A system for controlling a gas supply unit supplying gas to a tank includes a pressure acquisition unit configured to acquire the pressure in the tank; and a controller configured to perform first filling for supplying the gas to the tank and to perform second filling, based on a flow rate determined based on a change in the pressure in the tank for a predetermined period of time during the first filling, by controlling the gas supply unit. The controller is configured to cause the gas supply unit to perform the first filling at a first flow rate in a case where the pressure in the tank prior to the first filling is a first pressure and perform the first filling at a second flow rate exceeding the first flow rate in a case where the pressure is a second pressure exceeding the first pressure.

A fuel storage system is provided for storing dimethylether (DME), a blend including DME, or other similar highly volatile fuel at a vehicle. The fuel storage system including a main storage tank, an expansion tank, a fuel filling receptacle configured to receive a fuel filling nozzle of a filling station, and a valve arrangement having at least a normal operating setting and a fuel filling setting. The valve arrangement in the normal operating setting provides a fuel passage between the main storage tank and the expansion tank, and the valve arrangement in the fuel filling setting both provides a fuel passage between the fuel filling receptacle and the main storage tank and prevents fuel flow between the main storage tank and the expansion tank. The fuel storage system is configured to mechanically prevent disconnection of the fuel filling nozzle from the fuel filling receptacle unless the valve arrangement is in the normal operating setting. A corresponding method, as well as a further example embodiment of the fuel storage system, are also provided.

This invention relates to a novel method and system for dispensing CO2 vapor without over pressurization. The system includes one or more liquid containers and one or more vapor containers. The system is designed to operate in a specific manner whereby a restricted amount of CO2 liquid is permitted into the vapor container through a restrictive pathway that is created and maintained by a shuttle valve during the filling operation so that equalization of container pressures is achieved, thereby allowing shuttle valve to reseat when filling has stopped. During use, a pressure differential device is designed to specifically isolate the vapor container from the liquid container so as to preferentially deplete liquid CO2 from the vapor container and avoid over pressurization of the system until the vapor container. The system is operated so that at least 50% of the CO2 product is dispensed from the vapor container. The system also includes novel control methodology for performing pre-fill integrity checks to ensure safety of subsequent dispensing of CO2 liquid from a source vessel to the onsite CO2 containers.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for refilling fluid containers. A fluid container may include a bottle and a valve assembly. The valve assembly may include two valves and be configured to engage with the bottle and a filling head or dispensing head. A system is configured to provide pressurized fluid to the refillable container, monitor filling, determine when to stop filling, and determine how much fluid was provided. The valve assembly may include a float mechanism coupled to one of the valves of the valve assembly to ensure fluid flow is stopped when the fluid container is full. The fluid, which can include carbon dioxide, is stored in a storage tank. A flow system provides the fluid to a filling head, which engages with the fluid container. The flow system includes a transfer pump, valves, and sensors configured to provide the fluid to the filling head.

A refueling system may include an inlet tube that fluidly connects to a container containing gaseous hydrogen, a cryocooler including a cold tip and a cold head, the cold tip driven to a hydrogen liquefaction temperature by the cold head, a condensation chamber fluidly connected to the inlet tube to receive the gaseous hydrogen and thermally connected to the cryocooler cold tip, a catalyst disposed in the condensation chamber and that conducts ortho-to-para hydrogen conversion. The cryocooler cold tip absorbs a resulting exothermic reaction. The refueling system may also include a funnel fluidly connected to the condensation chamber and that receives liquid hydrogen from the condensation of the gaseous hydrogen, and a coupling mechanism fluidly connected to the funnel to receive the liquid hydrogen and having a nozzle downwardly movable to fluidly connect from above to an upwards facing tank inlet of a vehicle.

A vessel includes a body that defines an interior space. The body includes a first metal surface, a second metal surface, and a non-metallic material crimped between the first metal surface and the second metal surface at a joint. The vessel further includes a pressure relief device coupled to the body. The pressure relief device is configured to vent contents of the vessel to an exterior of the body. Upon exposure of the vessel to a temperature for a period of time, the second metal surface is configured to expand or bend to create a pressure relief route from the interior space to the pressure relief device, between the first metal surface and the second metal surface, and/or the non-metallic material is configured to melt to create the pressure relief route.

A control method for a hydrogen filling system is provided. A hydrogen filling system (S) includes a vehicle (V) that sends unique information (V, MC) of the hydrogen tank and detected values (T, P) of sensors, and a station (9) that determines a filling mode based on this information (V, MC, P, T), and fills hydrogen to the tank in this determined mode. A station ECU (95) calculates predicted values (T, P) of the temperature and pressure inside of the hydrogen tank during filling of hydrogen based on the unique information (V, MC), continuously confirms whether the detected values (T, P) of the sensors and the predicted values (T, P) match while filling fuel, and in the case of an inconsistency between the detected values and predicted values being confirmed, interrupts filling of fuel in the filling mode determined based on the unique information.

A gas filling apparatus for filling a plurality of gas storage vessels with a gas, the apparatus comprising a plurality of gas filling ports, each port configured to introduce gas into one of the gas storage vessels, and a controller configured to supply gas to the gas filling ports for filling the vessels and to control the supply of gas to all of the gas filling ports based on a property of any one of the vessels.

A process for filling a gas tank made from a gas tank material with gas is provided, which process comprises the following steps: a) setting (S10) a nominal gas filling rate such that the tank is substantially completely filled within a predetermined filling time from a predetermined initial gas pressure value, b) determining (S20), assuming hot case tank conditions, a maximum mass-averaged gas filling temperature that will be reached at the end of the filling process, when filling the gas tank for the predetermined filling time with the nominal gas filling rate, c) selecting (S30) a target gas filling temperature not greater than the maximum mass-averaged gas filling temperature, d) cooling (S40) the gas to be supplied to the gas tank to the target gas filling temperature, e) starting the supply of gas to the gas tank, f) determining (S50) the actual mass-averaged gas filling temperature of the gas supplied to the tank, g) estimating (S60) an end-of-fill gas pressure from the actual mass-averaged gas filling temperature assuming cold case tank conditions, and h) terminating (S70) the supply of gas to the gas tank when the actual pressure of the gas tank is equal to the lower of the end-of-fill gas pressure and a maximum final fill pressure.

The present invention relates broadly and separately to a flow control valve and a float control valve assembly for use in the refilling of storage vessels, particularly fuel tanks. The invention also relates generally to a vessel overfill protection system. The flow control valve comprises a valve body defining a fluid passageway disposed between a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and a piston assembly located at least in part within the fluid passageway. The piston assembly includes a piston support to which a piston is slidably mounted for opening and closure of the fluid outlet. The piston support includes at least one fluid sampling passage arranged to provide pressurised fluid from the fluid inlet to an upstream surface of the piston which is urged for opening of the fluid outlet to permit flow of fluid through the fluid passageway. The float control valve assembly includes a float assembly body adapted to mount within a vessel to be filled with fluid via the flow control valve. The float control valve includes a pilot valve and a pilot control passage in fluid communication with the flow control valve. The pilot valve is operatively coupled to a float member for closure of the pilot control passage on flooding of the float housing to promote closure of the flow control valve.