Method and apparatus for standby fuel storage and use to provide uninterrupted power generation by a power generation mechanism. An infrastructure pipeline supplies natural gas at a selected flow rate and a selected pressure as a primary fuel. A secondary fuel is accumulated in a plurality of sub-surface storage pods. In response to an exception event such as a curtailment order, a controller throttles a subsequent flow of the natural gas from the infrastructure pipeline so that the natural gas continues to flow to the power generation mechanism at a reduced flow rate, and blends the reduced flow of the natural gas with the secondary fuel. The secondary fuel can be an additional quantity of natural gas, hydrogen, or some other fuel. Renewable energy sources such as wind or solar can be used to generate the hydrogen, even during the blending process. The blend ratio can be adaptively adjusted.

Method and apparatus for adaptively adjusting the storage of fuels for use in a fuel blending process. First and second fuels are stored in storage vessels at an initial volumetric fuel storage ratio. A storage controller executes a performance strategy to adaptively adjust at least one storage parameter in response to a predicted or detected change in operating conditions of the system. The performance strategy can include increasing a storage pressure of at least one of the fuels and/or changing a total number of storage vessels used to store the respective fuels. A dispensing mechanism transfers a blended fuel formed from the first and second fuels in accordance with the execution of the performance strategy. The fuels can take a variety of forms including hydrogen (H2), oxygen (O.sub.2), hydrocarbons, etc. The blended fuel may be dispensed by a fueling station to a motor vehicle.

Method and apparatus for blending first and second fuels for use by a combustion mechanism, such as a motor vehicle. The first and second fuels are stored in storage vessels of a fuel storage pod in a fuel storage ratio of total respective volumes established by a storage controller circuit of a storage module responsive to a predicted demand level. A blended fuel ratio is selected by a blend controller circuit of a blend module in response to an imminent demand parameter of a selected combustion mechanism, with the blended fuel ratio being different from the fuel storage ratio. A blend of the first and second fuels is thereafter dispensed to the selected combustion mechanism at the blended fuel ratio. The first fuel may be hydrogen (H2), and the second fuel may be a selected hydrocarbon, such as propane, butane, methane, hexane, gasoline or diesel.

Apparatus and method for continuous power generation. Natural gas from a source conduit is flowed as a primary fuel to a power generation mechanism to generate motive power for conversion to electrical power. A secondary fuel is accumulated in a storage structure adjacent the power generation mechanism. A continuous operation controller maintains a steady-state operation of the power generation mechanism by throttling a subsequent flow of the natural gas from the source conduit to the power generation mechanism and blending the subsequent flow with a flow of the secondary fuel from the storage structure to output a blended fuel to the power generation mechanism. The secondary fuel may also be natural gas that is obtained from the source conduit and compressed for storage at a storage pressure. The storage structure may be an arrangement of subterranean pods each having a plurality of vessels suspended in a well bore.

The present invention refers to a fuel supply system of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a marine diesel engine, for supplying a fuel emulsion to a fuel injection system of the engine. The fuel supply system includes at least one actuated blending unit configured to blend a primary fuel and a secondary fuel to provide the fuel emulsion prior to being supplied to the fuel injection system.