JPH0640495A - Oil feeder having mixed oil detecting function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an accident from occurrence by a method wherein a customer is informed that his vehicle is filled with mixed oil at least before leaving service station, in case an underground storage tank at the service station should contain a different kind of oil in addition to its proper oil and this oil should be pumped up into the vehicle by an oil feeder. CONSTITUTION:An oil feeder provided with a gas-liquid separating means 23 adapted to separate air bubble from the oil relatively low in vapor pressure pumped up in mixture therewith from a storage tank 4 before weighing the oil by a flow meter 50 and feeding the same is characterized lay a gas detecting means 46 for detecting the nature of the air bubble separated by the gas-liquid separating means 23 and warning means 48 and 49 which, when the output from the gas detecting means 46 deviates from a predetermined range of the nature of the air bubble, start the warning function in response to such an output.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is to fill a storage tank buried underground in a gas filling station with oil of different oil types from a tank truck or the like, and to receive the oil in the storage tank by a lubrication device. When the product is sold to a customer, it can be suitably implemented to notify the customer that different oil types are mixed and to prevent the customer from taking the oil home. The present invention relates to an oil supply device having an oil detection function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plurality of storage tanks for each type of oil such as gasoline, light oil, and kerosene are buried underground in a gas station, and each storage tank is provided with a lubrication pipe extending above the ground. Fuel oil corresponding to each oil type is injected from the tank truck to the connection portion of the oil pipe. The fuel oil in the storage tank thus filled with oil is pumped up by a pump incorporated in the oil supply device, and is metered through a nozzle while being metered into, for example, a container brought by a customer.

In such a prior art, fuel oils of different oil types may be erroneously injected into the storage tank from the tank truck, and the customer may not notice the oil mixed with the oils of different oil types. It is very dangerous if you take it home. Therefore, if an oil mixed with oils of different oil types is sold, the customer must be found and collected reliably. For example, if gasoline is mixed in kerosene,
It is possible that gasoline is mixed with diesel oil, and kerosene or diesel oil is mixed with gasoline.
Especially when oil with high vapor pressure is mixed with oil with low vapor pressure, that is, gasoline is mixed with kerosene and gasoline is mixed with light oil, it is extremely dangerous. Even if they do, customers must prevent the oil from being brought back.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is that even if oils of different oil types are mixed in the storage tank, the oil types are different before the refueling of the oils is completed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an oil supply device having a mixed oil detection function that can notify the customer and prevent the customer from taking it home.

[0005]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, oil pumped from a storage tank, which has a relatively low vapor pressure, is metered through a flow meter and supplied, prior to pumping the oil. In a fueling device having a gas-liquid separation means for separating bubbles mixed in the gas, gas detection means for detecting the properties of the bubbles separated by the gas-liquid separation means, and in response to the output from the gas detection means, It is an oil supply device having an oil mixture detection function, which is provided with an informing means for starting an informing operation when the output deviates from a predetermined property range.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the oil pumped from the storage tank is separated into the gas and the liquid by the gas-liquid separating means,
The oil from which the gas has been removed is supplied into the container while being measured by the measuring device. The property of the bubbles separated by the gas-liquid separating means is detected, and when the change deviates from the predetermined property range, it is notified by sound or display that the oil type is different. In this way, even when different types of oil are mixed in the oil in the storage tank, the customer is notified that the oil is a mixed oil before the refueling of the oil is completed and the customer holds the oil. It is possible to prevent the return.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a simplified system diagram showing the entire structure of an oil supply apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Below the roadbed 3 of the gas station, a plurality of storage tanks 4 are buried for each type of fuel oil having a relatively low vapor pressure, such as light oil and kerosene, and a hose from the tank lorry is used to fill the oil filling port 6 of the oil filling pipe 5. Is connected to, and lubrication is performed according to the type of oil. The gas in the space 8 above the liquid level 7 that rises due to this oil injection is diffused to the atmosphere via the ventilation pipe 9 so that oil can be smoothly injected.

The fuel oil 10 in the storage tank 4 is supplied from the oil feed pipe 13 to the filter chamber 17 formed in the casing 16 of the filter 15 by the pump 11. A right cylindrical filter 18 is provided in the filter chamber 17, and an internal space 19 of the filter 18 communicates with a pipe 20 connected to the casing 16. The fuel oil thus supplied to the filter chamber 17 is filtered by the filter 18 and guided to the pipe line 20.

At the upper part of the casing 16, a thin pipe 21 is provided.
A gas-liquid separator 23, which is a gas-liquid separating means, is provided via the. This gas-liquid separator 23 has a casing 25 having a gas-liquid separation chamber 24 to which fuel oil containing bubbles is supplied via the pipe line 21, a gas-liquid separation chamber 24, and an oil supply pipe 13 which is provided in the casing 25 rather than the pump 11. The return pipe 26 connected to the upstream side of the oil feed direction A near the storage tank 4 and the opening 27 of the return pipe 26 that opens toward the gas-liquid separation chamber 24 are opened by vertical displacement of the float 28. It has a valve body 29 for shutting off, and a float valve 33 for closing a pipe line 31 communicating with the gas-liquid separation chamber 24 above the liquid level 30 by raising the liquid level 30. The float valve 33 has, for example, a spherical shape,
It is held in the valve chamber 35 by the stopper 34.

The gas-liquid separation chamber 24 is also provided with a baffle plate 36 above the pipe line 21 and the casing 2
A pipe line 37 for air release is provided which opens near the bottom of 5. An electromagnetic valve 38 is interposed in the conduit 37, and the electromagnetic valve 38 allows the pneumatic pressure source 3 such as a compressor.
Pressurized air from 9 is supplied / interrupted. A branch pipe 41 is branched and connected to the upstream side of the electromagnetic valve 38 in the supply direction B of the pressurized air, and a manual opening / closing valve 40 is interposed in the pipe 41, and a pipe line is provided downstream thereof. A check valve 43 is provided via 42. The conduit 42 is connected to the conduit 31 and is connected to a venturi portion 45 of a conduit 44 connected to the conduit 37 on the downstream side of the electromagnetic valve 38. Therefore, when the solenoid valve 38 is opened, pressurized air is supplied to the conduit 37 from the air pressure source 39, and the pressurized air is guided to the conduit 44 that branches from the conduit 37, whereby the venturi portion is formed. A negative pressure is generated in 45, and the negative pressure causes the gas in the gas-liquid separation chamber 24 to be sucked through the conduit 31 and ejects air from the conduit 37 to vaporize kerosene having a relatively low vapor pressure. Can be promoted.

A gas sensor 46 as a gas detecting means is provided in the pipe line 44, and the gas in the gas-liquid separation chamber introduced through the pipe line 31 is supplied. This gas sensor 4
6, a gas sensor such as a catalytic combustion type, a semiconductor type, a thermo-linear heat conduction type, a diaphragm galvanic cell type, a zirconia type, or the like is appropriately selected and used.

When the liquid level 30 in the gas-liquid separation chamber 24 rises and lifts the float valve 33, the float valve 33
The gas sensor 46 can be protected by blocking the pipe 31 to prevent the liquid of the fuel oil from flowing into the pipe 31 from the gas-liquid separation chamber 24. When the gas sensor 46 is cleaned, when the manual valve 40 is opened, the check valve 43 for inflowing the dilution air is closed and the pressurized air in the conduit 41 is guided to the venturi portion 45 and the gas sensor 46, and the gas sensor 46.
The vaporized gas of the previous fuel oil remaining inside is discharged.

The output of the gas sensor 46 is the control means 4
Input to 7. In this control means 47, the input output from the gas sensor 46 is level discriminated in a predetermined property range, for example, a voltage level, and when it exceeds the discrimination level, it is judged that the oil type is wrong and an alarm is given by a speaker 48 which is a notifying means. A sound is generated and the notification lamp 49 blinks to start the notification operation.

The control means 47 is also associated with a metering operation of a flow meter 50 for measuring the flow rate of bubble-free fuel oil flowing in the conduit 20, for example one pulse every 1/100 liter. The flow rate pulse signal is input from the flow rate pulse transmitter 51 that generates the flow rate pulse signal, and the control means 47 displays the amount of oil supply corresponding to the flow rate pulse signal. The fuel oil measured in this way is supplied to the container brought by the customer from the oil supply nozzle 55 through the flexible oil supply hose 54. The refueling nozzle 55 is detachably attached to the nozzle case 56, and the nozzle case 56 has a low level when the refueling nozzle 55 is attached, and a high level nozzle detection when the refueling nozzle 55 is detached. A nozzle detection switch 57 that outputs a signal is provided. The nozzle detection signal from the nozzle detection switch 57 is input to the control means 47, and the control means 47 outputs a drive signal to the motor M for driving the pump 11 to drive the motor M, whereby the pump 11 pumps. Start the raising operation.

In this way, for example, the storage tank 4 in which kerosene is stored is connected to the hose from the tank truck to the oil filling port 6 of the oil filling pipe 5, and gasoline is erroneously filled. However, in the mixed oil of gasoline and kerosene pumped up by the pump 11, liquid and bubbles are separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber 24, and only the gas of the bubbles is guided to the gas sensor 46, so that refueling is started. Immediately after that, at least before the refueling is completed, it is confirmed that gasoline is mixed in kerosene by the speaker 48 and the notification lamp 4.
9 to notify the worker or the customer.

Although the manual valve 40 is manually opened during cleaning of the gas sensor 46, cleaning is performed by using an automatic valve that automatically opens for a fixed time when gasoline is detected or when the nozzle 55 is housed in the nozzle case. It can also be done.

FIG. 2 shows an oil supply device 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
It is a system diagram which simplifies and shows. The parts corresponding to those in the above-mentioned embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. Filter 1
One end of a pipe line 61 that is open and faces the internal space 19 is connected to the casing 16 including the eight. This pipeline 61
The other end of the cylinder 6 is partitioned by a piston 63
4 communicates with one piston chamber 65, and the other piston chamber 66 communicates with the gas sensor 46 via a conduit 67.
The piston chamber 66 is also connected to one end of a pipe line 68, and the other end of the pipe line 68 is provided with a valve-equipped coupling 74 that opens by pressing a separately prepared connection fitting or the like. To be Compressed air from an unillustrated air pressure source or the like is supplied to the piston chamber 6 through such a connecting fitting.
6 to clean the gas sensor 46.

As described above, when the refueling nozzle 55 is removed from the nozzle case 56, the output of the nozzle detection switch 57 switches from low level to high level, and the switching of this nozzle detection signal causes the control means 47 to drive the motor M. Output a signal. As a result, the motor M starts rotating operation and drives the pump 11. By driving the pump 11 as described above, the fuel oil in the storage tank 4 is pumped up and guided into the filter chamber 17, and until the operation lever 69 of the refueling nozzle 55 is pulled, that is, the valve built in the refueling nozzle 55 is operated. Until the filter chamber 17 is opened, the pressure inside the filter chamber 17 is high, and this pressure guides the fuel oil into the one piston chamber 65 through the pipe 61. As a result, the piston 63 is displaced leftward in FIG. 2 to the position shown by the phantom line 70 against the spring force of the compression coil spring 71, and the air in the piston chamber 66 is pushed out to the gas sensor 46. When refueling ends and the motor M stops and the pump pressure acting on the piston chamber 65 disappears, the piston 63 returns to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 again by the spring force of the compression coil spring 71. At this time, the gas in the gas-liquid separation chamber 24 can be guided to the gas sensor 46 via the conduit 73, and an output according to the degree of mixing of the fuel oil can be derived to detect the mixed oil. That is, in this embodiment, at the end of refueling, it is determined whether gasoline has been mixed with the oil that has actually been refueled. With such a configuration, the pneumatic pressure source 39, the solenoid valve 38, the venturi portion 45, etc. in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can be omitted, and the configuration can be simplified.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where gasoline is mixed in kerosene has been described, but as another embodiment of the present invention, even when gasoline is mixed in other mixed oil, for example, light oil. The present invention can be preferably implemented.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, the air bubbles separated by the gas-liquid separating means are guided to the gas detecting means to detect their properties, and when the properties deviate from the predetermined range, the notifying means is provided. Since the notification operation is performed by the above, even if the mixed oil is supplied, it is possible to notify that the oil type is different before the customer brings the oil back, and it is possible to improve the safety.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified system diagram of an oil supply device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified system diagram of an oil supply device 1a according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a Refueling device 4 Storage tank 5 Lubrication pipe 10 Fuel oil 11 Pump 15 Filter 17 Filter chamber 23 Gas-liquid separator 24 Gas-liquid separation chamber 26 Return conduit 29 Valve body 33 Float valve 47 Control means 48 Speaker 49 Notification lamp 50 Flow Meter 51 Flow Pulse Transmitter 53 Indicator 55 Refueling Nozzle 57 Nozzle Detection Switch 63 Piston 64 Cylinder 65, 66 Piston Chamber 71 Compression Coil Spring

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A gas for separating air bubbles mixed in the pumped oil prior to metering the oil having a relatively low vapor pressure pumped from the storage tank through a flow meter and supplying the oil. In an oil supply device including a liquid separation unit, a gas detection unit that detects a property of bubbles separated by the gas-liquid separation unit, and in response to an output from the gas detection unit, the output deviates from a predetermined property range. And a notification means for starting a notification operation when the oil supply apparatus has a mixed oil detection function.