Tank manifold assembly

• US 7,478,647 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesco Corporation US (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher Controls International LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Larsen, Todd W., Neumann, Eric W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Kevin L
• Application Number:
  US11/518,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20070056643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 137/613, 137/544, 137/549, 137/550, 137/505.25
• US Class Current: 137/613
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/305 with valve member and actuator on the same side of the seat
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/307 Additional means used in combination with the main valve
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/003 Housing formed from a plurality of the same valve elements
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0146 with details of the manifold
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0439 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0184 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7808 Apertured reactor surface surrounds flow line
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8085 Hollow strainer, fluid inlet and outlet perpendicular to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86831 Selective opening of plural ports
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87917 Flow path with serial valves and/or closures

Abstract

A tank manifold assembly for use in combination with fuel tanks of Hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles. The manifold assembly incorporates a regulator, an excess flow valve, a manual shutoff valve, and ports to receive separate components. The separate components may include, by way of example, a thermal relief valve, a pressure sensor, a pressure relief valve, a check valve, thermal temperature sensors, and a low pressure solenoid valve. The tank assembly is versatile and easily customized to particular applications.

Claims

1. A tank manifold assembly comprising:

a main body including

a tank interface;

a fill port;

a filter in fluid communication with the fill port;

an excess flow valve downstream of the filter;

a manual flow valve downstream of the excess flow valve;

a pressure reducing regulator downstream of the manual flow valve;

a pressure relief valve downstream of the pressure reducing regulator; and

a plurality of sensor ports, each of said sensor ports selectively receiving at least one of a group of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor.

2. The tank manifold assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a low pressure solenoid valve downstream of the pressure relief valve.

3. The tank manifold assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor ports is disposed on a low pressure side of the tank manifold assembly.

4. The tank manifold assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor ports is disposed on a high pressure side of the tank manifold assembly.

5. The tank manifold assembly of claim 1, further comprising a thermal relief port in communication with the tank interface.

6. The tank manifold assembly of claim 5, further comprising a temperature sensor received in the thermal relief port.

7. A tank manifold assembly comprising:

a main body having;

a tank interface including an elongate, threaded cylindrical interface portion;

an axially-extending bore;

a fill port;

a replaceable filter received in the axially-extending bore, and in fluid communication with the fill port;

an excess flow valve downstream of the filter;

a manual flow valve downstream of the excess flow valve;

a pressure reducing regulator downstream of the manual flow valve;

a pressure relief valve downstream of the pressure reducing regulator; and

a plurality of sensor ports, each of said sensor ports selectively receiving at least one of a group of a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor.

8. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, further comprising a filter seal disposed between the replaceable filter and the axially-extending bore.

9. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, further comprising a thermal relief port in communication with the tank interface.

10. The tank manifold assembly of claim 9, further comprising a temperature sensor received in the thermal relief port.

11. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, further comprising:

a low pressure solenoid valve downstream of the pressure relief valve.

12. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor ports is disposed on a low pressure side of the tank manifold assembly.

13. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor ports is disposed on a high pressure side of the tank manifold assembly.

14. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, wherein the excess flow valve includes an orifice and a piston, the piston being normally biased away from a valve seat.

15. The tank manifold assembly of claim 7, wherein a spring of a predetermined stiffness provides the biasing force to normally bias the piston away from the valve seat.