Hydrogen Fuel Dispensing Pre-Cooling With Sequential Supply Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fueling systems with liquid hydrogen storage face slow start-up times due to cooling of supply lines and compressor pre-cooling, leading to fuel loss and increased operational and capital costs, especially with multiple supply lines and long lines, without effective pre-cooling methods.
Innovation Solution
A process and apparatus that utilize the stored hydrogen as a pre-cooling fluid, bypassing heat exchangers and sequentially opening supply lines to accommodate pressure drops, reducing fuel venting and enabling rapid fueling by cooling the compressor and supply equipment efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional pre-cooling systems with heat transfer fluids and cooling circuits are used, then compressor and supply line cooling can be achieved, but capital cost, operational cost, and equipment footprint increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the heat transfer fluid and cooling circuit components from the pre-cooling system. Instead of using a separate cooling medium, the system uses the liquid hydrogen fuel itself as the cooling agent, passing it directly through the compressor and supply lines to achieve pre-cooling without any additional heat transfer infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid hydrogen fuel serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the fuel to be dispensed and the cooling medium for pre-cooling the compressor and supply lines. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cooling systems and reduces overall system complexity and cost.
2Productivity
If multiple supply lines are used to provide rapid fueling, then fueling speed increases, but fuel loss from venting increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling of all supply lines and the compressor before fueling operations begin. By pre-cooling the entire distribution network in advance using the liquid hydrogen, the system eliminates the need for subsequent venting that would otherwise be required to cool the lines, thereby reducing fuel loss while maintaining rapid fueling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid hydrogen fuel continuously flows through the supply lines during the pre-cooling phase, maintaining a steady cooling action throughout the distribution network. This continuous useful action ensures all lines are properly cooled before fueling, eliminating the need for interruptive venting operations.
3Reliability
If compressor pre-cooling is performed using traditional methods, then operational reliability improves, but start-up time increases unacceptably
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid hydrogen fuel acts as an intermediary cooling medium that directly contacts the compressor and supply lines during pre-cooling. This direct contact intermediary approach transfers heat more efficiently than traditional heat transfer fluids, achieving reliable compressor cooling in a much shorter time frame and enabling faster start-up.
4Length of stationary object
If long supply lines are used to serve distant dispensers, then service coverage increases, but pre-cooling time and fuel loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from separate cooling circuits and integrates it directly into the fuel delivery system. By using the liquid hydrogen fuel itself as the cooling medium throughout the entire supply line length, the system achieves efficient cooling of even very long supply lines without requiring extended pre-cooling times or incurring additional fuel losses from venting.
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
Reduces fuel venting by up to 90%, facilitates quick fueling within 5-30 seconds, and minimizes the need for heat transfer fluids, lowering operational costs and equipment footprint.
Implementation Method 1
a compression system configured to compress the liquid fuel to a pressure sufficient to deliver the gaseous fuel to the dispenser
Implementation Method 2
a heat exchanger configured to vaporize the compressed liquid fuel to form gaseous fuel
Implementation Method 3
utilize the stored fuel as a pre-cooling fluid
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for fuel dispensing and a process for fuel dispensing can be configured to facilitate rapid fueling. In some embodiments, at least one compressor can be cooled down via sequential adjustment for venting to facilitate improved compressor and supply line cool down that can utilize less vented gas and also help improve the speed at which a sufficient cool down can be provided. Some embodiments can alternatively (or also) utilize a sequential supply line utilization scheme for feeding fuel from a cooled down and operational compressor to a dispenser for feeding to a fuel tank. A control system can be configured to oversee operation and control adjustment of how supply lines are utilized based on at least one pre-determined control scheme for venting and/or fueling via the supply line(s) as well.