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Fiber Optics: Seeing Dispensers in a Whole New Light

Universel Epsco’s Bo Sasnett, III, and Bruce Works discuss the technology that allowed them to combine safety and savings into a new dispenser design.



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Author: Sasnett Bo , III; Works Bruce
Dispensers get a fresh look at Universel Epsco (UEI)
This article is the second in PE&T’s coverage of the new and state-of-the art dispenser technology available today. The next article on new dispenser technology will be published in the June issue.

Many things must be taken into account when improving the design of gasoline dispensers. Not only must one carefully consider the areas in which existing equipment might present the best opportunities for improvement, but you also need to be open to using newly developing technology to bring about the improvements. Also, technical improvements must be cost effective—that is, the benefits realized from the improvements must outweigh any additional costs to acquire and use the equipment.

At Universel Epsco, Inc. (UEI), our research team made up a “wish list” of performance goals for our dispensers to achieve—while maintaining cost effectiveness. These goals were the foundation of the development of our Univision dispenser line.

The goals established by the UEI Team were to: 1) simplify the fueling process for the customer; 2) consolidate many equipment options into a standard package; 3) decrease the number of parts in a dispenser; and 4) lower cost.

The Univision was born in 1996 and its name is symbolic of the UEI research team’s vision of fuel dispensers. The technologies that UEI developed and adapted for use in the Univision dispenser include fiber optics and user interface integration. This technology gives Univision many advantages over previous UEI dispensers.

UEI has developed and adapted fiber optic and user interface integration technologies for its Univision dispenser.

Targeting pulser technology
One of the areas that UEI targeted for improvement concerned the pulser equipment used in dispenser meters to measure the volume of liquid dispensed and communicate the volume to the computer. The researchers reviewed the existing pulser technology, which typically employed electrically energized pulsers.

Because the pulsers are located in Class I, Division 1 hazardous areas under the National Electric Code (areas having ignitable liquid or gas under normal operating conditions), the electrical circuitry for the pulsers has to be intrinsically safe. In other words, the voltage levels must be so low that equipment and wiring cannot release sufficient electrical or thermal heat (energy) to cause ignition. The wiring for electrical pulsers is typically inside hard-pipe conduit or is protected by intrinsically safe barrier circuits. Both of these techniques are costly and have to be provided for up to eight pulsers per dispenser.

Pictured here is a Univision dispenser Central Processing Unit (CPU) with fiber optic light source and receivers.

 

Fiber optic technology
When the Univision dispenser was being developed, the telecommunications field was using fiber optic technology on a wide scale. The success of this technology inspired UEI researchers to consider fiber optics to transmit pulser signals to the dispenser computer. This research proved very fruitful.

A fiber optic cable conducts light through a flexible cable. The cable’s flexibility allows the light to be directed to any point desired. The light is a low powered light-emitting diode (LED) and is completely safe in the Class I, Division 1 hazardous location. This is because the LED cannot produce the energy or heat to become an ignition source, thus eliminating the need for either hard-pipe wiring conduit or intrinsically safe barrier circuits.

The plastic twinex cables used in the UEI dispenser have several major advantages over earlier fiber optic technology. These cables resist vapors, allow for tighter bend radii, are much more rugged than glass fibers and are simple to use in manufacturing. With this patented technology, UEI has created a non-electrical pulser that provides cost savings, easy service, reliability and safety. UEI extended the use of the fiber optic technology to the Univision dispenser nozzle switches, with benefits similar to those of pulsers. These two technologies are discussed further below.

Fiber optic pulsers and nozzle switches, which use intrinsically safe electrical circuitry, allow Univision dispensers to be located in Class I, Division 1 hazardous areas.

Fiber optic pulsers
On the Central Processing Unit (CPU) dispenser board, the LEDs provide the light source for both channels of the fiber optic pulser. This light is transmitted from the CPU board through the fiber optic cables to the pulser. The fiber optic cables are inside a potted conduit nipple, which passes through the vapor barrier between the dispenser head and the Class I, Division 1 hazardous area—much like traditional copper wires would pass through the vapor barrier.

Inside the pulser housing, a slotted wheel connects directly to the meter. The wheel has slots in it to provide 1,000 pulses per gallon on each channel of the pulser for accurate resolution and pulse error checking. As the fuel flow rotates the meter, the slotted wheel turns and the light from the CPU is interrupted by the slots. The interrupted light signals (pulses) are sent back through the fiber optic cables to receivers on the CPU board, where they are converted to electrical pulses (representing the volume of fuel flow through the meter) that the computer can read. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1: This is an exploded view of the UEI fiber optic pulser assembly showing the slotted wheel and the fibers entering at the top and exiting at the bottom. The pulser assembly is directly attached to the output gear of the gasoline meter.

Fiber optic nozzle switch
The fiber optic nozzle switch operates under the same principle as the fiber optic pulser. The fiber optic cables are coupled at the end of the nozzle switch rod. When the nozzle is removed from the nozzle boot, the switch rod rotates. A hole in the end of the switch rod shaft allows the light to pass through or not—depending on the position of the shaft. (See Figure 2.)


Figure 2: This is an exploded view of the UEI fiber optic switch assembly showing the fibers entering and exiting top and bottom. A small through-hole is located in the shaft. Rotational alignment of this hole with the two fibers allows light to pass through the switch.

 

On multiple product dispensers (MPDs), the nozzle boot pivots on the switch shaft, allowing the boot to be raised upward to provide complete access into the electrically classified area without removing the nozzle boots. The design allows the fiber optic switch and cables to remain stationary while the boot pivots, thus minimizing any potential for damage to the switch fibers during dispenser maintenance service. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3: This is a side view of the UEI dispenser. The UEI nozzle boot is shown swinging out for maintenance access. The Nozzle boot rotates on the switch shaft, allowing the switch assembly to remain fixed. Also visible is the pulser assembly.

UEI is using fiber optics in the company’s Univision MPDs and Liquid Propane Gas dispensers. This technology is also being integrated into UEI’s new one- and two-hose dispenser lines, which will be available in the Fall of 1999.

A Univision dispenser display has an ATM-type interface that integrates operating instructions, price, product name and octane.

User interface integration
User interface integration refers to UEI’s new technology for displaying operating instructions, messages and sales data on the dispenser’s display screen. This technology differs from pre-existing technology.

Pre-existing technology displays sale data, product pricing and instructions from different displays and different areas of the dispenser. The result of this pre-existing technology had made the fueling process complicated.

To achieve the core goals in developing the Univision dispenser, the idea was to develop a dispenser that (1) prompts the customer through the fueling transaction; (2) allows for the necessary flexibility to consolidate many equipment options that the industry requires into a standard package; and 3) has fewer parts and lower costs.

Toward these goals, UEI designed the “user interface” process to work like an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM). UEI created one integrated user interface for operating instructions, sales data and advertising messages.

Incorporating a full graphic display as a standard on every dispenser was a challenge because of the complex physical characteristics of dispensers and the diverse environmental conditions in which they operate. Most large full graphic displays are not made for the extended temperature ranges; the display contrast is affected by as little as a five degree change in temperature.

A field technician configures a Univision dispenser with the use of a laptop personal computer (PC).

UEI overcame the effects of temperature variations by building into the dispenser’s CPU the ability to measure the surface temperature of the display. The CPU adjusts the display contrast on a real-time basis. The result of this is consistent, exceptional viewability. If extreme temperatures are reached, the CPU will turn on fans or heaters to keep the display within a normal operating temperature range.

After solving the temperature variation problem on the display, the next step for UEI was to design a generic ATM-type keypad. This keypad, along with the display, has provided an “ATM-type” functionality to a fuel dispenser. For example, all operating instructions—including grade names, pricing, octane, sales data, time, date and temperature—are now available and programmable at the dispenser. Also, no extra displays or keypads are needed when adding card readers. This user interface integration has greatly simplified the fueling process.

Old reason for new designs
Today’s challenge is not to provide just new technology, but to provide new technology so that it will enhance and simplify the customer experience, create greater reliability and lower cost in the process.

 

Bo Sasnett, III, is the President, and Bruce Works is Manager of Engineering & Technology at Universel Epsco, Inc.
Bruce Works is Manager of Engineering & Technology at Universel Epsco, Inc.

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