WO2003006358A1

WO2003006358A1 - Service station fuel storage installation and method of filling a service station tank

Info

Publication number: WO2003006358A1
Application number: PCT/FR2002/002461
Authority: WO
Inventors: Serge Albert Pierre Selles
Original assignee: Sellco Sa
Priority date: 2001-07-12
Filing date: 2002-07-11
Publication date: 2003-01-23
Also published as: FR2827268B1; FR2827268A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel storage installation (I) comprising tanks (C1, C2, C3) which are each fitted with a vent conduit (13, 23, 33). The vent conduit (13, 23, 33) is connected to a vent gas (F2) condenser (14, 24, 34), said condenser being disposed in relation to the tank (C1, C2, C3) in such a way that the condensates flow (F3) towards the tank by means of gravity. Said vent conduit is also connected to the inside of the casing of a cabinet (A) which is isolated from the exterior. The inventive method comprises a step whereby the vent gases in a tank (C1, C2, C3) are cooled; another step in which the condensates are directed (F3) towards said tank; and a step involving the periodic activation of a coolant compressor which is associated with a condenser.

Description

FUEL STORAGE INSTALLATION IN A SERVICE STATION AND METHOD FOR FILLING A SERVICE STATION TANK

The invention relates to a fuel storage installation for motor vehicles and to a service station comprising such an installation. The invention also relates to a method of filling with fuel at least one tank of such a service station.

In the field of fuel distribution for motor vehicles, it is known to periodically fill the tanks of a service station with different types of fuel. The quantity of fuel poured into each tank must be checked in order to determine the price to be paid by the service station to its supplier as well as the amount of the corresponding taxes. To do this, it is known to reason from a theoretical fuel volume brought to the temperature 15 ° C.

However, when the fuel is poured into the tank, there is a phenomenon of "gas recovery" resulting in the generation of vapors heavily loaded with fuel. Indeed, the most conventionally used fuels tend to volatilize from low temperatures, for example of the order of -36 ° C for petrol.

It is known to collect vent gases loaded with fuel vapor by directing them from the tank to the tank of the delivery truck, this in order to limit, as much as possible, atmospheric pollution.

However, the quantities of fuel thus lost by each service station in the form of steam, can prove to be very significant, especially when deliveries are performed while the ambient temperature is relatively high. The losses suffered by an operator, who pays for a product and the related taxes, while this product does not remain in its tanks, can amount to several hundred thousand francs for a service station.

It is known from US-A-3, 956, 903 to use a condenser positioned outside and intended to treat the vents coming from several tanks then to redirect the condensates towards a single tank, which can induce fuel mixtures. In addition, this weather-exposed condenser can be dangerous as it contains explosive vapors.

It is also known from US-A-3, 815, 327 to provide for cooling the vent gases coming from a tank by circulating them in a bath of heat transfer liquid, which is complicated to implement and requires the creation of a watertight container for each pump. Vent treatment equipment is not protected from the ambient atmosphere, which can lead to explosion risks.

It is to these drawbacks that the invention more particularly intends to remedy by proposing an installation which makes it possible to very greatly limit the return of vapor from the fuels to the tank of a delivery truck, that is to say the losses for the operator, while having a highly secure operation compared to the known device.

In this spirit, the invention relates to a fuel storage installation for motor vehicles which comprises tanks each equipped with a vent pipe connected to a vent gas condenser disposed relative to each tank, so that condensate from a tank can flow to this tank by gravity, characterized in that it also includes a condensation cabinet (A) including condensers in a number equal to the number of fuel vent ducts of the "petrol", "super" or "lead-free" type in the installation, these condensers being grouped in a common housing and supplied with heat transfer fluid from at least one compressor.

Thanks to the invention, the gases returned to the tank of the delivery truck are, for the most part, discharged into fuel, which greatly limits the risks of pollution. The condensates, that is to say for the main part of the fuel, are recovered automatically because they flow naturally towards the tank concerned. The cabinet can be installed, as a vent gas collection module, in the area where the vent ducts are usually grouped. By isolating the various condensers inside the enclosure of the enclosure, it is possible to confine the explosive vapors in this enclosure and to isolate them from potential explosive sources, such as electrical equipment. It is not necessary to provide a condenser for diesel or domestic fuel tanks because these fuels emit vapors from 65 ° C.

According to advantageous but not compulsory aspects of the invention, the installation incorporates one or more of the following characteristics:

- The compressor is common to the condensers

The compressor is placed in an annex box which can be attached to the main box in which the condensers are placed.

The enclosure of the cabinet comprises means of thermal insulation of the condensers from their environment, which makes it possible to improve their efficiency. In particular, the or each condenser is advantageously connected to the corresponding vent pipe and / or to a pipe suitable for being connected to the tank of a fuel delivery vehicle by means of a thermally insulating sleeve. - The or each condenser comprises a generally cylindrical casing, an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, connected respectively to the corresponding vent pipe and to a pipe suitable for being connected to the tank of a fuel vehicle. This envelope and these collectors together define a circulation volume of vent gas in thermal contact with a coil in which a heat transfer fluid circulates.

The invention also relates to a service station which comprises a fuel storage installation as described above. Such a service station is more economical and less polluting than those of the state of the art.

The invention finally relates to a method of filling with fuel at least one service station tank comprising an installation as previously described. In this process, the vent gases from the tank are cooled and the condensates resulting from this cooling are directed to the tank and a step of periodic activation of at least one heat transfer fluid compressor associated with a condenser is provided.

This makes it possible to operate the condensers regularly, in anticipation of a planned fuel delivery or, in the case where a recovery of the vent gases also takes place at the level of the counters, in order to deal with an increase in pressure in the tank resulting from the suction of gases at the volumeter counter gun.

This method may further include a step of automatically detecting the filling of the tank and a subsequent automatic step of activating at least one heat transfer fluid compressor associated with a condenser.

As a variant, the periodic activation stage is determined as a function of the days and hours planned for the fuel deliveries.

Whatever the embodiment considered, the heat transfer fluid is advantageously cooled to a temperature of between approximately -30 ° C. and approximately -40 ° C. when the compressor is activated. Such temperatures make it possible to obtain efficient cooling in the condenser, with the return of the water vapor in gaseous form to the tank of the delivery vehicle and with minimum ice formation.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the following description of an embodiment of an installation and methods of filling the tanks of a service station. in accordance with its principle, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the principle of a service station according to the invention, during filling of one of its tanks;

- Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a condensation cabinet used in the station of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a principle section along the line III-III in Figure 2;

FIG. 4 is a principle section along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3 and

- Figure 5 is a section on a larger scale along the line VV in Figure 3, when the condenser is mounted in the corresponding cabinet. The service station S shown in FIG. 1 comprises three tanks Ci, C ₂ and C ₃ each intended to contain a fuel intended to be dispensed from pumps, only one of which is represented in FIG. 1 with the reference P.

In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the tank Ci is being filled from the tank 10 of a delivery truck, as shown by the arrows Fi. A filling pipe 11 connects the tank 10 to the tank Ci in which is disposed a gauge 12. A vent pipe 13 has its inlet orifice 13a disposed in the upper part of the tank Ci to collect the resulting vent gases of the filling operation. The circulation of vent gases is represented by arrows F ₂ .

According to the invention, the conduit 13 is connected to the inlet of a condenser 14. The outlet of this condenser is connected to a pipe 15, itself connected to an inlet orifice 10a provided on the tank 10. The pipe 15 is provided with a branch branch 15a equipped with a valve 15b for venting in the event of overpressure.

In other words, the condenser 14 is integrated into the line for collecting the vents from the tank Ci in the direction of the tank 10, this line being formed by the union of the conduit 13 and the pipe 15.

Thanks to the invention, the vent gases, which are cooled in the condenser 14, are discharged from the fuel vapors which condense, fall towards the duct 13 and flow towards the tank Ci, as shown by the arrows F ₃ .

The condenser 14 is arranged above ground level and the tank C _x is buried, so that the condensates produced in the condenser 14 can flow by simple gravity towards the tank Ci. The tanks C ₂ and C ₃ of this installation I are each equipped with a vent pipe 23 or 33 connected to a condenser 24 or 34, itself connected to a pipe 25 or 35 capable of being connected to the tank. 10, when one of the tanks C ₂ and C ₃ is being filled.

Of course, the representation of Figure 1 is very schematic and a service station can contain more than three tanks, in which case the number of condensers is adapted. The condensers 14, 24 and 34 are grouped in a cabinet A comprising a box 50 of generally parallelepiped shape, the lower faces 51 and upper 52 of which are respectively pierced with openings 51a and 52a for passage of the conduits 13, 23 and 33 and the pipes 15, 25 and 35.

The condenser 14 comprises a metal casing 141 of cylindrical shape, with a generally rectangular section, obtained by folding and welding a metal plate and disposed with its generally vertical central axis XX ′ in the housing 50. The casing 141 is closed, respectively, in the lower part and in the upper part, by an inlet manifold 142 and an outlet manifold 143. In practice, these collectors are formed by identical parts welded to the casing 141. The manifold 143 comprises a web 143a overall perpendicular to the axis XX 'and a threaded end 143b. This tip 143b is screwed into a sleeve 145 made of a thermally insulating plastic material, which is resistant to hydrocarbons. A second end piece 146 is screwed into the sleeve 145, on the side opposite to the end piece 143b, this end piece 146 extending by a threaded section 147 on which locking nuts 148 and 148 ′ of the end piece 146 can be tightened relative to to the upper face 52 of the housing 50. O-ring seals 149 and 149 ' are provided between the ends 143b and 146, on the one hand, and the sleeve 145, on the other hand. Flat seals 149 '' are also integrated between the nuts, 148 and 148 ', and the face 52 of the housing 50. The pipe 15 is fitted or screwed onto the section 147 of the end piece 146, as shown in phantom in the figure 5.

A similar construction is used at the connection zone between the duct 13 and the manifold 142, that is to say at the level of the passage of the lower face 51 of the housing 50. An insulating sleeve 145 'is interposed between a end-piece, 142b of the manifold 142 and an end-piece 146 'on which the duct 13 can be fitted or screwed. At the openings 51a, two nuts of the type of nuts 148 and 148' are not provided, but only one, or even none , which allows sliding of the threaded section 147 'of the nozzle 146' in the corresponding opening 51a. This makes it possible to take account of the dimensional variations of the component parts of the installation, these variations being a function of the temperature differences which they undergo.

Thanks to the use of the insulating sleeves 145 and 145 ', it is possible to thermally decouple the condenser 14, the conduit 13 and the pipe 15. Furthermore, an insulating coating 16 surrounds the condenser 14 in order to thermally insulate it by compared to the ambient atmosphere. This coating can consist of glass wool or polyurethane foam.

A tube 160 is connected to the manifold 142 and extends inside the conduit 13, which makes it possible to circulate the condensates in the conduit 13 against the flow of the vents, without the risk of a new vaporization of the condensates being induced by a relatively high velocity of the vent gases. As a variant and as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 3, the tube 160 can form a pipe distinct from the conduit 13 and connecting the inlet manifold 142 to the tank 14.

A pulse flow meter 161 mounted on the part of the tube 160 located outside the conduit 13 makes it possible to measure the quantity of condensate recovered.

The condensers 14, 24 and 34 are supplied with heat transfer fluid from a compressor 61 arranged in an annex box 60 intended to be attached to the main box 50. Pipes 63 make it possible to connect, in series, the compressor 61, d on the one hand, and the condensers 14, 24 and 34, on the other hand, a closed loop for circulation of the heat transfer fluid being created from and towards the compressor 61 as shown in phantom. Depending on the number of vents, several compressors can be used, in which case they can each be connected to one or more condensers.

As can be seen more particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4, a coil 150 is arranged inside the condenser 14 for the circulation of the heat transfer fluid. This coil, which is supplied with heat transfer fluid by the compressor 61 through the pipes 63, is welded to a support plate 151 held in position relative to the casing 141 by means of lugs 152 and 153 disposed respectively on the side and other of the elements 150 and 151 in the envelope 141. It is noted that the legs 152 and 153 are arranged at different heights relative to the manifold 142 and extend over approximately half the width of the envelope 141, which limits the pressure drops in the envelope 141.

The envelope 141, which is rectangular in section, has dimensions such that the vent gas passage section, in the direction of the arrows F ₂ in FIG. 3, has an area much greater than that of the internal section of the duct 13, which induces a slowing down of the vent gases in the internal volume V of the condenser 14. In practice, the ratio of these areas is of the order of 4 to 12.

The operation of the installation is as follows: When filling the tank C _x , the compressors 61 and 62 are started so that the heat transfer fluid, which is chosen according to the environmental standards in force, is brought to a temperature between -30 and -40 ° C, which makes it possible to cool the internal volume V of the condenser 14 considerably. Thus, the fuel vapors contained in the vent gases condense and the condensates flow towards the tanks, as represented by the arrows F ₃ in FIG. 3, from where they can flow towards the tank Ci, in the duct 13. The air discharged of the vapors moves towards the manifold 143, as represented by the arrows F ₂ , from where it enters the duct 15.

Thus, the elements 141 and 150 to 153 constitute a plate exchanger which allows an efficient heat transfer between the vents of the tank C _α and the heat transfer fluid circulating in the coil 150.

Advantageously, the compressor 61 is kept permanently in operation at a relatively low speed, so that the heat transfer liquid, passing through the pipes 63 and in the coils 150 and the like, is maintained at a temperature of the order of 3 to 5 ° C. Thus, when the condenser is to be used, it is quickly operational, in the sense that the temperature obtained in the volume V quickly reaches the desired values thanks to an activation of the compressor 61, that is to say on its passage to a relatively high operating speed.

To optimize the operation of the process of the invention, provision may be made for the compressor 61 to be activated automatically when a filling operation of one of the tanks Ci to C _{3 is} started. For example, the arrival of a delivery truck in the unloading area can be detected and the corresponding signal used to activate the compressor 61. Likewise, a signal to open the unloading hatch can be used to activate the compressor.

In the case where the installation comprises several compressors, these are activated together, as indicated above.

According to another approach, and taking into account the fact that fuel deliveries are generally made regularly at each service station, for example on a fixed day in the week and at a predetermined time, it is possible to operate the compressors at a fixed time, using a clock, which makes it possible to anticipate the delivery of fuel.

When the vent gases are collected near the pistol of a volume meter during the filling of the tank of a motor vehicle, gases are sucked in an amount which may be greater than the volume of fuel discharged into the tank. Under these conditions, there may be an increase in the fuel vapor pressure in the tank, this increase being normally treated by activating a valve of the valve type 15b. This however has the consequence of discharging gasoline vapors into the open air. To overcome this difficulty, provision may be made for the compressor 61 to be activated periodically in order to keep the condensers 14, 24 and 34 sufficiently efficient to treat the vent gases resulting from the collection of fuel vapors near the spray gun. filling. Of course, the variants of the process envisaged above can be combined with one another.

Claims

1. Fuel storage installation for motor vehicles comprising tanks each equipped with a vent pipe (13, 23, 33) connected to a vent gas condenser (14, 24, 34) (F ₂ ) arranged relative to each tank, so that the condensates from a tank can flow (F ₃ ) to said tank by gravity, characterized in that it comprises a cabinet (A) of condensation including condensers (14 , 24, 34), in a number equal to the number of vent pipes (13, 23, 33) of fuels of the “petrol”, “super” or “unleaded” type in the installation, said condensers being grouped in a common housing (50) and supplied with heat transfer fluid from at least one compressor (61).

2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that said compressor (61) is common to said condensers (14, 24, 34).

3. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said compressor (61) is arranged in an annex box (60).

4. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said housing (50) comprises means (16, 145, 145 ') for thermal insulation of said condensers with respect to their environment.

5. Installation according to claim 4, characterized in that said or each condenser (14, 24, 34) is connected, to the vent pipe (13, 23, 33) and / or to a pipe (15, 25, 35 ) capable of being connected to the tank (10) of a fuel delivery vehicle, by means of a thermally insulating sleeve (145, 145 ').

6. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said or each condenser (14, 24, 34) comprises a generally cylindrical casing (141), an inlet manifold (142) and an outlet manifold (143) connected respectively to the corresponding vent duct (13, 23, 33) and to a pipe 5 (15, 25, 35) capable of being connected to the tank (10) of a fuel delivery vehicle, said casing and said manifolds together defining a volume (V) of circulation (F ₂ ) of gas d vent in thermal contact with a coil (150) in which a heat transfer fluid circulates. 0

7. Service station (S), characterized in that it comprises an installation (I) according to one of the preceding claims.

8. Method for filling with fuel at least one tank of a service station in which the vent gases (F ₂ ) of said tank (Ci, C ₂ , C ₃ ) are cooled and one directs (F ₃ ) the condensates resulting from this cooling to said tank, characterized in that it comprises a step of periodic activation of at least one compressor (61) of heat transfer fluid associated with a condenser (14, 24, 34). 0

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a step of automatic detection of the filling of said tank (Ci, C ₂ , C ₃ ) and a subsequent automatic step of activation of at least one compressor (61 , 62) of heat transfer fluid associated with a condenser (14, 24, 34).

10. Method according to one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that said periodic activation step is determined according to the days and hours provided for fuel deliveries. 0 11. Method according to one of claims 9 or 10, characterized in that said heat transfer fluid is cooled to a temperature between about -30 ° C and about -40 ° C when said compressor (61) is activated.

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