The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 18, 2005
Filed:
Jun. 04, 2003
Sandeep Verma, Monroe, CT (US);
Martin A. Shimko, Quechee, VT (US);
Deborah Kamlani Moss, Westport, CT (US);
Sandeep Verma, Monroe, CT (US);
Martin A. Shimko, Quechee, VT (US);
Deborah Kamlani Moss, Westport, CT (US);
Other;
Abstract
An apparatus and method for inerting the gas present in the ullage region of a storage tank for combustible liquids, e.g., a fuel tank containing a hydrocarbon liquid fuel, utilizes a molecular sieve zone (, beds) which either (a) selectively adsorbs oxygen from the ullage gas to provide an oxygen-depleted return ullage gas, or (b) selectively adsorbs nitrogen from the ullage gas, which nitrogen is desorbed and conveyed by a purge gas to provide a nitrogen-enriched gas. The return ullage gas or the nitrogen-enriched gas is flowed to the ullage region () in quantity sufficient to render the overall composition of gas in the ullage region () non-combustible and non-explosive. The apparatus may include a compressor () or a vacuum pump to flow the ullage gas through the system, and a valving arrangement () is used to control the flow of gases. Operation may be intermittent or continuous and may comprise pressure-swing adsorption/desorption to place one of molecular sieve beds () on-line to adsorb oxygen or nitrogen from the ullage gas, while the other of molecular sieve beds () is off-line being regenerated.