Example embodiments for a method for compressing gas into a liquified gas using a plurality of pairs of liquid gas displacers in parallel moving a working fluid between each pair of displacers to pressurize the gas, arranging sets of the parallel liquid gas displacers in a series to raise the pressure, directly cooling the gas at each displacer pair, and finally condensing the gas using a coolant, collecting the liquified gas, and pressurizing the liquified gas for use in a pipeline.

Hybrid thermodynamic compressor (8) for compressing a working fluid, the compressor comprising a volumetric cylinder (1) and a thermal cylinder (2) connected to one another mechanically by a connecting rod system (5) and pneumatically by a connecting circuit (12) optionally with a valve (4), a reversible electric machine (6), the volumetric cylinder comprising a first piston (81) that separates a first chamber (Ch1) from a second chamber (Ch2), the thermal cylinder comprising a second piston (82) which separates a third chamber (Ch3) from a fourth chamber (Ch4), which can be brought into thermal contact with a heat source (21) to thereby generate a cycled movement in the thermal cylinder, and concerning the connecting rod system (5), the first and second pistons are connected to a rotor (52) by first and second respective connecting rods (91,92), with a predetermined angular offset (θd), the volumetric cylinder being equipped with non-return valves (61,62), the power produced in the thermal cylinder being transmitted to the volumetric cylinder essentially via the connecting circuit and not via the rod system.

Hybrid thermodynamic compressor (8) for compressing a working fluid, the compressor comprising a volumetric cylinder (1) and a thermal cylinder (2) connected to one another mechanically by a connecting rod system (5) and pneumatically by a connecting circuit (12) optionally with a valve (4), a reversible electric machine (6), the volumetric cylinder comprising a first piston (81) that separates a first chamber (Ch1) from a second chamber (Ch2), the thermal cylinder comprising a second piston (82) which separates a third chamber (Ch3) from a fourth chamber (Ch4), which can be brought into thermal contact with a heat source (21) to thereby generate a cycled movement in the thermal cylinder, and concerning the connecting rod system (5), the first and second pistons are connected to a rotor (52) by first and second respective connecting rods (91,92), with a predetermined angular offset (θd), the volumetric cylinder being equipped with non-return valves (61,62), the power produced in the thermal cylinder being transmitted to the volumetric cylinder essentially via the connecting circuit and not via the rod system.

A booster system for increasing pressure of an object gas includes: a first compression unit that compresses the object gas to intermediate pressure equal to or higher than the critical pressure and lower than the target pressure and generates an intermediate supercritical fluid; a cooling unit that cools the intermediate supercritical fluid with a cooling medium and generates an intermediate supercritical pressure liquid; a liquid extracting and pressure reducing unit that extracts a part of the intermediate supercritical pressure liquid; a flow regulating valve that regulates a flow rate of the extracted part of the intermediate supercritical pressure liquid; a second compression unit that increases pressure of the rest of the intermediate supercritical pressure liquid to be equal to or higher than the target pressure; and a pressure sensor that detects pressure of the intermediate supercritical pressure liquid.

Provided is an extraction system which can be used to recover light oils and other organic materials during a supercritical or subcritical fluid extraction. The extraction system utilizes dual-purpose gas-liquid extraction pump for pumping the extracting material (e.g., CO.sub.2) in either the vapor phase or the liquid phase within the extractor. The extractor is a pressure vessel which functions as an independent, full spectrum extractor. Organic material is inserted within a compartment within the extractor and liquefied and compressed gases are passed through the organic material to obtain the extractant. The extraction system also includes a separator to separate the extracting fluid from the extracted material.

Provided is a supercritical fluid chromatography method, system, and components comprising such a system wherein a non-polar solvent may replace a portion or all of a polar solvent for the purpose of separating or extracting desired sample molecules from a combined sample/solvent stream. The method and system are designed to eliminate or reduce the amount of polar solvent necessary for chromatographic separation and/or extraction of desired samples to less than or equal to twenty percent polar solvent within the total volume concentration of the total solvents used, and the technique may include one or more of a supercritical fluid chiller, a supercritical fluid pressure-equalizing vessel, and a supercritical fluid cyclonic separator. The supercritical fluid chiller and the use of the chiller allow efficient and consistent pumping of liquid-phase gases employing off-the-shelf HPLC pumps in the supercritical chromatography system using liquid-phase gas mobile phase. The pressure equalizing vessel allows the use of off the shelf HPLC column cartridges in the supercritical chromatography system. The cyclonic separator efficiently and effectively allows for separation of sample molecules from a liquid phase or gas phase stream of a supercritical fluid. The technique may further incorporate the use of one or more disposable cartridges containing silica gel or other suitable medium for use as a chromatographic separation column. The technique may also utilize an open loop cooling circuit using fluids with a positive Joule-Thompson coefficient.

A liquid carbon dioxide delivery pump with a pump head including a pump chamber and a refrigerant channel different from a channel passing through the pump chamber, a circulation channel for refrigerant, a refrigerant pump arranged on the circulation channel, the refrigerant pump for causing the refrigerant to circulate through the circulation channel, and a cooling section arranged on the circulation channel, at a position away from the pump head, the cooling section being configured to cool the refrigerant passing through the circulation channel. The liquid carbon dioxide delivery pump further has a temperature sensor for detecting an ambient temperature of the pump head or a temperature of the pump head, and a refrigerant pump control section for adjusting, based on a detection signal of the temperature sensor, a flow rate of the refrigerant pump such that liquid carbon dioxide flowing through the pump head at a specific temperature.

The present disclosure relates to methodologies, systems, and devices for compressing CO.sub.2 for recycling within a CO.sub.2-based chromatography or extraction system. A bellows pump can receive CO.sub.2 in a gaseous state and can compress the CO.sub.2 into a liquid or partially liquid-vapor state using hydraulic compression. Once compressed, the liquid or liquid-vapor CO.sub.2 can be recycled within the CO.sub.2-based chromatography or extraction system.

Described is an apparatus for providing a fluid at an increased pressure. The apparatus has a range of applications including use with carbon dioxide-based chromatography systems to achieve accurate flow rate control for a carbon dioxide pump. The apparatus includes a thermally-controlled chamber, chamber inlet and outlet check valves, and a temperature controller to control a temperature of fluid inside the chamber. The apparatus also includes a capacitance chamber in fluidic communication with the outlet check valve. A flow of gas passes into the chamber through the inlet check valve when a fluid pressure inside the chamber is less than an inlet fluid pressure and out from the chamber through the outlet check valve when the fluid pressure inside the chamber is greater than an outlet fluid pressure. Thermal control of the chamber allows accurate control of the gas flow into and out from the chamber.

Systems and methods for pumping carbon dioxide in a chromatography system include an actuator that receives and compresses carbon dioxide at or above room temperature at a given pressure to put the carbon dioxide in or near supercritical form. This actuator can be a pre-pump disposed on the intake side of a pumping system. Alternatively, this actuator can be a primary actuator in the pumping system. The actuator includes an intake chamber that receives the carbon dioxide and a movable plunger extending into and closely received by the intake chamber. The plunger has a diameter and stroke length adapted to compress the carbon dioxide received by the intake chamber in sufficient volume at the given pressure to put the carbon dioxide in or near supercritical form at or above room temperature. A metered amount of the carbon dioxide in or near supercritical form can then be pumped.