Liquid propane fuel delivery system

• US 5,623,907 A
• Filed: 06/09/1995
• Issued: 04/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Walbro Engine Management LLC (Sun Capital Partners Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walbro Corporation (Sun Capital Partners Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stark, John S., Werner, Matthew L., Cotton, Kenneth J., Roche, Ronald H., Herndon, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moulis, Thomas N.
• Application Number:
  US08/488,813
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 123/495, 123/497, 123/514, 123/456, 123/525, 123/179.16, 123/179.17
• US Class Current: 123/456
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/022 to adjust the fuel pressure, temperature or composition
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/023 to adjust the fuel mass or volume flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/027 Determining the fuel pressure, temperature or volume flow, the fuel tank fill level or a valve position
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0212 comprising at least 3 C-Atoms, e.g. liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], propane or butane
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0221 Fuel storage reservoirs, e.g. cryogenic tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0239 Pressure or flow regulators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0242 Shut-off valves; Check valves; Safety valves; Pressure relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0245 High pressure fuel supply systems; Rails; Pumps; Arrangement of valves
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0287 characterised by the transition from liquid to gaseous phase F02M21/06 takes precedence; Injection in liquid phase; Cooling and low temperature storage
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 37/10 submerged in fuel, e.g. in reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A liquid propane fuel storage and delivery system for a vehicle engine with a fluid handling component module removably top-mounted on an appropriate vehicle-mounted pressurized liquid propane fuel storage tank. The module includes: (1) a fuel tank 80% stop-fill subsystem that automatically opens and closes the tank fill port to control tank fuel fill; (2) a hydrostatic back-check valve to prevent reverse fuel flow from the tank to atmosphere via the fill port; (3) an excess fuel bypass return check valve that maintains a predetermined amount of pressure in the fuel line as required to achieve acceptable engine performance; (4) a return check bypass valve that bypasses the return check valve to allow an extra amount of vapor-purging liquid fuel to be flushed through the system and returned to the tank through the fill solenoid prior to engine start-up; (5) an excess flow valve to limit fuel flow to atmosphere in case of a severed fuel line; (6) a supply solenoid valve assembly that prevents fuel flow to the engine if the solenoid is not energized; (7) a supply line over-pressure check valve to prevent a pump outlet line from being overstressed due to pressure build up; (8) a tank pressure relief valve; (9) a tank drain valve; (10) a "leak-free" electrical coupling; and (11) a fuel pod assembly housing one or two fuel pumps pumping either in parallel or series flow.

Claims

1. A liquid propane fuel storage and fuel delivery system for supplying liquid propane fuel to a vehicle-installed automotive internal combustion engine equipped with fuel injectors, a fuel rail communicating with the inlets of the injectors with the injectors being coupled in parallel between the rail and engine combustion chambers, and an on-board computerized electronic engine control unit (EECU), the engine being operable for developing driving power to the vehicle in response to vehicle-operator input control commands to the EECU, said system comprising:

(1) a fuel storage tank constructed to withstand interior pressures sufficient to maintain propane fuel in a liquid state in a tank interior chamber even at maximum ambient temperatures to be encountered in vehicle design operating conditions,

(2) an engine fuel delivery conduit means operably coupled for communicating propane fuel between the tank interior chamber and the engine fuel injectors and including supply line means for delivering propane fuel from the tank interior chamber to the injectors via the fuel rail and return line means for returning excess fuel from the fuel rail to the tank interior chamber in bypass relation to injector output to the engine,

(3) electric fuel pump means having inlet means disposed in the lowest elevation of the tank interior chamber and having outlet means operably coupled in series with said fuel delivery conduit means for pumping liquid propane from the tank interior chamber to said supply line means at a pressure above tank interior chamber pressure,

(4) fuel handling means operably fluid flow intercoupled between said tank interior, said pump outlet means and said fuel delivery conduit means comprising;

(a) solenoid-operated fuel supply valve means operable for opening and closing communication between said pump outlet means and said supply line means,

(b) fuel return check valve means operable for opening communication from said return line means to said tank interior chamber in response to return line fuel pressure exceeding tank interior chamber pressure by a given pressure differential amount, and for preventing reverse flow from the tank interior chamber into said return line means, and

(c) fuel return check bypass valve means operable for communicating said return line means into the tank interior chamber in bypass flow relation to said fuel return check valve means in response to a tank in-flow direction pressure differential thereacross much less than said given pressure differential operational amount of said fuel return check valve means, and also being operable as a reverse flow check valve for preventing reverse flow from the tank interior chamber to said return line means, and

(5) system electronic control means (SECU) operably electrically coupled in controlling relation to said fuel pump means, said fuel supply valve means, said bypass valve means and operably slave control coupled to said EECU for automatically;

(a) causing said pump means to be energized to deliver propane from the tank interior in a liquid state past the fuel injectors via the fuel rail and back to the tank interior chamber via said bypass valve means with a relatively high flow rate and relatively low pressure differential just prior to engine fuel delivery operation of said fuel injectors to thereby purge propane vapor from said supply and return line means and fuel rail, and

(b) then closing said bypass valve means while said pump means is so energized to thereby cause said pump means to supply propane via said fuel supply valve means and said supply line means to said fuel injectors via the fuel rail in a liquid state concurrently with engine fuel delivery operation thereof and to return excess fuel flowing in the fuel rail past said fuel injectors to the tank interior chamber via said return line means and said fuel return check valve means at a return line pressure higher than tank interior chamber pressure by at least said given pressure differential amount.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fluid handling means further includes excess flow valve means having an inlet and an outlet coupled respectively in series flow relation to said pump outlet means and to said fuel supply valve means and normally allowing a fuel system flow rate of fuel therethrough in response to a small pressure differential existing between said inlet and outlet of said excess flow valve means, and also operable for severely limiting flow of propane from said outlet of said pump means to said supply line means via said fuel supply valve means in response to a sudden large increase in pressure differential therebetween caused by a delivery system failure event such as rupture type leakage of said fuel delivery conduit means.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said fluid handling means further includes supply line pressure relief means operably coupled between said outlet of said excess flow valve means and said tank interior chamber for relieving pressure in said pump outlet means of said supply line means when the pressure differential between said fuel pump outlet means and the tank interior rises above a predetermined value to thereby prevent overstressing of said pump outlet means of said supply line means under all conditions of system operation and service.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fluid handling means further includes tank fuel level sensing means operably coupled to said SECU for providing a control signal for indicating the level of liquid propane in the tank interior chamber, tank fill passageway means operable for admitting liquid propane from a tank-external source of supply to the tank interior chamber, and solenoid operated fill valve means operably electrically coupled to said SECU for automatically opening and closing communication between said fill passageway means and the tank interior chamber in response to a tank level control signal from said tank level sensing means when said fuel pump means is in a de-energized state.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said fill valve means is operably electrically coupled to said SECU for automatically closing said fill valve means when the level of liquid propane in said tank interior chamber reaches a predetermined value less than liquid full.

6. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said fill valve means includes supply and return line purge valve means for automatically opening and closing communication between the tank interior chamber and an outlet of said bypass valve means in response to a line purge command from said SECU.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said fill valve means comprises two-stage valve means having a first stage valve means and a solenoid means directly mechanically coupled thereto for opening and closing said fill passageway means to control tank filling operation and also serving as said line purge valve means in response to command signals from said SECU, and having a second stage valve means disposed upstream in said fill passageway means from said first stage valve means and coupled thereto for lost motion by a spring means yieldably biasing apart said first and second stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operated between positions opening and closing said fill passageway means by hydrostatic pressure differential between the pressure in said fill passageway means upstream thereof and the tank interior chamber pressure to thereby permit tank filling via said first stage valve means when opened, and to serve as a hydrostatic back check valve in the non-tank fill mode of said system.

8. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said fuel level sensing means is operably electrically coupled via said SECU to a tank fuel gauge means of the vehicle for providing a fuel gauge readout signal indicating the level of liquid propane in said tank interior chamber, and wherein said gauge means is operably coupled to said SECU for determining that said gauge is operably powered by the vehicle ignition circuitry for tank-level-indicating operation of said gauge means while the same remains operably powered.

9. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said fluid handling means further includes excess flow valve means having an inlet and an outlet coupled respectively in series flow relation to said pump outlet means and to said fuel supply valve means and normally allowing a fuel system flow rate of fuel therethrough in response to a small pressure differential existing between said inlet and outlet of said excess flow valve means, and also operable for severely limiting flow of propane from said outlet of said pump means to said supply line means via said fuel supply valve means in response to a sudden large increase in pressure differential therebetween caused by a delivery system failure event such as rupture type leakage of said fuel delivery conduit means.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said fluid handling means further includes supply line pressure relief means operably coupled between said outlet of said excess flow valve means and said tank interior chamber for relieving pressure in said pump outlet means of said supply line means when the pressure differential between said fuel pump outlet means and the tank interior rises above a predetermined value to thereby prevent overstressing of said pump outlet means of said supply line means under all conditions of system operation and service.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said fill valve means includes supply and return line purge valve means for automatically opening and closing communication between the tank interior chamber and an outlet of said bypass valve means in response to a line purge command from said SECU.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said fill valve means comprises two-stage valve means having a first stage valve means and a solenoid means directly mechanically coupled thereto for opening and closing said fill passageway means to control tank filling operation and also serving as said line purge valve means in response to command signals from said SECU, and having a second stage valve means disposed upstream in said fill passageway means from said first stage valve means and coupled thereto for lost motion by a spring means yieldably biasing apart said first and second stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operated between positions opening and closing said fill passageway means by hydrostatic pressure differential between the pressure in said fill passageway means upstream thereof and the tank interior chamber pressure to thereby permit tank filling via said first stage valve means when opened, and to serve as a hydrostatic back check valve in the non-tank fill mode of said system.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said fill valve means is operably electrically coupled to said SECU for automatically closing said fill valve means when the level of liquid propane in said tank interior chamber reaches a predetermined value less than liquid full.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein said fuel level sensing means is operably electrically coupled via said SECU and said EECU to a tank fuel gauge means of the vehicle for providing a fuel gauge read-out signal indicating the level of liquid propane in said tank interior chamber.

15. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said tank has a mounting platform constructed and arranged on a top wall of said tank and having an exterior access opening extending downwardly and opening into the tank interior chamber, and said fluid handling means comprises a system mounting manifold member means having a valve body with a peripheral flange removably secured by fastening means to an exterior surface of said platform surrounding the access opening, said member means having exterior coupling port means, interior coupling passageway means and associated component mounting means constructed and arranged for operably mounting and mechanically interconnecting in operable fluid handling system relationship said fluid handling means of clauses 4(a), 4(b), and 4(c) of claim 1 as well as said tank fill passageway means and fill valve means of clause 4 of claim 1, said system means of clauses 1, 2, 3 and 5 of claim 1 also being operably system interface coupled via said mounting manifold member means with said fluid handling means to thereby provide such mounting and system operating interconnections in a single integrated module mountable and demountable on said tank platform with all of such fluid handling means disposed within and/or below said mounting manifold member means and exposed to and/or in operable communication with the tank interior chamber.

16. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein said fluid handling means integrated into said mounting manifold means further includes excess flow valve means having an inlet and an outlet coupled respectively in series flow relation to said pump outlet means and to said fuel supply valve means and normally allowing a fuel system flow rate of fuel therethrough in response to a small pressure differential existing between said inlet and outlet of said excess flow valve means, and also operable for severely limiting flow of propane from said outlet of said pump means to said supply line means via said fuel supply valve means in response to a sudden large increase in pressure differential therebetween caused by a delivery system failure event such as rupture type leakage of said fuel delivery conduit means.

17. The system as set forth in claim 16 wherein said fluid handling means integrated into said mounting manifold means further includes supply line pressure relief means operably coupled between said outlet of said excess flow valve means and said tank interior chamber for relieving pressure in said pump outlet means of said supply line means when the pressure differential between said fuel pump outlet means and the tank interior rises above a predetermined value to thereby prevent overstressing of said pump outlet means of said supply line means under all conditions of system operation and service.

18. The system as set forth in claim 17 wherein said fill valve means in said mounting manifold member means includes supply and return line purge valve means for automatically opening and closing communication between the tank interior chamber and an outlet of said bypass valve means in response to a line purge command from said SECU.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said fill valve means comprises two-stage valve means having a first stage valve means and a solenoid means directly mechanically coupled thereto for opening and closing said fill passageway means to control tank filling operation and also serving as said line purge valve means in response to command signals from said electronic control system, and having a second stage valve means disposed upstream in said fill passageway means from said first stage valve means and coupled thereto for lost motion by a spring means yieldably biasing apart said first and second stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operated between positions opening and closing said fill passageway means by hydrostatic pressure differential between the pressure in said fill passageway means upstream thereof and the tank interior chamber pressure to thereby permit tank filling via said first stage valve means when opened, and to serve as a hydrostatic back check valve in the non-tank fill mode of said system.

20. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said mounting manifold member means further includes support means for operably suspending said fuel pump means therefrom with said pump inlet means disposed adjacent the lowest level of the tank interior chamber.

21. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said exterior coupling port means of said mounting manifold member means comprises a fuel supply port means and a fuel return port means for respectively removably coupling tank-external runs of said supply and return line means thereto, and further comprises a fill port means communicating with said fill passageway means and adapted for removably coupling to an outlet nozzle of a fuel hose connected to the fuel supply source.

22. The system as set forth in claim 21 wherein said manifold mounting member means further includes pressure relief valve means and associated pressure relief passageway means for operably connecting the tank interior chamber with the tank exterior when tank interior pressure exceeds a predetermined value, said exterior coupling port means including a relief port means communicating with an outlet of said relief passageway means downstream of said pressure relief valve means and adapted for removably coupling an exterior relief conduit means thereto.

23. The system as set forth in claim 22 wherein said exterior coupling port means comprise four individual ports individually associated one each with said fuel supply, said fuel return, said fill and said relief port means, said four ports opening outwardly of said manifold mounting member means above the tank top wall, said four ports being arranged in a row in a side face of said body flange of said member means and being oriented with their axes generally parallel to one another.

24. The system as set forth in claim 23 wherein said mounting manifold member means further includes drain valve means and associated drain passageway means for operably connecting the tank interior chamber with the tank exterior when said drain valve is opened, said member means having a tank-exterior top face, and drain valve port means communicating with an outlet of said drain valve and passageway means and being disposed in said top face and oriented with its axis generally perpendicular to said four port axes.

25. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said mounting manifold member means further includes a hermetically sealed electrical pass-through connector and associated electrical lead passageway for coupling external power and control lead connections from said SECU to said fuel pump means, to a solenoid of each of said solenoid operated fuel supply and fill valve means and to said level sensing means from within the tank interior chamber.

26. The system as set forth in claim 20 wherein said fuel pump means comprises a pump housing having first and second of side-by-side pump receiving interior cavities each adapted to individually receive upright therein an electrically driven liquid fuel pump oriented with its inlet facing the bottom of the cavity, said housing having a single inlet communicating the tank interior chamber with the bottom of said first cavity and adapted to admit liquid fuel to the inlet of a pump disposed in said first cavity, said housing having a main outlet passageway means at its upper end.

27. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein said connecting passageway means connects said first mounting passageway directly only with the bottom of said second cavity and said main outlet passage is connected directly only with said second mounting passageway.

28. The system as set forth in claim 27 further including a second electric fuel pump operably mounted in said second cavity and operable as a second stage pressure boosting pump relative to said first pump in serial downstream flow therewith.

29. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein said connecting passageway means of said housing comprises a first cross passage interconnecting the bottom of said cavities with said housing single inlet, and a second cross passage interconnecting said mounting passageways with said housing main outlet, and further including a second electric fuel pump operably mounted in said second cavity and operable when energized to pump in parallel flow relation with said first pump for boosting the volumetric flow rate to said main housing outlet from said housing single inlet.

30. The system as set forth in claim 29 wherein said SECU is capable of selectively energizing either one or both of said pumps in accordance with a control command from a system computer program of said SECU.

31. The system as set forth in claim 30 wherein said SECU is operable under the control of said system program to automatically energize only one of said pumps in an alternating sequence with the other of said pumps each time said SECU is reset to initially pump fuel to said fuel injectors.

32. The system as set forth in claim 26 wherein said housing connecting passageway means comprises a first passage connecting said housing single inlet only with the bottom of said first cavity, a second passageway connecting said first cavity mounting outlet passageway only with the bottom of said second cavity, and a third passage connecting said second cavity mounting outlet passageway only with said main housing outlet, and further including a second electric fuel pump operably mounted in said second cavity and operable when energized in serial flow relation with said first pump for boosting the output pressure of liquid propane received via said second connecting passageway from the output of said first pump as delivered to said main housing outlet.

33. A method of storing liquid propane fuel on a vehicle and supplying liquid propane fuel to an automotive internal combustion engine of the vehicle equipped with fuel injectors and an on-board computerized electronic engine control unit (EECU), the engine being operable for developing driving power to the vehicle in response to vehicle-operator input control commands, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a fuel storage tank constructed to withstand interior pressures sufficient to maintain propane fuel in a liquid state in a tank interior chamber at least up to normal elevated ambient vehicle operational temperatures,

(2) communicating liquid propane fuel via conduit means between the tank interior and the engine fuel injectors during engine operation by delivering fuel from the tank interior chamber to the injectors and returning excess fuel from the injectors to the tank interior chamber via the conduit means in bypass relation to injector output to the engine,

(3) causing fuel pressure at the input to the fuel injectors to exceed tank interior chamber pressure by a given pressure differential amount in the conduit means,

(4) just prior to engine start-up causing delivery of propane from the tank interior chamber in a liquid state past the fuel injectors and back to the tank interior chamber via the conduit means with a relatively high flow rate by proportionately reducing the pressure differential amount in the conduit means just prior to engine fuel delivery output operation of said fuel injectors to thereby purge propane vapor from the conduit means at the input to the injectors, and

(5) then starting the engine while continuing to pump propane to the fuel injectors via the conduit means in a liquid state concurrently with engine fuel delivery operation thereof by again causing fuel delivery pressure at the input to the injectors to exceed tank interior chamber pressure by at least said given pressure differential amount in the conduit means.

34. The method as set forth in claim 33 including the further step of limiting excess pumped fuel flow from the tank interior chamber toward the input to the injectors above a normal fuel system flow rate of fuel via the conduit means by severely limiting flow of pumped propane fuel in response to a sudden large increase in pressure differential between pumping delivery pressure and tank interior pressure caused by a failure event such as rupture-type leakage to ambient in the delivery of fuel to and/or in bypass from the input to the injectors via the conduit means.

35. The method as set forth in claim 34 including the further step of relieving pressure in the pumped fuel delivery supply to the conduit means when the pressure differential between pumped fuel delivery pressure and the tank interior chamber rises above a predetermined value to thereby prevent overstressing of the fuel delivery conduit means under all conditions of system operation and service.

36. The method as set forth in claim 33 further including the further steps of providing tank fill passageway means for admitting liquid propane from a tank-external source of supply to the tank interior chamber, and automatically opening communication between the supply source and tank interior chamber via the tank fill passageway means only when the level of liquid propane in the tank interior chamber is below a predetermined upper level limit.

37. The method as set forth in claim 36 including the further step, during tank filling from the supply source via the tank fill passageway means, of automatically closing the fill passageway means when the level of liquid propane in said tank interior chamber reaches the predetermined upper limit to thereby retain a vapor dome above the liquid propane in the tank interior chamber.

38. The method as set forth in claim 36 including the step of purging vapor from the conduit means is performed by automatically opening and closing communication between the tank interior chamber and the conduit means downstream of the injectors via the fill passageway means.

39. The method as set forth in claim 38 wherein a two-stage fill valve means is provided having first stage valve means operable for opening and closing the fill passageway means to control the tank filling operation and also serving as a conduit means purge valve, and having second stage valve means disposed upstream in the fill passageway means from the first stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operable between positions opening and closing the fill passageway means by hydrostatic pressure differential between the pressure in the fill passageway means upstream thereof and the tank interior chamber pressure to thereby permit tank filling via the second and first stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operable as a hydrostatic back check valve when not filling the tank.

40. The method as set forth in claim 37 comprising the step of providing fill valve means operably electrically coupled to the ECU and to a tank fuel gauge system of the vehicle for automatically closing the fill passageway means when the level of liquid propane in the tank interior chamber reaches a predetermined value less than liquid full.

41. A liquid propane fuel storage and fuel delivery system for supplying liquid propane fuel to a vehicle-installed automotive internal combustion engine equipped with fuel injectors and an on-board computerized electronic engine control unit (EECU), the engine being operable for developing driving power to the vehicle in response to vehicle-operator input control commands, said system comprising:

(1) a fuel storage tank constructed to withstand interior pressures sufficient to maintain propane fuel in a liquid state in a tank interior chamber even at elevated ambient temperatures sufficient to generate a propane vapor pressure in the tank interior chamber of at least about 312 psig, said tank containing a tank level sensor operable to provide an electrical signal indicating the level of liquid propane in the tank interior chamber,

(2) an engine fuel delivery conduit operably coupled for communicating propane fuel between the tank interior chamber and the engine fuel injectors and including a supply line for delivering propane fuel from the tank interior chamber to the injectors and a return line for returning excess fuel from the injectors to the tank interior chamber in bypass relation to injector output to the engine,

(3) a pair of first and second electric fuel pumps having a common pump inlet conduit disposed in the lowest elevation of the tank interior chamber and having a common pump outlet operably coupled in series with said fuel delivery conduit for pumping liquid propane from the tank interior chamber to said supply line at a pressure above tank interior chamber pressure,

(4) a fuel handling component and passageway module removably mounted on a top wall of said tank and containing the following components and associated passageways intercoupled between said tank interior chamber, said common pump outlet and said fuel delivery conduit,

(a) a solenoid-operated fuel supply valve for opening and closing communication between said common pump outlet and said supply line,

(b) a fuel return check valve for opening communication from said return line to said tank interior chamber in response to return line fuel pressure exceeding tank interior chamber pressure by a given pressure differential amount, and preventing reverse flow from the tank interior chamber into said return line,

(c) a bypass valve for bypassing fuel from said return line past said fuel return check valve into the tank interior chamber in response to a flow direction pressure differential thereacross much less than said given pressure differential amount and also being operable as a reverse flow check valve for preventing reverse flow from the tank interior chamber to said return line,

(d) a tank fill passageway for admitting liquid propane from a tank-external source of supply to the tank interior chamber, and an associated solenoid-operated two-stage tank fuel fill valve having a primary stage solenoid operated valve member for automatically opening and closing said fill passageway in response to a tank level control signal, and a second stage valve member operable upstream of said primary valve member as a hydrostatic back check valve for closing communication between the tank interior chamber and said fill passageway when said primary stage valve member is operated in a non-tank filling phase of system operation, and

(5) system electronic control means (SECU) operably electrically coupled in controlling relation to said pumps, said fuel supply valve, said bypass valve, said fill valve and operably slave coupled to control said EECU and for automatically causing;

(a) operation of one and/or two of said pumps as required to deliver liquid propane from the tank interior chamber to the common pump outlet,

(b) engine fuel delivery operation of said fuel supply valve to deliver liquid propane pumped from said common pump outlet to said fuel delivery conduit supply and return lines,

(c) tank fill opening and closing operation of the fuel fill valve,

(d) pre-engine-start-up opening and closing of the return check bypass valve via purge operation opening and closing of the primary stage valve member of said fill valve, and

(e) closing operation of said fill valve to stop filling of said tank at approximately the 80% liquid full level as determined from the tank level control signal from said tank level sensor.

42. The system as set forth in claim 41 wherein said fuel level sensing means is operably electrically coupled via said SECU and said EECU to a tank fuel gauge of the vehicle for visably indicating on said gauge the level of liquid propane in said tank interior chamber by utilizing the tank level control signal from said tank level sensor.

43. The system as set forth in claim 42 wherein said fluid handling module further includes an excess flow valve having an inlet and an outlet coupled respectively in series flow relation to said common pump outlet and to said fuel supply valve and normally allowing a fuel system flow rate of fuel therethrough in response to a small pressure differential existing between said inlet and outlet of said excess flow valve means, and operable for severely limiting flow of propane from said common pump outlet to said supply line via said fuel supply valve in response to a sudden large increase in pressure differential therebetween caused by a delivery conduit failure event such as rupture-type leakage of said fuel delivery conduit.

44. The system as set forth in claim 43 wherein said fluid handling module further includes a supply line pressure relief valve operably coupled between said outlet of said excess flow valve and said tank interior chamber for relieving pressure in common pump outlet when the pressure differential between said fuel pump common outlet and the tank interior exceeds a predetermined value sufficient to prevent overstressing of a fuel line hose coupled between said common pump outlet and said fuel supply valve under all conditions of system operation and service.

45. The system as set forth in claim 42 wherein said fuel pumps are intercoupled between said common pump inlet and outlet to pump in parallel flow relation and said SECU includes a microprocessor and associated electrical circuitry operable in conjunction with said vehicle EECU for utilizing said system fluid handling components as programmed to operate in accordance with the following system operational logic:

A. Both of said pumps shall operate for a short time period following application of a pump power signal unless pump power signal is removed prior to the expiration of such short time period;

after such short time period has elapsed for dual pump power to be applied, one pump shall be turned off;

the pump that remains on shall be the pump that was turned off the last time a single pump ran;

B. Said fuel supply valve solenoid shall be powered to hold in open condition as long as pump power signal is present;

C. Said tank fill valve solenoid shall be powered to hold said primary stage valve member open when one of the following conditions exist;

C.1. Pump power is removed and level sensor signal corresponds to less than about 80% tank liquid full signal;

fill valve solenoid then shall remain powered;

a) until level sensor signal reaches approximately such 80% liquid full value from a tank less full value, or

b) until a given few minute period has elapsed with no change in level sensor signal;

or

c) after such few minute period there is no increase toward full in level sensor signal value during any additional and much shorter time increment, or

d) pump power is applied;

C.2. Pump power is applied, fill solenoid shall remain powered for a period of several seconds for opening of said bypass valve;

D. Said vehicle fuel gauge shall be driven any time any of said fill or supply value solenoids or said pumps is powered or gauge power is detected;

fuel gauge drive shall be a pulse width modulated drive based on the fuel level sensor signal value, and

E. The fuel level sensor input interpretation shall default to full if sensor signal exceeds value corresponding to beyond tank empty signal value limit.

46. The system as set forth in claim 45 wherein said microprocessor software is programmed as follows including six main state routines and three major subroutines:

Reset;

Power up Starts here, Initializes variables and hardware;

Main State Routines

(1) Offstate;

Program is waiting for an input--Pump and/or Fuel Gauge Voltage;

All outputs are off;

(2) PurgeState;

Pump power is on, both pumps on, feed and fill solenoids on;

fuel gauge on;

(3) StartState;

Pump power is on;

two pumps are on;

feed solenoid on;

fuel gauge on;

(4) RunState;

Pump power is on;

one pump is on;

feed solenoid is on;

gauge is on;

(5) FillState;

Fill state is entered from either the StartState or RunState;

FillState is exited to off state when the tank is "full", e.g., 80% of full tank volume;

FillState fuel gauge is driven if it is powered, i.e., voltage is detected on A/D (analog to digital conversion) input from fuel gauge;

(6) GaugeState;

Gauge is on, all other outputs are off;

gauge is driven as long as voltage is detected on gauge A/D (in microprocessor);

Main Subroutines;

(1) Gauge;

Drives fuel gauge for dashboard display with results of a CalcGauge in StartState, RunState and FillStates;

(2) ReadLevel;

AD routine to read fuel level, a given number of results are kept for averaging;

(3) CalcGauge;

Result of AD average is held in said given number capacity byte buffer for second average;

result is used for dashboard gauge drive;

Utility Routines

CheckDeltaLevel;

Is Fill Level increasing?;

Interrupt Routines

DummyInt;

Clear unexpected interrupts;

Timeoverflow;

Keep track of time extended time;

OutputCompare;

Gauge Drive PWM routine at given Hz Repeat rate, when active (much less Hz major routine service).

47. A method of storing pressurized fluid fuel and supplying such fuel to apparatus adapted to consume such fuel by combustion thereof in use, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a fuel storage tank constructed to withstand interior pressures sufficient to maintain such fuel liquid in a tank interior chamber at least up to normal elevated ambient operational temperatures of such apparatus,

(2) communicating such fuel via conduit means between the tank interior and the fuel consuming apparatus during operation thereof by delivering fuel from the tank interior chamber to the apparatus and returning excess fuel from the apparatus input to the tank interior chamber via the conduit means in bypass relation to the apparatus,

(3) causing fuel pressure at the input to the fuel consuming apparatus to exceed tank interior chamber pressure by a given pressure differential amount in the conduit means,

(4) just prior to apparatus start-up causing delivery of fuel from the tank interior chamber in a liquid state past the apparatus fuel input and back to the tank interior chamber via the conduit means with a relatively high flow rate by proportionately reducing the pressure differential amount in the conduit means just prior to apparatus start-up to thereby purge the conduit means at the input to the apparatus, and

(5) then starting fuel combustion in the apparatus while continuing to pump fuel via the conduit means concurrently with apparatus fuel consuming operation by again causing fuel delivery pressure at the input to apparatus to exceed tank interior chamber pressure by at least said given pressure differential amount in the conduit means.

48. The method as set forth in claim 47 further including the further steps of providing tank fill passageway means for such fuel from a tank-external source of supply to the tank interior chamber, and automatically opening communication between the supply source and tank interior chamber via the tank fill passageway means only when the amount of liquid fuel in the tank interior chamber is below a predetermined upper limit.

49. The method as set forth in claim 48 including the further step, during tank filling from the supply source via the tank fill passageway means, of automatically closing the fill passageway means when the amount of fuel in said tank interior chamber reaches the predetermined upper limit to thereby prevent overfilling of the tank.

50. The method as set forth in claim 49 wherein the step of purging the conduit means is performed by automatically opening and closing communication between the tank interior chamber and the conduit means downstream of the apparatus fuel input via the fill passageway means.

51. The method as set forth in claim 50 wherein a two-stage fill valve means is provided having first stage valve means operable for opening and closing the fill passageway means to control the tank filling operation and also serving as a conduit means purge valve, and having second stage valve means disposed upstream in the fill passageway means from the first stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operable between positions opening and closing the fill passageway means by hydrostatic pressure differential between the pressure in the fill passageway means upstream thereof and the tank interior chamber pressure to thereby permit tank filling via the second and first stage valve means, said second stage valve means being operable as a hydrostatic back check valve when not filling the tank.