A mobile liquefaction plant (7) for liquefying helium, includes a liquefaction device (8) that liquefies helium, an intermediate storage tank (9) for liquefied helium, a cleaning device (29) which removes non-helium components from the helium and is connected upstream of the liquefaction device, and an additional collecting device (25) that collects gaseous helium which evaporates when an application cryostat (4) is filled with liquid helium and that includes a container (26) with a flexible wall and which stores the collected gaseous helium approximately at atmospheric pressure. The container (26) has an available container volume of at least 5 m.sup.3. Systems provided with such a mobile liquefaction plant exhibit an improved recovery of helium from application cryostats in a simple and cost-effective manner.

A method for controlling a compression system that includes a compressor for compressing gas, a first on-off valve provided on a suction flow passage connected to a suction side of the compressor, a pressure reducing valve provided on a portion of the suction flow passage upstream of the first on-off valve, a second on-off valve provided on a discharge flow passage connected to a discharge side of the compressor, a bypass flow passage connecting the suction flow passage and the discharge flow passage to detour the compressor, and a bypass valve provided on the bypass flow passage, includes closing the first on-off valve while driving the compressor, opening the bypass valve simultaneously with or after the closing of the first on-off valve, closing the second on-off valve after the opening of the bypass valve, and continuing to drive the compressor after the closing of the second on-off valve.

A hydrogen refilling station for filling tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles includes a liquid hydrogen tank that feeds liquid hydrogen to an upstream end of a filling circuit that also includes a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger exchanges heat between the liquid hydrogen and heat transfer fluid flows to thereby cool the heat transfer fluid and vaporize the liquid hydrogen to provide a supply of high pressure hydrogen gas for filling hydrogen-fueled vehicle tanks at a downstream end of the circuit. Because the liquid hydrogen is surrounded by the heat transfer fluid inside the heat exchanger, little if any fogging occurs.

A hydrogen refilling station for filling tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles includes a liquid hydrogen tank that feeds liquid hydrogen to an upstream end of a filling circuit that also includes a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger exchanges heat between the liquid hydrogen and heat transfer fluid flows to thereby cool the heat transfer fluid and vaporize the liquid hydrogen to provide a supply of high pressure hydrogen gas for filling hydrogen-fueled vehicle tanks at a downstream end of the circuit. Because the liquid hydrogen is surrounded by the heat transfer fluid inside the heat exchanger, little if any fogging occurs.

A method for controlling a compression system that includes a compressor for compressing gas, a first on-off valve provided on a suction flow passage connected to a suction side of the compressor, a pressure reducing valve provided on a portion of the suction flow passage upstream of the first on-off valve, a second on-off valve provided on a discharge flow passage connected to a discharge side of the compressor, a bypass flow passage connecting the suction flow passage and the discharge flow passage to detour the compressor, and a bypass valve provided on the bypass flow passage, includes closing the first on-off valve while driving the compressor, opening the bypass valve simultaneously with or after the closing of the first on-off valve, closing the second on-off valve after the opening of the bypass valve, and continuing to drive the compressor after the closing of the second on-off valve.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for supplying liquefied gas source tank (110) to a liquefied gas consumer tank (200) and/or liquefied gas consumer, wherein the liquefied gas is supplied via a transfer line (130, 140, 210) to the liquefied gas consumer tank (200) and/or the liquefied gas consumer, and wherein after having supplied liquefied gas to the liquefied gas consumer tank (200) and/or liquefied gas consumer, residual liquefied gas remaining in at least a part of the transfer line (130, 140, 210) is drained into a liquefied gas holding tank (120) and a pressurized gas is then fed into the liquefied gas holding tank (120) in order to return at least a part of the residual liquefied gas in the holding tank via a return line (160) back into the liquefied gas source tank (110).

A station and method for refilling a tank or tanks with pressurized gas in which liquefied gas is vaporized in a vaporizer. One portion of the vaporized gas is compressed to produce a compressed gas. Another portion of the vaporized gas is not compressed but instead is fed to a heat exchanger where it is used to cool the compressed gas. The thus-warmed gas is reinjected into a filling line that feeds the liquefied gas to the vaporizer.

A compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling system has a single compressor comprising a first compression stage and a subsequent compression stage, wherein the first compression stage feeds the subsequent compression stage when filling a storage tank, the storage tank is configured to receive CNG from at least one of the first compression stage and the subsequent compression stage of the compressor when filling the storage tank, a CNG feedback to the subsequent compression stage of the compressor from the storage tank, the CNG being introduced back into the compressor at a location downstream relative to an output of the first compression stage, and a first heat exchanger associated with the CNG feedback.

Installation and method for filling tanks with pressurized gas in which fluid supplied to the buffer storage reservoir is at a relatively higher first temperature while fluid is being withdrawn from the buffer storage reservoir to fill a tank and fluid is supplied to the buffer storage reservoir at a relatively lower second temperature when fluid is not being withdrawn from the buffer storage reservoir to fill a tank.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for supplying liquefied gas source tank (110) to a liquefied gas consumer tank (200) and/or liquefied gas consumer, wherein the liquefied gas is supplied via a transfer line (130, 140, 210) to the liquefied gas consumer tank (200) and/or the liquefied gas consumer, and wherein after having supplied liquefied gas to the liquefied gas consumer tank (200) and/or liquefied gas consumer, residual liquefied gas remaining in at least a part of the transfer line (130, 140, 210) is drained into a liquefied gas holding tank (120) and a pressurized gas is then fed into the liquefied gas holding tank (120) in order to return at least a part of the residual liquefied gas in the holding tank via a return line (160) back into the liquefied gas source tank (110).