Fuel safety management system for storing, transporting, or transferring hydrocarbon fuel

• US 6,182,714 B1
• Filed: 04/12/1999
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Irwin Ginsburgh, Metcalf, Darrell Jay, Tichenor, Clyde LeRoy
• Original Assignee: Irwin Ginsburgh, Metcalf, Darrell Jay, Tichenor, Clyde LeRoy
• Inventors: Metcalf, Darrell Jay, Tichenor, Clyde LeRoy, Ginsburgh, Irwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas, Steven O.
• Application Number:
  US09/289,861
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 141/63, 141/64, 141/65, 141/66, 141/98, 169/26, 169/61, 169/62, 169/84
• US Class Current: 141/63
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/0476 Vapour recovery systems

Abstract

A safety-enhancing management system for storing, transporting, or transferring hydrocarbon fuel whereby inert gas conveyance provides hydrocarbon fuel receptacles with a combustion suppressing volume of inert gas which displaces potentially combustible fuel vapor/air mixtures which can otherwise collect in the ullages of such receptacles. In one embodiment the inert gas is readily stored, transported, and conveyed in an inert gas-enriched fuel that degasses inert gas from the fuel within one or more receiving receptacles ullage(s). In a second embodiment, a separate controllable supply of inert gas, such as carbon dioxide, is storable in one or more gas receptacle(s), in a gaseous or liquefied state. The inert gas from one or more fuel receptacle(s) is conveyed via a controllable gas conveyance and wherein such conveyance may also be aided by such gas control as a computer controllable valve, and/or pump, or by the employment of a heat device to facilitate the change of state expansion of the inert gas that is stored in a liquid state. Excess inert gas liberated from within the gas-enriched fuel can optionally be captured and may be pumped back into various fuel receptacle(s), or can be re-stored in the gas receptacles in any state in these fuel systems and as also may be placed aboard aircraft.

Claims

1. A means for providing a fuel receptacle safety-enhancing system comprising at least one fuel receptacle,

a store of at least one inert gas:

and

an inert gas conveyance means suitable for transferring said inert gas(es) into the ullage of said fuel receptacle(s), wherein

the inert gas is of a type which

a.) mixes, is absorbed, or is retained within hydrocarbon fuel in a ratio which exceeds 0.1 volume of gas per volume of fuel;

b.) stores in a temperature range which is thermally tolerable by said fuel receptacle and by conduits connected thereto.

2. The inert gas conveyance means of claim 1 wherein absorbed inert gas is conveyed in liquid hydrocarbon fuel.

3. The inert gas conveyance means of claim 2 consisting of an inert gas-enriched hydrocarbon fuel containing a volume of inert gas which is mixed, absorbed or retained therein and which is conveyable in said fuel by suitable fuel conveyance means into at least one fuel receptacle of a vehicle to substantially degas into the ullage of the receptacle(s) which receives said fuel;

wherein

said fuel conveyance means is further comprised of a connectable conduit suitable for the transfer of said inert gas-enriched fuel from a supply which is external to said vehicle.

4. The inert gas of claim 1 substantially consisting of gaseous carbon dioxide.

5. The store of at least one inert gas of claim 1 substantially consisting of liquid carbon dioxide.

6. The store of at least one inert gas of claim 1 substantially consisting of solidified carbon dioxide.

7. The inert gas conveyance means of claim 1 consisting of an inert gas-enriched hydrocarbon fuel containing a volume of inert gas which has been mixed, absorbed or retained therein and which is conveyable in said fuel by suitable fuel conveyance means into at least one fuel receptacle to substantially degas into the ullage of the receptacle(s) which receives said fuel according to at least one degassing condition.

8. The fuel conveyance means of claim 7 further comprising at least one conduit connected computer controllable valve.

9. The fuel conveyance means of claim 7 further comprising at least one conduit connected computer controllable inert gas pump.

10. The degassing condition of claim 7 which does occur with sufficient atmospheric pressure change.

11. The degassing condition of claim 7 which does occur with sufficient passage of time.

12. The degassing condition of claim 7 which does occur with sufficient agitation of said inert gas enriched hydrocarbon fuel.

13. The degassing condition of claim 7 which does occur with sufficient temperature change of said inert gas enriched hydrocarbon fuel.

14. The degassing condition of claim 7 which does occur with sufficient non equilibrium between the ullage concentration of inert gas and the concentration of inert gas within said gas-enriched fuel.

15. The inert gas-enriched hydrocarbon fuel of claim 7 wherein a volume of inert gas within said gas-enriched fuel is quickly educted from said fuel by a gas purging means prior to the fuel induction phase of an engine.

16. The gas purging means of claim 15 having at least one controllable opening which directs a pressurized flow of ambient air through a store of said gas-enriched fuel, and at least one controllable opening to channel the escape of inert gas and said pressurized ambient air.

17. The gas purging means of claim 15 comprising at lest one converging/diverging nozzle wherein said gas-enriched fuel is directed therethrough such that inert gas is purged from the fuel and is extracted and vented at the low pressure site of said nozzle.

18. The gas purging means of claim 15 further comprising a connected gas conveying conduit suitable for directing inert gas into at least one gas receptacle of the system.

19. The gas purging means of claim 15 further comprising a connected gas conveying conduit suitable for directed inert gas into at least one fuel receptacle of the system.

20. The gas purging means of claim 15 further comprising a connected gas conveying conduit suitable for directing inert gas into cold fuel contained in at least one fuel receptacle of the system.

21. The gas purging means of claim 15 further comprising a connected gas conveyance means and at least one gas compression and cooling means suitable for cooling the purged inert gas to be stored in a chilled state within a chilled inert gas receptacle.

22. The inert gas store of claim 1 comprising:

at least one gas receptacle to contain said store of at least one inert gas, wherein said gas receptacle(s) and said at least one fuel receptacle are coupled by at least one conduit suitable for the transfer of at least one receptacle-content between said receptacle(s).

23. The fuel receptacle(s) of claim 22 further comprising a receptacle content monitoring means having a suitable communication link with said inert gas conveyance means, such that said monitoring means monitors the ullage content of said receptacle(s) pertaining to the concentration of inert gas needed to achieve a safety-enhanced condition within said ullage and regularly transmits ullage content information to said inert gas conveyance means which in turn, conveys a safety-enhancing supply of inert gas to said receptacle(s) as needed.

24. The inert gas conveyance means of claim 22 further comprising at least one computer controllable valve.

25. The inert gas conveyance means of claim 22 further comprising at least one computer controllable inert gas pump.

26. The gas receptacle(s) of claim 22 wherein at least one of said gas receptacle(s) is suitable for storing chilled gas in a liquefied or solidified state.

27. The chilled gas storing receptacle(s) of claim 26 further comprising at least one computer controllable heating means which facilitates a controllable expansion of said chilled gas.

28. The heating means of claim 27 consisting of a insulative material which substantially surrounds said chilled gas receptacle(s) in a non-heating mode and which is controllably slideable to expose an exterior surface of said gas receptacle to relatively warmer surrounding ambient air to facilitate expansion of said chilled gas as needed.

29. The computer controllable heating means of claim 27 further comprising at least one fuel conveying conduit which conveys a controllable flow of relatively warmer fuel into a store of high surface area solidified CO2 to facilitate a controllable expansion of gas from said store.

30. The conduit of claim 22 further comprising multi-passageways, wherein each of said multi-passageways is suitable for the conveyance of at least one receptacle-content.