High pressure fuel supply system for natural gas vehicles

• US 5,884,488 A
• Filed: 11/07/1997
• Issued: 03/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westport Power Inc. (Westport Fuel Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Westport Research Inc.
• Inventors: Gram, Anker, Noble, Stephen Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): CAPOSSELA, RONALD C
• Application Number:
  US08/965,969
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 62/50.6, 417/901
• US Class Current: 62/50.6
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 15/08 the liquids having low boiling points
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 25/02 of stepped piston type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 417/901 Cryogenic pumps

Abstract

This invention relates to a medium and high pressure liquid natural gas fuel system for internal combustion engines and for other cryogenic systems. A cryogenic pump comprising: (a) a vessel for containing compressed gas and liquid; (b) a first chamber in said vessel with an inlet therein for receiving gas and liquid; (c) a second chamber communicating with said first chamber for receiving and dispelling gas and liquid; (d) a third chamber communicating with said second chamber for receiving and dispelling gas and liquid; (e) a reciprocating means separating said first, second and third chambers from one another and for drawing and compressing gas and liquid in any one of the first, second and third chambers; (f) one-way inlet means for enabling gas and liquid to pass into the first chamber; (g) one-way means between said first and second chambers for enabling gas and liquid to pass from said first chamber to said second chamber; (h) one-way means for enabling gas and liquid to return from the second chamber to the first chamber; (i) one-way means between said second and third chambers for enabling gas and liquid to be passed from said second chamber to said third chamber; and (j) one-way means for enabling gas and liquid to be expelled from said third chamber to the exterior of the vessel. The invention also relates to a single action suction and double action discharge pump which can be readily removed from a confined space.

Claims

1. A cryogenic pump comprising:

(a) a vessel for containing compressed gas and liquid;

(b) a first chamber in said vessel with an inlet therein for receiving gas and liquid;

(c) a second chamber in said vessel communicating with said first chamber for receiving and dispelling gas and liquid;

(d) a third chamber in said vessel communicating with said second chamber for receiving and dispelling gas and liquid;

(e) a reciprocating means separating said first, second and third chambers from one another and for drawing and compressing gas and liquid in any one of the first, second and third chambers;

(f) first one-way means in the inlet for enabling gas and liquid to pass into the first chamber;

(g) second one-way means between said first chamber and said second chamber for enabling gas and liquid to pass from said first chamber to said second chamber;

(h) third one-way means for enabling gas and liquid to return from the second chamber to the first chamber;

(i) fourth one-way means between said second and third chambers for enabling gas and liquid to pass from said second chamber to said third chamber; and

(j) fifth one-way means for enabling gas and liquid to be expelled from said third chamber to the exterior of the vessel.

2. A pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein said vessel is a hollow first cylinder, said reciprocating pumping means is a piston which reciprocates longitudinally within the interior of the cylinder, said reciprocating means being reciprocally driven by a longitudinally extending shaft connecting the reciprocating means with an exterior reciprocating power source.

3. A pump as claimed in claim 2 wherein the reciprocating piston and shaft is driven by a hydraulic cylinder.

4. A pump as claimed in claim 2 wherein said reciprocating piston has thereon a hollow rod which extends from a side of the piston opposite the longitudinally extending shaft, said hollow rod reciprocating in a second hollow cylinder which is positioned in the interior of the first cylinder, said hollow rod connecting the second chamber and the third chamber, the third chamber being located in the interior of the second hollow cylinder.

5. A pump as claimed in claim 4 wherein the inlet to the first chamber of the vessel is connected to a liquified natural gas holding tank by a hollow inlet line, the hollow inlet of the inlet line being located below the surface of liquid in the liquified natural gas holding tank.

6. A pump as claimed in claim 5 including a hollow gas line which is connected from a gas vapour region of the liquified natural gas holding tank to the hollow liquid inlet line.

7. A pump as claimed in claim 6 wherein a control valve and a metering valve are located in the hollow gas line connecting the gas vapour region of the liquified natural gas holding tank with the hollow liquid inlet line.

8. A pump as claimed in claim 5 wherein the liquified natural gas holding tank comprises a sealed inner jacket and a sealed outer jacket, and the space between the inner jacket and the outer jacket has a heat insulating vacuum therein.

9. A pump as claimed in claim 4 wherein the exterior of the pump is insulated and heat insulation is positioned between the shaft and the first cylinder and between the first cylinder and the second cylinder.

10. A pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second one-way means between the first chamber and the second chamber is a check valve which is located in the reciprocating piston, and the fourth one-way means connecting the second chamber with the third chamber is a check valve which is located in the hollow rod extending from the reciprocating piston.

11. A pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first one-way means is a check valve and the fifth one-way means connecting the interior of the third chamber with the exterior of the vessel is a check valve.

12. A pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the third one-way means is a liquid pressure relief check valve which is located in the reciprocating piston, and is set to open at a predetermined pressure and thereby enable gas and liquid in said second chamber to return to said first chamber.

13. A pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlet of the third chamber of the pump is connected to a vapourizer, which is sequentially connected to a gas accumulator, which is sequentially connected to an internal combustion engine.

14. A pump as claimed in claim 13 wherein when the gas pressure in the accumulator drops to a specified level, the control valve closes so that the first chamber of the vessel receives only liquid from the hollow liquid inlet line.

15. A pump as claimed in claim 14 including a hollow gas line connected between the second chamber of the vessel and the gas vapour region of the liquified natural gas holding tank, said gas line having a control valve therein, said control valve opening under predetermined conditions to enable gas from said second chamber to be transferred to said gas vapour region of said holding tank.

16. A cryogenic pump comprising:

(a) a vessel for containing compressed gas and liquid;

(b) a sump with an inlet therein for receiving gas and liquid, said sump being connectable to a source of gas and liquid;

(c) a first chamber in the vessel communicating with said sump for receiving gas and liquid from the sump;

(d) first one-way inlet means between the sump and the first chamber for enabling gas and liquid to pass into the first chamber;

(e) a second chamber in the vessel communicating with said first chamber for receiving and dispelling gas and liquid;

(f) a reciprocating piston separating said first chamber and said second chamber from one another and for drawing and compressing gas and liquid in any one of the first and second chambers;

(g) second one-way means in the reciprocating piston between said first and second chambers for enabling gas and liquid to pass from said first chamber to said second chamber; and

(h) means for enabling gas and liquid to be expelled from said second chamber to the exterior of the vessel.

17. A pump as claimed in claim 16 wherein said first and second chambers are cylindrical and releasably fit within the sump which is a hollow cylinder, and are in longitudinal alignment with one another, said reciprocating pumping means is a piston which reciprocates longitudinally within the interior of the first and second cylindrical chambers, said reciprocating piston being reciprocally driven by a longitudinally extending shaft connecting the reciprocating piston with an exterior reciprocating energy source, and said second chamber is an annular shaped volume between the exterior of the shaft and the interior of the cylindrical vessel.

18. A pump as claimed in claim 17 including a seal between the longitudinally extending shaft and the second chamber, and a passage circumventing the seal for enabling liquid that escapes past the seal to be returned to the sump.

19. A pump as claimed in claim 17 wherein said second hollow annular volume is connected to a hollow line which extends to the exterior of the vessel, opposite to the sump inlet.

20. A pump as claimed in claim 19 wherein the second one-way means between the first chamber and the second chamber is a check valve which is located in the reciprocating piston.

21. A pump as claimed in claim 16 wherein the first one-way inlet means is a check valve.

22. A pump as claimed in claim 16 wherein the means connecting the second chamber with the exterior of the vessel is a pipe and a check valve which is located to the exterior of the pump.

23. A pump as claimed in claim 16 wherein the outer jacket has therein a region in which the pump can be installed between the inner jacket and the outer jacket.

24. A pump as claimed in claim 23 wherein the pump fits within a sump in the region between the inner jacket and the outer jacket, an inlet from the holding tank to the pump is connected to the sump within the interior between the inner jacket and the outer jacket, and an outlet from the pump extends to the exterior of the holding tank.

25. A pump as claimed in claim 24 wherein the pump located between the inner and outer jackets of the holding tank includes an inducer which contains therein a second reciprocating piston which is connected to the first reciprocating piston, said second reciprocating piston in said inducer separating the interior of the inducer into third and fourth chambers, said third and fourth chambers being interconnected by a check valve, a relief valve, said third chamber being connected to said first chamber by a check valve, and said fourth chamber being connected to said inlet line from said holding tank by a check valve.

26. A pump as claimed in claim 25 wherein the inlet line to the fourth chamber of the inducer includes a hollow gas vapour line which connects the inlet line with the gas vapour region of the holding tank, said hollow gas vapour line having therein a restriction which regulates the flow of gas through the gas vapour inlet line.

27. A pump as claimed in claim 16 wherein the first chamber is at least twice as large in volume as the second chamber.