WO2018193252A1

WO2018193252A1 - Refuelling adapter

Info

Publication number: WO2018193252A1
Application number: PCT/GB2018/051021
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leigh Remfry
Original assignee: PGRC Design Systems Limited
Priority date: 2017-04-19
Filing date: 2018-04-18
Publication date: 2018-10-25
Also published as: GB201706181D0

Abstract

According to the invention there is provided an adapter enabling large diameter gravity refuelling via a pressure refuelling coupling, the adapter comprising: an inlet sized to receive a large diameter gravity refuelling nozzle; an outlet adapted to be attached to a pressure refuelling coupling, and; a dry-break member displacement pad arranged at the outlet for displacing a dry-break member when attached to the pressure refuelling coupling and allowing fuel flow past the pad.

Description

REFUELLING ADAPTER

The present invention relates to a refuelling adapter, particularly but not exclusively to facilitate the gravity refuelling of a land vehicle, maritime vessel or aircraft.

Road vehicles are usually refuelled with a so-called "gravity" refuelling nozzle to which fuel is pumped under pressure, but from which the fuel flows under gravity into a vehicle's filler neck or refuelling coupling.

Many air-borne and some other vehicles are refuelled with a pressure refuelling nozzle, which is fluid-tightly connected to the vehicle's refuelling coupling.

Some vehicles do indeed include both types of refuelling coupling. This is expensive, bulky and introduces a weight penalty on an aircraft.

As used herein, the term coupling is used to mean the vehicle side connector; whereas the term nozzle is used to mean the refuelling vessel and refuelling side connector. We are aware that this terminology is not universal and that in other regions the term coupler is used to mean the hose side connector.

Also as used herein, the term dry-break is used to mean that the coupling and nozzle are adapted to be both sealed when not connected to each other. In WO 2013/132215 there is described Pressure and Gravity Refuelling

Coupling ("PGRC"), in terms of its abstract as:

A refuelling coupling has an annular fitting having a bore, bayonet lugs and slots suiting it for connection to a pressure filling nozzle. A dry-break member is provided within the annular fitting, normally sealing to it with the aid of an O-ring seal. When the pressure filling nozzle is fitted, the dry-break member is depressed allowing fuel to flow.

The dry-break member has a central aperture, normally closed by a side pivoted flap. The pivot is at a pin carried in lugs on the underside of a central disc having the aperture. The flap has a finger projecting between the lugs and having the pin passing through it. A spring is carried on the pin and normally biases the flap into its closed position parallel with the disc. An O-ring is carried on the flap whereby should unusual forces displace fuel against the flap it does not leak

For gravity nozzle fuelling, a gravity fuelling nozzle is placed against the flap and pushed in against its spring. Refuelling can now occur.

Whilst this coupling allows pressure and gravity refuelling from two types of nozzles, namely pressure refuelling nozzles and gravity nozzles of the forecourt size, which are typically around 21mm for petrol and 24mm for diesel. In this

specification, such nozzles are referred to as "small diameter gravity refuelling nozzles". There are larger diameter gravity refuelling nozzles. Typically these are around 100mm in diameter and we refer to them as "large diameter gravity refuelling nozzles".

The PGRC coupling cannot receive fuel from a large diameter gravity nozzle. The dry-break member is an impediment and it cannot readily be displaced. The object of the invention is to provide an adapter to enable large diameter gravity refuelling via a PGRC coupling.

According to the invention there is provided an adapter enabling large diameter gravity refuelling via a pressure refuelling coupling, the adapter comprising:

· an inlet sized to receive a large diameter gravity refuelling nozzle,

• an outlet adapted to be attached to a pressure refuelling coupling and

• a dry-break member displacement pad arranged at the outlet for displacing a dry-break member when attached to the pressure refuelling coupling and allowing fuel flow past the pad.

Whilst the inlet and the outlet could be a single integral member, they are preferably an assembly of two or more parts. The dry-break member displacement pad could be integral with the single member or one or other the inlet and outlet parts. In the preferred embodiment, the inlet is made of a main body and a complimentary interface flange.

It is preferable that the adapter is made up of 4 main parts, a main body, an interface flange, a dry-break displacement pad and an outlet. This is so that all parts may be easily replaceable.

It is preferable that the device consists of no moving parts, however it is possible to include automatic or mechanical locking methods if desired.

Preferably the main body and interface flange are made from Marine

Aluminium however it can be envisaged that an alternative material accepted by the relevant standards could be used. The main body is preferably substantially tubular, however it can be envisaged that the shape can be adapted to fit any large bore refuelling nozzle. The tubular shape of the main body preferably extends to a thickening at its base which is complimentary to a recess in the interface flange. The opposing faces of the interface flange and the main body could also be substantially flat and sealed by means of a gasket.

The main body and the interface flange can be connected by means of screws or nuts and bolts, adapted to connect by an interference fit, a screw thread on their opposing edges, a bayonet type attachment or any means known in the art to connect two preferably metallic components. It is preferable that the connection is detachable, however it can be adapted to be a permanent connection.

Each connection in the device is preferably sealed by an O-ring, however it can be envisaged that the O-ring could be replaced by a gasket or an adhesive seal or resin. There are many known methods in the art of sealing two components once connected.

The means of attaching the dry-break displacement pad to the main body is preferably by means of a central cylindrical support. This central support can be attached to the main body by at least one spoke support extending radially from the central support. It can be envisaged that further reinforcement may be required.

The dry-break displacement pad is preferably made up of a stud rod with a backing pad and a PTFE buffer at its distal end. The stud rod is held in the central cylindrical support by nuts and bolts at either side of the central support. It can be envisaged that the stud rod could be a plain shaft connected to the main body by clamping means. The central support could also have an internal screw thread and the stud rod could engage directly with it.

Preferably the buffer is made from PTFE, however it is envisaged that it could be made from Nylon or any alternative suitable polymeric or low friction material.

The backing pad and buffer are circular in cross section to maximise the cross sectional area contacting the dry-break member. They could however be adapted to be square, triangular or cross shaped.

Preferably the components of the adapter are machined from solid, however it can be envisaged that they are initially cast.

Preferably the dry-break displacement pad is made up of a number of detachable components however it can be envisaged that it could be permanently connected as one component by welding, or machined for each component to have an interference fit, or it could be manufactured as one integral component.

Preferably the outlet is cylindrical and attaches to the pressure refuelling coupling by a bayonet type connection, however it can be envisaged that any known connection means, for example but not limited to clamps or a screw thread can also be used.

The adapter is designed to accommodate a number of different typical flowrates, including but not limited to:

• a fuel oil drum or Jerry-Can (5-10 litres/minute), • domestic fuel station pump (20-40 litres/minute),

• bulk refuelling equipment ( 110- 130 litres/minute),

• an aircraft refuelling vehicle (200 plus litres/minute). The adapter is designed to be stowed with any type of equipment either on board in stowage bins or as part of the overall refuelling equipment.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded section view of an adapter according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a cut through section view of an adapter connected to a pressure refuelling coupling according to the invention,

Figure 3 are isometric views of the adapter connecting to a pressure refuelling coupling according to the invention,

Figure 4 is a series of section views showing the attaching mechanisms of the adapter and pressure refuelling coupling ,

Figure 5 is a section sketch of a refuel nozzle being inserted into the adapter according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings there is an adapter 1 consisting of a main body 2, an interface flange 3, a dry-break displacement pad 4 and an outlet 5.

The main body 2 has a tubular section 6 which extends to a thickening 7 at its base. The internals of the main body 2 are made up of a central cylindrical support 8 at its base and three spoke supports 9 extending radially from the central cylindrical support to the thickening of the main body.

The main body 2 connects to the interface flange 3 via bolt holes 11 and 12 in the main body and interface flange respectively. The interface flange includes a recess 13 which is complimentary to the thickening of the main body, the outer edge of which is formed a ridge 14. A small groove 15 runs around the inside edge of the recess 13 for a nitrile O-ring to sit and to be compressed, sealing the assembly. The cross section of the interface flange is substantially T shaped with a through bore in the middle. The through bore is divergent from the top edge to the bottom edge of the bolt holes 12, where it then continues parallel. There is a further small groove 16 for a further nitrile O-ring to sit and to be compressed, sealing the assembly.

The dry-break displacement pad 4 is connected to the main body 2 by a stainless steel stud rod 17. The stud rod 17 is inserted into position through the cylindrical support 8 of the main body and secured in place at either side of the cylindrical support 8 by a self-locking nut 18 such as a nylock nut, and a shake proof washer 19. The dry-break displacement pad also includes an aluminium dome shaped backing pad 20 which has a disc shaped cut out 21 on the underside and four screw holes (not shown). The disc shaped indent 21 is to house a PTFE buffer 22 which is connected to the dry-break displacement pad 20 by stainless steel countersunk screws (not shown) inserted through screw holes 23. The backing pad 20 and buffer 22 are also connected to the stud rod 17 by a thin nut 24 and shake proof washer 19.

The outlet 5 is then screwed into place surrounding the interface flange 3, completing the adapter 1. The outlet 5 is cylindrically shaped with a shelf on the internal edge complimentary to the external shape of the interface flange 3. There is a locking aperture 25 in the wall of the nozzle coupling which engages with a pressure refuelling coupling 26 in a bayonet type connection to hold the adapter in the correct position for refuelling.

The pressure refuelling coupling 26 has a series of teeth 27 which engage with the adapter and specifically the locking aperture 25 when the adapter is screwed clockwise on top of the coupling as shown in Figure 3. The locking aperture consists of a step 28 which prevents the tooth 27 from slipping out of the locking aperture when it is not intended. The pressure refuelling coupling has a dry break member 29. When the adapter 1 is connected to the pressure refuelling coupling 26 the buffer 22 of the dry- break displacement pad pushes the dry-break member downwards, unseating and opening the pressure refuelling coupling central core 30. The adapter is then twisted to lock it into place as described above. This locking holds the central core 30 open in preparation for gravity refuelling as shown in Figure 5.

A large bore gravity refuelling nozzle 31 is inserted in the main body 2 of the adapter 1 until the end of the nozzle abuts the spoke supports 9 of the main body and fuelling can begin. When the tank (not shown) is full the gravity refuelling nozzle 31 can be removed followed by the adapter.

To remove the adapter from the pressure refuelling coupling a positive pressure is applied to the adapter to raise the tooth 27 above the step 28 in the locking aperture and to overcome the locking mechanism allowing the tooth 28 to exit the locking aperture from the locking aperture mouth 32 by twisting the adapter and thus releasing the device. The adapter 1 can then be stowed with any type equipment either on board in stowage bins or as part of the overall refuelling equipment. Individual parts are also easily replaceable.

It will be appreciated that the above described adapter alleviates the requirement for a separate large bore gravity filing orifice and the associated equipment to be contained within the vehicle, aircraft or maritime vessel (mode of transport). This reduces the number of parts required in each mode of transport, the space envelope encroachment on that mode of transport and the overall weight. The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance, the buffer can be made from Nylon or any other polymeric or low friction material.

The locking mechanism described above in the preferred embodiment as a bayonet type mechanism can be in the form of clips or a sealable screw thread, however the bayonet connection matches the current design of the pressure refuelling coupling The number of spoke supports can vary and reinforcements inside the nozzle may differ from those described above.

Nylon nuts, shakeproof washers and other standard connectors can be replaced for other known standard connection means, the O-rings can be made from any compressible material which forms a seal when compressed, gaskets could also be used.

The main body and interface flange could be manufactured as one complete component, however the 4 component design enables each section to be easily replaceable.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An adapter enabling large diameter gravity refuelling via a pressure refuelling coupling, the adapter comprising:

• an inlet sized to receive a large diameter gravity refuelling nozzle,

· an outlet adapted to be attached to a pressure refuelling coupling and

2. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inlet and outlet form a single integral member, or the inlet and outlet is an assembly of two or more parts.

3. An adapter as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the dry-break member displacement pad is integral:

• with the single integral member, or

• one of the parts of the inlet outlet assembly.

4. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the inlet is made of a main body, and a complementary interface flange.

5. An adapter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the adapter is made of the following replaceable main parts:

• the main body,

· the interface flange,

• the dry-break displacement pad, and

• the outlet

6. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there are no moving parts.

7. An adapter as claimed in claim 4, claim 5 or claim 6, wherein:

· the main body is substantially tubular,

• the base of the main body is complimentarily shaped to a recess in the

interface flange, and

• the opposing faces of the interface flange are substantially flat.

8. An adapter as claimed in claim 7, wherein a base end of the main body is thicker than the rest of the main body.

9. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the main body and interface flange are connected by any one of the following:

• screws, • nuts and bolts,

• an interference fit,

• a screw thread on their opposing edges, and

• a bayonet type attachment.

10. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein connections on the device are provided with any one of the following:

• an O-ring,

• a gasket, or

• an adhesive seal, or

• resin.

11. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the dry-break member displacement pad is attached to the main body by means of a central cylindrical support.

12. An adapter as claimed in claim 11, wherein the dry-break member displacement pad is made up of a stud rod with a backing pad and a buffer at its distal end, the stud rod being situated in the central cylindrical support.

13. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the dry-break member displacement pad is made from any one of the following:

• a number of detachable components,

• a single welded component,

• machined components having an interference fit, and

• one integral component.

14. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the adapter can accommodate a number of flowrates including but not limited to:

• a fuel oil drum or Jerry-Can (5- 10 litres/minute),

• domestic fuel station pump (20-40 litres/minute),

• bulk refuelling equipment (110-130 litres minute),

• an aircraft refuelling vehicle (200 plus litres/minute).

15. An adapter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the adapter is designed to be stowed with any type of equipment either on board in stowage bins, or as part of the overall refuelling equipment.