Abstract:
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for operating an internal combustion engine in a manner to reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide exhaust emissions during startup and warmup of the engine. Means are provided for bypassing the engine carburetor and fueling the engine with a gaseous fuel of air and low boiling gasoline components derived from gasoline by bubbling air through the gasoline. After the engine and emission control devices have reached predetermined operating conditions, fuel is supplied to the engine by the carburetor. A novel mixing valve is employed for controlling the air-fuel ratio of the gaseous fuel.
Abstract:
Method and apparatus for detecting engine knock and measuring octane ratings of petroleum fuels in automotive engines and of measuring octane number requirements of said engines. Method and apparatus are herein described for maintaining a controlled knock condition in an internal combustion engine throughout a controlled acceleration of said engine by using a portion of the electrical output of at least one sensor device contacting said engine suitably processed to be proportional to the knock signal to control a servo device operating the spark timing for use in Modified borderline and Modified Uniontown knock rating. In octane number requirements work the signal is used to indicate the occurence of knock.
Abstract:
A system for transferring gasoline from a tank truck to an underground storage tank provides recovery of vapor displaced from the underground tank by gasoline from the tank truck. The system includes a fill tube that is coaxially mounted inside and spaced from a riser tube extending from the underground tank to a manhole to provide an annular space between the tubes from the manhole to the underground tank. The fill tube extends downwardly in the storage tank to a bottom portion of that tank for submerged filling of the tank. The system further includes a novel fitting of two pipes with a unitary construction. At the bottom end portion of the fitting the two pipes are coaxial, rectilinear and spaced from each other to provide an annular space to communicate with the annular space between the riser tube and the fill tube. At that end portion of the fitting, the outer pipe is constructed to be mounted on a male adapter permanently mounted on the top end of the riser tube. The fitting is thus mounted for a gasoline transfer operation. That end portion of the inner pipe of the fitting is constructed to be received by the top end portion of the fill tube, when the fitting is placed on the adapter. The intermediate portion of one pipe of the fitting is curved or arcuate while the intermediate portion of the other pipe is straight. The intermediate portion of one pipe extends through a wall opening in the other pipe so that the other end portions of the two pipes of the fitting are spaced apart from each other. These two pipes of the fitting at that other end are constructed to be connected to two hoses. One hose, which is a gasoline fill hose, is connected at one end to the bottom of the tank on a tank truck while the other end of the fill hose is connected to the top end of the pipe of the fitting that is inside the other pipe at the bottom end portion of the fitting. The other hose, which is a vapor recovery hose, is connected at one end to a pipe on the truck that communicates selectively with the top portion of one of the tank compartments on the truck, while the other end is connected to the pipe of the fitting that is outside the other pipe at the bottom end portion of the fitting.
Abstract:
Data corresponding to the amount of a sale and the account number of the customer are received and stored in an apparatus using a modular cassette tape recorder. A customer''s credit card including machine readable data indicia corresponding to the customer''s account number is placed in a holding station on the apparatus. Then, manually operable means are adjusted to provide machine readable data indicia corresponding to the value of a purchase. The apparatus includes a movable data imprinting and reading head mounted so that it can scan the indicia on the card and also the indicia corresponding to the purchase. This head generates electromagnetic signals corresponding to the indicia and these signals are recorded and stored on the tape in the cassette recorder. A sales ticket at the station and overlying the card is simultaneously imprinted when the indicia is scanned by the head.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method for collecting hydrocarbon vapors before they are dispersed in the atmosphere surrounding a site where loading or unloading of flammable fuels occur. The collected vapors are monitored to determine when the air-hydrocarbon vapor mixture is near or in the combustible range. When it is determined that the mixture is near or in the combustible range, a hydrocarbon gas such as propane is injected into the mixture to remove the danger of explosion or fire. The collected vapors are held in a holding tank and, preferably, are periodically burned.