Combination casting for a blending dispenser

#This invention relates to blending fuel dispensers having the facility for vapor recovery and, more particularly, it concerns a combination casting providing not only first and second product inlets, a mixing chamber, and a blended product outlet, but also a separate passage arrangement providing an annular vapor recovery inlet and one or more recovered vapor outlets.

#Typically, blending dispensers provide one or more intermediate grades of fuel using, for example, a blending valve to regulate the volumetric ratio of a low octane product, such as unleaded regular, and a high octane product, such as unleaded premium, so as to make available at least three grades of fuel while only requiring the use of two supply tanks and pumps. Many such blending dispensers incorporate a twin hose arrangement of either two separate hoses or one coaxial hose having an inner and outer hose connected to a single nozzle with each of the high and low grade products being supplied in one of the hoses and with the actual fuel blending occurring in the nozzle. An example of such a blending dispenser is the Wayne.RTM. Pushbutton Fixed-Ratio Blending Dispenser produced by Wayne Division of Dresser Industries, Inc., Salisbury, Md. Additional blending dispensers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,348, issued to D. W. Nelson on Jan. 28, 1969; U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,797 issued to D. W. Nelson on Oct. 1, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,159 issued to J. A. Todd et al on Sep. 20, 1977; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,807 issued to R. L. Caswell et al on Sep. 23, 1980.

#Conventional fuel dispensers having vapor recovery systems which remove fuel vapors displaced by the dispensed fuel usually have either separate fuel dispensing and vapor recovery hoses or a coaxial hose arrangement with, for example, fuel being dispensed in an inner hose and vapors being recovered in an annular space between the inner house and an outer hose. Examples of vapor recovery systems having separate fuel dispensing and vapor recovery hoses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,142 issued to R. H. Barr et al on Dec. 26, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,505 issued to D. E. M. Hasselmann et al on Oct. 20, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,033 issued to E. M. Deters on Jan. 12, 1982; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,615 issued to R. K. Young on Oct. 11, 1988. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,687 issued to R. A. Long on Jan. 17, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,626 issued to J. W. Healy on Jun. 20, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,033 issued to R. W. Furrow et al on Aug. 18, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,987 issued to W. P. Faeth on May 9, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,027 issued to W. P. Faeth on Jun. 27, 1989, disclose vapor recovery systems incorporating a coaxial, twin hose fuel dispensing and vapor recovery arrangement.

#FIG. 1 is a cross section illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the casting, tubing and hose arrangement of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view representing the combination casting of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a blending dispenser incorporating the casting and hose arrangement of the present invention;

#In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an exemplary casting in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and shown to include first and second fuel product inlets 12 and 14 and a fuel product outlet 16. The product inlets merge to form a mixing or blending chamber 18 which empties into the mixed or blended product outlet 16. The casting 10 further includes an annular vapor recovery inlet 20 which leads to a recovered vapor outlet 22.

#Each of the fuel product inlets 12 and 14 and the vapor outlet 22 have internal helical threads adapted to receive the external helical threads of respective weldless pipe fittings 24, 26 and 28. These fittings secure respective flared-out ends of first and second fuel product tubes or pipes 30 and 32 and a vapor tube or pipe 34 to the casting 10.

#As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, each of the fittings 24, 26 and 28 are straight fittings, however, it is to be understood that one or more of these may be replaced with elbow fittings. For example, the second product fitting 26 can be instead an elbow fitting so as to reduce the overall height of the casting and tubing assembly to match dispenser dimensions.