Gas cooling methods for high pressure fuel storage tanks on vehicles powered by compressed natural gas or hydrogen
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorKiyoshi Handa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
At a high pressure refuel depot that dispenses high pressure hydrogen or compressed natural gas to vehicles, the thermal energy (heat) generated by the high flow rate of the high pressure refueling gas is evacuated from the on board fuel tank[s] of vehicles eliminating the need for refueling pre treatments such as a slow fill, secondary precooling, and pressure overfill otherwise used to achieve a full vehicle tank refill. In an example, a high pressure fuel depot refilling line is operatively interconnected to an on board vehicle tank having a gas flow circuit wherein the refuel gas itself is circulated within the on board tank to absorb the compression heat of refueling and then to an external radiator before being released into the tank.
Claims19
A vehicle having one or more on board tank for the storage of a gas fuel under high pressure including,
- a fuel line for operatively interconnecting the one or more tank to a high pressure refilling line,
- endothermic heat absorbing means within the one or more tank for capturing heat of refueling through the cooling effect of the expansion of the gas in the tank when the one or more tank is operatively interconnected to a high pressure fuel depot refilling line, and
- a conduit interconnected with the endothermic absorbing means, for transferring the heat captured to an exothermic device for radiating the heat captured to an environment external to the one or more tank.
A vehicle having one or more on board tank for the storage of a gas fuel under high pressure including,
- a vehicle fuel line for interconnecting the one or more tank to a high pressure fuel depot refilling line,
- a conduit for directing the high pressure gas fuel from the refilling line through an endothermic heat absorbing means within the one or more tank for capturing the heat of refueling resulting from gas compression when the one or more tank is operatively interconnected to the high pressure fuel depot refilling line to an exothermic device for radiating the captured heat to an environment external to the one or more tank, and into the one or more tank after the fuel in the conduit passes through the exothermic device.
A vehicle having one or more on board tank for the storage of a gas fuel under high pressure including:
- a connector associated with the one or more tank for directing gas flow from a high pressure fuel depot refilling line into the one or more tank,
- an endothermic device within the one or more tank for absorbing heat from high pressure refueling gas that heats as the gas is compressed when being introduced into the one or more tank, the endothermic device reducing the temperature of the refueling gas to a temperature lower than that of the refueling gas when the refueling gas expands and cools as the gas is introduced into the tank, and
- a circulation system interconnected with the endothermic device circulating the refueling gas through the endothermic device within the tank to an exothermic device for radiating the heat captured from the refueling gas to an environment external to the one or more tank wherein the refueling gas is introduced into the one or more tank after the gas circulates through the exothermic device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.