US 11,725,780 B2
Compressed natural gas storage and transportation system
Pedro T. Santos, Mountain View, CA (US); and David I. Scott, Frankfort, IL (US)
Assigned to NEARSHORE NATURAL GAS, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Appl. No. 16/482,174
Filed by NEARSHORE NATURAL GAS, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 26, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/015381
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 30, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/144328, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 9, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/452,906, filed on Jan. 31, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2019/0338886 A1, Nov. 7, 2019
Int. Cl. F17C 1/02 (2006.01); F17C 1/12 (2006.01); F25D 3/12 (2006.01)
CPC F17C 1/12 (2013.01) [F25D 3/12 (2013.01); F17C 2201/0109 (2013.01); F17C 2201/035 (2013.01); F17C 2203/012 (2013.01); F17C 2203/0362 (2013.01); F17C 2203/0604 (2013.01); F17C 2203/067 (2013.01); F17C 2203/0619 (2013.01); F17C 2221/033 (2013.01); F17C 2223/0123 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0192 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0341 (2013.01); F17C 2270/0105 (2013.01); F17C 2270/0168 (2013.01); F17C 2270/0173 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cold compressed gas transportation vehicle comprising:
a vehicle;
an enclosed and insulated space supported by the vehicle;
a compressed gas storage vessel that is at least partially disposed in the insulated space the vessel having an interior volume for storing compressed gas, the vessel defining a fluid barrier isolating the interior volume from the enclosed and insulated space outside of the vessel;
a closed-loop, carbon-dioxide-refrigerant-based refrigeration unit supported by the vehicle and configured to deposit solid carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space, the refrigeration unit comprising:
a carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway having (a) a gaseous carbon dioxide inlet fluidly connected to the enclosed and insulated space to receive gaseous carbon dioxide from the enclosed and insulated space, and (b) a carbon dioxide outlet fluidly connected to the enclosed and insulated space to deposit solid carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space,
a compressor disposed along the passageway and configured to compress gaseous carbon dioxide received through the inlet, and
a cooling system disposed along the passageway and configured to draw heat from carbon dioxide in the passageway,
wherein the carbon-dioxide-refrigerant-based refrigeration unit is configured to receive gaseous carbon dioxide from the insulated space via the passageway and reuse the gaseous carbon dioxide to form solid carbon dioxide that is deposited within the insulated space while isolating the carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space from the interior volume of the vessel.