US 2018/0023518 A1 · FUEL GAS FUELING SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A method and system for fueling a fuel gas storage tank carried on-board a motor vehicle is disclosed. The fueling system and method employ a fuel gas reservoir tank to supply fuel gas to the fuel gas storage tank. The fuel gas reservoir tank includes a reservoir interior that is at least five times greater in volume than a tank interior of the fuel gas storage tank. Moreover, each of the fuel gas reservoir tank and the fuel gas storage tank includes a fuel gas storage material, which is capable of solid state fuel gas storage, housed within their respective interiors. When a flow of fuel gas is circulated between the interior of the fuel gas reservoir tank and the interior of the fuel gas storage tank, fuel gas is charged into the fuel gas storage material housed within the fuel gas storage tank in a thermodynamically effective way.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of fueling a fuel gas storage tank carried on-board a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

connecting a fuel gas storage tank carried on-board a motor vehicle to a fuel gas reservoir tank, the fuel gas storage tank having a tank interior and the fuel gas reservoir tank having a reservoir interior, the reservoir interior being at least five times greater in volume than the tank interior, and wherein the fuel gas storage tank comprises a fuel gas storage material housed within the tank interior that can store fuel gas in a solid state, and wherein the fuel gas reservoir tank comprises a fuel gas storage material housed within the reservoir interior that includes fuel gas stored in a solid state;
removing a flow of fuel gas from the reservoir interior of the fuel gas reservoir tank;
passing the flow of fuel gas from the reservoir interior through a fuel gas transport system that fluidly communicates with the tank interior of the fuel gas storage tank, the flow of fuel gas passing through the fuel gas transport system from an inlet of the fuel gas storage tank to an outlet of the fuel gas storage tank such that some of the flow of fuel gas diffuses into the tank interior of the fuel gas storage tank for charging into the fuel gas storage material housed therein;
and
returning the flow of fuel gas from the outlet of the fuel gas storage tank back into the reservoir interior of the fuel gas reservoir tank.

2 more elements

A method of fueling a fuel gas storage tank carried on-board a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

removing a flow of fuel gas from a reservoir interior of a fuel gas reservoir tank that houses a fuel gas storage material in which fuel gas is stored in a solid state, and wherein fuel gas is endothermically released from the fuel gas storage material housed within the reservoir interior during removal of the flow of fuel gas from the reservoir interior;
and
circulating the flow of fuel gas through a fuel gas transport system in fluid communication with a tank interior of a fuel gas storage tank connected to the fuel gas reservoir tank and then back to the interior of the fuel gas reservoir tank, at least some of the flow of fuel gas being exothermically charged for storage in a solid state into a fuel gas storage material housed within the tank interior as the flow of fuel gas is passing through the fuel gas transport system, and wherein the reservoir interior of the fuel gas reservoir tank has a volume that is at least five times greater than a volume of the tank interior of the fuel gas storage tank.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Fuel gas fueling system and method

Life of this patent

Fuel gas fueling system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25