Fuel Hose and Nozzle Heating Using Separate Air Passageways
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel dispensers are prone to freezing and clogging in low temperatures, leading to inefficient and aesthetically unpleasing solutions such as heated cabinets and cumbersome shrouds that provide inefficient heating.
Innovation Solution
A fuel dispensing device with separate passageways for fluid and heated air, where the heated air heats the fluid without mixing, allowing for efficient heating of fuel hoses and nozzles without external heating components, reducing energy consumption and improving aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heated cabinets are used to prevent fuel from freezing, then the fuel can be kept from freezing, but the cabinet becomes aesthetically unpleasing and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is segmented into modular heating elements that can be independently installed in specific locations (nozzle boot, hose, dispenser body) rather than requiring a comprehensive heated cabinet structure. This allows freezing prevention at critical points without the aesthetic and structural drawbacks of a full cabinet.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating function is extracted from the cabinet structure and implemented as separate, standalone heating elements and systems. This removes the need for a cumbersome heated cabinet while maintaining the essential freezing prevention capability through targeted heating at critical components.
2Reliability
If shrouds are used to contain hoses and nozzles for heating, then freezing can be prevented, but the shroud gets in the way of user handling and provides inefficient heating
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is divided into separate heating zones (nozzle boot heater, hose heater, dispenser body heater) that can operate independently. This eliminates the need for a single encompassing shroud structure, allowing free user access and handling while providing targeted heating where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating function is extracted from a enclosing shroud structure and implemented as independent heating elements positioned at specific locations. This removes the physical barrier of a shroud that interferes with user handling while maintaining effective heating through direct application to critical components.
3Temperature
If traditional heating methods are used, then fuel can be heated, but energy consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
Heating is applied locally at specific critical points (nozzle boot, hose sections, dispenser body) rather than heating the entire fuel system uniformly. This targeted approach reduces energy consumption by concentrating thermal energy only where freezing is most likely to occur, while still maintaining adequate fuel temperature for dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system uses variable power levels and selective activation of different heating zones based on temperature sensors and operational conditions. This dynamic parameter adjustment optimizes energy consumption by providing heating only when and where needed, rather than continuous full-power heating.
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 solution effectively prevents fuel from freezing within hoses and nozzles, ensuring continuous dispensing while reducing energy usage and maintaining a visually appealing design by using low wattage heating, thus enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The heat element can be in communication with the second passageway and can be configured to heat the air passing through the second passageway, thereby heating the fluid within the first passageway that is adjacent the second passageway
Implementation Method 2
heat the air passing through the second passageway, thereby heating the fluid within the first passageway
Data Source
AI summary
Various exemplary devices and methods for heating fuel hoses and nozzles are provided. In general, the devices and methods for heating fuel hoses and nozzles can be configured to heat fluid dispensable by a user into a fuel tank or other type of container. In some embodiments, a fuel dispensing device can include a first passageway configured to pass fluid therethrough and can include a second passageway configured to pass heated air therethrough. The heated air passing through the second passageway can be configured to heat the fluid passing through the first passageway. In some embodiments, a fuel dispensing device can include a single hose configured to pass fluid and heated air through separate passageways therein, and the device can include a manifold configured to facilitate passage of the fluid and the heated air from separate sources into the single hose.