Devices and methods for heating fuel hoses and nozzles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440790-B2
Application number	US-202016822918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2020
Priority date	Apr 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid dispensing method, comprising:
passing fluid into a first passageway of a hose and then into a nozzle configured to dispense the fluid out of the nozzle and into a vehicle;
passing air into a second passageway of the hose, the first passageway being separate from the second passageway such that the air within the second passageway cannot mix with the fluid within the first passageway;
sensing a temperature outside of the hose and outside of the nozzle; and
automatically causing a heat element to heat the air when the sensed temperature is below a predetermined threshold temperature such that the heated air heats fluid within the first passageway, the air not being heated using the heat element when the sensed temperature is above the predetermined threshold temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein passing air into the second passageway comprises pumping unheated air from an air supply and into the second passageway.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sensing a temperature of fluid within the first passageway; and
automatically causing the heat element to heat the air when the sensed temperature of the fluid is below a second predetermined threshold temperature such that the heated air heats fluid within the first passageway, the air not being heated using the heat element when the sensed temperature of the fluid is above the second predetermined threshold temperature.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat element comprises a heat cable.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat element comprises positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising allowing the heated air to exit the second passageway and into a nozzle boot in which the nozzle is seated.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein sensing the temperature comprises at least one of (a) a sensor attached to the nozzle boot sensing the temperature, and (b) a sensor attached to the nozzle adjacent an exit opening formed in the nozzle through which the heated air exits the nozzle and passes into the nozzle boot, and (c) a sensor attached to the nozzle adjacent an intake opening through which the heated air enters the nozzle from the hose.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein sensing the temperature comprises using a sensor to sense the temperature; and
automatically causing the heat element to heat the air comprises a processor causing the heat element to begin providing heat in response to determining that the temperature sensed by the sensor is below the predetermined threshold temperature.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, after the processor has caused the heat element to begin providing heat, the processor causing the heat element to stop providing heat in response to determining that the temperature sensed by the sensor is above the predetermined threshold temperature.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising diverting the first and second passageways using a flow diverting element such that distal to the flow diverting element, the second passageway is disposed within the first passageway in the hose, and proximal to the flow diverting element, the first passageway is disposed within the second passageway in the nozzle.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the nozzle is configured to be rotated about a longitudinal axis of the hose at a movable element that is located distal to the nozzle and proximal to the flow diverting element.

13. A fluid dispensing system, comprising:
a first rigid tube configured to receive, in a first inner lumen of the first rigid tube, fluid from a fluid supply;
a second rigid tube configured to pass air therethrough in a second inner lumen of the second rigid tube;
a flexible hose with
a first passageway therein that is in fluid communication with the first inner lumen of the first rigid tube such that fluid in the first inner lumen is configured to flow therefrom into the first passageway, and
a second passageway therein that is in fluid communication with the second inner lumen of the second rigid tube such that air in the second inner lumen is configured to flow therefrom into the second passageway, the second passageway being separate from the first passageway such that the air within the second passageway cannot mix with the fluid within the first passageway;

a nozzle configured to receive the fluid from the first passageway of the flexible hose and to dispense the received fluid out of an opening of the nozzle and into a vehicle, and the nozzle being configured to receive the air from the second passageway of the flexible hose and release the air out of an opening of the nozzle; and
a heat element configured to heat the air in the second passageway such that the heated air can heat fluid within the first passageway, wherein the heat element is configured to heat the air in the second passageway after the air has passed into the second passageway from the second inner lumen of the second rigid tube.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising an air supply including an air intake opening into which ambient air is allowed to enter before passing from the air supply into the second inner lumen of the second rigid tube.

15. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a flow diverting element configured to divert the first and second passageways such that distal to the flow diverting element in the flexible hose the second passageway is disposed within the first passageway and proximal to the flow diverting element in the nozzle the first passageway is disposed within the second passageway; and
a movable element located distal to the nozzle and proximal to the flow diverting element, the movable element being configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the flexible hose so as to allow the nozzle to be selectively oriented relative to the flexible hose, and the first and second passageways extending through the movable element.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the fluid comprises diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat element comprises a heat cable.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat element comprises positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater.

19. A fluid dispensing method, comprising:
pumping unheated air from a second inner lumen of a second rigid tube into a second passageway of a flexible hose, wherein
a first rigid tube is configured to receive, in a first inner lumen of the first rigid tube, fluid from a fluid supply,
a first passageway in the flexible hose is in fluid communication with the first inner lumen of the first rigid tube such that fluid in the first inner lumen is configured to flow therefrom into the first passageway,
the second passageway is in the flexible hose and is in fluid communication with the second inner lumen of the second rigid tube such that air in the second inner lumen is configured to flow therefrom into the second passageway, the second passageway being separate from the first passageway such that the air within the second passageway cannot mix with the fluid within the first passageway,
a nozzle is configured to receive the fluid from the first passageway of the flexible hose and to dispense the received fluid out of an opening of the nozzle and into a vehicle, and the nozzle is configured to receive the air from the second passageway of the flexible hose and release the air out of an opening of the nozzle, and
a heat element is configured to h

Assignees

• Wayne Fueling Systems Llc

Inventors

• Shelton Artemus A
• Kretzler Randal S
• Reiter Jeffrey
• Holmes Daniel
• Larsson Bengt I

Classifications

• F16L53/38

  using elongate electric heating elements, e.g. wires or ribbons · CPC title

• B67D7/82 Primary

  Heating only · CPC title

• B67D7/42

  Filling nozzles · CPC title

• B67D7/84

  Casings, cabinets or frameworks; Trolleys or like movable supports · CPC title

• Y02T10/12

  Improving ICE efficiencies · CPC title