System and method for storing and dispensing fuel and ballast fluid

• US 9,151,249 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanigan, Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zec, Filip
• Application Number:
  US13/625,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39, 62/532, 62/451, 62/481, 62/7, 626/14, 626/16, 165/104.21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0647 the gaseous fuel being liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], liquefied natural gas [LNG], compressed natural gas [CNG] or dimethyl ether [DME]
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0209 Hydrocarbon fuels, e.g. methane or acetylene
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0221 Fuel storage reservoirs, e.g. cryogenic tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/06 Apparatus for de-liquefying, e.g. by heating
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 1/00 Pressure vessels, e.g. gas cylinder, gas tank, replaceable cartridge pressurised apparatus for purposes other than storage, see the relevant subclasses such as A62C, B05B; associated with vehicles, see the appropriate subclass of classes B60 - B64; pressure vessels in general F16J12/00 ; autoclaves B01J3/04; tank vehicles B60P3/22; railway tank wagons for carrying fluent materials B61D5/00; accumulators for supplying fluid under pressure F15B1/04; liquefied gas stoves F24C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0367 Arrangements in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/011 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/014 Nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/031 Air
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/033 Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/033 Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0341 using another fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/031 due to heat transfer
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/065 for refueling vehicle fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/066 for feeding engines for propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0139 Fuel stations
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0168 by vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 7/04 with change of state, e.g. vaporisation
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0064 Vaporizers, e.g. evaporators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 : Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6416 : With heating or cooling of the system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49716 : Converting

Abstract

A system for storing and dispensing fuel and a ballast fluid is disclosed. The system may be installed in a station. The system may be employed in a vehicle or facility having a power plant. Fuel and ballast fluid may be stored cryogenically in a liquid phase and dispensed to the vapor phase. The system may employ a thermal and volumetric compensatory arrangement wherein fuel dispensed from storage for use in a power plant is used as a heat exchange medium (refrigerant) for ballast fluid received for storage; during refueling, ballast fluid stored in the vehicle or facility may be dispensed and used as a refrigerant for fuel being stored in the vehicle in space made available by the dispensed ballast fluid. The fuel may be natural gas with a main component of methane; the ballast fluid may be a fluid obtainable from ambient environmental air, such as nitrogen or oxygen. The fuel and ballast fluid may be conditioned so that the respective boiling points are approximately equal. The system may employ a heat transfer system with a microchannel heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A station supplied with fuel from a source and configured for dispensing fuel to and receiving ballast fluid from a vehicle having a system where the ballast fluid is used as a refrigerant for the fuel comprising:

a connection to the source of fuel

a tank for storing the fuel;

a tank for storing the ballast fluid;

a heat transfer system for refrigerating the fuel, the heat transfer system including a heat exchanger, disposed exterior the tank for storing the fuel and exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid, between the tank for storing the fuel and a fuel outlet and between the tank for storing the ballast fluid and a ballast fluid inlet so that fuel exterior the tank for storing the fuel is used as a refrigerant for ballast fluid exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid wherein (a) fuel, exterior the tank for storing the fuel, dispensed from the tank for storing the fuel is used exterior the tank for storing the fuel as a refrigerant for ballast fluid, exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid, received for storage in the tank for storing the ballast fluid and (b) ballast fluid, exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid and exterior the tank for storing the fuel, dispensed from the tank for storing the ballast fluid is used as a refrigerant exterior the tank for storing the fuel for fuel, exterior the tank for storing the fuel, received for storage in the tank for storing the fuel;

a meter configured to measure the amount of fuel dispensed; and

a system for determining a cost to be charged to an account associated with the vehicle for the fuel dispensed to the vehicle.

2. The station of claim 1 further comprising a system for determining a cost to be credited to an account associated with the vehicle for ballast fluid received from the vehicle.

3. The station of claim 1 further comprising a system for conditioning the fuel.

4. The station of claim 1 wherein the account is associated with an operator of the vehicle and the account comprises one of a bank account, a credit card account, a debit card account or an account with a merchant.

5. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel is refrigerated is by direct cooling.

6. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel is stored in the fuel tank substantially in liquid phase.

7. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid is stored in the ballast fluid tank substantially in liquid phase.

8. The station of claim 1 further comprising a system to dispense ballast fluid to the vehicle.

9. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel is cooled and condensed from vapor phase to liquid phase in the heat transfer system.

10. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid is heated and evaporated from liquid phase to vapor phase in the heat transfer system.

11. The station of claim 1 further comprising an inlet for receiving the fuel;

and an outlet for dispensing the fuel.

12. The station of claim 1 further comprising a tank that provides a volume and the fuel tank and the ballast fluid tank share the volume.

13. The station of claim 1 further comprising a reserve tank for storage of the ballast fluid coupled to the ballast fluid tank.

14. The station of claim 1 further comprising a vent for venting ballast fluid.

15. The station of claim 1 wherein the heat transfer system comprises a heat pump.

16. The station of claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises one of a passenger vehicle, a work vehicle, a cargo transport, a tanker transport, a car, a bus, a truck, a hybrid vehicle, a dual-fuel vehicle, a hybrid-electric vehicle, a train, a rail transport vehicle, a locomotive, a railroad vehicle, a plane, a marine transport vehicle, a ship, a boat, a cargo vessel, a passenger ship.

17. The station of claim 1 wherein the station comprises one of a fuel supply station, a filling station, a commercial facility, a residential facility, a home, a garage, a terminal.

18. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel comprises natural gas.

19. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel comprises methane.

20. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel comprises a combustible fluid.

21. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises a fluid obtainable from atmospheric air.

22. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises a fluid obtainable from air at ambient conditions.

23. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises air.

24. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises a fluid obtained by conditioning atmospheric air obtained at ambient conditions.

25. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises an inert fluid.

26. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises nitrogen.

27. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises oxygen.

28. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid comprises nitrogen and oxygen.

29. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel is stored at a cryogenic temperature.

30. The station of claim 1 wherein the ballast fluid is stored at a cryogenic temperature.

31. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel tank is a cryogenic storage tank.

32. The station of claim 1 wherein the fuel tank comprises a Dewar vessel.

33. The station of claim 1 further comprising a system to condition the ballast fluid for storage.

34. A station for dispensing fuel obtained from a source to a vehicle having a system for storing fuel and ballast fluid comprising:

a connection to the source to supply the fuel to the station;

a tank for storing the fuel;

a tank for storing the ballast fluid;

a heat transfer system for refrigerating the fuel, the heat transfer system including a heat exchanger, disposed exterior the tank for storing the fuel and exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid, between the tank for storing the fuel and a fuel outlet and between the tank for storing the ballast fluid and a ballast fluid inlet so that fuel exterior the tank for storing the fuel is used as a refrigerant for ballast fluid exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid wherein (a) fuel, exterior the tank for storing the fuel, dispensed from the tank for storing the fuel is used exterior the tank for storing the fuel as a refrigerant for ballast fluid, exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid, received for storage in the tank for storing the ballast fluid and (b) ballast fluid, exterior the tank for storing the ballast fluid and exterior the tank for storing the fuel, dispensed from the tank for storing the ballast fluid is used as a refrigerant exterior the tank for storing the fuel for fuel, exterior the tank for storing the fuel, received for storage in the tank for storing the fuel;

a conditioning system configured to regulate the temperature and pressure of the fuel dispensed to the vehicle;

a system to charge an account associated with the vehicle an amount of cost related to the amount of fuel dispensed to the vehicle;

an interface with the vehicle configured to monitor the amount of fuel dispensed to the vehicle;

and wherein the fuel is stored in the station in liquid phase and the ballast fluid is stored in the station in the liquid phase.