Apparatus for maintaining liquefied gas composition during dispense
AssigneeSouth 8 Technologies, Inc.
InventorsCyrus Rustomji, James Royer, Elena Machado, John Kearney
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods maintain constant composition of multi-component liquefied-gas mixtures (e.g., for battery electrolytes or refrigerants) during dispensing by transferring vapor from a second container to a first to compensate for selective evaporation. Embodiments use heating, constant-pressure cylinders, pumps, or cycled intermediate cylinders, with sensors for control. Systems enable full utilization with minimal waste, scalable for industrial applications.
Claims24
An apparatus for maintaining liquid-phase composition of a multi-component liquefied-gas mixture during dispensing, the mixture consisting of a plurality of chemical components, comprising:
- a first container containing a liquid phase of the mixture and a vapor headspace;
- a second container containing vapor of the mixture, wherein the vapor in the second container is composition-matched to the vapor headspace of the first container, the second container being distinct from a downstream container receiving the dispensed liquid phase;
- a fluid conduit fluidly coupling the second container to the headspace of the first container;
- at least one sensor configured to measure a headspace condition of the first container;
- a flow-control subsystem disposed in the conduit;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the sensor and the flow-control subsystem and configured to transfer vapor from the second container to the first container during liquid dispensing to maintain a temperature-normalized headspace pressure within a band that corresponds to a liquid-phase composition tolerance of ±10% relative to an initial molar fraction for each chemical component.
A method of maintaining constant composition of a multi-component liquefied-gas mixture during dispensing, the mixture consisting of a plurality of chemical components, comprising:
- providing a first container containing the liquid phase and a vapor headspace of the mixture;
- providing a second container containing vapor of the mixture and fluidly coupling the second container to the headspace of the first container, wherein the vapor in the second container is composition-matched to the vapor headspace of the first container, the second container being distinct from a downstream container receiving the dispensed liquid phase;
- equilibrating the second container with headspace vapor from the first container;
- dispensing liquid from the first container to a downstream process;
- and
- based on a measured headspace condition of the first container, transferring vapor from the second container to the first container so as to hold a headspace pressure within a band that corresponds to a liquid-phase composition tolerance of ±10% relative to an initial molar fraction for each chemical component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.