US2557491A

US2557491A - Air tank fitting

Info

Publication number: US2557491A
Application number: US18214A
Authority: US
Inventors: George W Wright; Harrison Charles
Original assignee: Tokheim Oil Tank & Pump Compan
Current assignee: Tokheim Oil Tank & Pump Co; Tokheim Oil Tank & Pump Compan
Priority date: 1948-03-31
Filing date: 1948-03-31
Publication date: 1951-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 1968-06-19

Description

June 19, 1951 w, wR|GHT ET AL I 2,557,491

AIR TANK FITTING Filed March 31, 1948 GEORGE! Ive/cur 8-. CHAL3 Aimee/sou Patented June 19, 1951 AIR TANK FITTING George W. Wright and Charles Harrison, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignors to Tokheim Oil Tank & Pump Company, Fort Wayne, 11111., a corporation of Indiana Application March 31, 1948, Serial No. 18,214

4 ()laims. l

This invention relates to a discharge fitting for an air tank.

In air compressing equipment, the compressor is usually connected to a storage or absorption tank, and the compressed air is taken oil from the tank. A liquid sludge accumulates in such tanks, as from condensation of water and oil which is carried into it with the air delivered from the compressor, and tanks are frequently provided with drain plugs by which such sludge can be removed. The tanks are also usually provided with a pressure relief valve, to keep the pressure in them within safe limits.

Our invention provides a combination fitting which may be attached to an air tank, and espe cially to an absorption tank, which combines in a single unit all the functions of an outlet fitting, a pressure-responsive relief valve, a manual pressure release valve, and a sludge removing outlet. The fitting is especially applicable for use on an absorption tank, for it is customary to release the pressure from such an absorption tank either when the compressor is shut down or during starting, and in such application the invention provides automatic sludge removal.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention:

Fig. l is a vertical central section of a fitting embodying our invention, showing the fitting in association with a tank, and showing the valve in closed position; Fig. 2 is a vertical central section at right angles to the section of Fig. 1 and showing the valve in open position; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the fitting shown in Fig. 1, with the handle thereof removed, and Fig. 4 is a bottom plan of the handle.

The air compressor it delivers air through the pipe H to the tank 52, usually at a point above its bottom wall 53. When the tank I2 is an absorption tank, it serves primarily to smooth out the pulsations which occur in the delivered air from operation of the compressor it. The tank I2 is provided with a collar M to receive the discharge fitting, desirably at a point directly above the lowest point of the bottom wall ii; of the tank.

The delivery fitting comprises a neck l5 threaded into the collar hi and a side delivery opening it to which valved air-operated equipment may be attached and through which normal delivery of air occurs as required by that equipment. A cylindrical housing ll, conveniently coaxial with the delivery passage through the neck I5, is formed on that neck above the delivery opening I6. The dividing wall between the housmg I! and the neck I5 is formed to provide an upstanding valve seat rim I8. Within the rim ill the dividing wall is bored to provide a hole l9 of less diameter than the passage through the neck l5, and the upper end of that hole I9 is counterbored to form a shoulder 2!! in that hole below the valve seat it. A tube 2! is fixed in the hole l9 and extends downwardly through the passage in the neck 15, and substantially to the bottom wall l3 of the tank. The tube may conveniently be secured in place by expanding its Walls below the dividing wall and flaring its upper end over the shoulder 20. V

A valve member 22 loosely received in the valve chamber within the housing ll seats on the valve seat It. A cover 23, desirably with a depending flange 2t fitting against the walls of the housing I? is secured on the housing, as by means of screws 25 through the wall ll into the flange 24. A plunger 26 is slidably and rotatably mounted in the cover 23 over the cent-er of the valve member 22. Its lower end carries a valve engaging head 27, and the plunger 26 is surrounded by a spring 28 urging the head 2'! downwardly against the valve member 22, and reacting against the top wall of the cover 23.

The upper end of the head 23 is formed to provide a pair of diametrically opposite, flattopped cams 29. A handle 30 is secured to the upper end of the rod 27 and has on its under face a pair of cam-engaging lugs 3!. In closed-valve position, the lugs 3! lie free between the two cams 29. A quarter turn of the handle moves the lugs 3| up the cam surfaces of the cams 3B and onto the flat tops of these cams, which lifts the plunger 26 against the spring 25?, to retract the head 2'! upward and release the valve member 22 for movement away from its seat IE One or more discharge openings 32 are formed through the wall I! adjacent the valve member 22.

Operation is as follows: It is assumed that some air operated equipment, such as a spray gun or a grease gun, is attached to the fitting at the opening 5 ii, and that the air control valve of that equipment is closed. Before starting the compressor Ill, the handle 30 is desirably moved to or through valve releasing position, which releases any air pressure in the tank 12, as will appear. If the valve is left in open position during the starting, it is then closed. Operation of the compressor builds up air pressure in the tank, and upon demand of the air operated equipment, air under pressure is delivered through the annular passage between the tube 2! and the neck I5 and through the delivery opening it to the air operated equipment. If the air pressure exceeds the amount predetermined by the tension of the spring 28, the pressure lifts the valve 22 from its seat l8 and permits a pressure release. During such pressure release, the path of flow is into the lower end of the tube 2| adjacent the bottom wall l3 of the tank l2, and upward through that tube 2| to the counterbore within the valve seat l8, thence between the valve seat l8 and the valve member 22 to the valve chamber within the housing [1, and thence to atmosphere through the openings 32.

When use of the equipment is stopped, pressure in the tank I2 is released by turning the handle 30 to or through valve releasing position. Again, the path of flow for this release is into the bottom end of the tube 2|, upward through that tube, past the valve 22, and to atmosphere through the openings 32.

In any such release of pressure in the tank l2, either because the valve 22 is lifted by excess pressure or by operation of the handle 30, the path of flow from the tank is through the bottom end of the tube 2|. The bottom end of that tube 2|, being positioned close to the bottom wall l3 of the tank |2, will be submerged in any accumulation of liquid sludge, and as a result any flow which occurs will automatically cause a discharge of the accumulation of sludge. Thus, normal and usual operation of the air compressing equipment will automatically prevent progressive accumulation of sludge in the tank, and will discharge sludge through a path which, though provided by the single fitting, will be wholly separate from the normal air delivery passage.

We claim as our invention:

1. A combination fitting adapted to be attached to an air tank above its bottom, a passage therein to receive air from the tank, a passage therefrom for normal delivery of air, a valve chamber out of communication with said passages, a pressure relief and clean-out tube extending from said valve chamber through the air-receiving passage of said fitting and having an inlet opening at a point adapted to lie adjacent the bottom of the air tank, a valve seat about the opening of said tube into said valve chamber, a valve member loosely received in said valve chamber in position to engage said seat, a cover on said valve chamber, a plunger movably mounted in said cover and yieldingly urged against said valve to seat it on said seat, a manually operable handle on the plunger, and cam means between said handle and said cover to retract the valve engaging member from the valve.

2. A combination fitting adapted to be attached to an air tank above its bottom, comprising a nipple having an air delivery passage adapted to deliver air from the tank, a valve chamber out of communication with said passage, an air-relief and clean-out conduit through said nipple and adapted to open to said tank at a point adjacent the bottom thereof, said conduit leading to the valve chamber out of communication with the air-delivery passage, a valve seat about the valve-chamber end of said conduit, a valve member on said seat, a springpressed plunger urging said valve to seated position and movable thereby in response to excess air pressure, and manually operable means for retracting said plunger against its spring to release the valve member.

3. A combination fitting for an air tank, comprising a nipple adapted to be sealed to the tank at a point above its bottom, an axial passage in said nipple open at its tank end, a lateral airdelivery passage communicating with said nipple passage, an air relief and clean-out tube extending through said nipple passage and of smaller cross sectional area than said nipple passage, said tube extending through the end Wall of said nipple passage and forming a passage out of communication with the air delivery passage and adapted to communicate with the tank at a point adjacent the bottom thereof, a valve seat formed in said end-wall about the end of said tube, upstanding valve-retaining walls about said seat, a valve member loosely received within said walls on said seat, a cover removably mounted on said walls, a plunger carried by said cover and spring pressed against said valve, a rotatable handle fixed to the outer end of said plunger, and cam means between said handle and cover and operable upon rotation of said handle to retract the plunger from the valve.

4. A combination fitting for an air tank, comprising a housing adapted to be attached to the air tank at a point above its bottom, a conduit projecting therefrom and adapted to open to the tank at a point adjacent the bottom thereof, a separate air delivery passage in said housing, a discharge passage separate from said air delivery passage, a pressure-responsive valve in said housing between the outer end of said conduit and said discharge passage, and a handle operative to release said pressure responsive valve to vent said tank through the bottom opening of said conduit.

GEORGE W. WRIGHT. CHARLES HARRISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 382,329 Seymour May 8, 1888 674,675 Fernald May 21, 1901 753,324 Shanklin Mar. 1, 1904 1,421,319 Stern June 27, 1922 1,575,547 Conrad Mar. 2, 1926 2,083,964 Schulz June 15, 1937