Fluid handling – With casing – support – protector or static constructional... – Vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1995-07-24
2001-01-30
Chambers, A. Michael (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With casing, support, protector or static constructional...
Vehicle
C137S899000, C137S899200, C220S062190, C220S088100, C220S563000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178991
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a safety container for storing and transporting environmentally hazardous, in particular explosive substances, such as gasoline, oil, hydrogen, and other fuels, consisting of an extended container closed on all sides, which is provided with filling and emptying devices or openings, and which is integrated into a transport vehicle or associated with such.
As a result of the legal regulations existing in the Federal Republic since 1976, containers, and in particular safety containers transported on or in vehicles, must be identified with warning labels if they contain hazardous goods. An important reason for this is that the hazardous goods, such as gasoline and oil, which are mostly transported in such vehicles having the form of tank trucks or safety trucks, are able to significantly damage the environment, in particular ground water, in case of an accident involving the vehicle or a leakage of the safety container. In addition, the leaking gasoline may burn or even result in an explosion. Especially in view of the large volumes transported with such tank trucks, special safety precautions are required. Tank trucks with a content of 35,000 liters or more must even drive on roads which are not in a perfect state or which are not even reinforced. The content of the container, especially if the container is not 100% filled, hereby starts to swing, which may significantly affect the vehicle's driving safety. In order to avoid these swinging movements, it is a known practice to provide such containers with internal structures, i.e. in particular so-called surge walls. The disadvantage of these surge walls is that they must be arranged at very short intervals, or otherwise they will have an insufficient effect. In addition, however, these safety containers, if they contain gasoline or other hydrocarbons, pose an explosion hazard at the same time, i.e. as soon as the leaking transported material comes into contact with fire. The same is true for aircraft, and in particular for tankers, whereby the latter, as a result of the present enormous transport volumes, lead to huge environmental catastrophes when damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is thus based on the objective of creating safety equipment for hazardous materials containers, in particular for aircraft, ships, tank trucks, etc., whereby said safety equipment contributes to the necessary safety against leakage and explosion of the transported material or guarantees the same without complicated design and construction.
According to the invention, this objective is realized in that the container interior is filled wholly or in part with glass wool blown in the high temperature range, and/or is covered with a layer of this material, in that the glass wool is coated with a binder consisting of a long-chained starch (polysaccharides) and/or an epoxy and/or methylon resin, hardener, methylpolysilane, and a dust-collecting agent, as well as silicone (silicone resin), and is shaped into a cuttable, mat-shaped latticework adapted to the container inside, the container interior walls, or parts of either.
In a safety container constructed in such a way, a swinging movement is not even able to develop because of the mat-shaped latticework filling the container. Rather, the hazardous substance is, on being filled, in a way imbedded into the latticework, so that it then essentially only follows the movements of the vehicle or respective container, while the described swinging movement can no longer occur. The construction according to the invention also has the great advantage that in case of a leak or even an accident with the container, the hazardous material is unable to leak out, since it is retained in the mat-shaped latticework. This prevents danger to the environment caused by leaking oil or leaking gasoline or similar hazardous substances. The means for realizing the object of the invention thus result in a multiple effect which safeguards the operational and driving safety of such a container, in particular of a tank vehicle. The latticework per se is integrated into the container interior in such a way that it approximately fills the latter. The unexpected result here is that the filled-in latticework, which consists of very thin glass fibers, nevertheless results in only a small loss in volume. The transported hazardous material filled into the container interior is at the destination pressed out of the latticework with compressed air, etc., so that the vehicle is then again available for transporting more hazardous material. A changing of the container filling, i.e. of the latticework, is hereby not necessary. Even if a hazardous material not identical to the originally transported one is supposed to be transported, it only needs to be washed out by suitable measures, and no replacement is necessary. But according to the embodiments described below, a replacement, should it become necessary for any reasons, is also possible without any problems.
In order to prevent a slipping of the latticework placed into the container interior, the invention provides that the mat-like latticework is clamped into the container interior or is placed and arranged so as to be supported by supports consisting of rods or fiberglass strands or walls positioned there. These fiberglass strands or walls have the advantage that they do not impede the diffusion of the hazardous material, so that always suitably large containers are available for transporting such hazardous materials. It should be understood that it is also possible, if required, to divide such a container, e.g. tank container, into partial containers by means of suitably introduced or provided dividing walls.
It has already been pointed out above that compressed air can be used for emptying such safety containers. Accordingly, the invention provides that the container interior is connected via filling and emptying devices with a compressed air connection or inert gas connection or inert gas container. The introduced compressed air presses the hazardous material out of the mat-shaped latticework, without leaving behind significant residues. If, for instance, a hazardous material which reacts with oxygen is transported in the container, it is advantageous if, instead of the compressed air, an inert gas is used, for which purpose, according to the invention, a corresponding inert gas container or at least inert gas connection is provided. The inert gas container may be placed inside the vehicle, since it is able, during the filling of the hazardous material, to automatically accept the inert gas again, and after this ensures that the hazardous material is removed again. The necessary pressure is hereby created in that the hazardous material is introduced into the container under pressure. But it would also be conceivable to use new inert gas for each discharge process. In addition, the gasoline fumes released by the evaporation of the gasoline can be collected and used for the “squeezing out” of the gasoline.
An almost optimum filling of the hazardous material container or safety container is achieved in that the glass wool forming the latticework is coated with 7-10 wt. % of a binder consisting of silicone and starch or epoxy resin and is shaped into plates or bodies with a volume density (raw density) of 18 to 110 kg/m
3
, preferably 40 to 65 kg/m
3
. The advantage in bodies constructed accordingly is that these can be safely pushed into the container and as a rule do not require a support structure. Since the latticework is deflected and cut in accordance with the dimensions of the container interior, it can be ensured that the mat-shaped latticework also fills the entire hollow space of such a container. The respectively coated glass wool is able to hold and store the hazardous material, such as oil or gasoline, whereby the binder components which are used form an intimate connection, so that neither oil nor gasoline nor any other hazardous materials are able to dissolve them. This ensures a permanent high storage capa
Chambers A. Michael
Creighton Wray James
Narasimhan Meera P.
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