Dispensing – With discharge assistant – With bypass or return to supply
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-27
2003-11-04
Jacyna, J Casimer (Department: 3751)
Dispensing
With discharge assistant
With bypass or return to supply
C222S375000, C222S608000, C141S231000, C141S285000, C141S324000, C141S382000, C137S565010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06641000
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel conduction system for conducting fuel between a fuel source and a fuel consuming device which are either integrated as a single unit or apart as separate units. More particularly, the invention relates to a fuel conduction system arranged to prevent siphoning of the fuel in the event of a fuel line failure as well as inhibiting the occurrence of flash-back at the fuel source.
BACKGROUND
Portable fuel consuming equipment including portable heaters and engine driven generator sets are known equipment which are widely used, for example in the field of construction and the like. In such equipment, fuel is required to be pumped through flexible fuel lines between a fuel source and a pump of the equipment. These lines include a pump supply line and a pump pressure regulation bypass return line which typically run along the floor.
Damage to these lines, for example due to piercing of the line or fire, can result in numerous undesirable situations including siphoning or pumping of the contents of the fuel source onto the floor or flash-back through the lines back to the fuel source. Numerous requirements, both regulatory as well as user or site imposed requirements, are thus commonly required to be met when using portable fuel consuming equipment in order to satisfy either safety concerns, environmental concerns or individual concerns relating to a particular use of the equipment.
Describing the equipment now in further detail, fuel consuming equipment which is intended for temporary use generally incorporates an integral fuel tank which is factory assembled to a platform, frame or body of these devices. The weight of stored fuel however can be quite substantial and added to the weight of the fuel consuming equipment is often a major impediment to portability. Portability is a major attribute of the functionality of such equipment which frequently must be moved and handled involving such operations as loading and unloading from trucks and being moved about on temporary sites often over soft, uneven or obstacled ground.
In the case of lighter equipment such as portable heaters, the moving and handling of the equipment can be much ameliorated if the fuel is supplied from fuel storage containers which are separate from the fuel consuming equipment so that the equipment and fuel storage container can be independently handled on and off the temporary sites. Fuel lines may thus be required to extend between the fuel source and the fuel consuming equipment over a considerable distance over which the fuel lines are susceptible to one of many possible forms of damage possibly resulting in siphoning of the fuel or a flashback situation.
In the case of heavier equipment including diesel driven generator sets and pumps, portability is dealt with by assembly of these devices complete with a separate fuel storage container onto a common platform such as a skid which facilitates movement about on temporary sites. This arrangement similarly requires fuel lines to extend between the fuel source and the fuel consuming equipment with the lines again being susceptible to one of many possible forms of damage possibly resulting in siphoning of the fuel or a flashback situation. The fuel lines in this instance are required to meet any factory built equipment requirements.
The above mentioned approaches to conducting fuel between a fuel storage container and a fuel consuming device however affect concerns with regard to safety and environment and change the category into which the equipment falls with regard to regulatory enforcement that applies.
The options of supplying fuel containers either integrally or remotely with respect to fuel consuming devices and supplying repair and maintenance shop assemblies complete with separate fuel containers into the field causes the equipment to fall, from a regulation standpoint, into the category of a field installation as opposed to factory assembled packaging. Safety requirements that apply to fuel storage and fuel lines with factory assembled equipment, as opposed to field installations, while similar in their general intent to prevent fuel escape, differ significantly in practical details as to how compliance can be achieved.
Furthermore, equipment with either integral or remote fuel containers and maintenance shop assemblies complete with separate fuel containers fall into the subcategory of temporary field installations, including repair and maintenance shop assemblies transported on and off temporary sites, as opposed to permanent field installations. The same environment and safety regulations that apply to permanent use field installations of fuel consuming devices also apply to temporary use field installations. Regulations that apply to stationary, permanent use equipment however, are often not entirely appropriate to the circumstances that apply to portable, temporary use equipment.
It is readily recognisable that such requirements for permanent field installations could impose relatively time consuming and expensive installations in relation to short term equipment requirements. Furthermore the installations which meet permanent use requirements interfere with operational flexibility on temporary sites and may be sensitive to temporary use conditions such as exposure to extreme temperatures, weather conditions and handling problems due to freighting from site to site.
It is a broad requirement of all of the various sets of regulations that a fuel system not permit fuel in storage containers to escape should a fuel line failure occur. Enforcement with respect to factory assembled packages has always been strict through equipment certification procedures but enforcement in temporary situations until recently has been tenuous. Recent concerns about environmental issues have brought about tighter enforcement.
In addition to requirements regarding siphoning, due to the possibility of flash-back, a further requirement which can apply to particular applications of fuel consuming equipment is the incorporation of a flash-back arrestor. In the event of a fuel line burn through, for example due to a floor fire, combustion in the form of a flash-back has the potential to spread through fuel residue and vapour remaining in the supply line to the fuel source unless a flash-back arrestor is in place. Portable fuel consuming equipment having supply and return lines extending between a pump and a fuel source can thus be easily susceptible to flashback arising from floor fires and the like when no arrestor is provided.
An example of portable fuel consuming equipment is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,225 to Chitel. A portable heating system is described which makes use of a remote fuel tank by extending a supply line and a return line between the fuel tank and a pump mounted integrally on a heater unit in a common configuration. An anti-siphon valve is mounted on the supply line adjacent the fuel tank to prevent siphoning of the contents of the fuel tank through the supply line in the event of a line failure. The arrangement of Chitel however, similarly to conventional configurations commonly employed, does not meet basic requirements imposed on such equipment due to an exposed return line which could either partially siphon the contents of the fuel tank therethrough in the event of a line failure, or could result in fuel being pumped through the return line onto the floor if only the return line were damaged. Furthermore, Chitel provides no protection against possible flash-back.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fuel conduction system for conducting fuel between a fuel source and a pump having an inlet, a main outlet and a pressure regulation return outlet, the fuel conduction system comprising:
a supply line extending in a longitudinal direction from a pump connecting end arranged to be connected to the inlet of the pump to a source connecting end arranged to be connected to the fuel source; and
a return line extending substantially concentrically through the s
Battison Adrian D.
Dupuis Ryan W.
Jacyna J Casimer
William Michael R.
LandOfFree
Fuel conduction system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Fuel conduction system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fuel conduction system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3153731