Gas-Tight Valve Enclosure Venting for Compressed Gas Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressed gas storage devices face hazardous situations due to uncontrolled gas leaks, which are often addressed by cumbersome and energy-intensive venting systems, especially in enclosed environments like marine vessels or buildings.
Innovation Solution
A compressed gas storage device with a first enclosure that gas-tightly couples the valve to the high-pressure gas-line, featuring ventilation inlets and outlets, a sloped ceiling, and thermal safety devices to evacuate leaked gas externally, reducing the risk of explosions and minimizing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cylinders and high-pressure gas-line are positioned in open air for immediate gas venting, then gas leakage safety is improved, but device adaptability to enclosed environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the gas storage system into separate enclosed modules (cylinder enclosures with individual ventilation systems) rather than requiring all components to be in open air. Each enclosure independently manages its own gas leakage through dedicated ventilation inlets and outlets, allowing the overall system to be adapted to enclosed environments while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ventilation inlets and outlets as intermediary structures that mediate between the enclosed gas storage components and the external environment. These intermediaries enable controlled gas evacuation from enclosed spaces without requiring the entire system to be positioned in open air, thus resolving the contradiction between enclosure adaptability and gas leakage safety.
2Reliability
If venting devices such as ventilators are installed in enclosed environments to evacuate leaked gas, then gas leakage safety is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the active ventilation components (such as powered ventilators) from the system and replaces them with passive ventilation structures (inlets and outlets with strategic geometry). This extraction eliminates complex mechanical venting devices while maintaining gas evacuation capability through natural convection and buoyancy, thus reducing device complexity while preserving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation system is designed to operate autonomously without external power or control systems. The enclosure geometry and positioning of ventilation inlets/outlets enable the system to self-regulate gas evacuation through natural physical processes (buoyancy and convection), eliminating the need for complex powered ventilators and reducing installation complexity.
3Reliability
If powered venting devices are used to evacuate leaked gas from enclosed spaces, then gas leakage safety is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the ventilation system to utilize periodic natural convection cycles driven by temperature and concentration gradients. As leaked gas accumulates and heats slightly, natural convection currents periodically draw gas out through the ventilation outlets, creating a self-sustaining periodic evacuation process that requires no external energy input while maintaining continuous safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation system performs gas evacuation autonomously using natural physical processes (buoyancy and convection) without requiring external power sources. The system serves itself by utilizing the inherent properties of the leaked gas (temperature and density differences) to drive its own evacuation, thereby achieving gas leakage safety with zero additional energy consumption.
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
The solution effectively prevents gas accumulation in enclosed spaces by externally venting leaks, using inert gases and natural buoyancy, and employs thermal safety mechanisms to reduce explosion risks, thus enhancing safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
using inert gases and natural buoyancy
Implementation Method 2
employs thermal safety mechanisms to reduce explosion risks
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to compressed gas storage device comprising at least one cylinder (1) configured to store compressed gas and a structural support frame (3) configured to position the at least one cylinder, the compressed gas storage device (CGSD) comprising a high-pressure gas-line (8) configured to couple the at least one cylinder to a gas consumer device, exterior of the compressed gas storage device and each cylinder of the at least one cylinder comprising a valve (4) configured to couple the cylinder to the high pressure gas-line (8) wherein the Compressed gas storage device further comprises a first enclosure that is configured to enclose the valve configured to couple the cylinder to the high pressure gas-line and the high pressure gas-line gas-tight from the environment, the first enclosure further comprising a ventilation inlet (10) and ventilation outlet (11) for evacuating leaked compressed gas.