DE1756857A1 - Device for controlling the material transport in and out of a storage container - Google Patents

Description

ESSO RESEARCH AMD ENGINEERING COMPANY, El i ζ ab e t h,

N.J. / UNITED STATES

Device for controlling the material transport in and out

a storage container

The present invention relates to an apparatus for Control of material transport in and out of a storage container for gases, liquids or powdered materials. In particular, it relates to a device for filling and / or emptying the storage container, wherein the storage container and the device for filling and / or emptying relative are movable to each other.

It is often desirable that when filling and / or emptying s process of a container the amount of material stored in the container within one or more limit values should be present »That is, the

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borrowed hangover length should be a certain oiaximaLe i-.enge not exceed and / or not fall below a specified minimal [tight fall. As examples where one or more of these conditions are met full, ' can drop and / or empty road tankers or ship tankers.

üie object of the present invention ipt to see is to provide a device which is automatically controlled by the lie Tiaximale and / or minimum Katerialraenge, which is stored in de x ¹ reservoir.

According to the invention, this is done with the aid of a device reached, the one connected to the reservoir Switching device, a stationary conveyor device, which is used to convey material in or out of the storage container, and the one device for the releasable connection of the switching device with the pordering device to create a circle, the switching device being suitable to then close the circle interrupt when the amount of material in the storage container is outside a specified limit and the conveyor only comes into operation when the circle is completed.

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0er Krelr can be designed in such a way that it provides electrical, ο ι he transmits hydraulic signals.

Gemäi ⁵ eiuer vorzugsveisen embodiment of the invention-Ml = Ie ⁺ el ·. ^■! Part of the completed circle is an earth ounce , storage container. This is advantageous in cases where ¹ ! the loaded material is flammable, since inf ^ li-e from friction occurring in the aterial to ^ eso-secured local air charges can uractically be discharged without the risk of an ignition or explosion caused by this reason. The earth connection is made In the ->rts'"st arranged part of the circle, · po that the connection oer Schaltvorrichtun =: and the conveyor device is grounded and a certain indicator for it .zlbt that the fallopian tube is ßreleert. in the case where the scarf tkreirpj'-ktri emits. ^ che signals Sυaimunr ..rA are of course the circuit very much. "E'R. The electrical energy is usually supplied in the form of direct current or alternating current, or as the odor current that is reported in the same way.

Dio l- ^ rdf ^ devices know a valve and / or a P'iuOe i'-lr Jen " ^r rans ~) place of the material as well as a relay off, that the ^ n-works: occurs, when the circle vuls " ¹ . Indict is ::: n to supply the valve and the Pu-nr-e energy during operation.

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The switchgear can in accordance with the Reservoir present material height or material weight come into action.

Furthermore, the invention relates to an arrangement for controlling the transport of material, in which at least one storage container with a device of the above mentioned type connected 1st.

In such an arrangement, a plurality of containers can be provided, in which case one switching device in each case is provided for each storage container and the switching devices are interconnected. Preference swel se is every switching device on you assigned storage container attached. Details of the invention emerge from the description below of a round-up game based on the drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an arrangement using the device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows part of that shown in FIG Arrangement enlarged.

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Pig. 3 shows another part of that in Pig. 1 shown Arrangement "enlarged ;.

Pig, 4 shows a part which, instead of .that in Pig. 2 shown part of the arrangement can be used.

The arrangement is in Pig. 1 generally with the reference '-. character Io denotes and includes a storage container or Tank 11, which is the magnificent container of a tank truck 12 and for transporting a liquid, for example of petroleum, gasoline or a dry powdered one Material, such as sugar or flour, is suitable. The reservoir 11 is divided into a plurality of compartments 1Ia-IIe separated from one another in the horizontal direction, each of which is to be filled with the filling material up to a certain height.

Each department lla-lle has an electrical switch

13a-13e, which responds to the amount of material present in the container;. · The switches 13a-l ^ e oind through lines I ^ electrical in. ^r -ie-ihe'.shifted. If the height in a department of the container, the amount of material available, is below a marked maximum height, then the switch 13 is for this department; closed, but the

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maximum height exceeded in one department, then ner corresponding switch is open.

is tjberschreitet in any of the compartments lla-lle the FTIl- "iuthöhe the maximum Ä ^ he, then all of the switches 13a-13e reschlossen and form a continuous electrical circuit 'tile in Fig. 1, in department He has Katerialmen2 ; s the specified maximum row headings, so that the switch is open and the circuit under ":: is opened.

The switches 13a-13e are arranged in a stationary manner intrinsically safe electrical energy source that is general is designated by the reference numeral 15, via a zvieinoligen detachable connector 16 connected, which serves to connect with corresponding contacts of the switch ^ 13a and 13e to come into electrical engagement (an iron-safe energy

source is one that is guaranteed by HER MAJSST'iSFACTORY INSPECTORATE OF TdE MIKISTRY OF LABOR and cannot give off such strong sparks whose energy is sufficient would go to saved materials or before. these sent out Igniting vapors). In this case the energy source includes 15, a step-down transformer 15a, which is connected to a ϊ '/ echselstromquelle 15b is connected by 2 ^ -OV and has a low voltage output can have about 15 V alternating current,

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, .x, ^ Jit & X.

756857

The door format or exit is with the two contacts a . vreiweÄ.'lelchrichters 15c connected, while the other two contacts of the rectifier 15c each with a hoohohniiKeii tube resistor I5d or the connector 16 connected pin «. The power source 15 delivers in this way a DC rectified AC voltage of 15 V one low amperage. The amperage can be of the order of magnitude by 2o säAmp. ran when the circuit completed is and works correctly.

A Beiais 17 is in series with the resistor "15d of the .St.roiaouelle l '.. The relay 17 is used to control the supply of electrical energy to a stationary solenoid valve lS sur. <Ec; elution of the Kateriaistrom by a filling line: 1 ° mvV a flexible filling hose (not shown) for conveying the filling material to a desired department

The arrangement is chosen so that as soon as the Relay. 17 eiii current flows through relay 1? a Stromwerr Via the Leltva ^ en 2o and 21 to the valve IB .rir'3. The valve I ^ opens and allows the material through the conduction IQ and the tube (not -shown V. in the .selected »department lla-lle flows. This trlt-D / ed ^ oh only on if all switches I3a-l? e are closed, i.e.

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that in no department lla-ll the intended maximum Material height has been exceeded while the releasable connection ssteck 16 is in the position shown.

If the current flowing through the relay 17 is interrupted, for example because in one of the departments hall the intended material height has been exceeded or because the connector 16 has no electrical connection establishes, then the relay I7 interrupts the current in the line 2o and causes the solenoid valve l8 Deactivated 'and the passage for the material in the line I9 blocks. So two conditions have to be met so that the material can flow through the line 19. These consist in that the connector 16 must be plugged in and that none of the departments ll-lle exceeded the specified maximum material height is.

In many cases the movement of the material can either cause static electrical charges in the storage container 11 or through the line I9, which are dangerous when they are stored. this

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is especially the Pall if the material is flammable is, for example kerosene, gasoline, sugar or flour the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 static charges generated in connection with the tank truck 12 are discharged via a grounding line 23, which is connected to one of the lines from the power source 15. It is usually preferred to use the ground wire 23 to be selected as part of the stationary part of the arrangement, including the power source 15, the relay 17 and the solenoid valve 18 '.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, there is a connector Provided l6a, which is practically similar to the connector l6, but on one another point of the tank truck 12 is located. The connector In the circuit described above, l6a is parallel to plug l6. Its arrangement is like this made that it works in the same way as the connector 16 and uses it alternately can be used for the convenience of the operator to serve. Preferably, however, only one of the plugs 16 or 16a is used in each case, with that plug can be selected which is more convenient for the operator to handle. The electrical connection

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-loleitungen are shown with the dashed lines l4a.

It should be noted that the inventive Device is "failing". That is, will the solenoid valve 13 due to some interruption in the electrical Connections set out of puncture, the conveying process is suspended until the interruption again is fixed.

The setting of the material / amount that is conveyed in or out of. Each department of the container 11 can be done by appropriate Measuring devices (not shown) located upstream of the solenoid valve 18 can be achieved interrupt these measuring devices or their control devices, then the device according to the invention puts the conveyor system out of operation, so that an annoying, costly problem or dangerous spillage of the product is avoided, for example can when filling a tanker with a measured amount of petroleum the storage container of the "gnkwagens initially still contains remaining petroleum from earlier, so that there is not enough space in the storage container is to absorb this amount, In this case the device according to the invention prevents overfilling of the supply

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container and a consequent overflow. However, are no measuring devices are provided, the device according to the invention can be used to promote the Control materials.

Figure 2 shows details of a preferred embodiment a switch, which as one of the switches 13a-13e can be used in particular for a liquid filling material. ,

The switch is generally designated by the reference number 25 denotes and comprises a flexible diaphragm 26 from Polytetrafluoroethylene, which in the space provided for the material in the storage container 11 via an electrically insulating tube 27 made of nylon or unplasticized polyvinyl chloride is introduced so far down that it is immediately below the desired maximum height of the Filling material is located. Furthermore, a microswitch 28 "'with' Contacts (not shown) which are in electrical contact when the level of the filling material in the storage container is less than the desired maximum height (which corresponds to the switches 13a-l? D) of FIG. 1 ". and its contacts are separated in a manner described below when the desired maximum height Exceeded "in the storage container (according to the switching

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ter 13e In Pig. 1). The microswitch 23 has an actuating arm 29 which is tensioned in the inoperative position by means of a spring Jo , the compression of the spring 3o being adjustable with the aid of an adjusting nut 31.

If the filling material located in a department lla-lle nearing the desired maximum height, it closes off the lower end of the tube, trapping air and / or steam will. If the height of the product increases further, the enclosed air and / or the steam is compressed and the increase in pressure moves the diaphragm upwards so that it is also up against a trip member 32 presses. The trigger member 32 is in contact upwards moved with the actuating arm 29, which in turn after is moved up to the contacts in the microswitch 25 separated from each other so that the electrical circuit is broken. The effect of this interruption has already been in connection with the switches 13a-13e of FIG. If the height of the product falls, then it also falls the pressure in the tube 27 and finally the corresponding movement of the diaphragm enables the microswitch completes the electrical circuit.

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The advantage of using pressure switches is that there are no electrical lines in the filling departments lla-he need to be introduced.

The parts of the pressure switch that are inside the reservoir 11 (namely the tube and the diaphragm) are electrically non-conductive. thats why also the risk that static charges that accumulate in the storage container 11 are discharged outside of the storage container 11, practically negligible.

Pig. k shows in detail a further embodiment of a switch which can be used instead of the switch shown in FIG. This switch comprises two solid electrical conductors 5oa, 5 ° b which are held in a tube 51 which extends downward from a retaining nut. The nut 52 holds the tube 51 and a connector housing 53 at the upper end of the reservoir 11. Approximately in half of the outside of the tube 51 is an annular washer 5 ^ attached and within the tube immediately below the level of the washer 5 ^ there is a resilient metal contact 55a, which is carried by the conductor 5 ° a and moves from this to down and a little towards the inside

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- Internally similar resilient metal contact 55b extends from the conductor 5 ° b is carried. Both contacts 55a and 55b are made of magnetizable metal, such as 3. Steel, formed.

An annular float 5 ^ made of spongy polyvinyl chloride is arranged so that it surrounds the tube 51 and can move up and down on this when the surface of the filling material has risen above the bottom layer of the float, which is determined by an adjustable annular washer 57 which rests on a split pin 5 ^ which protrudes through the tube 51. In the top of the float 5 ' ^: an annular magnet 59 is embedded.

Has the height of the filling material increased so far that the float 56 adjoins the washer 5 ^, the Magnet 59 surrounds the contacts 55a, 55b approximately, then these pulled apart by the annular magnet 59.

As long as the contacts 55a, 55b touch, due to the inherent spring force, they form an electrical one Current path through the switch from line 14- to one side of the switch to line l ^ f- on the other Page corresponding to the switches 13a-13e of the Pig. I,

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However, if the contacts 55a, 55b are separated from one another as a result of the attraction by the ring-shaped magnet 5 ^C3 , the electrical current path through the switch is interrupted, as is the case with the switch 13 of FIG the depth of the filler material, so that the float 56 moves downwards from the washer 5 ^, then the contacts 55 & 55l3 back into their mutually touching position and form an uninterrupted current path through the ' Counter.

The inventive device can filhrun natürlich'andere Au ^: sformen than those described in Example aufviei- r, s, if dac filling material from a powdered material. Thus, it may be preferred to replace the switch configurations described above with other devices, such as proximity probes. Such a unifasst.-a capacitor with a downwardly protruding conductive electrode, which is concentrically surrounded by an.ring-shaped electrode, the filling - 'I- can increase in the space between the two electrodes uiid the capacitance of the Increase capacitor. As soon as the capacitance reaches a predetermined value, the circuit including the proximity probe is interrupted by means of a switch.

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According to another embodiment, the switch Ijfefl3e can be replaced by a device based on the weight of the product responds, for example by strain gauges. As soon as a specified filling weight is exceeded then the circuit is broken.

The device according to the invention can be used for work processes, emptying the product from the storage container 11 include, modified. In this case are switches 13a-13e, pressure switches, float-operated switches, proximity probes or strain gauges are suitable for to interrupt the electrical circuit when a predetermined minimum amount of the filling material in the storage container 11 or one of its departments remains behind.

Various combinations of the features described above can also be used without the by to exceed the scope of the invention.

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Claims (1)

Pate nt a η s'p.return "e» 1 .. Device for controlling the transport of material into or out of a relatively movable storage container, ■ ;; e indicates through the combination of a switching device (11a-13e) connected to the storage container (11), 25> 5o-5 °) j a stationary conveyor device (13, ' 19)> which is used to convey material in or out of the storage container, and a device (16, 16a) for detachable. link the switching device (13a-13e, 25j5o-59) with the conveyor device (13, 19) to create a circle (13j 1 ^., 15 » 16, 17), the switching device (13a-13e, 25, 5o-59) being suitable to interrupt the circuit (13-17) when the Amount of material located in the storage container (11) outside of a predetermined limit is, and the conveyor only comes into operation when the circle (13-17) is completed. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that g e k e η η ζ e i c h η e t that the circle (13.-17) is replaced by an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic circuit is formed. 3 »Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a part (23) of the completed circuit (13-17) has an electrical connection to earth • delivers. Λ -18- 009834/153 9 ^. Device according to claim 3 »characterized geke η h - indicates that the electrical connection to earth (23) is made via a stationary part (15, 16, I7)" of the circuit (13-17). 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to ^, characterized ' characterized in that the conveyor device (13, 19) a valve and / or a pump for the transport of the Material and a relay (17) which comes into operation when the circuit (13-17) is completed, in order to establish a connection with an energy source for the valve and / or the pump during operation. 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5 »thereby characterized in that the switching device (13a-I3e, 25.5o-59) depending on the height of the material in the storage container (11) or the weight of the material in action got. 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6 for use with a plurality of storage containers, characterized geke nnze 1 chnet that for each storage container (11) a switching device (I3a-13e, 25, 50-59) is provided is, and that the switching devices are connected in series. -19- ^009834/1639 BADO _R! G, NA _L B. Arrangement for controlling the transport of material, characterized in that at least one Storage container (lla-lle) with a device according to a of claims 1 to 7 is connected. 9. Arrangement according to claim 3, characterized geke η η ζ ei without t _f that the switching device (13a-13e, 25, 50-59) is attached to the respective storage container assigned to it. 009834/1539 BATH ORIGINAL