A large volume natural gas storage tank comprises rigid tubular walls having closed tubular cross-sections that are interconnected at opposing ends with two other rigid tubular walls such that interiors of the rigid tubular walls define an interior fluid storage chamber. The storage tank also includes bulkheads positioned in the interior fluid storage chamber across intermediate segments of the rigid tubular walls and closure plates connected between exterior surfaces of successive interconnected rigid tubular walls to define sides of the storage tank. Interior surfaces of the closure plates and exterior surfaces of the rigid tubular walls define an auxiliary fluid storage chamber. The storage tank also includes exterior support structures extending through the closure plates and between the exterior surfaces of the rigid tubular walls on some of the sides of the storage tank to reinforce the storage tank against dynamic loading from fluid in the interior fluid storage chamber.

Disclosed herein are a diagnostic method using laser induced breakdown spectrum analysis and a diagnostic device for performing the same. The diagnostic method may include projecting a pulsed laser to a suspicious specimen, obtaining first spectrum data on the light collected from the suspicious specimen, projecting the pulsed laser to a non-diseased specimen, obtaining second spectrum data on the light collected from the non-diseased specimen, and determining whether a disease is present in the suspicious specimen from a comparison value of the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data using an artificial neural network.

A gas supply marine vessel and a refueling facility are described. The gas supply marine vessel includes a hull with an upper deck having an elongated cargo cavity formed therein. Gas interface modules are disposed in the cavity and extend between hull sides, each module having a plurality of fuel vessel docking stations. A plurality of stacked fuel container assemblies are fluidically coupled to the docking stations. A gantry, is movable along the length of the cavity, straddles the cargo cavity between hull sides. An articulating crane is mounted on the gantry and it utilized to move fuel container assemblies to a fuel container depression formed in the deck of a floating refueling facility. The floating refueling facility includes a concave side to facilitate mooring adjacent a shoreline, the concave side forming angled extensions at corners of the deck with a linkspan extending from each of the angled extensions.

A system for transporting natural gas. The system may include a loading facility, a first storage system, a second storage system, and a CNG carrier. The loading facility may be operable to receive, compress, and chill natural gas while maintaining the natural gas in a gaseous state, and further operable to transfer the chilled CNG at a constant flowrate. The first storage system may be operable to receive chilled CNG from the loading facility at the constant flowrate, store the chilled CNG, and transfer the chilled CNG. The second storage system may be operable to receive and store the chilled CNG. The CNG carrier may be operable to receive chilled CNG from the first storage system, transport the chilled CNG, and transfer the chilled CNG to the second storage system. The system may be sized such that the constant flowrate of the chilled CNG is maintained without interruption.

A fuel cylinder, such as a high-pressure fluid storage tank, is provided with dual-inlet refilling capabilities. The storage tank may include a main body section with a first domed end portion and a second domed end portion disposed at opposite portions of the main body section. A first inlet assembly and a second inlet assembly are provided at the respective first domed end portion and the second domed end portion. Each inlet assembly is configured to provide fluid communication between a supply of a high-pressure fluid and an interior of the storage tank. Each inlet assembly may include a boss and a tank valve, with each tank valve being in fluid communication with the compressed fluid receptacle. During filling of the storage tank, the high-pressure fluid travels through a compressed fluid receptacle and enters the interior of the storage tank simultaneously through each of the first and second inlet assemblies.

A gas processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention controls inflow fuel pressure of a low pressure demand source according to an operation or a non-operation of a high pressure demand source and the low pressure demand source.

Systems and methods related to loading and unloading stations for simultaneous unloading of a first fluid from at least one storage tank in a vessel and loading of a second fluid into a storage tank of the same vessel are provided. In at least one aspect, a loading and unloading station includes a first connector for fluid connection to a storage tank of the vessel for unloading the first fluid, and a source of the second fluid. The station also includes a second connector for fluidly connecting the source of the second fluid with a storage tank of the vessel for loading the second fluid. The station further includes a first thermal linkage between the first fluid being unloaded and the second fluid being loaded that facilitates heat transfer between the first fluid and the second fluid at the loading and unloading station.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for storing liquefied gas in at least one insulated container (1) while withdrawing evaporated gas from one or more of the at least one container (1), wherein at least a part of the evaporated gas is supplied to a recondenser (11) and wherein liquefied gas is withdrawn from one or more of the at least one container (1) and at least in part supplied to the recondenser (11) for recondensing the evaporated gas supplied to the recondenser (11) such that recondensed gas is obtained at a recondenser outlet, wherein before supplying the liquefied gas to the recondenser (11), the liquefied gas is subcooled by passing it through a refrigeration unit (8, 9), at least a part of the subcooled liquefied gas being supplied to the recondenser (11), and wherein at least a part of the recondensed gas obtained at the outlet of the recondenser (11) is reintroduced into one or more of the at least one container (1).

An exemplary bilobe or multilobe tank for storing liquefied natural gas includes at least two tank sections, each tank section having a curved upper surface and curved bottom surface, the tank sections being joined to each other so that the tank has an undulating upper surface and an undulating lower surface. Each tank section is connected to an adjacent tank section with at least one connecting duct so that a horizontal flow path is formed between the lowermost points of the adjacent tank sections or between the uppermost points of the adjacent tank sections.

A pressure vessel and a system of a vehicle with such a pressure vessel, wherein the pressure vessel is suitable for storage of pressurized fluids, comprising a housing which extends along a longitudinal axis. The housing defines an inner volume. The shape of the housing, in longitudinal cross-section, is defined by the circumference of a set of circles. The set of circles comprises a central circle, with a center point which is defined by the longitudinal axis, and four primary peripheral circles each of which intersects with the central circle at two points. The primary peripheral circles are axially distributed on the central circle in opposing pairs.