US3571533A - Pressure bin - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable pressure bin defined by a tubular tank terminating in upper and lower heads and having an access and a drainage opening respectively. A support structure depends from the tank adjacent the drainage opening and supports the tank in an upright position. A tubular skirt extends upwardly of the tank adjacent the head with the access opening and includes apertures for engaging the bin with hoisting means such as hooks or cables. A ring-shaped stiffener with a U-shaped cross section is secured to the free end of the skirt portion to impart rigidity thereto and prevent its deflection or crushing while the bin is suspended by the hoisting means. Means for closing the apertures in the heads, for limiting the maximum pressure inside the tank, and for determining the quantity of fluid in the tank are further provided.

Description

United States Patent [73] Assignee [72] Inventor [54] PRESSURE BIN 8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 220/5, 220/69, 220/97, 222/ 143 [51] Int. Cl B65d 7/02, B65d 7/40, 865d 21/02 [50] Field 01' Search 220/9 (A)66, 73, 71 (BB), 1.5; 116/118; 151/23; 222/184; 220/5.5 (A), 69, 97, 97 (B); 222/143 3,348,722 10/ 1 967 Trevarrow 220/5 2,824,432 2/1958 Varese 220/9(A)UX FOREIGN PATENTS 534,628 9/1939 Great Britain 220/5 1,007,595 10/1965 Great Britain..... 220/5 1,146,803 1/1957 Germany 220/97 Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance Attorney-Warren, Rubin, Brucker & Chickering ABSTRACT: A portable pressure bin defined by a tubular tank terminating in upper and lower heads and having an access and a drainage opening respectively. A support structure depends from the tank adjacent the drainage opening and supports the tank in an upright position. A tubular skirt extends upwardly of the tank adjacent the head with the access opening and includes apertures for engaging the bin with hoisting means such as books or cables. A ring-shaped stiffener with a U-shaped cross section is secured to the free end of the skirt portion to impart rigidity thereto and prevent its deflection or crushing while the bin is suspended by the hoisting means. Means for closing the apertures in the heads, for limiting the maximum pressure inside the tank, and for determining the quantity of fluid in the tank are further provided.

Patented Mmh 16, 1971 3,571,533

M48 v 7 49 INVENTOR.

CLARENCE B. COLEMAN BY W W/,

ATTORNEYS PRESSURE lBllN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to portable pressure bins for storing and transporting fluent materials.

At the present many liquids such as lacquers, paint thinners, fuels, etc., having a vapor pressure above that of atmospheric pressure, are being handled, stored, and transported. To prevent the evaporation of the liquid the storage containers or bins must be closed and constructed to withstand a pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the container. The containers further require safety valves to prevent the buildup of excess pressures.

Although prior art pressure vessels are well known and include vessels permanently mounted on vehicles or permanently installed at a plant site or the place of usage of the material, transportable pressure bins which are adapted for storage as well as transportation are relatively complicated, expensive, and are not constructed for ease of handling and for the maximum utilization of available space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a portable pressure bin particularly well suited for holding fluent materials building up vapor pressures above atmospheric pressure during their storage and shipment. Briefly, the bin comprises a preferably upright tubular tank with upper and lower heads having an access opening and a drainage opening, respectively. Means are provided for closing the apertures and for limiting the maximum pressure inside the tank. A support structure depends from the tank and supports the latter on a surface. An upper tubular skirt extends from the tank, terminates in a free end, and has a plurality of first apertures for hoisting the tank. Second apertures proximate the end of the skin adjacent the tank are provided for draining fluid, such as rain water, accumulating between the tank and the upper skirt. A ring-shaped stiffenerwith a U-shaped cross section is secured to the free end of the upper skirt for imparting rigidity to the free end and preventing its collapse when the tank is hoisted from the first apertures.

vIn the preferred embodiment the support structure also comprises a lower tubular skirt and includes hollow support pedestals adapted to be engaged by conventional forklift tongs and resting on the support surface. The pedestals are constructed so that a forklift truck can be positioned on any side of the pressure bin for lifting the bin above ground and transporting it from place to place.

This storage bin is relatively lightweight, can be constructed of aluminum to increase its corrosion resistance and reduce its weight, is compact and can be stacked to fully utilize available storage or shipping space, and permits the handling of the bin by either conventional forklifts or hoisting slings or hooks. The stability of stacked pressure bins is significantly enhanced by an interlocking engagement between the upper skirt of the lower pressure bin and pedestals of the upper bin. It is inexpensive to construct and requires virtually no maintenance to minimize its operating expense. it can be used for storage as well as for shipping vapor pressure building liquids thereby eliminating time-consuming and expensive transfers of the liquids between storage and shipping tanks.

BRlEF DESCRIPTlON OF THE DRAWINGS FlG. l is a plan view of a pressure bin constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the pressure bin; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along'line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 2, a pressure bin 6 is formed by a tank 8, a support structure ill) resting on ground 12 and depending from a lower end M of the tank, and by a cylindrical skirt 16 extending upwardly of an upper end lb of the tank. The tank is constructed of a cylindrical center section 20 to which an upper head 22 and a lower head 24 are joined in a conventional manner, as by welding, to respectively define the upper and the lower ends of the tank. The support structure maintains the cylindrically shaped tank in an upright position so that the axis of the tank is vertical to permit drainage of fluid materials stored in the tank through a drainage opening 26 in the lower head. The upper head of the tank includes an access opening 28, preferably in the form of a manhole if the tank is relatively large, and is provided with a sealing closure 30.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention the support structure comprises a cylindrical lower skirt 32 extending downwardly from the center section 20 and terminating in a free end 34 which is reinforced with a lower, ring-shaped stiffener 3b demountably secured to the inner side of the skirt by bolts 38. The lower skirt includes a first aperture 4ft through which a drainage tube (not shown) can be inserted to connect it with the flange of drainage opening 26. A hand hole 42 in the skirt adjacent the first aperture provides access to the drainage opening for manipulating a valve (not shown) or for securing the drainage pipe to the drainage flange.

A pair of downwardly opening channels M are welded to stiffener 36 and elongate plates 46 are secured to the legs of the channels to form a box member having a length about equal to or greater than the diameter of the tubular tank 8 (see FIG. 1). Hollow pedestals 48 rest on the ground, are secured to the channel and the plate adjacent outer ends thereof, and space the bin above ground to prevent damage to it and to provide convenient access to the drainage opening. The box members defined by channels 44 and plates 46 have a configuration and are arranged to allow their engagement by conventional fork lift tongs (not shown). Stiffener 36 is constructed of steel, to enable it to be welded to channels 44 by conventional welding methods, and preferably has a U-shaped cross section, i.e. is formed from ordinary rolled steel channels, to facilitate its manufacture and to give it sufficient strength to withstand the rough handling to which the lower end of the bin is ordinarily subjected. Alternatively, the stiffener can, of course, have other cross section providing it with sufficient strength. Stiffener 36 maintains channels M and plates 46 spread apart even if they are subjected to substantial loads from two or more pressure bins 6 stacked on top of each other. Should the stitfeners or the channels 44 become damaged, they can be quickly and economically replaced as a unit without requiring extensive repairs on the pressure bin as such.

The pedestals 4-8 are positioned so that their corners t9 proximate the axis of tank 8 are spaced from the axis a distance slightly greater than the radius of upper skirt 16. When two or more pressure bins 6 are stacked on top of each other, the pedestals of the upper bin are snugly engage the upper end of skirt I16, thereby providing an automatic interlock between the two bins. This interlock stabilizes the two bins which is particularly advantageous during their transportation when they are subjected to vibration and shock which could otherwise cause the upper bin to slip off the lower one.

Upper skirt M is formed similarly to the lower skirt, is welded to the tank adjacent the upper end of center section 20 and includes a pair of diametrically opposed pickup eyes or holes 5'0 adjacent a free end 52 of the upper skirt for receiving hoisting means (not shown) such as hoisting cables or hooks. To prevent the large weight of a filled pressure bin, which may weight up to six thousand pounds, from crushing the upper skirt when the bin is lifted from pickup holes 50, an upper, ring-shaped stiffener 54 is secured to the inner side of the free end of the upper skirt, preferably by bolts 56 and acts as a spreader bar maintaining the circular shape of skirt 16. The upper stiffener imparts rigidity to the skirt and spreads the horizontal components force from the lifted weight over the circumference of the skirt to prevent the latter from being deformed beyond its elastic limits. Preferably, stiffener 54 also has a U-shaped cross section to facilitate its manufacture and to increase its strength perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bin. Alternative configurations of the cross section of stiffener 54 providing it with sufficient strength can, of course be selected. Since the upper stiffener is subjected to the greatest forces when the bin is hoisted from holes 50, it is preferably also constructed of high strength steel to prevent the upper skirt and stiffener from being deformed.

The upper skirt is provided with one or more drainage apertures 58 positioned closely adjacent the lower end of the skirt permitting fluid, particularly water, accumulating in the space between the upper skirt and upper head 22 to escape to prevent corrosion damage to tank 8.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is sometimes necessary to agitate, mix, aerate, etc. the fluid in tank 8, as for mixing different kinds of paints or for mixing paints with paint thinners, for example, before access opening 28 in the upper head of the tank is closed and sealed. For this a support bar 60 is provided to which an agitator, mixer, aerator, etc. (not shown) is clamped adjacent access opening 28. Alternatively, mounting holes 62 can be provided for securing the agitator, mixer, etc. to the bar with threaded bolts (not shown) if the agitator, mixer, etc. does not have mounting clamps. A plurality of mounting holes 64 (shown in FIG. 2) are disposed in the horizontal leg of upper stiffener 54 to receive threaded bolts 66 securing the support bar to the pressure bin. The mounting holes in the stiffener are arranged so that the support bar straddles access opening 28, as shown in FIG. 1, to facilitate the insertion of the agitator into tank 8 through the access opening.

Alternatively, to reduce a weakening of stiffener 54 from mounting holes 64 in a direction transverse to the tank axis, each end of support bar 60 may be provided with downwardly extending brackets 68 which include apertures (not shown) matching with horizontally disposed bolt holes 70 in skirt 16 and the web of U-shaped stiffener 54. Threaded bolts 72 then demountably secure the support bar to the upper skirt of the pressure bin and the stiffener. It is important, however, that support bar 60 be secured directly to stiffener 54 to not weaken skirt l6 and to assure a vibration free mounting of the agitator, mixer, etc.

The above-described configuration of the pressure bin permits its construction of lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminum which facilitates the handling of the bin and reduces transportation costs due to the lower weight as compared to more conventional steel constructions, for example. The use of the ring-shaped reinforcing stiffeners at the free ends of the upper and lower skirts prevent the crushing ofthe skirts under high loads and forces even if tank 3 and skirts l6 and 32 are constructed of relatively low strength and lightweight aluminum. The placement of the stiffeners on the interior of the skirts provides the pressure bin with an unobstructed cylindrical exterior. The absence of bulky and expensive pickup hooks or members (not shown) usually found on prior art containers and their replacement by the simple pickup holes 50 in the upper skirt 16 reduces the manufacturing costs, provides a bin with a more appealing the appearance, and further avoids obstructions on the exterior of the bin. As a result of the unobstructed exterior of the bins they can be handled and transported without the danger of entanglement with surrounding objects which may cause damage to the bin and/or such objects.

Turning now to the use of pressure bin 6, closure 30 is opened and the tank is filled to the desired level through access opening 28. Since it is often desired to accurately gauge the volume or quantity of liquid with which the tank is filled, and since that is frequently constant, this invention also provides means 74 for adjustably gauging a fixed quantity of liquid in the tank. The means comprise an elongated threaded cylindrical bar 76 which is secured to the inside of upper head 22 adjacent access opening and which includes a groove 78 on its periphery running parallel to the axis of the bar from the free end thereof over substantially the full length of the bar. A nut member 80 includes a gauging disc 82, threadably engages bar 76, and is provided with a radial aperture 84 through which a string or wire 86 can be drawn when the radial aperture S4 is aligned with groove 78. By sealing the ends of the wire or string nut member and gauging disc 82 are maintained in the same position. Thus, a measured quantity of liquid can be introduced into the tank and nut member 80 is adjusted so that gauging disc 82 is at the upper liquid level. In that position a sealed string or wire is threaded through radial hole 84 and groove 78 and its ends are sealed to lock the nut member in place and simultaneously provide a visual check on the positioning of the gauging disc. To enable a more accurate positioning of the gauging disc with respect to any quantity of fluid to be gauged the nut member may be provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial apertures.

An agitator (not shown) may be placed on support bar 60 and inserted through access opening 28 if mixing of the fluid in the tank is desired. Otherwise, access opening 28 is closed and sealed after the tank has been filled to the desired level and the pressure bin, together with the liquid, is ready for storage or shipment.

Since atmospheric temperature variations cause variations in the pressure head built up by the liquid in the tank, and to prevent any damage to the tank from excess pressures, a safety valve 88 is secured to upper head 22 of tank 8, or to closure 30 (not shown), so that it does not protrude beyond free end 52 of upper skirt 16. Alternatively, closure 30 may be constructed so that it permits the escape of accumulated gas in the interior of the tank once the gas pressure exceeds a predeter mined maximum. For normal requirements the volumetric capacity of safety valve 88 can be relatively small. For emergencies, a high capacity safety valve 90 may be secured to upper head 22 of the tank as to a conventional flanged conduit 92 which may double for use in filling the tank by securing thereto the flanged end of a fill pipe (not shown). Alternatively, valve 90 can be mounted to closure 30 (not shown). Absolute safety of the pressure bin is thereby assured during all stages of its storage or transport, irrespective of the surrounding atmospheric pressure or its exposure to excess heat from whatever source.

It will be noted that shirt 16 is constructed so that safety valves 88 and 90 and closure 30 are below free end 52 of the skirt. This not only protects the valves from being accidentally severed through rough handling, for example, during shipment and which could endanger the safety of the bin, but it also permits the stacking of bins one on top of the other for the maximum utilization of available storage or shipping space.

Alterations and modifications in the construction of the bin can, of course, be made without departing from the scope of this invention. For example, the support structure can be constructed without a cylindrical skirt portion; additional pickup holes 50 may be provided to more equally distribute forces from the hoisting means over the circumference of the upper skirt; the configuration of the stiffness, particularly the one adjacent the free end of the upper skirt can be altered for particularly heavy loads, etc.

I claim:

1. A bin for holding evaporating fluids during storage and shipment comprising:

a. a tank section having a generally cylindrical cross section, said section fabricated of sheet material having relatively low thickness and weight;

b. upper and lower head closures sealably secured to each end of said tank section, said closures fabricated of a relatively low strength sheet material and shaped to overlay the ends of said tank section, said lower head closure being provided with a drain opening and closure assembly and said upper closure having an access opening and closure assembly;

c. first and second skirt portions affixed to said head closures to form an extension therefrom circumjacent, respectively, to said upper and lower head closures, said second skirt portion formed to extend longitudinally away from said lower head. closure forming a support surface for transmitting forces imposed therethrough during usage of said bin in a generally uniform distribution of shear stresses between said lower skirt portion and said bin, and further said second skirt portion shielding the drain opening and closure assembly affixed to said lower head portion; at least two hollow support members secured to the support surface of said second skirt portion, said support members oriented transverse to said tank section and second skirt portion to provide a ground engagement surface when said tank is in the upright position and to engage said first skirt portion when one bin is stacked vertically upon another; and

e. means forming a plurality of openings in said first skirt portion, said openings designed to engage tank-hoisting means for lifting and suspending said bin, said first skirt portion fomied to extend longitudinally away from said upper head closure so as to provide a lead transmitting member for causing the forces imposed therethrough by lifting and suspending of said bin by said last means to be transmitted as generally uniformly distributed shear stresses between said first skirt portion and said tank section.

2. A bin in accordance with claim 1 and stiffening means of relatively high strength secured circumjacent to the free end of said first and second skirt portions to reinforce said portions, respectively, against deformation caused by said tank hoisting means when the tank is suspended therefrom, and against deformation caused by ground engagement of said support members.

to claim 1 including means conportion for mounting an agitator ad- 3. Apparatus according nected with said first skirt jacent the access opening.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said stiffeners have a U-shaped cross section and are bolted respectively to each of the interior sides of said skirt portions.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including mounting holes in said first skirt portion for demountably securing an agitator support to the portion adjacent the access opening.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes pedestals supporting the bin, a portion of the pedestals closest to an axis of the tankbeing spaced from the axis a distance slightly greater than the radius of the skirt portion, whereby two or more bins stacked on top of each other are prevented from moving relative to each other in a direction transverse to the axis of the tank by the interengagement between the pedestals of the upper bin and the skirt portion of the lower bin. I

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 including holes in a por tion of thestiffener which is transverse to said first skirt for mounting an agitator support member adjacent the access opening.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tank and skirts are constructed of aluminum and the stiffener is constructed of steel.

Claims (8)

1. A bin for holding evaporating fluids during storage and shipment comprising: a. a tank section having a generally cylindrical cross section, said section fabricated of sheet material having relatively low thickness and weight; b. upper and lower head closures sealably secured to each end of said tank section, said closures fabricated of a relatively low strength sheet material and shaped to overlay the ends of said tank section, said lower head closure being provided with a drain opening and closure assembly and said upper closure having an access opening and closure assembly; c. first and second skirt portions affixed to said head closures to form an extension therefrom circumjacent, respectively, to said upper and lower head closures, said second skirt portion formed to extend longitudinally away from said lower head closure forming a support surface for transmitting forces imposed therethrough during usage of said bin in a generally uniform distribution of shear stresses between said lower skirt portion and said bin, and further said second skirt portion shielding the drain opening and closure assembly affixed to said lower head portion; d. at least two hollow support members secured to the support surface of said second skirt portion, said support members oriented transverse to said tank section and second skirt portion to provide a ground engagement surface when said tank is in the upright position and to engage said first skirt portion when one bin is stacked vertically upon another; and e. means forming a plurality of openings in said first skirt portion, said openings designed to engage tank-hoisting means for lifting and suspending said bin, said first skirt portion formed to extend longitudinally away from said upper head closure so as to provide a lead transmitting member for causing the forces imposed therethrough by lifting and suspending of said bin by said last means to be transmitted as generally uniformly distributed shear stresses between said first skirt portion and said tank section.

2. A bin in accordance with claim 1 and stiffening means of relatively high strength secured circumjacent to the free end of said first and second skirt portions to reinforce said portions, respectively, against deformation caused by said tank-hoisting means when the tank is suspended therefrom, and against deformation caused by ground engagement of said support members.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means connected with said first skirt portion for mounting an agitator adjacent the access opening.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said stiffeners have a U-shaped cross section and are bolted respectively to each of tHe interior sides of said skirt portions.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including mounting holes in said first skirt portion for demountably securing an agitator support to the portion adjacent the access opening.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support member includes pedestals supporting the bin, a portion of the pedestals closest to an axis of the tank being spaced from the axis a distance slightly greater than the radius of the skirt portion, whereby two or more bins stacked on top of each other are prevented from moving relative to each other in a direction transverse to the axis of the tank by the interengagement between the pedestals of the upper bin and the skirt portion of the lower bin.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 including holes in a portion of the stiffener which is transverse to said first skirt for mounting an agitator support member adjacent the access opening.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tank and skirts are constructed of aluminum and the stiffener is constructed of steel.

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