US2248308A - Method and apparatus for valving inflammable fluids - Google Patents

Description

Julys, 1941. l, L Rm.; 2,248,308

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VALVING INFLAMMABLE FLUIDS Filed March 7, 1938 INVENTQR ,Zaa c L. ,ce

ATTORNEY 5 Patented July 8, i941,

air-4ans iran stares garant carica METHD AND APPARATUS FOR VALVING NFLAMMABLE FLUIDS Hsaac lL. Rice, New `if'orlr, N. Y., assigner to Beatrice W. Rice, New York, N. Y.

application March 7, i928, serial No. 194,389

(ci. 24u-135) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for valving inflammable fluids.

Recent aircraft disasters, apparentlyv brought about by the exploding and burning of fluids dumped or valved from the aircraft, have pre- With lighter than. air machines it is customary to valve the lifting gas, as for example, hydrogen, when the craft is in the process of mooring.

The present invention has for its object the providing of a method-and apparatus for valving inflammable gases or discharging inflammable fuels in such a manner that they are completely designed in accordance with the present invention. y

Fig. 2 illustrates a dirigible provided with a valving spout for the inflammable lifting gas and a discharge spout for the motor fuel.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of an airplane wing showing diagrammatically an arrangement for carryingout the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a valving apparatus.

In accordance with the invention, the vehicle which is being provided with the safety discharge apparatus is provided with a supplementary storage 'tank in which may be held a non-innamrnable huid. The'nature of this fluid may vary though it must in all cases be such that it will not support combustion. Carbon dioxide may be used since a small percentage or" this gas will destroy the power of air to support combustion. A commercial product called Freon is desirable since it may be confined at lower pressures than C02 and yet it has a reasonably high specific volume. Consequently, lighter tanks could be used for its storage. Liquids such as water or carbcn tetrachloride may also be utilized to forza a non-inflammable curtain around the uid be` ing valved from the aircraft or other moving or stationary object. The terms non-inflammable or non-combustible as applied to fluids in the following description and claims, are intended to refer to fluids incapable of uniting with oxygen to support combustion.

The outlet of the supplementary storage tank containing this non-combustible fluid is arranged preferably to surround the normal outlet of the liquid or gas to be valved. In the case of a liquid fuel being dumped, a discharge pipe 5 is preferably arranged'as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, so that the end extends substantially horizontally into the slip-stream of the aircraft. In case of a lighter than air fluid being valved, a discharge pipe '6 (Fig. 2) should be located on the vupper side of the craft with the end pointing into the slip-stream. AIt is best that the non-irammable ilud start to discharge shortly before the exit of the inammable fluid and continue to discharge for a time after the inflammable uid has ceased to flow. l

In Figs. 3 and 4 is illustrated a partially dia'- grammatic arrangement adapted to carry out the invention with relation to an airplane in which a fuel tank 'l is carried in the wing. A supple- Inentary storage tank is shown at 8. A valve is connected .to the latter tankvbyfa pipe l@ and to thetank'lbyapipe Il. n n The valve 9 consists of a housing @having a cylindrical central recess and provided with a axed to the member ll which is arranged to.

rotate Within the housing l2. The central passageway of the pipe i8 is open to a port 2u in member li through a circumferential port 2l in member i6. The central passageway in pipe i9 which surrounds pipe i8 opens to a port 22 in member il through a passageway 23. The valve is operated bymeans of a lever 2d (Fig. 3) which is connected to members iti and il. This lever 2! is in turn operated by a cable 25 and lever 26 which is actuated from the control room of the plane.

in the operation: Assuming that tank 3 is carrying CO2 at suitable pressure, when the airplane pilot te dump gasoline from he These will move the valve 9 to such a position that port 22 in member I1 will coincide with port I4 in housing I2. Carbon dioxide gas will then flow in the passageway between pipe I9 and pipe I8.

Upon further movement of valve 9 the port 20 will register with port I5 to permit fuel to flow through pipe I8 to the slip-stream of the plane.

Gasoline will thus be discharged within a wall of non-combustible gas which will be discharged with sufficient velocity to maintain the wall until the gasoline has been carried a safe distance from the ship.

In cutting, off the valve 9 it will be seen that the port I5 will be cut off first and the carbon dioxide will flow for a certain time before it is shut off thereby insuring complete safety in the fuel discharge. If desired, a timing device may be arranged on the operating mechanism of valve 8 to positively provide for the initial and flnal flow of the non-inflammable gas before and after the flow of the fuel.

It is clear that the above described valving arrangement can be equally well adapted to the valve of a lighter than air gas, such as hydrogen. In this case, the valve will be arranged at the top of the ship as shown at 6 in'Fig. 2.

The present invention is not limited to valving combustible fluids from aircraft but may also be used on stationary machines or land vehicles which must on occasion discharge inflammable fluid. For example, in purging a refrigerating machine of the inflammable gas, methyl chloride, it might be desirable to use my method and an apparatus similar to one I have disclosed.

l. A method of valving inflammable fluid from aircraft which comprises initiating the flow of a stream of fluid incapable of supporting combustion in a direction away from said aircraft, discharging inflammable fluid in the same direction as said first fluid and positioning the stream of inflammable fluid in relation to said flrst stream of fluid to avoid combustion with the surrounding atmosphere.

2. A method of valving inflammable fluid from aircraft which comprises discharging from a conduit a fluid incapable of supporting combustion, and discharging said inflammable fluid from a conduit within the stream of said non-com bustible fluid and in the same direction.

3. In an apparatus .for valving inflammable fluid from a storage tank, a tank for noninflammable fluid, a conduit means having an opening for discharging a stream of non-inflammable fluid from said last named tank, and a conduit means leading from said storage tank to the discharge opening of said first named conduit whereby said inflammable fluid is discharged within a stream of non-inflammable fluid, and valve means for opening said conduits so arranged that opening of said inflammable fluid conduit can take place only after said other conduit is open.

y 4. In an apparatus for' valving inflammable fluid from a storage tank, a tank for noninflammable fluid, a conduit means having an opening for discharging a stream of non-inflan'imable fluid from said last named tank, and a conduit means leading from said storage tank to the discharge opening of said ilrst named conduit whereby said inflammable fluid is discharged within a stream of non-inflammable fluid, and valve means operable to open and close said noninflammable fluid conduit respectively before and after the open .and close of said inflammable fluid conduit.

5. In an apparatus for rapidly valving lnfiam mable fluids from the storage tank of an aircraft, a tank for containing a non-inflammable fluid, conduits leading from said tanks, a valve having entrance ports connected with said conduits, and a discharge pipe operably connected with said valve comprising 'an inner pipe adapted to be connected through said valve to the inflammable fluid storage tank and an outer pipe adapted to be vconnected through said valve to said non-inflammable fluid tank, the exit openings of said pipes being substantially coaxial whereby said inflammable and non-inflammable fluids may be freely discharged simultaneously from the pipes in the same direction.

6. In an apparatus for valving inflammable fluids from the storage tank of an aircraft, a tank for containing a non-inflammable fluid, conduits leading from said tanks, a valve housing having entrance ports connected with said conduits, a discharge pipe comprising an inner pipe and a substantially concentric outer pipe, and a movable valve member in said valvehousing adapted upon movement in one direction to connect consecutively said outer pipe to said noninflammable fluid conduit and said inner pipe to said inflammable fluid conduit.

7. An emergency device for emptying a fuel tank of an aircraft and preventing ignition of said fuel during said emptying, said device comprising: fuel discharge means for discharging a stream of said fuel from the exterior'of said aircraft; and fluid discharge means for simultaneously discharging sufficient non-inflammable fluid from said aircraft in associationwith said stream of fuel during substantially the entire period of fuel discharge to prevent ignition of said fuel; said fuel discharge means including :walls forming a passage for said stream of fuel fromI said tank and having a discharge port at the exterior of said aircraft; said fluid discharge means including a container for non-inflammable fluid carried by said aircraft, walls forming a.`

conduit 4from said container and having a discharge port adjacent said stream of fuel; and control means for controlling the flow of fuel from said tank into said passage and providing for initiating discharge of said non-inflammable fluid from said aircraft substantially concurrently with the discharge of said fuel from said aircraft.

8. An emergency device for emptying a fuel tank of an aircraft and preventing ignition of said fuel during said emptying, said device comprising: fuel discharge means for discharging a stream of said fuel from the exterior of said aircraft; and fluid discharge means for simultaneously discharging sufllcient non-inflammable fluid from said aircraft in association with said stream of fuel during substantially the entire,

period of fuel discharge to prevent ignition of said fuel; said fuel discharge means including walls forming a passage for said stream of fuel from said tank and having a discharge port at the exterior of said aircraft; said fluid discharge means including a container for non-inflammable fluid carried by said aircraft, walls forming a conduit from said container and having a discharge port substantially completely surrounding said discharge port for said passage, and control means for controlling the flow of fuel from said tank into said passage and providing for initiating discharge of said non-inflammable fluid from 2,248,3`os Y 3 fluid from said aircraft in association with said 10 stream of fuel during substantially the entire period of fuel discharge to prevent ignition of said fuel; said fuel discharge means including walls forming a passage for said stream of fuel from said tank and having a discharge port at the exterior of said aircraft; said fluid discharge means including a container for non-inflammable iiuid carried by said aircraft, walls forming a conduit from said container and having a discharge port communicating with said passagef way through the walls thereof, and control means for controlling the flow of fuel from said tank into said passage and providing for-initiating discharge -of said non-inflammable fluid from said aircraft substantially concurrently with the discharge of said fuel from said aircraft.

ISAAC L. RICE.

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