US1973325A

US1973325A - Feeding and emptying device for reservoirs

Info

Publication number: US1973325A
Application number: US541085A
Authority: US
Inventors: Berger Jacques Louis Bernard
Original assignee: ANDRE PAUL GUINARD
Current assignee: ANDRE PAUL GUINARD
Priority date: 1930-06-05
Filing date: 1931-05-29
Publication date: 1934-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1951-09-11

Description

Sept. 11, 1934. J. B. BERGER FEEDING AND EMPTYING DEVICE FOR RESERVOIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1931 p 1934- J. L. B. BERGER 1,973,325

FEEDING AND EMPTYING DEVICE FOR RESERVOIRS Filed May 29, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 6. Began v nions.

Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES A T E 1'- OFFICE FEEDING AND EMPTYING DEVICE F RESERVOIRS France Application May 29, 1931, Serial No. 541,085

In France June 5, 1930 i 2 Claims. (Cl. 137- 78) In apparatuses actually employed for emptying reservoirs containing liquids, a pump is generally located in a suitable place outside the reservoir and provided with a suction pipe submerged into a reservoir or connected with the bottom thereof. Such apparatuses present, generally a number ofdrawbacks.

When the liquid in the reservoir is viscous, for instance fuel oil contained in storage reservoirs or tank-boats, the flow of said liquid through the suction pipe is obtained with very high losses of charge, thus very slowly, and the pump is far from working at its normal'output. If the matter is to exhaust a very slimy liquid, means are to be provided for heating the liquid in order to increase the fluidity thereof. 1 When the liquid is volatile, for instance petroleum or gasoline, and when the height of exhaustion is important, with, consequently, low 20 pressure within the suction pipe, noticeable losses of liquid through evaporation occur. It has been noted that, when discharging tank-boats containing gasoline, the loss through evaporation, 25 variable according to the seasons, is comprised between 2 and per cent of the treated liquid.

The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus which does not present the above said drawbacks and which is in some way similar to the submerged pumps employed in water-wells. i e The employment of such pumps for reservoirs containing viscous or volatile liquids shows peculiar advantages, since it avoids the drawbacks hereinbefore pointed out. -Moreover, it isnecessary to modify said pumps for the purpose of using them in connection with tank-boats, or reservoirs for fueloil, gasoline and the like.

The invention is characterized firstly by the fact that the apparatus for feeding and emptying comprises a pump, which constitutes, with its motor, a movable unit so arranged that the pump may be submerged in the reservoir at any desired depth.

In one form of the invention, a pipe is pivotally mounted on a lorry, said pipe having the pump on one end and on the other end the motor thereof, for instance an electric or fluid motor. The forcing of the exhausted liquid is made preferably through a tube provided through one of the trun- In the case of a fluid motor, water inlet and outlet is made through tubes provided through the other trunnion.

In another form of execution,the fluid motor is mounted on the pump and the two parts may be submerged as a unit at any desired depth as the emptying of the reservoir-progresses, These pumping apparatuses are provided with a by-pass valve which may be employed also for feeding the reservoir, said device being constituted pref erably by a two-compartment casing provided with valves to automatically reverse the flow,

By way of example, different forms of execution have been hereinafter described with reference to the annexed drawings: i

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical elevation,

1 Figure 2 is a plan view, a 1

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the axis of the trunnions, the tube being upright,

Figure 4' represents diagrammatically a second' form of executionprovided with a fluid motor, i 1

Figure 5 represents a third embodiment, in which the motor and pump unit is carried by the Figure 6 shows another form of execution in which the pipes arearticulated, the motor and pump unit hanging by a float, i

Figure 7 represents an automatically. actuated reversing device for the flow of treated liquid.

The apparatus represented on Figures 1 to 3 comprises an oscillating barrel or tube 1, pivotally supportedby trunnions 2 on bearings 3 carried'by the lorry 4, which may roll on rails '5 mounted on the edge of the-reservoir 6, said rails projecting toward the'inside of the reservoir so as to overhang it, Within the barrel, are located,at" one end, a pump '7, and, at the other end, a motor 8,-counterbalancing and actuating said pump 7 by meansof a shaft 10. Themetion part of the pump 7 opens directly in the liquid; the discharge device is connected with the inside of the barrel 1, and is connected with the discharge pipe 9 through the hollowtrunnion 2. The barrel is counterbalanced in order to oscillate easily around the axis" of the bearing 3, and it is inclined so that the pump remains normally under the level of the liquid.

- When operating, the pump is immersed and forces the liquid, through the barrel 1 and'the trunnion 2, to the discharge pipe 9. The pump beingconstantly' submerged, is fed under the best'possible conditions; furtheiyjas it'may be more'or less inclined, it may exhaust the liquid at diiferent heights in the vertical plane wherein it'rotates, from the vertical positionl to the nearly horizontal position 1-. Theoutput: may be adjusted through the valve 15 enabling to lead back to the reservoir a certain amount of the pumped liquid. The feeding-of the reservoir 6 is made by forcing the liquid, coming from a tank-boat for instance, through the pipe9, the

hollow trunnion 2 and the pipe 12. The inclination of, the counterbalanced barrel is controlled through a screw-wheel 16 engaging an endless screw 16'.

When it is founddesirable to inspect or repair the barrel 1, the latter is brought to its horizon-tal position, the joints are disengaged from the pipes 9 and 12 and the lorry is moved backwards (to the right hand side of Figure 1).

The same apparatus, of smaller size in order to be portable, may be of advantage when the matter is to empty vessels or casks containing viscous materials such as molasses, oils and the like.

In the apparatus shown in Figure 4, a hydraulic motor is used in lieu of. an electromotor. The said motor is supplied with fluid through the pipe 27 disposed in the axis of the truninon 28, the fluid being led from the pipe 29 disposed in the same trunnion coaxially around the pipe 2'7, such arrangement permitting the barrel to be inclined without employing a flexible pipe.

In the apparatusrepresented in Figure 5, the device includes the pump 50 and the hydraulic motor 56' supported by the discharge pipe 51 of the pump, and the supply and exhaust pipes '52 and 53 of the hydraulic motor. 7

These pipes, 51, 52 and 53 are supported by a U-shaped support 54 sealed into the walls 56, projecting through the reservoir opening 57; said pipes are fixed in a ring 58 mounted on a supporting plate 59 which is bolted on the support 54; The pipes 52 and 53 are connected to a pump feeding the hydraulic motor, through crank tubes 63 and 64 and resilient joints not shown. In order to adjust the depth of the pump into the liquid of the reservoir, the pipes 51, 52 and 53 comprise several elements joined by means of flange-

joints

65, 66 and 6'7. Each element is braced by means of rings 69 similar to ring 58, and each of which is located just under a set of flange-

joints

65, 66 and 67.

K The apparatus may be raised as a unit by a crane 70 or by other suitable means. During the raising, the supporting plate 59 is moved in order to permit the rings to pass freely. This operation having been performed, and the ring 69 laying on the supporting plate 59, it is only thennecessary to withdraw the elements of upright pipes 51, 52 and 53 which are over the supporting plate 59, and to connect directly the cranks 60-68 and 64 to the remaining elements.

In the form of Figure 6, the pipes of the pump and motor unit 81 are articulated, at their upper part, in 82, near the edge of the reservoir. 81 is suspended in the liquid by a float 83. 'Anyone of the hereinabove described apparatuses may be employed to empty a tank-boat. It is sufficient for that purpose to fasten it by any suitable means to the cable of a pivoting crane mounted on the pier. In that case, several barrels may be used at the same time, so as to simultaneously empty several compartments so that'the boat will retain its equilibrium. Furthermore, owing to the apparatus described, the pipes and valves usually provided on the tankboats, tank-carriages or the like, are no longer necessary.

The automatically actuated reversing device for the liquid flow, shown in Figure 7, may be mounted on the discharge pipe of a reservoir emptying pump, in 'order to fill or empty at will the said reservoir.

The apparatus comprises two adjacent compartments connected through a check-valve opening in the direction of the emptying flow; the second compartment communicates through a valve with a tube leading back to the reservoir.

The reservoir 6 contains the liquid, for instance fuel-oil. Emptying is made, by, means of the motor and pump unit 81 submerged in the liquid, through the discharge pipe 86, on which is mounted the reversing mechanism 85, as shown on the figure. The said reversing mechanism is divided into two compartments 86 and 8'! connected together through a check-valve 88. The chamber 87 is connected to the return-pipe 89, through a passage 90 provided with a safety valve 91. Direct communication between the chamber 87 and the pipe 89 is barred by the wall 92 on which bears, when it is closed, the valve 93, and may be restored automatically or at will by said checkvalve 93 being open. A filter 94 is located within the chamber 87 on the line of the liquid flow.

When the apparatus is operated to empty the reservoir, the liquid, forced by the pump 81 in the direction indicated by the arrow unseats the check-valve 88 and passes through the filter in the discharge pipe 84. If, for any reason, it is desired to shut a valve 95 on the discharge. pipe, the liquid returns automatically to the reservoir through the valve 91 without being able to liftthe valve 93, the pressure being the same above and below and exerted above on a wider surface.

When the tank 6 is filled with liquid under pressure coming through the pipe 84, the valve 88 remains closed and the valve 93 opens because there is no pressure in the chamber 86 and the liquid of the chamber 8'7 flows into'the discharge pipe 89 above the wall 92. At the same time, a 1

small portion of the liquid flows through the pipe 84 and enters the tank 6 while causing the reversible pump 81 to turn. The by-pass 90 only operates if the flow through the pump 81 is stopped and the pressure increases in the pipe 84 until the lifting of the valve 93 is prevented by the pressure of the chamber 86.

It should further be remarked that the pressure above the valve 93 acts upon a surface which is greater than the surface under the valve 93, so

1. A device for emptying and filling tanks such as tanks for the storage of hydrocarbons, comprising a delivery pump and its motor located at the bottom of the tank, a casing divided into three chambers located outside the tank, a dis-1 charge pipe leading from the pump to the first chamber of the casing, a pipe-line starting from the second chamber of the casing, a filling-pipe leading from the third chamber of the casing to the top opening of the tank, in the said casing means for connecting automatically the first chamber, i. e. the delivery pipe chamber with the second chamber, i. e. the pipe line chamber, said means being controlled-by a pressure in the said first chamber, means for automatically providing its connection between the second chamber, 1. e. the pipe line chamber and the third chamber, 1. e. the filling pipe chamber, said means being controlled by a pressure in the second chamber, and a safety by-pass for the said connection between the second chamber and the third chamber.

2. A device for emptying and filling tanks such as tanks for the storage of hydrocarbons, comprising a delivery pipe and a pump and its motor supported on said pipe in the tank, an automatic reversing device for the liquid flow and comprising a chamber freely communicating with the delivery pipe of the pump, a pipe line and another chamber freely communicating with the said pipe line, and between these two chambers a valve opening automatically toward the pipe line, a filling pipe and a third chamber freely communicating with the said. filling pipe, a wall separating the chamber of the filling pipe from the chamber of the pipe line, and an automatic valve which opens into the chamber of the delivery pipe and. is adapted to provide communication simultaneously between the chamber of the pipe line, the chamber of the delivery pipe and the chamber or the filling pipe, a by-pass having an automatic safety valve causing the chamber of the pipe line to communicate with the filling pipe.

JACQUES LOUIS BERNARD BERGER.