Apparatus for unloading cng from storage vessels
AssigneeCatalytic Industrial Group, Inc.
InventorsVirgil Macaluso, Corey Lowdon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for offloading CNG from high-pressure storage vessels (22) are provided. The methods and apparatus are operable to warm the offloaded CNG either before or after a letdown in pressure to ensure that the delivered product is gaseous and that delivery of condensed products to downstream equipment is avoided. Particularly, a heating assembly (32) configured to warm a stream offloaded from a vessel (22) and flowing through a coil-shaped conduit (84) by infrared energy emitted by one or more heating elements (70) is provided upstream or downstream of a pressure reduction device (50).
Claims24
An apparatus for unloading compressed natural gas (CNG) from a storage vessel comprising:
- a conduit configured to conduct a natural gas stream through at least a portion of said apparatus, said conduit comprising an inlet and an outlet, said inlet having a lower elevation within said apparatus than said outlet;
- at least one infrared heater positioned adjacent to at least a portion of said conduit and configured to deliver energy to said conduit for heating of said natural gas stream flowing therethrough;
- a pressure let down valve located upstream or downstream from said conduit and operable to reduce the pressure of said natural gas stream;
- and
- coupling structure for connecting said apparatus to the storage vessel containing the CNG and delivering CNG offloaded from the storage vessel to said apparatus.
A system for generating a usable natural gas stream from a source of compressed natural gas (CNG) comprising:
- one or more storage vessels containing CNG;
- and
- apparatus for unloading said CNG from said one or more storage vessels and operable to deliver a natural gas stream at a pressure lower than the pressure of the CNG within said one or more storage vessels, said apparatus comprising:
- coupling structure for connecting said apparatus to the storage vessel containing the CNG and delivering CNG offloaded from the storage vessel to said apparatus;
- a conduit configured to conduct said natural gas stream through at least a portion of said apparatus, said conduit comprising an inlet and an outlet;
- at least one infrared heater positioned adjacent to at least a portion of said conduit and configured to deliver energy to said conduit for heating of said natural gas stream flowing therethrough;
- and
- a pressure letdown valve located downstream from said coupling structure and upstream or downstream from said conduit and operable to reduce the pressure of said natural gas stream.
A method of unloading compressed natural gas (CNG) from one or more storage vessels comprising:
- providing a natural gas unloading apparatus comprising:
- coupling structure for connecting said apparatus to the one or more storage vessels containing the CNG and delivering a natural gas stream offloaded from the storage vessel to said apparatus;
- a conduit configured to conduct said natural gas stream through at least a portion of said apparatus, said conduit comprising an inlet and an outlet;
- at least one infrared heater positioned adjacent to at least a portion of said conduit and configured to deliver energy to said conduit for heating of said natural gas stream flowing therethrough;
- and
- a pressure let down valve located downstream from said coupling structure and upstream or downstream from said conduit and operable to reduce the pressure of said natural gas stream;
- connecting said one or more storage vessels containing the CNG to said natural gas unloading apparatus via said coupling structure and causing said CNG to flow toward said apparatus as said natural gas stream;
- heating said natural gas stream by passing said natural gas stream through said conduit either before or after said natural gas stream is passed through said let down valve and the pressure thereof is reduced;
- and
- delivering from said natural gas unloading apparatus a usable natural gas product.
An apparatus for unloading compressed natural gas (CNG) from a storage vessel comprising:
- a conduit configured to conduct a natural gas stream through at least a portion of said apparatus, said conduit comprising an inlet section and an outlet section, said inlet and outlet sections being connected by an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion being configured as a helical coil;
- at least one infrared heater positioned adjacent to at least a portion of said conduit and configured to deliver energy to said conduit for heating of said natural gas stream flowing therethrough;
- a pressure letdown valve located upstream or downstream from said conduit and operable to reduce the pressure of said natural gas stream;
- and
- coupling structure for connecting said apparatus to the storage vessel containing the CNG and delivering CNG offloaded from the storage vessel to said apparatus.
The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein at least a portion of said coil is has an elevation within said apparatus that is below the elevation of said inlet and/or outlet section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.