US 12,650,205 B2Granted

Gas fueling systems and methods with minimum and/or no cooling

AssigneeVasilios Manousiouthakis

InventorVasilios Manousiouthakis

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Abstract

Gaseous fueling systems and methods are provided for dispensing fuel to a vehicle or container. The distribution systems speed up the filling process and may eliminate the use of expensive cooling systems required in the art. The methods utilize sequences of filling and emptying the vehicle gas storage tank to control the temperature of the gas inside the tank. These filling and emptying sequences may overlap. The methods repeatedly dispense fuel to the vehicle fuel tank at a first flow rate and for a first period of time and remove fuel from the fuel tank at a second flow rate for a second period of time, which periods may overlap, to maintain fuel temperature within a desired temperature range and until the vehicle fuel tank is filled to a desired level. In addition, the fill-up mass flowrate can be maximized to system capabilities so a fill-up can be completed in about one minute.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A compressed gas fueling station for a vehicle, the fueling station comprising:

(a) at least one fueling station storage tank that does not contain a gas storage bed;
(b) a dispenser connected to at least one fueling station storage tank;
(c) wherein the dispenser comprises at least one valve, a cooler that can reduce gas temperature increases generated by decompression and/or compression, and a controller;
(d) wherein the dispenser is configured for fluidic coupling of at least one fueling station storage tank to a vehicle storage tank;
and
(e) wherein said controller is configured to control operation of said valves;
and
(g) wherein said controller of said dispenser further comprises a processor and programming executable on the processor for controlling the operation of said valves;
and
(h) wherein said controller further comprises a processor and programming executable on the processor for performing steps comprising:
simultaneously dispensing fuel to a vehicle fuel tank at a first flow rate and removing fuel from the fuel tank at a second flow rate, so as to maintain fuel temperature in the tank within a desired temperature range and until the vehicle fuel tank is filled to a desired level.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/900,598Filed 31 Aug 2022 · division
Priority: 15 Oct 2020
Published: US 2023/0089372 A123 Mar 2023
Granted: 9 Jun 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification30 codes

F17C 5/06
Methods or apparatus for filling containers with liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases under pressures: for filling with compressed gases
F17C 5/02
Methods or apparatus for filling containers with liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases under pressures: for filling with liquefied gases
F17C 13/02
Details of vessels or of the filling or discharging of vessels: special adaptations of indicating, measuring, or monitoring equipment
F17C 13/04
Details of vessels or of the filling or discharging of vessels: arrangement or mounting of valves

Family

Application17/071,906Parent of this division · filed 15 Oct 2020
US 2023/0089372 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 Mar 2023
US 11,480,303 B2Parent of this division
US 2021/0116071 A1Published application
US 12,650,205 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.