US 7,219,682 B2 · Liquid displacement shuttle system and method

Abstract

A multi-vessel gas storage system and liquid displacement shuttle system that utilizes a liquid-piston shuttled to alternate reservoirs and tank banks to evacuate stored gas or other fluids from storage vessels. Preferably, the gas storage and fluid displacement shuttle system includes multiple pressure storage vessels or tanks arranged in tank banks that are preferably coupled in parallel at one end to a high pressure gas manifold to exhaust the stored gas or other fluids from the vessels and coupled in parallel at another end to separate fluid shuttle circuits. The fluid shuttle circuits include cross-piped fluid fill and drain manifolds that are fluidly linked through interposing reservoirs and pumps. In operation, the stored gas or other fluids are evacuated from the storage vessels by shuttling the volume of displacement liquid between alternating banks of storage tanks and reservoirs with alternating pumps.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A fluid storage and liquid displacement shuttle system comprising

a plurality of tank banks each comprising a plurality of storage vessels,
a discharge manifold coupled to a first end of the plurality of storage vessels,
a first fluid shuttle circuit coupled at a first end to a second end of the plurality of storage vessels in a first set of the plurality of tank banks and at a second end to a second end of the plurality of vessels in a second set of the plurality of tank banks, and
a second fluid shuttle circuit coupled at a first end to the second end of the plurality of storage vessels in the second set of the plurality of tank banks and at a second end to the second end of the plurality of vessels in the first set of the plurality of tank banks, wherein one of the plurality of tank banks includes a displacement liquid stored in its plurality of storage vessels and the other of the plurality of tank banks includes a fluid stored in the plurality of vessels intended to be evacuated from the plurality of vessels when displaced by the displacement liquid.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Liquid displacement shuttle system and method

Life of this patent

Liquid displacement shuttle system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23