US1245716A - Oil-fuel and compensating tank for submarines. - Google Patents

Description

M. F. HAY. I OIL FUELAND COMPENSATING TANK FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FlLED OCT-B. |9|5- 1,245,715. Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR MHRLE) F'o THEk/Ns/vmw Hm M. F. HAY.

OIL FUEL-AND COMPENSATING TANK FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION man OCT. 8. 1915. 1,245,71 6B PatentedNov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FUL PILL PIPE VVFTER CHEST e a 0 V a W m M M m s v mm m R a F w .H m% a, HP. N "M w m M r :7 L .5 5 EVA 1. M M my p N cLVvA n TX 4 mid..." T m if u 5 n n u n y F n n n 6 r w M w 5 M p as T r lllul-lln l M M m T W m n M L U E L 0 M F P X f/QJ Ma ma, Fa rHEm/m/MM Awi MARLEY FOTHERINGI-IAIVI HAY, OF THE HAGUE, NETI -IERLANDS.

OIL-FUEL AND COMPENSATIN-G TANK FOB, SUBMARINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. c, 1917.

Application filed. October 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARLEY FOTHERING- HAM HAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of'The Hague, Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Connection with Oil-Fuel and Compensating Tanks for Submarines, of which the following is the specification.

In nearly all existing arrangements for ballast-compensating for the. oil fuel used in submarines the loss of weight due to the consumption of fuel is made up by admit ting sea water under the fuel remaining in the fuel oil tank. Sea water being of higher specific gravity than fuel oil the amount of the former admitted must-be less than of the latter withdrawn. Although the specific gravities are different the fuel oil and sea water tend to mix even in a slight seaway and more particularly if there be free space in the tank permitting of surging. Practical experience has shown that a very minute quantity of sea water reaching the engine materially interferes with its running and even causes it to stop.

The invention has forits object to overcome these disabilities by the provision of means for the avoidance at all times of the presence of fuel oil and sea water in one tank at the same time.

According to the invention. the fuel oil tank is dividea into a series of separate compartments of a given capacity and there is provided a separate compensating tank of a capacity substantially equal to any one of the separate compartments. Theoreti cally this compensating tank should be situate at the center of gravity of the seriesof fuel oil compartments but as there are so many other tanks and devices for compensating for differences in fore-and-aft trim this is not practically necessary.

There may of course be a series of subdivided oil tank units each with its compensating tank.

To commence with, the subdivided fuel tank is full, the compensating tank empty. Fuel is used from one compartment of the oil tank and a corresponding weight of Water is admitted to the compensating tank until the compartment is emptied. The fuel compartment is then supplied With water to a weight equal to the fuel withdrawn and the compensating tank is emptied. Fuel is then drawn from another com partment and its withdrawal compensated by adding water to the compensating tank An example of the improved arrangement is shown diagrammatically on two accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings, Figure 1 being a diagrammatic elevation of the forward part of a fuel tank and its relative compensating tank, and Fig. 2 a diagrammatic plan thereof, while Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically a convenient arrangement of pipe connections inconnection with fourfuel compartments and one compensating tank. V

In this example, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the part of the fuel tank shown is divided into five compartments A, B, C, D, E, and there is provided a compensating tank F of capacity commensurate with that of the fuel compartments. The usual forward trimming tank G which however forms no part of the present invention is also shown. In Fig. 8 the compensating tank F is shown as arranged substantially at the center of gravity of four fuel compartments A, B, H, J. Any convenient arrangements of pipe connections and so forth are provided.

As shown in Fig. 3 a pipe connection K leads from each fuel compartment and from the tank F to an air chest L so fitted with valves that the pipes K may be put in communication with a venting pipe M or with a pipe N leading from any suitable source of compressed air. Other pipes P also lead from near the bottom of all the compartments and the bottom of the tank to a valvecontrolled water chest R in communication with the sea by the valve-controlled pipe S. All these pipes P. except the one leading to the compensating tank F, also have branches T communicating with a fuel chest U so fitted with valves that the fuel tanks may be put in communication, by a filling pipe W, with a source of supply of oil fuel, or in communication by a pipe X with the engine tobe supplied with the oil fuel.-

In use, the various valves are adjusted in sell known manner, compartments A,

B, C, l), E, H, J, being full of fuel oil that from say compartment A is used first. As the fuel is used, water of equal weight to the fuel withdrawn is admitted to the compensating tank F. Compartment A having been emptied, the compensating tank F is emptied and at the same time into compartment A here is delivered a weight of water equal to the weight of fuel oil it originally held. Fuel oil is now taken from any other one of the compartments B, C, D, E, and the same procedure repeated.

What I claim is 1. F or a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series of compartments, a compensating tank of capacity commensurate with the capacity of a compartment, means for drawing off fuel from a compartment and admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight of water, and means for filling emptied compartments with water and emptying the compensating tank as set forth.

For a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series of compartments, a compensating tank of capacity substantially equal to that of a compartment. means for drawing off fuel from a compartment and admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight of water, and means for filling emptied compartments with water and emptying the compensating tank as set forth.

3. F or a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series of compartments, a compensating tank of capacity commensurate with the capacity of a compartment and arranged substantially at the center of gravity of the oil tank, means for drawing off fuel from a compartment and admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight of water, and means for filling emptied compartments with water and emptying the compensating tank as set forth.

l. For a submarine, a fuel oil tank divided into a series of compartments, a compensating tank of capacity substantially equal to that of a conqiiartment and arranged substantially at the center of gravity of the oil tank, means for drawing off fuel from a co1npartment and admitting to the compensating tank an equal weight of water, and. means for filling emptied. compartments with water and emptying the compensating tank as set forth.

5. The method of compensating for weight of liquid fuel consumed in operating submarine boats, which consists in admitting to a. compensating chamber a quantity of water equal in weight to the fuel drawn from a fuel. chamber, and after said fuel chamber is empty, filling the latter with water equal. in weight to the fuel. withdrawn and emptying the compensating chamber for reuse inv conniensating loss of weight in asucceeding fuel chamber as fuel is withdrawn from the latter.

6. In a fuel tank system for submarine boats, a series of fuel tanks and a compensat ing tank, means for admitting water to the compensating tank as fuel is withdrawn from a fuel tank for use, means for filling the fuel tank with water after it has been emptied of fuel and means for en'iptying the compensating tank for reuse in compensating the loss of weight in a succeeding fuel tank as the fuel is withdrawn from the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARLEY FOTHERINGHAM HAY.

WVitnesses BERKHART, H. SANDFORT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. G.

Images