbow pipe element coupling the upright pipe to the laterally disposed liquid manifold pipe; and

the upright pipe comprises an upper end portion and a sealing liquid line coupling attached to the upper portion, the upright pipe being clamped to the cart.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 and in which the cart comprises:

four spaced-apart casters coupled to the frame beneath the lower tank support bed;

a pair of metal channel members defining fork lift sleeves of rectangular cross section, the rectangular base of the frame having an underside and longitudinal axis and the channel members being joined longitudinally along the underside of the base; and

a handle coupled to the frame for manual movement of the cart.