DE20018051U1 - Optimized anti-roll tank - Google Patents

Description

Dipl.-Päd. Lothar Kruse Otawistr. 29 13351 Berlin

Utility model application for:

"Optimized anti-roll tank"

l)Technical area

The invention originates from the shipping sector, but is basically suitable for all vehicles that carry tanks.

2)State of the art

Today, tanks are needed in almost all yachts. They are different sizes for different purposes and are installed in different places on the boat. The shape is basically determined by the space available.

For production reasons, series tanks are almost exclusively square or rectangular in cross-section (Fig. 1) and also in longitudinal section. Here the shape depends on the desired volume.

These tanks are made of plastic or stainless steel. The typical volume of a series tank is approximately as follows:

501, 75 1, 100 1, 1201, 2201, 400 1.

Tanks over 100 liters usually have simple so-called anti-roll bulkheads. These are vertical tank interruptions. They start a few centimeters above the floor and end a few centimeters below the lid.

They are generally vertical (Fig. 2) and are mounted in the middle of the tank (lengthwise).

Furthermore, there are often deposits in diesel tanks. These are dirt residues that are filled in from large tanks or water that was mixed with the diesel or petrol. If the tank is left idle for a long time, dirt and water build up at the bottom of the tank.

In order to avoid fuel lines becoming blocked, the usual option today is to suck in the fuel a few centimeters above the ground (Fig. 6). Water separators and filter elements are also recommended. These are small devices through which the fuel flows. Water is deposited in a sight glass and can be visually checked. Dirt particles from the tank are deposited in the filter paper. This device is not described in detail here. It is a necessary, obligatory piece of equipment for the engine and has nothing to do with the invention presented here.

3)The problem underlying the invention

Today's tanks have a major problem, which is shown in Fig. 3. Ships rock in waves, shown here by two superimposed images of a tank. In the middle, close to the pivot point of the tank, is the anti-roll wall. The greater the distance between the anti-roll wall and the outer wall of the tank, the better the liquid can move in it. The anti-roll wall is there to prevent this. But the mass, i.e. the weight of the rocking liquid, can be enormous, and with it the momentum, the force. Anti-roll bulkheads are there to keep these forces as low as possible, because under certain circumstances a tank can break free of its fastenings and cause serious damage to the ship.

Vertical walls are not suitable for absorbing the forces, but rather they return them to the liquid; the waves bounce off and return the force to the vertical walls.

Especially in large tanks or tanks on pleasure boats, it is essential to reduce the movement within the tank to a minimum. Another problem is dealing with deposits and water in the tank. The current method of sucking in the fuel above the dirt is not very helpful, as it remains unknown whether and, if so, how much dirt and water has been deposited.

Even moving the intake pipe (Fig. 7) does not help here, as the dirt spreads over the entire bottom or, when the ship moves, floats along with the dissolved water in the entire buoyancy fluid.

5)Commercial use

Tanks are part of the basic equipment of every ship, whether as drinking water, sewage, diesel or petrol tanks in a wide variety of sizes, depending on the equipment, size and area of operation of the ship. The "optimized anti-roll tank" presented here has so many advantages compared to conventional tanks that it will retain its place on the market.

6) Beneficial effect

The advantageous effect of the invention presented here is based on the following results (Fig. 8):

1) The fuel is extracted at the lowest point in the tank. Since the fuel necessarily runs through a water separator/fine filter, the level of contamination in the tank can be constantly monitored.

2) The bottom (6) of the tank slopes slightly towards the suction pipe. This means that dirt cannot settle on the entire bottom. It slowly slides to the lowest point and is sucked out from there. This keeps the tank cleaner.

3) The anti-roll bulkheads (5) are mounted at an angle of about 40° to the vertical. This means that when the tank (A) is full, the fuel can only move between the outer anti-roll bulkheads and the cover. It is also slowed down by the amount of fuel that is located further down at the level of the area (8).

4) The more the tank empties (B), the more effective the obliquely arranged anti-roll bulkheads become. They ensure that the fuel does not hit any vertical surface.

5) If the tank is empty to ³ A (C), the waves run against the middle anti-roll bulkheads on one side. In area 8 they are slowed down, also caused by relatively small lower openings (Fig. 9, item 10).

6) For larger or longer tank structures, it will be necessary to consider whether it would be better to also install the anti-roll bulkheads 9. They significantly reduce the force of the waves inside the tank.

7) For large, i.e. wide tanks, a longitudinal wall (10) will be required. This also has openings so that the fuel can be distributed slowly.

7)A way of carrying out the invention

a) Components

It is a stainless steel construction. In principle, the tank can also be made from GRP or similar plastics. The stainless steel version is described here. The list of components corresponds to the list of reference symbols in Fig. 11.

1- Side walls, 2 pieces, 1000 x 400 x 3 mm

2- Tank bottom, 1130 &khgr; 400 &khgr; 3mm

3- Floor reinforcements, 3 square tubes, 400 x 20 x 20 mm

4- Anti-roll bulkheads, 2 pieces, 400 x 300 x 3 mm

5- Middle anti-roll bulkhead, 600 x 400 x 3 mm, bent at 80° in the middle, with angled cuts as shown in Fig.

6- Intake pipe, 410x8 mm, curved as shown in fig.

7- Tank inlet nozzle, 38 x 100 mm

8- Tank ventilation, 50 x 6 mm, curved as shown in fig.

9- Front and back, 400 x 400 x 3 mm

b) Practical production

When manufacturing the tank, care must be taken to ensure that all external seams are completely welded so that no fuel or water can leak out.

Start with the base plate (2). It is bent as shown in Fig. 11, i.e. 80 mm horizontally, 50 mm vertically, then bent at an angle of 95°. The reinforcement tubes (3) of exactly the same length are now dotted under the base, each about 1/3 of the length.

Now the middle anti-roll bulkhead (5) is cut on the sides, bent by 80° and cut again at the top. The shape and position of the cuts can be seen in Fig.8. Now the anti-roll bulkhead is spot welded onto the floor. Now both side parts (1) can be welded to the side of the floor at exactly right angles. The middle anti-roll bulkhead is also welded to the side. This gives the overall construction more stability. Now the two anti-roll plates (4) are welded between the side walls at an angle of 40° to the vertical. The position can be seen in Fig.8. Now the front and back can be welded to the side parts and the floor. This tank, which is open at the top, must now be closed. This is done by

after the necessary holes for the vent, the intake pipe and the filler neck have been cut into the cover. These parts are then welded together as shown in Fig. 11. The intake pipe (6) must extend about 5 mm above the bottom. The position of the vent (8) and the filler neck (7) can be freely selected and depends on the design of the ship.

Now the lid can be welded to the mounted pipes all around the sides, front and back.

8) How it works

The exact functionality has already been explained in Chapter 6 when discussing the advantages of this design. I would like to summarize these points here:

1) Any dirt that gets into the tank collects in the deepest channel. From there it is sucked out and ends up in the obligatory fine pre-filter and not in the engine.

2) The water often contained in diesel or petrol also collects in the deepest channel, as petrol/diesel is lighter than water. It is separated in the obligatory water separator. This device has a larger sight glass so that you can constantly check whether there is dirt and/or water in the tank.

3) This way of arranging the intake pipe prevents any contamination from remaining in the tank for long.

4) The sensibly arranged anti-roll bars prevent the liquid in the tank from sloshing around. This happens when a vehicle is moving and is particularly important when the tank is about half full and has a relatively large volume.

5) The force of the waves is eliminated by the slanting anti-roll bulkheads and the middle bulkhead has a relatively small number of openings that "holds" the liquid, which is then no longer available to flow back and forth in the tank.

9) Sources, drawings

Sources

Fig. 1: Catalogue of SVB ₃ Bremen, edition 2000/1, page 92/93 drawings

Fig. 1- Tank external shapes, state of the art Fig. 2- Anti-roll bulkhead in the tank, state of the art Fig. 3- Movement of the tank in a rocking ship, state of the art Fig. 4- Fuel in a conventional tank, state of the art Fig. 5- Cross section through a dyke Fig. 6- Cross section through a conventional tank, state of the art Fig. 7- Modified intake pipe, state of the art Fig. 8- Longitudinal section through the invention Fig. 9- Cross section through the invention Fig. 10- Perspective view through the invention

List of reference symbols of Fig. 1 to

1 -Tank outer wall

2 - Anti-roll bulkhead

3 - Fuel

4 - Fuel intake hose

5 - Deposits / Water

6 - Tank bottom

7 -Reinforcement tubes

8 - Tank area

9 - Anti-rolling bulkheads 10- Openings 11- Longitudinal wall

12- Anti-roll bulkhead

13- Fuel inlet 14-Vent pipe 15-Tank top A, B, C- different tank filling levels

Claims (1)

This invention is a construction that is characterized by 1. a sloped bottom that slopes down to an area that is lowest in the tank. 2. The intake pipe ends in this area. 3. Anti-roll bulkheads are mounted in an inclined position in the tank and have flow openings at suitable locations.