US 8,267,108 B2Granted

Additive dispensing system and method

AssigneeHammonds Technical Services, Inc.

InventorCarl L. Hammonds

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A liquid metering device that dispenses liquid into an adjacent reservoir at a precise ratio relative to the total volume of the adjacent reservoir as the reservoir is filled with liquid. The hydrostatic dispensing system includes an additive reservoir, a calibrated dispensing vessel, a hydrostatic pressure chamber, and a three-way valve that passively arms and dis-arms the system. The precise dispensing of liquid by a calibrated dispensing vessel into the adjacent reservoir is accomplished entirely through the management and arrangement of hydrostatic pressure creating a liquid piston generated by the addition of liquid to the adjacent reservoir and its subsequent application to the liquid in the calibrated vertical column that displaces the calibrated volume of liquid into the reservoir at the same rate that liquid is added to the reservoir.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system (99) for dispensing a second liquid (20) proportionally into a first liquid (10), the system (99) comprising:

a reservoir (12) defining a top level (13) and a bottom level (11) and having an opening (19) at the top level of said reservoir (12) for receiving said first liquid (10);
a container (22) for holding said second liquid (20), said container (22) defining a top and a bottom, the bottom of said container (22) elevated above the top level (13) of said reservoir (12);
a dispensing vessel (100) defining a top level (102) and a bottom level (101), said dispensing vessel (100) equal to the height (h) of said reservoir (12) and disposed elevationally level therewith;
a hydrostatic chamber (130) defining a top and a bottom, the bottom of said hydrostatic chamber (130) fluidly coupled to the bottom level (11) of said reservoir (12), the top of said hydrostatic chamber (130) fluidly coupled to the top level (102) of said dispensing vessel (100);
a three-way valve (150) having first, second and third ports (152, 151, 153), said container (22) fluidly coupled to said third port (153), said bottom level (101) of said dispensing vessel (100) fluidly coupled to said first port (152), and the top level (13) of said reservoir (12) fluidly coupled to said second port (151), a first valve position connecting said first port (152) and said second port (151) while isolating said third port (153) and a second valve position connecting said first port (152) and said third port (153) while isolating said second port (151).

2 more elements

A system (99) for proportionally dispensing a liquid comprising:

a reservoir (12) for receiving a first liquid (10) into which a proportional dosage of a second liquid (20) is dispensed;
said reservoir (12) defining a bottom surface (11) and a top surface (13);
a container (22) for storing said second liquid (20), said container (22) elevated above said top surface (13) of said reservoir (12);
a dispensing vessel (100) for transferring said second liquid (20) from said container (22) into said reservoir (12), said dispensing vessel (100) defining a bottom surface (101) and a top surface (102);
a first conduit (120) connecting the bottom surface (11) of said reservoir (12) to the top surface (102) of said dispensing vessel (100);
and
a second conduit (124) connecting the bottom surface (101) of said dispensing vessel (100) to said reservoir (12) and said container (22), said second conduit (124) defining first and second mutually exclusive flow paths, said first flow path defined between the bottom surface (101) of said dispensing vessel (100) and the top surface (13) of said reservoir (12) and said second flow path defined between said container (22) and the bottom surface (101) of said dispensing vessel (100);
whereby an increased head resulting from an addition of said first liquid (10) to said reservoir (12) urges via said first conduit (120) a proportional volume of said second liquid (20) to be dispensed from said dispensing vessel (100) into said reservoir (12) via said first flow path of said second conduit (124), and
a decreased head resulting from an evacuation of said reservoir (12) urges via said first conduit (120) said second liquid (20) to flow from said container (22) to said dispensing vessel (100) via said second flow path of said second conduit (124).

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/573,751Filed 5 Oct 2009 · us provisional application
Priority: 3 Oct 2008
Published: US 2010/0084022 A18 Apr 2010
Granted: 18 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G05D 11/04
With auxiliary non-electric power: by sensing weight of individual components, e.g. gravimetric procedure
Y10T 137/0363
With control of flow by a condition or characteristic of a fluid: for producing proportionate flow
Y10T 137/2496
Fluid handling: self-proportioning or correlating systems
Y10T 137/2534
Self-proportioning flow systems: liquid level response