# US 2014/0196815 A1 · Device and Method for Filling a Container with a Gas Under Pressure

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- Number: US 2014/0196815 A1
- Document ID: US20140196815A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/212,476
- Filed: 2014-03-14
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2008-03-11
- Assignees: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour I'Etude et I'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
- Applicants: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour I'Etude et I'Expolitation des Procedes Georges Claude
- Inventors: Laurent ALLIDIERES; Thomas Charbonneau; Thomas Vinard; Sebastian-Eloy Sequeira
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196815A1

## CPC

- F17C 5/06: for filling with compressed gases
- F17C 5/007: {for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles (filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00)}
- F17C 7/00: Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases from pressure vessels, not covered by another subclass
- F17C 13/025: {having the pressure as the parameter}
- F17C 13/026: {having the temperature as the parameter}
- F17C 2221/012: Hydrogen
- F17C 2223/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2223/036: Very high pressure (>80 bar)
- F17C 2225/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2225/036: Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars
- F17C 2227/0164: with specified compressor type, e.g. piston or impulsive type
- F17C 2227/0341: using another fluid
- F17C 2227/0388: separate
- F17C 2227/043: by pressure cascade
- F17C 2250/03: Control means
- F17C 2250/043: Pressure
- F17C 2250/0439: Temperature
- F17C 2250/0631: Temperature
- F17C 2260/023: Avoiding overheating
- F17C 2270/0139: Fuel stations
- F17C 2270/0171: Trucks
- F17C 2270/0178: Cars
- Y02E 60/32: Hydrogen storage
- 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)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Device for filling a container with a gas under pressure, especially hydrogen in a tank of a vehicle, comprising at least one source (1, 2, 3, 6) of gas pressurized to a first pressure, called high pressure, a transfer circuit (201, 36, 13, 14, 136, 146) capable of selectively connecting the source or sources (1, 2, 3, 6) of pressurized gas to the tank to be filled, the transfer circuit comprising control members (204, 132, 142) for controlling the flow of the gas from the source or sources (1, 2, 3, 6) to the tank, the transfer circuit further including at least one cooling exchanger (9), for cooling the pressurized gas, wherein the cooling exchanger (9) comprises a hot flow circuit (99) for the pressurized gas to be cooled, a cold flow circuit (98) for a cold cooling fluid, and a refrigeration hold-over medium (5), the refrigeration hold-over medium (5) being in direct heat exchange, on the one hand, with the cold fluid of the cold circuit (98) and, on the other hand, with the pressurized gas to be cooled of the hot circuit (99), in order to selectively carry out indirect heat exchange between the pressurized gas and the cold fluid (4) via the refrigeration hold-over medium (5), and wherein the refrigeration hold-over medium (5) forms and fills a gap (1) between the cold fluid of the cold circuit (98) and the pressurized gas of the hot circuit (99), the gap (1) having a thickness of greater than 5 mm and preferably between 20 and 50 mm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device for filling a vehicle tank with pressurized hydrogen, comprising at least one source of pressurized hydrogen gas and a transfer circuit capable of selectively fluidly connecting said at least one source and the tank to be filled, said transfer circuit comprising a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising a refrigeration hold-over medium that forms and fills a gap between a hot circuit traversing the refrigeration hold-over medium and a cold circuit traversing the refrigeration hold-over medium, wherein:
the hot circuit receives a flow of the pressurized hydrogen gas from said at least one source and directs the flow of the pressurized hydrogen gas to the vehicle tank to be filled;
the cold hot circuit allows a flow of cooling fluid therethrough;
the refrigeration hold-over medium essentially consists of a mass of aluminum metal formed by high-temperature casting in liquid form around the hot and cold circuits, or a mass of aluminum metal through which the hot circuit is bored;
the gap between the hot circuit and the cold circuit is greater than 5 mm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the cold flow circuit is selectively connected to a tank of cryogenic fluid.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the cryogenic fluid is liquid nitrogen or CO2.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the transfer circuit further comprises a valve and a selective by-pass circuit portion that bypasses at least one part of the heat exchanger for controlling the temperature of the hydrogen.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the thermal contact resistance between the hot circuit and the refrigeration hold-over medium is less than 0.002 Km2/W.