US 5,495,695 AGranted

Vaulted underground storage tank

AssigneeDalworth Concrete Products, Inc.

InventorThomas P. Elliott, Jr.

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An underground storage system for hazardous liquids having an inner fluid storage tank surrounded by a larger outer containment vault with sufficient space between to allow for visual inspection of the tank. The inner tank has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is positioned within an outer rectangular parallelepiped vault in a manner leaving a larger clearance space between two adjacent tank sides and facing vault walls than between the opposite adjacent two sides and walls. Additionally, a vertical clearance exists between the tank and vault. The vault is reinforced concrete precast in sections for ease of transport and assembly on-site. The vault has a bottom pan-shaped unit with one or more square tubular collar units on top and terminates in an upper cover. The cover includes one or more man-way apertures enabling a technician to enter the vault and inspect the tank for leaks. The increased use of excavated space for fluid storage reduces costs associated with transport and installation.

Claims53

Dependent claims

An underground storage system, comprising:

a vault substantially buried in the ground, comprising:
a generally rectangular bottom;
a first pair of opposing upstanding walls;
a second pair of opposing upstanding walls, said bottom, said first pair of walls and said second pair of walls comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped container having an open upper end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
and
a top covering said open upper end, said top defining an opening sized and shaped such that an adult can pass through said opening;
a storage vessel for containing liquids, said storage vessel comprising:
a top;
a bottom;
a first pair of opposing upstanding sides;
and
a second pair of opposing upstanding sides, said storage vessel having a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
and, spacers supporting said bottom of said storage
vessel above said bottom of said vault, wherein said vault is sized and shaped and said vessel is positioned within said vault such that there is sufficient space between said storage vessel and said vault such that an adult can enter said vault through said opening in said top of said vault and move along at least two of said walls between said vessel and said vault to visually inspect each of said sides of said storage vessel and said bottom of said vault.

11 more elements

An underground storage system, comprising:

a vault, comprising:
a pre-fabricated cup-shaped bottom unit, comprising:
a generally rectangular bottom;
a first pair of generally opposing upstanding wall portions;
and
a second pair of generally opposing upstanding wall portions, said bottom, said first pair of wall portions and said second pair of wall portions comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped container having an open end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
at least one pre-fabricated collar unit, comprising:
a first pair of generally opposing upstanding wall sections;
and
a second pair of generally opposing upstanding wall sections, said first pair of wall sections and said second pair of wall sections comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped tube having an open upper end, an open lower end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
and
a pre-fabricated top, said top sized and shaped to cover said open upper end of said collar unit, wherein, when said vault is assembled, said bottom unit directly supports one of said at least one collar unit, and said wall portions and said wall sections cooperate to form a first pair and a second pair of walls;
a pre-fabricated storage vessel for containing liquids, said storage vessel comprising:
a top;
a bottom;
a first pair of opposing upstanding sides;
and
a second pair of opposing upstanding sides, said storage vessel having a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
wherein said vault is sized and shaped, and said vessel is sized and shaped such that said vessel is positioned within said vault such that there is sufficient space between said storage vessel and said vault such that an adult can move along at least two of said walls between said vessel and said vault to visually inspect each of said sides of said storage vessel.

16 more elements

An underground storage system, comprising:

a vault substantially buried in the ground, comprising:
a pre-fabricated cup-shaped bottom unit, comprising:
a generally rectangular bottom;
a first pair of generally opposing upstanding wall portions;
and
a second pair of generally opposing upstanding wall portions, said bottom, said first pair of wall portions and said second pair of wall portions comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped container having an open end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
at least one pre-fabricated collar unit, comprising:
a first pair of generally opposing upstanding wall sections;
and
a second pair of generally opposing upstanding wall sections, said first pair of wall sections and said second pair of wall sections comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped tube having an open upper end, an open lower end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
and
a pre-fabricated top, said top covering said open upper end of said collar unit, wherein said bottom unit supports said collar unit and said top, and said wall portions and said wall sections cooperate to form a first pair and a second pair of walls;
a pre-fabricated storage vessel for containing liquids positioned within said vault, said storage vessel comprising:
a top;
a bottom;
a first pair of opposing upstanding sides;
and
a second pair of opposing upstanding sides, said storage vessel having a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
wherein said vessel is positioned within said vault such that there is sufficient space between said storage vessel and said vault so that an adult can move along at least two of said walls between said vessel and said vault to visually inspect each of said sides of said storage vessel.

16 more elements

A method of constructing an underground storage system, comprising:

excavating a hole in the ground of sufficient size to contain a vault of the desired capacity;
positioning within said hole a pre-fabricated cup-shaped bottom unit, comprising
a generally rectangular bottom;
a first pair of generally opposing upstanding wall portions;
and
a second pair of generally opposing upstanding wall portions, said bottom, said first pair of wall portions and said second pair of wall portions comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped container having an open end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
positioning over said bottom unit a pre-fabricated collar unit, comprising:
a first pair of generally opposing upstanding wall sections;
and
a second pair of generally opposing upstanding wall sections, said first pair of wall sections and said second pair of wall sections comprising concrete and cooperating to form a box-shaped tube having an open upper end, an open lower end, a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section so that said wall portions and said wall sections cooperate to form a first pair and a second pair of walls;
positioning within said box shaped tube a pre-fabricated storage vessel for containing liquids, said storage vessel comprising:
a top;
a bottom;
a first pair of opposing upstanding sides;
and
a second pair of opposing upstanding sides, said storage vessel having a generally rectangular horizontal cross-section and a generally rectangular vertical cross-section;
wherein said positioning of said vessel is performed such that there is sufficient space between said storage vessel and said vault that an adult can move along at least two of said walls between said vessel and said vault to visually inspect each of said sides of said storage vessel;
and
positioning over said collar unit a pre-fabricated cover which covers said open upper end of said collar unit.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.