A high-pressure pressure vessel for storing natural gas comprises a plurality of first vessel regions of first diameters, a plurality of couplers, and a fiber layer. A three dimensional volume is filled using at least in part the plurality of first vessel regions. Each coupler of the plurality of couplers couples each pair of first vessel regions of the plurality of first vessel regions. Each coupler of the plurality of couplers comprises a second vessel region of a second diameter and two third vessel regions that transition diameters between the first diameter and the second diameter. The three dimensional volume is filled using at least in part the plurality of couplers. The first vessel regions and the couplers comprise a material with low permeability to natural gas. The fiber layer surrounds the plurality of first vessel regions and the plurality of couplers.

This method for fixing a base with at least one element of a liner (24) of a tank (22) for a pressurised fluid comprising a liner (24) in particular comprises forming at least one element of the liner (24) by rotational moulding or by extrusion blow moulding of a polymer on the walls of a mould, the polymer being heated so as to be malleable, and in particular cooling the polymer so as to secure the second portion (40) of the base (34) to the polymer.

A tank includes a liner including an inner shell; and a reinforcing layer covering an outer surface of the liner; wherein the reinforcing layer is formed by continuously winding resin-impregnated fiber bundles around the liner, the reinforcing layer includes a hoop layer placed in a side of the liner, and a helical layer, gaps are formed between adjacent bundles of the resin-impregnated fiber bundles wound in the hoop layer, there is at least one site where the resin-impregnated fiber bundles are wound without forming a gap between adjacent bundles in the helical layer, and resin in the resin-impregnated fiber bundles has a resin toughness value of not less than 1.0 MPa.Math.m.sup.0.5.

To provide a non-spherical tank which includes: a circular cylindrical portion; a top portion disposed continuously with an upper side of the circular cylindrical portion; and a bottom portion disposed continuously with a lower side of the circular cylindrical portion, wherein the top portion includes: a spherical shell portion which is formed of a portion of a spherical body having a radius R1, and is disposed at an upper end of the top portion; and a toroidal portion which is disposed continuously with the upper side of the circular cylindrical portion and with a lower side of the spherical shell portion respectively, and is formed of a portion of a spherical body having a radius R2 smaller than the radius R1, and an expression 1.0<R/H1<1.5 is satisfied. Here, R denotes a radius of the circular cylindrical portion, and H1 denotes a height of the top portion in a vertical direction.

A fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite structure includes a glass fiber layer and a carbon fiber layer in a cured resin. The glass fiber layer and the carbon fiber layer are laminated and present in a thickness direction of the structure. Two outermost layers of the fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite structure including the glass fiber layer and the carbon fiber layer are both the glass fiber layer. In the structure, a volume fraction of carbon fibers with respect to a total volume of glass fibers and carbon fibers is 0.67 or more.

A high-pressure gas tank includes a seal member that covers an opening recess from a surface of a liner on an outer side of an inner circumferential wall of a mouthpiece placing portion to a surface of a mouthpiece flange on a center side of a flange outer peripheral edge. The flange outer peripheral edge and the inner circumferential wall of the mouthpiece placing portion satisfy Dt>(Sm/Xgs).Math.100. Dt denotes a width of an opening of the opening recess and is defined as a distance between a flange outer peripheral edge-side end and an inner circumferential wall-side end of an opening of the opening recess. Sm denotes a maximum tolerance of a relative positional misalignment between the inner circumferential wall of the mouthpiece placing portion and an outer circumferential end of the flange outer peripheral edge. Xgs [%] denotes a breaking elongation of the seal member.

A charge station is provided for filling a gas cylinder with gas. The charge station includes a gas output port configured to be fluidly connected to a supply of gas. The gas output port is configured to be fluidly connected to the gas cylinder for filling the gas cylinder with gas from the supply of gas. The charge station also includes a control system operatively connected to the gas output such that the control system is configured to control filling of the gas cylinder, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader operatively connected to the control system, the RFID reader configured to read data from an RFID tag on the gas cylinder.

A composite pressure vessel includes a liner to contain a pressurized fluid and a composite layer formed on at least a portion of an exterior surface of liner. The composite layer includes a third generation advanced high strength steel filament reinforcement embedded in a polymer matrix.

A method of selecting a braid configuration for a braided liner. The method includes calculating a size ratio based on the smallest first diameter and the largest second diameter of the liner and selecting a braid material having a tensile strength. The method further includes calculating a strength ratio based on the tensile strength of the braid material and a selected target strength threshold for the braided liner and determining an optimal braid angle for the smallest first diameter portions of the liner based on the calculated size ratio.

A method of making a tank for storing fluid that includes generating a resinated braid layer on an elongated liner having a plurality of successively alternating rigid and flexible portions along the length of the liner. Generating the resinated braid layer on the liner includes feeding the liner into a braiding machine and applying resin to a plurality of fibers during a braiding process to generate a resinated plurality of fibers and generating, over a length of the liner, by the braiding machine, the resinated braid layer defined by the resinated plurality of fibers.