US636076A

US636076A - Apparatus for storing hydrocarbons or other liquids.

Info

Publication number: US636076A
Application number: US71759199A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-05-20
Filing date: 1899-05-20
Publication date: 1899-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1916-10-31

Description

' No. 636,076. Patented Oct. 3|, I899.

, J. SMITH. APPARATUS FOR sTUBINfi HYDBDGARBONS UR OTHER LIQUIDS.

(Application Med May 20,1899.) (No Mo el-9 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

FLgi].

Tnve 111F1- (No Model.)

Patented Oct, 3|; I899.

J. SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR STORING I'IYDBOCARBON'S OR OTHER LIQUIDS.

(Applicltion fllad m 20, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

pzFnesses @Qfi mazdl'z? 5 m: Nomus PEIiRS 00,. PHOYOLITHOH WASHINGTON, o. c.

@NITED STATES P TENT OFF-Ice.

' 'JOHN SMITH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR STORING HYDROCARBONS OR OTHER LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 636,076, dated October 31 ,1899.

Application filed May 20, 1899. Serial No. 717,591. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern): I 7

Be it known that I, JOHN SMITH, engineer, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Penge, London,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Storing Hydrocarbons and other Liquids, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isa vertical transverse section, and Fig. 2 a plan, partly in horizontal section, showing one form of myimproved apparatus. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section showing another form or modification of myimproved apparatus.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

My invention is chiefly designed to provide for the storage of volatile liquid hydrocarbons in such a manner as to prevent the formation of explosive mixtures of hydrocarbon vapor and air in the storage-tank when the volatile liquid has been wholly or partially withdrawn therefrom, and at the same time to permit of the said liquid being drawn off more free from dirt and other foreign matter than is practicable with the ordinary storage-tanks. In the case of the storage of such liquids on board a ship or on a vehicle my said invention also obviates the liability to violent agitation of the volatile liquid by the movements of the ship or vehicle when some of the said liquid has been withdrawn from the storage-tank.

I construct my improved storage-tank in such a manner that a liquid, such as water, of greater specific gravity than that to be stored will be admitted to the said tank to replace any of the volatile liquid drawn off, and thus the said tank will be kept at all times full of liquid, leaving no space available in the tank for the accumulation of inflammable vapor or gas. The volatile liquid being of less specific gravity will float on the surface of the water.

To this end my said invention consists partlyin the combination,with a storage-tank, of a tube extending upward from the bottom or near the bottom of said tank to a suitable distance above the top thereof, this tube bein g provided with holes or perforations below the top of said tank and with an outlet in its upper part above the top of said tank for drawing off the stored liquid and a pipe or tube opening into the lower end of said tank for the admission and discharge of the liquid of greater specific gravity, and my said invention further consists in other improvements hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, wherein my invention is shown applied to a storage-tank on board a ship, a is the tank for storing the volatile liquid, and b the discharge-tube for the said liquid. This tube 19 opens atits lower end into a shallow well or depression 0 in the bottom of the tank a. The said tube extends upward to a, suitable distance above the top of the said tank and is closed at its upper end by a cap (1, which may, if desired, be provided with a glass window for the purpose hereinafter explained. Perforations e are formed in the tube 1) for any suitable distance below the top of the tank a to permit the flow of the volatile liquid from the said tank into the said tube, and vice versa. At a suitable distance above the top of the tank the said tube is provided with a cook or valve f for drawing off the volatile liquid as required.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the well 0 also receives the open lower end of a second tube g, which serves for the introduction of water into and its discharge from the tank a and which extends up through the said tank to a suitable height above the top thereof. This water-tube g is connected by means of a pipe h, provided with a controlling valve or cook 11, with a circulating or other pump, (not shown in the drawings.) so that when the said cock '5 and the draw-0E cock f are opened the said pump can force water into the tank a in a sufficient quantity to replace the volatile liquid being drawn off or to displace the volatile liquid, so as to permit of the desired quantity of the same being drawn oif. The volatile liquid being of less specific grav ity than the water will rise in the tube 29 to a higher level than the water in the tube g, and therefore there will be a reserve of the volatile liquid above the level of the draw-01f cock f suflicient to compensate for slight irregularities in the supply of water to the tube g. The tube 9 is also provided with an overflowpipe j, opening seaward, which is provided with a non-return valve to prevent entrance of the sea-water through it. The tank a is, moreover, provided with a pipe Z, extending to the side of the ship for connection with a hose or other means for filling the said tank with the volatile liquid, which pipe is provided with a cock or valve m. The upper end of this pipe should be above the highest level of the liquid in the discharge-tube b, in order to prevent escape of the volatile liquid when the hose is disconnected. In the filling of the tank with the volatile liquid the water displaced flows out through the tube 9 and overflow-pipe j.

In order to indicate the amount of volatile liquid drawn off from the tank a or contained therein at any particular time, a float n is arranged in the tube 1) of such specific gravity that it will sink in the volatile liquid, but will float on the surface of the water beneath the same and will rise and fall with the level of the water. This float is connected by a cord or chain 10 with a registering or indicating device q of suitable known construction which is visible through the window in the cap 61 and will register either the quantity of volatile liquid remaining in the tank or the quantity which has been drawn therefrom since it was filled with such liquid.

The part of the discharge-tube b which extends from the top to near the bottom of the tank a and which is perforated at a suitable distance below the top of the said tank serves two purposes. It is useful as a strainer to prevent any floating bodies from entering the discharge-tube, while permitting the volatile liquid to flow freely into the same, and it is also useful as a guide and protection for the float '12, since it shields the said float from disturbances which occur in the liquids contained in the tank when volatile liquid is supplied to the same or when the tank is oscillated or shaken by the motion of a ship or vehicle in which it is fixed. Since the float can only move up and down in the tube 1), the quantity of liquid contained in or Withdrawn from the tank will be more accurately registered than would otherwise be practicable.

It is evident that as the tank a is always full of liquid no inflammable vapor or gas can accumulate therein and no violent agitation of thevolatile liquid can at any time take placefor example, by reason of the rolling or pitching of a ship-such as would occur in an ordinary storage-tank after the drawing oil. of some of the volatile liquid, and as the volatile liquid can only be drawn oif from the top of the tank it will be free from any heavy particles of. dirt or other foreign matter, which will sink to the bottom of the tank, and therefore cannot be drawn 0d with the volatile liquid.

In Fig, 3 I have shown another form or arrangement of my improved apparatus for use in cases where the level of the water outside a ship, barge, or the like is approximately constant and is on about the same or a higher level than that of the draw-off cockf. In this arrangement the lower end of the tank ais in communication with the water outside the ship, barge, or the like through a pipe 1', provided with a suitable cook or valve 8 for controlling the tlow of water through the said pipe as desired. In this case I can dispense with the pump 01 the like hereinbefore mentioned for forcing in water to replace the volatile liquid drawn ofi, since the water from the exterior will enter by the action of gravity and will raise the volatile liquid as a portion thereof is drawn off through the cock f and fill the space previously occupied thereby.

For domestic use and in other cases the water required to replace the volatile liquid drawn off from the storage-tank can be supplied as needed from an ordinary cistern or other suitable source.

My improved apparatus is also applicable for the storage of other liquids, and it is obvious that if such liquids are of greater specific gravity than water a heavier liquid than water must be used for displacing them in the storage-tank.

It is evident, moreover, that the construction of my improved apparatus can be somewhat modified without departing from the nature of my said invention.

What I claim isv 1. Astorage-tankforliquids, provided with a dischargetube extending from the bottom or near the bottom thereof to a point above its top and provided with lateral inlet-perforations below the top of 'said tank, through which perforations the stored liquid flows from the tank into said discharge-tube and rises therein, a separate inlet-pipe for the liquid to be stored, and a tube or pipe open ing into the lower end of said tank for the admission and discharge of a liquid of greater specific gravity than the liquid to be stored, for the Pur oses above specified.

2. The combination, with a closed tank for storing liquid, of a discharge-tube extending upward from the bottom or near the bottom of said tank to a point above the top thereof and provided with'lateral inlet-perforations below the top of said tank, through which perforations the stored liquid flows from the tank into said discharge-tube and rises therein, a

separate inlet-pipe for the liquid to be stored, another tube or pipe opening into the lower end of said tank, and a lateral outlet for the stored liquid located near the lower end of that part of said discharge-tube above the tank, whereby a reserve of the stored liquid is maintained above said outlet, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.

3. The combination, with a closed tank for storing liquid, of a discharge-tube extending from the bottom or near the bottom thereof through the top and above the same and pro= vided with lateral inlet-perforations below the top of said tank, through which perforations the stored liquid flows from the tank into said discharge-tube and rises therein, a draw-0d IIO storing liquid, of a discharge-tube extending upward from the bottom or near the bottom of said tank to a point above the top thereof and provided with lateral perforations below the top of said tank, through which perforations the stored liquid flows from the tank into said tube and rises therein, a separate inlet-pipe for the liquid to be stored, an outlet for the stored liquid in said dischargetube above the top of the tank but below the top of said tube, and another tube or pipe opening into the lower end of said tank, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.

5. Thecombination, with a closed tank for storing liquid, of a discharge-tube extending upward from the bottom of said tank to a point above the top thereof and provided with lateral inlet-perforations below the top of said tank, through which perforations the stored liquid flows from the tank into said dischargetube and rises therein, a second tube extending upward from the bottom or near the bottom of said tank to a point above the top thereof, and open at its upper end, a separate inlet-pipe for the liquid to be stored, a

lateral outlet for the stored liquid in said discharge-tube above the top of the tank but below the top of said tube, and a supply-pipe for a liquid of greater specific gravity connected with said second tube, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a closed tank for storing liquid, of a discharge-tube extending upward from the bottom -or near the bottom of said tank to a point above the top thereof and provided with lateral inlet-perforations below the top of said tank, through which perforations the stored liquid flows from the tank into said discharge-tube and rises therein, an outlet for the stored liquid in said tube, above the top of the tank but below the top of said tube, a second tube extending upward from the bottom or near the bottom of said tank to a point above the top thereof, and open at its upper end, a supply-pipe for a liquid of greater specific gravity connected with said second tube, and an overflow-pipe also connected with said second tube and controlled by a. non-return valve, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit nesses.

JOHN SMITH.

Witnesses:

DAVID YOUNG, ALEXANDER W. ALLEN.