Dual Bladder Fuel Tank for Constant Pressure Fluid Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel storage systems in mobile applications face challenges due to the need for additional space, weight, and redundant sensor systems when separate tanks are used for storing spent and unspent fluids, particularly in high-reliability environments like marine, racing, and military applications, where space and weight are critical limitations.
Innovation Solution
A dual bladder fuel tank design where two flexible bladders are mounted inside a single housing, allowing for efficient storage and recycling of fluids with a single sensor system, reducing overall volume and weight, and enabling fluid transfer and monitoring without the need for additional containers or complex piping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If separate tanks are used for storing spent and unspent fluids, then fluid storage capacity is sufficient, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two separate fluid storage tanks into a single integrated tank structure with dual bladders. The first bladder stores unspent fluid while the second bladder stores spent fluid, both within one common housing. This merging approach maintains the functional separation of fluids while eliminating redundant external components, reducing overall system complexity and weight compared to using two completely separate tanks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested configuration where the second bladder (storing spent fluid) is positioned within the same housing as the first bladder (storing unspent fluid). The bladders are arranged concentrically or adjacently within the single tank structure, allowing one storage system to contain another, thereby optimizing space utilization and reducing the overall footprint and weight of the storage system.
2Quantity of substance
If separate tanks are used for storing spent and unspent fluids, then fluid storage is adequate, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the storage of spent and unspent fluids into a single integrated tank structure with dual bladders, the patent eliminates the weight of redundant external housings, mounting structures, and connection components that would be required for two separate tanks. The common housing shares structural loads and materials, significantly reducing the overall weight while maintaining adequate storage capacity for both fluid types.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested arrangement of bladders within a single housing optimizes the use of structural materials. The outer housing provides structural support for both bladders, eliminating the need for duplicate wall structures. This nesting approach reduces material usage and overall system weight while preserving the full storage capacity needed for both spent and unspent fluids.
3Quantity of substance
If separate tanks are used for storing spent and unspent fluids, then fluid storage is sufficient, but the volume occupied increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate storage systems into one integrated dual-bladder tank, where the common housing serves both storage functions. This consolidation eliminates the volume required for separate external housings, mounting space, and connection infrastructure, thereby reducing the total space occupied while maintaining sufficient storage capacity for both spent and unspent fluids.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested configuration of bladders within a single housing allows one storage system to occupy the space of another. The inner bladder (second bladder for spent fluid) is positioned within or adjacent to the outer bladder structure, optimizing spatial utilization. This nesting approach ensures that the combined storage capacity equals or exceeds that of two separate tanks while occupying less overall volume.
4Weight of moving object
If a single container is used with dual bladders, then volume and weight are reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the internal storage function into two separate bladders while maintaining a unified external housing. This segmentation allows each bladder to be manufactured and tested independently using standard bladder manufacturing processes, then assembled into the common housing. The modular approach simplifies the manufacturing complexity compared to creating a single complex integrated structure, as each component can be produced using established techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested design of dual bladders within a single housing follows a modular assembly approach where pre-manufactured bladder components are integrated into a common structure. This nesting configuration allows for standardized manufacturing of the housing and bladders as separate components, then assembly through established joining techniques, thereby managing manufacturing complexity while achieving weight and volume reductions.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid tank comprising can include an outer housing comprising a housing volume, a first fluid bladder positioned within the housing volume, and a second fluid bladder positioned within the housing volume. The first fluid bladder can comprise a first conduit and the second fluid bladder can comprise a second conduit. The first fluid bladder can be configured to release fluid through the first conduit in response to introduction of fluid into the second fluid bladder via the second conduit. The housing volume can be maintained at a substantially constant pressure when fluid is released from the first fluid bladder through the first conduit and fluid is introduced into the second fluid bladder through the second conduit.