Tank Filling Valve Control for Stable Liquefied Gas Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual adjustment of filling rates from the top and bottom of liquefied gas tanks to maintain constant pressure leads to operator errors, causing undesirable pressure changes and potential economic damage or disruptions in the supply chain.
Innovation Solution
A control valve system that adjusts the filling rates from both the top and bottom of the tank based on tank pressure, maintaining a predetermined setpoint range using a control valve connected to both upper and lower filling valves, ensuring minimal resistance and automatic pressure regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual valve adjustments are used to maintain constant tank pressure during filling, then the operator can respond to pressure changes, but operator errors occur leading to undesirable pressure changes and disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve automatically regulates the filling process by responding to tank pressure changes without operator intervention. The valve acts on its own through the control system, adjusting filling rates to maintain constant pressure, thereby eliminating operator errors and the need for continuous manual monitoring and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously monitors tank pressure and uses this feedback to automatically adjust the filling rates. The pressure signal from the tank is fed back to the control valve, which modulates the filling process in real-time to maintain the setpoint pressure, creating a closed-loop control system that eliminates manual intervention.
2Reliability
If filling rates are manually adjusted to maintain constant pressure, then pressure stability can be achieved, but operator monitoring time and attention are required continuously
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve performs the entire pressure regulation task autonomously without requiring operator time for monitoring or adjustment. The system serves itself by automatically detecting pressure deviations and correcting them through automated valve modulation, freeing the operator from continuous attention requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated control system provides continuous pressure regulation without interruption or operator involvement. The control valve continuously adjusts the filling rates based on real-time pressure feedback, ensuring uninterrupted pressure constancy without requiring periodic manual intervention or operator monitoring time.
3Productivity
If simultaneous filling from top and bottom is used with minimal valve resistance, then filling efficiency increases, but pressure control becomes more difficult without automation
Solution Approach 1:
The control system uses real-time pressure feedback to automatically balance the filling rates from top and bottom. The control valve continuously adjusts the valve positions based on pressure deviations, enabling simultaneous filling at high rates while maintaining precise pressure control through automated modulation rather than manual adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The control valve autonomously manages the complex coordination of simultaneous top and bottom filling to maintain constant pressure. The system self-regulates the filling process by responding to pressure changes and automatically adjusting the valve positions, enabling high productivity with minimal resistance while maintaining pressure control accuracy without operator intervention.
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
Automatically maintains tank pressure within a setpoint range, preventing disruptions and economic damage by minimizing operator errors and ensuring consistent supply to downstream processes.
Implementation Method 1
a control valve 42 to which the tank pressure in the tank (10) is applied as the control variable, and which is connected to the upper filling valve (30) via a first control line (36) and to the lower filling valve (32) via a second control line (40), wherein the control valve (42) actuates the upper filling valve (30) and the lower filling valve (32) to fill the tank (10) in such a way that the tank pressure corresponds to a predetermined setpoint or setpoint range
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A device for filling a tank with a product, in particular a liquefied gas product, comprising an upper filling valve that can be arranged on a first filling line connecting a product reservoir to an upper filling opening of the tank, and a lower filling valve that can be arranged on a second filling line connecting the product reservoir to a lower filling opening of the tank, wherein the device includes a control valve at which the tank pressure in the tank is applied as the control variable, and which is connected to the upper filling valve via a first control line and to the lower filling valve via a second control line, wherein the control valve actuates the upper filling valve and the lower filling valve for filling the tank such that the tank pressure corresponds to a predetermined setpoint or setpoint range. The invention also relates to a method for filling a tank.