Patent ID: 7096802

Claim:
An anhydrous ammonia fertilizer flow control apparatus comprising; a separation chamber, for separating gaseous ammonia from liquid ammonia including a head space in a top end of a separation chamber, a quieting section in the separation chamber below the top end, and a stand pipe; the top end of the separation chamber includes a gaseous ammonia discharge valve that is open to discharge gaseous ammonia from the separation chamber and that is closed in response to the level of liquid ammonia reaching a selected liquid height within the separation chamber; the quieting section includes an entry passage, with an entry passage area transverse to a flow direction, for receiving a mixture of gaseous ammonia and liquid ammonia from an ammonia storage tank and wherein the quieting section has a quieting section area, perpendicular to a flow of liquid ammonia through the quieting section, that is at least two times the entry passage area to slow the velocity of gaseous ammonia and liquid ammonia and permit the gaseous ammonia to separate from liquid ammonia and rise into the head space; the stand pipe includes a stand pipe upper end connected to a downstream end of the quieting section, a stand pipe lower end and a stand pipe ammonia exit passage spaced below the head space; and a liquid ammonia pump connected to the standpipe ammonia exit passage.