JP2519859B2 - Storage tank oil mixing device with oil supply device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage tank mixing by a refueling device for detecting that fuel oil of a different oil type is erroneously mixed into a storage tank buried underground in a gas station. The present invention relates to an oil detection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a plurality of storage tanks for storing fuel oils of different types such as regular gasoline, high-octane gasoline, light oil, and kerosene are buried underground in a gas station. The same type of oil is injected into the tank from the tank truck. However, at the time of such lubrication, the oil filling work is performed in the presence of the manager of the gas station and the tank lorry operator, so it is extremely rare that fuel oil of a different oil type will be erroneously injected. However, it cannot be completely prevented. For example, if gasoline is accidentally injected into a storage tank where kerosene should be stored, and a mixed oil of kerosene and gasoline is sold to a customer and brought back, a serious accident may occur. Must be done, which requires a great deal of time and effort.

On the other hand, the fuel oil is injected from the tank truck to the storage tank once every 3 to 5 days on average, which is extremely small compared to the number of times of refueling to the customer, and as described above. Since the manager of the gas station and the operator of the tank lorry are present when refueling, it is very expensive to install the device for detecting the mixed oil in the current situation that the probability of mixing oil is extremely low. There is a problem that

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to detect that fuel oils of different oil types are mixed at a low cost immediately after refueling, and to bring the mixed oil back to the customer. It is an object of the present invention to provide an oil mixture detection device for a storage tank by an oil supply device which can be prevented in advance.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is set up in a location where fuel oil having a relatively low vapor pressure is handled, which may inadvertently be supplied with fuel oil having a relatively high vapor pressure.
Insert the discharge pipe of the fueling nozzle into the space where the fuel oil should be supplied, discharge the fuel oil sucked up by the pump from the discharge pipe, and suck the gas of the fuel oil discharged from the discharge pipe. For this purpose, a refueling for handling fuel oil having a relatively low vapor pressure, which is provided with a gas sensor in which a suction hole is formed near the tip of the discharge pipe, and the gas or air sucked from the suction hole is guided, and an alarm means. In the device, while fuel oil is being discharged from the refueling nozzle, the gas of the fuel oil is sucked and guided to the gas sensor, and the output of the gas sensor exceeds a predetermined determination level by detecting a gas having a relatively high vapor pressure. In this case, there is provided a control means for causing the alarm means to generate an alarm and stopping refueling.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the discharge pipe of the fuel supply nozzle is inserted into the space such as the container for supplying the fuel oil, and the fuel oil discharged from the suction hole formed near the tip of the discharge pipe. Of the vaporized vapor is sucked into the gas sensor, and when the output from the gas sensor exceeds a predetermined determination level, an alarm is issued and refueling is stopped.
Immediately after detecting the mixed oil in this way, the supply of fuel oil to the customer is stopped to reduce the fuel oil to be collected as much as possible, and it is reported that the mixed oil is sure, It is possible to prevent the customer from taking the fuel oil home by detecting that the fuel oil is mixed with different types of fuel oil during refueling.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a simplified overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention. A storage tank 3 is buried below the roadbed 1 of the gas station, and fuel oil 4 having a relatively low vapor pressure is stored in the storage tank 3. The fuel oil 4 is, for example, kerosene, and a pipeline 8 is provided by a pump 7 built in a main body 6 of a stationary refueling device 5 installed upright on the roadbed 1.
And is pumped to the oil supply nozzle 14 via the pipe 9, the flow meter 10, the pipe 11 and the flexible pipe 13.

The refueling nozzle 14 has a main body 15 and a discharge pipe 16 extending from the main body 15. An oil passage 17 is formed in the main body 15 to connect the flexible pipe 13 and the discharge pipe 16 to each other. The oil passage 17 is operated by an opening / closing valve 18 and an operating lever 19
Is released by pulling in the direction of arrow A1 and released by releasing the hand and returning in the direction of arrow A2. When fuel oil is injected into the space 21 of the container 20 brought by the customer by such a fueling nozzle 14, the operation lever 19 is moved in the arrow A1 direction with the discharge pipe 16 inserted in the space 21. On-off valve 18 by pulling
Is opened and kerosene is supplied from the discharge pipe 16 into the container 20.

A suction hole 24 is formed near the tip portion 23 of the discharge pipe 16. This suction hole 24, when the discharge pipe 16 is inserted into the space 21 of the container 20,
It opens to face the space 21. The vaporized vapor of the fuel oil discharged into the container 20 can be sucked from the suction hole 24.

The housing 25 of the refueling device main body 6 is provided at one side thereof with a nozzle case 26 to which the refueling nozzle 14 is detachably hung, for detecting the refueling nozzle 14. Nozzle detection switch 27 is provided. The nozzle detection switch 27 outputs a nozzle detection signal a of a low level when the fuel supply nozzle 14 is hooked on the nozzle case 26 and a high level when it is removed.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing the structure of the mixed oil detecting device 30. The refueling nozzle 14 is formed with a suction pipe line 31 connected to the suction hole 24, and the suction pipe line 31 is connected to an ejector pump 33. Ejector pump 33
Is supplied with compressed air from a compressed air pressure source 34, which is realized by, for example, a compression pump, and is guided to a gas sensor 37 via a pipe line 36 provided on the outlet side. As the gas sensor 37, any one of a catalytic combustion method, a semiconductor method, a thermo-linear heat conduction method, a diaphragm galvanic cell method, and a zirconia method can be selected and used.

An electromagnetic valve V1 is interposed in the pipe 35,
A bypass conduit 38 is connected to the downstream side thereof, and the bypass conduit 38 communicates with the suction conduit 31. An electromagnetic valve V2 is interposed in the bypass line 38. The suction line 31
The internal pressure is detected by the negative pressure detector 39. The negative pressure detector 39 includes a diaphragm 40 inside a casing 40.
1, the diaphragm chamber 43 is partitioned into an atmospheric pressure chamber 44 that communicates with the atmosphere and a negative pressure chamber 45 that communicates with the conduit 31. Inside the atmospheric pressure chamber 44, the switching mode changes depending on the displacement of the diaphragm 41. Limit switch 4
6 are provided. A spring 47 that elastically presses the diaphragm 41 in the direction of approaching the limit switch 46 is housed in the negative pressure chamber 45.

The output b of the gas sensor 37 is the control circuit 4
8 is input. The negative pressure detection signal c from the limit switch 46 and the nozzle detection signal a from the nozzle detection switch 27 are also input to the control circuit 48. When the output b from the gas sensor 37 exceeds a predetermined determination level, the control circuit 48 outputs a notification signal d to cause the lamp 50 to blink and display, and causes a speaker 51 to generate an alarm sound to cause the refueling nozzle to discharge. It can be informed that the fuel oil injected from 14 is a mixed oil.
The lamp 50 and the speaker 51 are used as the notification means 4
9 is composed.

The solenoid valves V1 and V2 are controlled by open / close drive signals e and f from the control circuit 48, respectively.
The pump 7 is driven by a pump motor 53, and the pump motor 53 is turned on / off by a control circuit 48.
It is controlled by the off control signal g.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the oil mixture detection device 30, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in the output b of the gas sensor 37. First, in performing the lubrication operation, the refueling nozzle 14 is hooked on the nozzle case 26, and the compressed air pressure source 34 is in a stopped state.
It is assumed that 1 and V2 are in a closed state.

In step s1, when the customer brings the container 20 to purchase kerosene, the operator of the gas station puts the container 20 near the oil supply device 5 for oiling kerosene, and the oiling operation is started. It

In step s2, when the worker removes the refueling nozzle 14 from the nozzle case 26 at time t1,
The nozzle detection signal a of the nozzle detection switch 27 changes from low level to high level. Due to this change, the control circuit 48 outputs the control signal g in step s3, activates the pump motor 53 to start the pumping operation of the pump 7, and outputs the opening / closing control signal e to output the opening / closing valve V.
1, the negative pressure generated by the ejector pump 33 is guided to the suction hole 24 via the suction pipe line 31, and the sampling operation is started. At this time, the output b of the gas sensor 37 is at a relatively low level because the sucked gas is air.

In this state, if the process proceeds to step s4,
When the discharge pipe 16 of the refueling nozzle 14 is inserted into the oil filling port of the container 20 at the time t2 in the sampling state, the container 20
The vaporized vapor of a small amount of fuel oil remaining inside is sucked in, and the output b of the gas sensor 37 slightly rises because this fuel oil is kerosene. Next, when the operating lever 19 is pulled in the direction of the arrow A1 at time t3, the opening / closing valve 18 opens and the fuel oil is discharged from the discharge pipe 16 into the container 20.
When the vaporized vapor of the fuel oil discharged into 0 is filled in the space 21, it is sucked from the suction hole 24 and mixed with the air from the compressed air pressure source 34 by the ejector pump 33 to be diluted. The gas is guided to the gas sensor 37.

When the dilution gas is supplied to the gas sensor 37 in this way, the output b of the gas sensor gradually increases.

In step s5, the control circuit 48 compares the output b of the gas sensor 37 with a preset judgment level B, and if the output b is below the judgment level B, there is no oil mixture, that is, in the container 20. It is judged that the discharged fuel oil is kerosene, and the process proceeds to step s6.

In step s6, the control circuit 48 determines whether the negative pressure detection signal c of the negative pressure detector 39 has changed to the ON state. That is, when the discharged fuel oil droplets adhere to the suction holes 24 or when the suction holes 24 are buried in the fuel oil that has risen in the container 20, the fuel oil is sucked and has a high sensitivity. In order to prevent the damage to, the change in the negative pressure value is constantly monitored.

If the negative pressure detection signal c does not change to the ON state, it is judged that there is no liquid suction, and the oiling operation is continued as it is, and the process proceeds to step s7.

In step s7, when the inside of the container 20 reaches the predetermined amount of lubrication ordered by the customer, the operator judges that the lubrication is completed, returns the operation lever 19 to the arrow A2 direction, and opens / closes the on-off valve 18.
Is closed and the discharge pipe 16 is pulled out from the oil filling port of the container 20 at time t4. The output b of the gas sensor 37 gradually decreases because a large amount of air is supplied to the vaporized kerosene vapor. In this state, the worker returns the oil supply nozzle 14 to the nozzle case 26 in step s9.

When the refueling nozzle 14 is returned to the nozzle case 26 in step s10, the nozzle detection switch 2
The nozzle detection signal a of No. 7 changes from the high level to the low level, and this change causes the control circuit 48 to output the control signal g to disable the pump motor 53 and stop the pump 7. The fuel oil thus filled in the container 20 is measured by the flow meter 10, and is displayed on the display 22 by the flow pulse signal i from the flow pulse transmitter 12 according to the measured value. Further, the control circuit 48 outputs the opening / closing control signal f to open the opening / closing valve V2, and guides the air from the compressed air pressure source 34 into the suction conduit 31 for cleaning. Next, at step s11, time t4 when the refueling nozzle 14 is returned to the nozzle case 26 at step s9.
After performing a cleaning operation for a predetermined time T1, for example, 5 seconds, the open / close control signal e from the control circuit 48,
The on-off valves V1 and V2 are shut off by f, and step s
At 12, the lubrication work is completed.

In the above-mentioned steps s1 to s12, although the fuel oil 4 in the storage tank 3 is not mixed and the liquid is not sucked, next, there is no mixed oil in the storage tank 3. A case will be described in which splashes adhere to the suction holes 24 during oil filling or the suction holes 24 are buried in the oil.

In step s6, when the negative pressure detection signal c of the negative pressure detector 39 is turned on, the negative pressure value of the negative pressure chamber 45 increases and the diaphragm 41 is displaced toward the negative pressure chamber 45 side. . The displacement of the diaphragm 41 changes the switching mode of the limit switch 46 from the off state to the on state. This is because the replenishment of air from the suction hole 24 is interrupted by the liquid suction, and in such a case, the process proceeds to step s13 to discharge the sucked oil liquid,
The cleaning operation is started.

That is, when the negative pressure detection signal c is turned on, the control circuit 48 outputs the opening / closing control signal f to open the opening / closing valve V2. At this time, the other on-off valve V1 remains open. Therefore, the air from the compressed air pressure source 34 is guided to the suction pipe line 31 side via the pipe lines 35 and 38, and the oil liquid sucked in the suction pipe line 31 is discharged to the outside via the suction hole 24. Is discharged. Then, in step s14, the worker determines whether or not a predetermined amount of oil has been supplied while looking at the indicator 22 of the oil supply device 5, and if so, returns the operation lever 19 to the arrow A2 direction to perform the oil supply operation. Stop and move to step s9. If the predetermined amount of lubrication has not been reached, the process proceeds to step s15, and after the opening / closing valve V2 is opened in step s13, the cleaning operation is continued for a predetermined time T2, for example, 2 seconds, and then in step s16 from the control circuit 48. The opening / closing valve V2 is shut off by the opening / closing control signal f, the cleaning operation is stopped, the sampling operation is started again, and the process proceeds to step s5.

In the above steps s1 to s16, there was no oil mixture in the storage tank 3 and a predetermined amount of oil was smoothly injected, or liquid was sucked during the oil injection. A case where the fuel oil 4 in the storage tank 3 is a mixed oil, that is, a case where gasoline is mistakenly mixed from the tank truck into the storage tank 3 in which kerosene is stored will be described as an example.

In the step s5, the storage tank 3
If even a small amount of gasoline is mixed in the kerosene therein, the output of the gas sensor 37 greatly increases from time t5 and exceeds the determination level B, as shown by the line b1 in FIG. In this case, in step s17, the control circuit 48 outputs the control signal g to disable the pump motor 53, stop the pump 7, and interrupt the lubrication operation. Further, the control circuit 48 outputs a notification signal d to display the lamp 50 in a blinking manner, and also causes the speaker 51 to generate an alarm sound to notify that the oil is mixed. Further, the control circuit 48 outputs the opening / closing control signal f while keeping the opening / closing valve V1 open, opens the opening / closing valve V2, and starts cleaning.

The operator who recognizes that the oil is mixed by such a notification returns the nozzle lever 19 in step s18 and displaces it in the arrow A2 direction to interrupt the oil supply, and in step s19, the oil supply nozzle 14 is moved to the nozzle case. Return to 26. Accordingly, the nozzle detection signal a of the nozzle detection switch 27
Changes from the high level to the low level, and the control circuit 48 receiving this changes the alarm signal d to stop the blinking operation of the lamp 50 and the alarm sound of the speaker 51, and then to step s11. Move to the step s19
After cleaning is performed until a predetermined time (5 seconds in this embodiment) has elapsed since the oil supply nozzle 14 was returned to the nozzle case 26, the oiling operation is ended in step s12.

Immediately after refueling, it is detected that gasoline, which is fuel oil having a relatively high vapor pressure, is mistakenly mixed from the tank truck into the storage tank 3 in which kerosene having a relatively low vapor pressure is stored. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the customer from bringing back the mixed oil. In addition, the structure of the refueling device 5 does not need to be significantly improved, and the present invention can be made to match the fuel oil used by the vehicle to be refueled with the fuel oil from the nozzle to be refueled simply by changing the program of the control circuit 48. It can be implemented inexpensively and easily in an existing oil supply device equipped with a so-called oil type detection device for determining inconsistency.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the fuel oil having a relatively low vapor pressure was used as kerosene, and gasoline was mixed into the kerosene as the fuel oil having a relatively high vapor pressure. The present invention can be suitably implemented even in the case where gasoline is mixed in light oil as the fuel oil having a low dynamic vapor pressure.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the space to which the fuel oil is supplied is the space inside the container such as the kerosene can, but as another embodiment of the present invention, the space inside the fuel tank of the automobile. May be In the present embodiment, the mixed oil determination operation (sampling) is continuously performed during the refueling work, but the sampling operation is performed every fixed time (for example, 20 seconds) or every fixed refueling value (for example, 10 liters). The intermittent operation can save the consumption of compressed air, and in this case, each time the sampling is started, the cleaning is once performed for a short time (for example, 0.5 seconds), and the droplets adhering to the suction holes 24 in advance. May be excluded.

The means for stopping refueling may be a means for stopping the pump 7 or a valve device (not shown) provided in the conduit 11.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the vaporized gas of its own fuel oil discharged from the discharge pipe is sucked and guided to the gas sensor, and an alarm is generated when the output of the gas sensor exceeds a predetermined determination level. Since the pump was stopped at the same time, fuel oil with a relatively low vapor pressure such as kerosene or light oil is mixed with fuel oil such as gasoline with a relatively high vapor pressure immediately after lubrication. It can detect and inform the refueling worker, and stop lubrication.
As a result, customers can be prevented from bringing back the mixed oil sold, and safety can be improved.
Eliminates the hassle of having a fire accident and collecting mixed oil. Thus, the control means for controlling the sampling operation of the vaporized gas of the fuel oil does not require a large structural improvement of the fuel supply device and can be easily realized by, for example, changing the program, and thus the present invention can be realized. It can be easily and inexpensively implemented in an existing oil supply device and can achieve extremely high versatility.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a configuration of a mixed oil detection device 30.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the mixed oil detection device 30.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing an output b of the gas sensor 37.

[Explanation of Codes] 3 Storage Tank 4 Fuel Oil 5 Lubrication Device 7 Pump 14 Lubrication Nozzle 16 Discharge Pipe 19 Operating Lever 20 Container 21 Space 23 Tip 24 Suction Hole 30 Oil Mixing Detection Device 31 Suction Pipeline 33 Ejector Pump 34 Compressed Air Pressure Source 37 Gas sensor 39 Negative pressure detector 48 Control circuit 49 Notification means 53 Pump motor a Nozzle detection signal b, b1 Gas sensor output B Judgment level c Negative pressure detection signal d Notification signal e, f Open / close control signal g ON / OFF control signal

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fuel pipe having a relatively low vapor pressure, which may be erroneously supplied with a fuel vapor having a relatively high vapor pressure, is set at a place where the fuel oil is handled, and the discharge pipe of the refueling nozzle is connected to the fuel oil. Inserted into the space to be supplied, the fuel oil sucked up by the pump is discharged from the discharge pipe, and the gas of the fuel oil discharged from the discharge pipe is sucked in the vicinity of the tip of the discharge pipe. In a fueling device for handling fuel oil having a relatively low vapor pressure, which is provided with a gas sensor in which a suction hole is formed, and the gas or air sucked from the suction hole is guided, and an alarm means, the fuel oil is supplied from the fueling nozzle. When the gas of the fuel oil is sucked during discharge and guided to the gas sensor, and the output of this gas sensor exceeds a predetermined judgment level by detecting gas with a relatively high vapor pressure, the alarm hand混油 detector of the storage tank by refueling device characterized by providing a control means for stopping the fuel supply with generating an alarm.