US 4,515,516 AGranted

Method and apparatus for compressing gases

AssigneeChampion, Perrine & Associates

InventorsPaul M. Perrine, Carol-Anne Perrine

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A gas compressor has at least one closed container with gas inlet means for filling the container with a gas to be compressed and gas outlet means through which compressed gas can leave the container. When the container has been filled with gas to be compressed, a fluid is forced into the container to compress the gas therein and force it out of the container. After the container has been filled with fluid and the gas forced therefrom, the fluid is drained while gas again enters and fills the container. The output of the container is generally connected to a gas storage tank and the cycle of filling the container with gas and then expelling it is repeated until a desired pressure of gas is obtained in the storage tank. The compressor is particularly suited to filling a storage tank, such as a natural gas storage tank in a vehicle, over an extended period of time of several hours. However, a unique auxilary storage tank may be used with the compressor to provide for fast filling of another storage tank, such as the vehicle tank, by transferring substantially the entire contents of the first storage tank to the second storage tank. Such transfer is accomplished by progressively reducing the storage space of the storage tank, thus forcing the stored gas into the second tank. This is preferably done by filling the tank with a fluid, thereby forcing the gas out.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A high pressure compression system for compressing natural gas to a pressure sufficient for filling the pressure tank of a vehicle adapted to run on natural gas comprising a gas storage tank having the capability to transfer substantially its entire contents of stored gas to the pressure tank;

an inlet-outlet for compressed gas at one end of the storage tank;
at least one closed container;
gas inlet means for filling the container with gas to be compressed;
gas outlet means connected to the inlet of the gas storage tank for allowing the gas to leave the container as it is being compressed and enter the storage tank;
means for forcing a compression fluid into the container to fill the container, thereby compressing the gas and forcing it through the gas outlet means, such forcing means having a variable rate of forcing the compression fluid into the container so that a greater flow rate into the container is obtained when the fluid is forced against relatively low pressures compared to the maximum desired pressure and a lesser flow rate into the container is obtained when the fluid is forced against relatively high pressures;
means for draining the container of the compression fluid while again filling the container with gas to be compressed;
means for alternately operating the forcing means and draining means until a desired pressure of gas has been obtained in the gas storage tank;
means for connecting the outlet of the gas storage tank to the pressure tank to be filled;
and means for progressively lessening the storage area of the storage tank while gas is allowed to leave the storage tank, thereby forcing the gas stored in the storage tank out of the tank and into the pressure tank.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.