Heater for liquefied petroleum gas storage tank

Abstract

A catalytic tank heater includes a catalytic heating element supported on an LPG tank by a support structure that holds the element in a position facing the tank. Vapor from the tank is provided as fuel to the heating element, and is regulated to increase heat output as tank pressure drops. The heating element is internally separated into a pilot heater and a main heater, with respective separate fuel inlets. The pilot heater remains in continual operation, but the main heater is operated only while tank pressure is below a threshold. Operation of the pilot heater keeps a portion of the catalyst hot, so that, when tank pressure drops below the threshold, and fuel is supplied to the main heater, catalytic combustion quickly expands from the area surrounding the pilot heater to the remainder of the catalyst.

1 . A device, comprising:
 a housing having a face and a back panel, and being defined around a perimeter by sidewalls, the back panel and sidewalls being substantially gas-tight, and the face being substantially open;   a catalyst layer substantially coextensive with the face of the housing;   an open space between the catalyst layer and the back panel defining a plenum chamber;   a main fuel inlet traversing the back panel and configured to deliver fuel to the plenum chamber;   a pilot heater positioned entirely within the perimeter of the housing, defined and enclosed by pilot sidewalls extending from the back panel toward the face at least a depth of the plenum chamber, the back panel and the pilot sidewalls being substantially gas-tight, and including a portion of the plenum chamber as a pilot plenum chamber, and configured to deliver fuel to a portion of the catalyst layer positioned in front of the pilot heater; and   a pilot fuel inlet traversing the back panel and configured to deliver fuel to the pilot plenum chamber.