US 12,253,214 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, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by NEARSHORE NATURAL GAS, LLC, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/341,199.
Application 18/341,199 is a division of application No. 16/482,174, granted, now 11,725,780, previously published as PCT/US2018/015381, filed on Jan. 26, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/452,906, filed on Jan. 31, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0332744 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
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 2203/0619 (2013.01); F17C 2203/067 (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)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for transporting cold compressed gas, the method comprising:
storing compressed gas in an interior volume of a storage vessel that is inside an enclosed and insulated space of a vehicle, the vessel defining a fluid barrier that isolates the interior volume from the enclosed and insulated space outside of the vessel;
refrigerating the insulated space using a closed-loop carbon-dioxide-based refrigeration unit supported by the vehicle, wherein said refrigerating comprises
depositing solid carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space,
receiving gaseous carbon dioxide from the enclosed and insulated space into a carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway connecting the enclosed and insulated space to the refrigeration unit, wherein the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway comprises a gaseous carbon dioxide inlet fluidly connected to the enclosed and insulated space and through which said gaseous carbon dioxide is received, the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway having a carbon dioxide outlet fluidly connected to the enclosed and insulated space,
using a compressor disposed along the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway to compress gaseous carbon dioxide that is disposed in the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway and was received via the gaseous carbon dioxide inlet,
using a cooling system disposed along the passageway to cool the received gaseous carbon dioxide that is disposed within the carbon dioxide refrigerant loop passageway,
forming solid carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide that was cooled with the cooling system, and
depositing the formed solid carbon dioxide within the enclosed and insulated space; and
moving the vehicle toward a destination facility,
wherein said refrigerating comprises isolating the carbon dioxide refrigerant used by the refrigeration unit from the compressed gas in the interior volume.