Cross contamination control systems with fluid product ID sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9823665-B2
Application number	US-201314075336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Nov 8, 2012
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A crossover protection system including a product transport vehicle having a tank compartment for containing a liquid product, a fluid property sensor positioned to contact liquid product stored in the tank compartment, a system controller, and a valve coupled to the tank compartment. The valve regulates a flow of liquid product from the tank compartment and has a normally locked state. The system controller may compare a received transported liquid type signal from the fuel property sensor indicative of the type of liquid product in the tank compartment and compare the type of liquid product to a stored liquid product type. If the two types match, the crossover protection controller transitions the valve to an unlocked state to allow the liquid product to unload from the tank compartment. If the two types do not match, the crossover protection controller will disable the valve from transitioning to the unlocked state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A crossover protection system, comprising:
a product transport vehicle comprising a tank compartment for containing a liquid product;
a valve coupled to the tank compartment, the valve regulating a flow of liquid product from the tank compartment and having a normally locked state;
a fluid property sensor positioned to contact the liquid product stored in the tank compartment;
a tank delivery connector fluidly coupled to a distribution side of the valve, the tank delivery connector comprising:
a tank tag reader for interrogating a tank tag coupled to a distribution tank separate from the product transport vehicle;
a lock mechanism coupled to the tank delivery connector, the lock mechanism comprising a locking lever with a locked position and an unlocked position, the lock mechanism mechanically securing the tank delivery connector to the distribution tank when the locking lever is in the locked position; and
a lock sensor for sensing whether the locking lever is in the locked position or the unlocked position, wherein when the locking lever is in the locked position as indicated by the lock sensor:
the tank tag reader interrogates the tank tag to retrieve a stored liquid type encoded on the tank tag, wherein the stored liquid type is indicative of a type of the liquid product in the distribution tank; and
the tank delivery connector transmits a stored liquid type signal indicative of the stored liquid type; and

a system controller communicatively coupled to the valve, the fluid property sensor, and the tank delivery connector, the system controller comprising a processor and a storage medium containing computer readable and executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the system controller to automatically:
receive a transported fluid property signal from the fluid property sensor, the transported fluid property signal being indicative of at least one of a viscosity, density, dielectric constant, and temperature of the liquid product in the tank compartment;
determine a transported liquid type of the liquid product in the tank compartment based on the transported fluid property signal;
receive the stored liquid type signal;
determine the stored liquid type based on the stored liquid type signal;
compare the transported liquid type to the stored liquid type;
maintain the valve in the normally locked state when the stored liquid type and the transported liquid type do not match to prevent the flow of liquid product from the tank compartment; and
transition the valve from the normally locked state to an unlocked state when the stored liquid type and the transported liquid type match, thereby permitting the flow of liquid product from the tank compartment.

2. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , wherein the valve is an emergency valve.

3. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , wherein the valve is a control valve.

4. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , further comprising a display electrically coupled to the system controller, wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system controller to indicate on the display at least one of the stored liquid type of the distribution tank and the transported liquid type of the liquid product in the tank compartment.

5. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , further comprising a delivery hose fluidly coupled to the distribution tank, wherein the tank delivery connector is fluidly coupled to the delivery hose and fluidly coupled to the distribution tank.

6. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , wherein
the lock sensor is mechanically coupled to the lock mechanism and electrically coupled to the tank tag reader, wherein the lock sensor provides a delivery connector locked signal when the locking lever is in the locked position and the tank delivery connector transmits the delivery connector locked signal to the system controller when the tank delivery connector is secured to the distribution tank.

7. The crossover protection system of claim 6 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system controller to:
receive the delivery connector locked signal, and
enable the valve to transition from the normally locked state to the unlocked state.

8. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , wherein power to the tank tag reader is only provided when the locking lever is in the locked position.

9. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , wherein the tank tag reader further transmits a tank delivery connector ID signal to the system controller, the tank delivery connector ID signal indicating an identity of the tank delivery connector, wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system controller to pair the system controller with the tank delivery connector having the identity.

10. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a delivery hose fluidly coupling the tank compartment to the tank delivery connector, the delivery hose comprising a lock tag at a lock end of the delivery hose and a connector hose tag at a connector end of the delivery hose, wherein the lock tag and the connector hose tag are encoded with a first hose ID;
an adaptor tag reader communicatively coupled to the system controller and positioned on a hose adaptor coupled to the tank compartment, the adaptor tag reader interrogating the lock tag of the delivery hose at the lock end and sending an adaptor signal indicative of the first hose ID to the system controller when the delivery hose is coupled to the hose adaptor;
a hose tag reader communicatively coupled to the system controller and positioned on the tank delivery connector, the hose tag reader interrogating the connector hose tag at the connector end of the delivery hose and sending a hose signal indicative of the first hose ID to the system controller when the delivery hose is coupled to the tank delivery connector, wherein the processor of the system controller executes the computer readable and executable instructions to further:
receive the hose signal indicative of the first hose ID from the hose tag reader;
receive the adaptor signal indicative of the first hose ID from the adaptor tag reader;
enable the valve to transition from the normally locked state to the unlocked state when both the hose signal and the adaptor signal are received; and
maintain the valve in the normally locked state when at least one of the hose signal and the adaptor signal are not received.

11. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid property sensor is a tuning fork sensor.

12. The crossover protection system of claim 1 , further comprising a product grade indicator (PGI) controller communicatively coupled to the system controller, the PGI controller comprising an input device for inputting a loaded liquid type into the PGI controller.

13. The crossover protection system of claim 12 , wherein the PGI controller further comprises a display indicating the loaded liquid type and the transported liquid type in the tank compartment.

14. The crossover protection system of claim 12 , wherein the computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system controller to prevent the flow of loaded liquid product into the tank compartment with the valve when the loaded liquid type and the transported liquid type do not match.

15. The crossover protection system of claim 12 , wherein the computer reada

Assignees

• Capital Formation Inc
• Knappco Corp

Inventors

• Finnell Scott A
• Gramling Steven D
• Dudley Mark William
• Mixon Claude W
• Stemporzewski Jr Francis V

Classifications

• B67D2007/0453

  recognising the fuel to be dispensed · CPC title

• B67D7/344

  by checking a correct coupling or coded information · CPC title

• B67D2007/0428

  having devices to avoid a mix up of different fuels · CPC title

• B67D2007/0446

  measuring physical properties of the fluid to be dispensed · CPC title

• B67D7/342

  by discriminating the kind of liquid by analysis or by physical properties, e.g. vapour-pressure · CPC title