Apparatus and methods for vaporizing LNG while producing sufficient volume of compressed natural gas at sufficient pressure to meet the needs of internal combustion engines, gas turbines, or other high consumption devices operating on natural gas or on a mixture of diesel and natural gas. The LNG vaporizer of the present invention incorporates a reciprocating pump to provide vaporized LNG to an output at rates and pressures as required by the particular application. The heat rejected into the engine coolant and the exhaust stream from an artificially loaded internal combustion engine, as well as the hydraulic heat resulting from artificially loading the engine, is transferred to the LNG as the LNG passes through a heat exchanger. Exhaust heat is transferred to the engine coolant after the coolant passes through the heat exchanger.

A method and system are provided for operating refueling station tube-trailers and compressors to reduce hydrogen refueling cost. A hydrogen refueling station includes a two-tier fuel supply of pressure vessels on a refueling station tube-trailer, with a first tier and a second tier of pressure vessels including at least one or more pressure vessels connected together. A separate control unit is coupled to the first tier and the second tier of pressure vessels with each of the control units coupled to a compressor. The compressor is coupled to a high pressure buffer storage by a separate control unit. In operation, pressure is monitored in the each tier. Hydrogen is consolidated selectively between the first tier of pressure vessel banks, the second tier pressure vessels, and the high pressure buffer. Based upon monitored pressures, one of the first tier of pressure vessels, the second tier pressure vessel banks, and the high pressure buffer is used to refuel vehicles.

A cryogenic fluid system includes a vessel and a pumping system positioned for submerging within cryogenic fluid within the vessel. The pumping system includes an electric drive structured to move a pumping element within a pumping chamber to pump cryogenic fluid out of the vessel. A cooling jacket forms a heat exchange cavity about the electric drive such that heat is rejected externally of the storage vessel.

A submersible pumping system in a machine system includes a pumping element, and a drive mechanism for actuating the pumping element. The drive mechanism has an electromagnetic element with a superconducting state at or below a critical temperature. A temperature control jacket and cooling mechanism are provided to pump heat from a heat exchange cavity to cool the drive mechanism to or below a critical temperature less than an ambient temperature in a cryogenic environment.

A cryostorage system that includes a cryocontainer operable to store liquid hydrogen and/or gaseous hydrogen, the cryocontainer having an inner tank and an outer container, and at least one cryopump, operable to operate at low temperatures, arranged in the inner tank to be fully surrounded, during normal operation, by cryogenic fluid, the cryopump delivering liquid hydrogen and/or gaseous hydrogen in one or more stages to a consumer at a pressure greater than a pressure in the inner tank.

A cryostorage system that includes: a cryocontainer operable to store hydrogen, the cryocontainer having an inner tank and an outer container; at least one cryopump, arranged in the inner tank, to deliver liquid hydrogen and/or gaseous hydrogen in one or more stages via an extraction line to a consumer at a pressure greater than a pressure in the inner tank; and a filling interface to facilitate filling of the inner tank at least in part via the extraction line and a spring-loaded non-return valve into the inner tank.

The invention relates to monitoring and predicting the operation of a pump (30) arranged in a tank (3) for transporting a liquid product on board a ship (1), the pump (30) having a pump-head (31) arranged in the tank (3). A tripping risk parameter of the pump (30) is estimated at least as a function of a required net positive suction head of the pump (30), of the current filling level of the tank and of a current state of movement, which is a current sea state and/or a current state of movement of the ship, and a user is provided with an indication as a function of said tripping risk parameter.

A particular application to ships for transporting a cold liquid product, more particularly to ships for transporting LNG of the type which consume the boil-off gas for their propulsion.

A phase change accumulator assembly includes an inner pressure vessel, an outer pressure vessel, and at least one intermediate pressure vessel. The inner, the at least one intermediate, and the outer pressure vessels are nested concentrically such that the at least one intermediate pressure vessel is within the outer pressure vessel, and the inner pressure vessel is within the at least one intermediate pressure vessel.

A system and a method with boil-off management for liquefied fuel storage are provided. The system includes a cryotank for storing a liquefied fuel, a pump for providing and compressing a first stream of the liquefied fuel, a heat exchanger for provide cooling duty to the first stream of the liquefied fuel, and an expansion valve for expanding the first stream of the liquefied fuel after the heat exchanger into a multiphase stream comprising a liquid phase and a gas phase. The multiphase stream has a temperature lower than an initial temperature of the first stream from the cryotank. The system further comprises a liquid-vapor splitter for separating the liquid phase and gas phase in the multiphase stream. The liquid phase is returned into the cryotank.

A fuel transfer station may provide for the refilling of fuel canisters providing fuel to combustion powered equipment. The fuel transfer station may include a base, a frame coupled to the base, a first connection port and a second connection port provided in the base, and fluid flow lines connecting the first connection port and the second connection port. A supply tank may be supported by the frame and detachably connected to the first connection port. A fuel canister to be refilled may be detachably connected to the second connection port. Fuel contained in the supply tank may be selectively supplied to the fuel canister through the fluid flow lines in response to a pressure gradient drawing the fuel into the fuel canister.