CA1060177A - Liquid storage reservoir - Google Patents

Abstract

LIQUID STORAGE RESERVOIR
Abstract of the Disclosure A liquid storage reservoir of which the internal space defined by the body, and, the upper and the lower covers, has mounted therein a hollow post interconnecting these covers and having its internal space communicating with the internal space of the reservoir for escape of vapors of the liquid being stored, the open end of the post extending beyond the internal space of the reservoir. The upper and lower covers are hollow and communicate via conduits extending in the body along the generatrix thereof, the open end of the follow post entering the internal space of one of said covers, the internal space of the other cover communicating with a vessel fox col-lecting condensed vapors of the stored liquid. The disclosed reservoir is particularly suited for storing easily evaporating and volatile liquids, because it practically eliminates their evaporation losses.

Description

~06(~1'77 .. ..
a) ~ield of Ap~lications of the Invention , ~-The inventio~ relates to liquid storage reservoirs. ;,~
A liquid storage reservoir constructed in accordance ~' with the present invention is particularly suitable for storingreadily evaporating and volatile liquids. ,'~
The improvement disclosed in the present invention yields maximum effectiveness in case o~ thi~-wall spherical reservoir~
of internal volume in excess o~ 50 cubical metres. ` '~

b) Disadvantages o~ the Prior Art ,~
Enown in the art are storage reservoirs ~or storIng '~
volatile liquids. '~he i~ternal space o~ the reservoirs o~' the '"
~' prior art iB de~ined by a cylindrical body and by covers ad-joining this body from above and ~rom below. ~he lower cover ! in most cases is integral with the body. ~ hollow post extend~
~, ing centrally of the reservoir between said covers commun~
,-,j icates with the internal space of the reservoir ~or collecting ','~ ~, . 'f ~. -:
'', vapors of the liquid being stored. One end o~ the hollow post ,~; , ~'~ , extends beyond the reservoir a~d communicates with ambient ''~
~, a~mosphere, ~or escape o~ vapors from the resexvoir.
~ urthermore, known in the art are reservoirs with refriger~,' ~-, ,,,j :;.-', ating plants mounted on the upper cover and accommodated in tha , ~,~ internal space o~ the reservoir. -,"-~ . . ............................................. .. .
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The refrigexating plants enable to maintain a permanent temperature within the reservoir and thus to prevent evapor~
ation of the liquid being stored.
However, when great volumes o~ uids are bo be stored, ^;~
reservoirs with re~rigerating plants have a bulky and complic~
ated structure, to say nothing o~ their being costly and con~
suming large amounts of energy.

c) Objects and Brief Descri~ion of the_Inventlo~
" . . - ~
It i~ an object of the present invention to provide a ;~
liquid storage reservoirs o~ a relatively co~pact and simple structure, ;~
It is a~obher object of the present invention to pract-ically prevent evaporation losses of a liquid bei~ stored.
It is a ~still another object of the present invention to `
, reduce the cost o~ manufacture of the liquid stora~e reservsir.~
I It is a ~urther object of the present invention to reduce ~;
the energy consumption in operation of the li~uid storage re-servoir.
Wi~h these and other obejects in view~ there is herein disclosed a li~uid storage reservoir havingr an internal space ;~
defined by a body, an upper cover and a lower cover, this space -accommodating therein a hollow post interconnecting these co-vers, communicating with the internal space o~ the reservoi~
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~ for escape of vapors-o~ the liquid being stored and having its ~ ~
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open end extending beyond this internal space~ in which ;reservoir, in accordance with the present invention, the upper `~
and lower covers are hollow and communicate via conduits made in the body and extending along the generatrix thereof, the open end of the hollow post projfefcting into the internal space of one of said covers, the internal space of the other cover ~;~
communicating with a vessel for collecting condensed vapors of the liquid being stored~
It is expedient that the open end of the hollow post ~ ~;
should project into the internal space of the upper cover, f with the passages in the bod~ accommodating therein heat exchange means adapted ~or circulation of a coolant there-through.
A reservoir of this construction is capable of condens~
inf~ effectively the vapors o~ the liquid being stored, not~
withstanding the ambient temperature. ` -~
`f It may be also expediént to have the hollow post . j ~ .
~accommodatin~ therein R heat exchanger adapted ~or circulatio~ ~
. . .
of a coolant therethrough, the open end of the post projecting into the internal space o~ the lower cover, the reservoir com- ~ `
prising a system for positive ~eed of the condensed vapors from the internal space of the lower cover through the conduits in `~
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~ the body into the internal space of the upper cover, communicat- ~ f~
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`~ ing via check val~eæ with the internal space of the reservoir, ~, .
~or ret~rning the co~densed vapors to the top surface o~ the ~-i, liquid being stored.

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~he abovespecified structure of the reservoir likewise ;~
provides for e~fective condensation of the vapors of the product being stored within the re~ervoir and o~fers a unitary closed system precluding escape o~ the vapors into the a~bient atmosphere, the construction bein~ characterized b~ compact ~- -dimensions of the condensing system and of the s~stem, as a .. .. ~
whole.
It may be quite expedient to have the internal space of the hollow post communicating with the internàl space o~ the reservoir via check valves.
The i~corporation of the check valves prevents access ~ ;~
f of the liquid being tored into the internal space of the ;~
post, d) ~rie~ Description of the Drawin~s A liquid stoxage reservoir constructed in accordance ~ with the present inve~tio~ is structurally simple and practi-;;~ cally completely prevents evaporatio~ losse~ of the stored liquid.
Given hereinbelow is a description o~ embodiments of the ;
, ~ ~
present invention, with reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
., ~ ig. 1 is a general partly bro~en away view o~ a liquid :` 1 . . . .
-; t storage reservoir embod~ing the invention;
., -.~
ig. 2 is a sectional view taken o~ line II-II of ~ig. 1; ``~

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; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III of ,~
Fig. 1, with the heat exchan~er having its components accomm~
odated in the conduits of the body; ' ~.
~igo 4 is a partl~ longitudinal i~ectional view of a liquid storage reservoir èmbodying the invention, with the'~
heat exchanger accommodated in the hollow post; '~
Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on li~e V-V of ~igo 4;
Fig. 6 is a modification of a liquid stora~e reservoir '~
; .:,;
~ embodying the invention.
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', e) Detailed Descr ption o~ the Drawin~s and E bodiments," ~ ' .
The present invention will be described hereinbelow in' ', connection with it~ embodiment in a thin-wall reservoir having a generally spherical shape. The reservoir has a body 1 (~ig. 1);
,I with an upper cover 2 adjoining the body 1 from above a-nd the f lower cover 3 adjoi~ing it from below. The body 1 and the covers'~
;'l ' ': ~ ~, ' , 2 and 3 de~ine therebetween the internal space "A" o~ the re~
;J, servoir. ;,, The covers 2 and 3 are hollow, their respective internal spaces "B" and "C" communicating with each other via conduits !~
4 made within the body 1 and extendin~ along the generatrix of the latter. ~he conduits 4 in the presently described embodimen~
are de~ined by channel-shaped elements 5 f}xed on the internal '~
.- . .
su~face of the body and also serving as rein~orcement or rigi~
dity ribs o~ the presently disclosed thin-wall spherical re~
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Extending cerlbrally of the internal space 'IA" of the xeservoir, between the covers 2 and 3, is a hollow post 6 which in the structure of the reservoir is the supporting member. The upper portion G~ the internal space of the hollo~
~` post 6 communicates via check val~es 7 (~ig. 3) with the in~
; ternal space "A" o~ the reservoir, for collecting vapors of the liquid being stored there~rom. The ope~ end o~ the hollow post 6 projects into the i~ternal space "B" of the upper cover

2.
The internal space "C" o~ the lower cover 3 is connected via a line 8 and a cut-of~ valve 9 with a receptacle 10 (~ig.1)~
for collecting condensed vapors o~ the stored liquid, situated outside the reservoir.
The spherical reservoir is supported by a mount 11.
i The abovedescribed structure o~ the reservoir is the i~
~,~ simplest one. When the temperature drop across the sur~ace of ;~ the reservoir is considerable (e.g. when one side o~ the re~
servoir is lighted by the sun, while the other is in a shadow), ; natural condensation of the vapors takes place in the passages ;~`~
l 4 of the body of the reservoir.
! To intensify the condensation o~ the vapors of the .`'`~ .r stored liquid, the reservoir additionally incorporates a heat e~changer 12 (~ig. 3) ~or circulatio~ o~ a coolant there~
through, the heat e~cha~ger 12 including annular manifolds 13 and 1~ accom~odated, r-èspectively~ in the spaces "B" and "C"

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1~0~7~7 of the upper cover 2 and of the lower cover 3, interconnected by tubes 15 extending through the conduits 40 The annular ma~
ni~old 14 is connected to a source (not shown) o~ the coolant which may be cool water or any other known per se coolant suitable for the purpose. The annular mani~old 13 is connected with a coolant outlet tube 16.
~ ounted in the space "C" is a sensor 17 responsive to the level of the condensed v~pors, of which the movable member in the presently described embodiment is adapted to operate the valve 19 closing the line 8.
To provide a closed system for recirculation o~ condensed vapors o~ the stored li~uid entirely within the :reservoir per ~ ;
se, the hollow posb 20 tFig. 4) can be ~oun-ted so that its open end should project into the space "C"- ~he hollow post 20 accommodates therein a heat excha~ger 21 comprising a coil having one its end connected to a source o~ a coolant, and the .. 1 , .
~ other end serving as the coolant outlet one. .~ ~
. , ~o pump the condensed vapors accummulating in the space ` .
"C" into the space "B" there is provided a condensate positive . , ~.:;, ,-, :
~eed system 22. ~;
Said system includes a pump 23 of which the inta~e 24 ia ~ ;
connected with the space "C", and the discharge 25 is connected ;:~
to conduits 26 (Fig. 5) which are lengths of tubes extending along recesses 27 pro~ided in the body 28 along the generatrix , i .. , ji, . ~

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thereof. In thin-wall spherical reservc)irs the recesses 27 .
increase the self-supportin~ strength o~ the reservoir and ~ ~
~.
serve as reinforceme~t or rigidity ribs. `; ;
~ he upper cover 29 has mounted therein check valves 30 establishing one-way co~munication bet~leen the space "B" of -this cover 29 and the space "A" o~ the reservoir, which at the same time serves as a condensate collector.
~ ounted in the internal space "C" of the lower cover 31 is a sensor 32 xesponsive to the level of the condensed vapors, which hais a movable member 33 adapted to actuate a ~alve 34 and to se~d a isignal ~or energization of the pump 23.
In the reservoir illustrated in ~ig. 6 the conduits 35 serve as the condens~te discharge line and are de~ined by the external surface of the body 36 and channel elements 37 secured~
to this surface along the generatrix o~ thè reservoir.
The last-described arrangement of~the conduits increases ~ .;. - . ~
the useful volume o~ the internal space "Al', is eas~ in manu- `
facture and of~ers facilitated operation.
liquid storage reser~oir is operated, as follows.
~ihen the reservoir is used, the liquid stored therein ~
actively evaporates, particularly, if the ambient temperature ~`
, is relatively high, and ~o its vapors accumulate in the upper q portion of the reser~oir.
In the struotural embodiment illustrated ln Figs. 1, 3 ~ `~
the accumulated vapors act upo~ the check ~alves 7 of the ., ,~ ,. ..
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central post 6. The valves 7 open to pass the vapors to fill up the space o~ the post 6 and flow there~rom into the internal space "B" of the cover 2 and then ~rom the space "B" the vapors .;
flow into the conduits 4 extending along the generatrix of the -body 1 o~ the reservoir and sealed away ~rom the internal space ~
~,, "A" of the latter.
In the sealed conduits 4 the vapors condense under the : conditions o~ a natural temperature drop. In this case the maior portio~ of the vapors condensing in the lower portion ~ ~ .
of the reservoir, which is protected from the sun by the sup~
. , porting structure 11.
~apors condensing in the passages 4 accumulate in the ; ~orm of droplets in the space "C" o~ the lower cover 3, wherefrom, as the space "C" ~ills to a predetermined level, `
they flow through the cut-off valve 9, via the line 8 into the collecting receptade 10.
From this receptacle 10 the collected condensate can be returned into the reservoir by any suitable known per se technique~
In applications where the na-tural temperature drop is insufficient for condensing the vapors, a heat exchanger 12 ma~ be incorporated in the conduits 4 of the reservoir. ` `
~ In this em~odiment the vapors o~ the liquid are positlvely ,'',! condensed i~ the conduit~ 4 b~ the coolant circulated through ;
~ the tube~ 15 o~ the heat exchanger 12 upo~ the latter b~ing ~-i .. .
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1~;)6~ 7 :, connected to a source (not shown) of the coolant. Y~hen the condensate in a liquid ~or~S positively collected in the internal space "C" of the lower cover 3, rises to a predeter~
ined level, the sensor 17 responds.
~ he movable element 18 of the sensor 17 actuate~ the valve 19 to open, and the condensed liquid flows via the line 8 from the space "C" of the cover 3 into the collecting recep~
tacle 10 where~rom it can be returned into~the reservoir in any suitable known ma~ner.
In the modifications of the reservoir embodying the invention, illustrated in ~igs. 4 and 6, the vapors o~ the liquid, accumulating in the uppex portion ofthe reservoir and building up the pressure therein, open the check valves 38 establishing one-way communication ~rom the space "A" of the reservoir into the internal spacs of the post 20, the valves : . ~ . .
30 in the cover 29 remainin~ closea, because the~ establish one-way communication ~rom the space "B" o~ the cover 29 into the internal space "A" o~ the reservoir.
Having opened, the valves 38 of the post 20 pass the vapors of the liquid into the internal space of bhe latter, `~
where the~ are condensed by the operation o~ the heat exchanger 21, and the condensed vapors accumulate in the space "C" o~
the lower cover 31. ~-`
Upon the co~densed vapors accumulating in the space "C"
~, to a predetermined level, the level sensor 32 responds, its .. , -- ~ ':

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i , movable element 33 acting upon the valve 34 and causing energi~
zation of the pump 23. The pump draws the condensed vapors di~
rectly from the space "C'~ and pumps them via the discharge line :, ;-~. .~ ,. .
- 25 and the conduits 26 into the space "B" o~ the cover 29, whe-re the condensate, overcoming the vapor pressure within the ~ , ? ;'`
i~ternal space~"A" of the reservoir, falls in droplets upon ~
, ~., , the surface of the stored liquid, having opened in its way the check valves 30. ~;
. ~; . .; , ,, ~ ~herefore, in the embodiments illustrated in ~igs. 4 and . . ~ .
~ -~, each response of the level sensor 32 results i~ a period of '' ., i - ~; .
return of the condensate in the ~orm o~ droplets into the space ~'A" o~ the reservoir, via the conduits integral with the sturc~
ture of the re~ervoir per se.
j The temperature o~ the droplets of the condensed vapors ;" ,j ~i being lower than the temperature o~ the vapor above the sur~a~
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ce of the liquid, this cool droplets bring about additional condensation o~ the vapors, prior to their admittance into the ~ -" : . , , . ` - .. ~.
internal space of the support post 20, the additio~ally conden~
sed vapors thus returning into the liquid phase.
, . . ~,. . .
The abovedescribed modifications offer, there~ore, the -`:
, ;, .;~ , mo~t effici~nt use of the heat exchang~er, with the minimum !
i~ consumpbion o~ the coolant, and wi~thin a compact overall ~;
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structure.
~ All the abovedescribed embodiments pro~ide for an eco~omi- ~ -i cal, space-sa~ing and structurally simple system o~ storing i '~ large volumes of readily evaporable and volatile liquids.

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;)1'77 The systern is that of a closed storage cycle, in accoxdan-ce with which evolveme~t o~` vapors of khe liquid in the storage reservoir i~ tolarated, the vapors being subsequentl~ complete~
ly condensed either naturally or forcibly, and the condensate ;~
being returned into the main volume of the liquid being stored. ;~
The process of forced or positive condensation rsnders the operation particularly efficie~t, characterized as it is by low energy consumption.
A particular ~eature o~ the structural embodiments of the present invention, described hereinabove, is that the system in enclosed within a thin-wall reservoir having a spherical shape and inco~poratin~ reinforcing and rigidity ~nhancing members.
~ he latter are hollow and are interconnected in a spec-ified sequence, to de~ine a closed-cycle storage system, the :-members additionally incorporating heat exchange means to ;-pxovide ~or ~orced condensation.
Whatever the embodiment, the presently disclosed reser-voir is easy in transportation, being as it is an integral structure.
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Claims (4)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A liquid storage reservoir comprising: a body;
covers adjoining said body from above and from below; the internal space of said reservoir, defined by said body with said covers; internal spaces defined within said covers;
conduits provided in said body, extending down-wardly along the generatrix thereof, said conduits interconn-ecting said internal spaces in said covers; a hollow post accommodated in said body between said covers; said hollow post communicating with said internal space of the reservoir, for escape thereinto of vapors of the stored liquid said hollow post having an open end projecting into said internal space of one of said covers; means for collecting the con-densed vapors of the liquid being stored, communicating with said internal space of the other one of said covers.

2. A reservoir as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said open end of said post projects into the internal space of the upper one of said covers, said conduits of said body incorporating heat exchange means adapted for circulation of a coolant there-through.

3. A reservoir as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said hollow post incorporates heat exchange means adapted for circulation of a coolant therethrough, said open end of said post project-ing into said internal space of the lower one of said covers;

the reservoir further comprising a system for positive feed of condensed vapors from said internal space of said lower cover via said conduits in said body into said internal space of the upper one of said covers, said last-mentioned internal space communicating via check valve means with said internal space of the reservoir, for returning the condensed vapors onto the surface of the liquid being stored.

4. A reservoir as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said hollow post communicates with said internal space of the reservoir via check valve means.