System and method to cost-effectively pressurize cryogenic H2 by heat transfer

A system for pressurizing liquid hydrogen (LH2), comprising:

• a pressure vessel for containing an initial quantity of the LH2, the pressure vessel containing a neck portion;
• a fill/discharge plug having an inlet orifice and an outlet orifice, and coupled to the neck portion of the pressure vessel to communicate with an interior area of the pressure vessel;
• a vaporizer having an inlet and an outlet;
• a discharge tube coupling the outlet orifice of the fill/discharge plug with the inlet of the vaporizer;
• a vent valve disposed in communication with the discharge tube at a point between the outlet orifice of the fill/discharge plug and the inlet of the vaporizer;
• a supply tube coupling the outlet of the vaporizer with the inlet orifice of the fill/discharge plug, and a portion of the supply tube extending inside the pressure vessel and angled to a point adjacent a bottom portion of an interior area of the pressure vessel;
• the vaporizer receiving a portion of the LH2 from the pressure vessel via the discharge tube during a pressurization operation, warming the portion of the LH2 using an ambient environment, and discharging heated and pressurized H2 back to the pressure vessel through the supply tube;
• the vent valve providing a path to atmosphere during an LH2 fill operation in which the pressure vessel is being filled from an external LH2 source with the LH2, and the vent valve being configurable in a closed condition during the pressurization operation;
• a one-way flow valve in the discharge tube, for limiting a direction of flow of the portion of the LH2 to be only from the pressure vessel into the vaporizer during the pressurization operation,
• wherein the discharge tube includes a length portion extending inside the pressure vessel and angled upwardly to a point adjacent an upper interior area of the pressure vessel, and the pressure vessel is oriented in a horizontal orientation.