US 12,405,594 B2
Pumping of liquid cryogen from a storage tank
Joshua Light, Houston, TX (US)
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 Sep. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/465,103.
Prior Publication US 2023/0067726 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. F17C 13/00 (2006.01); B01F 23/00 (2022.01); F04B 37/08 (2006.01); F17C 13/02 (2006.01); G05B 19/4155 (2006.01); F17C 13/04 (2006.01); F25J 3/02 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4155 (2013.01) [B01F 23/042 (2022.01); F04B 37/08 (2013.01); F17C 13/025 (2013.01); F17C 13/00 (2013.01); F17C 13/04 (2013.01); F17C 2201/00 (2013.01); F17C 2205/035 (2013.01); F17C 2221/012 (2013.01); F17C 2223/0161 (2013.01); F25J 3/02 (2013.01); G05B 2219/49215 (2013.01); Y02E 60/34 (2013.01)] 35 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A liquid cryogen storage apparatus having subcooling capability, comprising:
a closed insulated cryogenic storage vessel adapted and configured to store cryogenic liquids, the vessel comprising a liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof and a vaporized liquid cryogen outlet disposed in a wall thereof, wherein when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an interior of the vessel is divided into a liquid cryogen space and an ullage above the liquid cryogen space; and
a hollow metal conduit at least partly disposed within the vessel that has an open first end disposed within the liquid cryogen space and a second end that is connected to or extends through the vaporized liquid cryogen outlet, wherein:
a pressure reducer is disposed either within the conduit or at the first end that is adapted and configured to flash the liquid cryogen entering into the conduit into a biphasic mixture of liquid cryogen and vaporized liquid cryogen;
when the vessel is partially filled with a liquid cryogen, an exterior surface of the conduit is in direct contact with the liquid cryogen; and
the conduit is adapted and configured to transfer heat to the biphasic mixture from the liquid cryogen in the liquid cryogen space and vaporize at least some of the liquid cryogen in the biphasic mixture,
wherein the pressure reducer is an automatically controlled flow rate control valve or pressure control valve and the apparatus further comprises a programmable logic controller or distributed control system coded with PID control logic that is adapted and configured to control operation of the pressure reducer,
a differential pressure sensor is adapted and configured to measure a differential pressure between a pressure in the conduit at a position adjacent to, and downstream of, the pressure reducer and a pressure in the conduit at a position within the vessel above a surface of the liquid cryogen or adjacent or at the second end, and the pressure reducer is controlled by the programmable logic controller or distributed control system based upon the measured differential pressure.