A storage tank with a breather valve gas recovery

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of gas recovery storage tanks with breathing valve, it is related to the field of storage tank, the storage tank includes tank body, is located at the top of tank body breathing recovery component and is coupled with the control unit of breathing recovery component.The breathing recovery component is equipped with main channel, and the first valve body is installed at the top of main channel, and the valve body opens pressure relief when the pressure in tank reaches the first preset safety threshold.Main channel is integrated with the pressure sensor electrically connected with control unit inside, for real-time acquisition of pressure data in tank.The storage tank is designed to realize efficient closed loop use by structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of storage tanks, and in particular to a storage tank with a breathing recovery component for gas recovery. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of storage tank technology, especially in applications storing volatile liquids such as petroleum products, chemicals, or liquefied gases, traditional storage tanks typically rely on breathing recovery units to achieve automatic internal pressure regulation. These breathing recovery units are passive devices that release gas when pressure rises due to temperature changes or liquid filling / draining within the tank (commonly known as the gas release period), or draw in external air or inert gas when pressure drops (commonly known as the gas intake period), to prevent tank deformation or leakage. Existing technologies use simple mechanical structures to maintain pressure balance within the tank, but this mechanism primarily aims to prevent vacuum or overpressure, lacking effective control over gas emissions. For example, in the petrochemical storage industry, when internal temperatures rise, causing evaporation and generating large amounts of gas, these gases may be directly released into the atmosphere through the breathing recovery unit, resulting in volatile organic compound (VOC) loss or environmental pollution. Although some advanced designs have introduced simple gas recovery units, these are often limited to single-path processing and cannot efficiently capture and handle all gas state changes.

[0003] However, existing technologies have significant shortcomings in achieving environmental protection and energy conservation, mainly due to their structural limitations and incomplete functions. Firstly, lacking a dedicated condensation recovery loop and storage mechanism, the breathing recovery components cannot effectively liquefy and reuse the evaporated gas during exhaust. When the pressure inside the storage tank increases, the gas is directly discharged into the external environment through valves, increasing the risk of environmental pollution and causing the permanent loss of valuable volatile substances. The root cause of this deficiency lies in the lack of a closed-loop recovery system in existing systems, failing to convert the gas phase into a liquid phase for recycling. In fact, even if a recovery system exists, its recovery efficiency cannot be 100%, as some gases require adsorption using activated carbon or other adsorbents, which need frequent replacement. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this application is to overcome at least one deficiency of the prior art and to provide a storage tank with a breathing recovery component for gas recovery, which is designed to achieve efficient closed-loop use through structural design.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application discloses a storage tank with a breathing valve for gas recovery. The storage tank includes a tank body, a breathing recovery assembly disposed on the top of the tank body, and a control unit coupled to the breathing recovery assembly.

[0006] The breathing recovery assembly is provided with a main channel, and a first valve body is installed at the top of the main channel. The valve body opens to release pressure when the pressure inside the tank reaches a first preset safety threshold.

[0007] The main channel is equipped with a pressure sensor that is electrically connected to the control unit, which is used to collect pressure data inside the tank in real time.

[0008] The main channel is also connected to a secondary channel, which is equipped with a second valve body. Its opening pressure threshold is set to be lower than that of the first valve body.

[0009] The secondary channel is connected to the condensation recovery device via a controlled air pump. The outlet of the condensation recovery device is divided into two paths: the first path is connected to the inside of the tank via a return pipeline, and the second path is connected to the inlet of the high-pressure buffer tank.

[0010] Furthermore, the high-pressure buffer tank has an explosion-proof valve. Preferably, the interface of the explosion-proof valve is connected to an absorption assembly. This absorption assembly absorbs the gas that overflows from the high-pressure buffer tank due to excessive pressure.

[0011] Furthermore, a non-contact liquid level sensor is installed on the top of the tank, which is connected to the control unit.

[0012] In operation, when the pressure inside the tank rises to the threshold that triggers the opening of the second valve but falls below the threshold of the first valve, the secondary channel is activated. The control unit drives a controlled gas pump to guide the gas medium through the secondary channel to the condensation recovery device for forced cooling. The condensable components change phase to liquid and are returned to the tank via the first return pipeline. The non-condensable gas components are introduced into a high-pressure buffer tank for temporary storage via the second return pipeline, which is equipped with a one-way valve at its inlet to prevent backflow. The outlet of the high-pressure buffer tank is equipped with an electrically controlled return valve, which is connected to the upper part of the tank via a pipeline extending into the tank body.

[0013] When negative pressure forms inside the tank due to liquid discharge, the control unit activates the electrically controlled return valve based on preset logic. The gaseous medium stored in the high-pressure buffer tank is injected into the tank through the return pipeline to replenish the gas volume and eliminate the negative pressure. In addition, the main channel is connected to a compensation pipeline, which is connected to an external nitrogen source. A nitrogen replenishment valve controlled by the control unit is installed on this pipeline. When the gas replenishment from the high-pressure buffer tank is insufficient or when fine-tuning of the pressure is required, the control unit activates the nitrogen replenishment valve to introduce a set flow rate of nitrogen into the tank to achieve pressure fine-tuning.

[0014] The control unit executes a tiered control strategy: continuously monitoring tank pressure via pressure sensors; prioritizing the activation of the condensation recovery circuit to achieve gas-phase liquefaction recovery during pressure rises; automatically activating the high-pressure buffer tank for gas return during negative pressure periods; and determining the timing and flow rate of nitrogen compensation based on dynamic pressure changes. Through the linkage control of the first and second valve threshold settings and the actuator, this storage tank ensures overpressure safety protection while achieving efficient recycling of volatile media and precise pressure balance control.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0016] 1. Achieve closed-loop recycling of gaseous media: Through the temporary storage of condensed uncondensed gas in a high-pressure buffer tank and the directional return under negative pressure, the system can replenish volatile components to the storage tank without the need for an external exhaust gas treatment device, thus avoiding material loss and environmental pollution caused by gas discharge.

[0017] 2. Eliminate the risk of external gas compensation during the intake period: The high-pressure buffer tank provides a partial, clean gas replenishment source, partially replacing the traditional external air or inert gas injection, reducing the problems of internal media contamination, oxidation or corrosion caused by the introduction of gas impurities.

[0018] 3. Simplified system architecture and operation and maintenance costs: The residual gas from condensation recovery is directly recycled for pressure compensation through a high-pressure buffer tank, eliminating the need for a separate tail gas reprocessing unit. This significantly reduces equipment complexity and subsequent maintenance burden while ensuring recovery efficiency.

[0019] The beneficial effects listed above are not exhaustive of all advantages. Other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementation methods will be further disclosed in the embodiments or other descriptive sections of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0020] A better understanding of various aspects of this disclosure will be achieved by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The positions, dimensions, and extents of the structures shown in the drawings, etc., do not always represent actual positions, dimensions, and extents. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of one embodiment disclosed in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure more complete and to fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

[0024] It should be understood that the same reference numerals denote the same elements in all the accompanying drawings. For clarity, the dimensions of certain features may be modified in the drawings.

[0025] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. All terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail; however, where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of this specification.

[0026] Unless otherwise specified, the singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this specification include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “containing” used in this specification indicate the presence of the claimed feature but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features. The term “and / or” used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items.

[0027] See attached document Figure 1 and 2 In this embodiment, a gas recovery storage tank with a breathing valve is disclosed. The storage tank consists of a tank body 1, a breathing recovery component 2, and a control unit 3, which work together to achieve effective recovery of gas inside the storage tank and precise pressure control.

[0028] Specifically, tank 1, as the basic component, is made of fiberglass and has sufficient capacity to hold the liquid medium and withstand certain pressure changes. The breathing recovery assembly 2 is installed on top of tank 1. Its main structure includes a main channel 201, with a first valve 202 at the top. This first valve 202 is made of high-quality alloy material and can precisely open when the pressure inside tank 1 reaches a first preset safety threshold, releasing pressure in a timely manner and ensuring the safe operation of the storage tank. A pressure sensor 203 is integrated inside the main channel 201. This pressure sensor 203 is electrically connected to the control unit 3, which can collect tank pressure data in real time and transmit it to the control unit 3 for subsequent control decisions.

[0029] The secondary channel 204 is connected to the main channel 201. A second valve body 205 is installed within the secondary channel 204, and its opening pressure threshold is set lower than that of the first valve body 202. This design enables graded response control when the pressure inside the tank rises. One end of the secondary channel 204 is connected to the condensation recovery device 207 via a controlled air pump 206. The condensation recovery device 207 is also constructed using conventional condensation technology, containing core components such as a condenser, and is cooled using a conventional cooling medium during operation. The outlet of the condensation recovery device 207 is divided into two paths. The first path connects to the inside of the tank 1 via a return pipe 208, and the second return pipe 209 connects to the inlet of the high-pressure buffer tank 210, where a one-way valve is installed. This one-way valve effectively prevents backflow of the medium, ensuring unidirectional flow of the gas medium.

[0030] In this embodiment, the control unit 3 serves as the brain of the entire system, containing a microprocessor, memory, and corresponding drive circuits to achieve precise control and logical decision-making for each actuator. When the pressure inside the tank rises to the threshold that triggers the opening of the second valve 205 but is lower than the threshold of the first valve 202, the secondary channel 204 is successfully opened. At this time, the control unit 3 receives a signal from the pressure sensor 203, reacts quickly, and drives the controlled air pump to guide the gas medium through the secondary channel 204 to the condensation recovery device 207 for forced cooling. Inside the condensation recovery device 207, the condensable components change to a liquid state under cooling and are then transported back to the tank 1 through the first return pipe 208, achieving efficient recovery and reuse of the liquid medium. The uncondensed gas components are introduced into the high-pressure buffer tank 210 for temporary storage through the second return pipe 209. The high-pressure buffer tank 210 is made of high-pressure resistant alloy material and has good sealing performance. The one-way valve at its inlet can prevent backflow of the medium, ensuring the stability and safety of the gas during temporary storage. An electrically controlled return valve is provided at the outlet of the high-pressure buffer tank 210. This electrically controlled return valve is controlled by the control unit 3, which is connected to the gas phase space of the tank through a pipeline extending into the tank body 1.

[0031] More specifically, in this embodiment, the high-pressure buffer tank 210 is specially equipped with an explosion-proof valve. This explosion-proof valve is made of high-strength, corrosion-resistant alloy material, possessing excellent sealing performance and mechanical strength. It can quickly open when the internal pressure of the high-pressure buffer tank 210 abnormally rises to the design limit value, effectively releasing excessive gas pressure and preventing dangerous situations such as the buffer tank rupturing due to overpressure, thereby ensuring the safe and stable operation of the entire storage tank system. The structural design of this explosion-proof valve complies with relevant domestic and international safety standards, ensuring its reliable functioning under various extreme operating conditions.

[0032] Furthermore, the interface of the explosion-proof valve is connected to an absorption assembly 212 via a pressure-resistant hose. The absorption assembly 212 consists of a receiving cavity and an adsorbent material filled inside. The receiving cavity is made of stainless steel, possessing excellent pressure resistance and corrosion resistance. The adsorbent material filled inside is activated carbon or other highly efficient adsorbents, which have a high specific surface area and porous structure, enabling them to rapidly adsorb and absorb gas overflowing from the high-pressure buffer tank 210. When the explosion-proof valve of the high-pressure buffer tank 210 opens due to excessive pressure, releasing gas, the gas flows through the pressure-resistant hose into the receiving cavity of the absorption assembly 212, where it is adsorbed and absorbed by the adsorbent material. This process not only reduces the emission of harmful gases into the environment and lowers environmental pollution, but also avoids secondary safety risks such as fire, explosion, or poisoning that may arise from gas accumulation in the surrounding space.

[0033] In practical applications, the adsorbent material of the absorption component 212 can be replaced or regenerated periodically according to the specific gas properties and treatment requirements to ensure its continuous and effective adsorption capacity. Furthermore, the housing of the absorption component 212 is designed with a structure that facilitates disassembly and maintenance, allowing operators to perform routine inspections and maintenance, ensuring the long-term stable operation of the entire explosion-proof and gas absorption system.

[0034] When negative pressure forms inside the tank due to liquid discharge, the control unit, based on pre-set control logic, promptly activates the electrically controlled return valve. At this time, the gaseous medium stored in the high-pressure buffer tank 210 is smoothly injected into the tank 1 via the return pipeline, effectively replenishing the gas volume, thereby eliminating the negative pressure state, ensuring the stability of the internal pressure of the storage tank, and preventing damage to the structure of the tank 1 and affecting the normal operation of the storage tank due to negative pressure. In addition, the main channel 201 is also connected to the compensation pipeline 211, which is connected to an external nitrogen source. A nitrogen replenishment valve controlled by the control unit 3 is installed on the compensation pipeline 211. In cases where the gas replenishment from the high-pressure buffer tank 210 is insufficient or fine-tuning of the pressure inside the storage tank is required, the control unit 3 will promptly activate the nitrogen replenishment valve based on real-time monitored pressure data and the set control strategy, introducing a set flow rate of nitrogen into the tank 1 through the compensation pipeline 211, achieving fine-tuning of the pressure in the tank 1, and further ensuring precise control of the tank pressure.

[0035] Control unit 3 executes a hierarchical control strategy, continuously monitoring changes in tank pressure via pressure sensor 203. When tank pressure is rising, the condensation recovery loop is activated first, using condensation recovery device 207 to liquefy and recover condensable components in the gas phase. This not only reduces gas emissions but also improves resource utilization. When negative pressure occurs in the tank, the high-pressure buffer tank 210 automatically activates its gas return function, promptly returning the temporarily stored gas to tank 1 to maintain pressure balance. Simultaneously, control unit 3 rationally determines the timing and flow rate of nitrogen compensation based on dynamic changes in tank pressure, achieving comprehensive and precise control of tank pressure.

[0036] This gas recovery storage tank with a breathing recovery component cleverly sets the first and second valve thresholds and links them with the corresponding actuators for control. While ensuring overpressure safety protection, it also achieves efficient recycling of volatile media and precise control of pressure balance, effectively improving the safety, economy, and reliability of the storage tank. It can be widely used in various volatile liquid storage scenarios, such as chemical raw material storage tanks and petroleum product storage tanks. In practical applications, compared with traditional tank structures, this tank can significantly reduce resource waste and environmental pollution caused by gas emissions, while also reducing safety risks caused by pressure fluctuations. It has significant practical value and application prospects.

[0037] In the actual manufacturing process, for the tank body, carbon steel plates of different thicknesses can be rolled and welded according to the required tank capacity to ensure that the mechanical properties of the tank body meet the usage requirements. The seals of the various valve bodies and pipeline connections of the breathing recovery component can be made of corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant fluororubber to improve the sealing effect and service life. The condenser in the condensation recovery device can be selected from shell-and-tube or plate heat exchanger structures according to different working conditions. Its cooling medium can be common media such as chilled water and ethylene glycol solution, depending on the actual use environment and the properties of the condensed gas. The microprocessor used in the control unit can be a common industrial control chip on the market. Its supporting drive circuit and signal acquisition circuit adopt conventional circuit design known to those skilled in the art to ensure the stable and reliable operation of the control unit and accurate control of each actuator, thereby realizing the various functions of the storage tank with breathing recovery component and meeting the needs of gas recovery and pressure control of the storage tank under different working conditions.

[0038] While exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, all changes and modifications are included within the scope of protection of this disclosure as defined by the claims. This disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of those claims are also included.

Claims

1. A storage tank with a breather valve for gas recovery, characterized in that, The storage tank includes a tank body, a breathing recovery assembly located on top of the tank body, and a control unit coupled to the breathing recovery assembly; The breathing recovery assembly is provided with a main channel, and a first valve body is installed at the top of the main channel. The valve body opens to release pressure when the pressure inside the tank reaches a first preset safety threshold. The main channel is equipped with a pressure sensor that is electrically connected to the control unit for real-time acquisition of tank pressure data; The main channel is also connected to a secondary channel, which is equipped with a second valve body, whose opening pressure threshold is set to be lower than the opening pressure threshold of the first valve body. The secondary channel is connected to the condensation recovery device via a controlled air pump. The outlet of the condensation recovery device is divided into two paths: the first path is connected to the inside of the tank via a return pipeline, and the second path is connected to the inlet of the high-pressure buffer tank.

2. The storage tank with a breather valve for gas recovery as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The high-pressure buffer tank is equipped with an explosion-proof valve.

3. A storage tank with a breather valve for gas recovery as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The explosion-proof valve is connected to an absorption assembly that absorbs the gas that overflows from the high-pressure buffer tank due to excessive pressure.

4. A storage tank with a breather valve for gas recovery as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the tank is equipped with a non-contact liquid level sensor, which is connected to the control unit.

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