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 pressure vessel assembly incudes a pressure vessel and a gas density gauge. The pressure vessel includes a vessel wall defining an interior cavity. The gas density gauge includes a parallel plate capacitor having a pair of plates. Opposing surfaces of the plates are separated by a distance across an open gap. A capacitance of the capacitor is related to a density of a gas within the open gap.

A high-pressure tank unit capable of securing the sealing property of a sealing member in the neck of the high-pressure tank. The tank unit includes a high-pressure tank and a connecting member connected to the high-pressure tank. The connecting member has an annular sealing member disposed between a liner and an insert portion and adapted to seal a housing space. The high-pressure tank has a tubular body disposed between the liner and reinforcing layer in a position facing the sealing member so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the liner, the tubular body adapted to restrict radial deformation of the inner peripheral surface of the neck. The longitudinal modulus of the material along the circumferential direction of the tubular body is higher than each of the longitudinal moduli of the materials along the circumferential direction of the liner and reinforcing layer.

A high-pressure tank includes an assembly of a pipe split body having a pipe liner and a pipe reinforcement layer covering an outer circumferential surface of the pipe liner, first dome split body having a first dome liner and a first dome reinforcement layer covering an outer circumferential surface of the first dome liner, and second dome split body having a second dome liner and a second dome reinforcement layer covering an outer circumferential surface of the second dome liner. The pipe split body and the first dome split body are assembled such that the first dome liner is located in the outer portion of the high-pressure tank relative to the pipe liner. The pipe split body and the second dome split body are assembled such that the second dome liner is located in the outer portion of the high-pressure tank relative to the pipe liner.

A method for manufacturing a high-pressure tank including a liner that stores gas and a reinforcing layer made of a fiber-reinforced resin and covering an outer surface of the liner includes: a first step of forming a cylinder member made of the fiber-reinforced resin; a second step of forming two dome members made of the fiber-reinforced resin; and a third step of forming a reinforcing body that is the reinforcing layer by joining both end portions of the cylinder member and end portions of the two dome members, respectively. The first step includes forming the cylinder member by winding a release material around a mandrel and winding the fiber-reinforced resin on the release material.

A pressure vessel can include a liner having a cylindrical section and a pair of dome sections; and a reinforcement layer constituted by a fiber-reinforced resin material and formed on the outside of the liner. The pressure vessel's reinforcement layer can include protruding sections formed so as to protrude at the dome sections by high-angle helical winding; and a central section formed by hoop winding which spans the area between each peak of the pair of protruding sections, or by approximate hoop winding in which winding is carried out at a higher angle than the high-angle helical winding.

To suppress the degradation of sealing property of a pressure vessel and the deterioration of a sealing member, and to reduce the workload and cost of manufacture, a blow molding device includes a pair of molds configured to be clamped to sandwich a parison from both lateral sides, and a blow pin configured to form a neck portion together with the molds. The blow pin includes a blow pin body portion having an outer circumferential surface of a shape corresponding to an inner circumferential surface of the neck portion, and a ring portion forming an annular recess portion between the blow pin body portion and the ring portion to form an outer circumferential surface of a tip portion of the neck portion, which is a smooth surface without any parting line.

A tank includes a liner that includes a barrel portion in a cylindrical shape and a pair of dome portions provided at both ends of the barrel portion in the axial direction, and a reinforcing layer that covers the liner and that is formed from a fiber reinforced resin formed by impregnating a fiber bundle with a resin. A portion of the reinforcing layer that covers the dome portions includes a radial arrangement layer in which fibers of the fiber bundle are arranged radially along the radial direction of the dome portions when seen in the direction of an axis of the tank.

A fluid-distribution assembly has controllable components. The fluid-distribution assembly also has a vehicle-fuelling connection configured to be selectively connectable to a first compressed-natural-gas tank of a first compressed-natural-gas-powered vehicle. The fluid-distribution assembly also has a fuel-storage connection configured to be selectively connectable to a fuel storage assembly. The fluid-distribution assembly is configured to be electrically connected to a controller assembly. The controller assembly is configured to monitor and control operations of the controllable components of the fluid-distribution assembly. The controllable components of the fluid-distribution assembly are configured to selectively distribute, under control by way of the controller assembly, a fluid flow of a compressed natural gas between the first compressed-natural-gas tank and the fuel storage assembly.

A filling station comprises a filling device for an automated filling of a gas bottle inserted in the filling station and a filling device for refueling a motor vehicle, wherein the filling device for an automated filling of a gas bottle inserted in the filling station is arranged adjacent to the filling device for refueling a motor vehicle.