Storage of fuel gas

Abstract

A method is provided for storing fuel gas by pumping the fuel gas into the lower portion of a storage vessel and automatically forming a solid fuel gas hydrate due to the vessel being positioned beneath the surface of a body of water and providing a lower zone having higher pressure relative to the atmosphere, sufficient to cause solid hydrate formation of the fuel gas and water, the vessel extending vertically toward the surface of the water and providing an upper zone having lower pressure, relative to the lower zone, sufficient to cause decomposition of the solid hydrate to fuel gas and water, and removing fuel gas for the desired use from the upper portion of the storage vessel. The method of this invention for storing fuel gas provides large, energy conserving, safe and low cost fuel storage areas beneath oceans and lakes, geographically close to the site of desired use.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.