Apparatus and method for fog mitigation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for fog mitigation may include mechanisms for reducing fog formation and / or condensing fog into water to avoid fog formation and moving through a venue. Embodiments may be configured to utilize at least one mist collection mechanism positioned adjacent to a vaporizer for vaporizing cryogenic liquid such that mist that may be formed adjacent to the vaporizer may be removed from air around the vaporizer, and prevent it from diffusing beyond the vaporizer to other areas (e.g., a hydrogen fuel station, etc.) where the vaporizer is located.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to methods and systems for mitigation of mist formed as a result of processing a cryogenic liquid to vaporize the liquid. Background Art

[0002] Examples of hydrogen generation and / or supply systems can be found in the following U.S. Patents: 6,401,767; 6,474,078; 6,619,336; 6,708,573; 6,745,801; 6,786,245; 7,028,724; 7,328,726; 7,793,675; 7,921,883; 8,020,589; No. 8,286,675, No. 8,365,777, No. 8,453,682, No. 8,899,278, No. 9,074,730, No. 9,151,448, No. 9,261,238, No. 9,279,541, No. 9,404,620, No. 9,863,583, No. 10,502,649, No. 10,508,770 and No. 11,167,732. Examples of hydrogen storage and distribution systems can also be learned from U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2023 / 0137335 and 2023 / 0107342. Such systems can provide hydrogen to a vehicle for use as a fuel to power the operation of the vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0003] We have determined that hydrogen storage and distribution systems and other systems that utilize cryogenic fluids to store and distribute fluids as fuel systems (e.g., natural gas-based systems) or as process gases (e.g., liquid oxygen-based systems that can heat oxygen to form an oxidant stream for fuel combustion, etc.) can result in operations that can generally cause fog formation and / or ambient vaporizers where the cold outer skin cools nearby air to form fog (e.g., condensation of water vapor in the air). Additionally, we have discovered that ambient air vaporizers that may be used in such processes may also cause undesirable fog to form if fuel distribution operations are performed utilizing stored cryogenic liquids. We have discovered that such fog is formed by the cold outer shell used to heat the cryogenic liquid into vapor causing water vapor in the air to condense into water droplets, which can result in noticeable fog around the vaporizer. In some cases, the fog can spread to a relatively large area around the vaporizer (e.g., more than 10 meters around the vaporizer, more than 15 meters around the vaporizer, etc.).

[0004] We determined that fog formation is undesirable. For example, fog formation can reduce visibility and create possible safety issues. Additionally, we determined that fog formation can create an undesirable appearance, which can cause customers to have concerns and fears about gas stations or other locations. Such factors can cause customers to not want to use a particular gas station or to choose to stay away from a particular location.

[0005] Embodiments of our methods, devices, and systems may be provided that may help mitigate the formation and / or spread of fog (e.g., avoid the formation of fog or minimize the formation of fog and / or minimize the spread of fog). Embodiments may also be adapted to minimize the total footprint that may be associated with fog mitigation or fog avoidance, such that such features may be provided without requiring a large amount of additional space at a location. Embodiments may also be adapted to provide such functionality with low noise, low power consumption, and / or reusable water generated adjacent to fog formed by a vaporizer undergoing fog mitigation via at least one fog mitigation device or fog mitigation apparatus.

[0006] In a first aspect, an apparatus for mist mitigation is provided. Embodiments of the apparatus may include at least one mist collection device positionable adjacent to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid. The at least one mist collection device may be configured to collect mist that may be formed adjacent to the vaporizer to remove water from the mist for mist mitigation.

[0007] For example, fog mitigation can help avoid the formation of fog or avoid the spread of fog. For mitigation, it can include, for example, avoiding the formation of fog, minimizing the formation of fog and / or minimizing the spread of fog.

[0008] In a second aspect, at least one fog collection device can include a mesh body positionable adjacent to a vaporizer and / or at least one blower positionable adjacent to a lower portion of a vaporizer or below a vaporizer. The body of the at least one blower can be movable to mitigate fog. For example, the blower can include a disk member having one or more holes that can be rotated to disperse the fog to help minimize the spread of the fog. As another example, the blower can include a body having rotatable blades that can help disperse the fog or otherwise mitigate fog formation.

[0009] In a third aspect, at least one mist collection device may include a housing having at least one side wall extending from a bottom to define a chamber. An upper portion of the at least one side wall may define an opening through which a mist stream of mist can move to collect the mist in the chamber. In some embodiments, at least one support for the vaporizer may be positioned in the chamber in some embodiments. In other embodiments, one or more supports for the vaporizer may not be in the chamber.

[0010] Embodiments may also include one or more other mist collection devices. For example, the device may also include a fan positioned adjacent to the chamber, the fan can rotate to help drive the mist flow of the mist into the chamber; a funnel positioned adjacent to the chamber to guide the mist flow into the chamber; and / or a nozzle device positioned to spray water to form a water curtain in the chamber. The nozzle device may include a single nozzle or multiple nozzles. In some embodiments, for example, the device may include all of these elements (for example, the device may include a fan positioned adjacent to the chamber, the fan can rotate to help drive the mist flow of the mist into the chamber; a funnel positioned adjacent to the chamber to guide the mist flow into the chamber; and a nozzle device positioned to spray water to form a water curtain in the chamber.

[0011] In other embodiments, only one or two of these additional units may be used. For example, an embodiment may include a fan positioned adjacent to the chamber that can rotate to help drive the mist flow of mist into the chamber; and / or a funnel positioned adjacent to the chamber to direct the mist flow into the chamber.

[0012] In some embodiments, a water recirculation system can be connected to the housing so that water from within the chamber can move to a nozzle device positioned to spray water to form a water curtain within the chamber. For example, the water recirculation system can include a pump that is in fluid communication with the chamber, such as via a pump recirculation supply conduit connected between the pump and the chamber of the housing.

[0013] In a fourth aspect, the air drying system can be positioned to remove water from the air before the air is supplied to the vaporizer as a heating medium for vaporizing the cryogenic liquid. In some embodiments, the air drying system can include a dryer that can be positioned to remove water vapor from the air to output a dry air stream for supply as a heating medium to a vaporizer configured to vaporize the cryogenic liquid. The at least one mist collection device can be configured to collect mist that can be formed adjacent to the vaporizer to remove water from the mist for mist mitigation. The refrigerant cooling device can be positioned to supply a refrigerant stream at a preselected dryer supply temperature to the dryer so that one or more elements of the dryer can be cooled to contact the air moving through the dryer and condense water vapor in the air to remove water vapor from the air, thereby forming a dry air stream. The recirculation device can also be positioned to increase the pressure of the refrigerant output from the dryer to a preselected refrigerant cooling device supply pressure for supply to the refrigerant cooling device via a refrigerant cooling device supply conduit connected between the recirculation device and the refrigerant cooling device, so that the refrigerant output from the dryer can move to the refrigerant cooling device to undergo cooling to a preselected dryer supply temperature.

[0014] In some embodiments, the refrigerant may be or include D-limonene or hydrogen. Other embodiments may use another suitable type of refrigerant.

[0015] In a fifth aspect, the device of the first aspect may include one or more features of the second aspect, the third aspect, and / or the fourth aspect. Embodiments of the device may also include other features. For example, examples of such additional features may be learned from the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0016] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus for mist mitigation can include a drying system having a dryer positionable to remove water vapor from air to output a dry air stream for supplying as a heating medium to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid. For example, dry air can be utilized to help mitigate mist formation.

[0017] In a seventh aspect, the drying system may include a refrigerant cooling device positioned to supply a refrigerant stream at a preselected dryer supply temperature to the dryer so as to cool one or more elements of the dryer to contact air moving through the dryer and condense water vapor in the air to remove the water vapor from the air, thereby forming a dry air stream.

[0018] Embodiments may also include other features. For example, the recirculation device may be positioned to increase the pressure of the refrigerant output from the dryer to a preselected refrigerant cooling device supply pressure for supply to the refrigerant cooling device via a refrigerant cooling device supply conduit connected between the recirculation device and the refrigerant cooling device, so that the refrigerant output from the dryer can move to the refrigerant cooling device to undergo cooling to a preselected dryer supply temperature.

[0019] In an eighth aspect, a method for mist mitigation is provided. The method may include positioning at least one mist collection device adjacent to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid, and collecting mist formed via operation of the vaporizer via the at least one mist collection device for mist mitigation.

[0020] Embodiments of the method may include other steps. For example, the method may also include collecting liquid water from at least one mist collection device to use the liquid water. As another example, the method may also (or alternatively) include drying air to form a dry air stream for supplying to a vaporizer as a heating medium to vaporize a cryogenic liquid, and supplying a refrigerant to a dryer to dry the air to form a dry air stream.

[0021] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of our apparatus for mist mitigation can be configured to implement embodiments of our method for mist mitigation. For example, the method can utilize at least one mist collection device that can include a mesh body positionable adjacent to a vaporizer and / or at least one fan positionable adjacent to an underside portion of a vaporizer or below a vaporizer. The body of the at least one fan can be configured to rotate to mitigate mist formation.

[0022] As another example, the method can utilize at least one mist collection device including a housing having at least one side wall extending from a bottom to define a chamber, wherein an upper portion of the at least one side wall defines an opening through which the mist stream of mist can move to collect the mist within the chamber. Some embodiments can be configured such that at least one support of the vaporizer can be positioned in the chamber.

[0023] As yet another example, the method can utilize at least one mist collection device comprising a fan positioned adjacent to the chamber that can rotate to help drive a mist flow of mist into the chamber; a funnel member positioned adjacent to the chamber to direct the mist flow into the chamber; and / or a nozzle device positioned to spray water to form a water curtain in the chamber.

[0024] In a tenth aspect, the method of the eighth aspect may include one or more features of the ninth aspect and / or the tenth aspect. Embodiments may also or alternatively utilize other method steps or features. Examples of such additional features or method steps may be understood from the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0025] It should be understood that embodiments of the method and apparatus can utilize various conduit arrangements and process control elements. Embodiments can utilize sensors (e.g., pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, concentration sensors, etc.), controllers, valves, pipelines, and other process control elements. For example, some embodiments can utilize automated process control systems and / or distributed control systems (DCS). Various conduit arrangements and process control systems can be utilized to meet a specific set of design criteria. A DCS or automated process control system can utilize one or more computer devices including a processor and at least one transceiver connected to a non-transient computer-readable medium, the at least one transceiver being configured to monitor, supervise, and / or control a process according to at least one predefined algorithm, the at least one predefined algorithm being defined in a code stored in a computer-readable medium, the code being executable by a processor.

[0026] Other details, objects, and advantages of our methods for mist mitigation, apparatus for mist mitigation, hydrogen distribution systems, cryogenic fluid distribution systems, and methods of making and using the same will become apparent as the following description of certain exemplary embodiments thereof is presented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of our method for mist mitigation, apparatus for mist mitigation, hydrogen distribution system, cryogenic fluid distribution system, and methods of making and using the same are shown in the accompanying drawings included herein. It should be understood that the same reference numerals used in the accompanying drawings may identify the same components.

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system having an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation. Figure 1 Some optional elements of this exemplary embodiment are shown in dashed lines.

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation, which may be used in a first exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system and / or Figure 6 A second exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system is shown in FIG.

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation, which may be used with the first exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system and / or Figure 6 A second exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system is shown in FIG.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation, which may be used with the first exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system and / or Figure 6 A second exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system is shown in FIG.

[0032] Figure 5 is a top schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a mist collection mechanism that may be utilized in an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation.

[0033] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system having an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation. Figure 6 Some optional elements of this exemplary embodiment are shown in dashed lines.

[0034] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for fog mitigation.

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for mist mitigation, which may be used in a first exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system and / or Figure 6 A second exemplary embodiment of a cryogenic fluid distribution system is shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] As from Figures 1 to 8 As can be appreciated from the disclosure provided herein, exemplary embodiments of our apparatus 2 for mist mitigation can be used with embodiments of the cryogenic fluid distribution system 1. Embodiments of the apparatus 2 for mist mitigation can include one or more mist collection devices. Embodiments of the apparatus 2 for mist mitigation can also (or alternatively) include at least one air drying system 50.

[0037] For example, the cryogenic fluid distribution system 1 may include a tank 3 (ST), which may be fluidically connected to a pump 5 so that the cryogenic liquid stored in the tank 3 may be supplied to the pump 5 via at least one tank outlet conduit 4 connected between the tank 3 and the pump 5. The tank 3 may store the cryogenic fluid at a preselected storage pressure, which may be a pressure in the range of 0.1 MPa to 1 MPa, 0.1 MPa to 3 MPa, or other suitable pressure ranges. The tank 3 may store a cryogenic liquid and a cryogenic gas, which may be vaporized from the cryogenic liquid or otherwise formed during storage due to the possible heating of the liquid. The cryogenic fluid stored in the tank may contain hydrogen or other suitable cryogenic fluids (e.g., oxygen or liquid natural gas, etc.). In some embodiments, the cryogenic liquid may be liquid hydrogen, and the cryogenic gas formed by vaporization of the liquid may be, for example, hydrogen.

[0038] The pump 5 may output the cryogenic liquid at an elevated preselected vaporizer supply pressure for supply to the vaporizer 7 via a vaporizer supply conduit connected between the pump 5 and the vaporizer 7. The preselected vaporizer supply pressure may be a pressure in the range of 1 MPa to 35 MPa, greater than 0.1 MPa to 80 MPa, greater than 0.1 MPa to 70 MPa, or other suitable pressure for supplying the cryogenic liquid to the vaporizer 7 for undergoing vaporization.

[0039] The evaporator 7 may include at least one heat exchanger. For example, the evaporator 7 may include at least one ambient air heat exchanger, a plurality of ambient air heat exchangers, a plurality of heat exchangers, at least one ambient air evaporator or other types of suitable evaporators 7 .

[0040] The vaporizer 7 may receive at least one heating medium to heat the cryogenic liquid so as to vaporize the cryogenic liquid and output a cryogenic gas for supply to the distribution system 9 via a distribution system supply conduit 8 connected between the vaporizer 7 and the distribution system 9. The cooled heating medium that heated the cryogenic liquid may be output from the vaporizer so as to be discharged or supplied to another process for further use (e.g., as a cooling medium, etc.).

[0041] In some embodiments, the heating medium supplied to the vaporizer 7 to vaporize the cryogenic liquid may be ambient air supplied to the vaporizer via free convection, a fan or other heating medium flow device that may be positioned to supply air surrounding the vaporizer 7 into the vaporizer 7 for use as a heating medium to heat the cryogenic liquid, thereby vaporizing the cryogenic liquid and forming a cryogenic gas to be output from the vaporizer 7. Then, after being used as a heating medium in the vaporizer 7, the cooled air may be discharged from the vaporizer 7 to the atmosphere.

[0042] In some embodiments, the distribution system 9 may be arranged and configured to supply cryogenic gas to at least one vehicle 11 via at least one vehicle connection mechanism 9f located between the distribution system 9 and the vehicle 11. In such embodiments, the distribution system 9 may include a flow control manifold connected to at least one distributor, and each distributor may include a nozzle for connecting to a vehicle fuel tank so as to supply cryogenic gas to the vehicle fuel tank. For example, each nozzle may be connected to the distributor via a hose so as to supply cryogenic gas from the distributor to the vehicle fuel tank. In some embodiments, the distribution system 9 may also include at least one buffer tank positioned between the vaporizer 7 and the distributor of the distribution system 9 to provide temporary storage of cryogenic gas for subsequent supply to the distributor.

[0043] In other embodiments, the distribution system 9 may receive the cryogenic gas and be configured to output the gas via a downstream process unit for other downstream uses (e.g., supplying oxygen as an oxidant to a furnace or burner for burning fuel for melting metal or generating heat for another purpose, etc.). In such embodiments, the distribution system 9 may be considered a cryogenic gas distribution system or an oxidant distribution system.

[0044] The cryogenic fluid distribution system 1 may include an apparatus 2 for mist mitigation. The mist mitigation apparatus 2 may include a mist collecting device 17, which may include one or more mist collecting mechanisms. Figures 2 to 5 Examples of mist collection devices 17 that may be utilized can be best understood in the accompanying drawings.

[0045] The vaporizer in some embodiments can be configured so that the vaporizer 7 can be at a height between 3 meters and 10 meters above the ground, or at other suitable heights in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the vaporizer 7 can be supported above the ground via one or more supports 7s, and in some embodiments, at least one mist collection device 17 can be positioned adjacent to the bottom of the vaporizer 7 and / or adjacent to the lower portion of the vaporizer 7.

[0046] For example, the mist collecting device 17 may include at least one mist collecting mechanism configured to facilitate the collection of mist that may be formed adjacent to the vaporizer 7. The mist formed may be formed from the condensation of water vapor in the air adjacent to the vaporizer skin and / or from the formation of water in the cooled air output from the vaporizer 7 after being used as a heating medium to vaporize the cryogenic liquid. The mist collecting device 17 may be positioned adjacent to the bottom of the vaporizer 7 to collect the mist stream 20 into the housing of the mist collecting device 17. The housing 17g may include a bottom 17b positioned on a platform or on the ground on the ground, and may include at least one side wall 17h extending from the bottom 17b to define an inner chamber for collecting mist and capturing liquid water in the mist. The housing side wall 17h may extend to define a chamber in which a support 7s supporting the vaporizer 7 above the ground is positioned. The support 7s may be located in the chamber of the housing 17g and have an upper side portion that may be positioned above the upper side portion of the side wall 17h.

[0047] The upper portion of one or more side walls 17h can define an opening for receiving the mist stream 20 into the chamber of the housing 17g. The upper portion of one or more side walls 17h can define an opening so that the opening is adjacent to the bottom of the vaporizer 7 and below the upper portion or at the upper portion of one or more supports 7s, which can support the vaporizer 7 above the ground. The side walls 17h of the housing can help shield any mist formed through the operation of the vaporizer from being observed from outside the chamber of the housing 17g. In some embodiments, the housing 17g can also help reduce or limit any noise that can be generated through the use of the fan 25 and / or the nozzle device 28.

[0048] The mist collection device 17 may include a fan 25 that may be positioned in a chamber of the housing 17g adjacent to the vaporizer or below the vaporizer 7, such that rotation of the fan 25 (e.g., via rotation of the blades of the fan 25 or rotation of the body 31 of the fan 25) may drive the mist stream 20 into the chamber of the housing 17g. The rotation of the fan 25 may be provided so that it is performed with relatively low noise. Using the fan 25 near or within the housing 17g may also help limit the noise generated by using the fan 25.

[0049] In some embodiments (e.g., Figure 8 In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 ), the fan 25 can be used as the mist collection device 17 without using any housing 17g or pump or water sprayer or other mist mitigation features. For example, the fan 25 can be positioned adjacent to the lower portion of the vaporizer 7 and / or near the support of the vaporizer 7. The fan 25 can be rotated to pull the mist that may be formed near the vaporizer toward the fan for mist collection, so that the mist can be dispersed or mitigated via the rotation of the fan and / or the blades of the fan or the body of the fan contacting the water droplets suspended in the mist.

[0050] In other arrangements, the fan 25 can be configured to rotate to disperse the mist (e.g., remove water droplets from the surrounding air to reduce fog). For example, the body of the fan 25 can include a rotatable disk member or a rotating disk member that does not necessarily draw any air, but is still used to contact water droplets in the mist and disperse the mist for fog reduction. Other embodiments of the fan can include a body that includes a rotatable disk member with holes therein, or can include a body with elongated blades extending from a hub.

[0051] Figure 5 An example of one type of blower 25 that can be utilized is shown in FIG. The body 31 of the blower 25 can be defined to include one or more holes 31b through which mist and / or air around the vaporizer 7 can move when the body 31 of the blower 25 rotates. The body 31 can include at least one portion 31a positioned between the holes 31b to facilitate shaping the holes into a desired size and / or geometry. In some configurations, each hole 31b can be located within the periphery of the body 31 such that each hole 31b is surrounded by at least one portion 31a of the body to define the shape of the hole 31b and position the hole 31b completely within the body 31 of the blower 25. One or more holes 31b can be positioned and shaped so that rotation of the body 31 drives the mist in the mist flow 20 to move, and drives the mist and other nearby air to move through the one or more holes 31b and contact the body 31 so as to knock water in the mist out of the air, thereby collecting liquid water below the fan 25 in the chamber of the shell 17g, so that the water in the mist can be removed to reduce the formation of fog or eliminate the fog formed by the operation of the vaporizer 7.

[0052] The body 31 of the fan 25 may be coated. The coating positioned on the body 31 may be configured to facilitate contact with water droplets in the mist so that liquid water in the mist is driven from the air toward the bottom 17b of the housing 17g or the ground below the fan 25. In some configurations, the coating may be, for example, a hydrophobic coating.

[0053] Figure 5The body 31 of the fan 25 shown in the figure is shown as a disc-like shape. However, the body 31 of the fan 25 may also optionally include other geometric structures and shapes. In an optional embodiment, the fan 25 may also include a rotatable body, which may include or have a plurality of blades that can extend from the body and rotate. Moreover, Figure 5 The embodiment of the blower 25 shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of holes 31b including a first hole and a second hole. It is contemplated that embodiments may utilize only a single hole or may utilize more than two holes (eg, including a third hole and / or additional holes).

[0054] The mist collecting device 17 may also or alternatively include a funnel 18 that can be positioned in the chamber. For example, the funnel 18 may be attached to one or more of the side walls 17h so as to be positioned in the chamber, thereby helping to guide the mist flow 20 toward the bottom 17b of the housing 17g. The mist flow may be guided via the funnel 18 and / or the fan 25 so that the water collecting mechanism WC contacts the mist. The water collecting mechanism WC may include a nozzle device 28, which may include one or more liquid water injectors (e.g., one or more liquid water spray nozzles or liquid water sprinklers), which may spray the sprayed liquid water onto the mist in the chamber to form a water curtain so as to collect water droplets of the mist. The liquid water in the mist may be removed from the mist and may be collected in the chamber. In some embodiments, nozzle apparatus 28 may include a single injector, such as a liquid water injector, positioned in a central or middle region of the chamber to distribute spray water into a curtain of water for contacting the mist to collect water from the mist within the chamber.

[0055] Figure 4An example of such a nozzle device 28 is illustrated. In other embodiments, the nozzle device 28 may include a plurality of spray nozzles attached to a nozzle ring positioned within a chamber of the housing 17g. A plurality of such nozzles may be positioned adjacent to the inner side of the side wall 17h so as to form a water curtain of sprayed water output from the nozzles so that water may be collected from the mist for subsequent use. The formed water curtain may be a continuous spray of water output from one or more injectors of the nozzle device 28, so that the falling water is sprayed downwardly from the injectors toward the bottom 17b of the housing in the form of a water curtain to a lower position adjacent to the bottom 17b of the housing 17g, or to a lower portion of the chamber of the housing 17g for collecting mist for mist mitigation. This type of mist collection and the collection of liquid water from the collected mist may mitigate the formation of mist and avoid the formation of mist near the carburetor. This type of collection of fog can also prevent the fog from migrating from the vaporizer 7 to other areas that are noticeably beyond the vaporizer to create an undesirable aesthetic effect, and prevent loss of visibility to others to avoid safety risks associated with low visibility (e.g., the driver of the vehicle cannot see pedestrians, personnel cannot see adjacent equipment and understand the status of the equipment and / or whether any type of dangerous situation may exist near the structure due to the presence of unauthorized pedestrians, etc.). The housing 17g and its location can also help shield fog that may form so that nearby personnel or customers cannot see the fog or observe any significant amount of fog that may form during operation of the vaporizer 7.

[0056] The mist collection device 17 may also include a water recycling system. The recycling system may include a pump 21, which may be in fluid communication with the chamber of the housing 17g, so that liquid water collected adjacent to the lower portion or bottom 17b of the housing 17g may be supplied to the pump 21 via a pump recycling supply conduit 19 connected between the pump 21 and the chamber of the housing 17g. The pump 21 may be positioned and configured to supply liquid water to the nozzle device 28 so as to output the water curtain in at least one spraying manner via a pump outlet conduit 23 connected between the pump 21 and the nozzle device 28.

[0057] In some configurations, the pump 21 may be connected to and / or supported on the housing 17g. In such a configuration, the pump 21 may function like a drainage pump and supply the water collected at the bottom of the chamber to the nozzle device. Figure 3 The embodiment of illustrates such an arrangement for a recirculation system having such an arrangement of pump 21. In such a configuration, the inlet of the pump recirculation supply conduit 19 may be positioned within the chamber of the housing 17g such that the inlet of the conduit is located below a preselected liquid water line WL for liquid water collected within the housing 17g.

[0058] In other embodiments, the recirculation system may be positioned and configured such that the pump 21 is positioned adjacent to the housing 17g. The pump 21 may be connected to a water reservoir 22 positioned between the chamber of the housing 17g and the pump 21 such that water received from the housing 17g via the pump recirculation supply conduit 19 moves through the pump recirculation supply conduit 19 to the reservoir 22 via gravity and / or operation of the pump 21. The pump 21 may be connected to the reservoir 22 such that water stored in the reservoir 22 is supplied to the pump 21 when the pump 21 is activated to drive water from the pump 21 to flow toward the nozzle device 28 via the pump outlet conduit 23. Figure 2 and Figure 4 The embodiment of FIG. 1 illustrates an example of such an arrangement of the pump 21 and the recirculation system.

[0059] In other embodiments, the pump 21 and / or recirculation system may not be utilized. In contrast, the bottom 17b of the housing 17g may include at least one grate, at least one drain member, or other type of aperture arrangement to facilitate the flow of liquid water extracted from the mist to a drain system.

[0060] Some embodiments of the housing 17g can utilize one or more liquid water outlet conduits 33 to output water from the water collection mechanism of the mist collection device 17. For example, the lower liquid water outlet conduit 33 can be connected to the housing 17g and communicated with the chamber of the housing 17g for discharging liquid water from the chamber for distribution to another treatment element of the system. As another example, the upper liquid water outlet conduit 33 can be connected to the housing 17g and communicated with the chamber of the housing 17g for discharging liquid water from the chamber for distribution to another treatment element of the system. The upper outlet conduit 33 can have an inlet that can be positioned to collect liquid water that can be retained in the chamber to prevent an overflow condition in which the liquid water level WL of the water collected in the housing chamber rises above a preselected height within the housing 17g. The collected liquid water can be relatively pure and can be used in, for example, multiple treatment units that can use water. Additional conduits can be connected between the mist collection device liquid water outlet conduit 33 and the treatment unit to deliver liquid water to the treatment unit. In some contemplated embodiments, the liquid water can be collected and stored in a tank for subsequent use as water for cleaning operations, landscaping operations (e.g., watering grass or other plants at a facility having the mist collection device 17, etc.), and / or supplying water to another plant process element that can use the liquid water (e.g., as a refrigerant or heating medium in a heat exchanger application, etc.), so that the use of other water from other sources can be avoided or limited.

[0061] The mist collection device 17 may also include at least one mesh body shaped and configured to contact liquid water droplets of the mist that can move through the holes of the mesh body so that the liquid water is removed from the mist and moves downward along the mesh body 40 to be collected in the housing 17g or moved to a drain or ground below the vaporizer 7. Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 6

[0046] Embodiments in which such a mesh body mist collection mechanism may be utilized may be best appreciated.

[0062] The porous mesh body 40 shaped and configured to collect water droplets of fog by removing liquid water droplets from the mist to reduce fog formation can be a water collection mechanism of the fog collection device 17 and / or be regarded as a fog collection mechanism because the fog is collected via the mesh body positioned adjacent to the vaporizer 7, which can collect the fog and remove liquid water from the fog to reduce fog formation and / or prevent the formed fog from moving to the outside of the mesh body.

[0063] In some embodiments utilizing the mesh 40, the housing 17g, the fan 25, the nozzle device 28, and / or the funnel 18 may not be utilized. For example, in some embodiments, the mist collection device 17 may be a mesh 40 without using the fan 25, the housing 17g, the nozzle device 28, and the funnel 18. For example, the mesh 40 may be positioned around the fence surrounding the vaporizer 7, or may be positioned near the fence line used for such fence protection. Such positioning of the mesh 40 may be a positioning adjacent to the vaporizer 7. The adjacent positioning may also include a positioning that allows the mesh to collect and remove mist formed near the vaporizer 7 (e.g., within the fence line that may be around the fence protection of the vaporizer or within the vaporizer and other equipment, etc.). In such an embodiment, the pump 21 or the recirculation system may also not be utilized.

[0064] In other embodiments, the mesh 40 can be used in combination with one or more other mist collection mechanisms. For example, the mesh 40 can be positioned adjacent to the vaporizer and used in combination with the blower 25. As another example, the mesh 40 can be positioned adjacent to the vaporizer and used in combination with the blower 25, the funnel 18, the housing 17g, and the nozzle device 28. As yet another example, the mesh 40 can be positioned adjacent to the vaporizer and used in combination with the combination of the funnel 18, the housing 17g, and the nozzle device 28. A recirculation system with a pump 21 can also be utilized in such embodiments.

[0065] In some configurations, the mesh 40 can have a surface area of ​​50% to 70% of the openings and a surface area of ​​50% to 30% of the structure defining the openings. For example, in some embodiments, the opening area of ​​the mesh can be between 60% and 70% of the body surface area. In some embodiments, the material of the mesh can be configured to have a relatively low surface tension. Other embodiments can utilize other opening surface area configurations and / or can also use surfaces with higher surface tension. Some embodiments can utilize a mesh with a hydrophobic face and a hydrophilic face opposite to the hydrophobic face. Other embodiments can utilize mesh configurations with other types of mesh. The mesh material of the mesh can include polyester, polymer material, Raschel mesh material, warp knitting mesh material, coated material, wire, coated wire material, or other types of suitable materials.

[0066] The fog collection mechanism formed by the mesh body 40 can be an independent fog collection device 17, which exists passively and is attached to a part of the vaporizer 7 or a support 7s, so that the mesh body is suspended around a part of the vaporizer, collects fog and removes liquid water suspended in the fog, so as to reduce fog. The mesh body 40 can also be used in combination with the housing 17g by being positioned in the housing 17g or between the housing 17g and the vaporizer 7, so as to collect fog and promote the mist flow 20 toward the chamber of the housing 17g, while promoting the liquid water removed from the fog to move to the chamber of the housing 17g via the mesh body. In such embodiments, the mesh body 40 can be attached to the housing 17g and / or the vaporizer 7, so as to be positioned in the desired position in the chamber adjacent to the housing 17g and / or the housing 17g. In some configurations, one or more supports can be positioned to facilitate the mesh body 40 to be supported in a desired position.

[0067] Embodiments of our apparatus 2 for mist mitigation may also include at least one air drying system 50. The drying system 50 may be configured to facilitate drying of the air to help minimize mist formation that may occur from ambient air output from the vaporizer 7 after being used to heat the cryogenic liquid. The drying system 50 may be used alone as an apparatus 2 for mist mitigation, or may be used in conjunction with at least one mist collection device 17 as an apparatus 2 for mist mitigation, such as from Figure 6 The most appropriate understanding.

[0068] For example, for a vaporizer 7 configured to use ambient air as a heating medium for vaporizing a cryogenic liquid, the air supplied to the vaporizer as a heating medium may be pre-treated using a drying system 50 to dry the air or dehumidify the air, thereby removing water vapor from the air. Such water vapor removal (or dehumidification) may help reduce the water content in the air and mitigate fog formation that may occur when the cooled air is output from the vaporizer by reducing the water content in the air, because the output temperature of the output cooled air is relatively cool, and the water content in the air may be used to condense to form fog.

[0069] For example, the air drying system 50 may include a dryer 41 positioned to receive a supply 41 in of ambient air to dry the air by removing water vapor from the air, and output a dry air stream 41 dry having less water vapor in the air than the supply 41 in of ambient air received by the dryer 41. The dryer 41 may be connected to the vaporizer 7 so that the dry air stream 41 dry output from the dryer can be supplied to the vaporizer 7 as a heating medium for vaporizing a cryogenic liquid. In some embodiments, the drying process or dehumidification process provided by the dryer 41 may also result in a change in the temperature of the air. In some configurations, the dryer 41 may be operated so that removing water from the air may also heat the air, which may also help promote vaporization of the cryogenic liquid in the vaporizer 7.

[0070] The dryer 41 may also receive a refrigerant stream 52 via a refrigerant supply conduit connected between the dryer 41 and a refrigerant cooling device 51 (RC). The refrigerant cooling device 51 may be configured to cool the refrigerant to a preselected dryer supply temperature for supply to the dryer so that the elements of the dryer may be cooled to contact ambient air moving through the dryer and condense water vapor in the air to remove the water vapor in the air. In some configurations, the elements may be movable or adjustable so that while some elements are cooled to contact ambient air, other elements may undergo defrosting to help improve the efficiency and performance of the dryer 41.

[0071] The warm refrigerant for cooling the elements of the dryer 41 may be output from the dryer 41 for supply to the recirculation device 53 via a water condensing medium output conduit 54 connected between the recirculation device 53 (RP) and the dryer 41. In some embodiments, the recirculation device 53 may be a pump in the case where the refrigerant is a liquid, or a compressor in the case where the refrigerant may be a vapor. The recirculation device 53 may increase the pressure of the refrigerant to a preselected refrigerant cooling device supply pressure for supply to the refrigerant cooling device 51 (RC) via a refrigerant cooling device supply conduit 56 connected between the recirculation device 53 and the refrigerant cooling device 51, so that the refrigerant may undergo cooling to a preselected dryer supply temperature for supply to the dryer 41. The preselected dryer supply temperature may be a temperature between -80°C and -100°C, less than -40°C and greater than -253°C, or other suitable temperature. In some embodiments, the refrigerant cooling device 51 may be configured as a heat exchanger or a chiller. The refrigerant used to supply the dryer 41 in the refrigerant cycle may be any suitable refrigerant, such as, for example, D-limonene, dipentene, liquid nitrogen, helium, liquid hydrogen, cryogenic fluids, or other suitable refrigerants. A buffer tank 57 (BT) that may hold additional refrigerant may be connected to the refrigerant chiller supply conduit 56 to provide supplemental refrigerant that may be required during operation of the dryer 41, as well as to account for refrigerant losses that may occur during operation.

[0072] By means of the low temperature of the cryogenic liquid stored in the tank 3, cooling can be provided for cooling the warm refrigerant to a preselected dryer supply temperature for supply to the dryer 41. Using the low temperature of the stored cryogenic fluid can allow for more efficient use of the energy used to cool the cryogenic liquid, thereby avoiding or minimizing the loss of energy invested in bringing the cryogenic liquid to a cryogenic state.

[0073] In other configurations, the dryer 41 may be operated without a refrigeration circuit. As an alternative to the refrigerant, a cryogenic fluid or a portion of a cryogenic fluid (e.g., liquid hydrogen that moves through the dryer before being supplied to the vaporizer 7 for vaporization) may be supplied to the dryer to serve as a refrigerant and preheated before being supplied to the vaporizer 7 for vaporization.

[0074] The dehumidified air (or dry air) moved dry to the vaporizer 7 as a dry air stream 41 can be used as a heating medium therein and subsequently output from the vaporizer as a cooled heating medium stream 41. The cooled air output from the vaporizer 7 can have a lower water content to help reduce fog formation or eliminate fog formation that may occur. In addition, the output air can be moved through a fog collection device 17 to collect fog that may be formed through the operation of the vaporizer 7 and remove liquid water from the fog for fog mitigation, thereby avoiding any amount of fog that may be formed that is sufficient to cause visibility obstruction, perceived safety issues, or actual safety issues. As described above, such fog mitigation can be provided by utilizing at least one fog collection device 17, which can include, for example, utilizing a fan 25, a funnel member 18, a housing 17g, a recirculation system with a pump 21, a mesh body 40, and / or a nozzle device 28 that can be positioned to provide a water curtain.

[0075] Embodiments of our apparatus 2 for mist mitigation can be used in conjunction with embodiments of cryogenic fluid dispensing systems and / or cryogenic fluid distribution systems. Embodiments of our apparatus 2 for mist mitigation can be designed and configured to implement embodiments of our methods for mist mitigation. Examples of such methods can be found in Figures 1 to 6 as well as Figure 7 In an exemplary embodiment of our method as shown in . In a first step S1, at least one mist collecting device can be positioned adjacent to a vaporizer, which can be positioned and configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid. The mist collecting device can include one or more mist collecting mechanisms. In a second step S2, mist that may be formed during operation of the vaporizer 7 can be collected via at least one mist collecting device 17 and / or at least one mist collecting mechanism of the device.

[0076] Some embodiments may utilize other steps. For example, in the third step S3, the method may further include collecting liquid water from at least one mist collection mechanism to use the liquid water. For example, the water collected via the chamber of the housing 17g may be recycled for use in the nozzle device 28 to form a water curtain and / or may be supplied to other elements to use the collected water. Optionally, the water removed from the mist may be drained or otherwise directed below the vaporizer 7 to avoid the formation of mist or to minimize the amount of mist that may form near the vaporizer during vaporizer operation.

[0077] Embodiments of the method may also include other steps. For example, the air to be supplied to the vaporizer as a heating medium may be dried before being supplied to the vaporizer via at least one drying system 50, such as discussed above. As another example, the cryogenic fluid vaporized via the vaporizer 7 may be output from the vaporizer for downstream use (e.g., filling a vehicle fuel tank, supplying to a furnace or other processing unit discussed above, etc.).

[0078] Embodiments of our methods, apparatus, and systems may be provided that may help mitigate the formation of fog (e.g., avoid the formation of fog or minimize the formation of fog). Embodiments may be configured to minimize the total coverage area that may be associated with fog mitigation or fog avoidance. As may be appreciated from the above, embodiments may also be adapted to provide such functionality with low noise, low power consumption, and / or reusable water generated adjacent to fog formed by a vaporizer 7 undergoing fog mitigation via at least one fog collection device 17 or apparatus 2 for fog mitigation.

[0079] It should be understood that additional modifications or other modifications may be made to the embodiments explicitly shown and discussed herein to meet a specific set of design goals or a specific set of design criteria. For example, the arrangement of valves, pipes and other conduit elements (e.g., conduit connection mechanisms, tubing, seals, valves, etc.) of different units of fluid flow fluid communication between interconnected different elements (e.g., pumps, heat exchangers, compressors, storage containers, etc.) may be arranged to meet a specific plant layout design that takes into account the available area of ​​a plant or facility with equipment for fog mitigation, the sizing equipment of the plant or facility, and other design considerations. As another example, the flow rate, pressure, and temperature of the fluid moving through various equipment or system elements may vary to take into account different design configurations and other design criteria.

[0080] Embodiments of our methods, devices, and systems may each be configured to include process control elements positioned and configured to monitor and control operations (e.g., temperature and pressure sensors, flow sensors, an automated process control system having at least one workstation including a processor, non-transitory memory, and at least one transceiver for communicating with the sensor elements, valves, and a controller for providing a user interface for the automated process control system that may be run at the workstation and / or another computer device at the plant, etc.). It should be appreciated that embodiments may also utilize a distributed control system (DCS) to implement one or more processes and / or control operations on equipment.

[0081] As another example, it is contemplated that certain features described separately or as part of an embodiment may be combined with other separately described features or parts of other embodiments. Thus, the elements and actions of the embodiments described herein may be combined to provide additional embodiments. Thus, while certain exemplary embodiments of our methods, devices, systems, and methods of making and using the same have been shown and described above, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise implemented and practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for fog mitigation, the device comprising: At least one mist collection device can be positioned adjacent to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid, the at least one mist collection device being configured to collect mist that can form adjacent to the vaporizer to remove water from the mist for mist mitigation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one mist collecting device comprises: a mesh body positionable adjacent to said vaporizer; and / or At least one blower may be positioned adjacent to an underside portion of the carburetor or below the carburetor, the body of the at least one blower being movable to mitigate the mist.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one mist collection device comprises: A housing having at least one side wall extending from a bottom portion to define a chamber in which at least one support for the vaporizer can be positioned, an upper portion of the at least one side wall defining an opening through which the mist stream of the mist can move to collect the mist in the chamber.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a fan positioned adjacent to said chamber, said fan rotatable to help drive said mist stream of said mist into said chamber; a funnel member positioned adjacent the chamber to direct the mist flow into the chamber; and / or A nozzle arrangement is positioned to spray water to form a curtain of water within the chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the nozzle apparatus comprises a single nozzle or a plurality of nozzles.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a fan positioned adjacent to said chamber, said fan rotatable to help drive said mist stream of said mist into said chamber; a funnel member positioned adjacent the chamber to direct the mist flow into the chamber; as well as A nozzle arrangement is positioned to spray water to form a curtain of water within the chamber.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: A water recirculation system is connected to the housing to enable water from within the chamber to move to a nozzle arrangement positioned to spray water to form a curtain of water within the chamber.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the water recirculation system comprises a pump in fluid communication with the chamber via a pump recirculation supply conduit connected between the pump and the chamber of the housing.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, comprising: a fan positioned adjacent to said chamber, said fan rotatable to help drive said mist stream of said mist into said chamber; and / or A funnel is positioned adjacent the chamber to direct the mist flow into the chamber.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: An air drying system is positioned to remove water from the air before supplying the air to the vaporizer as a heating medium for vaporizing the cryogenic liquid.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the air drying system comprises: a dryer positionable to remove water vapor from air to output a dry air stream for supply as a heating medium to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid, the at least one mist collection device configured to collect mist that can form adjacent to the vaporizer to remove water from the mist for mist mitigation; a refrigerant cooling device positioned to supply a refrigerant stream at a preselected dryer supply temperature to the dryer so as to cool one or more elements of the dryer to contact air moving through the dryer and condense water vapor in the air to remove water vapor from the air to form the dry air stream; as well as a recirculation device positioned to increase the pressure of the refrigerant output from the dryer to a preselected refrigerant cooling device supply pressure for supply to the refrigerant cooling device via a refrigerant cooling device supply conduit connected between the recirculation device and the refrigerant cooling device, so that the refrigerant output from the dryer can move to the refrigerant cooling device to undergo cooling to the preselected dryer supply temperature.

12. An apparatus for fog mitigation, the apparatus comprising: A drying system having a dryer positionable to remove water vapor from air to output a dry air stream for supply as a heating medium to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the drying system has a refrigerant cooling device positioned to supply a refrigerant stream at a preselected dryer supply temperature to the dryer so as to cool one or more elements of the dryer to contact air moving through the dryer and condense water vapor in the air to remove the water vapor in the air, thereby forming the dry air stream.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, comprising a recirculation device positioned to increase the pressure of the refrigerant output from the dryer to a preselected refrigerant cooling device supply pressure so as to be supplied to the refrigerant cooling device via a refrigerant cooling device supply conduit connected between the recirculation device and the refrigerant cooling device, so that the refrigerant output from the dryer can move to the refrigerant cooling device to undergo cooling to the preselected dryer supply temperature.

15. A method for fog mitigation, comprising: positioning at least one mist collection device adjacent to a vaporizer configured to vaporize a cryogenic liquid; Mist formed via operation of the vaporizer is collected via the at least one mist collection device for mist mitigation.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising: Liquid water is collected from the at least one mist collection device to use the liquid water.

17. The method according to claim 15, comprising: The air is dried to form a dry air stream for supplying as a heating medium to the vaporizer to vaporize the cryogenic liquid.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising: A refrigerant is supplied to a dryer for said drying of said air to form said dry air stream.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one mist collection device comprises at least one of: a mesh body positionable adjacent to said vaporizer; and / or At least one blower can be positioned adjacent to an underside portion of the vaporizer or beneath the vaporizer, the at least one blower having a body configured to rotate to mitigate mist formation.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one mist collection device comprises: a housing having at least one side wall extending from a bottom portion to define a chamber in which at least one support member of the vaporizer is positionable, an upper portion of the at least one side wall defining an opening through which a mist stream of the mist is moveable to collect the mist within the chamber; And at least one of the following: a fan positioned adjacent to said chamber, said fan rotatable to help drive said mist stream of said mist into said chamber; a funnel member positioned adjacent the chamber to direct the mist flow into the chamber; and / or A nozzle arrangement is positioned to spray water to form a curtain of water within the chamber.

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