Octane sensitive dispenser blending system

• US 5,956,254 A
• Filed: 08/29/1997
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tokheim Sas (Cognetas LLP)
• Inventors: Collins, J. Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Wonki K.
• Application Number:
  US08/921,117
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 364/479.09, 364/479.1, 364/479.11, 364/479.12, 364/479.14, 364/479.02, 364/479.03, 364/479.01, 364/479.06, 364/479.08, 222/144.5, 222/63, 222/57, 222/71, 222/52, 222/56, 222/1, 73/861.02, 73/861.04, 73/861.07
• US Class Current: 700/239
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/746 by mixing different fuel grades or fuel and oil
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2007/747 involving means responsive to the octane level, e.g. octane sensor, knock engine
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/744 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/132 by controlling the flow of the individual components G05D11/133 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/138 by sensing the concentration of the mixture, e.g. measuring pH value

Abstract

An octane sensitive blending dispenser for fluids, particularly for fuel dispensers. The dispenser controls component pumps according to octane data measured by octane meters. In one form of the invention octane measurements are taken within the input lines connected to the dispenser from fluid storage tanks. Control of the component pumps is accomplished by determining the difference between the desired blend octane and the observed blend octane and adjusting the pumps so as to more closely blend the desired fluid.

Claims

1. A dispenser for blending component fluids to achieve a desired octane for the blended product, said dispenser comprising:

a plurality of fluid conduits, each said fluid conduit coupled to one of at least two supplies of component fluid to be dispensed therefrom;

a pump means coupled to each said fluid conduit for controlling the flow rate at which each said component fluid flows through said respective fluid conduits;

octane sensors operatively associated with said fluid conduits for measuring the octane of said component fluid flowing through each said fluid conduit and for providing an octane signal representative of said octane;

an output means coupled to each said fluid conduit for mixing and dispensing said component fluids; and

control means for controlling the blending and dispensing of said component fluids, said control means coupled to said octane sensors means and said pump means, said control means including selecting means for selection of said desired octane blend and comparison means for comparing a calculated octane with said desired octane and for determining a corrected blend ratio, said control means further including adjustment means for adjusting said pump means in accordance with said corrected blend ratio such that the actual octane of dispensed blended fluids is substantially equal to said desired octane.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said supplies of said component fluids comprise a low octane fuel supply and a high octane fuel supply.

3. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said octane sensor includes a glass electrode to measure fluid octane.

4. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said output means comprises a standard fuel dispensing nozzle.

5. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes a calculating means for determining said calculated octane by adding the octane signals together and dividing by the total number of octane signals received from said octane meters.

6. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said pump means are capable of full fluid shut-off.

7. The dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said control means comprises a microprocessor.

10. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said octane sensors comprises near infrared.

11. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said octane sensors comprises infrared.

12. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said octane sensors comprises mass spectrometry.

13. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said octane sensor comprises optical transmission detection of trace compounds.

8. A method of blending a plurality of component fluids to provide a blended product having a predetermined octane, said method comprising:

providing a blending dispenser including at least two conduits for supplying at least two component fluids to said dispenser, at least two octane meters connected to said conduits for measuring the octane of each said respective supplied component fluid, and pump means for controlling the respective supply flow rate of each said component fluid;

activating said pump means to initiate a flow of said component fluids in a ratio to achieve the predetermined octane in the blended product to initiate a dispensing operation;

measuring the octane of each said component fluid dispensed by said dispenser to provide octane measurements;

calculating a calculated octane of said dispensed component fluids from said octane measurements;

comparing said calculated octane with said predetermined octane to determine dispensing error; and

adjusting said pump means if said dispensing error is outside a predetermined range.

9. In a fuel dispensing installation, a system for mixing and blending component fuels to provide a desired blend octane, said system comprising:

an output means for mixing and dispensing said component fuels;

a plurality of variable supply means for providing one of said component fuels to said nozzle means, at least one said variable supply means for each said component fuel, said variable supply means for controlling component fuel flow;

an octane meter means operatively associated with each said variable supply means for measuring the octane of said component fuel flow through said variable supply means and for producing octane signals representative of the octane of said component fuel flow; and

a control means for controlling the blending and dispensing of said component fuels, said control means coupled to each said octane meter means and each said variable supply means, said control means including comparison means for comparing a calculated octane with said desired blend octane and for determining a corrected blend ratio, said control means including a selection means for selection of said desired cumulative blend ratio, said control means further including adjustment means for adjusting said variable supply means in accordance with said corrected blend ratio such that the actual blend octane of such dispensed component fuels is substantially equal to said desired blend octane.