RU207170U1 - AUTOMOTIVE TANK FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS USING OPTICAL SENSORS - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model "Automobile tank for oil products with the use of optical sensors" refers to transport engineering and can be used in the oil industry. The technical device includes a truck chassis, a tank, two optical sensors, communication lines, a converter and a signaling device. The tank is equipped with optical sensors with the ability to determine water and the quality of oil products. In this case, the first sensor is mounted in the lower part of the tank, the second sensor is installed above the first at a distance of 30-40 centimeters. Both sensors are connected by communication lines with a converter and a signaling device. The technical result is achieved by determining the water and the quality of oil in the tank using optical sensors, by changing the refractive index of various liquids and media. This change using communication lines, a converter and a signaling device will be reflected on the vehicle dashboard , for example, in the form of a red lamp coming on. Water, highly viscous opaque liquids and diesel fuel have different refractive indices.

Description

The proposed utility model relates to devices for the transportation of petroleum products by tank trucks.

This utility model is most applicable for the transportation of diesel fuels. At the present time, tank cars with a large capacity of more than 30 m ^{3 are used} .

When loading diesel fuel at oil depots, water may get into tank trucks. It is also possible to get petroleum products that have deviations in terms of quality.

Known automobile tank for petroleum products [Artemiev VG, Zhivotovsky A.I. Tankers and tankers. Ulyanovsk. UHVTU, 2005].

This tank truck consists of a truck chassis with wheels, a fuel tank, an external ladder, a platform, a breathing valve, a mouth, a hatch, a hinged cover, a pump, and pipelines.

Through the hatch or neck, the fuel filling is measured and samples are taken for analysis. The disadvantages of a tank truck for transporting petroleum products are:

1. The inability to determine the water in the tanker.

2. The inability to identify petroleum products with deviations in terms of quality indicators.

Also known is the installation of vapor recovery on automobile tanks for petroleum products using a double-walled tank. [Matveev Yu.A. and others. Patent for utility model No. 155732 dated 20.10.2015].

On the proposed tank car with a chassis with wheels, a tank with a neck and a hinged lid, a breathing valve, in addition to the valve body, a common vapor discharge line with a check valve is installed, connected to a double-walled tank partially filled with an absorbent, which is equipped with a receiving device for fuel vapors and a safety valve with an absorber filter, while the inter-wall space of the tank is filled with carbon dioxide.

It should be noted that the receiving device of the double-walled tank is equipped with two nets with openings of different diameters for the absorption of oil vapors. The tank is equipped with a drain pipeline with a valve for draining the mixture of absorbent with oil product, as well as stiffening baffles with holes to reduce the speed of movement of the absorbent and prevent water hammer during the movement of the truck tank, as well as for the absorption of vapors of oil products contained in the vapor-air space of the tank.

In order to determine the level of the absorbent, the double-walled tank has a gauge hatch.

To prevent overflow of a mixture of absorbent with oil product, the common pipeline vapor removal line inside the double-walled tank has a horizontal section and is equipped with a mechanical device to prevent overflow of a float type. This device consists of a float, a connecting arm and a piston. A stand is installed inside the vapor discharge line to support the float when the level of the absorbent / oil mixture is insufficient to raise the float. To block the movement of vapors inside the pipeline with a piston, a section with a reduced diameter of the pipeline is equipped with a bushing. The mixture of the absorbent with the oil product enters the common pipeline vapor removal line inside the double-walled tank through the holes.

To remove oil vapors when closing a mechanical device to prevent overflows of a float type, the common pipeline vapor removal line is equipped with a high-pressure breathing valve with an absorber filter.

The installation works as follows. In case of "small" breaths associated with changes in temperatures and an increase in the pressure of the vapor space in the tank, the breathing valve opens and the vapors of oil products through a common pipeline line through a receiving device with meshes with openings of various diameters enter a double-walled reservoir with an absorbent. In this case, most of the vapors are converted into liquid due to cooling in a double-walled tank and absorption by an absorbent. Cooling by several degrees Celsius in the tank in comparison with the vapor space of the tank car occurs due to the fact that the tank has an inter-wall space filled with carbon dioxide, which has a lower thermal conductivity coefficient compared to air.

Another part of the vapors of petroleum products as a result of the movement of the absorbent through the openings of the stiffening partitions throughout the volume of the tank during the movement of the tank car is absorbed by the absorbent. The undissolved part of the vapors of oil products at the outlet of the tank when the safety valve is opened is captured by an absorber filter.

As the level of the absorbent / oil mixture increases, the float begins to rise, setting in motion the connecting lever, which pushes the piston to close the hole in the section with the reduced pipeline diameter. As a result, the supply of vapors to the double-walled tank is stopped. After closing the common pipeline vapors removal by means of a mechanical device to prevent overflows, vapors of oil products from the tank are discharged into the atmosphere through a high-pressure breathing valve with an absorber filter. Upon arrival of the tank car at the receiving point, the level of the mixture of the absorbent with the oil product is checked through the gauge hatch of the tank. If necessary, the mixture is drained through the drain pipe using a valve.

The disadvantages of a vapor recovery unit on truck tanks for petroleum products using a double-walled tank are:

1. The inability to determine the water in the tank.

2. The inability to identify low-quality fuel in the tank.

Also known is a car fuel tank with a tank for capturing gasoline vapors and an optical sensor. [Bogdanov A.Yu., Matveev Yu.A. Utility model patent No. 200771 dated 11.11.2020].

The utility model contains a fuel tank, with a neck, a lid and a bottom plug. Inside the fuel tank there is a fuel intake with a filter, an electric fuel level sensor with a rod and a float. The fuel supply and drain lines leave the fuel tank. The return fuel line is equipped with a non-return valve. With the help of a steam line, the fuel tank is connected to the trapping tank of gasoline vapors. To supply gasoline vapors to the collecting tank, there is a valve designed for a certain pressure.

A ventilation pipeline is diverted from the collecting tank, on which a valve is equipped for removing vapors from the tank into the engine inlet pipeline. Also, the collecting tank is equipped with a drain valve for draining condensate and gasoline in the liquid phase.

For the purpose of sealing when refueling at a gas station, the neck of the fuel tank is equipped with a sealing ring made of petrol-resistant rubber. The fuel tank itself is double-walled, while the space between the walls is filled with carbon dioxide.

Additionally, an optical sensor with LED is installed in the fuel tank below the fuel intake filter. The sensor is connected with a communication line to the vehicle dashboard.

The utility model works as follows. When refueling a car at a gas station, the fuel tank cap is unscrewed. After that, the dispensing gun is hermetically inserted into the neck. The sealing is provided by an O-ring. When refueling, the oil product, increasing in volume, increases the vapor pressure of gasoline. When a pressure of 0.5 kPa is reached, the exhaust valve is activated, and gasoline vapors enter the container through the steam line. In this case, the vapors remain in a gaseous state. Cooling in the fuel tank in comparison with the ambient air occurs due to the fact that the tank is equipped with a space between the walls filled with carbon dioxide. The rest of the fuel vapor remains in the collection tank. When a certain vapor pressure in the tank is reached, the valve of the ventilation pipeline opens. As a result, the vapors of the oil product when the engine is running are diverted into the intake manifold of the engine and then burned in its cylinders.

In the event of the formation (ingress) of water, it will accumulate in the lower part of the fuel tank. When water reaches the level of the optical sensor, the sensor will show a refractive index value that is different from the refractive index of gasoline. This change will be reflected in the dashboard of the car, for example, in the form of a red lamp coming on.

In case of ingress of mechanical impurities, they will accumulate in the lower part of the fuel tank. When the level of the optical sensor is reached by mechanical impurities, the sensor will show a refractive index value that is different from the refractive index of gasoline. This change will be reflected in the dashboard of the car, for example, in the form of a red lamp coming on.

Disadvantages of a car fuel tank with a tank for capturing gasoline vapors and an optical sensor:

1. Inability to determine the quality of fuel in the tank.

2. Possibility of using only in a fuel tank.

The closest to this problem is a tanker truck for the transportation of viscous oil products. [Bartashev P.B. and others. Patent for utility model No. 189985 dated June 14, 2019].

The utility model includes an auto chassis with a frame and a tank equipped with a system for monitoring environmental parameters, consisting of individual components interconnected by a communication-power line and exchanging information using a digital protocol. The system includes a sensor for identifying the presence of water, which is installed outside the tank in its lower part. The sensor is connected by a power-communication line with a secondary converter (controller) and a water presence / absence status indicator. In this case, the controller and the indicator of the presence / absence of water status can be installed in the cab of the tanker, on the chassis frame or on the tank, which allows the maintenance personnel to timely detect the presence of water in the tank before it is filled with hot viscous oil products.

The technical problem to be solved is the need to exclude the presence of water in the tank before filling it with hot viscous oil products.

The claimed technical result is achieved due to the fact that the system for monitoring the parameters of the environment includes a sensor for identifying the presence of water, which is installed outside the tank in its lower part, as well as a controller and an indicator of the status of the presence / absence of water.

In its work, the sensor for identifying the presence of water uses a method for measuring the electrical conductivity of the tank, the so-called "conductometric method". This method is based on a change in the electrical resistance between the electrodes in the working environment and a corresponding change in the current strength in the circuit formed by the electrodes.

The sensor for identifying the presence of water is installed outside the tank in its lower part and has an electrode extending into the inside of the tank. The second electrode is a metal element of the tank, for example, its wall, bottom or grounding bolt.

If the tank is empty, there is no electrical contact between the electrodes due to the infinite resistance between them. If there is water in the tank, the resistance between the electrodes decreases. The change in resistance from the set parameters (nominal) is monitored by the converter (controller), which transmits the corresponding signal to the indicator of the water presence / absence status.

The sensor for identifying the presence of water is placed on the tank in the place of the expected accumulation of water.

Thus, by installing a water presence identification sensor in the lower part of the tank, as well as a controller and an indicator of the presence / absence of water, it is possible to detect the presence of water in the tank before pouring hot viscous oil products into it.

Before the filling of hot oil products, when the control system is activated, the signals from the sensor are transmitted via the communication-power line to the controller, which processes the signal and transmits information to the indicator of the water presence / absence status. Thus, the maintenance personnel will be notified of the presence of water in the tank and can take the necessary measures to remove it before filling hot viscous oil products.

Thus, the claimed technical result is achieved - increased safety during loading operations when pouring hot viscous oil products into the tank.

The disadvantages of a tanker truck for transporting viscous oil products are:

1. The inability to determine the quality of the oil product in the tank.

2. Possibility of determining water only in an empty truck tank.

The proposed utility model allows solving the problem of increasing the efficiency of determining water and oil products with deviations in quality indicators in a tank car.

The solution to this problem is achieved by the fact that the tank is equipped with two optical sensors with the ability to determine water and the quality of the oil product, while the first sensor is mounted in the lower part of the tank, the second sensor is installed above the first at a distance of 30-40 centimeters, and also by the fact that both sensors are lines connections are connected to the converter and the signaling device.

These features are essential for solving the problem of a utility model, since the efficiency of determining water and the quality of oil products increases when filling and moving tank cars.

The essence of the utility model is illustrated by drawings (Fig. 1, Fig. 2), which show a front view of a tank car and a section of a tank car. On the proposed tank car having a chassis with wheels 1, tank 2 with a neck 3 and a hinged cover 4, a breathing valve 5, breakwaters (stiffening partitions) 6, two optical sensors 7, 8 are additionally installed in the front part of the tank car body.

Optical sensors are used to determine the levels of various liquids and media in tanks, cisterns, as well as in other containers. The principle of operation of optical sensors is based on different refraction of light when passing through a prism (hemisphere) in different liquids or media. The optical sensor includes a housing, a prism, an LED, a photodetector, and a measuring electronics. Water, diesel and other liquids have different refractive indices. In particular, water has a refractive index of 1.33 and diesel fuel 1.46-1.47. The first optical sensor 7 is installed at the bottom of the tank. This sensor is designed to detect water. The second sensor 8 is installed at a distance of 30-40 cm from the first sensor and is designed to determine the quality of diesel fuel 9.

Optical sensors 7, 8 by means of communication lines 10 are connected to the converter 11, which is connected to the signaling device 12. The converter and the signaling device are located in the cabin 13 of the car.

Summer diesel fuel has a cloud point no higher than minus 5 ° C and a pour point no higher than minus 10 ° C. [Matveev Yu.A. Fuel and lubricants. Laboratory workshop. Ulyanovsk. Ul-GU, 2011]. At temperatures below minus 5 ° C, summer diesel fuel first begins to change its transparency (cloudy). It then turns into a highly viscous, opaque liquid that has a higher refractive index than diesel fuel. At temperatures below minus 10 ° C, summer diesel fuel begins to lose mobility and becomes an inactive liquid. Summer diesel fuel is designed for operation at temperatures above minus 5 ° C. At temperatures less than minus 5 ° C, such indicators of the quality of the oil product as viscosity, density, filtration coefficient deteriorate, the pumpability of the oil product decreases and summer diesel fuel becomes unusable.

The same thing happens with heating oil, or a mixture of heating oil and diesel fuel.

At the beginning of the autumn-winter period, with the appearance of subzero temperatures, at oil depots, there may be cases of filling diesel fuel in summer (instead of winter) into tank cars. Also, such cases occur when receiving petroleum products from unscrupulous suppliers. These suppliers may issue summer diesel fuel as winter diesel fuel, or other low-quality petroleum products (a mixture of heating oil with diesel fuel).

The utility model works as follows.

When filling, diesel fuel 9 enters the tanker 2. In case of formation (ingress) of water 14, it will accumulate in the lower part of the tank 2. When the level of the optical sensor is reached by water, the sensor 7 will show a refractive index value that is different from the refractive index of diesel fuel. This value of the refractive index through the communication line 10 enters the converter 11, and then to the signaling device 12, for example, in the form of a red lamp lighting up.

If summer diesel fuel gets into a tanker at temperatures below minus 5 ° C, this oil product first begins to change its transparency (cloudy). Summer diesel is then converted into a highly viscous, opaque liquid that has a refractive index higher than diesel.

When a highly viscous opaque liquid is formed, the optical sensor 8 will show a refractive index value that is different from the refractive index of diesel fuel. This value of the refractive index through the communication line 10 enters the converter 11, and then to the signaling device 12, for example, in the form of a red lamp lighting up.

The design of a tank car with optical sensors allows to timely determine the presence of water and a change in the quality of diesel fuel associated with a decrease in temperature, which will prevent equipment failure due to the timely drainage of water and prevent the ingress of low-quality oil products to filling stations and tanks of cars. Also, the utility model makes it possible to determine the ingress of heating oil or mixtures of heating oil with oil products into a tanker truck.

Claims (1)

Automobile tank for oil products with the use of optical sensors, including a chassis, a tank, a sensor, a converter, communication lines, characterized in that the tank is equipped with two optical sensors with the ability to determine water and the quality of oil products, while the first sensor is mounted in the lower part of the tank, the second sensor installed above the first at a distance of 30-40 centimeters, and also by the fact that both sensors are connected by communication lines to the converter, which is connected to the signaling device.

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