Systems, methods, and apparatuses related to the use of gas clathrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9708556-B2
Application number	US-201313862211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2013
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to the use of gas clathrates. More particularly, this disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatuses related to the use of gas clathrates as a fuel source for automobiles. The gas clathrates may first be dissociated into at least one gas and the at least one gas delivered to the prime mover of a vehicle or the gas clathrates may be directly utilized by the prime mover as a fuel source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle fuel system comprising:
a vehicle fuel storage system comprising a first vessel configured to receive, store, and discharge fuel gas clathrates; and
a separation system comprising a second vessel operably connected to said vehicle fuel storage system, said separation system configured to dissociate said fuel gas clathrates into at least one fuel gas and a host material.

2. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to maintain fuel gas clathrates as a slurry.

3. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to maintain fuel gas clathrates as a solid.

4. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to be integrally secured to a frame of a vehicle.

5. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to be detachably secured to a frame of a vehicle.

6. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , further comprising a first refrigeration system configured to maintain an internal temperature of said first vessel within a set range.

7. The vehicle fuel system of claim 6 , wherein said set range comprises about 0° C. to about 25° C.

8. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to receive said fuel gas clathrates as a solid.

9. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to receive said fuel gas clathrates as a slurry.

10. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel is configured to receive said fuel gas clathrates as at least one fuel gas and a host material and form said fuel gas clathrates within said first vessel.

11. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said first vessel of said vehicle fuel storage system comprises a gas outlet configured and located for removing said at least one fuel gas from said first vessel.

12. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said vehicle fuel storage system further comprises a first pressurizing device operably connected to said first vessel and configured to maintain pressure within said first vessel.

13. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said vehicle fuel storage system further comprises a first heating system configured and located to impart heat energy to said first vessel.

14. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said vehicle fuel storage system further comprises a cooling control system configured to monitor both pressure and temperature and to regulate at least one of pressure and temperature in order to maintain said fuel gas clathrate within a clathrate stability range.

15. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , further comprising a first transport device operably connected to said vehicle fuel storage system and operably connected to said separation system, said first transport device configured to transfer said fuel gas clathrates from said vehicle fuel storage system to said separation system.

16. The vehicle fuel system of claim 15 , wherein said first transport device is configured to transport said fuel gas clathrates as a slurry.

17. The vehicle fuel system of claim 15 , wherein said first transport device is configured to transport said fuel gas clathrates as a solid.

18. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said second vessel of said separation system is configured to operate at a temperature that is higher than an operating temperature of said first vessel.

19. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system further comprises a second refrigeration system configured to maintain an internal temperature of said second vessel within a set range.

20. The vehicle fuel system of claim 19 , wherein said set range comprises about 0° C. to about 25° C.

21. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system further comprises a second heating system configured and located to impart heat energy to said second vessel.

22. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system is configured to maintain a pressure in said second vessel sufficient to dissociate at least some of said fuel gas clathrates into said at least one fuel gas and said host material and also maintain a pressure greater than the pressure required for delivering fuel to a prime mover utilizing said vehicle fuel system.

23. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system is configured to maintain an internal pressure in said second vessel of about ambient pressure to about 30 bar.

24. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system is configured to control the rate of dissociation of said fuel gas clathrates based on fuel requirements of a prime mover of a vehicle utilizing said vehicle fuel system.

25. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system is configured to control the rate of dissociation of said fuel gas clathrates by regulating at least one of the temperature and the pressure of said fuel gas clathrates within the second vessel.

26. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said second vessel of said separation system comprises a host material outlet configured for removing said host material from said second vessel.

27. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , wherein said separation system further comprises a second pressurizing device operably connected to said second vessel and configured to maintain pressure within said second vessel.

28. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , further comprising a recycle system configured to return said host material to said vehicle fuel storage system from said separation system.

29. The vehicle fuel system of claim 28 , wherein said recycle system comprises a second transport device configured to transport said host material from said second vessel to said first vessel.

30. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , further comprising a gas storage vessel configured to store said dissociated at least one fuel gas removed from said second vessel, said gas storage vessel operably connected to said second vessel and operably connected to a prime mover of a vehicle.

31. The vehicle fuel system of claim 30 , further comprising a control valve operably connected to said gas storage vessel and to said prime mover, wherein said control valve is configured to control release of stored at least one fuel gas from said gas storage vessel.

32. The vehicle fuel system of claim 30 , further comprising a metering system configured to control introduction of stored at least one fuel gas to said prime mover.

33. The vehicle fuel system of claim 1 , further comprising a third transport device configured to transport said at least one fuel gas from said separation system to a prime mover of a vehicle.

34. A vehicle comprising:
the vehicle fuel system of claim 1 ; and
a prime mover configured to receive and combust said at least one fuel gas.

35. The vehicle of claim 34 , wherein said prime mover comprises an internal combustion engine.

36. The vehicle of claim 34 , wherein said prime mover comprises an external combustion engine.

37. The vehicle of claim 34 , wherein said prime mover comprises a fuel cell.

38. A method of providing gaseous fuel to a pr

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Hyde Roderick A
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• C10L3/108

  Production of gas hydrates · CPC title

• C10L3/06 Primary

  Natural gas; Synthetic natural gas obtained by processes not covered by C10G, C10K3/02 or C10K3/04 {(liquefying by pressure and cold treatment F25J)} · CPC title

• F02B45/00

  Engines characterised by operating on non-liquid fuels other than gas; Plants including such engines (plants involving generation of gaseous fuel from solid fuel F02B43/08; engines convertible from gas to other fuel consumption F02B69/04) · CPC title

• F02G1/043

  the engine being operated by expansion and contraction of a mass of working gas which is heated and cooled in one of a plurality of constantly communicating expansible chambers, e.g. Stirling cycle type engines · CPC title

• F17C11/007

  for hydrocarbon gases, such as methane or natural gas, propane, butane or mixtures thereof [LPG] · CPC title