Patent ID: 8667916

Claim:
An anhydrous ammonia fertilizer liquid and vapor separator comprising: a liquid anhydrous ammonia storage tank pressurized by anhydrous ammonia vapor pressure; a vapor exhaust assembly connected to the liquid anhydrous ammonia storage tank by a delivery conduit and delivering anhydrous ammonia to an ammonia flow meter connected to the anhydrous ammonia liquid and vapor separator by a liquid ammonia exit conduit; a distribution manifold connected to the ammonia flow meter and receiving liquid ammonia from the ammonia flow meter; a plurality of hoses connected to the distribution manifold each of which receives liquid ammonia from the distribution manifold and delivers ammonia to a soil cutting knife for injection into soil; wherein the vapor exhaust assembly includes a filter tower with a filter tower vertical tube, a tube closed top, a tube closed bottom, a stainless steel filter tube inside the filter tower vertical tube, a filter tower inlet through the filter tower vertical tube below the tube closed top and above filter open top end of the stainless steel filter screen tube, a filter tower liquid ammonia outlet through the filter tower vertical tube above the tube closed bottom and adjacent to a filter closed bottom end of the stainless steel filter tube; and wherein the vapor exhaust assembly also includes a vapor exhaust tower with an exhaust tower vertical tube, an exhaust tower closed bottom, an exhaust tower closed top, an exhaust tower liquid ammonia inlet above the exhaust tower closed bottom and connected to the filter tower liquid ammonia outlet, a dam connected to the vapor exhaust tower closed bottom, an exhaust tower inside wall, and having a dam top edge that all liquid ammonia passing through the exhaust tower liquid ammonia inlet passes above, the liquid ammonia exit conduit through the exhaust tower vertical tube located below the dam top edge and on a downstream side of the dam, an ammonia vapor upper pipe connected to the filter tower below the filter open top end of the stainless steel filter tube and connected to the exhaust tower vertical tube above the dam top edge, a vapor discharge valve attached to the exhaust tower closed top, a vapor discharge tube connected to the vapor discharge valve and extending to one of the soil cutting knives, and an ammonia liquid level sensor attached to the exhaust tower closed top and operable to open the vapor discharge valve when an upper surface of liquid ammonia falls below a selected elevation.