Liquid loading system

Claim 3

A system as in claim 1 including a cover over said lagoon and beneath said support frame, said cover being provided with an elongated opening for passage of said intake therethrough, said opening extending longitudinally of said lagoon for movement of said intake therealong as said frame is moved longitudinally of said lagoon, and an elongated flexible flap valve normally closing said opening and allowing such movement of said intake.

Claim 4

A system as in claim 1 in which said vehicle facility is a rail siding, and including a consist of rail cars on said siding positioned beneath the path of movement of said discharge portion for receiving such materials therefrom.

Claim 5

A system as in claim 3 wherein said rail cars are covered and are provided with access openings in the tops thereof, and flap valves normally closing said access openings and being movable under the hydrodynamic force of such materials discharged from said discharge portion to admit such materials into said cars.

Claim 6

A system as in claim 1 including a cover over said lagoon and beneath said support frame, said cover including closure means allowing selective access to said pumpable materials by said intake.

Claim 7

A system as in claim 1 including bypass conduit means for selectively redirecting the pumped materials back into the lagoon.

Claim 8

A system as in claim 6 including shield means positioned between an outlet of said bypass conduit means and the lagoon bottom.

Claim 9

A system as in claim 7 wherein said shield extends beneath said intake and is supported from said support frame.

Claim 10

A system as in claim 1 including shield means disposed between said intake and the bottom of said lagoon, said shield means comprising a plurality of elongated members positioned in diametric spaced relationship to one another.

Claim 11

A system as in claim 1 including heating means located in said lagoon to control the temperature of said materials.

Claim 12

Apparatus for rapidly loading pumpable materials from an elongated storage lagoon into a series of vehicles, comprising a vehicle facility located adjacent to and extending generally longitudinally of and parallel to said lagoon for positioning a series of vehicles thereon to receive such materials, support tracks positioned along opposite sides of said lagoon parallel to said vehicle facility, a carriage frame assembly spanning said lagoon in a direction transverse to said vehicle facility and movably supported on said tracks for traversing said lagoon, means for propelling said frame along said tracks, a pump mounted on said carriage frame assembly and having an intake in said lagoon, and coNduit means supported on said carriage frame assembly, said conduit means being connected to said pump and having a discharge portion extending over said vehicle facility for receiving such materials from said pump and directing such materials into a series of such vehicles positioned on said facility, for loading such vehicles with such materials from successive positions of said carriage frame assembly and said supported pump and conduit along said lagoon.

Claim 13

Apparatus for rapidly loading pumpable materials from an elongated storage lagoon into a series of vehicles, comprising a vehicle facility located adjacent to and extending generally longitudinally of and parallel to said lagoon for positioning a series of vehicles thereon to receive such materials, support tracks positioned along opposite sides of said lagoon parallel to said vehicle facility, a carriage frame assembly spanning said lagoon in a direction transverse to said vehicle facility and movably supported on said tracks for traversing said lagoon, means for propelling said frame along said tracks, a pump mounted on said carriage frame assembly and having an intake in said lagoon, and coNduit means supported on said carriage frame assembly, said conduit means being connected to said pump and having a discharge portion extending over said vehicle facility for receiving such materials from said pump and directing such materials into a series of such vehicles positioned on said facility, for loading such vehicles with such materials from successive positions of said carriage frame assembly and said supported pump and conduit along said lagoon.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 11 for loading a series of elongated vehicles positioned on said vehicle facility parallel to said lagoon and each provided with an upwardly open material receiving opening extending longitudinally over a substantial portion of the length of the respective vehicle, wherein said propelling means propels said frame along said lagoon and thereby moves said discharge portion over said vehicle openings as such material is pumped from said lagoon and is discharged from said discharge portion into said openings.

Claim 15

Apparatus as in claim 11 including a plurality of pumps on said carriage and each having an intake extending into such lagoon.

Claim 16

Apparatus as in claim 11, said conduit means including bypass means for selectively returning such pumped materials to such lagoon, valve means in said conduit means for controlling such bypass and for shutting off discharge of such materials to said vehicles.

Claim 17

Apparatus as in claim 14 including controls for said pumps and for said valve means mounted on said carriage frame assembly.

Claim 20

A method as in claim 16 wherein such materials are pumped continuously by said system, and including discharging the pumped materials back into said lagoon when such materials are not being discharged into one of said vehicles.

Claim 21

A method as in claim 16 including mixing said materials in said lagoon.

Claim 22

A method as in claim 16 including moving a scour shield through said materials in said lagoon to agitate said materials.

Claim 23

A method as in claim 16 wherein said vehicles in such line are provided with elongated receiving openings oriented generally parallel to said lagoon, wherein said materials are pumped from said lagoon and discharged into said vehicles while said pump system is being so moved along said lagoon.