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US 2008/0173087 A1Published application
Locomotive fuel tank sight glass in-situ cleaning system
AssigneeLocomotive Services, LLC
InventorRandy R. Kurth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Generally, a fuel tank sight glass cleanable without disassemble. Specifically, a fuel tank sight glass in which a sight glass cleaner element travels to remove deposition material from the surface of the surface of a sight glass.
Claims21
A fuel tank sight glass, comprising;
- a. a sight glass back plate which couples to a fuel tank, wherein said sight glass back plate has a first aperture element having a location which allows an amount of fuel contained in said fuel tank to flow into said fuel tank sight glass, and wherein said sight glass back plate has a second aperture element which allows an amount of gas displaced by said fuel which flows into said fuel tank sight glass to flow into said fuel tank, whereby said amount of fuel which flows into said fuel tank sight glass establishes a fuel level in said fuel tank sight glass which indicates fuel level in said fuel tank;
- b. a sight glass front plate which joins to said sight glass back plate, wherein said sight glass front plate joined to said sight glass back plate establishes a conduit element between said first aperture element and said second aperture element in which said fuel and said gas flow in said fuel tank sight glass;
- c. a sight glass coupled to said sight glass front plate which allows viewable indicia of said fuel level in said conduit element established between said first aperture element and said second aperture element to be viewed;
- and
- d. a conduit access aperture element coupled to said fuel tank sight glass which establishes a conduit between the exterior surface of said fuel tank sight glass and said conduit element established between said first aperture element and said second aperture element, and wherein said conduit access aperture element allows access to said conduit element at a location above said fuel level in said fuel tank.
2 more elements
A method of using a fuel tank sight glass, comprising the steps of:
- a. establishing an amount of a fuel in a conduit of said fuel tank sight glass;
- b. generating a deposition layer of a deposition material in said amount of fuel on a surface of said sight glass;
- c. generating a travel of a sight glass cleaner element having a location in said conduit;
- and
- d. removing said deposition layer from said surface of said sight glass by travel of said sight glass cleaner element in said conduit.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing a fuel tank sight glass, comprising the steps of:
- a. generating a conduit element capable of receiving an amount fuel from a fuel tank to indicate the fuel level in said fuel tank;
- b. coupling a sight glass to said conduit element which allows visualization of said a amount of fuel received from said fuel tank;
- c. configuring a sight glass cleaner element to engage an inside surface of said sight glass;
- and
- d. coupling said sight glass cleaner element to a travel generation element capable of generating travel of said sight glass cleaner element inside of said conduit element.
2 more elements
21-28. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.