The present invention relates to a gas storage apparatus and method, and more specifically to liquid air energy storage and its use to facilitate both Demand Side Reduction (DSR) and the use of reduced-cost electricity by industrial compressed-air users. A related electricity generating apparatus and method is also disclosed. The apparatus and method use a first sensible heat coolth store and second latent heat coolth store to first reduce the gas in temperature and then to change it into a liquid phase. Coolth top up devices are also disclosed.

A process for regasifying a fluid and generating electrical energy includes subjecting an operating fluid to 1) pumping, the pumping step including a low pressure pumping step 1a) and a high pressure pumping step 1b), 2) heating in a recuperator to obtain a heated flow, the heating step including a low temperature heat recovery step 2a) and a high temperature heat recovery step 2b), 3) further heating through a high temperature source to obtain a further heated flow, 4) expanding in a turbine, with generation of electrical energy to obtain an expanded flow, 5) cooling by heat exchange to obtain a cooled flow, and 6) condensing the flow of the operating fluid and regasifying the fluid. After low pressure pumping, a portion of the flow of the operating fluid is subjected to recompression to obtain a flow combined with the flow of the operating fluid obtained from step 2a).

CNG power system (1) comprising a storage tank (6) connected fluidically to a fuel conversion system (2) via an energy transfer system (4), the fuel conversion system (2) comprising a power unit using CNG as fuel and generating gas emissions comprising CO2, the fuel conversion system comprising a CO2 capture unit (16) configured for separating out CO2 from the gas emissions. The energy transfer system comprises a CNG expansion turbine (22) mounted in a fuel circuit (8) between the storage tank and fuel conversion system powered by expansion of the CNG flowing from the storage tank to the fuel conversion system, and a CO2 compressor (24) connected between the fuel conversion system and the storage tank along a CO2 circuit (10) for compressing the CO2, power for driving the CO2 compressor (24) being supplied in part by power generated by the CNG expansion turbine (22).

A system for better utilization of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on gasification of the liquid includes a gas power generation subsystem, a steam power generation subsystem, an energy storage subsystem, and a cooling subsystem. A gasification device of the gas power generation subsystem renders the LNG gaseous and collects cold energy generated during the gasification. The gas is supplied to the gas power generation device for generating electrical power and the cold energy is supplied to the steam power generation subsystem and the cold storage subsystem. Electrical power generated by the gas power generation subsystem and the steam power generation subsystem is supplied to the cooling subsystem, and the energy stored in the energy storage subsystem is also supplied to the cooling subsystem.

A system for better utilization of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on gasification of the liquid includes a gas power generation subsystem, a steam power generation subsystem, an energy storage subsystem, and a cooling subsystem. A gasification device of the gas power generation subsystem renders the LNG gaseous and collects cold energy generated during the gasification. The gas is supplied to the gas power generation device for generating electrical power and the cold energy is supplied to the steam power generation subsystem and the cold storage subsystem. Electrical power generated by the gas power generation subsystem and the steam power generation subsystem is supplied to the cooling subsystem, and the energy stored in the energy storage subsystem is also supplied to the cooling subsystem.

A high-pressure hydrogen filling system with expansion turbine having a simple configuration, requiring less maintenance and control duties, capable of being operated at low costs including electric power consumption cost, and allowing the use of general-purpose materials for composing the components of a hydrogen gas supply unit, a cold accumulator is installed at the outlet of an expansion turbine in a system performing hydrogen gas enthalpy drop when pressurizing and filling highly-pressurized and accumulated hydrogen gas into a tank.

A power supply and cooling system for a floating structure having a tank, includes a supply circuit having at least one compression device, the supply circuit being configured to supply gas to a gas-consuming device, and a cooling circuit having a heat exchanger configured to participate in managing the internal pressure of the tank, the cooling circuit being connected to the supply circuit on either side of the compression device. The compression device includes two compression stages, and the power supply and cooling system includes a control device configured to connect the compression stages in series or in parallel.

A high-pressure hydrogen filling system with expansion turbine having a simple configuration, requiring less maintenance and control duties, capable of being operated at low costs including electric power consumption cost, and allowing the use of general-purpose materials for composing the components of a hydrogen gas supply unit, a cold accumulator is installed at the outlet of an expansion turbine in a system performing hydrogen gas enthalpy drop when pressurizing and filling highly-pressurized and accumulated hydrogen gas into a tank.

A process for regasifying a fluid and generating electrical energy includes subjecting an operating fluid to 1) pumping, the pumping step including a low pressure pumping step 1a) and a high pressure pumping step 1b), 2) heating in a recuperator to obtain a heated flow, the heating step including a low temperature heat recovery step 2a) and a high temperature heat recovery step 2b), 3) further heating through a high temperature source to obtain a further heated flow, 4) expanding in a turbine, with generation of electrical energy to obtain an expanded flow, 5) cooling by heat exchange to obtain a cooled flow, and 6) condensing the flow of the operating fluid and regasifying the fluid. After low pressure pumping, a portion of the flow of the operating fluid is subjected to recompression to obtain a flow combined with the flow of the operating fluid obtained from step 2a).

The present invention relates to a gas storage apparatus and method, and more specifically to liquid air energy storage and its use to facilitate both Demand Side Reduction (DSR) and the use of reduced-cost electricity by industrial compressed-air users. A related electricity generating apparatus and method is also disclosed. The apparatus and method use a first sensible heat coolth store and second latent heat coolth store to first reduce the gas in temperature and then to change it into a liquid phase. Coolth top up devices are also disclosed.