Additive Injection Controller for Retail Fueling Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail fueling stations lack an efficient system for dynamically treating fuel with additives in real-time based on fuel storage and dispensing conditions, leading to inconsistent fuel quality and potential waste of untreated fuel.
Innovation Solution
A retail fueling station system that includes a fuel monitoring system, an additive tank, an additive conduit assembly, and an additive injection controller, which determines the untreated fuel amount and initiates additive injection into the fuel stream when the untreated fuel exceeds a threshold, ensuring consistent fuel treatment and optimizing additive usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous additive injection is implemented, then fuel quality consistency is improved, but additive waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by monitoring fuel tank conditions and initiating additive injection only when untreated fuel is detected entering the tank. The controller periodically samples fuel data, determines untreated fuel amounts, and activates the injection system transiently only when necessary, rather than continuously injecting additives. This periodic injection approach maintains fuel quality consistency while minimizing additive waste by avoiding unnecessary continuous injection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where the fuel monitoring system continuously samples fuel data from the tank, and the controller uses this feedback to determine whether additive injection is necessary. The controller calculates untreated fuel amounts based on real-time fuel data and only initiates injection when the untreated fuel amount exceeds a threshold, creating a closed-loop control system that prevents additive waste while ensuring fuel quality.
2Productivity
If real-time fuel monitoring and dynamic injection control is implemented, then additive usage efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions within the system: it receives fuel data from the monitoring system, determines untreated fuel amounts, compares against thresholds, and controls the additive injection system. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single controller unit, the system achieves high additive usage efficiency through real-time decision-making while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity compared to having separate control units for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service through automated real-time monitoring and self-regulating injection control. The fuel monitoring system automatically samples fuel data, the controller automatically calculates untreated fuel amounts and makes injection decisions, and the injection system automatically delivers additives when needed. This automation eliminates manual intervention and optimizes additive usage efficiency while keeping the control logic integrated within existing system components.
3Manufacturing precision
If additive injection is initiated based on untreated fuel threshold, then fuel treatment accuracy is improved, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously monitoring fuel tank conditions and pre-calculating untreated fuel amounts based on real-time fuel data before injection is actually needed. The controller periodically samples fuel data and maintains an updated determination of untreated fuel quantity, so when the threshold is reached, the system is already prepared to initiate injection immediately, minimizing response time while maintaining treatment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical or manual monitoring approaches with electronic sensors and automated data processing. Fuel sensors electronically monitor tank conditions, and the controller uses computational algorithms to calculate untreated fuel amounts based on real-time data rather than relying on mechanical flow meters or manual measurements. This substitution enables more accurate and timely detection of when injection is needed, improving both treatment accuracy and response time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures consistent fuel treatment by injecting additives only when necessary, improving fuel quality and reducing waste by dynamically adjusting additive injection based on real-time fuel data and dispensing conditions.
Implementation Method 1
injection of an injection volume of fuel additive into a fuel stream of untreated fuel being delivered into the fuel tank via the fuel tank inlet, to treat the delivered volume of untreated fuel
Data Source
AI summary
An additive injection system includes an additive injection controller operable to: (a) receive fuel data; (b) determine, from the fuel data, a total fuel amount corresponding to a total volume of fuel present in a fuel tank; (c) determine an untreated fuel amount corresponding to a delivered volume of untreated fuel delivered into the fuel tank, the untreated fuel amount determined based on the total fuel amount and a treated fuel amount corresponding to an expected volume of treated fuel expected to be present in the fuel tank; and (d) in response to determining that the untreated fuel amount exceeds an injection threshold, generate an injection signal to initiate injection of fuel additive into a fuel stream of untreated fuel being delivered into the fuel tank via the fuel tank inlet.