WO1988003127A1

WO1988003127A1 - Fuel dispensing spout

Info

Publication number: WO1988003127A1
Application number: PCT/EP1987/000647
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alba Monica
Original assignee: Alba Monica
Priority date: 1986-10-29
Filing date: 1987-10-26
Publication date: 1988-05-05
Also published as: IT1213517B; IT8622170A0

Abstract

A fuel dispensing spout is equipped with an attachment which is adapted to adsorb and/or to convey to a remote enclosure the noxious fuel and anti-knock compound vapours which can thus be either recovered or destroyed.

Description

FUEL DISPENSING SPOUT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

This invention relates to a fuel dispensing spout. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel dispensing ^■ spout which solves the problems of prevention of pollution by hydrocarbon and lead tetraalkyl vapours, and also reduces fire hazard, thus providing a degree of safety unheard of heretofore in fuel dispensing installations, such as petrol pumps and the like. A long felt problem connected with the dispensing of fuel for motor crafts and motorized vehicles in general is that of the possibility of inhalation of noxious vapours by fuel pump attendants and, of course, motorists.

Tetraalkyl lead is a well known poison, and hydrocarbon vapours are likewise toxic: in addition, especially in hot weather, the flammability of hydrocarbon vapours is another problem. An evidence of this is that, under the general safety rules obtaining in nearly all nations, the fuel pump attendants must be qualified persons which are aware of the dangers inherent in the manipulation of liquid fuels.

The problem becomes still more serious in those service stations in which the so-called self-service is adopted, the more so that the common customers are very often unaware of the dangers connected with the manipulation of liquid fuels, either with anti-knock additives or not. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: The invention aims at solving all these problems by a special arragement of the component parts of a fuel-dispensing spout.

According to the invention, a fuel-dispensing spout is provided, which is characterized in that it comprises an attachment co-axially secured to the fuel-dispensing tube-section and intended to match in a sealtight manner the opening of the fuel tank of the vehicle concerned, said attachment consisting of a generally axonic body provided with internal ribs or protrusions for defining a plurality of chambers communicating with the interior of the vehicle's fuel tank and connected to a manifold chamber terminated by a discharge tubular extension to be connected either to a vapour-absorbing cartridge, or to a pipe leading to a remote vapour collecting enclosure. The material of which the attachment in question is to be made must be non-ferrous, or anti-spark if a metallic material is selected, otherwise any appropriate material, such as plastics materials, can be adopted.

The attachment can take any appropriate shape, consistently with the outline of the fuel-inlet pipe of the vehicle's fuel tank: thus, shapes such as generally conical, cylindrical, disc-like, proboscidal and like forms can be adopted.

The gases emanating from the vehicle's fuel tank can thus be collected, or adsorbed, and are therefore prevented from polluting the environment close to the liquid fuel pump. These gases can be properly destroyed, or, that which is important from an economical standpoint whenever large volumes of liquid fuel are handled, recovered by condensation or otherwise: in this latter connection, test fields have shown that a volume of from 0.3% to 0.4% of the manipulated fuel can profitably be recovered and recycled.

The invention will be more detailedly described and illustrated in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, which is shown, by way of illustration only, in the accompanying drawing, wherein: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: Figure 1 is an overall view of the device, as attached to a conventional fuel-dispensing spout: the showing is partly in view and partly in section and the portion of the fuel-conveying hose attached to the dispensing gun has been omitted for the sake of clarity;

Figure la is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figure 1;

Figure lb is, likewise, a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of Figure 1, and

Figure lc is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:

With refence to the drawing, the reference numeral 1 indicates the usual fuel dispensing tube, 2 generally connotes the attachment according to the present invention: as best seen in the sectional views la, lb and lc, the attachment 2 has internally projecting ribs or gills (unreferenced), which provide a gap between the outer surface of the pipe section 1 and the body of the attachment 2. Thus, the vapours of fuel and possible anti-knock compounds, which cannot seep between the outer surface of 1 and the fuel tank mouth (not shown) due to the tight seal established therefrom, are conveyed into a manifold-like chamber 4, formed in the attachment 2, and, therefrom, they can flow, via the tubular extension 3, to a vapour collecting enclosure (not shown) placed at an appropriate safety distance from the fuel dispensing installation (petrol pump), or, as an alternative, to an adsorbent cartridge (not shown) secured directly to said tubular extension 3 and filled with an appropriate adsorbant, such as activated charcoal .

As an alternative, adsorbant material can be positioned only or also in the interspaces between the internal ribs or protrusions of the attachment according to the invention.

The connection between the tubular extension 3 of the attachment 2 and the collecting, or disposal, enclosure, or the adsorbant cartridge if so desired, can be of any conventional kind, such as screwed fitting, snap fitting, bayonet fitting and the Tike. Moreover, if a vapour-conveying hose is fitted onto the tubular extension 3 of the attachment 2, it can run parallely of the usual fuel dispensing hose, or it might also be provided internally and coaxially therewithal.

Optionally, the device in question can be equipped with properly positioned vent holes or vacuum-breaking valves to ensure a continuous air flow and to prevent the fuel tank of the vehicle being refuelled from being evacuated: of course, conventional waste-preventing mechanisms can be provided, as usual, to cut the fuel flow as the vehicle's fuel tank is topped up.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Fuel-dispensing spout, characterized in that it further comprises an attachment (2) coaxially secured to the fuel-dispensing-tube-section (1) and intended to match in a sealtight manner the opening of the fuel-tank of the vehicle concerned, said attachment (2) consisting of a generally axonic body provided with internal ribs or protrusions for defining a plurality of chambers communicating with the interior of the vehicle's fuel tank and connected to a manifold-like chamber (4) terminated by a discharge tubular extension (3) to be connected either to a vapour absorbing cartridge, or to a pipe leading to a remote vapour-collecting enclosure.

2. Fuel dispensing spout according to claim 1, wherein the material of which said attachment (2), is made is a non-ferrous, or anti-spark metal or alloy if metallic, and is of any other appropriate material .

3. Fuel dispensing spout according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the attachment is such as geometrically to match in a sealtight manner the outline of the fuel-inlet pipe of the vehicle's fuel tank.

4. Fuel dispensing spout according to claim 1, wherein the pipe leading to a remote vapour collecting enclosure is positioned internally and coaxially with respect to the fuel-dispensing hose.

5. A fuel dispensing spout according to claim 1, wherein the pipe leading to a remote vapour-collecting enclosure runs externally and parallely relative to the fuel-dispensing hose.