WO2005003023A1

WO2005003023A1 - A liquid storing and dispensing means

Info

Publication number: WO2005003023A1
Application number: PCT/SG2004/000159
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cheng Kee Yap
Original assignee: Unipac Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd
Priority date: 2003-07-07
Filing date: 2004-05-31
Publication date: 2005-01-13
Also published as: CN1852859A; MY123868A

Abstract

The liquid storage and dispensing system, convertible to a liquid storage and disposal system has a first buffer tank (202) located above a second dispensing or disposal tank (203), depending on its usage. It has a first pump (204), i.e. motor-driven oil pump, which can pump liquid into the buffer tank (202) or dispensing tank at will of operator. Preferably a second pump (208), i.e. a pneumatic pump is included as part of the system for dispensing the liquid. The first pump (204), second (208), buffer tank (202) and dispensing tank (203) are preferably assembled into a liquid storage and dispensing system in a single housing (201). The single housing (201) has couplings for connections which A.C. power supply, pneumatic inlet, liquid inlet and outlet. Air pressure gauge (300), check valve (306), emergency and key switches (301, 302) may also be included as additional safety and security features.

Description

A Liquid Storing and Dispensing Means

Field of Invention

The invention described herein is a storage and dispensing system for liquids, especially for various kinds of lubrication oil or waste fluid used in automotive workshops, service shops of bus and truck, general industries factory or the like. It can also be used for storage of used lubrication oil.

Background of the Invention

N typical lubrication oil storage and dispenser systems (Fig. 1, 100) used in automotive workshops (such as a drive-in automotive service workshops, or service workshops of bus companies) in the prior art are permanent setups in these premises. In these permanent setups which obviously have large compounds, each different lubrication oil such as engine oil of various SNE grade and gear oil of various SAE grade are stored in their respective dispensing tanks. In practice, there are two dispensing tanks dedicated to each oil, a buffer tank and a dispensing tank. It is a practice in these workshops to keep a buffer stock of these oils. When the oil in the dispensing tanks run out, the buffer stock would be used while waiting for replenishment. These lubrication oils are supplied in bulk, in the form of 200 liter drums or 1000 liter intermediate bulk containers (IBCs).

In the prior art (Fig. 1), oil pumps (101) for transferring lubrication oils and respective piping (102) from these pumps to the buffer tanks (103) are at fixed locations within the workshops. In the exemplified system (100), the buffer tanks (103) are located on top of dispensing tanks (105). The buffer tanks (103) are piped to their respective dispensing tanks (105) with large hose (104), nominally 2" in diameter, with a safety inline valve, such as a ball valve (104a) installed in it. The outlets (106) of the dispensing tanks (105) are piped (107) to respective pneumatic pumps (108) which pumps lubrication oils to respective hose reel (400). Different lubrication oils are dispensed from respective non-drip oil guns (401), which has a meter to predetermined the amount to be dispensed. Usually, permanent piping (107) is used to connect the outlets (106) of dispensing tanks (105) to respective pneumatic pumps (108) which also may be located far away from the dispensing tanks (105). However, various check on actual conditions in workshops revealed that in different workshops, the lubrication oil storage and dispensing may be in various kind of arrangements which far differed from the exemplified prior art (100).

I) Some span over the large workshop compound with the dispensing tanks located away from the dispensing tank.

II) Furthermore the oil pumps, buffer tanks, dispensing tanks and pneumatic can often be found to be far away from one another and are connected together by piping or hoses.

III) In some instances, the buffer tanks are not permanently connected to the dispensing tanks. They are stored else where on the compound of the workshops. When the stock in the dispensing tanks runs out, the buffer tanks are just stacked above the dispensing tank using forklifts. The buffer stocks are gravity fed into the dispensing tanks. Otherwise, the pneumatic pumps may be disconnected from the dispensing tanks and connected to the buffer tanks. The empty dispensing tanks are now taken elsewhere for storage. IV) It is also not uncommon to find a single oil pump being used to pump various grade of engine lubrication oils and another oil pump used for pumping various grades of gear oil, since workshop operators may try to save on the oil pumps (Fig. 1). This can be done as exemplified in Fig. 1 by manipulating valves on a network of piping (102).

Inevitably lubricants storage and dispensing systems operating in various kind of setups and different conditions results in inconsistencies of something (that is the lubricants storage and dispensing systems themselves) which is common place. The lubricants suppliers which supplies these workshops will find themselves need to cater for different delivery method at different times. Depending on the situation at the respective workshops, a supplier will need to deliver by one of the several method: i) by tanker and oil pumps (for workshops that has their own permanent tanks), ii) by tanker (for workshops that has their own permanent tanks and oil pumps), iii) by drums or IBCs ( for workshops that stored their buffer stock separately from their dispensing tanks).

Furthermore, transferring tanks from one place to another in a workshop is not preferably as tanks would be prone to damage and may result in a very messy workshop that has oil spills here and about. Cross contamination, by accident in manipulating the valves (Fig. 1) or from sharing same oil pumps over time may occur. Last but not least, cost recovery from these permanent systems in case of workshop renovation or some other reasons is low since much of the piping is permanent.

Therefore it is the general objective of the invention to provide a liquid storage and dispensing means, which is used for but not limited to lubricants, whereby means a uniform method of liquid delivery may be introduced to and implemented in any trade or industry in mind.

Specifically, the invention achieves this by using a new arrangement of existing components whereby the invention also may be installed, operated and maintained in a hassle free manner.

Furthermore, the invention is modular and thus has a high cost recovery compared to storage and dispensing system in prior art.

Another advantage of the invention over existing systems that perform the same purpose in the prior art is that its usage inevitably brings about a cleaner working environment in the workshops, as far as lubrication storage and dispensing is concerned.

It is also intended that the use of the invention may be easily accepted by the automotive servicing trade.

The invention may also be modified to store used oil that needs to disposal which also serves to bring about a cleaner working environment in service workshops.

Summary of the Invention

A liquid storing and dispensing means that is convertible to a liquid storing and disposal means which is embodied in a single housing is exemplified. This makes the system modular, convenient to setup, use and maintain. Furthermore, it brings about an opportunity to standardized the delivery method of said liquid. When the system is used in as lubrication storing and dispensing system or waste oil storing and disposal system in an automotive workshop, it also helps to ensure a clean working environment. The modularity of the system makes recovery cost of the system high. The system is also equipped with additional safety and security feature to enhance its usage.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a lubricants storage and dispensing system in prior art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the invention modified for the purpose of storing and disposing waste oil.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The new liquid storage and dispensing system (Fig. 2) may be embodied as follow: A first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank is located above a second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank in a single housing (201). The first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank is connected to the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank via a hose which is also connected to a first pump (204) via a T-joint (205). There is a safety inline valve (206) just below the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank and a drain valve (207) just above the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank. Preferably, the first pump (204) is driven by an electrical motor, the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank and second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank are IBCs and the safety inline valve (206) and drain valve (207) are ball valves.

The first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank and second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank may also be other kinds of tank with different capacities and compositions, or each buffer or dispensing tank may be made up of multiple smaller tanks connected together by pipes o hoses, as long as the capacity of the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank equals to the capacity of the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank. It does not matter whether the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank is located below or above of first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank or to the side of it as long they are assembled together in a single housing (201). However it is preferable that the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank is located above the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank so that buffer stock may flow into second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank by means of gravity flow when liquid in second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank runs out. A second pump (208), such as a pneumatic pump is connected to the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank to pump out liquid from it and dispenses the liquid outside of the single housing (201). This second pump (208) can be driven by electrical motor. A hose reel (400) equipped with a metered non-drip gun (401) is connected to this second pump (208) in a complete lubricant storage and dispensing system.

Air pressure gauge (300) for the pneumatic pump (208), emergency stop switch (301) for the motor-driven pump, key switch (302) for the pneumatic pump (208) and a check valve (306) connected to the motor-driven pump (204) are safety features which may be included in the lubricant storage and dispensing system besides the standard power-on switches (303, 304). One may find the switches (301, 302, 303, 304) and air pressure gauge (300) on the control panel. An inline filter (305) may be connected in between the motor-driven oil pump and the inlet coupling (307) fitted with a universal 2" cam lock which is the inlet of the oil pump (204).

The invention operates as a lubricant storage and dispensing system as follow: Under normal circumstances, both the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank and second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tanks are full; the drain valve (207) is at close position and the safety inline valve (206) is at open position. When the lubricant in second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tanks are used up, the drain valve (207) is turn on to let all the lubricant in the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank flow down and fill up the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank. After that the drain valve (207) is turned off and the operator calls for a replenishment of the buffer stock. The safety inline valve (206) is always at open position. In the system it is always in the convenient reach of the operator and it is turn off in case of any emergency such as liquid flowing out of first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank into a full second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank or when the drain valve (207) simply fails.

When the delivery tanker arrives, it just park itself besides the storage and dispensing unit (200) and the hose from the tanker is connected to the inlet coupling (307). The oil pump (204) is turned on to pump lubricant into the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank via the safety inline valve (206). When replenishment is done, the hose from the tanker is disconnected from the inlet coupling (307). Meanwhile, the pneumatic pump (208) is always used for dispensing lubricant into a hose reel (400) located outside the storage and dispensing unit (200). An optional standby pneumatic pump or electric pump (209) may be installed in the storage and dispensing unit (200). The key switch (302) controls the air supply to the pneumatic pump via a solenoid air valve (308). This additional feature limits access to the lubricant, for instance the system is only turned on during working hours.

The invention may be modified to be a storage and disposal system (200a) instead. Continuing with the example of automotive workshops, there are also waste oil that needs to be collected and disposed off. In this case, the piping configuration for the first pump (204) i.e. the oil pump and second pump (208) i.e. the pneumatic pump is simply swapped around to convert the storage and dispensing system into a storage and disposal system. Unnecessary security features such as key switch (302), solenoid air valve (308) and air pressure gauge (300) may be removed or left in place. In the invention it is preferable that all other configurations and features of the system are retained except for the key switch (302), solenoid air valve (308) and air pressure gauge (300) which are removed in the latter modified system.

For the operation of a storage and disposal system, the second pump (208) i.e. the pneumatic pump or an electric pump pumps waste oil from an external container used (402) to collect waste oil into the second tank (203) i.e. disposal tank which is the second tank (203) i.e. dispensing tank in the former system. When the second tank (203) i.e. disposal tank is full, the waste oil will be pumped into the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank. Before the first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank is full, the operator calls for collection to be made. When the waste oil collection tanker arrives, the hose from the collection tanker is connected to the same coupling (307) which is now the outlet coupling equipped with universal 2" cam lock. The first pump (204) i.e. the oil pump pumps the waste oil in the second tank (203) i.e. disposal tank into the collection tanker. When the second tank (203) i.e. disposal tank is emptied, the drain valve (207) which is always off is turned on to let waste oil flow down from first tank (202) i.e. buffer tank into the second tank (203) i.e. disposal tank

The installation of the entire liquid storage and dispensing system can be readily installed during production and is portable to transfer it to the intended site. This self-contained liquid storage and dispensing system is commissioned and convenient to be used by just plugging it to an electrical outlet and connecting it to an air supply. While there have been illustrated and described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention, but that the present invention includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid comprising: a single housing having a first tank which is a buffer tank and a second tank which is a dispensing tank or a disposal tank, depending on the usage of the invention, located adjacent to each other; characterized in that said housing containing a first means of transferring liquid into the first tank; said housing also containing a second means of transferring liquid out of the second tank; and said housing also containing a third means of transferring liquid out of the first tank into the second tank.

2. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first means of transferring liquid is by means of a first pump joined to the first tank by relevant hosing or piping.

3. The means. for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second means of transferring liquid is by means of a second pump joined to the second tank by relevant hosing or piping.

4. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said first tank is located above the second tank.

5. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third means of transferring liquid is by means of turning on a drain valve located on relevant hosing or piping connecting both the first tank and the second tank.

6. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 5, wherein said drain valve is connected nearer to the second tank and the other end of said drain valve is connected to the first tank and the first pump via a T-joint.

7. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 6, wherein a safety inline valve is connected nearer to the first tank and to said T-joint.

8. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first pump is an electrical driven oil pump and the second pump can be a pneumatic pump or an electric pump.

9. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 1 to 8, wherein there is a similar optional standby pneumatic pump or electric pump in said single housing joined to its relevant hosing or piping to the second tank.

10. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 9, wherein the operation of said both pumps can be enabled or disabled by means of a security key switch.

11. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 6 or 8, wherein the first pump can be a pneumatic pump or an electric pump and the second pump is an electrical driven oil pump.

12. The means for storing and dispensing liquid which is convertible to a means for storing and disposing liquid as claimed in claim 11, wherein said electrical driven oil pump can be stopped by means of a an emergency switch.