Staged Natural Gas Tank Compression for Residential Refueling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for storing and refueling natural gas for vehicles require complex and expensive equipment due to the need for high-pressure compression, making it impractical for residential use and limiting the practical storage capacity and travel range.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing an array of staged tanks with increasing pressure set points and a single compressor to incrementally compress and store natural gas, allowing for efficient refueling from a residential gas supply system, reducing equipment complexity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If natural gas is compressed to high pressures (2000-3000 psig) for vehicle fuel storage, then the on-board storage capacity and travel range are increased, but the refueling apparatus becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the compression process into multiple stages using an array of tanks at different pressure levels. Instead of using a single complex high-pressure compressor, the system segments the compression into sequential stages (e.g., 1st stage tank at lower pressure, 2nd stage tank at intermediate pressure, 3rd stage tank at high pressure), where each stage compresses gas to a progressively higher pressure. This segmentation reduces the complexity of individual compression stages while achieving the same overall high-pressure storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate pressure tanks as mediators between the low-pressure natural gas supply and the final high-pressure storage. These intermediate tanks serve as buffer stages, allowing the system to build up pressure gradually through multiple smaller compression steps rather than requiring a single complex high-pressure compression system. The intermediate tanks facilitate the transition from low to high pressure in manageable increments.
2Device complexity
If a single compressor is used with staged tanks instead of high-pressure equipment, then the equipment complexity and cost are reduced, but the compression pressure capability must be achieved through multiple stages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by sequentially operating the single compressor to fill different tanks in the staged array. The compressor cycles through filling the 1st stage tank, then the 2nd stage tank, then the 3rd stage tank, and repeats this periodic sequence. This periodic operation allows a single compressor to achieve the cumulative pressure effect of multiple compressors by systematically working through each pressure stage in turn, reducing equipment complexity while maintaining the required pressure capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary compression action by filling lower-pressure tanks first before proceeding to higher-pressure tanks. Each tank is pre-filled to its designated pressure level before the compressor moves on to the next stage. This preliminary action approach allows the system to build up the complete pressure array systematically, ensuring that each stage is prepared in advance for the next compression step, thereby achieving high overall pressure capability with a single compressor.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional high-pressure compression is used for natural gas storage, then sufficient fuel quantity is achieved for reasonable travel range, but the refueling system becomes commercially impractical for residential use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service residential refueling by designing a system that can be operated with standard residential equipment. The staged tank array with a single compressor allows the system to self-regulate the compression process through pressure-differential-controlled valves, eliminating the need for complex automated control systems or specialized high-pressure infrastructure. This self-service capability makes the system commercially practical for residential natural gas supplies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the pressure parameters systematically across the staged tanks, with each tank operating at a different pressure level (e.g., 1st stage at lower pressure, 2nd stage at intermediate pressure, 3rd stage at high pressure). This parameter change approach allows the system to achieve the required fuel quantity for reasonable travel range while using pressure levels that are manageable with standard residential compression equipment, thereby improving ease of operation and residential practicality.
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
Enables efficient and cost-effective compression and storage of natural gas, allowing for extended travel ranges without the need for high-pressure equipment, facilitating practical residential refueling.
Implementation Method 1
A compressor is operatively connected to the tank array by a valve. The valve can be operated to select a plurality of ports from the first family to be fluidly connected with a plurality of ports with the second family
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for compressing gases and supplying fuel to a gaseous fuel consuming device, such as a gaseous fueled vehicle or the like. One embodiment includes a gas compressor for compressing the gaseous fuel to an array of tanks having predetermined initial set points which are increasing for tanks in the array. One embodiment provides a selecting valve having first and second families of ports wherein the valve can be operated to select a plurality of ports from the first family to be fluidly connected with a plurality of ports with the second family, and such fluid connections can be changed by operation of the valve.