Heat is transferred from a flow of liquid hydrogen to a flow of a heat transfer fluid at a first heat exchanger to produce a warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and a cooled flow of heat transfer fluid. Heat is also transferred at a second heat exchanger, to the cooled flow of heat transfer fluid, from a flow of pressurized hydrogen that is derived from one or more buffer vessels filled by the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and/or the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen from the first exchanger to produce a cooled flow of pressurized hydrogen that is used to fill tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles.

A hydrogen refilling station for filling tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles includes a liquid hydrogen tank that feeds liquid hydrogen to an upstream end of a filling circuit that also includes a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger exchanges heat between the liquid hydrogen and heat transfer fluid flows to thereby cool the heat transfer fluid and vaporize the liquid hydrogen to provide a supply of high pressure hydrogen gas for filling hydrogen-fueled vehicle tanks at a downstream end of the circuit. Because the liquid hydrogen is surrounded by the heat transfer fluid inside the heat exchanger, little if any fogging occurs.

A device for regasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) and co-generating cool freshwater and cool dry air, which device comprises at least one hermetic outer recipient containing an intermediate fluid in liquid phase and gaseous phase, the fluid having high latent heat and high capillary properties, traversed by at least one intermediate fluid evaporation tube inside the tube flows moist air whose moisture condenses, at least partly, in a capillary condensation regime on its inner face and on its outer face the liquid phase of the intermediate fluid evaporates, at least partially, in a capillary evaporation regime, and traversed by at least one LNG evaporation tube on which outer face the gaseous phase of the intermediate fluid condenses at least partially, under a capillary condensation regime, and inside the tube, the LNG is heated and changes phase and the regasified natural gas (NG) is heated to a temperature greater than 5° C.

A vaporizer apparatus for vaporizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) into vapor-phase natural gas for injection into an oil or gas well, comprises a blower assembly, a burner section, a heat exchanger section, and at least one flammable gas concentration sensor. The blower assembly comprises a primary blower configured to move air along an air flow path through the vaporizer apparatus and a flame arrestor configured to allow passage of the air into the vaporizer apparatus and impede passage of a flame out of the vaporizer apparatus. The burner section comprises an enclosure having an upstream end coupled to the blower assembly and a downstream end, and a burner inside the enclosure and in the air flow path for heating the air. The heat exchanger section comprises an enclosure having an upstream end coupled to the downstream end of the burner section enclosure and a downstream end, and at least one LNG heat exchange tube inside the enclosure and in the air flow path, and thermally communicable with the air heated by the burner. The at least one flammable gas concentration sensor is in the air flow path upstream of the burner and is configured to detect whether a concentration of a flammable gas in the air is above a flammable gas concentration set point.

A heat exchanger device provides refrigeration in refrigerated vehicles operated by liquefied natural gas (LNG) which must first be regasified. The great temperature difference between heat-discharging cooling chamber air and heat-absorbing LNG evaporating at up to −161° C. conducts the heat flow via an introduced intermediate medium circulating in a closed circuit to avert the risk of combustible natural gas leaking. The intermediate medium is non-combustible, environmentally-benign liquid heat exchange media having low viscosity. The liquid heat exchange media operating temperature is kept above −85° C. using an additional thermal resistance in the heat exchanger which evaporates the LNG, so that the heat flow flows with sufficient temperature drop. A thin protective dry gas layer formed using sheathing tubes enclosing a tubular heat exchanger's tubes coaxially serves as this thermal resistance. Possibly escaping natural gas is determined by monitoring pressure in the layer, and the LNG supply interrupted.

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) management system that stores natural gas in a liquefied state in an isothermal storage tank. A modular multi-fueling platform is in fluid communication with the isothermal storage tank. The modular multi-fueling platform includes a LNG conditioning tank, a compressor, a heat exchanger, a heater, plumbing, associated valves, various sensing transmitters, and a programmable logic computer (PLC). Data acquired by the PLC determines actions by the modular multi-fueling platform, including operation of valves, the compressor, etc. The system transfers LNG between the storage tank, the conditioning tank, and a cargo tank (consumer's vehicle tank). The system employs steps of heating and compressing the LNG and boil off gas to maintain the LNG at temperature. The system employs pressure differences for transferring the LNG between tanks.

A hydrogen refilling station for filling tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles includes a liquid hydrogen tank that feeds liquid hydrogen to an upstream end of a filling circuit that also includes a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger exchanges heat between the liquid hydrogen and heat transfer fluid flows to thereby cool the heat transfer fluid and vaporize the liquid hydrogen to provide a supply of high pressure hydrogen gas for filling hydrogen-fueled vehicle tanks at a downstream end of the circuit. Because the liquid hydrogen is surrounded by the heat transfer fluid inside the heat exchanger, little if any fogging occurs.

A device for regasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) and co-generating cool freshwater and cool dry air, which device comprises at least one hermetic outer recipient containing an intermediate fluid in liquid phase and gaseous phase, the fluid having high latent heat and high capillary properties, traversed by at least one intermediate fluid evaporation tube inside the tube flows moist air whose moisture condenses, at least partly, in a capillary condensation regime on its inner face and on its outer face the liquid phase of the intermediate fluid evaporates, at least partially, in a capillary evaporation regime, and traversed by at least one LNG evaporation tube on which outer face the gaseous phase of the intermediate fluid condenses at least partially, under a capillary condensation regime, and inside the tube, the LNG is heated and changes phase and the regasified natural gas (NG) is heated to a temperature greater than 5 C.

A vaporizer apparatus for vaporizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) into vapor-phase natural gas for injection into an oil or gas well, comprises a blower assembly, a burner section, a heat exchanger section, and at least one flammable gas concentration sensor. The blower assembly comprises a primary blower configured to move air along an air flow path through the vaporizer apparatus and a flame arrestor configured to allow passage of the air into the vaporizer apparatus and impede passage of a flame out of the vaporizer apparatus. The burner section comprises an enclosure having an upstream end coupled to the blower assembly and a downstream end, and a burner inside the enclosure and in the air flow path for heating the air. The heat exchanger section comprises an enclosure having an upstream end coupled to the downstream end of the burner section enclosure and a downstream end, and at least one LNG heat exchange tube inside the enclosure and in the air flow path, and thermally communicable with the air heated by the burner. The at least one flammable gas concentration sensor is in the air flow path upstream of the burner and is configured to detect whether a concentration of a flammable gas in the air is above a flammable gas concentration set point.

Heat is transferred from a flow of liquid hydrogen to a flow of a heat transfer fluid at a first heat exchanger to produce a warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and a cooled flow of heat transfer fluid. Heat is also transferred at a second heat exchanger, to the cooled flow of heat transfer fluid, from a flow of pressurized hydrogen that is derived from one or more buffer vessels filled by the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and/or the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen from the first exchanger to produce a cooled flow of pressurized hydrogen that is used to fill tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles.