Zero-vent liquid natural gas fueling station
AssigneeAcurex Environmental Corporation
InventorHans-Joachim Dehne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling station which does not vent natural gas vapors. Three cryogenic storage vessels alternately serve as dispensing, conditioning, and receiving vessels. A natural gas compressor transfers vapor between the vessels and evacuates vapors vented from tanker trucks and vehicles. Heat absorbed by the LNG is utilized to warm the fuel for use in vehicles by bubbling the vapors through the LNG in the conditioning vessel.
Claims13
A method of operating a liquid natural gas fueling station comprising first, second, and third cyrogenic storage vessels, wherein said first vessel contains natural gas vapor and said second and third vessels contain liquid natural gas, comprising:
- (a) lowering the vapor pressure in said first vessel by extracting natural gas vapor therefrom, which also lowers the temperature of liquid natural gas, if present, in said first vessel;
- (b) conducting said extracted vapor into at least one of the following:
- 1) said second vessel to pressurize said second vessel;
- 2) said liquid in said third vessel;
- (c) introducing liquid natural gas into said first vessel;
- (d) dispensing liquid natural gas from said second vessel;
- and
- (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) using said second vessel in steps (a) and (c), said first vessel in step (b2), and said third vessel in steps (b1) and (d).
A liquid natural gas fueling station for receiving fuel from a tanker and dispensing fuel to a fuel storage tank of a vehicle, comprising:
- (a) first, second, and third cryogenic storage vessels for holding liquid natural gas;
- (b) a compressor having an inlet and an outlet;
- (c) a receiving system including
- 1) a receiving connection for coupling to the fuel line of said tanker and receiving liquid natural gas from said tanker, and
- 2) a tanker venting connection for coupling to the vent line of said tanker and receiving natural gas vapor from said tanker;
- (d) a dispensing system including
- 1) a dispensing connection for coupling to the fuel line of said vehicle and dispensing liquid natural gas to said vehicle, and
- 2) a vehicle venting connection for coupling to the vent line of the vehicle and receiving natural gas vapor from said vehicle;
- and
- (e) a manifold system connecting
- 1) a top port of said first vessel to the inlet of said compressor, and the outlet of said compressor to one of a top port of said second vessel and a bottom port of said third vessel when preparing said second vessel to dispense liquid natural gas and said third vessel to receive liquid natural gas,
- 2) said dispensing connection to a bottom port of said second vessel and said vehicle venting connection to said bottom port of said third vessel when dispensing liquid natural gas to a vehicle,
- 3) said receiving connection to a top port of said first vessel and said tanker venting connection to one of said bottom port of said first vessel and the inlet of said compressor when receiving liquid natural gas from a tanker, and the outlet of said compressor to a bottom port of said third vessel if said tanker venting connection is connected to the inlet of said compressor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.