Electrically heated fluid transporting apparatus

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION OF TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE FLUIDS AT SPECIFIED TEMPERATURE LEVELS GENERALLY ABOVE THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF THE APPARATUS ENVIRONMENT, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A VEHICLE MEANS, SAID VEHICLE MEANS COMPRISING A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, SAID APPARATUS FURTHER COMPRISING A FLUID-TIGHT TANK STRUCTURE POSITIONED ON SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, AND A TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TANK STRUCTURE AND SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR MAINTAINING THE TANK STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS OF THE TANK STRUCTURE ACCURATELY WITHIN A NARROW TEMPERATURE RANGE DURING STORAGE AND DURING TRANSFER OF FLUID INTO AND OUT OF THE TANK STRUCTURE, SAID TANK STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FLUID-TIGHT WALL MEMBER DEFINING A FLUID STORAGE ZONE, SAID TANK STRUCTURE FURTHER COMPRISING INLET AND OUTLET MEANS FOR CONTROLLING TRANSFER OF FLUID BETWEEN THE STORAGE ZONE AND POINTS OUTSIDE THE ZONE, SAID TANK STRUCTURE FURTHER COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE FIRST SUPPORT ELEMENT; SAID TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL HEATING MEANS POSITIONED IN OPERATIVE CONTROLLED HEAT TRANSFER RELATIONSHIP TO SAID WALL MEMBER, AND SAID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS OF SAID TANK STRUCTURE, A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO BE OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID HEATING MEANS, A CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HEATING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME, SAID CONTROL MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING TEMPERATURE SENSING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS AND SAID TANK STRUCTURE SO THAT SAID TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM MAINTAINS THE TANK STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS AT A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE LEVEL; SAID TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM FURTHER COMPRISING HEAT INSULATION MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID TANK STRUCTURE FOR MINIMIZING HEAT TRANSFER INTO AND OUT OF SAID TANK STRUCTURE, SAID HEAT INSULATION MEANS FURTHER COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE SECOND SUPPORT ELEMENT FORMED OF HEAT INSULATING MATERIAL COOPERATING WITH EACH OF SAID FIRST SUPPORT ELEMENTS OF SAID TANK STRUCTURE AND POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FIRST SUPPORT ELEMENTS AND SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE OF SAID VEHICLE MEANS TO MINIMIZE TRANSFER OF HEAT INTO SAID TANK STRUCTURE FROM SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE AND OUT OF SAID TANK STRUCTURE TO SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE WHILE SUPPORTING THE TANK STRUCTURE ON SAID VEHICLE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE; SAID ELECTRICAL HEATING MEANS COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL HEATING CONDUIT POSITIONED AND ARRANGED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED PATTERN ABOUT SAID TANK STRUCTURE, SAID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS OF THE TANK STRUCTURE COMPRISING A PRIMARY DISCHARGE FITTING UNIT PROVIDED WITH A DISCHARGE VALVE AND DISCHARGE CONDUIT, SAID ELECTRICAL HEATING CONDUIT COMPRISING ONE BRANCH PORTION POSITIONED AND ARRANGED TO SUPPLY HEAT TO SAID PRIMARY DISCHARGE FITTING UNIT, AND ANOTHER BRANCH PORTION, SAID ONE BRANCH PORTION COMPRISING A HEATER UNIT AND A THERMOSTAT UNIT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED THERETO A CONTROL THE SAME AND MAINTAIN SAID PRIMARY DISCHARGE FITTING UNIT AT A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE LEVEL, SWITCHING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING SAID ELECTRICAL HEATING MEANS TO SAID SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY, SAID ONE BRANCH PORTION OF SAID ELECTRICAL HEATING CONDUIT BEING DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO SAID SWITCHING MEANS FOR INDEPENDENT OPERATION OF SAID HEATER UNIT AND MAINTENANCE OF SAID PRIMARY DISCHARGE FITTING UNIT AT ITS PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE LEVEL INDEPENDENTLY OF AND CONCURRENTLY WITH MAINTENANCE OF THE REMAINDER OF SAID TANK STRUCTURE AT ITS PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE LEVEL.