Apparatus for sealing floating roof tanks
OwnerRobert L. Russellinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for sealing floating roof tanks including a sealing element disposed around the circumference of the floating roof between the floating roof and the tank wall, and a plurality of baffles adapted to substantially inhibit or prevent the circumferential flow of vapors through a vapor space between the sealing element and the body of stored volatile liquid.
Claims15
An apparatus for reducing vapor emissions to the atmosphere through the annular space between a floating roof and the wall of a floating roof tank which contains a body of volatile liquid, said apparatus comprising:
- first sealing means fixedly coupled to said floating roof and adapted to be yieldably urged against said wall so as to prohibit direct fluid communication through said annular space between said body of volatile liquid and the atmosphere in the absence of accidental defects or gaps in said first sealing means;
- and
- a first plurality of baffles coupled to said first sealing means and disposed between said first sealing means and said body of volatile liquid in a first annular vapor space around the circumference of said floating roof, said first plurality of baffles being adapted to substantially inhibit fluid flow through said first vapor space.
An apparatus for reducing vapor emissions to the atmosphere through the annular space between a floating roof and the wall of a floating roof tank which contains a body of volatile liquid, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of shoe plates spaced evenly about and coupled to said floating roof, said shoe plates being adapted to be yieldably urged against said wall;
- means coupled to said floating roof and said shoe plates for yieldably urging said shoe plates against said wall;
- cover means coupled to said floating roof and said shoe plates, said cover means being adapted in the absence of accidental defects therein to fluid-tightly seal from the atmosphere the entire annular space between said shoe plates and said floating roof;
- and
- a first plurality of flexible baffles, each of which is coupled to said floating roof, said shoe plates and said cover means and is disposed in a first vapor space defined by the surface of said body of volatile liquid, said shoe plates, said cover means and said floating roof, and said first plurality of baffles being positioned traversely within said first vapor space so as to substantially inhibit fluid flow through said first vapor space.
An apparatus for reducing vapor emissions to the atmosphere through the annular space between a floating roof and wall of a floating roof tank which contains a body of volatile liquid, said apparatus comprising:
- toroidal sealing means fixedly coupled to said floating roof and adapted to be compressed between said roof and said wall so as to prohibit direct fluid communication through said annular space between said body of volatile liquid and the atmosphere in the absence of accidental defects or gaps in said toroidal sealing means;
- and
- a first plurality of flexible baffles each of which is coupled to said floating roof and said toroidal sealing means and is disposed in a first vapor space defined by the surface of said body of volatile liquid, said wall, said toroidal sealing means and said floating roof, said first plurality of baffles being positioned traversely within said first vapor space so as to substantially inhibit fluid flow through said first vapor space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.