Patent Abstract:
A fluid pumping system for extracting or collecting fluids from a particular location and moving them to a storage or disposal facility. In particular, the invention relates to a self-contained, air pressure operated manually transportable fluid pumping station which can be manually conveyed by an operator from one location to another, either in a facility, e.g., a vehicle maintenance facility, or in an outside environment to facilitate the safe removal and transfer of oil, gasoline or other hazardous fluid materials between vehicles or from similar other machines into a storage or waste oil burning tank.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to the field of fluid pumping systems for extracting or collecting fluids from a particular location and moving them to a storage or disposal facility. In particular, the invention relates to a self-contained, air pressure operated, manually transportable fluid pumping station which can be manually conveyed by an operator from one location to another, either in a facility, e.g., a vehicle maintenance facility, or in an outside environment to facilitate the safe removal and transfer of oil, gasoline or other hazardous fluid materials between vehicles or from similar other machines into a storage or waste oil burning tank.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     It is known to use pneumatic pumps, i.e., air driven pumps to create a vacuum through a line, conduit or hose and thus transfer fluids from one location to another. Any number of such fluid pumping systems are available in the marketplace for moving fluids between certain locations. By way of example, there are large oil supply pipelines for transporting oil across continents, e.g., the Alaskan Pipeline, and there are also many known smaller fluid pumping systems, for instance, small suction pumps coupled with storage tanks for collecting hazardous fluids from an undesired location, i.e., a spill on the ground. It is another problem to design a safe, self-contained and manually transportable system which can be handled by a single person or operator in a variety of situations with different holding tanks or storage containers separate from the transfer device and without the necessity of a vehicle or large support trailer.  
         [0003]     A major environmental and physical hazard exists in most conventional vehicle maintenance facilities; these hazards arise from the necessity and frequency of changing oil and other fluids in vehicles and other machines. The most obvious environmental hazard is that of spilling oil, gas or other hazardous material and the necessity to ensure that such a spill is properly cleaned up and the correct disposal of the oil is undertaken. The resulting expensive clean up of excessive spills created by manually attempting such fluid transfer processes can lead to environmental clean-up issues costing the maintenance facility owners time, money and potential fines. A less obvious physical hazard is that to the maintenance personnel, who collect the oil from the vehicles or other machines. The maintenance personnel must usually drain the oil from the vehicle into a collection pan or container and then manually carry the oil pan or container to a storage tank or waste oil burner tank for disposal. The physical difficulty exists in that the person must hoist or raise the oil pan overhead to transfer the oil from the collection pan into a filling port of a storage tank which is inefficient, awkward and can lead to spills.  
         [0004]     In particular, most storage facilities use above ground storage vessels to store such fluids, such as gas and oil. Such above ground tanks are usually located in a containment area surrounded by concrete containment floors and walls or other such similar catch basins. The problems associated with these above ground storage systems are specifically the transfer or fluid into them. In general, ladders or stairs are supplied along the side of the containment area and tank and a user or maintenance operator, carrying the collection pan, must climb the stairs carrying the fluid and then dump it into the tank through an opening. This is a cumbersome and awkward process and can, of course, lead to spills and cleanup operations and even environmental damage.  
       OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the pneumatic powered transfer of oil or other hazardous fluids from a supply location, i.e., from an initial location to a secondary storage or use location.  
         [0006]     Another object of the present invention is to facilitate such transfer by eliminating the necessity for manually hauling or carrying the oil or contaminant to the fixed in place storage or holding tank.  
         [0007]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a manually movable transfer station which can be taken to any location in a maintenance facility to collect and transfer the oil or other contaminants.  
         [0008]     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a manual or movable transfer station which can be utilized in an outside environment with a pre-charged cannister for providing the pneumatic power to the pump.  
         [0009]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a containment vessel for containing any leaks or spills during such transfer process, for example, to be used in a vehicle maintenance facility or between vehicles in an emergency, for instance, the transfer of fuel from one vehicle to another on a highway or a parking lot.  
         [0010]     The present invention relates to a self-contained fluid pumping system which is capable of being manually maneuvered or rolled from one location to another, for instance, between one vehicle bay and another in an auto maintenance facility. A wheeled dolly, such as those used to move heavy boxes or other objects, is used to support a pressurized air tank connected to a pneumatically driven vacuum pump also secured on the dolly. This eliminates the necessity for the use of electricity to drive the pump and is a significant safety feature of the present invention, especially with the intended use of the pump with potentially hazardous fluid materials. The pump has an inlet hose which sucks up the desired fluid and passes it through the pump to an outlet line which can be connected to any desired fluid collection tank. The pump is powered by the air pressure supplied from the pressurized air tank through a line connection and a pressure regulating valve between the air tank and the pump. An external pressure connection may also be placed in the line connection for an external air pressure source for driving the pump or refilling the air tank.  
         [0011]     The present invention also relates to a manually maneuverable fluid transfer station for facilitating the transfer of a fluid from a supply point to a collection point, the fluid transfer station comprising a manually operable dolly having a pair of wheels on a lower portion thereof and a handle on an upper portion thereof to permit an operator to manually wheel the dolly from a first location to a second location, a compressed gas tank supported on a platform on the lower portion of the dolly, the compressed gas tank having a first connection to a main valve for receiving an externally supplied gas, a pressure gauge and a second connection to first end of a main gas supply conduit, the main gas supply conduit comprising a secondary valve for receiving an externally supplied gas, a first shut off valve positioned on one side of the secondary valve and a second shut off valve positioned on an opposing side of the secondary valve, a pneumatic pump connected to a second end of the main gas supply conduit and a pressure regulating valve positioned between the second shut off valve and the pneumatic pump to provide for adjusting a gas pressure supplied to the pneumatic pump, and a fluid inlet conduit operably connected to the pneumatic pump for drawing a desired fluid from the supply point, and a fluid outlet conduit operably connected to the pneumatic pump. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is an elevational view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a brief description concerning the various components of the present invention will now be discussed. As can be seen in this embodiment, in general according to the present invention, a portable waste oil transfer station  1  includes a pneumatic pump  3  for creating a vacuum in a collection line, conduit or hose  5  for collecting the desired fluid and an outlet line conduit or hose  7  for disposing of the collected fluid in a manner to be discussed in further detail below. The pneumatic pump  3  is driven by an air tank  9  integral with the waste oil transfer station  1 . The air tank  9  is connected to the pneumatic pump  3  by a main connection line  11  and can be pre-charged with a desired air pressure to run the pneumatic pump  3 . Thus, no outside or external power source external to the portable waste oil transfer station  1  is necessary to operate the pneumatic pump  3 . Additional respective piping connections and fittings for both filling the air tank  9  and providing a supplemental air connection  13  to either fill the air tank  9  or drive the pneumatic pump  3  are also provided and discussed in further detail below.  
         [0017]     The air tank  9 , pneumatic pump  3 , collection line  5  and outlet line  7  are easily manually transported and operated by a single person or operator. These components of the portable waste oil transfer station  1  are mounted on a manually manipulatable dolly  15  as generally known having a substantially vertical component supporting the frame  17 , a generally horizontally aligned base plate  19  positioning the frame  17  in a substantially vertical alignment with the ground in a resting position, and two wheels  21  for rolling the dolly  15  along the ground when the oil transfer station  1  is to be moved to a different location. The dolly  15  may be modified from a typical conventional rolling dolly as used in commercial and industrial situations for moving heavy objects, boxes, etc. The dolly  15  permits a user to grasp an upper portion of the frame  17  and pull the frame  17  towards the user, tilting the dolly  15  back, lifting the base plate  19  off the ground and generally bringing the center of gravity of the supported components directly over the wheels  21 . As such dolly&#39;s and their operation and maneuverability are well known in the art, no further description is provided.  
         [0018]     The air tank  9  may be generally supported on the base plate  19  of the dolly  15  and attached to a top surface thereof by any particular means known in the art such as welding or straps depending on whether it is necessary to have the air tank  9  be removable or not. The air tank  9  is provided with a conventional valve stem  23  as one method of filling and pressurizing the air tank  9  and is also usually provided with a pressure gauge  24  in order to monitor the pressure within the air tank  9 .  
         [0019]     The main connection line  11  is connected between the air tank  9 , for communicating the supply of air from the air tank  9 , and the pneumatic pump  3 . The main connection line  11  is connected to the air tank  9  and extends therefrom generally upward substantially parallel with the frame  17  of the dolly  15  and is then connected with the driving portion of the pneumatic pump  3  in order to power the pneumatic pump  3  and thus create a vacuum for transfer of fluids through the pneumatic pump  3 . The pneumatic pump  3  is generally a diaphragm pump which is operated by passing the compressed gas from the gas source, e.g., the air tank  9 , through the pneumatic pump  3  on one side of a moveable diaphragm as known in the art. The diaphragm movement creates a vacuum at an inlet port  25  of the pneumatic pump  3  and forces liquid out the pneumatic pump  3  through an outlet port  27  to the desired storage location. Such pumps as contemplated for the present invention can operate at up to 10-20 gal/min if necessary although smaller volume flow rates may be used as well. The pneumatic pump  3  can be almost any conventional diaphragm pump as known in the art and commercially available, for example, an Aro pump pneumatic diaphragm pump manufactured by Ingersoll-Rand Corporation.  
         [0020]     The main connection line  11  is provided with an upper ball valve  29  and a lower ball valve  31  in series with a pressure regulating valve  33  positioned generally between the upper ball valve  29  and the pneumatic pump  3  and also a supplemental air connection  13 , generally located in line between the upper and lower ball valves  29 ,  31 . The pressure regulating valve  33 , of course, is generally manually adjustable to permit an adjustable amount of gas pressure from the air tank  9  to be supplied to the pneumatic pump  3  depending on the needs of the pneumatic pump  3  to pump any particular desired fluid.  
         [0021]     There are major safety advantages for the portable waste oil transfer station  1  of the present invention from a functional and ignition point of view, i.e., because the pneumatic pump  3  is not electric there is a substantially reduced risk of a spark causing ignition of any flammable collected fluids. Additionally diaphragm pumps can be obtained which pump a high volume of liquid and which will handle sandy or thick liquids such as weathered crude oil or water hydrocarbon sludges, and can even handle up to two inches in diameter solid pieces of material. This can be achieved, in addition, to pumping liquids of normal viscosity or even light fluids such as condensate liquids from natural gas. Also, diaphragm pumps can be obtained that run on very low compressed gas pressure so that high pressure compressed gas source means are not necessary. Certain pumps, depending on the fluid being pumped, can run on compressed gas in the range of about 10-200 p.s.i.g., and preferably for pumping low viscosity liquids such as gasoline in the range of about 20-50 p.s.i.g., and for oil about 30 to 75 p.s.i.g.  
         [0022]     An important feature of the present invention is the configuration of the main connection line  11  between the air tank  9  and the pneumatic pump  3 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the main connection line  11  between the air tank  9  and pneumatic pump  3  is provided with the upper ball valve  29  and the lower ball valve  31 , separated by a supplemental air connection point  13 . The location of the supplemental air connection point  13  between the upper and lower ball valves  29 ,  31  is of particular importance in that the supplemental air connection point  13  and the relative positioning of the upper and lower ball valves  29 ,  31  permits two options for driving the transfer pump  3 . The first option relies on the fact that in most vehicle maintenance facilities, there is a fixed in-place source or compressor  37  connected to a facility pressure supply line  39  which can be used to fill tires with air, etc. With respect to the portable waste oil transfer station  1 , this supplemental air connection  13 , which may be provided with a quick connect/disconnect hook up may be connected to such an externally provided facility air pressure supply to either directly run the pneumatic pump  15 , or to fill the integral air tank to drive the pump. A further description of these options is discussed in detail below.  
         [0023]     In the case where the supplementary air connection  13  and the supplied external facility air pressure supply line  39  is desired to run the pump directly, the lower ball valve  31  can be closed, and the upper ball valve  29  is opened so that the facility pressurized air is supplied directly to the pneumatic  3  pump through the upper ball valve  29  and regulated by the pressure regulating valve  33  located in the main connection line  11  between the upper ball valve  29  and the pneumatic pump  3 . The pressure regulating valve  33  gives an essentially infinite adjustability for compressed gas pressure as it arrives at the pneumatic pump  3  for speeding up and slowing down the pumping action. For example, by speeding up the pneumatic pump  3  and, therefore, the pumping action, the system of this invention can pick up a leaking fluid almost as fast as it leaks out thereby minimizing potential environmental damage.  
         [0024]     The second option is a case where the portable waste oil transfer station  1  must be used in a location lacking or remote from a facility supplied air pressure source and an external air source  37 . In this case, the air tank  9  may be initially charged, i.e., pre-charged via the facility air pressure source  37  and then transported to the remote location. The air tank  9  is pre-charged by first closing the upper ball valve  29  and then opening the lower ball valve  31  in the main connection line  11 . A connection is then made to the facility air pressure supply line  39  at the supplemental air connection  13  and pressurizing or precharging the air tank  9  is accomplished. When the pressure gauge  24  on the air tank  9  registers a desired pre-charge pressure, for instance a maximum pressure for the air tank  9  as indicated by the air tank manufacture, the lower ball valve  31  may be closed and the facility pressure supply line  39  disconnected from the supplemental air connection  13 . The waste oil transfer station  1  may then be wheeled or transported to a secondary location where the pre-charged pressurized air tank  9  will now drive the pneumatic pump  3  when the operator opens both the upper and lower ball valves  29 ,  31  and accordingly adjusts the pressure regulating valve  33  to drive the pneumatic pump  3 . The air tank  9  may also be precharged via a conventional valve chuck of a compressor line through the conventional valve  23  on the air tank  9 .  
         [0025]     The pneumatic pump  3 , as is generally well known in the art, is operated by passing the compressed gas or air supplied via the main connection line  11  either from the supplemental air connection  13  or the air tank  9  as discussed above, through the pneumatic pump on one side of a removable diaphragm as is used in such pumps. The movement of the diaphragm creates a vacuum at the inlet port  25  of the pump and forces liquid out the pneumatic pump  3  through the outlet port  27  of the pump to a desired receptacle for the pumped liquid. The inlet port  25  of the pump  3  is connected to the collection line conduit or hose  5  which is used to remove a fluid or liquid from a specific point and move it through the pump  3  and to the outlet port  27  of the pump  3 . The fluid is then passed by way of the outlet line or conduit  7  into a particular desired container, for example, a waste oil burner storage tank. It is to be appreciated that the waste oil transfer station  1  and pneumatic pump  3  is thus operated without using electrical or combustion power and thus is ensured that there is no ignition source when pumping flammable material such as oil, gasoline, etc.  
         [0026]     The inlet line or conduit  5  may be of any desired length and may be a flexible rubber hose of a desired length which has a free end which is inserted into an area proximate the fluid, i.e., into a container or area holding the oil or fluid to be collected. The outlet conduit  7  connected to the pump outlet  27  may also be of any desired length and may have either a free end for placement in a storage or collection device separate from the waste oil transfer station  1 , for instance, in a waste oil burner storage tank. The free end of the outlet line may also have a connection mechanism for connection to another external fluid piping means, depending on the application. Thus, a fluid can be picked up by way of the fluid inlet conduit and supplied to the collection device  30  without any leakage or spillage.  
         [0027]     It is also to be appreciated that at the inlet and outlet ports  25 ,  27  where the inlet and outlet lines  5 ,  7  connect to the pneumatic pump  3 , there is a potential for leakage at these connections. A drip pan  34  may be positioned below the pump  3 , for example, supported on the frame  17  of the dolly  15  between the pump  3  and the air tank  9 , as seen in  FIG. 1 , in order to catch any minor leaks from these connections. The drip pan  34  need be only large enough to capture small drips of fluid leaking from the inlet and outlet ports  25 ,  27  and thus can usually have a capacity of about 0.25 to 3.0 gal., and more preferably about 0.5 to 1.0 gal. The drip pan  34  is a further important aspect of the present invention which can minimize environmental and hazardous waste clean up procedures in the collection and transfer of hazardous fluids.  
         [0028]     In a second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a slightly modified version of the above described invention can be utilized as a self-contained compact fluid transfer device for use, for example, in an emergency gas transfer device where one vehicle needs fuel and another vehicle nearby may have extra fuel to provide. A container  41  is provided with a pneumatic pump  43 , generally within a side wall and a base defining an interior reservoir  42  which includes an intermediate integrally connected air tank  49 . The intermediate integral air tank  49  may be either molded directly into the container  41  or it may be installed separately, but in either event, the intermediate integral air tank  49  is generally one which is fixedly installed in the container  41  for the purpose as described in further detail below.  
         [0029]     The intermediate air tank  49  includes two connections. A first inlet connection  51  for receiving compressed gas from a disposable pre-charged gas cannister  53  into the intermediate air tank  49 , and a second outlet connection  55  for supplying the compressed gas from the intermediate air tank  49  to drive a pneumatic pump  43 . As discussed above in the first embodiment, the pump  43  can be of any conventional diaphragm pump well known in the art and commercially available. The disposable gas canister  53  can be of the type generally known for example a 1-5 liter, and preferably about 2-3 liter gas bottle having a threaded connection for mating with the first inlet connection  51 .  
         [0030]     The gas bottle is provided with a higher pressure than is necessary to drive the pump. For example the bottle may have a pressure of 100 psi. The intermediate air tank  49  is sized generally larger than the bottle so that the gas introduced from the bottle into the air tank  49  expands and the resulting pressure in the intermediate air tank  49  is lower compared to the bottle.  
         [0031]     The container  41  and the reservoir  42  are sized to generally encompass both the pneumatic pump  43 , the intermediate air tank  49  and the pre-charged gas canister  53 . The gas canister  53  does not have to be completely contained within the container  41 , however, for purposes of containing potential leaks of the transfer fluid especially through the inlet and outlet of the pump  49 , the pump  43  is generally fully contained within the container  41 . At the second outlet connection  55  for the intermediate air tank  49 , a preset regulator  57  or an adjustable regulator may be provided at this point between the intermediate air tank  49  and the pneumatic pump  43  in order to regulate the specific amount of air pressure delivered from the air tank  49  to power the pump.  
         [0032]     The pre-charged canister  53  connects to the first inlet connection  51  of the air tank  49  by a screw type connection as discussed above. For safety purposes, a relief valve  59  is provided in the gas inlet connection so that over pressurization of the intermediate air tank  49  by the gas canister does not occur, and any gas pressure over a desired amount in the air tank  49  may be vented to the environment. The relief valve  59  may comprise simply a small weep hole in the side of the inlet connection  51  which communicates with the interior of the gas bottle once it is attached to the first inlet connection. The relief valve  59  permits excess compressed gas or air not imparted to the intermediate air tank  49  to be exhausted from the gas bottle  53  to the atmosphere. This relieves any chance of compressed gas or air remaining in the bottle when it is unscrewed or otherwise disconnected from the connection  51  so that the bottle is not forcibly ejected when it is disconnected.  
         [0033]     A check valve  61  may also be installed at the gas inlet connection  51  to the intermediate air tank  49 . The check valve  61  is forced open in one direction by the pressure from the bottle  53  and ensures that once the pre-charged gas bottle or cannister  53  has discharged all the compressed air or gas the air tank  49  can handle, the pressure now in the air tank  49  closes the check valve in the opposite direction. The air pressure in the intermediate air tank  49  thus cannot enter back into the pre-charged cannister or out the relief valve  59  positioned prior to the check valve  61  in the air flow path from the bottle  53 . The above discussed relief and check valves are important safety features which, with respect to the transfer of flammable and hazardous liquids, reduce the potential for spilling or igniting such liquids as discussed in this application.  
         [0034]     As discussed with respect to the first embodiment transfer station  1 , the pneumatic pump  43  of the second embodiment is provided with a fluid inlet port  45  for connection to an inlet conduit  65 , and an outlet port  47  for communicating with an outlet conduit  67 . The inlet line or conduit  65  may be of any desired length, although it should be generally a length which can be easily coiled and stored in the container, for example, about 10 feet of approximately 0.5 to 2.0 inch diameter conduit or flexible hose having a free end which is inserted into an area proximate the fluid, e.g., the free end of the inlet line  65  is introduced into a first vehicle&#39;s fuel tank  50  to withdraw the fuel therefrom. The outlet conduit  67  connected to the pump port  47  may also be of any desired length and diameter having a free end for placement in a collection tank  60 , e.g., an empty fuel storage tank  60  of a second vehicle.  
         [0035]     Thus, in operation, for example, where one vehicle has run out of gas and another vehicle is available to supply gas, this compact fuel transfer device as described above, can be readily employed. Removing the container  41  from a storage location in either vehicle, the pre-charged air canister  53 , which can be stored in the container  41  generally unattached to the intermediate air tank  49 , is attached to the gas inlet connection  51  of the intermediate air tank  49  to charge or fill the intermediate air tank  49  with the pressurized gas. The relief and check valves  59 ,  61  ensure that the air tank  49  is not over-pressurized. The free end of the inlet conduit  65  is introduced into the gas tank  50  of the vehicle with fuel and the free end of the outlet conduit  67  is introduced into the empty gas tank  60  of the other vehicle. With the preset regulator  57  turned on, the pump  43  is supplied with pressurized gas or air from the pre-charged air canister  53  via the intermediate air tank  49 , the vacuum created in the pump  43  causes a fluid, i.e., gas, communicating with the inlet conduit  65  to be withdrawn or collected via the fluid inlet conduit  65  and supplied to the empty tank  60  via the fluid outlet conduit  67  without any leakage or spillage.  
         [0036]     Any minor leakage which might occur with the device is collected in the reservoir  42  in the container  41  and can be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. The reservoir  42  generally need be only large enough to capture small drips of fluid leaking from the inlet and outlet ports  45 ,  47  and thus can usually have a capacity of about 0.25 to 3.0 gal., and more preferably about 0.5 to 1.0 gal. The reservoir  42  is a further important aspect of the present invention which can minimize environmental and hazardous waste clean up procedures in the collection and transfer of hazardous fluids.  
         [0037]     In accordance with both of the above described embodiments, conventional compressed gas pressures can be employed in the fuel transfer system which is another safety feature for this invention. Compressed gas sources of many different levels can be used, in particular, because pneumatic diaphragm pumps, dependent on a particular application, can be made to operate on compressed gas of a pressure of about 10 to 200 p.s.i.g. and preferably from a 50 to 100 p.s.i.g.  
         [0038]     It is important to note that different from the known devices, the fluid transfer devices of the first two embodiments are used for directly transferring fluids from any first location to any second location. In other words, these embodiments do not require a specific collection tank, and in fact are intended to be used with any variety of pressurized air sources and collection tanks or containers. The collection tanks or containers may be fixed in place, or moveable but are not in general associated with the fluid transfer device itself. This permits a great degree of flexibility to the user in both picking up or collecting particular fluids, and in the subsequent storage or disposal of the fluids. Besides the unique design and construction of the apparatus as described above, it is the simple manual transportability and maneuverability of the fluid transfer stations which is critical to permit the fast, safe and efficient transfer of fluids from one location to another.  
         [0039]     In a still further embodiment of the present invention, a portable fuel reservoir, for instance, located on a fuel supply truck for heavy equipment, may have a fuel transfer device  71  in accordance with the present invention. The portable fuel reservoir includes a fuel cell or tank  73  having a capacity of between about 20-200 gal., and more preferably about 100 gal. A reservoir filling port  75  and cap  77  is provided in a sidewall of the tank  73  to permit filling, usually with diesel fuel. The tank  73  also includes a built in or integral pneumatic air pump  78  and air tank  79  connected together in a compartment  81  adjacent the fuel reservoir, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The compartment  81  is provided with a lock  83  which prevents access to the pump  78  and air tank  79  so that unauthorized persons cannot access the device and retrieve fuel therefrom.  
         [0040]     The pneumatic air pump  78 , similar to that discussed above, has a fluid inlet  84  and an fluid outlet  85  wherein the inlet  83  is connected to an inlet conduit  87  which extends to a free end down inside the fuel tank  73  for withdrawing fuel therefrom, and the outlet  85  is connected to an outlet hose  89  which can extend from the second compartment  81  to be inserted into a fuel tank  90  of, for example, heavy machinery at a job site. The air tank  79  is provided having a main supply conduit  91  leading from the air tank  79  to the pneumatic pump  75  to provide the actuating force for driving the air pump  75 . In the main supply conduit  91  is positioned a regulator  93  and a ball valve  95  in order to regulate the amount of air provided to drive the pneumatic air pump  78 .  
         [0041]     The use of the inventive device in this matter simplifies such fuel delivery tanks by eliminating the conventional wiring for an electric pump utilized in conventional truck mounted fuel pumping apparatus where the electric pump supplies the fuel from the diesel fuel reservoir to the heavy equipment. This installation of such electrical wiring for actuating the pump is an expensive, generally after market undertaking to modify the trucks electrical system. The pump&#39;s wiring must be connected to the battery or alternator of the vehicle and is not only expensive, but is also prone to failure and furthermore creates the potential hazard of electricity being used in combination with a flammable fuel, an effect which is completely eliminated by the pneumatic air driven pump of the present invention.  
         [0042]     Thus, in operation an operator of the fuel truck, with the fuel tank of the present embodiment, the fuel cell is driven to the job site to fill up the heavy equipment, bulldozers, loaders, etc. The operator parks near the equipment and unlocks the second compartment permitting access to the air tank and pump. The outlet hose  89  is provided to the fuel tank  73  of the heavy equipment and the operator then opens the ball valve and adjusts the regulator to the desired amount to control the driving air supply to the pneumatic pump  78  to withdraw the fuel from the reservoir and supply it to the fuel tank of the equipment.  
         [0043]     Since certain changes may be made in the above described improved portable fluid transfer station, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5