Cryogenic Liquid Delivery Intermediate Enclosure Heat Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cryogenic liquid delivery systems face issues with vaporization and heat input into storage tanks due to infrequent deliveries, leading to increased pressure and inefficiencies in equipment cooling, resulting in wasted gas and reduced storage tank temperature stability.
Innovation Solution
An installation with an intermediate enclosure that collects vapors from equipment cooling and stores heat, allowing direct transfer of cryogenic liquid from the storage tank, reducing vapor return to the tank and minimizing heat input, featuring a cryogenic pump within the enclosure to maintain low temperatures and control pressure and temperature conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If pipes with large surface area are used between storage tank and container, then heat exchange capability is improved, but cryogenic liquid vaporization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediate enclosure (buffer tank) between the storage tank and the pump/equipment. This intermediary component receives cryogenic liquid directly from the storage tank, allowing the pump and equipment to be cooled without returning vaporized liquid to the storage tank. The intermediate enclosure acts as a mediator that decouples the cooling function from the storage system, preventing heat transfer from equipment to storage tank.
2Ease of operation
If deliveries are spaced out in time, then equipment has time to operate under good conditions, but heat input into storage tank increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate enclosure serves as a thermal buffer that absorbs heat input during periods when deliveries are spaced out. By placing the pump and treatment equipment between the storage tank and the intermediate enclosure, these equipment can cool the intermediate enclosure without transferring heat back to the storage tank. This mediator approach maintains storage tank temperature stability even when equipment operates intermittently over extended periods.
3Productivity
If pump and equipment are cooled before delivery, then they operate efficiently, but vaporization and heat input to storage tank occur
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate enclosure enables efficient equipment operation by providing a dedicated cooling target that is separate from the storage tank. During cooling operations, the pump and equipment draw cryogenic liquid from the storage tank, cool the intermediate enclosure, and return the liquid to the intermediate enclosure rather than to the storage tank. This intermediary approach maintains equipment efficiency while preventing energy loss to the storage tank.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into two distinct thermal zones: the storage tank and the intermediate enclosure. This segmentation allows independent thermal management of each component. The storage tank maintains its cryogenic liquid supply while the intermediate enclosure serves as a separate heat sink for equipment cooling, preventing thermal coupling between storage and equipment operations.
4Reliability
If residual liquid in pipes vaporizes, then pressure in storage tank increases, but gas must be evacuated
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate enclosure acts as a trap for vaporized liquid from the pipes and equipment. Instead of allowing vaporized liquid to return directly to the storage tank and increase pressure, the intermediate enclosure captures these vapors. The system can then manage this vapor accumulation separately, potentially using it for pre-cooling incoming liquid or controlling pressure in the intermediate enclosure without affecting storage tank pressure, thereby reducing gas waste.
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
Significantly reduces vaporization and heat input into the storage tank, maintaining the cryogenic liquid in a stable state, minimizing gas losses, and extending storage tank temperature stability by using the intermediate enclosure to manage heat and vaporization effectively.
Implementation Method 1
An installation with an intermediate enclosure that collects vapors from equipment cooling and stores heat
Implementation Method 2
featuring a cryogenic pump within the enclosure to maintain low temperatures
Implementation Method 3
minimizing heat input, featuring a cryogenic pump within the enclosure to maintain low temperatures and control pressure and temperature conditions
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A facility for delivery and treatment of cryogenic liquid, according to the invention comprises: - cryogenic equipment (6, 8) for delivering and treating the cryogenic liquid from the storage tank (2) to a container (4) to be filled, - an intermediate vessel (20) able to be supplied with cryogenic liquid from the storage tank (2) without passing through the cryogenic equipment (6, 8). The cryogenic equipment (6, 8) can be supplied with cryogenic liquid either by the storage tank (2), or by the intermediate vessel (20), and a link allows the fluid to be conducted out of the cryogenic equipment (6, 8) to the intermediate vessel (20).