Abstract: An instant-on valve assembly with manual override is designed to be connected to a tank containing high pressure gaseous fuel. The valve assembly and manual override allows the tank to be alternately closed off, vented or allows the gas in the tank to bypass the instant-on valve. The instant-on valve assembly can be repaired or replaced without venting the tank. The instant-on valve assembly has a main valve and a bleed valve The main valve has a secondary plunger that opens and closes a main orifice. The bleed valve has a bleed valve stem that opens and closes a bleed orifice. The main valve is slidably mounted within a housing and has a chamber at one end and a zone at another end. Both the zone and the chamber have access to high pressure gaseous fuel within the tank. High pressure gaseous fluid within the zone can be drained when the bleed valve stem is fully open. The bleed valve stem is connected to a solenoid and opens upon activation of the solenoid.

Abstract: A fuel vaporizer and method of fuel vaporization are described for use with a fuel such as propane, that is know to tend to liquefy at low temperatures and to vaporize at high temperatures. The vaporizer and method described pertain to a series of internal walls and cavities which promote heat-exchange and transfers heat from a fluid engine coolant to the fuel. The transfer of heat and vaporization of fluid occurs by virtue of movement of the fuel through a series of countercurrent passages created by the walls and cavities, with increasing cross-sectional dimensions in the passages to accomodate the expansion of fuel from the liquid to the gaseous state. The heat is transferred by conduction across a metallic interface which forms part of the vaporizer and which separates the fuel from the coolant.