Method of applying hydrocarbon barrier to a plastic fuel tank
AssigneeDon Corning
InventorDonald Corning
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The subject invention relates to a method of applying the hydrocarbon barrier inside plastic fuel tanks. The plastic fuel tanks are supported on a carrier in an upright position for movement in a loop through inverted positions. While upright, hot and dry air treats the inside of the plastic fuel tanks followed by injecting SO3 inside the plastic fuel tanks through the nozzles. The SO3 is extracted from the plastic fuel tanks followed by injecting ammonia into the tanks through a second nozzle. After extracting ammonia from the plastic fuel tanks, the tanks are inverted and drained followed by a rinsing with a high pressured water and drying with hot air.
Claims12
A method of applying a hydrocarbon permeation barrier inside plastic fuel tanks comprising the steps of:
- pre-heating the interior of the tank with air,
- injecting a hydrocarbon barrier substance into a fuel tank while the tank is upright,
- withdrawing the barrier substance from the tank,
- injecting a neutralizing substance into the tank,
- inverting the tank and draining the neutralizing substance, and
- drying the interior of the tank.
A method of applying a hydrocarbon permeation barrier inside a plastic fuel tank having a spout comprising the steps of:
- loading a plurality plastic fuel tanks in carriers in an upright position;
- securing the plastic fuel tanks within the carriers by retainers engaging the spouts thereof;
- placing the carriers with the plastic fuel tanks under a plurality of air nozzles;
- injecting hot and dry air through the air nozzles and into the plastic fuel tanks;
- injecting SO3 into the spouts of the plastic fuel tanks through nozzles while sealing the spouts for a predetermined period of time;
- extracting SO3 from the plastic fuel tanks through the nozzles while in sealing engagement with the spouts;
- injecting ammonia into the plastic fuel tanks through a plurality of neutralizing nozzles;
- holding ammonia in the plastic fuel tanks for a second predetermined period of time;
- extracting ammonia out of the plastic fuel tanks;
- inverting the plastic fuel tanks to drain out a residue of ammonia;
- rinsing the inside of the inverted plastic fuel tanks with high-pressure water;
- draining the water from the inverted tanks;
- and
- blowing a high velocity and heated air into the spouts of the plastic fuel tanks to remove the residue of water.
A conveyor line for processing plastic fuel tanks to create a hydrocarbon barrier within the tanks, the line comprising;
- an endless loop conveyor entrained around a spaced pair of sprockets to create an upper plurality of stations and a lower plurality of stations,
- a plurality of carriers for supporting the tanks on said conveyor,
- each of said carriers including a plate with a hole threrethrough for receiving the spout of a fuel tank, and
- a retainer for engaging the spout of the fuel tank extending through said hole for retaining the tank to said carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.