Gaseous fuel refueling apparatus

• US 4,531,558 A
• Filed: 04/13/1983
• Issued: 07/30/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colorado Fuel Concepts, L.L.P.
• Original Assignee: Michigan Consolidated Gas Company (DTE Energy Company)
• Inventors: Turko, John W., Engel, Larry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Artis, Henry K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cusick, Ernest G.
• Application Number:
  US06/484,470
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 141/1, 141/4-7, 141/11, 141/12, 141/37, 141/44, 141/67, 141/69, 141/71, 141/82, 141/85, 141/89, 137/110, 137/113, 137/118, 123/525, 48/190, 222/3, 222/6, 62/476, 62/473
• US Class Current: 141/44
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03006 Gas tanks B60K15/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/07 of gas tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/007 for hydrocarbon gases, such as methane or natural gas, propane, butane or mixtures thereof [LPG]
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/007 for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00

Abstract

An apparatus for supplying fuel to a gaseous fuel consuming device, such as a gaseous fueled vehicle or the like, generally includes one or more gas compressors for compressing the gaseous fuel to a predetermined pressure, preferably less than 500 psig (3450 kPa). The apparatus preferably also includes apparatus for cooling the compressed gaseous fuel at least to ambient temperatures. Sorbent filtering and storage means are also preferably provided for maximizing the amount of fuel to be stored in the apparatus in order to supply a quick initial charge of the gaseous fuel to the vehicle or other gaseous fuel consuming device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying low-pressure gaseous fuel to a gaseous fuel consuming device, said apparatus comprising:

inlet means adapted to be connected in fluid communication with a source of gaseous fuel;

compression means for compressing said gaseous fuel in order to increase its pressure to a first predetermined pressure level less than approximately 500 psig (3450 kPa), said compression means having an intake in fluid communication with said inlet means and a compression discharge outlet for discharging compressed gaseous fuel from said compression means;

cooling means for reducing the temperature of said compressed gaseous fuel;

storage means for storing a predetermined quantity of said compression gaseous fuel, conveying means for conveying said compressed gaseous fuel to said storage means, said storage means including a sorbent material for sorptive storage of said predetermined quantity of said compressed gaseous fuel;

an apparatus discharge means adapted to be selectively and releasably connected to said gaseous fuel consuming device for selectively supplying said compressed gaseous fuel thereto; and

control means for selectively supplying said compressed gaseous fuel to said gaseous fuel consuming device from either said compressor means or said storage means, said control means causing said compressed gaseous fuel to be supplied to said gaseous fuel consuming device from said storage means when the pressure therein is generally at or above a second predetermined pressure level and further causing said storage means to be bypassed by said compressed gaseous fuel when said storage means pressure drops below a third predetermined level, said control means further causing said compressed gaseous fuel to be supplied to said storage means after said apparatus discharge means has been selectively disconnected from said gaseous fuel consuming device or alternatively after the pressure of the compressed gaseous fuel in said gaseous fuel consuming device has increased to a fourth predetermined pressure level, said compressed gaseous fuel being supplied to said storage means until the pressure in said storage means is generally at said second predetermined pressure level.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for removing moisture from said gaseous fuel before it is supplied to said device or stored by said storage means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said moisture removing means includes desiccant filter means between said inlet means and said compression means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said moisture removing means further includes moisture separating means between said cooling means and both said storage means and said discharge means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maximum pressure of said compressed gaseous fuel supplied to said device is in the range of approximately 200 psig (1380 kPa) to approximately 400 psig (2760 kPa).

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compression means comprises at least one hermeticaly-sealed gas compressor.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising sorbent filter means for sorptively removing generally all materials from said gaseous fuel except for certain preselected constituents of said gaseous fuel therefrom before said gaseous fuel is supplied to said device or stored by said storage means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus discharge means includes a fluid conduit adapted to be selectively and releasably connected to said gaseous fuel consuming device for supplying said compressed gaseous fuel thereto, said control means further including means for discontinuing said supply when the gaseous fuel pressure in said gaseous fuel consuming device is generally at or above said fourth predetermined pressure level and for venting said compressed gaseous fuel from said fluid conduit after said supply has been discontinued.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including means for deactivating said compressor means after the gaseous fuel pressure in said storage means is generally at or above said second predetermined pressure level, and means for equalizing the gaseous fuel pressure between the intake and the compressor means outlet of said compressor means after said compressor means has been deactivated.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including accumulator means in fluid communication with the compressor means outlet for damping any surges in the pressure of said compressed gaseous fuel therefrom.

11. A refueling apparatus for a vehicle or other device fueled by a gaseous hydrocarbon fuel, said refueling apparatus comprising:

inlet means adapted to be connected in fluid communication with a source of said gaseous fuel;

hermetically-sealed compressor means for compressing said gaseous fuel in order to increase the pressure thereof up to a first predetermined pressure level;

air cooling means for decreasing the temperature of said compressed gaseous fuel;

said compressor means including first stage compressor means for initially increasing the pressure of said gaseous fuel and second stage compressor means for further increasing the pressure of said compressed gaseous fuel from said first stage compressor means, said air cooling means including an interstage heat exchanger adapted to decrease the temperature of said compressed gaseous fuel from said first stage compressor means before it is further compressed in said second stage compressor means;

sorbent filter means for sorptively removing generally all materials from said gaseous fuel except for certain preselected constituents of said gaseous fuel therefrom;

discharge means for supplying said compressed gaseous fuel from said second stage compressor means to said vehicle or other gaseous fueled device, said discharge means including a discharge fluid conduit selectively and releasably connectable to a fuel inlet means on said vehicle or device in order to selectively refuel the same;

at least one storage vessel, said storage vessel containing an adsorptive material therein and being adapted for adsorptive storage of a predetermined quantity of said compressed gaseous fuel from said second stage compressor means;

control means for supplying said compressed gaseous fuel to said vehicle or device from either said second stage compressor means or said storage vessel, said control means causing said compressed gaseous fuel to be initially supplied to said vehicle or device from said storage vessel when the initial pressure therein is generally at or above a second predetermined pressure level and further being adapted to cause said storage vessel to be bypassed in order to supply said compressed gaseous fuel to said vehicle or device from said second stage compressor means when said storage tank pressure drops below a third predetermined level, said control means automatically supplying said compressed gaseous fuel to said storage vessel after said fluid conduit has been disconnected from said vehicle or device or alternatively after the gaseous fuel pressure in said vehicle or the like has increased generally to a fourth predetermined pressure level, said control means further being adapted to deactivate said compressor after the gaseous fuel pressure in said storage vessel has increased generally to said second predetermined level; and

lubricant filter means on the outlet of each of said first and second stage compressor means for substantially trapping and collecting any compressor means lubricants from said compressed gaseous fuel, fluid conduit means connecting each said lubricant filter means with the suction of its respective first or second stage compressor means, each said fluid conduit means including valve means therein, and said control means maintaining each said valve means in its closed condition when its respective first or second stage compressor means is activated and opening each said valve means when its respective first or second stage compressor means is deactivated to cause a quantity of compressed gaseous fuel to flow from said respective compressor means outlet to said respective compressor means suction in order to substantially balance the pressure therebetween and to forcibly return said collected lubricants to the respective compressor means suction.

12. A refueling apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined maximum pressure level is in the range of approximately 100 psig, (689 kPa) to approximately 500 psig (3450 kPa).

13. A refueling module according to claim 11, wherein said first stage and second stage compression means each comprise a separate hermetically-sealed refrigerant-type gas compressor.

14. A refueling apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said compressor means comprises a hermetically-sealed two-stage compressor, said two-stage compressor being adapted for fluid connection of said interstage heat exchanger between stages.

15. A refueling apparatus according to claim 11, comprising moisture separating means between said air cooling means and said sorbent filter means.

16. A refueling apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said moisture removal means comprises means for further cooling said compressed gaseous fuel below ambient air temperature in order to separate moisture therefrom, and drain means for removing said separated moisture from said refrigeration means.

17. A refueling apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said moisture removal means comprises a vortex tube device.

18. A natural gas refueling module for refueling a natural gas powered vehicle or other device using natural gas, said refueling module comprising:

an inlet adapted to be connected to a natural gas supply system;

at least one hermetically-sealed gas compressor means on said refueling module having its suction connected to said inlet for compressing said natural gas to increase the pressure thereof up to a first predetermined pressure level less than approximately 400 psig (2760 kPa)

air cooling means on said refueling module for decreasing the temperature of said compressed gaseous natural gas;

said hermetically-sealed compressor means including first stage compression means for initially increasing the pressure of said gaseous natural gas and second stage compression means for further increasing the pressure of said compressed gaseous natural gas from said first stage compression means, said air cooling means including an interstage heat exchanger adapted to decrease the temperature of said compressed gaseous natural gas from said first stage compression means before it is further compressed in said second stage compression means, said air cooling means including a secondary heat exchanger adapted to decrease the temperature of said compressed gaseous natural gas from said second stage compression means;

an adsorbent filter chamber having an adsorbent material therein adapted for adsorbing heavy-end constituents from said compressed natural gas from said second stage compression means;

at least one adsorbent storage vessel for adsorptively storing said compressed natural gas from said adsorbent filter generally at said first predetermined pressure level;

module outlet means for selectively supplying said compressed natural gas from said second stage compression means to said vehicle, said module outlet means including a fluid outlet conduit selectively and releasably connected to a fuel inlet means of said vehicle; and

refueling module control means for supplying said filtered and compressed gaseous natural gas to said vehicle from either said second stage compression means or said storage vessel, said control means causing said filtered and compressed gaseous natural gas to be supplied to said vehicle from said storage vessel when the pressure therein is generally at or above a second predetermined pressure level and further causing said storage vessel to be bypassed by said filter and compressed gaseous natural gas when said refueling apparatus storage vessel pressure drops below a third predetermined level;

said refueling module control means further causing said compressed gaseous natural gas to be supplied to said storage vessel after said discharge fluid conduit has been selectively disconnected from said vehicle fuel inlet means or alternatively after the pressure of the compressed gaseous natural gas in said vehicle has increased to a fourth predetermined pressure level, said compressed gaseous natural gas being supplied to said refueling apparatus storage vessel until the pressure in said refueling apparatus storage vessel is generally at said second predetermined pressure level;

said control means further deactivating said compressor after the compressed gaseous natural gas pressure in said refueling apparatus storage vessel has increased generally to said second predetermined pressure level; and

lubricant filter means on the discharge of each of said first and second stage compression means for substantially trapping and collecting any compression means lubricants from said compressed gaseous fuel therefrom, fluid conduit means separately connecting each of said lubricant filter means with the suction of its associated compression means, each said conduit means including valve means therein, and said control means including means for maintaining each said valve means in its closed condition when its associated compression means is activated and for opening each said valve means when its associated compression means is deactivated to cause compressed gaseous fuel to flow from said discharge to said suction of its associated compression means in order to substantially balance the pressure therebetween and to forcibly return said collected lubricants to the suction of its associated compression means.

19. A natural gas refueling module according to claim 18, further comprising check valve means in said inlet for substantially preventing backflow of natural gas into said natural gas supply system, and normally-closed valve means for substantially isolating the remainder of said module from said natural gas supply system when said module is deactivated.

20. A natural gas refueling module according to claim 18, further comprising first means for removing moisture from the natural gas from said inlet prior to admitting said natural gas to said compressor means and second means for removing moisture from said compressed natural gas prior to admitting said compressed natural gas to said adsorbent filter chamber.

21. A natural gas refueling module according to claim 20, wherein said first moisture removal means comprises a desiccant filter device having an adsorbent material therein for adsorbing said moisture from said natural gas.

22. A natural gas refueling module according to claim 20, wherein said second moisture removal means comprises refrigeration means for cooling said compressed natural gas below ambient temperature in order to separate said moisture therefrom, and drain means for removing said separated moisture from said refrigeration means.

23. A natural gas refueling module according to claim 20, wherein said second moisture removal means comprises a vortex tube device.