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Apparatus for confirming the presence of a leak in a liquid storage tank

  • US 5,461,906 A
  • Filed: 02/04/1994
  • Issued: 10/31/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for testing a liquid storage tank for leaks comprising:

  • means for closing all entry and exit passages to the liquid storage tank to be tested;

    a vacuum pump connected to the tank to be tested through said passage closing means for drawing a vacuum therein;

    a pressure sensor within the tank to be tested; and

    a control unit operably connected to said vacuum pump and said pressure sensor, said control unit being provided with software for monitoring the output signal from said pressure sensor,turning said vacuum pump off when the output signal from said pressure sensor indicates that a first predetermined vacuum pressure level within the tank has been reached,turning said vacuum pump on when the output signal from said pressure sensor indicates that a second predetermined vacuum pressure level within the tank has been reached, said second pressure level being higher than said first pressure level, andmeasuring the time periods of pump cycling between on and off states, and comparing the duration of the time periods,with the monitoring of off cycles of relatively unchanging duration serving to confirm the presence of a leak in the tank and the occurence of off cycles of increasingly longer duration confirming the absence of a leak.

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