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.

A method for adjusting temperature and/or pressure of fuel in a pressured container system of a vehicle to a respective temperature setpoint and/or a respective pressure setpoint before a process of filling the pressurized containers includes extracting fuel from a first pressurized container having a first temperature and a first pressure, to bring the first temperature and/or the first pressure of the fuel closer to the temperature setpoint and/or to the pressure setpoint of the first pressurized container. The method also includes supplying the extracted fuel to either a fuel conversion device to power the vehicle or into a second pressurized container, where fuel in the second pressurized container has a second temperature and a second pressure, to bring the second temperature and/or the second pressure of the fuel closer to the temperature setpoint and/or to the pressure setpoint of the second pressurized container. The temperature setpoints and/or the pressure setpoints are determined such that, without exceeding the respective maximum operating pressure and the respective maximum operating temperature of the respective pressurized container, the amount of fuel introduced from a single filling source by a process of filling the pressurized containers which is carried out at the same time and for the same length of time is maximized.

The invention relates to a method for operating a tank system (10) comprising a number of at least two tanks (21, 22, 23, 24, 25), which are connected in parallel and which contain a gaseous substance, and in which an interior pressure (PX) prevails, for supplying a consumer unit (12), which requires a full load volume of the gaseous substance, wherein each tank (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) has a safety valve (31, 32, 33, 34, 35), which shuts down the tank if a flow volume of the gaseous material through the safety valve (31, 32, 33, 34, 35) exceeds a shut-off volume. If the interior pressure (PX) in at least one tank (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) falls below a first threshold, at least one other tank (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) that was previously shut down is connected.

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 device for filling a tank or tanks with pressurized gas comprising a circuit comprising a plurality of upstream ends connected respectively to separate pressurized gas sources, at least one compressor, at least one buffer storage, a set of controlled valves and at least one downstream end intended to be connected to the tank(s) to be filled, the device further comprising an electronic control member configured to control the valves and/or the compressor in order to ensure a transfer of gas into the tank from at least one source and/or at least one buffer storage and/or via the compressor, the device comprising a set of sensors for measuring the pressure in the sources and the buffer storages, the control member comprising member for receiving or generating signal representative of the filling demand from a relatively high demand to a relatively low demand, the control member being configured to ensure the transfer of gas into the tank according to at least a first transfer mode using the source having the highest pressure and a second transfer mode using a source having a pressure lower than this highest pressure in response, respectively, to a relatively high or low filling demand.

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.

When a pressure accumulator tank A3a is used as a low-pressure hank, 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 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.

Gaseous fueling systems and methods are provided for dispensing fuel to a vehicle or container. The distribution systems speed up the filling process and may eliminate the use of expensive cooling systems required in the art. The methods utilize sequences of filling and emptying the vehicle gas storage tank to control the temperature of the gas inside the tank. The methods repeatedly dispense fuel to the vehicle fuel tank at a first flow rate and for a first period of time and remove fuel from the fuel tank at a second flow rate for a second period to maintain fuel temperature within a desired temperature range and until the vehicle fuel tank is filled to a desired level. In addition, the fill-up mass flowrate can be maximized to system capabilities so a fill-up can be can be completed in about one minute.

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.