LV12479B - A device for supplying additives from recyclable containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for dosing additives from reuse containers which are connected to pumping accessories of petrol stations. The fuel pump controller receives set data from fuel flow meter (s) and converts these to predetermined dose set data for additive supply from at least one additive container, so that a dose is added upstream the fuel stream through filling pistol, e.g. for each litre, each fifth or each tenth litre. Additives are supplied from reuse containers of various shapes and sizes, but each having a standard threaded spout device which is attached through screwing, upside down, with a corresponding threaded spout holder firmly disposed to the fuel pump during sealingly cooperation therebetween, whereupon opening is effected to cause a flow of the respective additive to a programmable dosing mechanism.

Description

1 LV 12479

A DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING ADDITIVES FROM RECYCLABLE CONTAINERS 5 The invention relates to a method .for dosing.additives from recyclable disposable containers which are connected to pump-ing accessories of petrol stations, as well as an accešsory for the purpose.

The object is to reduce the establishing and maintenance īo costs of the oil companies for the need of a so-called '.'com-plete Service station” for storage capacity from five to three tank units, with the conseguently reduced Capital bind-ing for the local station unit which buys and owns the petrol and diesel oil stock vhich at ali times is present in the 15 tank reservoirs dug in.

Further, the method allows use of additives vhich to day are available, but not in use, or vhich, otherwise, could have been developed by the oil companies and used in their own marketing. 20 The object is also to deliver as correct mixtures as they pretend to be. 2

Ali additives are more or less injurious to health and in-flammable, and the method is based on a closed system, wherein attendants or customers do not come into contact with vapours therefrom or are subjected to inhalation of such va-s pours.

The individual oil companies own and has the maintenance re-sponsibility for the petrol and diesel tanks and pumps in-cluding electronics to and incorporating the cash register termināls,, as well as roof superstructure for signposting. A 10 tenancy agreement is established with the individual opera- „ tional unit, typically for ten years, and a monthly rent is paid for this accessory.

The station owner of the operational unit buys petrol and diesel and pays in cash. Moreover, he owns house, site and 15 kiosk goods of any kind as well as vorkshop accessories and other moveables. .· - .

To day, from the pumping accessories of a "full Service sta-tion*', a customer is offered the following: - With a special push button, 95, 97 or 98 octane lead free 20 petrol is chosen. 97 octane mixture is provided in tinat the pumping accessory sucks 40% amount of fluid from res-ervoir I with 95 octane which is mixed in a pumping pistol with 60% amount of fluid from rešervoir II with 98 octane. - With a special push button one will also receive 97 and 98 25 octane petrpl with lead substitute. Rešervoir III contains 98 octane petrol with lead substitute. In order to get 97 octane petrol with lead substitute, 60% of the euaount of fluid from rešervoir III is automatically mixed with 40% of the amount of fluid from rešervoir I, which contains 95 octane petrol, but without lead substitute. The result is that a customer buying 97 octane with lead substitute does 30 ' .3'·” LV 12479 not get the goods he thinks, but instead a petrol contain-ing only 60% of the lead substitute it should have con- τ tained. - With a special.piudp a custoiner may get clear diesel sub- 5 ject-to-fed> from a reservoir IV. Diesel is admixed sub-stantial and up to 40% amounts of paraffin in distiricts having low temperatures in order to avoid that it converts; into gelatinous consistence. The self-lubricating proper-ties of diesel oil is then reduced considerable, without īo ' the possibility for the oil companies to compensate there-fore e.g. by the admixture of universal two-stroke oil, which is admixable and which should have been done. - From a further pump, one may get coloured diesel free of fee for tractors, boats, etc. from reservoir V, also with 15 temperature variable paraffin addition, where it is up to the station unit to look after that fee-obliged user does not provide himself with diesel free of fee from an erro-neous pump.

The programmable software of the cash termināls contains the 20 price elements which are valid at any time for the fuel types concerned which are chosen, based on fluid amount Controls.

The amount of the fluid lead substitute added is small. A German product which can be used is sold on 250 ml plastic bottles assigned a dosing cup; such a bottle being sufficient 25 for 250 litres petrol, thus representing admixture of 0,1%. A station selling e.g. 10,000 litres 98 octane with lead substitute per week has, thus, a need for 10 litres lead substitute only. 4

The same amounts of additive of the type catalyst cleaner is used; which is not available in the selection of goods of the Norwegian petrol stations.

Purchase, digging in and installation for a station which has 5 to replace its five reservoir tanks after these have been used for years, amount to millions, and many oil companies therefore are reluctant to undertake such Capital cost in order to maintain stations located in the districts, also because the customers also here require a· so-called full 10 Service station having the five tank and pump units neces-sary. When only one operational unit is continued as full . Service station having only three tank reservoirs, investment and maintenance costs are reduced by 40%.

For an operational unit, the filling of e.g. three 15,000 15 litres petrol tanks costs NOK 413,000.-* eind two 20,000 litres diesel tanks NOK 233,000.-, or in ali NOK 646,000.-

Calculated on a theoretical average of one half taiik filling, this represents a Capital binding of NOK 323,000.-

Eliminating a reservoir tank for 98 octane petrol with lead 20 substitute and a reservoir tank with coloured diesel, the average capital binding will be reduced by NOK 110,000.- or 34%. . ..... "-'V'

From the patent literature is known: - US 5,163,586 which describes a measuring and mixing system 25 for admixtures to petrol, vhere the admixtures are filled into'storage tanks and coupled to pressure and measuring units connected to the distribution system1s upstream fluid meter, so that up to two additives can be delivered in correct amounts to a flow of petrol from two sources. 5 LV 12479 - The patent discloses admixtures for improving octane (anti-knock)-quality, removal of carbon depositions from combustion chambers and fuel injectors, reduction of dis-charge upon admixture of oxygen-liberating adiuixtures 5 (oxygenates). - When the amounts of admixture are very small, such as one cm3 or a millilitre per gallon, the admixing rāte will be 0,026%. - The accuracy requirements of American trading standards 10 Service will, due to control considerations, not allow less admixing rātes than 0,4%, if payment for.the substance admixed is effected.

Therefore, the invention is def ined to relate to admixture of additions generally having a somewhat larger voluine in rela-: 15 tion to the fuel voluine (This invention applies to any and ali fuel additives, and to fuel components which are ģenerāli of larger volume ratios to the fuel volume.) E.g. oxygen-liberating additions amount to volumes of several per-cent. ' 20 The method in accordance with the invention aims at dosed supply of additives from recyclable disposable containers connected to pumping accessories of petrol stations, in that these normally liquid admixtures are supplied to the amounts of fuel in very small amounts during tapping performed by 25 customers, e.g. 0,1% liquid lead substitute and liguid cata-lyst cleaning aģent, 0,5% liguid diesel colouring matter in fuel sold duty-free, and up to 2% addition of universal two-stroke oil to frost-resistant diesel oil admixed up to 40% paraffin. 30 Admixture is not assumed to take place continuously, but through batch dosages, so that e.g. lead substitute and cata- 6 lyst cleaning aģent are »i*ei»£ed in one dose of one ml for each tenth litres of petrol tapped to customer.

Diesel colouring matter is e.g. added in doses of 2,5 ml for each fifth litre filled, while e.g. five ml vmiversal 5 two-stroke oil is supplied ih doses to each litre paraffin-diluted diesel filled.

Disposable containers are sold and delivered e.g. by the oil companies or by a special firm delivering to ali chains of petrol mārks, following already existing distribution chan-īo nels for such products. ·. · ·· ·· ··

Disposable containers could contain from 10. to 20 litres liquid, having Standard spout aperture, which is formed such that when a"kiSfttainer'isturned upside down, it can be screwed to sealingly cooperation with a corresponding, 15 threaded spout holder attached directly on the petrol and / diesel pumps, possibly integrated into newer produced.:acces-' sory. When screwing has been carried out, it is opened for liguid flow out of Container through the spout holder arrangement to the programmable dosing accessory. Indicator 20 on the disposable Container shows the liquid Ievel therein at any tirae.

Between the spout holder and the dosing mechaņism firmly mounted to pump accessory exists an additive-carrying cavity in the forra of a Container and necessary pipe connections, 25 securing coverage of a continuous need for amounts of addi-tives of some hours or one day, so that replacement of Container with a new one can take place e.g. upon routine in-spection of the liguid Ievel of the containers one time each day.

The firmļy mounted spout holder's Container can be utilized for premixing additives,in that first a given amount of pet- 30 7 LV 12479 rol is filled prior to the attachment of a disposable Container having a given amount of additive, e.g. in the propor-tion 1:1 or 1:10. To the fuel, the double or ten times, re-spectively, of the mixed additive must then be dosed; reduc-.5 ing the reguirements to.dosing accuracy, enabling a more cor-rect dosage with a simpler dosing mechanism and improving the possibilities for control by the Trading Standards Service.

To a diesel pump is coupled both a Container for colour addi-tion and a larger Container for the addition of two-stroke io oil, and the diesel pvnnp is eguipped with an insertion slot for a polet or magnetic plastic card for tractor and boat ownersf who are legitimate users of duty-free diesel. The control function is then facilitated for the station ovmers.

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for dosing additives from reuse containers which are connected to pumping accessories of petrol stations. The fuel pump controller receives set data from fuel flow meter (s) and conveits these to predeteimined dose set data for additive supply from at least one additive Container, so that a dose is added upstream the fuel stream through fililng pistol, e.g. for each lītie, each fifth or each tenth litre. Additives are suppHed from reuse containers of various shapes and sizes, but each having a Standard threaded spout device which is attached through screwing, upside down, with a coiresponding threaded spout holder firmly disposed to the fuel pump during sealingly cooperation therebetween, whereupon opening is effcctcd to cause a flow of the rešpective additive to a programmable dosing mechanism. 1 1 LV 12479 C la i m s 1. A device for dosed supply of additives to fuel, e.g. on petrol stations, comprising a fuel .pump adapted to pump fuel from a fuel storage tank, a fuel pump controller, a fuel flow 5 meter and a dosing mechanism, wherein the fuel pump controller is adapted to receive set data from the fuel flow meter and to convert‘‘~these data into predetermined dose set data for additive supply, so that .a dose of additive is added upstream of the fuel flow through a filling pistol for each īo volume unit of fuel passing, characterized in that one or more additive containers which are cons'tituted by replaceable containers, preferably disposable containers, are adapted to be connectable to said pumping āccessory, vherein . said containers which may have mutually differing sizes and is shapes, each has a connecto'r shaped and desigiied for sealing co-operat'ion with a carrier mounted on the fuel pumping accessory, the programmable dosing mechanism being supplied with additive (s) upon the activation of the feed-out thereof. 2. A'device.aš set forth in Claira 1, 2o characterized in that said connector consists of a Standard, threaded spout means adapted to be. firmly and sealingly screwed onto a complementary, threaded spout carrier firmly mounted on the fuel pumping accešsory. _l · ' ; 3. A device as set forth in Claim 1, 25 characterized in that the fuel flow meter. is adapted to accumulate its set data, said accumulation forming the basis for the additive supply, the accumulated set data of the fuel flow meter being converted into predetermined dose set data, such that the addition of additive (s) does not 2 2 5 • χο take place as a continuous flow of additives, but through a dosing mechanism·, known per se, in doses added at time intervāls, which are varied according to the actual amount of e.g. one milliliter lead substitute and/or catalyst cleaner . for each tenth liter of petrol, 2-5 milliliter diesel colouring matter for each fifth liter or 5 milliliter universal two-stroke oil for each ļiter paraffin-added diesel filled by customers, or through premixing the additives with , petrol e.g. in a proportion of 1:10, so that the amount of additive(s) is made correspondingly larger or, possibly, that dose addition takes place more frequently.

Claims (3)

A device for dosing additive to fuel, e.g., at service stations comprising a fuel pump suitable for pumping fuel from a fuel storage tank, a fuel pump controller, a fuel flow meter, and a dosing mechanism with a fuel pump controller is suitable for receiving data from a fuel flow meter and converting these data into predetermined dose setting data for the addition of additives, such that the dose of the additive is added to the flow of fuel to the stream through the filling gun for each volumetric fuel volume unit, one or more additives being added. Containers designed as replaceable containers, preferably disposable containers, are suitable for attachment to said pumping fittings, each of said containers, which may have different sizes and shapes, is a connector that is designed and designed for hermetic cooperation with the holder attached to the fuel pumping fixture, the additive (s) being supplied to the programmable dosing mechanism after activation of their feed. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said connector consists of standard threaded nozzle means adapted to be rigidly and hermetically screwed onto a complementary threaded nozzle holder firmly attached to the fuel pumping fixture. 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel flow meter is suitable for storing the data therein, wherein said accumulation forms the basis for delivery of the additive, the stored data stored in the fuel flow meter is converted into the preset dose data so that the addition of the additive (s) does not take place in the form of a continuous flow of additives, but through the dosing mechanism, which is known to be known, in doses added at time intervals varied according to the actual amount, e.g. one milliliter of lead substitute and / or catalytic wax for each tenth a liter of gasoline, 2.5 milliliters of diesel dyes for every fifth liter or 5 milliliters of universal two-stroke oil per liter of paraffin-based diesel fuel supplied by customers, or premixed petrol, eg 1:10, so that additives (u ) has been made appropriately dosing is likely to be more frequent.