A rigid structure propellant management device (PMD) liquid storage tank includes an outer shell and internal structures inside the outer shell that include a plurality of vertical columns each made up of a stack of individual storage cells. Each of the storage cells has solid vertical sidewalls and top and bottom capillary windows that allow vertical liquid transfer between adjacent cells in a vertical column. The top and bottom capillary windows in each of the storage cells have permeabilities that result in a selected direction of liquid flow in each column. A piping and valve system may be connected to the top capillary window of a top storage cell and to the bottom capillary window of a bottom storage cell of each vertical column, configured to allow controlled liquid transfer between adjacent vertical columns so that locations of empty cells in the tank as liquid is drawn from the tank achieves a selected column by column drainage sequence and controls a center of mass of the tank.

A method for producing a high-pressure tank that can, when forming a reinforcement layer following a previous reinforcement layer using fiber bundles, ensure the strength of the tank by reducing disturbance of the orientation of the fiber bundles. The method is adapted to form each reinforcement layer by winding fiber bundles while holding a preset tension for each layer, and includes a winding start step of stopping rotation of the tank liner upon completion of formation of at least one of the reinforcement layers, and, at the start of forming a following reinforcement layer, winding the fiber bundles at a tension smaller than a preset tension for the following reinforcement layer while alternately repeating rotation of the tank liner in the forward direction and the reverse direction, thereby forming a winding start portion of the following reinforcement layer; and a main winding step of winding the fiber bundles at the preset tension after the winding start step, so as to complete the formation of the following reinforcement layer.

A manufacturing method for a tank is a method of manufacturing the tank by winding fibers impregnated with an epoxy resin in a plurality of layers around an outer circumference of a liner having a body part and dome parts provided at both ends of the body part. The manufacturing method includes sequentially laminating a plurality of hoop layers by hoop-winding the fibers from a side closer to an outer circumference of the body part toward a side farther from the outer circumference of the body part. When laminating the hoop layers, a temperature of end portions of the body part adjacent to the dome parts is set lower than a temperature of a remaining portion of the body part, the remaining portion being a portion of the body part other than the end portions.

A high-pressure tank includes: a cylindrical hollow container; an outer shell that is formed of a fiber-reinforced plastic band which is wound on an outer circumference of the hollow container to cover the outer circumference; and a cap that is attached to an inner side of at least one of one axial end and the other axial end of the outer shell. The hollow container is formed of a material which has airtightness and which is able to expand and contract in an axial direction and a radial direction inside the outer shell, and a frictional portion that is used to set a frictional resistance to an inner circumferential surface of the outer shell to be greater than that in the other area is provided in an axial intermediate portion on an outer circumferential surface of the hollow container.

A fuel cell system includes: a high-pressure tank including a resin liner and a reinforcing layer; an acquisition portion configured to acquire a value of an internal pressure and a value of an internal temperature of the high-pressure tank; a notification portion; and a controlling portion. The controlling portion sets, in a map of the internal temperature and the internal pressure, a boundary line sectioning the map into a first region and a second region, the first region indicating a possibility that a stress caused in the resin liner damages the resin liner, the second region being a region having a higher temperature and a higher pressure than the first region. When the value of the internal temperature and the value of the internal pressure reach the boundary line, the controlling portion causes the notification portion to notify that the high-pressure tank needs to be filled with a fuel gas.

A methane transportation system is provided. The system may include a methane source configured to dispense methane at a first location, and an underwater vehicle. The underwater vehicle may include a propulsion system configured to transport the underwater vehicle underwater from the first location to a second location and a vessel defining a storage chamber configured to receive water and the methane from the methane source. The storage chamber of the vessel may have a pressure exceeding one atmosphere and a temperature during transport from the first location to the second location sufficient to form methane clathrate in the storage chamber. The system may further include a methane receiver configured to receive the methane released from the storage chamber at the second location. Related methods are also provided.

A pressure tank includes a metallic vessel, a plastic liner received in the metallic vessel, a flexible diaphragm, two connectors and a nozzle coupled to the nipples respectively. The metallic vessel includes upper and lower shells. The upper shell defines a first planar area on a side thereof and a second planar area on a top thereof. The lower shell defines a third planar area thereunder. The flexible diaphragm divides the metallic vessel into a storage space and a pneumatic room. Each of the connectors includes a nipple and an anti-leak assembly. The nipples of the connectors are mounted on the side and top of the upper shell respectively and are in communication with the storage space. The two anti-leak assemblies provide leakproof connection between the nipples and the plastic liner. Additionally, the nozzle is mounted on the third planar area to be in communication with the pneumatic room.

A pressure vessel includes: a barrel part disposed in a predefined square area and having a diameter corresponding to a length of one side of the square area; a first nozzle member disposed at one end of the barrel part; a second nozzle member disposed at an opposite end of the barrel part; and clamp rings disposed in the square area, positioned outside the barrel part, and configured to lock the first and second nozzle members to the barrel part, thereby improving spatial utilization and a degree of design freedom.

A type IV conformable pressure vessel is provided comprising an elongated folded tank and a valve assembly configured to pass fluid into and out of an interior of the tank through first and second filling couplers directly connected to a respective first and second end of the tank. The tank has at least two chambers for the storage of fluid. The valve assembly receives fluid from an external source, selectively provides the external fluid through a Venturi nozzle into a mixing chamber, recirculates fluid from the second end of the tank into the mixing chamber, and delivers the mixture of the recirculated fluid and the external fluid to the first end of the tank.

A high-pressure tank in which a liner can be formed using the conventionally used material, a decrease in the volumetric efficiency within the liner can be suppressed, and influence of a temperature rise due to adiabatic compression on the liner can be significantly alleviated. The tank includes a liner that suppresses permeation of gas; a valve device that allows the inside of the liner and the outside of the tank to communicate with each other and blocks communication therebetween; and an inner container with a through-hole disposed within the liner such that a gap is formed between the inner container and an inner periphery of the liner. The first communication channel of the valve device connects with a pipe extending in the gap and having holes therein. Gas supplied to the valve device is supplied into the gap from the holes in the pipe, and fills the inner container in a high-pressure state from the gap through the through-hole in the inner container.