Gas cooling for high pressure fuel storage tanks on vehicles powered by compressed natural gas or hydrogen

摘要

At a high pressure hydrogen or compressed natural gas vehicle refuel depot, the thermal energy (heat) generated by/from the high flow rate of the high pressure refueling gas is evacuated from the on board fuel tank[s] of consumer vehicles eliminating the need for refueling pre-treatments such as a slow fill, secondary precooling, and pressure overfill otherwise used to achieve a full vehicle tank refill. In an example, a high pressure fuel depot refilling line is operatively interconnected to an on board vehicle tank having a gas flow circuit wherein the refuel gas itself is circulated within the on board tank to absorb the compression heat of refueling and then to an external radiator before being released into the tank.