Alliance AutoGas (AAG), an alternative fuel company, has received a second patent for its refueling innovation of liquefied petroleum (LP) gas in a vehicle tank.
The innovation will allow autogas vehicles to refuel themselves without autogas-specialized infrastructure. Utilizing a vehicle’s in-tank fuel pump, control valves pull fuel from the remote fuel valve rather than inside the tank. The pump then pushes fuel outside the tank towards the engine, where it is diverted and redirected back in the storage tank through an OPD valve. This allows the in-tank fuel pump to move liquid propane from an external tank to itself instead of requiring an external dispensing pump. This type of innovation will allow autogas refueling with a residential tank at a residence with just a hose connection.
Jessie Johnson, retired in 2017 as vice president of sales and marketing of Blossman Gas after 46 years in the industry, and David Kennedy, director of autogas design at Alliance AutoGas, are the inventors of the patent.
“Throughout my time at Blossman Gas and Alliance AutoGas, I always enjoyed being a part of the groundbreaking innovation that we worked towards,” says Johnson. “David Kennedy and I, along with everyone else involved with the company, is pursuing technology that will enable the growth of the autogas industry and bring it closer to residential opportunity.”
Alliance AutoGas was founded in 2010 by Blossman Gas, which comprises over 70 locations and two headquarters – one in Swannanoa, N.C., and the other in Ocean Springs, Miss. As more and more commercial fleets across the U.S., including school districts, are turning to propane autogas as the alternative fuel of choice, Alliance AutoGas saw the need for increased efficiency and safety while servicing these vehicles.
