Double-skin, low-profile, environmental, safety tank system

• US 7,275,651 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kevin L. Morales
• Original Assignee: John L. Guidry II, Kevin L. Morales
• Inventors: Morales, Kevin L., Guidry, John L. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascua; Jes F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRADEN, SHAWN M
• Application Number:
  US10/702,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20050098559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 220/203.28, 220/560.03, 220/4.12, 220/542, 220/502, 220/562, 220/567.1, 220/567.2, 220/918, 220/921, 220/62.18, 220/495.01, 732/90, 733/225, 733/05, 732/94
• US Class Current: 220/203.23
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/022 in multiple arrangement, e.g. stackable, nestable, connected or joined together side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/12 specially adapted for transport associated with vehicles, see the relevant subclasses of B60 - B64
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/54 characterised by means facilitating filling or emptying filling or emptying features for flexible large containers B65B69/0075; construction or shape of discharge section of hoppers B65D88/28; gates or closures B65D90/54; filling or emptying bunkers, hoppers, or like containers B65G65/30
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/0033 Lifting means forming part of the container B65D90/0006, B65D90/0026 take precedence; loading or unloading container on or from a truck B60P1/6418; lifting the container using a crane B66C1/663
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/028 hollow-walled, e.g. double-walled with spacers linings B65D90/04

Abstract

A stainless steel, double-skin, industrial, tote tank (100) for transporting dangerous liquids between a dock and an off-shore platform having inner and out tank “skins,” with the opposing walls gapped, except for the flatly engaged, bottom walls. A low-profile 550 gallon tank design has about a four foot height, six foot length and four foot width, allowing a worker to easily view and work with a liquid level gauge and the top fill openings while merely standing next to the tank. The tank top includes a high wall around all of the operative, top elements, confining any spilled liquid, with a typically closed drain line located in the top wall extending to the side for emptying of the spilled liquid. A protectively enclosed, discharge valve line having a bottom drip pan is included at the sloped tank bottom completely within the tank wall confines with a lock-able access door.

Claims

1. An enclosed, regularly transportable, tank system for transporting and providing liquid cargo of significant capacity of at least about one hundred and fifty gallons of the industrial, heavy-duty type for transporting-hazardous and flammable liquids and the like, by offshore/inshore vessels and trucks, as well as other transportation means, and the like, providing relatively safe transportation of the liquids, comprising:

a inner fluid containing tank member made up of

a top, interior wall member,

two, interior, side wall members,

a bottom, interior wall member, and

two, interior end members, comparable to said interior side wall members but of a lesser width,

collectively together forming a first, interior, tank “

skin”

capable of holding liquid, and

a comparable but slightly larger, outer, enclosing, protective member, likewise made up of

an exterior top wall member,

two, exterior, side wall members,

an exterior, bottom wall member, and

two, exterior, end wall members, comparable to said side wall members,

collectively together forming a second, exterior “

skin,”

substantially completely enclosing the interior, tank “

skin”

producing a double wall tank structure,

with the respective members of the two, tank “

skins”

being generally separated by gaps, except at their respective bottom members, which are at least in substantial part in face-to-face engagement, being flat one on top of the other with substantially no spacing between them;

at least one fill opening extending through both of said top wall members down to the interior of the tank and, with an openable fill cap, also extending above said top wall member of said outer “

skin,”

said fill opening being usable for introducing liquids into said tank interior and, when desired, filling the tank;

a continuous, encircling wall extending up from the top wall member completely surrounding said fill opening, said encircling wall containing and preventing the uncontrolled escape of liquid that might be spilled during the filling operation through said fill opening; and

a liquid level gauge measuring the amount of liquid in the tank located adjacent to but laterally spaced from said fill opening and in juxtaposition to one side of the tank, said encircling wall initially forming most of a circle but then having a radially, laterally extended extension in which area said liquid level gauge is located at least in part, while said fill opening is located in the area defined by the circle part of said encircling wall.

2. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein:

the respective gapped wall members are separated from each other by a gap of about a half(½

″

) inch.

3. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein there is further included:

a set of off-set braces of extended tubular construction are included between the opposed, interior and exterior wall members, restricted to only said top wall members and said side walls and said end wall members, fixedly connecting their respective, opposed ones together while also maintaining the gaps between them.

4. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein:

said at least one fill opening through which the tank may be filled has a maximum height of about four (4′

) feet, with its other, lateral, length &

width dimensions being comparable to or greater than said height, providing the portable tank with a stable, low profile and also allowing a worker to service the portable tank while standing on the same surface as that on which the portable tank is being supported.

5. The portable tank of claim 4, wherein:

said second, exterior “

skin”

has a maximum height of no more than four feet, three inches (4′

3″

).

6. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein:

said encircling wall extends up above said top wall member at least as high as said fill opening with said cap and said liquid level gauge and any other upwardly extending devices located within said encircling wall, protecting said fill opening and cap and said gauge and said other upwardly extending devices from being snagged by lifting lines, slings and the like.

7. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein:

said encircling wall extends up above said top wall member about three to four (˜

3–

4″

) inches.

8. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein there is further included:

a drain pipe line extending to the interior area defined by said encircling wall located in the gap between said inner and outer top wall members and extending laterally across to the closest side of the tank and being accessible from the side of the tank, said drain pipe line being usable for draining out any spilled liquid entrapped within the area defined by said encircling wall.

9. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein there is further included:

a discharge valve and associated line located at the bottom of the tank enclosed within a closed off compartment within the confines of the outer walls of the tank; and

a lock-able but open-able door being an exterior part of said compartment for gaining access to said discharge line from the exterior of the tank for removing liquid from the interior of the tank.

10. The portable tank of claim 9, wherein:

said bottom wall members are downwardly sloped toward said compartment; and

wherein there is further included a drip catch pan forming the bottom of said compartment capable of catching and holding any liquid dripping down from the discharge line and any exterior coupling that might be attached to said discharge line.

11. The portable-tank of claim 1, wherein:

said bottom wall members have a thickness greater than any one of the thicknesses of the other of said wall members.

12. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein:

all of said wall members are made of stainless steel.

13. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein the tank has a capacity of about five hundred and fifty gallons, and wherein:

the tank is about six (6′

) foot in length from end to end and has a width of about four (4′

) feet from side to side.

14. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein there is further included:

a discharge valve and associated line located at the bottom of the tank enclosed within a closed off compartment located within the confines of the outer side and end wall members of the tank; and

a lock-able but open-able door being an exterior part of said compartment for gaining access to said discharge line from the exterior of the tank for removing liquid from the interior of the tank.

15. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein there is further included a compartment, and wherein:

said bottom wall members are downwardly sloped toward said compartment; and

wherein there is further included a drip catch pan forming the bottom of said compartment capable of catching and holding any liquid dripping down from the discharge line and any exterior coupling that might be attached to said discharge line.

16. The portable tank of claim 1, wherein there is further included:

a suction pressure, dual relief valve included extending out of said outer tank “

skin” and

extending into the inner tank “

skin”

keeping the internal tank pressure below about a one and a half (1.5 psi) pounds per square inch suction and about a five (5 psi) per square inch output pressure.