Compressed Gas Dispensing Using Cascade Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The industry faces challenges in supplying hydrogen to vehicle fuel tanks in a cost-effective manner, reducing the frequency of transporting compressed gas storage vessels, minimizing compressor use and maintenance, and ensuring a reliable supply of compressed gases like hydrogen and natural gas.
Innovation Solution
The method employs a cascade dispensing approach using multiple supply vessels with progressively higher pressures, combining mobile and fixed storage vessels to dispense compressed gas without compressors, optimizing the use of storage vessels and reducing reliance on compressors by leveraging pressure differences for efficient transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If compressors are used at dispensing stations to supply compressed gas, then the gas can be supplied at high pressure, but the equipment complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the compressor function from the dispensing station by using pre-compressed gas storage vessels that are transported to the station. The compression function is separated and performed elsewhere (at the compression facility), eliminating the need for on-site compressors at the dispensing location.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas is compressed in advance at a dedicated compression facility before being stored in transport vessels. This preliminary compression action eliminates the need for on-site compression equipment, as the gas arrives already at the required pressure level.
2Reliability
If compressors are installed at dispensing stations, then compressed gas can be supplied reliably, but power requirements and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The power-intensive compression function is extracted from the dispensing station and relocated to a dedicated compression facility. This eliminates the power consumption burden at the dispensing location while maintaining reliable gas supply through pre-compressed storage vessels.
3Reliability
If storage vessels are transported frequently to dispensing stations, then gas supply is maintained, but transport frequency and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple storage vessels are combined into a single modular storage system at the dispensing station. This consolidation allows for more efficient transport logistics and enables rapid vessel replacement, reducing the overall frequency and impact of transport operations while maintaining continuous gas supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple interchangeable storage vessels that can be dynamically swapped at the dispensing station. When one vessel is depleted, another can be quickly connected, creating a dynamic system that maintains continuous supply while optimizing transport schedules.
4Device complexity
If cascade dispensing with multiple supply vessels is used, then compressor use is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas storage system is segmented into multiple separate storage vessels, each containing pre-compressed gas. This segmentation eliminates the need for a single large compressor, as each vessel can be independently filled and swapped, reducing overall energy consumption and compressor requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the need for compressors, lowers operational costs, and ensures a reliable supply of compressed gases by efficiently utilizing storage vessels and minimizing the frequency of vessel transport, while maintaining the ability to refill vehicles to target pressures effectively.
Implementation Method 1
transferring a first quantity of compressed gas from a first storage vessel to a receiving vessel using a pressure difference between the compressed gas in the first storage vessel and the compressed gas in the receiving vessel
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 1d~1f
Figure 1g~1i
AI summary
Method for dispensing compressed gas, such as hydrogen, into a plurality of receiving vessels at a compressed gas dispensing station having a mobile compressed gas storage device, a liquid storage vessel, and one or more fixed compressed gas storage vessels. The dispensing station has at least three operating modes. In a first mode, compressed gas is dispensed to a receiving vessel using the cascade filling technique from the mobile compressed gas storage device alone. In a second mode, compressed gas is dispensed to a receiving vessel using the cascade filling technique from the mobile compressed gas storage device and the one or more fixed compressed gas storage vessels. In a third mode, compressed gas is dispensed to a receiving vessel using compressed gas only from the one or more fixed compressed gas storage vessels. The one or more fixed compressed gas storage vessels are charged from the liquid storage vessel using a cryogenic pump/compressor.