Modular Spill Containment Apparatus for Storage Tanks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spill containment systems for fuel dispensing are difficult to install, repair, and replace, and often lack redundancy, making them time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly, while also failing to meet regulatory requirements for double-walled containment.
Innovation Solution
A modular spill containment apparatus with a primary and secondary containment system, featuring a tubular socket for easy installation and a removable adaptor for improved maintenance access, along with a secure sealing mechanism between the fill tube and riser pipe, allowing for efficient containment of spills and easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional spill containment systems are used, then spill containment function is provided, but installation and repair are difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The spill containment system is divided into separate modular components: a spill container, a coupling mechanism with external threads, and a fill tube assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured, handled, and installed, significantly reducing installation time and complexity compared to conventional integrated systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism includes pre-formed external threads that engage with internal threads in the spill container during installation. This preliminary threading design enables quick connection without requiring complex alignment or specialized installation procedures, reducing installation time while ensuring proper containment function.
2Reliability
If conventional spill containment systems are used, then basic containment is provided, but redundancy is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The fill tube is nested within the spill container, with the fill tube assembly fitting inside the containment structure. This nested configuration provides redundant containment where the fill tube serves as an inner containment barrier and the spill container provides an outer containment barrier, meeting double-walled requirements without proportionally increasing system complexity.
3Ease of repair
If conventional spill containment systems are used, then containment function is achieved, but repair and replacement are labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The modular segmentation of the spill containment system into separable components (container, coupling mechanism, fill tube) enables quick repair by allowing individual component replacement without disturbing the entire system. The threaded connections facilitate tool-based assembly and disassembly, significantly improving repair efficiency compared to conventional integrated systems.
4Reliability
If double-walled containment structure is implemented, then regulatory redundancy is met, but installation and maintenance become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The nested configuration places the fill tube inside the spill container, creating the required double-walled structure. The outer spill container and inner fill tube are accessed through the same coupling mechanism and removable cap, allowing maintenance personnel to service both components without additional access points, thereby maintaining ease of operation while meeting redundancy requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A spill containment apparatus includes a container adapted to be coupled to an end of a riser pipe of a storage tank and having a proximal end and a distal end. A tubular socket is formed in the container adjacent its distal end for receiving the riser pipe therein. The socket includes a securing mechanism for securing the container to the riser pipe, wherein the securing mechanism is spaced proximally of the distal end of the container to define the socket. The socket is configured to allow the riser pipe to support and balance the container during coupling of the container to the riser pipe.