Defuel priority panel
AssigneeOpal Fuels LLC
InventorsDaniel Kubista, Martin Edward Lucas, Claudiu Dorian Pruteanu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for a combined defuel and priority panel for a fueling station. The defuel and priority panel is configured to defuel a compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle and direct the defueled gas to fuel other CNG vehicles at the panel fueling and defueling site. The defuel and priority panel is also configured to store defueled gas in defuel storage tanks, which can then be used to later fuel CNG vehicles.
Claims20
A defueling system comprising:
- a compressor inlet;
- a defuel inlet for connecting to and defueling a pressurized fuel source having a pressure;
- a heat exchange system connected to the defuel inlet, wherein the heat exchange system is configured to prevent freezing during defueling and refueling;
- a pressure regulator;
- a defueling storage tank having a pressure Spsi for storing defueled fuel from the pressurized fuel source,
- wherein the pressure regulator is configured to depressurize a compressed gas being defueled from the pressurized fuel source, and
- wherein the defueling system comprises a refueling outlet configured to refuel a fuel demand source comprising a compressed natural gas (CNG) tank of a CNG vehicle with the defueled fuel from the defueling storage tank, and wherein the defueling system is configured to repressurize fuel being refueled to the fuel demand source from the defueling storage tank.
The defueling system claim of 1, wherein the defueling system is configured to vent some or all of the gas from the fuel source.
A method comprising:
- connecting a compressed natural gas (CNG) tank of a CNG vehicle to a defuel inlet of a defueling system;
- depressurizing the CNG being defueled from the CNG tank;
- routing the defueled natural gas to a heat exchange system, wherein the heat exchange system is configured to prevent freezing during defueling and refueling;
- and
- recompressing the decompressed natural gas and routing it to a refueling outlet to fuel a CNG demand source comprising the same or another compressed natural gas (CNG) tank of the same or another CNG vehicle, a defuel storage tank for storing defueled CNG, or both.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.