Transmix prevention lock
OwnerEndre Zsigmondinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for preventing a dense liquid such as diesel fuel from being dispensed into a storage tank that contains a less dense liquid, such as gasoline fuel and vice versa. The unloading process happens by gravity through a vertical down hole. The invention uses the gravitational flow of the fluid, a movable float that is moved by contact with a fluid of a predetermined density, and a magnetic member to activate the stopping feature.
Claims17
An apparatus for discriminating between two fluids and allowing a first fluid to flow and preventing a second fluid from flowing in a filler tube, the first fluid comprising a first density and the second fluid comprising a second density, the apparatus comprising:
- the discriminating apparatus disposed in an inlet of the filler tube;
- an actuating tube for accepting a portion of the first or second fluid;
- a magnetic structure comprising a material that floats in one of the two fluids, comprising the first density, and sinks in a second of the two fluids, comprising the second density, disposed in the actuating tube;
- and
- a stopper, the stopper comprising a filler tube blocking apparatus, that prevents the second fluid from flowing into the filler tube, said stopper being activated by the magnetic structure, whereby the magnetic structure floats or sinks, depending on a density of the fluid being introduced and magnetically attracts a stopper release apparatus when the magnetic structure reaches a predetermined distance to the stopper release apparatus.
A method for discriminating between two fluids and allowing a first fluid to flow and preventing a second fluid from flowing in a filler tube, the first fluid comprising a first density and the second fluid comprising a second density, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) disposing a fluid discriminating apparatus to the filler tube;
- b) delivering at least a portion of the first or second fluid to an actuating tube, the actuating tube disposed in the fluid discriminating apparatus;
- c) magnetically activating a stopper disposed in the actuating tube, the stopper comprising a filler tube blocking apparatus that prevents the second fluid from flowing into the filler tube, by a magnetic structure that is immersed into the delivered at least a portion, by magnetically attracting a stopper release apparatus when the magnetic structure reaches a predetermined distance to the stopper release apparatus, the magnetic structure comprising a material that floats in one of the two fluids comprising the first density, and sinks in a second of the two fluids, comprising the second density;
- and
- d) stopping the second fluid from flowing into the filler tube by the magnetically activated stopper.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.