A thermal storage subsystem may include at least a first storage reservoir disposed at least partially under ground configured to contain a thermal storage liquid at a storage pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. A liquid passage may have an inlet connectable to a thermal storage liquid source and configured to convey the thermal storage liquid to the liquid reservoir. A first heat exchanger may be provided in the liquid inlet passage and may be in fluid communication between the first compression stage and the accumulator, whereby thermal energy can be transferred from a compressed gas stream exiting a gas compressor/expander subsystem to the thermal storage liquid.

A compressed air energy storage system may have an accumulator and a thermal storage subsystem having a cold storage chamber for containing a supply of granular heat transfer, a hot storage chamber and at least a first mixing chamber in the gas flow path and having an interior in which the compressed gas contacts the granular heat transfer particles at a mixing pressure that is greater than the cold storage pressure and the hot storage pressure and a conveying system operable to selectably move the granular heat transfer particles from the cold storage chamber, through the first mixing chamber and into the hot storage chamber, and vice versa.

A thermal storage subsystem may include at least a first storage reservoir configured to contain a thermal storage liquid at a storage pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. A liquid passage may have an inlet connectable to a thermal storage liquid source and configured to convey the thermal storage liquid to the liquid reservoir. A first heat exchanger may be provided in the liquid inlet passage and may be in fluid communication between the first compression stage and the accumulator, whereby thermal energy can be transferred from a compressed gas stream exiting a gas compressor/expander subsystem to the thermal storage liquid.

An apparatus and method of compressing a gas is provided. The system includes a gas storage tank and a liquid holding tank and a hollow cylinder. A piston is disposed in the hollow cylinder dividing the hollow cylinder into a first compartment and a second compartment. A gas collector tank is in fluid connection with the first compartment by an outline line. A radiator is provided in fluid connection with the second compartment and the liquid holding tank. The system also contains a pump. The apparatus system may also be coupled to a reactor system oxidizes a hydrocarbon-containing gas.

A compressed gas energy storage system may include an accumulator for containing a layer of compressed gas atop a layer of liquid. A gas conduit may have an upper end in communication with a gas compressor/expander subsystem and a lower end in communication with accumulator interior for conveying compressed gas into the compressed gas layer of the accumulator when in use. A shaft may have an interior for containing a quantity of a liquid and may be fluidly connectable to a liquid source/sink via a liquid supply conduit. A partition may cover may separate the accumulator interior from the shaft interior. An internal accumulator force may act on the inner surface of the partition and the liquid within the shaft may exert an external counter force on the outer surface of the partition, whereby a net force acting on the partition is less than the accumulator force.

A method of processing biogas that includes obtaining a mobile tank containing biogas at a pressure greater than 1000 psig, connecting the mobile tank to a pressure let down system, and depressurizing the mobile tank to remove biogas therein. The depressurization includes removing gas from the mobile tank using the pressure let down system, and introducing a warming gas into the mobile tank.

A system for transporting natural gas. The system may include a loading facility, a first storage system, a second storage system, and a CNG carrier. The loading facility may be operable to receive, compress, and chill natural gas while maintaining the natural gas in a gaseous state, and further operable to transfer the chilled CNG at a constant flowrate. The first storage system may be operable to receive chilled CNG from the loading facility at the constant flowrate, store the chilled CNG, and transfer the chilled CNG. The second storage system may be operable to receive and store the chilled CNG. The CNG carrier may be operable to receive chilled CNG from the first storage system, transport the chilled CNG, and transfer the chilled CNG to the second storage system. The system may be sized such that the constant flowrate of the chilled CNG is maintained without interruption.

A spacecraft includes a propulsion system that includes one or more pressurant tanks configured to store an inert gas at a high pressure, one or more propellant tanks configured to store liquid propellant at an intermediate pressure, electric thrusters operable with the inert gas at a low pressure and pneumatically coupled with the one or more pressurant tanks by way of a first pressure regulator, and chemical thrusters operable with the liquid propellant. The inert gas is one or a mixture of two or more of xenon, argon and krypton. At least a portion of the liquid propellant is stored in at least one of the propellant tanks, the propellant tank including an ullage volume pneumatically coupled with at least one of the pressurant tanks by way of a second pressure regulator having an output set to the intermediate pressure and the ullage volume is pressurized by the inert gas.

A pressurized gaseous and liquified hydrocarbon feedstock storage system method. The system includes a plurality of underground circuits or sections having parallel pipes joined together by radial ends arranged in various configurations to minimize plot space and maximize the amount of pressurized gaseous fuel stored.

This invention provides a means of loading, processing and conditioning raw production gas, production of CGL, storage, transport, and delivery of pipeline quality natural gas or fractionated products to market. The CGL transport vessel utilizes a pipe based containment system to hold more densely packed constituents of natural gas held within a light hydrocarbon solvent than it is possible to attain for natural gas alone under such conditions. The containment system is supported by process systems for loading and transporting the natural gas as a liquid and unloading the CGL from the containment system and then offloading it in the gaseous state. The system can also be utilized for the selective storage and transport of NGLs to provide a total service package for the movement of natural gas and associated gas production. The mode of storage is suited for both marine and land transportation and configured in modular form to suit a particular application and/or scale of operation.