Gaseous hydrogen storage system with cryogenic supply

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11519556-B2
Application number	US-202117215035-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2021
Priority date	Jun 5, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A gaseous hydrogen storage and distribution system with a cryogenic supply and a method for the cryogenic conversion of liquid hydrogen into high-pressure gaseous hydrogen are provided. The gaseous hydrogen storage and distribution system includes pressuring liquid hydrogen from a cryogenic tank using a low pressure liquid pump before vaporization within a relatively small vaporizer. The resulting high pressure gaseous hydrogen is transferred to a plurality of storage tanks at ambient temperature according to a desired fill sequence. The high pressure hydrogen gas is subsequently distributed from the storage tanks through a hydrogen fueling dispenser according to a desired dispensing sequence. The present system and method provide improvements in operational safety, eliminates the use of high pressure gas compressor, and minimizes boiling off and ventilation losses at a reduced cost when compared to existing thermal compression storage systems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for storing and dispensing hydrogen fuel, the method comprising:
providing a supply of liquid hydrogen between 1 bar and 5 bar;
pressuring the liquid hydrogen in at least one vaporizer using a liquid pump and filling the at least one vaporizer to between 20% and 100%, inclusive, of its full volumetric capacity;
vaporizing the liquid hydrogen to gaseous hydrogen by raising the temperature of the liquid hydrogen to ambient temperature within the at least one vaporizer, the gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of between 200 bar and 1200 bar, inclusive;
transferring the gaseous hydrogen to and storing the gaseous hydrogen in a storage system at ambient temperature without use of a compressor, the storage system including a plurality of gas storage tanks forming a cascade system with each of the plurality of gas storage tanks having a different pressure capacity rating and adapted to be independently filled with gaseous hydrogen from the at least one vaporizer,
wherein the gas storage tank from among the plurality of gas storage tanks having the lowest pressure capacity rating receives boil-off gases from the at least one vaporizer during filling of the at least one vaporizer with liquid hydrogen, and
wherein the liquid pump pressurizes the liquid hydrogen in the at least one vaporizer to no more than 20% of the pressure capacity rating of the gas storage tank from among of the plurality of gas storage tanks having the highest pressure capacity rating; and
dispensing the gaseous hydrogen to a vehicle fuel tank serially from the gas storage tank of the plurality of gas storage tanks having the lowest usable pressure first followed by the gas storage tank of the plurality of gas storage tanks having the next lowest useable pressure.

2. The method of claim 1 further including pre-cooling the at least one vaporizer with liquid hydrogen to a temperature below ambient temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one vaporizer includes a multi-layered sidewall having an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the inner layer includes a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the outer layer.

4. The method of claim 3 further including filling the at least one vaporizer with liquid hydrogen such that an air gap develops between the inner layer and the outer layer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein raising the temperature of the liquid hydrogen to ambient temperature is performed with a heat exchange from ambient air.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one vaporizer is a plurality of vaporizers coupled in parallel between a cryogenic tank and the storage system.

7. A method for storing and dispensing hydrogen fuel, the method comprising:
providing a supply of liquid hydrogen between 1 bar and 5 bar;
pre-cooling a vaporizer to a temperature below ambient temperature;
pressuring the supply of liquid hydrogen and filling the vaporizer to between 20% and 100%, inclusive, of its full volumetric capacity;
vaporizing the supply of liquid hydrogen to gaseous hydrogen by raising the temperature of the supply liquid hydrogen within the vaporizer, the gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of between 200 bar and 1200 bar;
transferring the gaseous hydrogen to and storing the gaseous hydrogen in a storage system at ambient temperature without use of a compressor, the storage system including a plurality of gas storage tanks having a different pressure capacity rating and that are adapted to be independently filled with gaseous hydrogen from the vaporizer;
wherein the step of pressurizing the supply of liquid hydrogen and filling the vaporizer includes pressurizing the supply of liquid hydrogen up to 50 bar above the lowest pressure capacity rating of the plurality of gas storage tanks;
wherein the gas storage tank from among the plurality of gas storage tanks having the lowest pressure capacity rating receives boil-off gases from the vaporizer during filling of the vaporizer with liquid hydrogen; and
dispensing the gaseous hydrogen to a vehicle fuel tank serially from the gas storage tank of the plurality of gas storage tanks having the lowest usable pressure first followed by the gas storage tank of the plurality of gas storage tanks having the next lowest useable pressure;
wherein filling the vaporizer includes pressuring the supply of liquid hydrogen in the vaporizer to no more than 20% of the pressure capacity rating of the gas storage tank from among the plurality of gas storage tanks having the highest pressure capacity rating.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the vaporizer includes a multi-layered sidewall having an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the inner layer includes a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the outer layer.

9. The method of claim 8 further including filling the vaporizer with liquid hydrogen such that a vacuum develops between the inner layer and the outer layer.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein raising the temperature of the liquid hydrogen to ambient temperature is performed with a heat exchange from ambient air or ambient water.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein raising the temperature of the liquid hydrogen to ambient temperature is performed with a fluid having a lower freezing point than water.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the vaporizer is one of a plurality of vaporizers coupled in parallel with each other and are disposed between a cryogenic storage tank and the storage system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the storage system includes a steel concrete composite vessel including a pre-stressed concrete outer shell.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein a liquid pump is adapted to pressurize the supply of liquid hydrogen in the vaporizer to fill the vaporizer to between 20% and 100%, inclusive, of its full volumetric capacity.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Feng Zhili
• Wang Yanli

Classifications

• F17C2227/0309

  using another fluid · CPC title

• C01B3/00

  Hydrogen; Gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen; Separation of hydrogen from mixtures containing it; Purification of hydrogen; Reversible storage of hydrogen (production of water-gas or synthesis gas from solid carbonaceous material C10J) · CPC title

• F17C2223/0161

  cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG · CPC title

• F17C7/00

  Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases from pressure vessels, not covered by another subclass · CPC title

• F17C2223/0123

  gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC · CPC title