Apparatus and method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling

Abstract

An apparatus and method for cooling pressurized gas to feed to one or more vehicle fuel tanks to fuel vehicles may be configured such that pressurized gas (e.g., hydrogen or natural gas) used to fuel one or more vehicles may be cooled by a heat transfer fluid prior to dispensing, the heat transfer fluid cools the pressurized gas and transfers heat of the pressurized gas toward the fluid of the heat sink source. In some embodiments, heat may be transferred through the refrigerant to the heat sink source fluid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems for cooling pressurized gas for feeding into one or more vehicle fuel tanks to fuel a vehicle. Fueling may also be considered refueling of a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Examples of hydrogen generation and / or supply systems can be learned from the following U.S. patents: Nos. 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, 8,286,675, 8,365,777, 8,453,682, 8,899,278, 9,074,730, 9,151,448, 9,261,238, 9,279,541, 9,404,620, 9,863,583, 10,502,649, 10,508,770, and 11,167,732. Examples of hydrogen storage and / or distribution systems can also be learned from U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2023 / 0137335 and 2023 / 0107342, and International Publication No. WO 2023 / 095604. Such systems can supply hydrogen to a vehicle for use as fuel for the vehicle.

[0003] Natural gas-based storage and distribution systems can supply natural gas to fuel vehicles that utilize natural gas as fuel. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0202585 discloses an example of such a system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] We have determined that in cases where each gas stream that will be fed into a vehicle fuel tank through a dispenser may be cooled by different heat exchangers using different cooling media or refrigerants, the fueling operation may often be complex. Different cooling treatments may make the fueling operation inefficient and relatively complex because it may be necessary to independently monitor and manage multiple different cooling operations. We have found that this type of method may result in relatively complex method control, which may lead to multiple variables being monitored and changed without sufficient consideration of, for example, the overall cooling provided. This may lead to inefficient processing decisions, which in turn may result in energy waste and other losses. These losses may lead to a decrease in operating profit and may also result in losses of energy and / or power due to such inefficiencies.

[0005] We have determined that a pressurized gas cooling device for fuel supply can be provided, which may help reduce such complexity and also consider a more efficient overall method for cooling the pressurized gas for fuel supply (e.g., distributing the pressurized gas to one or more vehicle fuel tanks for fuel supply). In some embodiments, a cold heat transfer fluid can be provided by a shared refrigeration system, which can allow the heat transfer fluid to flow to one or more heat exchangers to cool the pressurized gas as needed. In some embodiments, refrigerant can also be provided from a refrigerant source to provide cooling to the heat transfer fluid, thereby facilitating the transfer of heat from the pressurized gas to a shared radiator for cooling the pressurized gas provided by the heat exchanger and the heat transfer fluid. In other embodiments, the fluid from the radiator source can be directly used instead of using refrigerant to cool the heat transfer fluid and provide a radiator for pressurized gas cooling.

[0006] In some embodiments, a variable frequency drive (VFD) pump can be positioned to regulate the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid. In some embodiments, variable speed control for the refrigeration system compressor or pump can also be provided to help maintain a desired preselected temperature of the heat transfer fluid for cooling the pressurized gas. One or more valves can also be controlled to regulate the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to one or more heat exchangers (for cooling the pressurized gas and / or the heat transfer fluid), thereby helping to control the temperature of the pressurized gas and the heat transfer fluid.

[0007] Embodiments can also allow for direct control of the pressurized gas cooling. For example, the temperature of one or more heat exchangers (such as a pressurized gas cooler or a pressurized gas cooling device) for cooling the pressurized gas can be monitored. When the temperature of the pressurized gas cooling heat exchanger is too high, the associated heat transfer fluid valve that feeds the heat transfer fluid to the heat exchanger can be opened or further opened to allow a sufficient flow rate of cold heat transfer fluid to reach the pressurized gas cooling heat exchanger. This can allow the gas temperature distributed to each fueled vehicle to be independently controlled within an acceptable range in a relatively direct manner, which can allow for reduced complexity of method control in addition to improved efficient operation.

[0008] In some embodiments, the variable speed controller for the heat transfer fluid pump can be adjusted to regulate the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid based on the number of open valves and / or the open positions of these valves, so as to maintain a consistent flow rate of the heat transfer fluid through each heat exchanger.

[0009] A temperature sensor can be positioned to measure the temperature of a heat transfer fluid returning from one or more pressurized gas cooling heat exchangers, and a variable speed compressor in a refrigeration system can be configured to utilize temperature information from the temperature sensor to control the flow of refrigerant that is provided to cool the heat transfer fluid after the heat transfer fluid is heated by cooling the pressurized gas and output from the pressurized gas cooling heat exchanger, to maintain the temperature of the heat transfer fluid sent to the heat exchanger at a preselected heat transfer fluid feed temperature for feeding the heat transfer fluid to the pressurized gas cooling heat exchanger to cool the pressurized gas. The refrigerant can be a radiator fluid that can serve as a final radiator for the heat of the cooled pressurized gas, and the heat transfer fluid can serve as an intermediate heat transfer fluid to facilitate transfer of heat from the pressurized fluid to the refrigerant. As an alternative, the refrigerant can be disposed in a refrigerant circuit to facilitate exchange of heat absorbed from the heat transfer fluid with radiator fluid from a radiator source, thereby facilitating the radiator source fluid ultimately absorbing heat from the pressurized gas cooled by the heat transfer fluid.

[0010] In a first aspect, an apparatus for cooling pressurized gas for fueling is provided. An embodiment of the apparatus can include a first pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a first pressurized gas stream from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor to cool the first pressurized gas stream to a preselected fueling temperature. The first pressurized gas cooler can be positioned to receive a first portion of a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the first pressurized gas stream. The first pressurized gas cooler can be connected to an output conduit to output the first pressurized gas stream at the preselected fueling temperature for feeding to at least one vehicle to fuel the at least one vehicle.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first pressurized gas cooler can be positioned to receive the first pressurized gas stream from the pressurized gas storage unit. In other embodiments, the first pressurized gas cooler can be positioned to receive the first pressurized gas stream from the compressor.

[0012] In a second aspect, at least one vehicle may include a first vehicle. In some embodiments, at least one vehicle may further include at least one other vehicle (e.g., a second vehicle, a third vehicle, a fourth vehicle, etc.). The output conduit may be connected to the first feed conduit to feed a first portion of the first pressurized gas stream to the first vehicle after the first pressurized gas stream has been cooled to a preselected fueling temperature. In some embodiments, the output conduit may be connected to a second feed conduit to feed a second portion of the first pressurized gas stream to the second vehicle after the first pressurized gas stream has been cooled to a preselected fueling temperature. The output conduit may be connected to a third feed conduit to feed a third portion of the first pressurized gas stream to the third vehicle after the first pressurized gas stream has been cooled to a preselected fueling temperature.

[0013] In still some other embodiments, there may be a first vehicle and at least one second vehicle (e.g., only one second vehicle, multiple second vehicles, etc.) and the output conduit may be connected to the first feed conduit to feed a first portion of the first pressurized gas stream to the first vehicle after the first pressurized gas stream has been cooled to a preselected fueling temperature, and also connected to at least one second feed conduit to feed at least one second portion of the first pressurized gas stream to at least one second vehicle after the first pressurized gas stream has been cooled to a preselected fueling temperature.

[0014] In a third aspect, the apparatus may further include a second pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a second pressurized gas stream from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor to cool the second pressurized gas stream to a preselected fueling temperature. The second pressurized gas cooler may be positioned to receive a second portion of a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the second pressurized gas stream. The second pressurized gas cooler may be connected to the output conduit to output the second pressurized gas stream at the preselected fueling temperature for feeding to: (i) at least one third vehicle to fuel at least one third vehicle; or (ii) at least one second vehicle to fuel at least one second vehicle.

[0015] For example, in an embodiment where the first pressurized gas cooler may feed the pressurized gas to at least the first vehicle and at least one second vehicle, the second pressurized gas cooler may be configured such that the output conduit to which the second pressurized gas cooler is connected may output the second pressurized gas stream at the preselected fueling temperature for feeding to at least one third vehicle to fuel at least one third vehicle.

[0016] As another example, in an embodiment where the first pressurized gas cooler can feed the pressurized gas to at least a first vehicle, the second pressurized gas cooler can be configured such that an output conduit to which the second pressurized gas cooler is connected can output a second stream of pressurized gas at a preselected fueling temperature for feeding to at least one second vehicle, thereby fueling the at least one second vehicle.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, the apparatus can include elements for storing and supplying a heat transfer fluid. For example, the apparatus can include a heat transfer fluid storage unit and a heat transfer fluid pump positioned between the heat transfer fluid storage unit and the first pressurized gas cooler for feeding a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler. For example, the heat transfer fluid storage unit can include one or more storage tanks or containers for storing the heat transfer fluid.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, the apparatus can include elements that can facilitate cooling of the heat transfer fluid. For example, in some embodiments, the apparatus can include a heat transfer fluid storage unit and a heat transfer fluid pump positioned between the heat transfer fluid storage unit and the first pressurized gas cooler for feeding a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler. A heat transfer fluid cooler can be positioned to receive the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid cooler can be positioned to receive a refrigerant or a radiator fluid from a radiator source for cooling the heat transfer fluid.

[0019] As another example, the apparatus can include a heat transfer fluid cooler positioned to receive the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid cooler can be positioned to receive a refrigerant as a cooling medium for cooling the heat transfer fluid. An expansion valve can be positioned to receive the refrigerant to expand the refrigerant and reduce the temperature of the refrigerant before it is fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler.

[0020] As yet another example, the apparatus may include a heat transfer fluid cooler positioned to receive a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid cooler may be positioned to receive a refrigerant as a cooling medium for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The refrigerant cooler may be positioned to receive the refrigerant output from the heat transfer fluid cooler as a warmed refrigerant to cool the warmed refrigerant, and the refrigerant cooler may be further positioned to receive a radiator fluid from a radiator source as a cooling medium for cooling the warmed refrigerant. The expansion valve may be positioned to receive the refrigerant to expand the refrigerant and reduce the temperature of the refrigerant before the refrigerant is fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler. The expansion valve may be positioned between the refrigerant cooler and the heat transfer fluid cooler.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, the pressurized gas can include hydrogen or natural gas. For example, the pressurized gas can be hydrogen used to fuel a hydrogen-fueled vehicle. As another example, the pressurized gas can be natural gas used to fuel a natural gas-powered vehicle.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, the apparatus of the first aspect may include one or more features of the second, third, fourth, fifth, and / or sixth aspects to provide other embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that other embodiments of the apparatus may include other features. Examples of such features may be learned from the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0023] For example, an embodiment of an apparatus for cooling pressurized gas for fueling may be provided to include a first pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a first pressurized gas flow from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor to cool the first pressurized gas flow to a preselected fueling temperature. The first pressurized gas cooler may be positioned to receive a first portion of a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the first pressurized gas flow. The first pressurized gas cooler may be connected to an output conduit to output the first pressurized gas flow at a preselected fueling temperature to feed at least one first vehicle to fuel the at least one first vehicle. A controller having a processor connected to a non-transitory memory may be communicatively connected to a temperature sensor of the first pressurized gas cooler to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor to adjust the flow of the first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler.

[0024] In some configurations, a device having a controller may further include a second pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a second pressurized gas stream from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor to cool the second pressurized gas stream to a preselected fueling temperature. The second pressurized gas cooler may be positioned to receive a second portion of a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the second pressurized gas stream. The second pressurized gas cooler may be connected to an output conduit to output the second pressurized gas stream at the preselected fueling temperature for feeding to at least one second vehicle to fuel the at least one second vehicle. The controller may be communicatively connected to a temperature sensor of the second pressurized gas cooler to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor to regulate the flow rate of the second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the second pressurized gas cooler.

[0025] Some embodiments of such a device having a controller may further include other features. For example, the device may include a heat transfer fluid storage unit and a heat transfer fluid pump positioned between the heat transfer fluid storage unit and the first pressurized gas cooler to receive the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit to feed a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler and a second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the second pressurized gas cooler. The controller may be capable of being communicatively connected to the heat transfer fluid pump to regulate the operation of the heat transfer fluid pump. A heat transfer fluid cooler may also be positioned to receive the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid cooler may be positioned to receive a refrigerant or a radiator fluid from a radiator source for cooling the heat transfer fluid.

[0026] In an eighth aspect, a method for cooling a pressurized gas for fueling is provided. Embodiments of the method may be configured such that embodiments of our device may implement the method. Some embodiments of our method may include: feeding a heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected temperature for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank; outputting the heat transfer fluid from the at least one pressurized gas cooling device after the heat transfer fluid is warmed by cooling of the pressurized gas for feeding the heat transfer fluid toward a heat transfer fluid cooler to cool the heat transfer fluid; feeding a refrigerant or a radiator fluid to the heat transfer fluid cooler to cool the heat transfer fluid to a preselected heat transfer fluid temperature; and regulating the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the at least one pressurized gas cooling device based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooling device for feeding to the at least one vehicle fuel tank.

[0027] In a ninth aspect, the method may be configured such that feeding a heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected temperature for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank includes: feeding a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to a first pressurized gas cooling device of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device. In some embodiments, feeding a heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected temperature for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank may further include: feeding a second portion of the heat transfer fluid to a second pressurized gas cooling device of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device.

[0028] In a tenth aspect, regulating the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooling device for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank may include: regulating the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid based on temperature data from at least one temperature sensor of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device.

[0029] For example, the method may be configured such that regulating the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooling device for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank includes: regulating the flow rate of the first portion of the heat transfer fluid based on temperature data from a temperature sensor of the first pressurized gas cooling device. In some embodiments where a second portion of the heat transfer fluid that can be fed to the second pressurized gas cooling device is available, regulating the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooling device for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank may further include: regulating the flow rate of the second portion of the heat transfer fluid based on temperature data from a temperature sensor of the second pressurized gas cooling device.

[0030] In an eleventh aspect, the method may further include regulating the flow rate of the refrigerant or radiator fluid to the heat transfer fluid cooler. For example, some embodiments may include regulating the flow rate of the refrigerant or radiator fluid to the heat transfer fluid cooler based on temperature data from at least one temperature sensor of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device and / or temperature data from a heat transfer fluid temperature sensor.

[0031] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the method may include adjusting the position of an expansion valve for expanding a refrigerant and / or a radiator fluid based on temperature data from at least one temperature sensor of at least one pressurized gas cooling device and / or temperature data from a heat transfer fluid temperature sensor. For example, some embodiments of the method may include adjusting the flow rate of a refrigerant or a radiator fluid to a heat transfer fluid cooler and / or adjusting the position of an expansion valve for expanding a refrigerant and / or a radiator fluid based on temperature data from at least one temperature sensor of at least one pressurized gas cooling device and / or temperature data from a heat transfer fluid temperature sensor.

[0032] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of the method may further include feeding a first pressurized gas stream to a first pressurized gas cooling device to cool the first pressurized gas stream to a preselected temperature for feeding to at least one first vehicle. In embodiments in which a second pressurized gas stream may be fed to a second pressurized gas cooling device, embodiments of the method may further include feeding the second pressurized gas stream to the second pressurized gas cooling device to cool the second pressurized gas stream to a preselected temperature for feeding to at least one second vehicle.

[0033] In a fourteenth aspect, the method of the eighth aspect may include one or more features of the ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and / or thirteenth aspects for providing additional embodiments of the method. Accordingly, embodiments of the method may include yet other features. Examples of such features may be learned from the exemplary embodiments of the method discussed herein. For example, some embodiments of the method may be adjusted such that the pressurized gas includes hydrogen or natural gas.

[0034] It should be understood that embodiments of the method and apparatus may utilize various conduit arrangements and method control elements. Embodiments may utilize sensors (e.g., pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, concentration sensors, etc.), pipes, controllers, valves, and other method control elements. For example, some embodiments may utilize an automated method control system and / or a distributed control system (DCS). Various different conduit arrangements and method control systems may be utilized to meet a particular set of design criteria. The DCS or automated method control system may utilize one or more computer devices including a processor and at least one transceiver connected to a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one transceiver being configured to monitor, supervise, and / or control processing according to at least one predefined algorithm, the at least one predefined algorithm being definable in code stored in the computer-readable medium, the code being executable by the processor.

[0035] As the following description of its specific exemplary embodiments proceeds, other details, objects, and advantages of our method, apparatus, and system for cooling pressurized gas for fueling, hydrogen fuel cooling apparatus for a hydrogen fueling station, natural gas fuel cooling apparatus for a natural gas fueling station, and methods of making and using the same will become apparent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Exemplary embodiments of our method, apparatus, and system for cooling pressurized gas for fueling, and methods of making and using them are shown in the drawings included herein. It should be understood that like reference numerals used in the drawings may identify like components.

[0037] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fueling. Figure 1 Exemplary embodiments of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling are also shown. Various optional elements that may be included in the Figure 1 exemplary embodiments shown are illustrated in dashed lines.

[0038] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1 shown. Figure 2 Exemplary embodiments of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling are also shown.

[0039] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1 shown. Figure 3 Exemplary embodiments of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling are also shown.

[0040] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1 shown. Figure 4 Exemplary embodiments of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling are also shown.

[0041] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling. It should be understood that embodiments of the method may be utilized in embodiments of the apparatus 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fueling.

[0042] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a controller 10 (CTRL) that may be in the first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1, Figures 1 to 4The first exemplary embodiment of the device 1 shown and Figure 7 is utilized in the exemplary implementation of the second exemplary embodiment of the device 1 shown.

[0043] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of a device 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fueling. Figure 7 An exemplary embodiment of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling is also shown. Various optional elements that may be included in the Figure 7 exemplary embodiment shown are depicted in dashed lines. Detailed Description

[0044] From Figures 1 to 7 and the disclosure provided herein, it can be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of our device 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fueling can be positioned and arranged for improved fueling operations to facilitate feeding pressurized gas as fuel into one or more vehicle fuel tanks. For example, the embodiments can be applicable to a hydrogen fueling station or a natural gas fueling station.

[0045] The device 1 can include a pressurized gas storage unit or compressor to provide pressurized gas 2 (pressurized gas). The pressurized gas storage unit or compressor that provides pressurized gas 2 can include at least one storage tank or container that can be positioned between the flow control manifold and the dispenser, can be positioned upstream of the dispenser for feeding pressurized gas to the dispenser and thus to the fuel tank of the vehicle 4, or can be integrated into the dispenser for feeding pressurized gas from the dispenser to the fuel tank of the vehicle 4. In cases where the pressurized gas is output from the compressor to be fed more directly to the dispenser 7 (e.g., where there are no one or more intermediate storage tanks or buffer tanks, etc. between the compressor and the dispenser), the pressurized gas compressor can be located upstream of the flow control manifold and the dispenser, or can be positioned upstream of the dispenser for feeding pressurized gas to the dispenser and thus to the fuel tank of the vehicle 4. The dispenser can utilize hoses and nozzles to facilitate connection to the vehicle fuel tank in order to feed pressurized gas into the fuel tank and thus fuel the vehicle 4.

[0046] A pressurized gas storage unit that can supply pressurized gas 2 can store the pressurized gas at a preselected storage pressure for supplying the pressurized gas 2 to at least one pressurized gas cooler 3 and thus feeding it to one or more vehicles 4. For example, for some embodiments, the preselected storage pressure can be 35 MPa, 70 MPa, or between 30 MPa and 75 MPa. Other embodiments can utilize different preselected storage pressures. In cases where the pressurized gas 2 is output more directly from a compressor, the compressor can output the pressurized gas at a preselected feed pressure (e.g., between 30 MPa and 75 MPa or between 0.5 MPa and 100 MPa, etc.) for feeding to one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 and thus outputting the cooled pressurized gas for feeding to one or more vehicles 4.

[0047] In some embodiments, the pressurized gas stored in the pressurized gas storage unit or output from the compressor as the pressurized gas 2 can be hydrogen or natural gas. For example, the pressurized gas can be at least 99 mole percent (mol%) hydrogen (H2) or hydrogen between 98 mol% H2 and 100 mol% H2. As another example, the pressurized gas can be at least 99 mol% methane (CH4) or natural gas between 95 mol% CH4 and 100 mol% CH4.

[0048] At least one vehicle 4 can receive the pressurized gas 2 from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor for filling the fuel tank of each vehicle 4. In some embodiments, the first vehicle 4a can receive the pressurized gas for fueling. In other embodiments, the first vehicle 4a and the second vehicle 4b can simultaneously receive the pressurized gas from different dispensers for fueling. In still other embodiments, more than two vehicles 4 can receive the pressurized gas. For example, the first vehicle 4a, the second vehicle 4b, and the third vehicle 4c can receive the pressurized gas 2 from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor for fueling.

[0049] Before the pressurized gas 2 output from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor is fed to one or more vehicles, the pressurized gas may undergo cooling by passing through at least one pressurized gas cooler 3 (PG cooler). Each pressurized gas cooler 3 may be configured to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected fueling temperature for feeding the gas to a vehicle fuel tank. The preselected fueling temperature may be, for example, less than or equal to -33 °C, less than or equal to -17 °C, or other suitable fueling temperatures within a preselected fueling temperature range (e.g., between -30 °C and -35 °C, between -17 °C and -40 °C, etc.). Each pressurized gas cooler 3 may be positioned within a dispenser or in fluid communication with the dispenser for receiving the pressurized gas so as to cool the gas before the dispenser distributes the gas to the vehicle (e.g., via a nozzle connected to the dispenser through a hose connected between the nozzle and the dispenser, etc.).

[0050] For example, the pressurized gas 2 may be output from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor through a first output conduit 2a that is connected between a first pressurized gas cooler 3a and a first dispenser for feeding fuel to a first vehicle 4a. The pressurized gas may be cooled by a heat transfer fluid that is fed into the first pressurized gas cooler 3a as a cooling medium therein for cooling the pressurized gas to the preselected fueling temperature. The cooled pressurized gas may be output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a for feeding to the first vehicle 4a through a first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o. The first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o may be connected to a first feed conduit 4f for feeding a first portion of the cooled pressurized gas to the first vehicle 4a. In a case where the cooled pressurized gas is to be fed to a plurality of different vehicles, the first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o may also be connected to a second feed conduit 4g for feeding a second portion of the cooled pressurized gas to a second vehicle 4b. In some embodiments, additional feed conduits may also be present for feeding other portions of the cooled pressurized gas to other vehicles (e.g., there may also be at least one third feed conduit connected to the first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o for feeding at least one third portion of the pressurized gas to at least one third vehicle). Each vehicle may receive a portion of the pressurized gas fed to the vehicle through a respective dispenser that may be connected between the vehicle and the respective feed conduit.

[0051] For example, a first feed conduit 4f may be connected to or integrated into a first distributor for feeding a first portion of the pressurized gas to a first vehicle 4a. A second feed conduit 4g may be connected to or integrated into a second distributor for feeding a second portion of the pressurized gas to a second vehicle 4b. At least one third feed conduit may be connected to or integrated into at least one third distributor for also feeding at least one third portion of the pressurized gas to a third vehicle 4a.

[0052] The heat transfer fluid fed to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a can be output as a warmed heat transfer fluid through a heat transfer fluid output conduit 3hw connected between the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and a heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 (HTF unit). The heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 may include one or more storage containers or tanks for storing heat transfer fluid at a preselected storage pressure, thereby storing sufficient heat transfer fluid and providing sufficient heat transfer fluid to one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 of the device 1.

[0053] The heat transfer fluid stored in the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 can be output from the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 (HTF cooler) through the heat transfer fluid output conduit 9a connected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for cooling the heat transfer fluid, thereby maintaining the heat transfer fluid at a temperature required for cooling the pressurized gas. The cooled heat transfer fluid can be output from the heat transfer fluid 15 and fed to the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 through the cooled heat transfer fluid feed conduit 15o connected between the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 and the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9.

[0054] Refrigerant can be fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for cooling the heat transfer fluid to a preselected heat transfer fluid temperature, which can be selected to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected fuel supply temperature within a preselected fuel supply temperature range. The refrigerant used to cool the heat transfer fluid can be any suitable refrigerant for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The refrigerant fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 can undergo cooling before being fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 through the refrigerant cooler 12 (Ref. cooler), which is positioned between the refrigerant pump 11 (Ref. pump) and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15. For example, the refrigerant output from the refrigerant pump 11 can be fed to the refrigerant cooler 12 through a refrigerant cooler feed conduit 11o connected between the refrigerant pump 11 and the refrigerant cooler 12. The cooled refrigerant can be output from the refrigerant cooler 12 for being fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 at a preselected refrigerant feed temperature through a heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f positioned between the refrigerant cooler 12 and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15.

[0055] The refrigerant cooler 12 can receive a cooling medium, which can serve as a radiator for cooling the pressurized gas from the radiator source 14 (HS source). The radiator source 14 can be a suitable process gas or other cold fluid source, which can serve as the ultimate radiator for removing the heat of the pressurized gas generated by the heat transfer fluid, thereby cooling the pressurized gas to a preselected fuel supply temperature.

[0056] The radiator source 14 can be, for example, hydrogen or natural gas at a low temperature or near low temperature, which can be output from a liquid hydrogen or liquid natural gas storage tank for use as a refrigerant before discharging the gas. For example, the gas from a pressurized storage tank for storing cryogenic liquids can be output to maintain the pressure of the storage tank at or below a desired storage pressure. The output gas can be used as a radiator fluid fed to the refrigerant cooler 12 for cooling the refrigerant before discharging the gas or for feeding the gas to another element of the device (e.g., a buffer tank for storing the gas before other uses of the gas, etc.).

[0057] As another alternative (or additionally), the radiator source can be another fluid from another process element. As another example, the radiator source can be a cryogenic fluid that is pressurized and output from a compressor. For example, a cryogenic fluid from a storage tank can be fed to the compressor to pre-cool the compressor for use and / or output at a preselected pressure for feeding to a dispenser. The fluid output from the compressor can be used as a radiator source to help heat the fluid for feeding towards the dispenser (e.g., upstream of a buffer tank or a flow control manifold).

[0058] The heated radiator gas can be output from the refrigerant cooler 12 through the heated radiator fluid conduit 12o connected to the refrigerant cooler 12. This conduit can be used to discharge the fluid or feed the heated radiator fluid to another plant element or equipment element.

[0059] In other embodiments, the radiator source 14 can be the cooling medium utilized by the refrigerant cooler 12. For example, the refrigerant cooler can be an electric refrigerator or an adsorption refrigerator in some embodiments, and the radiator source can be the cooling medium used in the refrigerator to cool the heat transfer fluid refrigerant, which is used to cool the heat transfer fluid.

[0060] The heated refrigerant used as the cooling medium for cooling the heat transfer fluid can be output from the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for feeding to the refrigerant pump 11 through the refrigerant pump feed conduit 11f positioned between the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 and the refrigerant pump 11. The refrigerant pump 11 can increase the pressure of the refrigerant for feeding to the refrigerant cooler 12 and then return to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for the heat transfer fluid refrigerant cooling circuit. A refrigerant buffer tank (not shown) can also be connected to this circuit for feeding refrigerant as may be required to address the refrigerant replenishment that may be needed when the refrigerant circuit is used to cool the heat transfer fluid.

[0061] In some embodiments, a valve V can be included in the heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f located between the refrigerant cooler 12 and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15. The valve V in the heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f can be an expansion valve configured to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant to the heat transfer fluid cooler feed pressure. The pressure reduction can further cool the refrigerant to a desired preselected refrigerant feed temperature.

[0062] The heat transfer fluid stored in the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 can be maintained at a desired temperature through a heat transfer cooling circuit that utilizes refrigerant to cool the heat transfer fluid. This can allow the heat transfer fluid to be provided from a centralized source to one or more of the pressurized gas coolers in the pressurized gas cooler 3 to allow for the monitoring and management of the temperature control of the pressurized gas in an efficient manner, which can also allow for the simpler and more efficient monitoring and management of the cooling of the pressurized gas.

[0063] The heat transfer fluid may be output from the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and fed to the one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 through a heat transfer fluid pump 8 (HTF pump) positioned between the one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 and the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9. The heat transfer fluid may be fed from the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 to the heat transfer fluid pump 8 through a heat transfer fluid pump feed conduit 8f connected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the heat transfer fluid pump 8. The heat transfer fluid pump 8 may output the heat transfer fluid at a suitable pressurized gas cooler feed pressure for feeding to at least one pressurized gas cooler 3 through a heat transfer fluid pump output conduit 8o connected between the one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 and the heat transfer fluid pump 8. Examples of suitable pressurized gas cooler feed pressures may include pressures between 35 MPa and 70 MPa, pressures between 0.5 MPa and 100 MPa, or other suitable pressures. For example, when the fuel to be cooled is hydrogen, the preselected pressurized gas cooler feed pressure of the heat transfer fluid may be between 20 MPa and 100 MPa. For other types of fuel, the pressure may be within a different preselected range (eg, natural gas cooling using one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 may utilize a different pressure range).

[0064] For example, a first portion of the heat transfer fluid output from the heat transfer fluid pump 8 can be fed to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a via a first heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fa connected between the heat transfer fluid pump output conduit 8o and the first pressurized gas cooler 3a to be used as a cooling medium therein, thereby being used to cool the pressurized gas. As described above, a first portion of the cooled pressurized gas output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a can be fed to the first vehicle 4a via a first feed conduit 4f for fuel supply. A second portion of the cooled pressurized gas output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a can be fed to the second vehicle 4b via a second feed conduit 4g for fuel supply (as described above), and the same is true for an embodiment in which the first pressurized gas cooler 3a cools pressurized gas for feeding to a plurality of different vehicles at different distributors.

[0065] In addition, a second portion of the heat transfer fluid output from the heat transfer fluid pump 8 can be fed to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b to be used as a cooling medium therein, thereby for cooling another stream of the pressurized gas 2 output from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor through a second heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fb connected between the output conduit 8o of the heat transfer fluid pump and the second pressurized gas cooler 3b. The pressurized gas cooled by the second pressurized gas cooler 3b can be fed to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b through a second output conduit 2b connected between the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor that provides the pressurized gas 2. The second output conduit 2bt can be positioned between the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor and the second pressurized gas cooler 3b. The second output conduit 2b can be a separate conduit or can be connected to the first output conduit 2a such that a first portion of the pressurized gas 2 output from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor is fed as a first pressurized gas stream to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a, and a second portion of the pressurized gas 2 output from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor is fed as a second pressurized gas stream to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b.

[0066] A first portion of the cooled pressurized gas output from the second pressurized gas cooler 3b can be fed to another vehicle through a cooled pressurized gas output conduit 4h connected between the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and the another vehicle for fueling.

[0067] In an embodiment where the first pressurized gas cooler 3a can supply the cooled pressurized gas only to the first vehicle 4a, the another vehicle receiving the cooled pressurized gas from the second pressurized gas cooler 3b can be considered as a second vehicle. In other embodiments where the first pressurized gas cooler 3a can supply the cooled pressurized gas to the first vehicle 4a and the second vehicle 4b, the another vehicle receiving the cooled pressurized gas from the second pressurized gas cooler can be considered as a third vehicle 4c.

[0068] A controller CTRL can be provided to facilitate controlling the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid fed to one or more of the pressurized gas coolers 3 so as to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected fueling temperature. The controller CTRL can have a communication connection CC with valves, temperature sensors, pumps, and other elements to provide such control for monitoring and / or managing the flow of the heat transfer fluid to the pressurized gas cooler.

[0069] For example, the controller 10 can be communicatively coupled to a pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx for each pressurized gas cooler 3 to monitor the temperature of the pressurized gas cooler 3 or the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the pressurized cooler 3. In some embodiments, for example, the temperature of the pressurized gas cooler 3 can be utilized to monitor the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the cooler. Temperature data can be fed from the temperature sensor Tx to the controller CTRL such that the controller can adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid going to the pressurized gas cooler 3 based on the temperature data, thereby helping to ensure that the cooled pressurized gas output from the pressurized gas cooler 3 is output at a suitable temperature (e.g., a preselected fuel supply temperature).

[0070] For example, in response to detecting that the temperature of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a is higher than a preselected threshold based on temperature data received from the temperature sensor Tx, the controller 10 can communicate with the heat transfer fluid pump 8 and / or at least one valve V connected to the heat transfer pump output conduit 8o to adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid going to the pressurized gas cooler, thereby further cooling the pressurized gas. For example, a first valve V1 connected to the first heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fa can be further opened or adjusted from a closed position to an open position to feed the heat transfer fluid or increase the rate of the heat transfer fluid fed to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a to provide additional cooling to the pressurized gas, thereby cooling the gas to the preselected fuel supply temperature.

[0071] As another example, in response to detecting that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor Tx of the second pressurized gas cooler 3b is higher than a preselected threshold, the controller CTRL can communicate with the heat transfer fluid pump 8 and / or at least one valve V connected to the heat transfer pump output conduit 8o to adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid going to the pressurized gas cooler, thereby further cooling the pressurized gas. For example, a second valve V2 connected to the second heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fb can be further opened or adjusted from a closed position to an open position to feed the heat transfer fluid or increase the rate of the heat transfer fluid fed to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b to provide additional cooling to the pressurized gas, thereby cooling the gas to the preselected fuel supply temperature.

[0072] In addition, the controller CTRL can communicate with the valve V of the heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f and / or the refrigerant pump 11 to regulate the operation of the heat transfer fluid cooler 15, thereby further cooling the heat transfer fluid stored in the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9. The controller CTRL can also receive heat transfer fluid temperature data from the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor Thtf, which is positioned to monitor the temperature of the heat transfer fluid stored in the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9, to regulate the cooling provided by the heat transfer fluid cooler 15, thereby providing increased cooling when the heat transfer fluid temperature is higher than a preselected high threshold and providing reduced cooling when the heat transfer fluid temperature is lower than a preselected low threshold. The preselected low threshold and high threshold can define the tolerance of a suitable heat transfer fluid temperature range for the desired preselected temperature of the heat transfer fluid for cooling the pressurized gas.

[0073] The regulation of the cooling can include regulating the position of the expansion valve V of the heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f, regulating the refrigerant pump operation to increase or decrease the flow rate of the refrigerant fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15, and / or other regulations.

[0074] The controller CTRL can be adjusted to provide the heat transfer fluid for cooling the pressurized gas by using a centralized heat transfer fluid device, thereby calculating the pressurized gas supply fuel temperature faster and more easily. Using the refrigerant through the refrigerant cooling circuit and the radiator source 14 to finally absorb the heat from the pressurized gas from the heat transfer fluid to cool the pressurized gas can allow a simpler control criterion, which can adapt to the temperature differences that may occur during operation faster. In addition, using the centralized heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 can allow for finer control of the temperature of the pressurized coolant for cooling the pressurized gas. The embodiment can also provide improved operation flexibility by allowing the use of other radiator sources, in a manner that can allow a wide range of flexibility in operation and design for providing the cooling of the pressurized gas, while maintaining the final control of the pressurized gas supply fuel temperature to be a simpler method that can be more focused on one or several method variables.

[0075] From Figures 2 to 4 a better understanding can be obtained Figure 1 of the exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1 for cooling the pressurized gas for fuel supply shown. For example, as Figure 2As shown, the device 1 may include a first pressurized gas cooler 3a, which includes a pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx communicatively connected to the controller CTRL. A pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor (pressurized gas 2) may feed a pressurized gas 2 including hydrogen or natural gas to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a through a first output conduit 2a connected between the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor. The pressurized gas may be cooled to a preselected fuel supply temperature by the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and output through a first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o. The first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o may be connected to a first feed conduit 4f for feeding a first portion of the cooled pressurized gas to the first vehicle 4a. The first portion of the cooled pressurized gas fed to the first vehicle 4a may be all of the cooled pressurized gas.

[0076] The cooling of the pressurized gas by the first pressurized gas cooler 3a may be provided by a heat transfer fluid fed from a heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a through a first heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fa connected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the first pressurized gas cooler 3a. A heat transfer fluid pump 8 may be positioned between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the first pressurized gas cooler 3a to facilitate feeding the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a. The heat transfer fluid may be at a desired preselected heat transfer fluid temperature for feeding to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a so as to cool the pressurized gas to the preselected fuel supply temperature.

[0077] The heated heat transfer fluid for cooling the pressurized gas may be output through a heat transfer fluid output conduit 3hw connected between the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 (HTF unit) for feeding it back to the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9. The heat transfer fluid may undergo cooling such that the heat transfer fluid output for feeding to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a is at a desired temperature for cooling the pressurized gas to the preselected fuel supply temperature.

[0078] For example, a heat transfer fluid can be output from the heat transfer storage unit 9 for feeding to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 to maintain the temperature of the stored heat transfer fluid within a desired temperature or a desired temperature range. The heat transfer fluid can be fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for cooling therein through a heat transfer fluid output conduit 9a connected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15, and then output through a cooled heat transfer fluid feed conduit 15o connected between the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 and the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 for feeding back to the heat transfer unit 9, so as to provide the heat transfer fluid to the pressurized gas cooler 3 at a desired preselected temperature subsequently.

[0079] As described above, the cooling of the heat transfer fluid can be provided by a refrigerant, which can be cooled to a preselected refrigerant temperature for cooling the heat transfer fluid and then fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The cooling of the refrigerant can also be provided by an expansion valve V, which can be connected to a heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f located between the refrigerant cooler 12 and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 (for example, the expansion valve V can be integrated into the conduit). The cooling of the refrigerant can be provided by a fluid from a radiator source 14, which is fed to the refrigerant cooler 12 as described above. The fluid of the radiator source can provide a final radiator for absorbing the heat of the pressurized gas cooled by the heat transfer fluid in the first pressurized gas cooler 3a.

[0080] The controller 10 can be connected to a first valve V1 of the first heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fa and the heat transfer fluid pump 8 to adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid fed to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a based on the temperature of the pressurized gas in the first pressurized gas cooler 3a or the output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a detected by the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a. The controller CTRL can also be communicatively connected to the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor Thtf to receive data for identifying the temperature of the heat transfer fluid stored in the heat transfer storage unit 9 and / or capable of being output from the heat transfer cooler 15, so as to adjust the operation of the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 and / or the refrigerant cooling circuit connected to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for supplying the refrigerant to the heat transfer cooler 15 to cool the heat transfer fluid. The controller CTRL can be communicatively connected to the expansion valve V and / or the refrigerant pump 11 of the heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f to adjust the flow rate and / or temperature of the refrigerant being fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler feed conduit 15f, for example, for cooling the heat transfer fluid fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15.

[0081] Figure 3 shows an embodiment similar to Figure 2 . However, Figure 3 in the embodiment of Figure 3 , the first pressurized gas cooler 3a in the embodiment of

[0082] supplies cooled pressurized gas to a plurality of vehicles 4 including a first vehicle 4a and a second vehicle 4b through a corresponding first feed conduit 4f and a second feed conduit 4g connected to the first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o. In Figure 2 's embodiment, a first portion of the cooled pressurized gas output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a is fed to the first feed conduit 4f for fueling the first vehicle, and a second portion of the cooled pressurized gas output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a is fed to the second feed conduit 4g for fueling the second vehicle 4b.

[0083] Figure 4 The controller CTRL, refrigerant circuit, and heat transfer circuit of the apparatus 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fueling can be arranged and configured similar to Figure 2 's embodiment. For example, the controller can receive temperature data from the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and regulate the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a based on whether the temperature is below a preselected low temperature threshold and / or above a preselected high temperature threshold. In addition, the operation of the refrigerant cooling circuit and / or the expansion valve V of the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 and / or 15f can be regulated based on the temperature of the heat transfer fluid, which is detected by the temperature data of the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor Thtf and / or the temperature data of the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a. For example, if the heat transfer fluid is too warm (e.g., above the preselected high temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the position of the expansion valve can be further opened to provide further cooling, or if the heat transfer fluid is too cold (e.g., below the preselected low temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the position of the expansion valve can be adjusted to provide less expansion. In addition, or as an alternative, when the heat transfer fluid is too warm (e.g., above the preselected high temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the flow rate of the refrigerant fluid can be increased, or when the heat transfer fluid is too cold (e.g., below the preselected low temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the flow rate of the refrigerant fluid can be decreased. Such flow rate regulation can be provided by regulating the valve and / or by regulating the speed of the refrigerant pump 11.

[0083] Figure 4Another embodiment of the first exemplary embodiment of the apparatus for cooling pressurized gas for fueling is shown. The apparatus may utilize a plurality of pressurized gas coolers 3 to cool the pressurized gas to be fed to respective vehicles. The plurality of pressurized gas coolers 3 includes a first pressurized gas cooler 3a and a second pressurized gas cooler 3b. Each pressurized gas cooler 3 may be positioned and configured to cool the pressurized gas for feeding the cooled pressurized gas to one or more vehicles 4 at one or more dispensers.

[0084] For example, the first pressurized gas cooler 3a may include a pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx communicatively connected to a controller CTRL. A pressurized gas storage unit or compressor (pressurized gas) may feed the pressurized gas 2 including hydrogen or natural gas to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a through a first output conduit 2a connected between the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the pressurized gas storage unit or compressor. The pressurized gas may be cooled to a preselected fueling temperature by the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the pressurized gas may be output through a first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o. The first pressurized gas cooler output conduit 3o may be connected to a first feed conduit 4f for feeding a first portion of the cooled pressurized gas to a first vehicle 4a. The first portion of the cooled pressurized gas fed to the first vehicle 4a may be all of the cooled pressurized gas.

[0085] The second pressurized gas cooler 3b includes a pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx communicatively connected to a controller CTRL. A pressurized gas storage unit or compressor (pressurized gas) may feed the pressurized gas 2 including hydrogen or natural gas to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b through a second output conduit 2b connected between the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and the pressurized gas storage unit or compressor. The pressurized gas may be cooled to a preselected fueling temperature by the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and the pressurized gas may be output through a cooled pressurized gas output conduit 4h connected between the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and one or more vehicles 4. The one or more vehicles may be considered as one or more second vehicles.

[0086] The cooling medium fed to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the second pressurized gas cooler 3b for cooling the pressurized gas fed thereto can be from the same heat transfer fluid storage unit 9. For example, a first portion of the heat transfer fluid output from the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 can be fed to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a through a first heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fa connected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the first pressurized gas cooler 3a to be used as the cooling medium therein for cooling the pressurized gas. A second portion of the heat transfer fluid output from the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 can be fed to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b to be used as the cooling medium therein for cooling the pressurized gas fed to the second pressurized gas cooler through the second output conduit 2b. The second portion of the heat transfer fluid can be fed to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b through a second heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fb connected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the second pressurized gas cooler 3b.

[0087] The heated heat transfer fluid can be output from each of the pressurized gas coolers in the pressurized gas cooler 3 for feeding to the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9. For example, the heated heat transfer fluid output from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a can be fed to the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 through a first heat transfer fluid output conduit 3hw connected between the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9, and the heated heat transfer fluid output from the second pressurized gas cooler 3b can be fed to the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 through a second heat transfer fluid output conduit 3hw connected between the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9. The heat transfer fluid output conduits 3hw can be interconnected between the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 and the pressurized gas cooler 3 for combining the heated heat transfer fluids from different pressurized gas cooler devices 3 before feeding the fluids to the heat transfer fluid storage unit 9, or can be a completely independent conduit arrangement based on the design criteria of the equipment and other design considerations.

[0088] The first heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fa may include a first valve V1, and the second heat transfer fluid feed conduit 3fb may include a second valve V2. Adjusting the positions of the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 may adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid fed to the different pressurized gas coolers 3. In some embodiments, the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 may be on / off valves that can be adjusted between an open position and a closed position. In other embodiments, the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 may have a plurality of different open positions between a fully open position and a closed position. The valve V may be communicatively connected to a controller CTRL such that the controller can communicate with the valve to initiate adjustment of the position of the valve V based on temperature data from temperature sensors Tx of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the second pressurized gas cooler 3b.

[0089] For example, the controller CTRL may receive temperature data from the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a based on whether the temperature is below a preselected low temperature threshold and / or above a preselected high temperature threshold. As described above, such adjustment may be provided by adjusting the position of the first V1 and / or adjusting the speed of the heat transfer fluid pump 8. Additionally, the controller CTRL may receive temperature data from the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx of the second pressurized gas cooler 3b and adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the second pressurized gas cooler 3b based on whether the temperature is below a preselected low temperature threshold and / or above a preselected high temperature threshold. As described above, such adjustment may be provided by adjusting the position of the second V2 and / or adjusting the speed of the heat transfer fluid pump 8.

[0090] The controller CTRL, the refrigerant circuit, and the heat transfer circuit for the apparatus 1 for cooling pressurized gas for use as fuel may be similar to Figure 2 and 3arranged and configured in accordance with the embodiments described herein. For example, the controller CTRL may receive temperature data from the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensors Tx of the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and the second pressurized gas cooler 3b, and regulate the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and / or the second pressurized gas cooler based on whether the temperature is below a preselected low temperature threshold and / or above a preselected high temperature threshold. Additionally, the operation of the expansion valve V of the refrigerant cooling circuit and / or the heat transfer fluid coolers 15 and / or 15f may be regulated based on the temperature of the heat transfer fluid detected by the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor Thtf and / or the temperature data of the pressurized gas cooler temperature sensor Tx. For example, if the heat transfer fluid is too warm (e.g., above the preselected high temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the expansion valve position of the refrigerant cooling circuit may be further opened to provide further cooling, or if the heat transfer fluid is too cold (e.g., below the preselected low temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the expansion valve position may be adjusted to provide a smaller expansion. Additionally, or alternatively, when the heat transfer fluid is too warm (e.g., above the preselected high temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the refrigerant fluid flow rate may be increased, or when the heat transfer fluid is too cold (e.g., below the preselected low temperature threshold of the heat transfer fluid), the refrigerant fluid flow rate may be decreased. Such flow rate regulation may be provided by regulating valves and / or by adjusting the speed of the refrigerant pump 11.

[0091] Referring Figure 7 , an embodiment of the apparatus 1 for cooling pressurized gas for use in a fuel supply may be arranged such that it does not require a refrigerant circuit for cooling the heat transfer fluid. Instead, a radiator fluid may be utilized to more directly absorb the heat of the heat transfer fluid obtained from the pressurized process gas. For example, the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 may directly receive fluid from the radiator source 14 through a radiator source feed conduit 13f connected between the radiator source 14 and the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for cooling the heat transfer fluid. The heated radiator fluid that has absorbed heat from the heat transfer fluid may be output through a radiator fluid output conduit 13o connected to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15. The radiator fluid output conduit 13o may route the heated radiator fluid to another processing unit, back to the radiator source 14, or discharge it as required by a specific set of design criteria.

[0092] Such an embodiment may also optionally include an expansion valve V located in the radiator source feed conduit 13f to expand and further cool the radiator fluid before it is fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15. When the expansion valve V is utilized, the controller CTRL may be connected to the expansion valve V to regulate its position based on the temperature of the heat transfer fluid detected by the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor Thtf as described above.

[0093] Some embodiments can be configured such that the fuel fed to the vehicle includes other pressurized gases from a source other than the pressurized gas storage unit or compressor. For example, the flow rate of the bypass fluid BF (shown in dashed lines in Figure 1 and Figure 7 ) can be fed to the vehicle. The bypass fluid BF can be a pressurized gas formed by the vaporization of a cryogenic liquid (such as liquid hydrogen or liquefied natural gas), which is at a suitable fueling pressure and temperature for feeding to the vehicle. Utilizing such bypass fluid BF can help reduce the cooling requirements for cooling the pressurized gas 2 from the pressurized gas storage unit or compressor.

[0094] As can be best understood from Figure 6 , the controller 10 (CTRL) that can be utilized in embodiments of the device 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fueling can be a computer device CD. The controller can include a processor 10a (Proc.) connected to a non-transitory memory 10b (memory), on which one or more applications (App) and multiple data storage bodies (DS) are stored. The controller can also include one or more interfaces 10c (interface). Each interface 10c can include a transceiver for communicatively connecting with one or more input devices 10id, one or more output devices 10od, one or more sensors S (such as the pressurized gas cooling device temperature sensor Thx and / or the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor Thtf, etc.), one or more computer devices CD, and / or one or more valves V. The transceiver of the interface 10c can include at least one local area network connection transceiver, at least one wide area network connection transceiver, and / or at least one near field communication transceiver. The transceiver can be configured for communication that can be facilitated through wireless communication and / or hardwired communication connections.

[0095] It should be understood that at least some of the communication connections can utilize other elements for that communication connection. For example, some wireless communication connections may involve the use of access points, routers, or intermediate nodes.

[0096] Examples of input devices 10id that can be connected to the controller 10 can include buttons, keypads, keyboards, styli, microphones, or touchscreens. Examples of output devices 10od that can be connected to the controller 10 can include displays, printers, and / or speakers. For example, the controller 10 can be configured to show a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display to facilitate the user providing input to the controller 10, thereby using the input provided by the user's interaction with the GUI through the touchscreen display, pointer device, and / or keyboard.

[0097] In some embodiments, the controller 10 can be a controller communicatively connected to an operator device 21, which can be a computer device CD, which can be configured to run an automated method control system or another type of method control scheme that includes the controller 10 and various elements of the device 1 to which the controller 10 is connected. For example, the automated method control system of the operator device 21 can supervise and / or assist in monitoring the operation of a fueling station and / or related operations.

[0098] Embodiments of our method for cooling pressurized gas for fueling can be used in embodiments of our device 1 and / or in embodiments of a pressurized gas fueling station (e.g., a hydrogen fueling station or a natural gas fueling station, etc.). Examples of such a method can be understood from the above and Figure 5 the exemplary embodiments shown. For example, in Figure 5 the exemplary embodiment of our method shown, the method can include a first step S1, which can include feeding a heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device (PG cooler) to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected dispensing temperature for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank. An example of such a first step S1 can be understood from the above discussion of feeding the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and / or the second pressurized gas cooler 3b.

[0099] In a second step S2, the cooled pressurized gas output from one or more pressurized gas cooling devices can be fed to one or more vehicle fuel tanks at the preselected dispensing temperature. The preselected dispensing temperature can be a preselected fueling temperature or a temperature provided based on the pressurized gas at the preselected fueling temperature that is slightly warmed when the pressurized gas is fed to at least one dispenser for feeding to one or more vehicle fuel tanks. An example of such a feeding of the cooled pressurized gas can be understood from the above discussion of outputting the cooled pressurized gas from the first pressurized gas cooler 3a and / or the second pressurized gas cooler 3b to feed the cooled pressurized gas to one or more vehicles 4.

[0100] In a third step S3, the warmed heat transfer fluid can be output from one or more pressurized gas cooling devices to a heat transfer fluid cooler for cooling the heat transfer fluid to a preselected heat transfer fluid feed temperature. For example, the warmed heat transfer fluid can be output from one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 and fed to a heat transfer fluid storage unit 9 for subsequent cooling by a heat transfer fluid cooler 15 to maintain the temperature of the heat transfer fluid at the preselected desired heat transfer fluid feed temperature for subsequent feeding of the heat transfer fluid to one or more pressurized gas coolers 3 as described above.

[0101] As an alternative, the fluid from the radiator source 14 can be directly fed to the heat transfer cooler 15 to be used as a cooling medium in the heat transfer cooler 15, thereby more directly cooling the heat transfer fluid with the fluid from the radiator source 14 in the third step S3. In such an arrangement, the refrigerant circuit including the refrigerant pump 11 and the refrigerant cooler 12 may not be used or may not be required.

[0102] In the fourth step S4, refrigerant can be fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 for cooling the heat transfer fluid to a desired temperature (e.g., a preselected heat transfer fluid feed temperature). The refrigerant output from the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 can be a heated refrigerant, which is then fed to the refrigerant cooler 12 for cooling by the radiator fluid from the radiator source 14 as described above. The refrigerant can also be further cooled by the expansion valve V as described above to return the refrigerant to the desired refrigerant feed temperature for feeding to the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 to cool the heat transfer fluid. Examples of refrigerant handling in the refrigerant circuit can be understood from the above exemplary implementation options of the first exemplary embodiment of the device 1 for cooling pressurized gas for fuel supply.

[0103] In the fifth step S5, the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid fed to one or more pressurized gas cooling devices can be adjusted. Additionally, the flow rate of the refrigerant going to the heat transfer cooler 15 can be adjusted. These adjustments can be based on the temperature of the heat transfer fluid fed to one or more pressurized gas cooling devices and the temperature of the cooled pressurized gas to be fed to one or more vehicles 4. Examples of these types of adjustments were discussed above.

[0104] Embodiments of the method may also include other steps or features. For example, the method may include a controller 10 that receives data from one or more temperature sensors for adjusting the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid going to one or more pressurized gas cooling devices (such as the pressurized gas cooler 3), and / or starts the adjustment of the heat transfer fluid pump and / or one or more valves V based on the temperature data from one or more temperature sensors to adjust the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid going to one or more pressurized gas cooling devices. As another example, the operation of the refrigerant pump 11 and / or the expansion valve V can be adjusted by the controller CTRL based on such temperature data.

[0105] It should be understood that additional modifications or other modifications can be made to the embodiments explicitly shown and discussed herein to meet a particular set of design goals or a particular set of design criteria. For example, it should be understood that the heat sink source 14 (HS source) can be any one of many different suitable options. For example, as described above, the heat sink source 14 can be a cooling tower, a secondary cooling circuit, and / or other process gases. As another example, the type of refrigerant used as the refrigerant and the type of heat transfer fluid used as the heat transfer fluid can be any one of many suitable fluids. For example, the refrigerant for the refrigerant circuit that cools the heat transfer fluid by the fluid passing through the heat sink source 14 (absorbing the heat of the heat transfer fluid absorbed by the refrigerant) can include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, D-limonene, formate solution (such as FP40, etc.), or silicone polymer-based fluid (such as Syltherm XLT, etc.), or another suitable refrigerant. Preferably, the selected refrigerant can be cooled to a preselected heat transfer fluid feed temperature by the fluid passing through the heat sink source and / or the expansion valve V, and the preselected heat transfer fluid feed temperature can be -20°C or lower than -20°C (for example, between -20°C and -70°C or between -20°C and -50°C, etc.). The heat transfer fluid can be nitrogen, carbon dioxide, D-limonene, formate solution (such as FP40, etc.), silicone polymer-based fluid (such as Syltherm XLT, etc.), R404a, R449a, R507a, or another suitable fluid.

[0106] Each pressurized gas cooler 3 can be any type of suitable heat exchanger. In some embodiments, the pressurized gas cooler 3 can be a diffusion-bonded heat exchanger. As an alternative, the pressurized gas cooler 3 can be a countercurrent heat exchanger, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, a plate-fin heat exchanger, or another type of suitable heat exchanger.

[0107] In addition, each heat transfer fluid cooler 15 and refrigerant cooler 12 can be a heat exchanger of a suitable type. For example, the heat transfer fluid cooler 15 can be a countercurrent heat exchanger, a co-current heat exchanger, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, a plate-fin heat exchanger, or another type of suitable heat exchanger. The refrigerant cooler 12 can be a countercurrent heat exchanger, a co-current heat exchanger, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a mechanical refrigerator, an absorption refrigerator, or another type of suitable heat exchanger.

[0108] The heat transfer fluid pump 8 and / or the refrigerant pump 11 can each be a pump or a compressor. In some embodiments, the heat transfer fluid pump 8 and / or the refrigerant pump 11 can utilize a variable frequency drive, which can be communicatively connected to the controller CTRL to adjust the operation, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant and / or the heat transfer fluid, as described above.

[0109] A pressurized gas storage unit that can provide pressurized gas 2 can store gas at a high pressure (e.g., a pressure greater than 1 atm). In embodiments configured to utilize the pressurized gas storage unit as a source of pressurized gas 2, the stored pressure can be any suitable pressure for a particular gas to be fed into a vehicle fuel tank.

[0110] Device 1 may also include a dispenser having a hose and a nozzle (for coupling to a vehicle fuel tank) to feed the pressurized gas into the vehicle fuel tank. The fuel fed into the pressurized fuel tank may also include a pressurized gas that is formed by evaporating a cryogenic liquid into a gas and then heating the gas, so that the gas is at a suitable pressure and temperature for being fed into the dispenser to fuel the vehicle fuel tank. This type of supply can be carried out through a bypass device, so it can be carried out in series or in parallel with the supply of the pressurized gas after the pressurized gas is cooled by the pressurized gas cooler 3.

[0111] In some embodiments, it can be expected that the heat transfer fluid can be directly cooled by a radiator source fluid as discussed in the exemplary embodiments above with reference to Figure 7 In such embodiments, a refrigerant cooler and a refrigerant pump may not be utilized. Instead, the radiator source can feed fluid into the heat transfer cooler 15 to be used as a refrigerant for cooling the heat transfer fluid in a more direct relationship.

[0112] As still some other examples, the arrangement of valves, pipes, and other conduit elements (e.g., conduit connection mechanisms, pipes, seals, valves, etc.) for interconnecting different units of the device to provide fluid communication for fluid flow between different elements (e.g., pumps, heat exchangers, compressors, storage containers, etc.) can be arranged to meet a specific plant layout design that takes into account the available area of the plant, the equipment dimensions of the plant, and other design considerations. As another example, the flow rate, pressure, and temperature of the fluid flowing through various devices or system elements can vary to account for different design configurations and other design criteria.

[0113] Embodiments of our methods, devices, and systems can each be configured to include method control elements that are positioned and configured to monitor and control operations (e.g., temperature and pressure sensors, flow sensors, an automated method control system having at least one workstation including a processor, a non-transitory memory, and at least one transceiver for communicating with sensor elements, valves, and a controller for providing a user interface for the automated method control system that can operate at a workstation and / or another computer device in the plant, etc.). It should be understood that embodiments can also utilize a distributed control system (DCS) to implement one or more methods and / or control operations of the device.

[0114] As another example, it is contemplated that specific features described separately or as part of an embodiment can be combined with other separately described features or parts of other embodiments. Accordingly, the elements and acts of the various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide additional embodiments. Thus, while certain exemplary embodiments of our methods, apparatus, systems, and methods of making and using them have been shown and described above, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but can be otherwise embodied and practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cooling pressurized gas for use in supplying fuel, the apparatus comprising: a first pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a first pressurized gas flow from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor to cool said first pressurized gas flow to a preselected fueling temperature; the first pressurized gas cooler being positioned to receive a first portion of a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the first pressurized gas flow; The first pressurized gas cooler is connected to an output conduit to output the first pressurized gas flow at the preselected fueling temperature to feed at least one vehicle to fuel the at least one vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one vehicle comprises a first vehicle and the output conduit is connected to a first feed conduit to feed a first portion of the first pressurized gas flow to the first vehicle after the first pressurized gas flow is cooled to the preselected fueling temperature.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one vehicle further comprises a second vehicle and the output conduit is connected to a second feed conduit to feed a second portion of the first pressurized gas flow to the second vehicle after the first pressurized gas flow is cooled to the preselected fueling temperature.

4. The device according to claim 3, comprising: a second pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a second pressurized gas flow from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor to cool the second pressurized gas flow to the preselected fueling temperature; the second pressurized gas cooler being positioned to receive a second portion of the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for use in cooling the second pressurized gas flow; The second pressurized gas cooler is connected to an output conduit to output the second pressurized gas flow at the preselected fueling temperature to feed at least one third vehicle to fuel the at least one third vehicle.

5. The device according to claim 2, comprising: a second pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a second pressurized gas flow from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor to cool the second pressurized gas flow to the preselected fueling temperature; the second pressurized gas cooler being positioned to receive a second portion of the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for use in cooling the second pressurized gas flow; The second pressurized gas cooler is connected to an output conduit to output the second pressurized gas flow at the preselected fueling temperature to feed at least one second vehicle to fuel the at least one second vehicle.

6. The device according to claim 1, comprising: said heat transfer fluid storage unit; and A heat transfer fluid pump is positioned between the heat transfer fluid storage unit and the first pressurized gas cooler for feeding a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler.

7. The device according to claim 6, comprising: a heat transfer fluid cooler positioned to receive heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid; The heat transfer fluid cooler is positioned to receive a refrigerant or radiator fluid from a radiator source for cooling the heat transfer fluid.

8. The device according to claim 6, comprising: a heat transfer fluid cooler positioned to receive heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid; the heat transfer fluid cooler being positioned to receive a refrigerant as a cooling medium for cooling the heat transfer fluid; and An expansion valve is positioned to receive the refrigerant to expand the refrigerant and reduce the temperature of the refrigerant before the refrigerant is fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler.

9. The device according to claim 6, comprising: a heat transfer fluid cooler positioned to receive heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid; the heat transfer fluid cooler being positioned to receive a refrigerant as a cooling medium for cooling the heat transfer fluid; and a refrigerant cooler positioned to receive refrigerant output from the heat transfer fluid cooler as warmed refrigerant to cool the warmed refrigerant, the refrigerant cooler further positioned to receive a radiator fluid from a radiator source as a cooling medium for cooling the warmed refrigerant; An expansion valve is positioned to receive the refrigerant to expand the refrigerant and reduce the temperature of the refrigerant before the refrigerant is fed to the heat transfer fluid cooler, the expansion valve being positioned between the refrigerant cooler and the heat transfer fluid cooler.

10. A method for cooling pressurized gas for use in fuel supply, the method comprising: feeding a heat transfer fluid to at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool the pressurized gas to a preselected temperature for feeding to at least one vehicle fuel tank; outputting the heat transfer fluid from the at least one pressurized gas cooling device after the heat transfer fluid is warmed by cooling of the pressurized gas to feed the heat transfer fluid toward a heat transfer fluid cooler to cool the heat transfer fluid; feeding a refrigerant or radiator fluid to the heat transfer fluid cooler to cool the heat transfer fluid to a preselected heat transfer fluid temperature; and A flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the at least one pressurized gas cooler is adjusted based on a temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooler to feed the at least one vehicle fuel tank.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said feeding said heat transfer fluid to said at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool the pressurized gas to said preselected temperature for feeding to said at least one vehicle fuel tank comprises: A first portion of the heat transfer fluid is fed to a first one of the at least one pressurized gas cooler.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said adjusting the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the at least one pressurized gas cooler based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooler to feed the at least one vehicle fuel tank comprises: A flow rate of a first portion of the heat transfer fluid is adjusted based on temperature data from a temperature sensor of the first pressurized gas cooling device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said feeding said heat transfer fluid to said at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool the pressurized gas to said preselected temperature for feeding to said at least one vehicle fuel tank further comprises: A second portion of the heat transfer fluid is fed to a second one of the at least one pressurized gas cooler.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said adjusting the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the at least one pressurized gas cooler based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooler to feed the at least one vehicle fuel tank further comprises: The flow rate of the second portion of the heat transfer fluid is adjusted based on temperature data from the temperature sensor of the second pressurized gas cooling device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said adjusting the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid to the at least one pressurized gas cooler based on the temperature of the pressurized gas output from the at least one pressurized gas cooler to feed the at least one vehicle fuel tank comprises: The flow rate of the heat transfer fluid is adjusted based on temperature data from at least one temperature sensor of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising: A flow rate of the refrigerant or the radiator fluid to the heat transfer fluid cooler is adjusted based on the temperature data from the at least one temperature sensor of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device and / or temperature data from a heat transfer fluid temperature sensor.

17. The method according to claim 15, comprising: The flow rate of the refrigerant or the radiator fluid to the heat transfer fluid cooler and / or the position of an expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant and / or the radiator fluid are adjusted based on the temperature data from the at least one temperature sensor of the at least one pressurized gas cooling device and / or the temperature data from the heat transfer fluid temperature sensor.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein said feeding said heat transfer fluid to said at least one pressurized gas cooling device to cool pressurized gas to said preselected temperature for feeding to said at least one vehicle fuel tank comprises: feeding a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to a first one of the at least one pressurized gas cooler; as well as feeding a second portion of the heat transfer fluid to a second one of the at least one pressurized gas cooler; And wherein the method further comprises: feeding a first pressurized gas flow to the first pressurized gas cooling device to cool the first pressurized gas flow to the preselected temperature for feeding to at least one first vehicle; as well as A second pressurized gas flow is fed to the second pressurized gas cooling device to cool the second pressurized gas flow to the preselected temperature for feeding to at least one second vehicle.

19. An apparatus for cooling pressurized gas for use in fuel supply, the apparatus comprising: a first pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a first pressurized gas flow from a pressurized gas storage unit or a compressor to cool said first pressurized gas flow to a preselected fueling temperature; the first pressurized gas cooler being positioned to receive a first portion of a heat transfer fluid from a heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the first pressurized gas flow; the first pressurized gas cooler being connected to an output conduit for outputting the first pressurized gas flow at the preselected fueling temperature to feed at least one first vehicle to fuel the at least one first vehicle; A controller having a processor connected to a non-transitory memory is communicatively connected to a temperature sensor of the first pressurized gas cooler to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor to adjust a flow of a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, comprising: a second pressurized gas cooler positioned to receive a second pressurized gas flow from the pressurized gas storage unit or the compressor to cool the second pressurized gas flow to the preselected fueling temperature; the second pressurized gas cooler being positioned to receive a second portion of the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for use in cooling the second pressurized gas flow; the second pressurized gas cooler being connected to an output conduit for outputting the second pressurized gas flow at the preselected fueling temperature to feed at least one second vehicle to fuel the at least one second vehicle; the controller being communicatively connected to a temperature sensor of the second pressurized gas cooler to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor to adjust a flow of a second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the second pressurized gas cooler; said heat transfer fluid storage unit; a heat transfer fluid pump positioned between the heat transfer fluid storage unit and the first pressurized gas cooler for receiving heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit, thereby feeding a first portion of the heat transfer fluid to the first pressurized gas cooler, and feeding a second portion of the heat transfer fluid to the second pressurized gas cooler; the controller being communicatively connected to the heat transfer fluid pump to regulate operation of the heat transfer fluid pump; a heat transfer fluid cooler positioned to receive heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer fluid storage unit for cooling the heat transfer fluid; and The heat transfer fluid cooler is positioned to receive a refrigerant or radiator fluid from a radiator source for cooling the heat transfer fluid.

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