A fueling station can include an outer housing comprising a housing volume, a first fluid bladder positioned within the housing volume and configured to hold a first fluid, a second fluid bladder positioned within the housing volume and configured to hold a second fluid, a first fluid conduit in fluid communication with the first fluid bladder, a second fluid conduit in fluid communication with the second bladder, a first hose positioned at least partially outside the outer housing and in fluid communication with both the first and second fluid conduits, and a bi-directional first nozzle connected to an end of the first hose opposite the first and second fluid conduits. The bi-directional first nozzle can be configured to simultaneously release fluid from the first hose and to collect fluid into the first hose. The first fluid bladder can be configured to release fluid through the first conduit in response to introduction of fluid into the second fluid bladder via the second conduit. The second fluid bladder can be configured to release fluid through the second conduit in response to introduction of fluid into the first fluid bladder via the first conduit.

A hydrostatically compensated compressed air energy storage system may include an accumulator disposed underground, a gas compressor/expander subsystem in fluid communication with the accumulator interior via an air flow path; a compensation liquid reservoir spaced apart from the accumulator and in fluid communication with the layer of compensation liquid within the accumulator via a compensation liquid flow path; and a first construction shaft extending from the surface of the ground to the accumulator and being sized and configured to i) accommodate the passage of a construction apparatus therethrough when the hydrostatically compensated compressed air energy storage system is being constructed, and ii) to provide at least a portion of one of the air flow path and the compensation liquid flow path when the hydrostatically compensated compressed air energy storage system is in use.

The invention provides an apparatus comprising a storage tank, a liquid piston compressor and a gas-fed device. The storage tank is configured to store liquefied gas therein. The liquid piston compressor is disposed downstream of, and in fluid communication with, the storage tank and is configured to receive boil-off gas from the storage tank and to compress the gas. The gas-fed device is disposed downstream of, and in fluid communication with, the liquid piston compressor, and is configured to receive compressed gas from the liquid piston compressor.

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 container may be supplied with an incompressible fluid. For example, the container may be partially or completely prefilled with the incompressible fluid. The container may be supplied with a flow of compressible gas via a first valve. The first valve may regulate the flow of the compressible gas supplied to the container based on a pressure setting of the first valve. A second valve may release the incompressible fluid from the container as the container is filled with the compressible gas and in response to a pressure of the container being greater than a pressure setting of the second valve. The pressure setting of the first valve may be greater than the pressure setting of the second valve.

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.

The disclosed technology generally relates to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied-compressed natural gas (L-CNG) filling stations, and more particularly to an LNG/L-CNG hydraulic pressurization device and a gas filling station. In one aspect, a LNG/L-CNG hydraulic pressurization device includes an oil tank; a L-CNG pressurization cylinder; a LNG pressurization cylinder; first and second directional valves communicating with the L-CNG pressurization cylinder and the LNG pressurization cylinder respectively; a first hydraulic pump and a second hydraulic pump, whose oil inlets communicate with the oil tank and whose pressure oil outlets communicate with an oil inlet of the first directional valve and an oil inlet of the second directional valve respectively; and a ball valve having a first port communicating with a first communication port between the pressure oil outlet of the first hydraulic pump and the oil inlet of the first directional valve, and a second port communicating with a second communication port between the pressure oil outlet of the second hydraulic pump and the oil inlet of the second directional valve.

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.

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.

The invention relates to a station and method for filling a tank with a fuel gas. Said station includes at least one fuel gas source store and a gas transfer system having a first upstream end connected to the source store(s) and a second downstream end that is in fluid communication with the tank. The gas transfer system includes at least one control valve, characterized in that the at least one source store includes a rigid outer wall and a flexible sealing wall that is arranged inside the space defined by the rigid outer wall. The flexible wall defines a storage space for the fuel gas. The first upstream end of the system is connected to the storage space defined by the flexible wall. The at least one control valve is also characterized in that the space located between the flexible wall and the outer wall is connected to a system for transferring liquid into the source store in order to fill or extract the liquid in the source store and control the pressure in the store when filling and/or extracting fuel gas within the sealing wall.