Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Preassembled subenclosure or substructure section of unit or...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-10-23
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Preassembled subenclosure or substructure section of unit or...
C405S128350, C588S259000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305131
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a metal hazardous material storage facility and, more specifically, to a storage facility having a sloped floor disposed below a container-supporting floor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hazardous chemicals and waste are frequently placed in 55-gallon cylindrical barrels typically measuring about 22to 23½ inches in diameter. The hazardous material can be stored in a liquid or solid form. Such drums can easily develop leaks over time. Periodic inspection can locate slow leaks, but catastrophic failure of a drum can occur and result in spillage of a large quantity of hazardous material. Accordingly, these barrels must be kept in a facility that has suitable safety features such as proper venting, fire and explosion protection, leakage protection with a sump built into the floor, and leakage detection.
Because it is preferable to maintain barrels containing hazardous materials upright, metal hazardous material storage facilities are presently constructed with floors that are generally horizontal or flat. This can be a disadvantage as liquid which leaks, either quickly or slowly, from a barrel tends to remain in the vicinity of the barrel. Therefore, to detect such a leak, a sensor must be located at each location where a barrel may be stored within the facility. Use of multiple sensors can be expensive, both to install and maintain.
Accordingly, there is a need for a metal hazardous material storage facility which can store multiple barrels of hazardous material and which allows a sensor to detect leaks from multiple barrels.
There is a further need for a method to easily construct a metal hazardous material storage facility which can store multiple barrels of hazardous material and which allows a sensor to detect leaks from multiple barrels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs and others are satisfied by the present invention which provides a metal hazardous material storage facility having an upper floor and a lower floor. The upper floor, upon which the barrels of hazardous material rest, has a plurality of openings therethrough. The lower floor is sloped so that any liquid which spills from the barrels of hazardous material, regardless of their location within the facility , will collect in the lowest area of the lower floor. A sensor is placed at the lowest area of the lower floor so that any leak will be detected. The lower floor also provides a sump to store any hazardous material until it may be properly discarded.
The sloped floor of the present invention can be constructed using support members which are constructed of C-shaped beams having inverted L-shaped beams attached thereto. The L-shaped beams are attached at a descending angle along the upper portion of the C-shaped beams. The C-beams rest on the building foundation. At one end of the C-shaped beam, below the highest point on the lower floor, the L-shaped beam extends its maximum height above the C-beam. The L-shaped beam is angled toward the C-shaped beam so that, at the opposite end of the C-shaped beam, the L-shaped beam is substantially even with the top of the C-shaped beam. A planar floor member is placed on top of a plurality of support members thereby forming the sloped lower floor.
It is an object of this invention to provide a metal facility to store hazardous material having a leak detector capable of detecting a leak from multiple barrels stored within the facility.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a facility for storing hazardous material having a sloped sump floor.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of constructing a metal facility to store hazardous material having a leak detector capable of detecting a leak from multiple barrels stored within the facility.
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4973195 (1990-11-01), Sweeney
patent: 5030033 (1991-07-01), Heintzelman
patent: 5213438 (1993-05-01), Barenwald
patent: 5248220 (1993-09-01), Rohringer
patent: 5254798 (1993-10-01), Zoback
patent: 5285617 (1994-02-01), Romig
patent: 5511908 (1996-04-01), Van Valkenburgh
patent: 5562047 (1996-10-01), Forney
patent: 5735639 (1998-04-01), Payne
Virginia Department of Transportation, Road and Bridge Standards, vol. 1, 1996, detail 104.09.
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott , LLC
Friedman Carl D.
Jenkins David C.
Nguyen Chi
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