# US 12,253,214 B2 · Compressed natural gas storage and transportation system

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- Number: US 12,253,214 B2
- Document ID: US12253214B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/341,199
- Filed: 2023-06-26
- Published: 2023-10-19
- Granted: 2025-03-18
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-31
- Assignees: Nearshore Natural Gas, LLC
- Applicants: Nearshore Natural Gas, LLC
- Inventors: Pedro T. Santos; David I. Scott
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12253214B2

## CPC

- F17C 1/12: with provision for thermal insulation ({F17C1/14, F17C1/16 take precedence}; thermal insulation in general F16L59/00)
- F25D 3/125: {Movable containers}
- F17C 13/00: Details of vessels or of the filling or discharging of vessels
- F25D 3/12: using solidified gases, e.g. carbon-dioxide snow
- F17C 2201/0109: with exteriorly curved end-piece
- F17C 2201/035: with substantially horizontal main axis
- F17C 2201/054: medium (>1 m3)
- F17C 2203/012: on or in the wall, e.g. ribs
- F17C 2203/0362: by liquid means
- F17C 2203/0604: Liners
- F17C 2203/0619: with two layers
- F17C 2203/0665: radially wound
- F17C 2203/067: helically wound
- F17C 2203/0673: Polymers
- F17C 2221/033: Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG
- F17C 2223/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2223/036: Very high pressure (>80 bar)
- F17C 2227/0192: by using a working fluid
- F17C 2227/0341: using another fluid
- F17C 2250/036: using alarms
- F17C 2270/0105: Ships
- F17C 2270/0168: by vehicles
- F17C 2270/0173: Railways
- F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25)
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)

## Abstract

A system for storing and transporting compressed natural gas includes source and destination facilities and a vehicle, each of which includes pressure vessels. The pressure vessels and gas therein may be maintained in a cold state by a carbon-dioxide-based refrigeration unit. Hydraulic fluid (and/or nitrogen) ballast may be used to fill the pressure vessels as the pressure vessels are emptied so as to maintain the pressure vessels in a substantially isobaric state that reduces vessel fatigue and lengthens vessel life. The pressure vessels may be hybrid vessels with carbon fiber and fiber glass wrappings. Dip tubes may extend into the pressure vessels to selectively expel/inject gas from/into the top of the vessels or hydraulic fluid from/into the bottom of the vessels. Impingement deflectors are disposed adjacent to the dip tubes inside the vessels to discourage fluid-induced erosion of vessel walls.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for transporting cold compressed gas, the method comprising:
storing compressed gas in an interior volume of a storage vessel that is inside an enclosed and insulated space of a vehicle, the vessel defining a fluid barrier that isolates the interior volume from the enclosed and insulated space outside of the vessel;
refrigerating the insulated space using a closed-loop carbon-dioxide-based refrigeration unit supported by the vehicle, wherein said refrigerating comprises
depositing solid carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space,
receiving gaseous carbon dioxide from the enclosed and insulated space into a carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway connecting the enclosed and insulated space to the refrigeration unit, wherein the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway comprises a gaseous carbon dioxide inlet fluidly connected to the enclosed and insulated space and through which said gaseous carbon dioxide is received, the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway having a carbon dioxide outlet fluidly connected to the enclosed and insulated space,
using a compressor disposed along the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway to compress gaseous carbon dioxide that is disposed in the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway and was received via the gaseous carbon dioxide inlet,
using a cooling system disposed along the passageway to cool the received gaseous carbon dioxide that is disposed within the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway,
forming solid carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide that was cooled with the cooling system, and
depositing the formed solid carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space; and
moving the vehicle toward a destination facility,
wherein said refrigerating comprises isolating the carbon dioxide refrigerant used by the refrigeration unit from the compressed gas in the interior volume.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed gas comprises compressed natural gas.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said moving comprises moving the vehicle from a first geographic site to a second geographic site, and wherein a temperature within the insulated space remains between −98.7 and −58.5 degrees C. throughout said moving.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
forming solid carbon dioxide comprises:
ejecting liquid carbon dioxide into the insulated space via the carbon dioxide outlet; and
solidifying liquid carbon dioxide within the insulated space, wherein the cooling of the gaseous carbon dioxide results in the formation of liquid carbon dioxide which is formed and solidified into solid carbon dioxide that is deposited into the insulated space.