Method of recovering fuel from the fuel tank of a liquid-fuel powered vehicle

• US 5,332,010 A
• Filed: 08/10/1993
• Issued: 07/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BPC Acquisition Company (Hines Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Bennett Pump Company
• Inventors: Loomis, Delos J., Thompson, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CUSICK, ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US08/105,336
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 141/7, 141/65, 141/285, 141/392, 141/84
• US Class Current: 141/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/04 for transferring fuels, lubricants or mixed fuels and lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/42 Filling nozzles

Abstract

A method of withdrawing the fuel from the fuel tank of a liquid-fuel powered vehicle and discharging the fuel into bulk storage tanks includes providing a pump that is selectively actuatable for pumping liquid fuel and having an inlet that is connected with a hose having a portion of sufficient length and flexibility to be inserted into the fuel tank of a vehicle. The pump has a liquid discharge conduit for connection to a fuel storage tank. The hose is extended through the vehicle'"'"'s filler pipe to the bottom of the tank. The fuel being withdrawn is metered to measuring the quantity of liquid being discharged by the pump into the discharge conduit. The hose may include a shutoff valve, which may be an automatic shutoff valve of the type used at gasoline stations.

Claims

1. A method of withdrawing liquid fuel from the fuel tank of a liquid-fuel powered vehicle for the purpose of draining the tank, including:

providing a liquid-fuel pump having an inlet and a discharge conduit, a hose connected at one end with said inlet, and a liquid-fuel storage tank connected with said discharge conduit, said hose including a hand-held shut-off valve and nozzle assembly at an opposite end of the hose and a hose extension connected with said nozzle assembly and having a sufficient length and flexibility to be inserted through the filler pipe of a tank and extend to the bottom of the tank;

inserting said hose extension into the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank through the filler pipe of the tank and extending to the bottom of the tank;

operating said pump by actuating said shut-off valve to withdraw fuel from the fuel tank and deposit the withdrawn fuel in the liquid-fuel storage tank; and

measuring the quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tank.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing includes providing a hose extension having walls which will not collapse inwardly when sufficient pressure reduction is applied to its interior to withdraw the liquid fuel from the tank and supple enough to be inserted into the tank.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said providing further includes providing a hose having an open end that is caused to rest on the bottom of the tank.

4. The method of claim 1 including recording the measured quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tank.

5. The method of claim 4 including recording the accumulated measured quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tanks of a fleet of liquid-fuel powered vehicles.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said recording is performed electrically for use in logging recovered fuel.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing includes providing a hand-held shut-off valve and nozzle assembly through which fuel is normally dispensed whereby the fuel passes through the nozzle in a direction opposite to that of its flow when the nozzle is used to fill the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank.

8. A method of withdrawing liquid fuel from the fuel tank of a liquid-fuel powered vehicle for the purpose of draining the tank, including:

withdrawing fuel from the fuel tank through the filler pipe of the tank;

measuring the quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tank concurrently with the fuel being withdrawn from the tank; and

depositing the withdrawn fuel to a liquid fuel storage tank.

9. The method of claim 8 including recording the measured quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tank.

10. The method of claim 9 including recording the accumulated measured quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tanks of a fleet of liquid-fuel powered vehicles.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said recording is performed electrically for use in logging recovered fuel.

12. The method of claim 8 including providing a shut-off valve in said hose and opening said valve during said withdrawing.

13. A method of withdrawing liquid fuel from the fuel tank of a liquid-fuel powered vehicle for the purpose of draining the tank, including:

providing a liquid pump having an inlet and a discharge conduit, a hose connected with said inlet, and a liquid-fuel storage tank connected with said discharge conduit;

inserting said hose into the vehicle'"'"'s fuel tank through the filler pipe of the tank and extending to the bottom of the tank;

operating said pump to withdraw fuel from the fuel tank and deposit the withdrawn fuel in the liquid-fuel storage tank; and

measuring the quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tank.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said providing includes providing a hose having walls which will not collapse inwardly when sufficient pressure reduction is applied to its interior to withdraw the liquid fuel from the tank and supple enough to be inserted into the tank.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said providing further includes providing a hose having an open end that is caused to rest on the bottom of the tank.

16. The method of claim 13 including recording the measured quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tank.

17. The method of claim 16 including recording the accumulated measured quantity of fuel withdrawn from the tanks of a fleet of liquid-fuel powered vehicles.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said recording is performed electrically for use in logging recovered fuel.

19. The method of claim 13 including providing a shut-off valve in said hose and opening said valve during said withdrawing.