Fuel dispensing and containment assembly

Abstract

A modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly for storing fuel in at least one fuel tank and for pumping the fuel to a group of fuel dispensers. The assembly has a reinforced concrete vault located underground which contains a fuel tank within its interior. The fuel tank is separated from the interior walls of the vault. The fuel tank has a turbine corridor on its lid, which corridor has an interior volume which leads from the fuel tank to a series of piping corridors. The turbine corridor and the piping corridors are all underground and the piping corridors lead to dispensing modules which are located under the dispensers or gas pumps. The dispenser modules and piping corridors are all sufficiently large to permit the entry of service personnel to their interiors. The interiors of the various corridors and modules form a single interconnected air volume. The result is a fuel dispensing and containment assembly wherein the vault and corridors and dispensing modules act as a secondary containment against any contaminant leaking from the primary piping or tanks. It also permits complete visual inspection of the primary containment and physical access to all its parts at any time.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly for storing fuel in at least one fuel tank and pumping the fuel to a plurality of fuel dispensers at locations remote from the at least one fuel tank, said system comprising: 
 a reinforced concrete vault located underground, said reinforced concrete vault having a floor, end walls, side walls, a top supporting a lid, and an interior, said vault being fluid tight and said floor, end walls side walls and lid having exposed inner surfaces;    a fuel tank held within said reinforced concrete vault, said fuel tank being separated from said exposed inner surfaces, said fuel tank having a fuel filling line and a fuel outlet line, said fuel tank being separated from at least one of said end walls and side walls a sufficient distance to permit a person to enter an interior of said reinforced concrete vault for inspection purposes;    a turbine corridor positioned with a bottom contacting said lid of said vault over an area of said fuel tank where said fuel filling line and said fuel outlet line communicate with said fuel tank, said turbine corridor also being positioned underground and having a bottom floor with a tank access opening sealingly connected to the lid of said reinforced concrete vault in a fluid tight manner and at least one of said side and end walls of said turbine corridor being open at a connection passageway for connection to a piping corridor and said turbine corridor being sufficiently large for service personnel to enter an interior of said turbine corridor;    a plurality of piping corridors one of which being sealing affixed onto said connection passageway of said turbine corridor, said piping corridor having a floor, side walls, a supply end sealed to said connection passageway of said turbine corridor, an exit end and being both underground and fluid tight and having an interior area sufficiently large for service personnel to enter, said piping corridor having an opening at said supply end and at said exit end;    a dispensing module sealingly affixed onto said exit end of one of said piping corridors, said dispensing module having a floor, side walls, end walls and a cover, said dispensing module being fluid tight and said side walls of said dispensing module being underground and said dispensing module being sufficiently large to permit the entry of service personnel, the interior of said reinforced concrete vault, said turbine corridor, said piping corridors and said dispensing module forming a single interconnected air volume;    means for passing air through said single interconnected air volume; and    a fuel dispenser mounted above said dispensing module.    
     
     
         2 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least one of said piping corridors is a piping interconnect corridor affixed between said turbine corridor and a plurality of piping corridors.  
     
     
         3 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 2  wherein said piping interconnect corridor is connected to said connection passageway of said turbine corridor on an input side of a first side wall of said interconnect corridor and a first and a second piping corridor are connected at a supply end to a first and a second opening located on an output side of a second side wall.  
     
     
         4 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 3  wherein said first and second piping corridors have an exit end and a first dispensing module is connected to the exit end of said first piping corridor and a second dispensing module is connected to the exit end of said second piping corridor.  
     
     
         5 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 1  wherein said fuel tank is spaced from at least one end wall of said reinforced concrete vault, said at least one end wall being an inspection end wall, a sufficient distance to permit a person to enter said interior of said vault and said reinforced concrete vault has at least one upwardly extending turret extending upwardly from said lid adjacent said inspection end wall of said vault, said upwardly extending turret having an interior pedestrian rated access passageway leading into the interior of said vault, said upwardly extending turret having an upper opening about at a ground level.  
     
     
         6 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 5  wherein both end walls of said reinforced concrete vault are inspection end walls and both inspection end walls have an upwardly extending turret extending upwardly from said lid.  
     
     
         7 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 1  wherein said system includes an air passageway in at least one dispensing module and an air passageway in at least one turbine corridor and includes means for passing air in one of said air passageways and passing air out of the other air passageway.  
     
     
         8 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 1  wherein said lid of said reinforced concrete vault has three parts, a first lid extending from a first end wall in the direction of a second end wall to a first lid inner end, a bottom of said turbine corridor contacting said first lid inner end on a first side of said bottom of said turbine corridor and said bottom extending to a second side of said bottom of said turbine corridor, and a second lid extending from an interior end contacting said second side of said bottom of said turbine corridor to an exterior end contacting said second end wall.  
     
     
         9 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 1  wherein said system includes a plurality of reinforced concrete vaults, fuel tanks and turbine corridors.  
     
     
         10 . A modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly for storing fuel in at least one fuel tank and pumping the fuel to a plurality of fuel dispensers at locations remote from the at least one fuel tank, said assembly comprising: 
 a reinforced concrete vault located underground, said reinforced concrete vault having a floor, end walls, side walls, a lid, and an interior, said vault being fluid tight and said floor, end walls side walls and lid having exposed inner surfaces;    a fuel tank held within said reinforced concrete vault, said fuel tank being separated from said exposed inner surfaces, said fuel tank having a fuel filling line and a fuel outlet line, said fuel tank being separated from at least one of said end walls and side walls a sufficient distance to permit a person to enter an interior of said reinforced concrete vault for inspection purposes;    a plurality of piping corridors each having an interior area connected to said interior of said reinforced concrete vault, said piping corridor having a floor, side walls, a supply end, an exit end and being both underground and fluid tight and said interior area being sufficiently large for service personnel to enter, said piping corridor having an opening at said supply end and at said exit end;    a dispensing module sealingly affixed onto said exit end of one of said piping corridors, said dispensing module having a floor, side walls, end walls and a cover, said dispensing module being fluid tight and said side walls of said dispensing module being underground and said dispensing module having an interior volume sufficiently large to permit the entry of service personnel, the interior of said reinforced concrete vault, said piping corridors and said dispensing module forming a single interconnected air volume;    means for passing air through said single interconnected air volume; and    a fuel dispenser mounted above said dispensing module.    
     
     
         11 . The modular fuel dispensing and containment assembly of  claim 10  wherein said dispensing module has a pedestrian rated access door in said cover of said dispensing module whereby service personnel can enter the interior volume of said dispensing module for servicing or inspection of piping and electrical circuit elements located below said cover of said dispensing module.  
     
     
         12 . A module fuel dispensing and containment assembly for conveying fuel from at least one fuel tank confined in an underground vault having a lid and transporting the fuel to a plurality of fuel dispensers at locations remote from the at least one fuel tank, said assembly comprising: 
 a turbine corridor positioned with a bottom contacting lid of said vault, said turbine corridor also being positioned underground and having a bottom floor with a tank access opening sealingly connected to the lid of said underground vault in a fluid tight manner and at least one of said side and end walls of said turbine corridor being open at a connection passageway for connection to a piping corridor and said turbine corridor being sufficiently large for service personnel to enter an interior of said turbine corridor;    a plurality of piping corridors one of which being sealingly affixed onto said connection passageway of said turbine corridor, said piping corridor having a floor, side walls, a supply end sealed to said connection passageway of said turbine corridor, an exit end and being both underground and fluid tight and having an interior area sufficiently large for service personnel to enter, said piping corridor having an opening at said supply end and at said exit end;    a dispensing module sealingly affixed onto said exit end of one of said piping corridors, said dispensing module having a floor, side walls, end walls and a cover, said dispensing module being fluid tight and said side walls of said dispensing module being underground and said dispensing module being sufficiently large to permit the entry of service personnel, the interior of said reinforced concrete vault, said turbine corridor, said piping corridors and said dispensing module forming a single interconnected air volume;    means for passing air through said single interconnected air volume;    a fuel dispenser mounted above said dispensing module;; and    piping connecting said fuel dispenser to said at least one fuel tank.