Method and apparatus for delivering a continuous quantity of gas over a wide range of flow rates
AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsThomas W. Schuck, James VanOmmeren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for delivering high pressure gas to a point of use over a wide range of flowrates by storing said gas as a cryogenic fluid, removing said cryogenic fluid by means of a single stage reciprocating piston-type pump/compressor adapted to utilize liquid, vaporized liquid, a mixture of liquid and vaporized liquid, or supercritical fluid as the inlet fluid to said pump while maintaining the inlet fluid under cryogenic conditions. Blowby from the pump is recycled to the system. Discharge fluid may also be recycled to the system.
Claims13
A system for delivering a high pressure gas to a point of use over a wide range of flowrates comprising in combination
- a storage container capable of storing said gas as liquid or liquid and vaporized liquid or as a supercritical fluid;
- means to transfer fluid being liquid, vaporized liquid, supercritical fluid or mixtures thereof to the inlet of a single stage reciprocating piston-type pump/compressor said means including first means to direct liquid or supercritical fluid from said storage vessel to said inlet and second means to direct vaporized liquid or supercritical fluid from the vapor space over said liquid contained in said storage container to said inlet;
- control means to selectively direct liquid, vaporized liquid, a mixture of liquid and vaporized liquid, or supercritical fluid to the inlet of said pump;
- and means including a conduit to move said liquid, vaporized liquid, a mixture of liquid and vaporized liquid, or supercritical fluid from the outlet of said pump/compressor to a vaporizer and through a control valve to deliver a high pressure gas at the valve inlet.
A method for delivering high pressure gas as product to a point of use over a wide range of flowrates comprising in combination:
- storing said gas as a liquid or liquid and vaporized gas or as a supercritical fluid ;
- removing from said vessel a fluid selected from the group consisting of liquid, vaporized liquid, a mixture of liquid and vaporized liquid or supercritical fluid and directing the withdrawn fluid, maintaining temperatures below ambient, to the inlet of a single stage reciprocating piston-type pump/compressor;
- and
- varying the inlet to said pump/compressor to be either liquid, vaporized liquid, a mixture of liquid and vaporized liquid or supercritical fluid to maintain the mass flowrate from the pump/compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.