US 11,982,407 B2
Method of operating a cold cryogenic liquid supply chain
Joshua Light, Houston, TX (US); Jerry Hayes, Houston, TX (US); Laurent Allidieres, Paris (FR); Thomas Fayer, Sassenage (FR); and Cyril Benistand-Hector, Sassenage (FR)
Assigned to L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
Filed by L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris (FR)
Filed on Nov. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/992,918.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/283,120, filed on Nov. 24, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/282,115, filed on Nov. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0160529 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. F17C 5/04 (2006.01); F17C 7/02 (2006.01); F17C 13/00 (2006.01); F17C 13/04 (2006.01)
CPC F17C 5/04 (2013.01) [F17C 7/02 (2013.01); F17C 13/006 (2013.01); F17C 13/04 (2013.01); F17C 2205/0134 (2013.01); F17C 2205/0323 (2013.01); F17C 2205/0326 (2013.01); F17C 2205/0352 (2013.01); F17C 2221/012 (2013.01); F17C 2221/017 (2013.01); F17C 2223/0161 (2013.01); F17C 2223/033 (2013.01); F17C 2225/0161 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0135 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0142 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0157 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0302 (2013.01); F17C 2227/0337 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of filling a liquid cryogen storage vessel installed at an installation with liquid cryogen from a liquid cryogen storage tank, the method comprising the steps of:
connecting a liquid transfer conduit from the liquid cryogen storage tank to the liquid cryogen storage vessel, the liquid transfer conduit having a first liquid cryogen pump disposed in-line, the connected liquid transfer conduit being in selectable fluid communication, via one or more valves, between a liquid cryogen space in the liquid cryogen storage tank, in which is stored an amount of liquid cryogen, and a liquid cryogen space in the liquid cryogen storage vessel, in which is stored an amount of the liquid cryogen, wherein, prior to said step of connecting a liquid transfer conduit, the liquid cryogen storage vessel has an initial pressure higher than an initial pressure of the liquid cryogen storage tank;
connecting a gas transfer conduit between the liquid cryogen storage vessel and the liquid cryogen storage tank that is in selectable fluid communication between headspace of the liquid cryogen storage vessel, which contains an amount of the liquid cryogen in gaseous form, and a headspace of the liquid cryogen storage tank, which contains an amount of the gaseous cryogen, via one or more valves disposed in the gas transfer conduit;
precooling the gas transfer conduit and/or the liquid transfer conduit using amounts of a cryogenic fluid, wherein the cryogenic fluid is selected from the group consisting of gaseous cryogen from the liquid cryogen storage vessel headspace, liquid cryogen from the liquid cryogen space of the liquid cryogen storage tank, and combinations thereof;
pressure-equalizing the liquid cryogen storage vessel and liquid cryogen storage tank headspaces by opening one or more of the valves in the gas transfer conduit, thereby allowing the cryogenic gas to be transferred from the liquid cryogen storage vessel headspace to the liquid cryogen storage tank headspace by virtue of a difference between their initial pressures;
opening the one or more valves in the liquid transfer line thereby allowing fluid communication between the liquid cryogen spaces of the liquid cryogen storage tank and the liquid cryogen storage vessel; and
pumping an amount of the liquid cryogen from the liquid cryogen space of the liquid cryogen storage tank to the liquid cryogen space of the liquid cryogen storage vessel via the liquid transfer line and first pump as amounts of the gaseous cryogen flow from the liquid cryogen storage vessel headspace to the liquid cryogen storage tank headspace caused by said pumping.