Fuel Oil Line Screen Coupling for Anti-Siphoning Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for preventing theft of #2 fuel oil from fuel tanks are ineffective, expensive, and require manual intervention, lacking a mechanism to prevent siphoning within the fuel supply line.
Innovation Solution
A #2 fuel oil theft prevention tool comprising a malleable iron reducing coupling with a heavy-duty metal screen having a plurality of holes, positioned inside the coupling and secured by a hex bushing and spring, which is installed between the supply and delivery pipes to prevent siphoning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional methods such as hiding the fuel tank or using expensive monitoring systems are used to prevent theft, then some level of protection is provided, but the cost increases and manual intervention is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a screen with holes (porous structure) installed in the fuel line to physically block siphoning while allowing fuel flow. This simple porous barrier provides reliable theft prevention without requiring complex electronic monitoring systems or manual intervention, directly resolving the contradiction between effectiveness and complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential anti-siphoning function from complex monitoring systems and reduces it to a simple physical screen barrier. By taking out only the necessary mechanical blocking element and eliminating unnecessary electronic components, the system achieves reliable theft prevention with minimal complexity
2Reliability
If a screen with holes is installed in the fuel line to prevent siphoning, then theft prevention is achieved, but the screen may clog with debris
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is positioned at a specific location in the fuel line where it can effectively block siphoning attempts while minimizing interference with normal fuel flow. The local placement optimizes the balance between theft prevention and maintaining fuel flow efficiency, preventing both siphoning and excessive clogging
3Reliability
If the screen is made more dense to prevent siphoning, then theft prevention improves, but fuel flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The screen design optimizes the parameters of hole size, spacing, and overall density to achieve the right balance. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the screen provides sufficient blockage to prevent siphoning while maintaining low enough resistance to allow efficient fuel flow, resolving the contradiction between security and flow efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a fuel oil theft prevention tool configured to prevent theft or siphoning of fuel oil from a fuel tank. The tool is compact and lightweight and includes a metal female×female reduced coupling, a heavy-duty metal screen having a plurality of holes disposed therein, the screen is positioned inside the reduced coupling and is secured/biased and held tight by a torsional spring, a male×female hex bushing having a hexagonal head is positioned inside the reduced coupling over the screen for further securing of the screen. The tool is positioned between the fuel delivery pipe and the supply pipe and is configured to allow flow of fuel oil in only one direction.