Segmented Tank with Nested Sub-chambers for Fluid Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of tanks for storing and transporting fluids is cumbersome, requiring large working areas and numerous personnel, especially when producing tanks for multiple fluid types, as each tank is typically manufactured from scratch and customized for specific uses.
Innovation Solution
A tank design featuring a main chamber with integrated sub-chambers that can be accessed internally and externally, allowing for fluid communication and customization through pre-fabricated items such as manifolds and conduits, enabling the tank to store either a single fluid or multiple fluids, with features like cylindrical internal chambers and baffle plates to reduce fluid movement and facilitate maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tanks are manufactured from scratch for each fluid type, then customization for specific fluid storage is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The tank is divided into a main chamber and multiple sub-chambers that can be independently configured. Each sub-chamber can be accessed and modified separately, allowing customization for different fluid types while maintaining a standardized overall tank structure. This segmentation enables versatile configurations without requiring complete redesign of the entire tank system.
Solution Approach 2:
Sub-chambers are nested within the main chamber, with each sub-chamber positioned to be accessible from either the interior or exterior of the main chamber. This nested configuration allows multiple storage compartments to be integrated into a single tank structure, providing customization capabilities while simplifying the manufacturing process through modular assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sub-chambers are integrated within the main chamber, then fluid storage versatility is improved, but manufacturing space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sub-chambers are nested within the main chamber in a space-efficient arrangement. The sub-chambers are positioned to utilize the internal volume of the main chamber effectively, allowing versatile multi-fluid storage capability while minimizing the overall footprint and manufacturing space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-chambers are arranged in three-dimensional space within the main chamber, utilizing vertical and radial dimensions rather than only horizontal expansion. This dimensional arrangement provides enhanced fluid storage versatility without proportionally increasing the manufacturing space footprint.
3Ease of repair
If sub-chambers are accessible from both interior and exterior, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tank structure is segmented with defined access points to sub-chambers from both the interior main chamber and the exterior environment. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access specific sub-chambers through the most convenient route depending on the location and type of maintenance required, improving ease of repair while maintaining a manageable structural configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank design incorporates universal access features where sub-chambers can be reached through multiple pathways (interior and exterior). This multi-functional access design improves maintenance accessibility without requiring completely separate access systems for each sub-chamber, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A tank 14 for storing at least one fluid comprising a main chamber 18 and at least one sub-chamber 26 having an exterior surface defining an inner volume of the at least one sub-chamber 26, the at least one sub-chamber 26 being arranged with respect to the main chamber 18 such that at least one first location of the exterior surface may be accessed from the interior of the main chamber 18 and at least one second location of the exterior surface may be accessed from a location exterior to the main chamber 18. There is also provided a method for manufacturing the tank 14.