US1982879A - Adapter for explosive fluid tanks - Google Patents

Description

F. c. OVERBURY ADAPTER FOREXPLOSIVE FLUID TANKS Filed Oct. 27, 1951 Dec. 4, 1934.

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Patented Dec. 4, 1934 -U N TE-D A T;E OFFI E Application October 27, 1931, Serial No.571,4 7 3 i 1 Claims. (01. 22o-s6 It is known that serious danger attends the filling of tanks with volatile inflammable liquids, such as gasoline, due either-to presence of a flame in the vicinity of the. tank, as on striking a 5 match, or to a spark'caused by static'electricity and which jumps thespace between the tank and filling nozzle when the latter is applied to the fillingfinlet of'the'tank. Of course, this danger has been manifested usually in connection with the filling of the gasoline tanks ofautomobiles where carelessness and disregard of the high inflammability of this fuel'frequently, attend a filling operation and'where also static electricity generatedby thev automobile asan incident of '15 its operation has to be taken intoaccount.

One object of this invention is to provide an inflammable-fluidtank or other receiver with means atan opening therein, asits filling inlet, for sealing the contents. of the tank'from the atmosphere at least while actual passage of the fluid is going on, whereby any vapor arising will be confined in the receiver and sparks or other igniting sources excluded therefrom and an explosion or conflagration will be prevented. In

the best form, as will hereinafter appear, the construction of said means is such that it normally acts to seal not only during actual passage of the fluid but between such periods. Further, in order that the operation may not be checked by change 311 of atmospheric pressure in the receiver during fluid transfer I provide a conductor for air connecting the receiver and reservoir with which it is connected by the conductor for the fluid being transferred.

Another object is to provide such a receiver with means at its said opening for electrically insulating the portion of the receiver having'the opening from the fluid conductor when the latter is applied to the receiver. A still further object is to construct said means so that it may. form an adapter for attachment to existing receivers.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the inlet portion of an automobile fuel tank equipped with venting the air from the tank to be filled back to the reservoir of such apparatus. i

The receiver or tank 1 to be filled has the usual upstandingginlet or mouth 2 afiording the opening, here a passage 20:, of the receiver; In' place so of the cap usually screwed thereon at '3' my invention contemplates the following:

4 is an annular gasket which may besecure upon the inlet in any way, but since it should be attached thereto in some-way so that the joint between them shall be sealed I prefer to form it from some elastic yielding material,- as rubber, which will form a good sealing contactwith-the inlet continuously thereof, as by forminga concentric groove5in the under side of said member 7 adapted to,receive the-rim of the inlet with a snug-fia-as. shown. l

This member has a flangeor lip 6-which projects inwardly: from andextends continuously of its inner surface,;the opening-or passage through which should be of somewhat less diameter than that of. the nozzle -7 of the fuel; conductor iiyleading from a filling apparatus 9 (Fig. 5). As so far described, when the nozzle is inserted it must first expand this flange or lip, wherefore thereupon 89 the contents of the tank (even the vapor of the fuel) are confined therein and admission of any igniting influence is prevented.

For preventing escape of the contents of the tank or admission thereto of. igniting influences 'in' the intervals between fillings the member 4 has an inside valve-seat 10, preferably upwardly conical, and with this coacts a valve 11, also preferably upwardly conical, which is depressible but is normally held against its seat, or closed. This 9,0. valve in the present example is pivotally supported and held normally closed by a strip of spring metal 12 which is bent to the proper angle and is secured to the valve and the inner surface of member 4 by rivets 13.

In reference to the illustrated combination of the lip. 6 and valve 11, it is noted that before the valve is opened by the act of entering the nozzle a vapor-tight seal is formed aroundthe nozzle by the lip. In short, at no time is there access to each other as. between the interior and exterior of the tank, as there would be between fillings if the valve. were absent or during filling if the lip were absent.

Of course during filling provision must be made 5 for displacement from the tank of the contained air. Wherefore the member 4 may be provided with an air-escape duct 1a with which an air vent tube 15 connected to the tank 16 of the filling apparatus 9 and lashed to the conductor or pipe p1 8 by bands 15a may be placed in communication.

Further reference to this will be made hereinafter.

To prevent sparking between the nozzle and some portion of the tank inlet as an incident of static electricity present in either of them the member 4 is formed of insulating material, as rubber already mentioned, and in the best form it has a depending sleeve 4a (of insulating material)","herejformed integral with it and also yielding; this is-ofsufiicient depth to reach at least as far down as the bottom of the inlet so as to prevent contact of the inserted nozzle with the inlet at any point. 5

The member 4 may be reinforced by an apertured stiff disk 17 superimposed thereon and in any way secured thereto, as by rivets 18. And to exclude water there may be a closure 19 in the form of a disk overlying disk 17 and pivotedto move in its own plane. How this diskis pivoted is not material, but in the present example I utilize asits pivota mouth-piece or socket zc which forms the outlet'end ofthe' air-duct and is adapted'to receive the free end or the air-vent tube and is' sc'rewed into or otherwise projects from the diskfli' Instead of venting the air from the tank by a duct, as 14, inthe member 4 I may form an air duct or by-pass 21 in the filling nozzle, as shown in Fig. 4, I whereby fuel-admission and air-escape both become effective on the single act of entering the nozzle into the member 4'. i

Having thus fully described my invention what Iclaim'isz" i '1. An adapterto be flttedtc an inflammable fluid receiver, said adapter'havlng an opening'to communicate with a tubular" fluidconductorapplied thereto and consisting of an annular gasket having 'means'to form with the receiver a seal around said opening an'dan inward elastic lip around the opening more yielding continuously thereof than the remainder fof said gasket.

" 2. In combination; an inflammable-fluid remeans, acting independently of a force extraneous of the adapter, to grip the inlet and thereby forming between said member and inlet a circumferential seal and also means to form with a tubular'c'onductor for supplying fluid to the container a seal around the conductor, and a valve closing the aperture of and movably supported on said 11. In combination, an inflammable-fluid receiver having a tubular filling inlet, and an adapter comprising an-annular=member having means, acting independently of a force extraneous of the adapter, to grip the inlet and thereby forming between said member and inlet a circumferential seal'and also electrodnsulative means to term with atubular conductor for supplying fluid to the container 9, seal-around the conductonand a valve closing the aperture of and movablysur ported on said. member. i

5. In combination; an ceiverv having a tubular filling: inlet, and an adapter comprisingan annular member having means, acting'independently of a force extraneous of the adapter, to 'grip the inlet and thereby forming between saidimemberand inIet'a-circumferential seal and also means to form with-a tubular conductor forsupplying fluiditoithecontainer a seal aroundthe conductor, and-a valve closin the apertureand arranged to be opened-and held open .bythe -co'nductor on the forming of the second-namedseal; i

" -FREDERICK C."QVERBURY.

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