EP0994290A1 - Füllung eines Behälters mit Gas unter Druck - Google Patents
Füllung eines Behälters mit Gas unter Druck Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0994290A1 EP0994290A1 EP99308100A EP99308100A EP0994290A1 EP 0994290 A1 EP0994290 A1 EP 0994290A1 EP 99308100 A EP99308100 A EP 99308100A EP 99308100 A EP99308100 A EP 99308100A EP 0994290 A1 EP0994290 A1 EP 0994290A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- fluid
- container
- tank
- vehicle
- cooled
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 72
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 239000003380 propellant Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 24
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 claims 2
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 claims 2
- 238000005303 weighing Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 230000001276 controlling effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 abstract description 24
- 229910052724 xenon Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 24
- FHNFHKCVQCLJFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N xenon atom Chemical compound [Xe] FHNFHKCVQCLJFQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract description 24
- 229910052743 krypton Inorganic materials 0.000 abstract description 5
- DNNSSWSSYDEUBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N krypton atom Chemical compound [Kr] DNNSSWSSYDEUBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 abstract description 5
- 230000003134 recirculating effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 10
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 5
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000009833 condensation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000005494 condensation Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005429 filling process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000002706 hydrostatic effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 2
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000001154 acute effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000956 alloy Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910045601 alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012809 cooling fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003344 environmental pollutant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010304 firing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 231100000719 pollutant Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 238000010926 purge Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000035939 shock Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004904 shortening Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007711 solidification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008023 solidification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C5/00—Methods or apparatus for filling containers with liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases under pressures
- F17C5/06—Methods or apparatus for filling containers with liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases under pressures for filling with compressed gases
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2221/00—Handled fluid, in particular type of fluid
- F17C2221/01—Pure fluids
- F17C2221/014—Nitrogen
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2221/00—Handled fluid, in particular type of fluid
- F17C2221/01—Pure fluids
- F17C2221/016—Noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe)
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2223/00—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel
- F17C2223/01—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel characterised by the phase
- F17C2223/0146—Two-phase
- F17C2223/0153—Liquefied gas, e.g. LPG, GPL
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2223/00—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel
- F17C2223/03—Handled fluid before transfer, i.e. state of fluid when stored in the vessel or before transfer from the vessel characterised by the pressure level
- F17C2223/033—Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2225/00—Handled fluid after transfer, i.e. state of fluid after transfer from the vessel
- F17C2225/01—Handled fluid after transfer, i.e. state of fluid after transfer from the vessel characterised by the phase
- F17C2225/0107—Single phase
- F17C2225/0123—Single phase gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2225/00—Handled fluid after transfer, i.e. state of fluid after transfer from the vessel
- F17C2225/03—Handled fluid after transfer, i.e. state of fluid after transfer from the vessel characterised by the pressure level
- F17C2225/036—Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2227/00—Transfer of fluids, i.e. method or means for transferring the fluid; Heat exchange with the fluid
- F17C2227/03—Heat exchange with the fluid
- F17C2227/0302—Heat exchange with the fluid by heating
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2227/00—Transfer of fluids, i.e. method or means for transferring the fluid; Heat exchange with the fluid
- F17C2227/03—Heat exchange with the fluid
- F17C2227/0337—Heat exchange with the fluid by cooling
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2227/00—Transfer of fluids, i.e. method or means for transferring the fluid; Heat exchange with the fluid
- F17C2227/03—Heat exchange with the fluid
- F17C2227/0367—Localisation of heat exchange
- F17C2227/0388—Localisation of heat exchange separate
- F17C2227/0393—Localisation of heat exchange separate using a vaporiser
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2250/00—Accessories; Control means; Indicating, measuring or monitoring of parameters
- F17C2250/03—Control means
- F17C2250/032—Control means using computers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2250/00—Accessories; Control means; Indicating, measuring or monitoring of parameters
- F17C2250/03—Control means
- F17C2250/036—Control means using alarms
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2260/00—Purposes of gas storage and gas handling
- F17C2260/03—Dealing with losses
- F17C2260/031—Dealing with losses due to heat transfer
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2265/00—Effects achieved by gas storage or gas handling
- F17C2265/06—Fluid distribution
- F17C2265/065—Fluid distribution for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2270/00—Applications
- F17C2270/01—Applications for fluid transport or storage
- F17C2270/0186—Applications for fluid transport or storage in the air or in space
- F17C2270/0197—Rockets
Definitions
- This invention relates to the filling of a container with gas under pressure. It arose when considering certain problems associated with existing methods of pumping xenon or krypton gases into reservoirs in satellites. These gases are used as propellants in electric propulsion systems used for manoeuvring Earth-orbiting satellites into their final orbital position. The gases are stored in the satellite at high pressure (typically 200-300 bars) at a temperature higher than their critical point so that they remain in entirely gaseous form.
- the speed of filling of the reservoir is limited by thermal heating caused by compression of the gas.
- a high temperature typically above 60°C, may be incompatible with the materials employed for the construction of the reservoir and adjacent equipment and would limit the mass of gas that could be accommodated at a given maximum pressure.
- Proposals for shortening the filling process have included temporarily removing the insulation from the reservoir to allow it to cool more rapidly. However this may be difficult when the reservoir is incorporated in the satellite's structure.
- Another proposal was to provide a cooling system using ducts for cooling fluid around the external surface of the reservoir.
- accessibility difficulties meant that only a fraction of the external surface of the reservoir is made accessible to the cooling system.
- the use of a cooling system would have required the addition of non-removable components to the satellite's structure. These additional components would be redundant when the satellite is in flight and would have had a negative effect on the weight, performance and reliability of the satellite.
- the effectiveness of the cooling system would be limited by the need to avoid cooling the surface of the reservoir below a specified temperature, typically 15-20°C. If the temperature were brought below that level in an endeavour to achieve rapid cooling of the gaseous content of the reservoir, there would be a risk that condensation of humidity from the air would form on the surface of the reservoir and drip onto neighbouring electronic equipment, causing damage.
- the maximum temperature caused by the pressurization be controlled by withdrawing fluid from the container, cooling it, and re-introducing the cooled fluid into the container.
- the invention also provides an apparatus for filling a container with fluid under pressure comprising a compressor and a first connector for connecting the output of the compressor to the container, characterized by a second connector for withdrawing fluid from the container, a cooling arrangement for cooling the withdrawn fluid and means for returning the cooled fluid into the container.
- the fluid may thus be pressurized by a pump located outside the vehicle, pass into the container through a detachable inlet connection, be withdrawn from the container through a detachable outlet connection, and be cooled by a cooling arrangement located outside the vehicle before being re-introduced into the container through the aforementioned inlet connection.
- inlet and outlet connections may be separated from each other, preferably at different ends of the container, so that the circulation of fluid through the cooling arrangement causes some disturbance or turbulence inside the tank to ensure that the fluid inside the container is at a substantially uniform temperature.
- the fluid is fed through flexible lines to detachable inlet and outlet connections of the container.
- This allows an assembly comprising the pump, source of fluid and cooling arrangement to be moved to a location close to the container, to be connected easily to it using flexible connections, and to be detached and removed after the container is filled.
- a particular advantage of arrangements having flexible hoses is that it enables the container (or the entire vehicle on which the container is mounted) to be weighed to give an indication of the amount of fluid loaded into it.
- An alternative technique would be to weigh the source of the fluid, preferably together with the cooling arrangement which will also contain some fluid.
- the invention allows the fluid inside the container to be cooled without in any way interfering with thermal insulation which may be carried on the surface of the container since the cooling effect achieved by the invention does not rely on conduction through the walls of the container.
- the fluid withdrawn from the container is cooled sufficiently to increase its density significantly, and the arrangement is such that the density difference between warm and cool fluid causes the fluid to circulate around a circuit passing through the container and the cooling system.
- This thermosyphonic arrangement is considered particularly advantageous since no moving parts make contact with the fluid, minimizing the risk of introducing contaminants into the fluid.
- the cooled fluid is preferably collected in a pipe or column extending vertically or at least having a vertical component of length.
- the degree of thermosyphonic pressure produced in this way can be controlled by controlling the temperature of the cooler since the density of the cooled fluid will depend on its temperature. It may be necessary to heat the fluid after it passes from the bottom of the pipe or column so that the fluid re-introduced into the container is not so cold as to risk causing condensation.
- thermosyphonic action described above could be used in an arrangement where the fluid remains in the same state (preferably gaseous) at all parts of the circuit.
- a stronger thermosyphonic action is obtained in an arrangement where the fluid changes from a gas to a liquid when cooled.
- Liquefied gas collecting in the pipe or column previously mentioned, can provide a hydrostatic pressure providing a stronger circulatory effect than if the fluid remains in gaseous form.
- the gas is liquefied, it is preferably revaporized by heating after passing from the bottom of the pipe or column.
- the heater provided for this purpose can have an additional use when it is desired to remove the fluid from the reservoir, this being frequently necessary for testing purposes in the case of propellant reservoirs in satellites.
- care must be taken to ensure that the temperature of the tank does not fall below the minimum specified threshold, because of the danger, previously mentioned, arising from condensation.
- This technique is considered to be of value, independently of the cooling system and thus according to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method or apparatus for depressurizing fluid in a container characterized in that the minimum temperature caused by the depressurization is controlled by heating some fluid released from the container and re-introducing the heated fluid into the container.
- the illustrated system is designed to meet a requirement to fill a tank for propellant, mounted on a satellite, with 290 kg of xenon at a pressure of no greater than 200 Bars and without allowing the temperature to rise above 60°C.
- a further requirement is that the temperature of the exterior surface of the tank should not fall below 20°C so as to avoid condensation which might damage the material of the tank.
- a satellite indicated schematically by the broken line 1 rests on a weight sensor 2 producing an output signal w indicating the total weight of the satellite, including the weight of propellant.
- the propellant is contained within a tank 3 which is designed to withstand a pressure of 200 Bars.
- the tank carries insulation 4 and the temperature of the outside surface of the tank is monitored by a temperature sensor 5 which produces an output signal t 1 .
- the tank has an inlet and an outlet which can be closed by manual control valves 6A, 6B respectively.
- the satellite 1 is shown linked to a mobile service station 7 by flexible hoses 8A and 8B. These flexible hoses are linked to the satellite by quick release connectors 9A, 9B.
- the mobile service station 7 contains a bottle 10 of xenon. This is not shown to scale and in practice will be much larger than the tank 3.
- the outlet of the xenon bottle is connected to the input of a pump 11 which may be a mechanical compressor but is preferably embodied as a thermal compressor to avoid the introduction of pollutants caused by moving mechanical parts.
- the rate of pumping of the compressor 11 is controlled by a signal v 1 and compressed xenon gas at its output is passed to the flexible hose 8A via a temperature sensor 12 (producing an output signal t 2 ) and a pressure sensor 13 (producing an output signal p).
- the mobile service station 7 also includes a cooling system comprising: an evacuated chamber 14; a condenser 15 located in the chamber 14 and connected to receive xenon gas from the flexible hose 8B; and electrically operated valves 16A, 16B and 16C controlled by respective control signals v 2 , v 3 and v 4 .
- the output of the condenser is linked by a vertical pipe 15C to an evaporator 17.
- the output of the evaporator 17 is connected via the electrically operated valve 16A to join hot gas at the output of the pump 11.
- the condenser 15 comprises a housing 15A and a coiled tube 15B. Nitrogen from a bottle 18 is allowed to pass into the coiled tube via a valve 16C, which is controlled by an electrical control signal v 4 . The cold nitrogen cools the xenon entering the condenser so that the xenon liquefies; and the nitrogen is then vented at 19.
- Signals w , t 1 , t 2 and p are applied to a processor 20 which controls various outputs v 1 to v 5 of a power supply 21.
- Operation of the illustrated system is as follows. Firstly, the mobile service station 7 is moved into a position close to the satellite which is assumed to be in its final stages of preparation prior to assembly in the launching vehicle. The hoses 8A and 8B are connected using the quick release connections 9A and 9B. The power supply 21 is then switched on causing the pump 11 to begin pumping xenon into the tank 3. If the tank 3 initially contains air, it will be necessary to purge this air out by leaving the quick release connection 9A disconnected for an initial period.
- a portion of the gaseous xenon is removed, via the flexible hose 8B and the valve 16B, and is cooled and liquefied in the condenser 15.
- the liquefied xenon fills the vertical pipe 15C and part of the housing 15A of the condenser.
- This liquid is evaporated in the evaporator 17, located at a lower level than the condenser.
- a heater 17A which is supplied with a variable voltage v 5 .
- the variable voltage v 5 is controlled so as to raise the temperature of the xenon to above its critical point.
- the xenon therefore evaporates but is still considerably cooler than the contents of the tank 3.
- This cooled xenon then passes through the valve 16A to a point where it joins the output of the pump 11 and is returned to the tank 3.
- fluid is circulated around the loop, between the tank 3, the condenser 15 and the evaporator 17, by the hydrostatic pressure of approximately 5m of liquid in the vertical pipe 15C.
- the circulation can be increased or decreased by controlling the valve 16C and therefore the temperature and density of the liquefied xenon in the pipe 15C.
- signal v 5 (which is a variable voltage) may be reduced, though it cannot be reduced to a level below that at which sufficient heat is provided to vaporize the liquid xenon. Further control is provided by increasing the voltage v 4 so as to increase the flow of nitrogen and therefore the density of the liquid in the column 15C. The circulation through the cooling system is thus increased, causing the temperature of the gas entering the tank to be lowered.
- the voltage v 1 is reduced so as to reduce the pumping rate of the compressor 11.
- the processor switches off the power supply 21, resulting in valves 16A, 16B and 16C closing.
- the manual control valves 6A, 6B are then closed and the flexible hoses 8A, 8B are disconnected, using the quick release connections 9A, 9B.
- the tank is then ready to supply xenon to a propulsion system of the satellite through a connection (not shown) to the pipe between the tank 3 and the valve 6B.
- the use of the evacuated chamber 14 allows much lower temperatures to be employed than are necessary when the tank is to be filled with xenon and allows the equipment to be used for filling tanks with krypton, which requires a lower temperature for liquefaction.
- a mixture of xenon and krypton is to be used it is necessary to maintain the temperature at a level between the critical temperature of krypton and the temperature of the triple point of xenon (161K) to prevent solidification of the xenon.
- Benefit from the invention can be achieved without liquefying the fluid.
- the cooler 15 will serve to cool the gas so that it has a higher density in the column 15c than in the rest of the system. This will cause circulation around the loop by a thermosyphonic action, though the pressure will not be as great as when liquefaction occurs.
- the illustrated system is also of value in circumstances when it is desired to discharge the pressurized fluid from the tank 3 as is frequently necessary for testing purposes. This discharge process can be performed more quickly than has previously been possible, without allowing the temperature of the tank 3 to drop below the limit of 15°C to 20°C.
- valves 6A, 6B and 6C are partially opened, allowing some of the gas to be vented to atmosphere through 6C whilst a proportion, already at a cold temperature as a result of expansion through valve 6B, is pushed through the condenser 15 and vertical pipe 15C to the evaporator 17.
- the voltage v 5 in this mode of operation, is controlled so as to raise the temperature to a level above that of the gas entering the condenser, before being returned to the tank 3 via valve 6A. In this way the temperature of the tank is maintained above its minimum permissible level.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR9812956A FR2784737A1 (fr) | 1998-10-15 | 1998-10-15 | Remplissage d'un gaz sous pression dans un reservoir et depressurisation d'un fluide dans un reservoir |
FR9812956 | 1998-10-15 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP0994290A1 true EP0994290A1 (de) | 2000-04-19 |
Family
ID=9531617
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP99308100A Withdrawn EP0994290A1 (de) | 1998-10-15 | 1999-10-14 | Füllung eines Behälters mit Gas unter Druck |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0994290A1 (de) |
FR (1) | FR2784737A1 (de) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE10107895B4 (de) * | 2001-02-20 | 2007-07-05 | Air Liquide Deutschland Gmbh | Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Befüllen von Druckbehältern mit tiefsiedenden permanenten Gasen oder Gasgemischen |
CN112814876A (zh) * | 2021-01-05 | 2021-05-18 | 清华四川能源互联网研究院 | 一种自均温储气的压缩空气储能系统及方法 |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4274851A (en) * | 1976-08-16 | 1981-06-23 | The University Of Sydney | Gas recovery of sulphur hexafluoride |
US4749384A (en) * | 1987-04-24 | 1988-06-07 | Union Carbide Corporation | Method and apparatus for quick filling gas cylinders |
DE3805832A1 (de) * | 1987-07-11 | 1989-01-19 | Teves Gmbh Alfred | Fluid-abfuellvorrichtung |
WO1997006383A1 (de) * | 1995-08-07 | 1997-02-20 | Cyphelly Ivan J | Gas-ladesystem für hochdruckflaschen |
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1998
- 1998-10-15 FR FR9812956A patent/FR2784737A1/fr active Pending
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1999
- 1999-10-14 EP EP99308100A patent/EP0994290A1/de not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US4274851A (en) * | 1976-08-16 | 1981-06-23 | The University Of Sydney | Gas recovery of sulphur hexafluoride |
US4749384A (en) * | 1987-04-24 | 1988-06-07 | Union Carbide Corporation | Method and apparatus for quick filling gas cylinders |
DE3805832A1 (de) * | 1987-07-11 | 1989-01-19 | Teves Gmbh Alfred | Fluid-abfuellvorrichtung |
WO1997006383A1 (de) * | 1995-08-07 | 1997-02-20 | Cyphelly Ivan J | Gas-ladesystem für hochdruckflaschen |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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DE10107895B4 (de) * | 2001-02-20 | 2007-07-05 | Air Liquide Deutschland Gmbh | Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Befüllen von Druckbehältern mit tiefsiedenden permanenten Gasen oder Gasgemischen |
CN112814876A (zh) * | 2021-01-05 | 2021-05-18 | 清华四川能源互联网研究院 | 一种自均温储气的压缩空气储能系统及方法 |
CN112814876B (zh) * | 2021-01-05 | 2022-03-01 | 清华四川能源互联网研究院 | 一种自均温储气的压缩空气储能系统及方法 |
Also Published As
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FR2784737A1 (fr) | 2000-04-21 |
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