Mechanical Defrosting During Continuous Regasification of a Cryogenic Fluid Using Ambient Air

Abstract

A process and corresponding apparatus for regasifying a cryogenic liquid to gaseous form includes a process step and suitable structure to transfer heat from ambient air to the cryogenic liquid across a heat transfer surface by circulating the cryogenic liquid or an intermediate fluid through an atmospheric vaporizer, where the ambient air and the cryogenic fluid or intermediate fluid are not in direct contact; and a process step and suitable structure to mechanically scrape an external portion of the heat transfer surface exposed to the atmosphere to remove frost from the external portion of the heat transfer surface, where defrosting is achieved without the need to discontinue circulating the cryogenic fluid or the intermediate fluid through the atmospheric vaporizer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.