A device for filling a tank with a pressurized gas, in particular with pressurized hydrogen, comprising a pressurized-gas source and a circuit for transferring gas from the source to the tank, the transfer circuit including a member for expanding and cooling the gas in order to lower the pressure and temperature of the gas from the source to respective values determined with a view to filling the tank, characterized in that the gas-expansion and cooling member includes a refrigerator that expands the gas by means of a Stirling or Ericsson thermodynamic cycle, the refrigerator being selectively supplied with gas from the source, and in that at least a portion of the cooled and expanded gas supplied to the tank is extracted from the refrigerator.

A hydrogen filling system of the present invention is provided with: a pressure accumulator; a pipe connecting the pressure accumulator and a hydrogen tank on a vehicle; a flow volume control valve, a pressure sensor, and a flow volume sensor with which the pipe is fitted; and a station ECU which operates the control valve under a predetermined filling condition. A gas filling method for filling hydrogen gas into the tank from the accumulator is provided with: a step of, after filling of the hydrogen gas has been started, calculating, using a detected value from the pressure sensor when the flow volume of hydrogen gas in the pipe has decreased, the value of a pressure loss coefficient correlated with a pressure loss caused in the pipe; and a step of changing the filling condition to a condition determined on the basis of the value of the pressure loss coefficient.

A filling station for supplying vehicles with gas containing hydrogen comprises: a storage unit comprising high pressure gas containers; a compression unit comprising compressors for increasing the pressure of gas for the storage unit; and a supply unit comprising a supply device for supplying a vehicle; a storage circuit for circulating gas from the compression unit to the storage unit; and a filling circuit for circulating gas from the storage unit to the compression unit. The storage circuit comprises a storage pipe network connecting each compressor to each container and at least one storage distributor for selectively associating the compressors and the containers. The filling circuit includes a filling pipe network connecting each container with each compressor and a filling distributor for selectively associating the containers and the compressors. The station further includes control means for controlling the storage and filling distributors.

A gas insulating interface between a compressed gas source and sink is presented. In some embodiments, the interface includes a primary tank for receiving a gas from the compressed gas source, a secondary gas tank for receiving a gas from the primary gas tank and for providing gas to the sink, valves for communicating the above elements, and/or a controller. The controller may control valves by control operations. Optionally, no control operation thereof responds to gas consuming immediately before the control operation. The controller may follow a predetermined duty cycle. The gas interface may include a pressure gauge of the primary gas tank and/or an emptying valve, which may communicate with the controller. Optionally, the gas insulating interface includes a detachable connector to the compressed gas source and/or a detachable connector to compressed devices. Optionally, there is a communication channel to the compressed gas source.

When a pressure accumulator tank A3a is used as a low-pressure bank, a controller sends an open control signal to an electromagnetic open/close valve A10a to open the electromagnetic open/close valve A10a so that hydrogen in the pressure accumulator tank A3a can be supplied to a tank to be filled (not shown) of an FCV. In parallel with this, the controller sends an open control signal to a first electromagnetic open/close valve 6a and a second electromagnetic open/close valve 6b to open the first and second electromagnetic open/close valves 6a and 6b so that hydrogen can be supplied also from a compressor 2 to the tank to be filled of the FCV.

A control device of a gas charging device controls opening/closing of a control valve so that pressure increase rate of gas pressure in a tank when gas charging to the tank increases at a reference increase rate determined in advance. The control device, when gas charge to the tank begins, controls pressure increase rate at a high increase rate higher than the reference increase rate. After the difference between gas pressure in the tank when gas charging is performed at the high increase rate and gas pressure in the tank when the charging is performed at the reference increase rate has reached a predetermined pressure difference, the control device controls the opening/closing of the control valve so that gas charge to the tank is performed at the reference increase rate.

A method and apparatus for compressing gases and supplying fuel to a gaseous fuel consuming device, such as a gaseous fueled vehicle or the like. One embodiment includes a gas compressor for compressing the gaseous fuel to an array of tanks having predetermined initial set points which are increasing for tanks in the array. One embodiment provides a selecting valve having first and second families of ports wherein the valve can be operated to select a plurality of ports from the first family to be fluidly connected with a plurality of ports with the second family, and such fluid connections can be changed by operation of the valve.

The present invention is embodied in a carbon dioxide compression and delivery device that uses a plurality of reversible thermoelectric devices and to a method to operate such carbon dioxide compression and delivery device.

A pressure-based latching switch includes a shuttle valve, a first valve and a second valve. The shuttle valve may switch a fuel through one of a first port and a second port in response to a greater pressure of the fuel at the ports. The first valve may switch a fuel to the first port while a second pressure of the fuel at the second port is less than a second threshold pressure. The second valve may switch the fuel to the second port while a first pressure of the fuel at the first port is less than a first threshold pressure. The pressure-based latching switch may change the fuel supplied to the fuel cell system automatically from a first fuel tank to a second fuel tank in response to the first pressure of the fuel falling below the first threshold pressure.

A method for calculating the remaining usage time of a gas cylinder equipped with a pressure reducer, the method comprising the following steps: (a) measuring the pressure of the gas in the cylin-der; (b) calculating the variation of pressure of the gas in the cylinder over time while gas is out-putted; (c) calculating a remaining usage time Tr based on the measured pressure in the cylinder and the calculated variation of pressure. Step (c) takes into account characteristics of the pressure reducer relative to variations of its nominal flow rate along the decrease of its inlet pressure while emptying the cylinder.