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  Hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting method and apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060003280Title: Hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting method and apparatus Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting method and apparatus, which suppress deterioration of an elastic foamed body with the passage of time and enables a stabilized adjustment of the flow rate for a long period by combining a fine porous film with a porous elastic foamed body. More specifically, fuel gas taken out of a tank which stores hydrocarbon fuel gas in liquid phase is controlled in its flow rate such that the upper limit of the flow rate is the maximum flow rate obtained by depressurizing the fuel gas with a flow rate restricting member as a first stage and then adjusting to an arbitrary flow rate within a range of the restricted maximum flow rate with an adjustable flow rate adjusting member. (end of abstract) Agent: Snider & Associates - Washington, DC, US Inventor: Tamotsu Kuroiwa USPTO Applicaton #: 20060003280 - Class: 431344000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Flame Holder And Fuel Tank Assembly The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060003280. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a hydrocarbon liquefied gas adjusting method and apparatus. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] Conventionally, a gas flow rate adjusting apparatus in which fuel gas is taken out of a tank through opening/closing valve means having a flow rate adjusting mechanism and ignitor. The fuel gas is, for example, a hydrocarbon base and stored in a pressure tank having a predetermined volume in a liquid form. For example, this gas flow rate adjusting apparatus is used to take out fuel gas in the field of, for example, a cigarette lighter, an ignitor, and a portable gas cylinder. The cigarette lighter and other these devices contain a pressure tank capable of storing a relatively small amount of petroleum gas therein in a liquid form. The flow rate of fuel gas contained in the tank is adjusted by pressing from outside a flow rate adjusting member composed of a porous elastic foamed body such as a multi-porous spongy like material which is commonly used in cigarette lighters to adjust flow rate, hereinafter referred to as moltpren. Gas is taken out through the opening/closing valve means, and spouted from, for example, a burner nozzle so as to form a flame for igniting a cigarette. The moltpren is an elastic foamed body having continuous pores and is used for adjusting the flow rate of passing gas by changing a total area of the pores when the elastic foamed body is pressed. Such a flow rate adjusting mechanism using the moltpren has been well known and widely used to adjust the length of flame of a cigarette lighter. [0005] When gas in a tank which stores fuel gas is adjusted with the moltpren, first, the moltpren needs to be compressed to a thickness substantially by half or more in order to secure its maximum flow rate range. The moltpren is compressed in a finer adjusting range so as to obtain a desired flame length. When the moltpren is compressed into the maximum flow rate range. It is compressed so as to ensure an arbitrary flow rate. Adjustment from its maximum value to its minimum value is achieved within compressibility in a very small range of compression. Thus, because the porous elastic foamed body is compressed with a high compressibility so as to ensure the maximum flow rate range, it is used in a condition in which it is likely to deteriorate with a passage of time and therefore, elastic restoration of the moltpren is worsened with time passage so that a stabilized flow rate adjustment cannot be achieved after a long time. Next, the moltpren is secondarily compressed further within the adjusted maximum flow rate range so as to obtain an arbitrary flame length. Because this secondary compression is a compression within a very small range, the moltpren compression mechanism is constituted of a rotation mechanism such as screws. A screw mechanism must be rotated within a small angle range, so that a high precision flow rate adjusting mechanism is needed and a high cost is required. Further, because the flame length is largely changed with a small rotation operation, a fine adjustment rotation operation is needed, so that there is no easy control in obtaining an arbitrary flame length. [0006] According to other proposed inexpensive and disposable cigarette lighters, instead of the above-described flow rate adjustment with the moltpren, the flow rate of the fuel gas is set to a predetermined amount at the time of shipment from factory using a flow rate restricting member composed of fine porous film such as membrane film. Arbitrary flow rate adjustment is prohibited. The membrane film is a porous film body having a number of fine pores through which when fluid passes. The pressure of fluid is dropped and when gas is passed through fine pores, the pressure of gas is dropped so as to restrict the maximum value of the flow rate. Although such a flow rate restricting member is capable of limiting the flow rate within a predetermined maximum value range, the fine pores in the film are kept in a predetermined size so that the sectional area cannot be changed. Therefore, the flow rate cannot be changed from outside. If gas pressure is changed due to changes in outside temperature, the flow rate is changed thereby leading to changes in flame length. A gas flow rate adjusting apparatus using such a membrane film has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1993-180359. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a gas flow rate adjusting apparatus in which deterioration of the elastic foamed body with passage of time is suppressed by combining fine porous film with the porous elastic foamed body so as to attain stabilized adjustment of the flow rate for a long time. [0008] To achieve the above described object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting method, in which fuel gas taken out of a tank which stores the hydrocarbon fuel gas in liquid phase is controlled in its flow rate such that an upper limit flow rate of usage range thereof is a maximum flow rate, comprising the steps of: depressurizing the fuel gas with a flow rate restricting member as a first stage, and adjusting an arbitrary flow rate within a range of the restricted maximum flow rate with a flow rate adjusting member adjustable from outside. [0009] According to a second aspect of the present invention is that the flow rate restricting member is composed of the porous film body of synthetic resin and a flow rate adjusting member is composed of porous elastic foamed body having continuous pores. [0010] According to a third aspect of the present invention is that after the flow rate of fuel gas flowing from the tank to the fine porous film is throttled at midway. Releasing the throttled flow rate in front of the fine porous film so as to make the pressure per a unit area in the fine porous film drop. [0011] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting apparatus comprising: a storage tank for storing hydrocarbon fuel gas in liquid phase; a flow rate restricting member for controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas such that the upper limit flow rate of usage range is the maximum flow rate obtained by depressurizing the fuel gas taken out of the storage tank; a flow rate adjusting member for adjusting the flow rate within a range of the restricted maximum flow rate; and means for compressing the flow rate adjusting member from outside, wherein the flow rate adjusting member is disposed downstream from the flow rate restricting member. [0012] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention is that the flow rate restricting member comprises a fine porous film body of synthetic resin and the flow rate adjusting member comprises a porous elastic foamed body having continuous pores. [0013] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention is that a fixed cylinder which is fixed in a tank which stores fuel gas in liquid phase and which communicates with the inside of the tank, a porous elastic foamed body disposed in the fixed cylinder, a flow rate adjusting body for compressing the porous elastic foamed body which is freely operable from outside, and a fine porous film which is disposed between the porous elastic foamed body and the tank. [0014] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention is that the flow rate adjusting body is projected outwardly from a bottom of the tank while the fine porous film is incorporated in the flow rate adjusting body. [0015] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention is that a fuel gas charging mechanism is built in the flow rate adjusting body. [0016] According to a ninth aspect of the present invention is that the flow rate adjusting body is projected outwardly from the top portion of the tank and a burner nozzle means for taking out fuel gas for ignition is built in the flow rate adjusting body. [0017] According to a tenth aspect of the present invention is that a membrane film is fixed in a cylindrical capsule running axially so as to form a single unit. [0018] According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is that a throttling member having a passage capable of throttling the flow rate of fuel gas is disposed in front of the capsule. [0019] According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting apparatus comprising: a storage tank for storing hydrocarbon fuel gas in liquid phase; a flow rate restricting member for controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas wherein the upper limit flow rate of gas usage range is the maximum flow rate which occurs by depressurizing the fuel gas taken out of the storage tank; a flow rate adjusting member for adjusting the flow rate within a range of the restricted maximum flow rate; and means for freely compressing the flow rate adjusting member from outside, wherein the flow rate adjusting member is disposed downstream of the flow rate restricting member while a burner nozzle means for introducing gas after the flow rate is adjusted with the flow rate adjusting member to outside for ignition is disposed in the downstream of the flow rate adjusting member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a capsule for holding a membrane film; [0021] FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing other example of the capsule for holding a membrane film; Continue reading... Full patent description for Hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting method and apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Hydrocarbon gas flow rate adjusting method and apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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