WO2015048062A1

WO2015048062A1 - Air impulse semi-trailer

Info

Publication number: WO2015048062A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/057111
Authority: WO
Inventors: James J. VAN ZANDT
Original assignee: Huntsman International Llc
Priority date: 2013-09-26
Filing date: 2014-09-24
Publication date: 2015-04-02

Abstract

A semi-trailer comprising an air impulse system wherein the air impulse system comprises a plurality of air inlets, each air inlet being connected to an air actuator via an air inlet line, and wherein each actuator is connected to an air outlet via an air outlet line, each of the air outlet lines being disposed within an interior of the semi-trailer such that a portion of the contents of the semi-trailer is mixed when air is released into the interior of the semi-trailer by activation of a plurality of the actuators is disclosed

Description

AIR IMPULSE SEMI-TRAILER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a closed vessel, such as a semitrailer, which comprises an air impulse system to mix the contents of the closed vessel.

Background Information

[0002] Automotive vehicles, such as semi-trucks, are often used around the world to transport various liquids ranging from water to gasoline. In certain circumstances, these semi-trucks are used to transport liquids that have the potential of phase separating during transport. For example, semi-trucks are often used to transport polyol mixtures from the site of manufacture to a customer facility. It is possible, however, for a portion of the polyol mixture to begin phase separating en route to the its final destination. Phase separation of the polyol mixture could become problematic when the mixture is eventually unloaded from semi-truck's tractor trailer since the customer might have to implement steps to ensure that the mixture is properly mixed thereby possibly incurring additional costs in connection with the delivery of the ordered material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a semi-trailer comprising an air impulse system wherein the air impulse system comprises a plurality of air inlets, each air inlet being connected to an air actuator via an air inlet line, and wherein each actuator is connected to an air outlet via an air outlet line, each of the air outlet lines being disposed within an interior of the semi-trailer such that a portion of the contents of the semi-trailer is mixed when air is released into the interior of the semi-trailer by activation of a plurality of the actuators is disclosed.

[0004] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a process for mixing at least a portion of a liquid contained in an interior of a semi-trailer, wherein the semi-trailer comprises an air impulse system, wherein the air impulse system comprises a plurality of air inlets, each air inlet being connected to an air actuator via an air inlet line, and wherein each actuator is connected to an air outlet via an air outlet line, each of the air outlet lines being disposed within the interior of the semitrailer such that a portion of the contents of the semi-trailer is mixed when air is released into the interior of the semi-trailer by activation of a plurality of the actuators, the process comprising introducing air into at least one of the air inlets and activating the actuators thereby introducing air into the interior of the semi-trailer and mixing at least a portion of the liquid is disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of certain embodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0006] FIG. 1 is a side plan view of a semi-trailer as disclosed herein.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the top surface of the semi-trailer.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first end/front end of the semi-trailer.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the second end/back end of the semi-tailer.

[0010] FIGS. 5A and 5B are photographs of a side of the semi-trailer.

[0011] FIGS. 6A and 6B are photographs of the canopy of the semi-trailer.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a photograph of the interior cavity of the semi-trailer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Referring to FIG. 1 , the semi-trailer 2 that is disclosed herein is a typical semi-trailer that is used commercially to transport various liquid cargo. The semitrailer 2 can be attached to an automotive vehicle, such as a semi-truck, using means that are well known in the transportation industry. Unlike a typical semi-trailer, however, the semi-trailer 2 that is disclosed herein comprises an air impulse system 4 that enables a user to mix at least a portion of the liquid contents of the semi-trailer 2 when the user desires. For example, by utilizing the air impulse system 4 disclosed herein, the driver of the semi-truck or some other operator could mix all or some of the liquid cargo after the cargo has been loaded into the semi-trailer 2 thereby ensuring that the cargo is in a substantially mixed state after loading. Additionally, after reaching the cargo's destination, the driver of the semi-truck or some other operator could, again, use the air impulse system 4 to mix all or some of the liquid cargo to ensure that the liquid cargo is sufficiently mixed and not phase separated when it is unloaded from the semi-trailer 2.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the semi-trailer 2 has a first end 6, a second end 8, a top surface 10, a bottom surface 12, a first side 14, and a second side 16. Furthermore, the semi-trailer can also comprise a variety of components that are known in the art including, without limitation, a temperature gauge 18, an air drier 20, an air/oil separator 22, and a dry air inlet 24. As is known in the art, the semi-trailer 2 comprises an internal cavity 26 into which a liquid cargo may be loaded. The internal cavity 26 comprises a first end portion 28, a second end portion 30, a top portion 32, a bottom portion 34, a first side portion 36, and a second side portion 38. In certain embodiments, the liquid cargo 40 can comprise water, polyols (including mixtures of polyols), isocyanates (including mixtures of isocyanates), gasoline, or combinations hereof. The liquid cargo 40 may be loaded using techniques that are well known in the transportation industry. For example, FIG 2. depicts a plurality of loading inlets 42, such as a plurality of two inch fill port/vent with a female quick connect system, disposed on the top surface 10 of the semi-trailer 2. These loading inlets 42 may be used by an operator to fill the semi-trailer 2 with the liquid cargo 40 using means that are known in the art. For example, a loading hose having an appropriate connector that can attach to the loading inlets may be used to connect a polyol source to the semi-trailer 2 thereby allowing an operator to load polyol into the internal cavity 26 of the semi-trailer 2. In addition to the loading inlets 42, the top surface 10 of the semitrailer 2 can also comprise other ports or gauges that are known in the art including, without limitation, a pressure transmitter 44 and pressure gauge 46, clean out ports 48, a pressure vent 50, a vacuum breaker 52, and a manway 54. In certain emodiments, the vacuum breaker 52 and the pressure vents 50 have a three inch diameter while the clean out ports 48 have a two inch diameter. In some embodiments, the manway 54 has a twenty inch diameter. In some embodiments, a pressure regulator may be used on the semi-trailer 2 to control the internal pressure of the semi-trailer 2. While one skilled in the art would know where to dispose the pressure regulator, in some embodiments, the pressure regulator may form a part of a vent line of the semi-trailer 2.

[0015] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first end 6 of the semi-trailer 2 comprises various components that are well known in the art. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the first end 6 of the semi-trailer 2 can comprise a dry air inlet 56, an intransit heat inlet 58, an intransit heat outlet 60, an internal valve emergency release 62 and hose storage 64. Referring to FIG. 3, the second end 8 of the semi-trailer 2 can comprise a hydraulic pump 60, an unloading valve 68, and an unloading hose vent valve 70. In some embodiments, the unloading valve can be a loading valve that comprises a two inch male quick connect system that can facilitate the unloading of the semitrailer's 2 contents.

[0016] As will be described in greater detail below, the air impulse system 4 is comprised of a plurality of components. Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the air impulse system 4 is comprised of a plurality of air inlets 72. The air inlets 72 may be disposed on an external surface 74 of the semi-trailer 2. For example, in some embodiments, the air inlets 74 are disposed on the first side 14 or second side 16 of the semi-trailer 2 adjacent to the bottom surface 12 of the semi-trailer 2 in order to ease access to the air inlets 72 while also ensuring that an operator can operate or provide maintenance to the air inlets 72 while on grade. The air inlets 72 are configured to accept air from an air source using methods that are known in the art. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, each of the air inlets 72 are connected to an air manifold, which is used to supply air to each of the air inlets 72. In certain embodiments, each air inlet 72 is connected to the air manifold by an air line. In these embodiments, the air manifold can be connected to an air source, such as a tank of air, by using methods known in the art. For example, the air manifold can be connected to the air source by one or more air source lines. It is noted that both the air line and the air source line described in the preceding sentence can be manufactured from any material provided that such material does not react with the air that is being transported through these lines.

[0017] The air impulse system 4 is also comprised of a plurality of air actuators 76. Each air inlet 72 is connected to at least one air actuator 76 by an air inlet line 78. Each air inlet line 72 can be manufactured from any material provided that such material does not react with the air that is being transported through the air inlet line 72. Accordingly, suitable materials that the air inlet line 72 can be manufactured from include, without limitation, composite materials, rubber materials, metals (including metal alloys), or combinations thereof. Examples of suitable metals that may be used for each air inlet line 72 include, without limitation, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, carbon steel, or combinations thereof. In certain embodiments, the air actuator 76 is a mechanical air actuator that is known in the art such as the DYNAQUIO AP20564. In some embodiments, the air actuators 76 used in the air impulse system 4 can either be a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, an electric actuator, a mechanical actuator, or a combination thereof. The air actuators 76 may be disposed on the external surface 74 of the semi-trailer 2. For example, in some embodiments, the air actuators 76 may be disposed on the external surface 74 of the top surface 10 of the semi-trailer 2. Referring to FIGS. 1 , 2, 6A and 6B, should the air actuators 76 be disposed on the top surface 10, then the air actuators 76 may be disposed within a canopy housing 80 thereby protecting the air actuators 76 from being damaged by low hanging objects such as tree limbs. In other embodiments, the air actuators 76 may be disposed substantially adjacent to one or more of the air inlets 72 thereby enabling easy access to the air actuators 40. In these embodiments, one or more of the air actuators 76 may be disposed within a housing that is similar to the canopy housing 80 shown in FIGS. 1 , 2, and 6. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the air actuators 40 are used to create an air impulse in the liquid cargo 40 of the semi-trailer 2 thereby creating a mixing action within the liquid cargo 40.

[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7, the air impulse system 4 also comprises a plurality of air outlets 82. Each air outlet 82 is disposed in the internal cavity 26 of the semi-trailer 2. In certain embodiments, the liquid cargo 40 is added to the internal cavity 26 in sufficient amounts to submerge at least one of the air outlets 82. In other embodiments, all of the air outlets 82 are submerged below the surface of the liquid cargo 40. In some embodiments, the air outlets 82 are disposed on the bottom portion 34 of the internal cavity 26 of the semi-trailer 2. For example, in certain embodiments, the air outlets 82 can disposed along the bottom potion 34 of the internal cavity 26 and oriented such that there is about 0.5 feet to 10 feet, such as 4 feet to 6 feet, between each air outlet 82. The final number and position of the air outlets 82 used in air impulse system 4 is dependent on the amount of mixing that is ultimately desired. For example, in some embodiments, it was found that an air impulse system 4 comprising six air outlets 82 disposed on the bottom portion 34 of the internal cavity 26 is sufficient to mix the liquid cargo 40 of the semi-trailer 2. In these particular embodiments, the air outlets 82 are positioned such that the air outlets 82 run along the bottom portion 34 of the internal cavity 26 from the second end portion 30 of the internal cavity 26 to the first end portion 28 of the internal cavity 26 (i.e., the air outlets 82 run along the bottom of the internal cavity 26 from the back of the semi-trailer 2 to the front of the semi-trailer 2) or vice versa. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, each air outlet 82 is connected to at least one air actuator 76 by an air outlet line 84. Each air outlet line 84 can be manufactured from any material provided that such material does not react with the liquid cargo 40. Suitable materials that the air outlet line 84 can be manufactured from include, without limitation, composite materials, rubber materials, metals (including metal alloys), or combinations thereof.

[0019] As stated above, the air actuators 76 are used to create an air impulse within the liquid cargo 40 that is contained within the internal cavity 26 of the semitrailer 2. In certain embodiments, it was found that use of six air outlets 82, which were disposed along the bottom portion 34 of the semi-trailer 2, to release air into the liquid cargo 40 was sufficient to create overlapping air impulses in the liquid cargo 40 thereby creating a mixing action within the liquid cargo 40. In these particular embodiments, the six air outlets 82 ran along the bottom portion 34 of the semi-trailer 2 from the second end 8 of the semi-trailer 2 to the first end 6 of the semi-trailer 2. Additionally, in order to create overlapping air impulses, the air actuators 76 were actuated in a staggered sequence starting from the air outlet 82 disposed closest to the second end 8 of the semi-trailer 2 and ending at the air outlet 44 disposed closest to the first end 6 of the semi-trailer 2.

[0020] It is noted that in certain embodiments, the air impulse system 4, including all of the components that comprise the air impulse system 4 are secured to the semi-trailer 2 using means that are known in the art. For examples, in some embodiments, mechanical fasteners, such as mechanical bolts, are used to secure one or more of the components (e.g. air actuators 76, air outlets 82, air inlets 72, air inlet line 78, and air outlet line 84) , to the semi-trailer 2. As employed herein, the term "mechanical fastener" or variations thereof shall refer broadly to any suitable fastening, connecting or tightening mechanism including, but not limited to, screws, bolts, and the combination of bolts and nuts.

[0021] While the FIGS, and associated descriptions contained herein is directed to a semi-trailer 2, it is noted that the air impulse system 4 disclosed herein can also be adapted for any portable or fixed closed container. For example, in certain embodiments, rail cars and storage tanks, such as gas storage tanks or storage tanks used to transport liquid cargo on cargo ships, can all be fitted with the air impulse system 4 disclosed herein. Moreover, while air was used as the gas to create the air impulses described above, it is noted that other gases (e.g., helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, or combinations thereof) can be used in lieu of air provided that such gases do not react with the liquid contents of the semitrailer 2 or storage tanks.

[0022] As used herein, unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers such as those expressing values, ranges, amounts or percentages may be read as if prefaced by the word "about", even if the term does not expressly appear. Plural encompasses singular and vice versa.

[0023] As used herein, "plurality" means two or more.

[0024] As used herein, "includes" and like terms means "including without limitation."

[0025] When referring to any numerical range of values, such ranges are understood to include each and every number and/or fraction between the stated range minimum and maximum. For example, a range of "1 to 10" is intended to include all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value of equal to or less than 10. [0026] Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example, upper, lower, left, right, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, above, beneath, clockwise, counterclockwise and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.

[0027] While specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof. Therefore, any of the features and/or elements which are listed above may be combined with one another in any combination and still be within the breadth of this disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A semi-trailer comprising an air impulse system wherein the air impulse system comprises a plurality of air inlets, each air inlet being connected to an air actuator via an air inlet line, and wherein each actuator is connected to an air outlet via an air outlet line, each of the air outlet lines being disposed within an interior of the semi-trailer such that a portion of the contents of the semi-trailer is mixed when air is released into the interior of the semi-trailer by activation of a plurality of the actuators.

2. The semi-trailer according to Claim 1 , wherein each of the air inlet lines is connected to an air manifold via an air line and wherein the air manifold is connected to an air source via an air source air line.

3. The semi-trailer according to Claim 1 , wherein at least one of the actuators is disposed on an external surface of the semi-trailer.

4. The semi-trailer according to Claim 3, wherein the semi-trailer comprises a first end, a second end, a top surface, a bottom surface, a first side, and a second side, and wherein at least one of the actuators is disposed on the top surface of the semi-trailer.

5. The semi-trailer according to Claim 4, wherein at least one of the air inlets is disposed on either the first side or the second side and substantially adjacent to the bottom surface of the tractor trailer.

6. The semi-trailer according to Claim 1 , wherein the interior of the semi-trailer comprises a front end portion, a second end portion, a top portion, a bottom portion, a first side, and a second side, and wherein at least one air outlet is disposed on the bottom portion of the interior of the semi-trailer.

7. The semi-trailer according to Claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the semitrailer is filled with a liquid and wherein all of the air outlets are submerged beneath the surface of the liquid.

8. The semi-trailer according to Claim 1 , wherein the semi-trailer further comprises an unloading outlet and a loading inlet and wherein the unloading outlet and loading inlet do not comprise a portion of the air impulse system.

9. A process for mixing at least a portion of a liquid contained in an interior of a semi-trailer, wherein the semi-trailer comprises an air impulse system, wherein the air impulse system comprises a plurality of air inlets, each air inlet being connected to an air actuator via an air inlet line, and wherein each actuator is connected to an air outlet via an air outlet line, each of the air outlet lines being disposed within the interior of the semi-trailer such that a portion of he contents of the semi-trailer is mixed when air is released into the interior of the semi-trailer by activation of a plurality of the actuators, the process comprising introducing air into at least one of the air inlets and activating the actuators thereby introducing air into the interior of the semi-trailer and mixing at least a portion of the liquid.

10. The process according to Claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the semitrailer is filled with a liquid, and wherein the actuators are activated in a sequence that allows at least a portion of the liquid to be mixed.

11 . The process according to Claim 9, wherein all of the air outlets are submerged beneath the surface of the liquid.

12. The process according to Claim 9, wherein each of the air inlet lines is connected to an air manifold via an air line and wherein the air manifold is connected to an air source via an air source air line, the process comprising activating the air manifold to introduce air into the air inlets of the semi-trailer.