Floating Fuel Suction Line for Clean Draw Through a Single Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel tank suction systems draw fuel from the most polluted part, leading to contamination issues and require hazardous manned entries for installation and maintenance, especially when standard ports are not available, increasing costs and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A suction tube system with a float or buoyant portion and level indicator that can be installed through a single 4-inch port, allowing for external operation and eliminating the need for additional ports, thus avoiding contamination and reducing installation hazards by drawing fuel from a cleaner layer within the tank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional fixed suction tube is placed near the bottom of the tank to optimize usable volume, then more fuel can be removed before refilling, but the suction tube draws fuel from the most polluted part of the tank
Solution Approach 1:
The suction tube is made dynamic by attaching it to a float mechanism, allowing the tube to automatically rise and lower with the fuel level. This dynamic positioning enables the suction tube to draw fuel from cleaner upper layers while maintaining optimal usable volume by adapting to changing fuel levels in the tank.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by positioning the suction tube inlet at different vertical locations within the fuel tank depending on the fuel level. The float mechanism ensures the suction tube operates in the cleaner upper portion of the fuel column rather than continuously drawing from the polluted bottom layer, creating a localized clean fuel extraction zone.
2Ease of operation
If additional ports are added to the tank for installing floating suction lines, then proper installation and maintenance become possible, but the tank structure becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The suction tube system is designed to perform multiple functions through a single port: installation, maintenance, and operation. The float mechanism and suction tube assembly can be inserted and removed through the existing inlet port, eliminating the need for additional dedicated ports while maintaining full operational capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the installation and maintenance requirements from the tank structure by designing a self-contained suction tube system with a float mechanism that can be accessed through the existing inlet port. This removes the need for additional ports or structural modifications to the tank.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a float mechanism is used to position the suction tube, then clean fuel can be drawn from higher layers, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The float mechanism is designed to be self-regulating, automatically positioning the suction tube inlet at the appropriate height based on fuel level without requiring external control systems. The buoyant float responds naturally to fuel level changes, providing self-service operation that minimizes complexity while ensuring continuous access to clean fuel layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The float mechanism uses buoyancy as a counterbalancing force to automatically position the suction tube. The buoyant float counteracts the weight of the suction tube assembly, creating a self-balancing system that maintains the inlet in the optimal position within the fuel column without requiring complex mechanical positioning devices.
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 enables safe, efficient, and cost-effective removal of clean fuel from fuel tanks without the need for manned entries, reducing contamination risks and maintenance costs by using a single port installation, improving safety and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
a float or buoyant portion that causes the flexible suction tube to bend and rise with a rising fluid level in the tank
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a fluid tank may comprise suction tube system that comprises a floating suction tube useful for filling or removing a fluid from the tank. Further in some embodiments, the tank system may be installed in a single port on the fluid tank. A buoyant portion of the suction tube can be constantly submerged in a desired portion of the fluid, allowing the desired fluid to be removed through the inlet port. A level indicator system may include a cable system connected between a biased level indicator that moves in conjunction with the movement of the buoyant portion to indicate the fluid level.