AU2020358462A1 - Container for transporting liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for transporting liquids is disclosed. The container is configured to be positioned on or secured to a vehicle. The container has a body which defines an internal volume and at least one closable port. The container includes a plurality of fluid-impermeable internal walls connected to the body so as to be located in the internal volume. The internal walls define a plurality of compartments or chambers within the body when the internal volume is substantially filled with liquid. At least some of the compartments are in fluid communication with each other via openings in or between the internal walls. Each compartment is in fluid communication with at least one of the port(s) such that, when the internal volume is filled with liquid via the port(s), the liquid is distributed between the compartments. The body and the internal walls are manufactured from foldable material.

Description

CONTAINER FOR TRANSPORTING LIQUIDS

Field of the invention

The invention relates, generally, to containers for transporting liquids. More specifically, the invention relates to a container for storing liquid, such as fuel, while the liquid is being transported by a vehicle. The invention also relates to a method of transporting liquids.

Background to the invention

Mines are often located in remote regions. In many cases, commodities such as coal or ore are transported away from a mine without significant processing. For instance, coal may be loaded onto dedicated trucks or railway wagons and transported by road or rail from a coal mine to a port, to be exported. Once at the port, the trucks or railway wagons may be emptied and returned to the mine without loads.

Furthermore, many mines require large quantities of fuel (e.g. diesel) for their operations. Similarly, dedicated vehicles such as fuel trucks or railway wagons may be used to transport fuel to a mine. Once emptied, these trucks or railway wagons typically return to a fuel source without loads.

The Inventor has found that systems such as those described above are inefficient as trucks and/or railway wagons are required to cover large distances without loads. This may reduce the effective capacity of a truck and/or railway wagon, drive up logistics costs and/or increase lead times. The present invention aims to address these issues, at least to some extent.

In the context of this specification, the term “liquid” or “liquids” is used primarily to refer to fuel such as diesel or petrol, but may also refer to other liquids to be transported, and even to particulate material. It will thus be clearly understood that the term “liquid” should be broadly interpreted in the specification. Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for transporting liquids, the container being configured to be positioned on or secured to a vehicle, wherein the container comprises: a fluid-impermeable body which defines an internal volume for storing liquid; at least one closable port for intake of liquid into and/or discharge of liquid from the internal volume; and a plurality of fluid-impermeable internal walls connected to the body so as to be located in the internal volume, wherein the internal walls define a plurality of compartments or chambers within the body when the internal volume is substantially filled with liquid, at least some of the compartments being in fluid communication with each other via openings in or between the internal walls, wherein each compartment is in fluid communication with at least one of the port(s) such that, when the internal volume is filled with liquid via the port(s), the liquid is distributed between the compartments, and wherein the body and the walls are manufactured from foldable material and configured such that, when the container is empty, the container can be stored in or on the vehicle in a stowing condition in which the volume of the container is less than 20% of the volume of the container in a fully filled condition.

At least some of the compartments are therefore interconnected to allow fluid flow between them. In some embodiments, e.g., when the container includes only one port, all of the compartments may be interconnected.

The container may further include a valve, and optionally also a locking member, connected to each port for controlling intake and discharge of liquid and/or air.

The container may include four ports, each having a valve, spaced apart along a length of the container and located in an operatively upper/top wall of the container. Each port may correspond with one of the internal walls. In some embodiments, one or more of the ports is/are breather ports for the discharge of air while the container is being filled with liquid, while the other port/s is/are liquid for filling and decanting.

The body and/or the internal walls may be manufactured from a relatively flexible material such that the container can be folded into the stowing condition when not filled with liquid, i.e. when empty. Preferably, in the stowing condition the volume of the container is less than 10% of the volume of the container in the fully filled condition.

The body and walls may be made substantially from high resistance, flexible material, e.g. polyamide, flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester with PVC induction, elastomer coated fabric, or the like. In one embodiment, the body and walls are made from a polyamide base fabric with a polyurethane polyether double sided coating.

In some embodiments, the container is configured to be folded so as to fit into a carry pack. When in the stowing condition, the container may be stored in the carry pack. The carry pack may be in the form of a bag with handles to allow for easy carrying of the container.

In some embodiments, the vehicle may be fitted with a dedicated compartment, e.g. box located on the side or bottom region of a truck/trailer, for storage of the container when in the stowing condition.

At least some of the internal walls may be configured such that, when the internal volume is substantially filled with liquid and the container is positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation, the internal walls extend at an angle relative to a vertical axis and a horizontal axis of the container.

In use, the container may be positioned such that at least some of the internal walls extend at an obtuse angle relative to the horizontal axis, when taken from a front of the vehicle on which the container is located, thereby to facilitate braking by guiding or urging liquid in a generally downward direction when the vehicle decelerates. The obtuse angle may be approximately 135 degrees. The internal walls may be in the form of a series of spaced apart baffles. Each baffle may extend between a top and a bottom of the body. The container may be configured such that fluid/liquid can travel between the compartments via openings between the baffles and one or both sides of the body.

The container may further include means for securing the body to the vehicle, e.g. the container may be equipped with adjustable skirts, a net, and/or adjustable straps designed for fastening the body to the vehicle.

The vehicle is preferably a truck or a railway wagon, or a trailer attached to such a vehicle (e.g. a flatbed trailer). The container may be positioned in an open-topped area, such as an open-topped trailer or tipper, in use. The liquid may be fuel, e.g. diesel or petrol.

The internal volume of the container may be configured to store between about 250 litres and about 75,000 litres of liquid, in use, preferably between about 500 litres and about 50,000 litres, more preferably between about 10,000 litres and about 20,000 litres.

The container may further include a neutral barrier film, preferably at an interior surface of the body.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a kit which includes a container and a carry pack substantially as described above.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of transporting liquids, the method comprising: transporting a commodity by means of a vehicle from a commodity source to a commodity destination; unloading the commodity from the vehicle at the commodity destination; at the commodity destination, loading liquid onto the vehicle, wherein the liquid is loaded onto the vehicle by filling a container substantially as described above with the liquid, wherein the container is positioned on or secured to the vehicle; transporting the liquid from the commodity destination to the commodity source or to a liquid destination by means of the vehicle and the container; and unloading the liquid from the container and the vehicle for use at the commodity source or the liquid destination.

The method may further include, at the commodity source, after unloading the liquid, loading a further commodity onto the vehicle and repeating the above method steps with additional liquid for use at the commodity source.

The method may include, after unloading the liquid at the commodity source, folding the container into the stowing condition such that the container can return to the commodity destination on the vehicle together with the further commodity.

The method may include, after unloading the liquid at the commodity source, folding the container into a small carry pack such that the container can return to the commodity destination in the carry pack, together with the further commodity.

The commodity may be ore, minerals such as manganese, coal, or the like, and the liquid may be fuel. The commodity source may be a mine and the commodity destination may be a port or a processing facility.

The commodity may be general cargo or perishables which are loaded, for instance, onto a flatbed or curtain sided truck and delivered to the commodity destination. The truck may then be “back loaded” with the container substantially as described above, the container being configured to fit the particular truck type.

The commodity may be transported to the commodity destination in a shipping container.

The commodity may be an agricultural commodity.

The liquid need not necessarily be fuel. In some embodiments, the liquid may, for instance, be plant oils, soya bean oil, sunflower oil, or a suitable food-grade oil. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle which includes or is fitted with a container for transporting liquids, substantially as described above.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a container according to the invention in an in use position, wherein it is located on an open-topped truck and in a fully filled condition;

Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the container of Figure 1 , illustrating the angle of its internal walls, in use, but not illustrating ports and valves of the container;

Figure 3 is an end view of the container of Figure 1 , more clearly illustrating its shape, in use;

Figure 4 is an end view of an internal wall of the container of Figure 1 , illustrating its shape, in use;

Figure 5 is a developed view of the container of Figure 1 ; Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating an example embodiment of the container in a stowing condition;

Figures 7-8 are perspective views illustrating techniques that may be used to lift the container of Figure 6 into a truck while in the stowing condition;

Figure 9 is a top view illustrating the container of Figure 6 in a partially unfolded, empty condition, positioned in a tipper box of a truck prior to filling of the container;

Figures 10-11 are perspective views illustrating the manner in which the container of Figure 6 may be filled with fuel via its ports, in use;

Figure 12 is a top view illustrating the container of Figure 6 in a fully filled condition positioned in the tipper box of the truck, wherein it is filled with fuel, in use; Figure 13 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a fuel hose coupled to a valve at a liquid filling and decanting port of the container of Figure 6; and

Figures 14-15 are photographs showing a dedicated box which may be fitted to a vehicle for the storage of the container when it is folded and not in use.

Detailed description with reference to the drawings

The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention, is illustrative of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It will be understood that changes can be made to the embodiment described, while still attaining beneficial results of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be understood that some benefits of the present invention can be attained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilising other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognise that modifications and adaptations to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances, and are a part of the present invention.

Embodiments of the invention provide a liquid container, or bladder, adapted for safe and secure transport of liquids, particularly by road and rail. The embodiments described with reference to the drawings essentially provide a fuel bladder, but it is envisaged that alternative implementations of the invention may involve other types of liquids.

In Figures 1 to 5, reference numeral 10 generally indicates an embodiment of a container according to the invention.

The container 10 has a fluid-impermeable body 12 which defines an internal volume 14 for storing fuel, e.g. diesel. The container 10 is shaped and dimensioned to be positioned on an open-topped truck 16 (i.e. in a load receiving zone of the truck 16), as conceptually shown in Figure 1 . The shape of the body 12, when filled with fuel, is best illustrated in Figure 3. Referring to Figure 2, the container 10 has a length of approximately 6.5 m when unfolded. When in the fully filled condition, the container 10 has a height of about 1.475 m. Four fluid-impermeable internal walls 18, or baffles, are spaced apart along a length of the container 10 in the internal volume 14 (see Figure 2).

The shape of the wall 18 is illustrated in Figure 4. Each wall 18 is connected to a top and bottom of the body 12 such that, when viewed from the side, the walls 18 define compartments A to E within the body 12 when the internal volume 14 is filled with fuel. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an upper edge 22 of each wall 18 is connected to a top wall 24 of the body 12 and a lower edge 26 of each wall 18 is connected to a bottom wall 28 of the body 12.

The baffles 18 are spaced apart at intervals of about 1 .475 m along the length of the container 10, with the lower edge 26 of the first baffle 18 located at about 150 mm from the front (F) of the container 10 and the upper edge 26 of the last baffle 18 located at about 150 mm from the rear (R) of the container 10.

Each baffle 18 has a length of approximately 2.1 m when in the extended (unfolded) position, as shown in Figure 2. The compartments A to E are in fluid communication with each other via openings between their respective side edges and the sides of the body 12. This is evident from a comparison between Figures 3 and 4, which shows that the walls 18 are not as wide as the body 12. In other embodiments, other types of openings may be employed to ensure fluid communication between at least some of the compartments.

The internal walls 18, or baffles, have been designed such that, when the internal volume 14 is filled with fuel and the container 10 is positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation on the truck 16 as shown in Figure 1 , the internal walls 18 are angled relative to the horizontal and the vertical (see the vertical axis “X” in Figure 1 , also marked “X” in Figure 2). More specifically, in this example embodiment, each wall 18 extends at an obtuse angle of 135 degrees relative to the horizontal axis or the length of the container 10, when taken from a front of the truck 16 on which the container 10 is located. For illustrative purposes, this angle is indicated in compartment C in Figure 2, and the front and rear of the truck 16 are indicated by the letters “F” and “R”, respectively, also in Figure 2. Each wall 18 thus extends at a 45 degree angle relative to the horizontal or the length of the container 10, when taken from the rear (R) of the truck 16. The Inventor has found that the above-described baffle design facilitates the truck’s braking by guiding or urging fuel in a generally downward direction when the truck 16 decelerates.

The container 10 has at least one closable port for intake of fuel into and discharge of fuel from the internal volume 14 (not shown in Figures 1 to 5, but shown in Figures 10 to 13). The container 10 may also include suitable air outlet ports for air to exit the container 10 during filling (not shown in Figures 1 to 5, but shown in Figures 9 to 12). As a result of the openings between the compartments A to E, when the internal volume is filled with fuel, the fuel is distributed between the compartments A to E.

In this embodiment, the container 10 is made from a flexible and foldable material such that it can be folded into a stowing condition when not filled with fuel. Specifically, the body and walls are made from a polyamide base fabric with a polyurethane polyether double sided coating. Material specifications for this exemplary embodiment are included in Table 1 below.

Table 1 : Material specifications The material of this example embodiment can be used to transport the following liquids (among others): Fuel B, crude oil, diesel fuel, fuel oil, hydraulic fluid, jet propellant JP4, jet propellant JP5, kerosene, NAFTA, petroleum heavy cat crack, and water. However, it will be appreciated that this material and the above-listed liquids are examples only and other materials and liquids may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Figure 5 also illustrates the design and arrangement of the baffles 18 relative to the operative top wall 24, bottom wall 28 and sides 25 of the container 10.

Figures 6 to 13 illustrate another embodiment of the container. In Figures 6 to 13, reference numeral 50 generally indicates the second embodiment according to the invention. The container 50 has the same internal configuration of walls/baffles as described with reference to the container 10 above, and this is therefore not shown in Figures 6 to 13 or repeated below.

Figures 6 to 8 illustrate the container 50 in a stowing condition. In this example, the container 50 can be stored in or on a tipper truck 52 (see Figure 6) in the stowing condition. When folded as shown in Figures 6 to 8, the volume of the container 50 is less than 10% of the volume of the container in the fully filled condition (see Figure 12).

The container 50 has four ports 54A-D, each having a valve allowing the port 54A-D to be opened and closed as required, spaced apart along the length of the container 50 and located in the top wall 56 of the container. In this embodiment, one of the ports 54A is a liquid filling and decanting port while the other three ports 54B-D are used as breather ports/holes for air to exit the container 50 during the filling process. The port 54A is best shown in Figure 13. It has been found that this arrangement may allow for rapid filling and discharging. In particular, it has been found that fuel can be discharged from the container 50 at a rate of up to 500 litres per minute. In use, the folded container 50 may be lifted into a load receiving zone, in this case being a tipper box 58 of the truck 52. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate how this can be achieved using a conventional forklift 60.

Once the container 50 has been positioned in the box 58, it is unfolded and spread out along the base of the box 58 as shown in Figure 9 (in which the unfolding step is almost complete). The length of the container 50 is thus aligned with the length of the box 58. Filling of the container 50 can then commence. A fuel hose 62 is connected to the liquid filling and decanting port 54A while a pipe 61 is connected to the other ports 54B-54D to allow air egress. Once filled, the container 50 is sealed (e.g. by closing the valves of the ports 54A-D) and the liquid can be transported safely and securely.

The Inventor believes that embodiments of the invention may provide numerous advantages.

Trucks or trains usually carrying commodities from a mine to a port or processing facility and then returning to the mine without loads may instead carry fuel to the mine on these “return trips”. The Inventor has found that the container 10/50 as described herein is particularly suited for this purpose.

The container 10/50 may be used as follows:

1. A commodity such as ore or coal is transported, by means of the truck 16/52, from a mine to a port or other intended destination (the container 10/50 may be on the same truck 16/52 in the stowing condition at this stage);

2. The commodity is unloaded from the truck 16/52 at the port;

3. Once the commodity has been unloaded, fuel is loaded into the container 10/50 on the truck 16/52 as described above;

4. The fuel is then transported, while in the container 10/50, from the port directly back to the mine; and

5. The fuel is unloaded from the truck 16/52 for use at the mine.

The above steps may be repeated to establish an efficient method for transporting commodities and fuel between a mine and a port (or between other points, depending on the implementation). The method may also be applied to rail transport. The invention may be applied to various truck types and rail wagon type and is not limited to “bulk” transport.

A logistics system using the method and container described herein may be more efficient than systems currently used, as trucks and/or railway wagons will cover less distance without loads. This increases the effective capacity of the vehicles and reduces logistics costs.

In some cases, the liquid may not necessarily be transported directly back to the commodity source (e.g. the mine as in step 4 above), but to some other liquid destination. This variation of the technique would still allow vehicles to cover less distance without loads.

The known high capacity pillow tanks and bladders of which the Inventor is aware have been found to cause unwanted displacement and/or forces, especially during braking or turning, as a result of the large bodies of liquid carried. These unwanted forces and/or movement may be negated, at least to some extent, by the design and configuration of the baffles 18 and internal compartments A to E as described above. Additionally, as mentioned above, the sloped baffles of the container may facilitate braking of a vehicle carrying the container.

When filled, the container has a broad contact area with the vehicle. This large footprint causes the container to be more stable during braking or acceleration when used for liquid storage.

The container may be conveniently foldable or collapsible. When empty, the container may be foldable to a volume which is less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, of its volume when fully filled with liquid. In this way, the container may simply remain on the vehicle when empty, even when the vehicle is carrying a commodity (i.e. on the vehicle’s “commodity transport trip”).

As mentioned above, in some embodiments the container may be stored in a carry pack or carry bag when not in use. Alternatively, a dedicated box can be mounted or secured to the vehicle in question. The box may be shaped and dimensioned specifically to receive the container when it is in the stowing condition such that the container can conveniently be stored in the box when in the stowing condition. An example of such a box 70 is shown in Figures 14 and 15. In this example, the box 70 is a custom built box positioned externally on the side of a trailer/truck so as not to interfere with the payload. The container (not shown) can be safely stored and locked inside of the box 70 when the vehicle is carrying a commodity or cargo.

The container may be manufactured in various sizes. For instance, a 500 litre container may be manufactured for use on a pickup truck (known as “bakkie” in South Africa) which can easily carry a load of around 500 kg, while a 50,000 litre container may be manufactured for use on a rail wagon.

Claims (18)

1. A container for transporting liquids, the container being configured to be positioned on or secured to a vehicle, wherein the container comprises: a fluid-impermeable body which defines an internal volume for storing liquid; at least one closable port for intake of liquid into and/or discharge of liquid from the internal volume; and a plurality of fluid-impermeable internal walls connected to the body so as to be located in the internal volume, wherein the internal walls define a plurality of compartments or chambers within the body when the internal volume is substantially filled with liquid, at least some of the compartments being in fluid communication with each other via openings in or between the internal walls, wherein each compartment is in fluid communication with at least one of the port(s) such that, when the internal volume is filled with liquid via the port(s), the liquid is distributed between the compartments, and wherein the body and the internal walls are manufactured from foldable material and configured such that, when the container is empty, the container can be stored in or on the vehicle in a stowing condition in which the volume of the container is less than 20% of the volume of the container in a fully filled condition.

2. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the body and the internal walls are configured such that, in the stowing condition, the volume of the container is less than 10% of the volume of the container in the fully filled condition.

3. The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the body and the internal walls are made substantially from high resistance, flexible material.

4. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, which includes a plurality of the closable ports spaced apart along a length of the container, the ports being located in a top wall of the container.

5. The container according to claim 4, wherein one or more of the ports is/are breather ports for the discharge of air from the container while the container is being filled with liquid, in use, while the other port/s is/are for liquid filling and decanting.

6. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the internal walls are configured such that, when the internal volume is substantially filled with liquid and the container is positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation, the internal walls extend at an angle relative to a vertical axis and a horizontal axis of the container.

7. The container according to claim 6, wherein the container is configured to be positioned such that at least some of the internal walls extend at an obtuse angle relative to the horizontal axis, when taken from a front of the vehicle on which the container is located, in use.

8. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the internal walls are in the form of a series of spaced apart baffles, each baffle operatively extending between a top and a bottom of the body.

9. The container according to claim 8, wherein the container is configured such that liquid can travel between the compartments via openings between the baffles and one or both sides of the body, in use.

10. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, further including means for securing the body to the vehicle.

11 . The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is a truck or a railway wagon.

12. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid is fuel.

13. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container is configured to be folded so as to fit into a dedicated box mounted or secured to the vehicle when in the stowing condition.

14. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container is configured to be folded so as to fit into a carry pack when in the stowing condition.

15. A kit which includes a container according to claim 14 and a carry pack in which the container is configured to be stored when in the stowing condition.

16. A method of transporting liquids, the method comprising: transporting a commodity by means of a vehicle from a commodity source to a commodity destination; unloading the commodity from the vehicle at the commodity destination; at the commodity destination, loading liquid onto the vehicle, wherein the liquid is loaded onto the vehicle by filling a container according to any one of claims 1 to 14 with the liquid, wherein the container is positioned on or secured to the vehicle; transporting the liquid from the commodity destination to the commodity source or a liquid destination by means of the vehicle and the container; and unloading the liquid from the container and the vehicle for use at the commodity source or the liquid destination.

17. The method according to claim 16, further including: at the commodity source, after unloading the liquid, loading a further commodity onto the vehicle and folding the container into the stowing condition such that the container can return to the commodity destination on the vehicle together with the further commodity.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a dedicated box is mounted or secured to the vehicle and wherein the container is stored in the box when in the stowing condition.