IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
UP-0865525
(2007-10-01)
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등록번호 |
US-7849728
(2011-02-10)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
3 인용 특허 :
149 |
초록
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A method and apparatus for monitoring and determining fuel vapor recovery performance is disclosed. The dispensing of liquid fuel into a tank by a conventional gas pump nozzle naturally displaces a mixture of air and fuel ullage vapor in the tank. These displaced vapors may be recovered at the dispe
A method and apparatus for monitoring and determining fuel vapor recovery performance is disclosed. The dispensing of liquid fuel into a tank by a conventional gas pump nozzle naturally displaces a mixture of air and fuel ullage vapor in the tank. These displaced vapors may be recovered at the dispensing point nozzle by a vapor recovery system. A properly functioning vapor recovery system recovers approximately one unit volume of vapor for every unit volume of dispensed liquid fuel. The ratio of recovered vapor to dispensed fuel is termed the A/L ratio, which should ideally be approximately equal to one (1). The A/L ratio, and thus the proper functioning of the vapor recovery system, may be determined by measuring liquid fuel flow and return vapor flow (using a vapor flow sensor) on a nozzle-by-nozzle basis. The disclosed methods and apparatus provide for the determination of A/L ratios for individual nozzles using a reduced number of vapor flow sensors. The disclosed methods and apparatus also provide for the determination of fuel dispensing system vapor containment integrity, and the differentiation of true vapor recovery failures as opposed to false failures resulting from the refueling of vehicles provided with onboard vapor recovery systems.
대표청구항
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I claim: 1. A method of monitoring a vapor recovery system that recovers vapors expelled from vehicles during refueling at a plurality of fuel dispensing points and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank in a service station environment, comprising: measuring amounts of fuel flow deliver
I claim: 1. A method of monitoring a vapor recovery system that recovers vapors expelled from vehicles during refueling at a plurality of fuel dispensing points and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank in a service station environment, comprising: measuring amounts of fuel flow delivered to the vehicles at respective said fuel dispensing points; measuring amounts of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing points to be returned through a vapor flow path to the underground storage tank from the respective fuel dispensing points using at least one vapor flow sensor disposed in the vapor flow path, wherein the number of the at least one vapor flow sensors is less than the number of the respective fuel dispensing points that can be active at any one time; and determining an amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective fuel dispensing points using a said amount of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing point. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring the amounts of vapor flow is performed in the vapor flow path that is common to all of the plurality of fuel dispensing points. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a ratio of vapor flow to fuel flow for each of the respective fuel dispensing points by dividing an amount of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing point by an amount of fuel flow delivered at the respective fuel dispensing point. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one vapor flow sensors is greater than one, and wherein each said vapor flow sensor is disposed in the vapor flow path between a respective sub-plurality of fuel dispensing points of the plurality of fuel dispensing points and the underground storage tank. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein, for each said vapor flow sensor, the step of measuring the amounts of vapor flow comprises, for each said respective fuel dispensing point, measuring first amounts of vapor flow recovered when only the respective fuel dispensing point is active. 6. A method of monitoring a vapor recovery system that recovers vapors expelled from vehicles during refueling at a plurality of fuel dispensing points and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank in a service station environment, comprising: measuring amounts of fuel flow delivered to the vehicles at respective said fuel dispensing points of a fuel dispensing unit, the fuel dispensing unit including a plurality of fuel dispensing points for respective vehicles; measuring amounts of vapor flow recovered at the respective dispensing points to be returned through a vapor flow path to the underground storage tank from the respective fuel dispensing points using a single vapor flow sensor disposed in the vapor flow path, wherein the vapor flow path is common to the plurality of fuel dispensing points and multiple fuel dispensing points can be active at any one time; and determining a ratio of vapor flow to fuel flow for each of the respective fuel dispensing points by dividing an amount of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing point by an amount of fuel flow delivered at the respective fuel dispensing point. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein, for each respective fuel dispensing point, the step of measuring the amounts of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing points occurs when only said fuel dispensing point is active. 8. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining an amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective fuel dispensing points by estimating an amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective fuel dispensing points by using multiple measurements of the amounts of vapor flow recovered. 9. A method of monitoring a vapor recovery system that recovers vapors expelled from vehicles during refueling at a plurality of fuel dispensing points and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank in a service station environment, comprising: (a) measuring amounts of fuel flow delivered to the vehicles at respective said fuel dispensing points; (b) measuring amounts of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing points to be returned back through a vapor flow path back to the underground storage tank from the respective fuel dispensing points using a single vapor flow sensor disposed in the vapor flow path, wherein multiple of the respective fuel dispensing points can be active at any one time; (c) determining an amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective fuel dispensing points using a said amount of vapor flow recovered at each first said respective fuel dispensing point and returned back to the underground storage tank through the vapor flow path when the first fuel dispensing point is the only active fuel dispensing point that provides vapor flow to the vapor flow path; and (d) determining a ratio of vapor flow to fuel flow for each of the first fuel dispensing points by dividing the amount of vapor flow recovered at the first fuel dispensing point at step (c) by the amount of fuel flow delivered at the first fuel dispensing point at step (a). 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of determining an amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective fuel dispensing points further comprises estimating the amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective fuel dispensing points by using multiple measurements of the amounts of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing points. 11. A method of monitoring a vapor recovery system that recovers vapors expelled from vehicles during refueling at a plurality of fuel dispensing points and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank in a service station environment, comprising: measuring amounts of fuel flow delivered to the vehicles at respective said fuel dispensing points; measuring amounts of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing points to be returned through a vapor flow path to the underground storage tank from the respective fuel dispensing points using at least one vapor flow sensor disposed in the vapor flow path, wherein the number of the at least one vapor flow sensors is less than the number of the respective fuel dispensing points that can be active at any one time; and determining an amount of vapor flow recovered by each of the respective dispensing points using a said amount of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing point at a time when only said respective fuel dispensing point is active. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining a ratio of vapor flow to fuel flow for each of the respective fuel dispensing points. 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining a ratio of vapor flow to fuel flow for each of the respective fuel dispensing points, wherein the step of determining a ratio comprises (a) identifying a said amount of vapor flow recovered at the respective fuel dispensing point at the time, (b) identifying a said amount of fuel flow delivered to a vehicle at the respective fuel dispensing point at the time, and (c) dividing the amount of vapor flow identified at step (a) by the amount of fuel flow identified at step (b). 14. A vapor recovery system that recovers vapors during fueling operations and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank, comprising: a plurality of fuel dispensing points that deliver fuel from the underground storage tank when active, wherein multiple of the plurality of fuel dispensing points can be active at any one time; a vapor flow path that is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of fuel dispensing points and the underground storage tank; a vapor flow sensor that is operatively connected to the vapor flow path so that the vapor flow sensor detects an amount of vapor flow being returned to the underground storage tank through the vapor flow path; and a processor in communication with the vapor flow sensor that measures an amount of vapor flow being returned to the underground storage tank through the vapor return path when only one of the plurality of fuel dispensing points is active. 15. The vapor recovery system of claim 14, further comprising respective fuel flow paths between the underground storage tank and the plurality of fuel dispensing points and respective fuel flow sensors operatively connected to the respective fuel flow paths so that the respective fuel flow sensors detect amounts of fuel flowing to the fuel dispensing points, and wherein the processor is in communication with the fuel flow sensors so that the processor measures an amount of fuel flow delivered at the only one fuel dispensing point. 16. The vapor recovery system of claim 15, wherein the processor determines a ratio of an amount of vapor flow being returned to the underground storage tank to an amount of fuel flow delivered by the only one fuel dispensing point. 17. A vapor recovery system that recovers vapors during fueling operations and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank, comprising: a plurality of fuel dispensing points that deliver fuel from the underground storage tank when active; a vapor flow path that is in fluid communication with each of the plurality of fuel dispensing points and the underground storage tank; a vapor flow sensor that is operatively connected to the vapor flow path so that the vapor flow sensor detects an amount of vapor flow being returned to the underground storage tank through the vapor flow path, wherein the number of said vapor flow sensors operatively connected to the vapor flow path is less than the number of fuel dispensing points of the plurality of fuel dispensing points; and a processor in communication with the vapor flow sensor that measures an amount of vapor flow being returned to the underground storage tank through the vapor return path.
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