Method and Apparatus for Hydrogen Pumping and Compression
AssigneeFirstElement Fuel, Inc.
InventorsJoshua Andrew Adams, Tim Brown, Alexander George Murashko, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydrogen pumping and compression apparatus includes: a positive displacement first stage pump including a pump element disposed in a pump chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port; a first stage driver coupled to the first pump element; an inlet valve in flow communication with the inlet port of the first stage pump; a positive displacement second stage pump including a pump element disposed in a pump chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port; a second stage driver coupled to the pump element of the second stage pump; and a transfer pipe interconnecting the outlet port of the first stage pump and the inlet port of the second stage pump.
Claims17
A hydrogen pumping and compression apparatus, comprising:
- a first positive displacement first stage pump including a first pump element disposed in a first pump chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port;
- a first stage driver coupled to the first pump element;
- an inlet valve in flow communication with the inlet port of the first stage pump;
- a positive displacement second stage pump including a second pump element disposed in a second pump chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port;
- a second stage driver coupled to the second pump element;
- and
- a transfer pipe interconnecting the outlet port of the first stage pump and the inlet port of the second stage pump.
- wherein the first stage driver is configured to cause the first pump element to discharge at a first speed and to cause the first pump element to retract at a second speed in a single cycle, the first speed different from the second speed.
A hydrogen pumping and compression method, comprising:
- operating a first pump element of a first positive-displacement first stage pump using a first stage driver to draw hydrogen from a bulk fuel storage tank, as a liquid at a temperature of 18-25K and a pressure of 1-6 bar, and discharge it to a transfer pipe as a liquid at a temperature of 20-30K and a pressure of 2-20 bar, wherein the first stage driver is configured to cause the first pump element to discharge at a first speed and to cause the first pump element to retract at a second speed in a single cycle, the first speed different from the second speed;
- and
- simultaneously, operating a second pump element of a positive-displacement second stage pump using a second stage driver which is independent of the first stage driver, to compress the liquid hydrogen from the first stage pump to a pressure of at least 350 bar, and discharge it from an outlet of the second stage pump.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.