US2214713A - Liquefied gas dispensing system - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 10, 1940. L J-, WHITE LIQUEFIED GAS DISPENSING SYSTEM Filed June 20, 1939 1 mvhm Patented Sept. 10, 1940 PATENT OFFICE LIQUEFIED GAS DISPENSING SYSTEM Loyd J. White, San Antonio, Tex., assignor to Southern Steel Company,- San Antonio, Tex., a

corporation of Texas Application June 20, 1939, Serial No. 280,210

8 Claims.

This invention relates to'liquefied gas dispensing systems of the general type disclosed in U. S.

Patents 2,121,673 and 2,121,675 and, among other objects, aims to provide in an underground storage and dispensing system, an improved and compact combination or unitary filling and gas dis pensing fitting carrying a pressure filling valve, a pressure relief valve, a liquid level gauge, a cutoff valve and a back-flow check valve. The main idea is to provide a greatly simplified and compact fitting of this type adapted to be manufactured at a relatively low cost and which is easy to assemble on the standpipe of a system. A further aim is to provide a hollow fitting of this type having a gas chamber arranged centrally between a pair of vertical conduits which carry the filling and the pressure relief valves, respectively.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the preferred form of fitting applied to a gas dispensing system;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the fitting shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the liquefied gas dispensing system, there shown, is of the same general type as that disclosed in Patent 2,121,675. However, it is designed to be filled by a pump or with liquefied gas under higher pressure than that in the tank instead of by gravity, as explained in said patent. The system embodies an underground tank In having the usual standpipe or riser pipe I I to which the filling and dispensing fitting is connected and through which the tank is filled and the gas is dispensed therefrom. In this instance, the standpipe is made much smaller than the standpipe in the patent because the dip-pipe is eliminated, as well as the necessary vapor return valve on the fitting.

The fitting here shown comprises a hollow body I2 which is generally T-shaped, having a lower branch I3 adapted to be connected to the upper screw threaded end of the standpipe II. It is preferably made of a cored casting and has two vertical conduits or branches I4 and I5 on opposite sides of the axis of the standpipe. The branch I4 carries a pressure filling valve I6 and a hose fitting I! together with a back-flow check valve I8 all of which are substantially identical with the filling .valve shown in said patent. The branch conduit I5 carries a safety relief valve I9, also like that shown in said patent. Both of these branches communicate with a filling chamber 20 extending across the lower branch. A substantially horizontal partition 2| above chamber 20 provides an upper vapor chamber 22, the body having a top wall 23 substantially flush with the upper ends of the'two conduits I4 and I5. The partition 2| is shown as having a central opening 24 directly above the lower branch I3 and the stand-pipe through which the tube 25 of an. ordinary slip-tube gauge 26 removably secured in the upper wall 23- projects and passes downwardly into the tank. This opening is larger than the tube to permit vapor to pass into the chamber 22. At the point where liquefied gas enters the lower branch I3 from the filling branch I4, there is shown a downwardly projecting lip 26 which acts as an antisplash bafile to prevent liquid gas from splashing upwardly through the annular space around the slip-tube into the chamber 22. The fitting is shown as having a laterally extending branch 21 having a gas outlet or dispensing conduit 28 controlled by a manual cut-01f" valve 29 which is easily accessible at one side of the fitting. From the conduit 28, the gas passes downwardly through a conduit 30 and a nipple extension 3| carrying an excess fiow check valve 32 which is shown as being of the spring-urged slug type. The usual pressure reducing regulator 33 is removably connected to the nipple extension 3| by an ordinary union coupling 34 and the gas passes through the regulator to a service pipe 35 extending laterally underground above the tank and below the frost line.

The fitting and the pressure reducing regulator, as well as the standpipe, are shown as being housed within a protecting casing 36 having a removable cover 31 above the ground level substantially as shown in said patent and Reissue Patent 20,624. Since the fitting is very compact, the casing also can be made smaller than the casing shown in Patent 2,121,675.

To fill the tank, it is only necessary to connect a. single filling hose to the hose fitting I1 and the liquefied gas is adapted to be pumped through the fitting and standpipe into the tank. While this is going on, gas vapor will be generated in the filling chamber 2E] and will pass upwardly through the opening 24 into the vapor chamber 22 even though the liquefied gas may submerge the upper end of the standpipe. As the pressure increases in the tank, some of the gas contained within it will be condensed, making room for more liquid to enter. However, some vapor will always remain in the tank above the liquid level at reasonable filling pressures, thus making it practically impossible to overfill the tank. An attendant can easily determine the quantity of gas in the tank or the amount required to fill it by manipulating the slip-tube gauge 26, in the usual manner to find the liquid level. The operator then raises the slip-tube gauge to a point where its lower end is at the maximum liquid level in the tank. Incidentally, the tube 25 is shown as having an annular stop member 38 intermediate its ends to strike the lower end of a combination screw plug and stufiing box 39 through which the upper end of the tube passes. This stop member determines the maximum height to which the slip-tube can be raised. When the liquid reaches the lower end of the tube in that position, the dis charge will change from a vapor to afog and notify the operator that the tank is full and the filling pump should be cut off.

' in Patent 2,121,675. Also, the provision of the filling and vapor chambers in the body enables the fitting to be applied to relatively small standpipes and, at the same time, insures that the va r chamber will always be supplied with vapor while the filling operation is going on.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensible that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and subcombinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressure storage tank and a standpipe connected thereto, through which the tank is filled and the gas dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprising a hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapor dispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a vertical valved filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; a second vertical branch carrying a pressure relief valve communicating with one of said chambers; an integral, valved dispensing branch extending laterally from and communicating with said vapor dispensing chamber; and a pressure reducing regulator connected to said dispensing branch.

2. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressure storage tank and a standpipe connected thereto, through which the tank is filled and the gas dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprising a hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapor dispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a vertical valved'filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; a second vertical branch on the opposite side of said chambers from said filling branch carrying a pressure relief valve and also communicating with said receiving chamber; and a valved dispensing branch extending laterally from and communicating with said vapor chamber.

3. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressure storage tank and a vertical branch connected to the upper end of the standpipe; a receiving chamber extending across the vertical branch; two upstanding branches connected to the receiving chamber; a pressure filling valve in one upstanding branch; a pressure relief valve in the other upstanding branch; a partition in the body providing an upper vapor dispensing chamber and having a central opening through which gas passes from the receiving chamber; and a valved gas dispensing branch connected to said vapor chamber.

4. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressure storage tank and a standpipe connected thereto through which the tank is filled and the gas is dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprising a hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapor dispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a vertical valved filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; a second vertical branch carrying a pressure relief valve communicating with one of said chambers; a liquid level gauge removably connected to the top of the body and having a portion projecting through the opening between said chambers and the standpipe into the tank; a valved dispensing branch connected to said vapor chamber; and a pressure regulator connected to said dispensing branch.

5. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressure storage tank and a standpipe connected thereto through which the tank is filled and the gas is dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprising a hollow body having a lower receiving chamber and an upper vapor dispensing chamber and an opening connecting said chambers; a vertical valved filling branch communicating with said receiving chamber; a second vertical branch carrying a pressure relief valve communicating with one of said chambers; a slip-tube gauge removably connected to the top of the body and extending through said chambers and standpipe into the tank; a stop member on the slip-tube to limit its upward movement so that its lower end is at the maximum liquid level in the tank; and a lateral valved dispensing branch integral with and connected to the vapor chamber.

6. In a liquefied gas dispensing system having an underground pressure storage tank and a standpipe connected thereto through which the tank is filled and the gas dispensed, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting removably connected to the upper end of the standpipe comprising a generally T-shaped hollow bodyhaving a single vertical branch connected to the upper end of the standpipe; a receiving chamber extending across the vertical branch; two upstanding branches connected to the receiving chamber; a pressure filling valve in one upstanding branch; a pres-.- sure relief valve in the other upstanding branch; a partition in the body providing an upper vapor dispensing chamber and having a central opening through which gas passes from the receiving chamber; a liquid level gauge removably mounted.

on the body between said upstanding branches and having a portion extending through the opening in said partition and the standpipe into the tank; and a lateral valved dispensing branch connected'to said vapor chamber.

7. As an article of manufacture, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting i'or liquefied gas dispensing systems comprising, in combination, a unitary hollow body having a lower branch adapted to be connected to a standpipe; a filling chamber and a gas dispensing chamber in the body both communicating with the lower branch; an integral partition in the body separating said chambers and having a communicating opening therein; a pair of upstanding branches communicating with the filling chamber, and carrying a filling valve and a pressure relief valve, respectively; an integral, valved dispensing branch communicating with the vapor chamber; and a chamber.

liquid level gauge removably connected to the body between said upstanding branches.

8. As an article of manufacture, a unitary filling and dispensing fitting for liquefied gas dispensing systems comprising, in combination, a

generally T-shaped hollow body having a lower providing an upper vapor chamber and having an opening above the lower branch; a slip-tube gauge secured to the top of the body projecting through said opening; and a laterally extending, valved dispensing branch connected to said vapor LOYD J. WHITE.

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