WO2023069503A1 - Air barge for transporting hydrogen - Google Patents

Air barge for transporting hydrogen Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023069503A1
WO2023069503A1 PCT/US2022/047113 US2022047113W WO2023069503A1 WO 2023069503 A1 WO2023069503 A1 WO 2023069503A1 US 2022047113 W US2022047113 W US 2022047113W WO 2023069503 A1 WO2023069503 A1 WO 2023069503A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
air
barge
bundle
barges
hull
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2022/047113
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
David James PRUM
Gregory Joseph OPAS
Original Assignee
Prum David James
Opas Gregory Joseph
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Prum David James, Opas Gregory Joseph filed Critical Prum David James
Publication of WO2023069503A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023069503A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
    • B63B35/28—Barges or lighters
    • B63B35/285—Flexible barges, e.g. bags
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
    • B63B21/56—Towing or pushing equipment
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B25/00—Load-accommodating arrangements, e.g. stowing, trimming; Vessels characterised thereby
    • B63B25/02—Load-accommodating arrangements, e.g. stowing, trimming; Vessels characterised thereby for bulk goods
    • B63B25/08—Load-accommodating arrangements, e.g. stowing, trimming; Vessels characterised thereby for bulk goods fluid
    • B63B25/12—Load-accommodating arrangements, e.g. stowing, trimming; Vessels characterised thereby for bulk goods fluid closed
    • B63B25/14—Load-accommodating arrangements, e.g. stowing, trimming; Vessels characterised thereby for bulk goods fluid closed pressurised
    • 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
    • F17C1/00—Pressure vessels, e.g. gas cylinder, gas tank, replaceable cartridge
    • F17C1/16—Pressure vessels, e.g. gas cylinder, gas tank, replaceable cartridge constructed of plastics materials
    • 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
    • F17C2201/00—Vessel construction, in particular geometry, arrangement or size
    • F17C2201/01—Shape
    • F17C2201/0147—Shape complex
    • 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
    • F17C2201/00—Vessel construction, in particular geometry, arrangement or size
    • F17C2201/01—Shape
    • F17C2201/0176—Shape variable
    • 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
    • F17C2201/00—Vessel construction, in particular geometry, arrangement or size
    • F17C2201/05—Size
    • F17C2201/052—Size large (>1000 m3)
    • 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
    • F17C2201/00—Vessel construction, in particular geometry, arrangement or size
    • F17C2201/05—Size
    • F17C2201/054—Size medium (>1 m3)
    • 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
    • F17C2203/00—Vessel construction, in particular walls or details thereof
    • F17C2203/06—Materials for walls or layers thereof; Properties or structures of walls or their materials
    • F17C2203/068—Special properties of materials for vessel walls
    • F17C2203/0685—Special properties of materials for vessel walls flexible
    • 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
    • F17C2205/00—Vessel construction, in particular mounting arrangements, attachments or identifications means
    • F17C2205/01—Mounting arrangements
    • F17C2205/0103—Exterior arrangements
    • 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
    • F17C2221/012—Hydrogen
    • 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
    • F17C2223/0107—Single phase
    • F17C2223/0123—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
    • 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
    • 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
    • F17C2223/035—High pressure (>10 bar)
    • 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
    • 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
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/32—Hydrogen storage

Definitions

  • This invention relates to cargo transport and in particular to the transport of hydrogen.
  • Hydrogen is a useful reagent for the manufacture of certain goods.
  • the manufacture of fertilizer requires copious amounts of hydrogen to combine with nitrogen to form ammonia.
  • Nitrogen is widely available. In fact, most of the Earth’s air is nitrogen. However, hydrogen gas is substantially absent from the atmosphere. Hydrogen is generally acquired by recovering it from one of the many compounds of which it is a part.
  • Another method of transporting hydrogen is to use a pipeline.
  • this requires building a pipeline.
  • Existing pipelines used for natural gas would generally not be compatible with hydrogen gas because the chemical properties of hydrogen gas are quite different from natural gas.
  • the invention contemplates filling tubular air barges with enough hydrogen gas to achieve neutral buoyancy, bundling the air barges together with their longitudinal axes in parallel, and using a towing vehicle to tow them to the destination.
  • the air barges are emptied of their cargo, folded into a compact package, and returned to their starting point by the towing vehicle.
  • a great many hydrogen molecules must be placed in the air barge. This causes the internal pressure in the balloon to be quite high.
  • the air barge uses a bladder enclosed by an outer jacket.
  • the bladder is made of a material resistant to leakage, such as MYLAR.
  • the outer jacket provides structural support to prevent the bladder from bursting.
  • the bundle it is preferable for the bundle to have a harness that prevents the balloons from moving relative to each other.
  • the harness takes the form of coupling structures along the sides of the air barges to engage neighboring air barges.
  • the harness takes the form of a net that surrounds the bundle.
  • harness includes a fin to stabilize the bundle when the towing vehicle is underway.
  • the harness includes a thruster to adjust the orientation of the bundle relative to the towing vehicle in such a way as to take advantage of prevailing winds.
  • the thruster can cause the bundle to function as a kite or sail that provides thrust for the towing vehicle.
  • the bundle also includes a coupler to permit attachment to the towing vehicle.
  • the coupler has a bridle that can be used to adjust the bundle’s angle-of- attack, thus providing a way to control dynamic lift resulting from forward motion of the towing vehicle.
  • Examples of a bridle include a traveler that slides along a bundle to adjust the bundle’s angle in relation to wind direction and a tether that is disposed at the bundle’s front end.
  • a typical bundle will have about ten or so air barges, each of which is pressurized to about ten atmospheres.
  • the invention features an apparatus that includes an air barge that holds a gas that is lighter than air.
  • the air barge includes a hull that is impermeable to the gas and that is strong enough to sustain the pressure force that arises when the hull has been filled with a quantity of the gas that is sufficient to weigh down the air barge to an extent sufficient to prevent the air barge from rising.
  • the hull includes a bladder that is impermeable to gas as well as a jacket that surrounds the bladder and applies a radially - compressive force sufficient to enable the bladder to accommodate the quantity of gas.
  • the air barge is one of several air barges that form a bundle of air barges, all of which are aligned with their longitudinal axes in parallel.
  • embodiments that further include a harness at a front end of the bundle to permit the bundle to be towed and those that include a towing vehicle that is connected to the bundle by a towing cable.
  • Examples of towing vehicles include an airship or a waterborne vehicle.
  • Some embodiments also include a container or carrying case that is sized to accommodate the air barge when the air barge is deflated.
  • the apparatus also includes a towing vehicle that tows a bundle of air barges and carries containers or carrying cases that are sized to accommodate the air barges when deflated.
  • the apparatus includes hydrogen in the hull.
  • the hydrogen has enough mass to cause the barge to lose positive buoyancy and attain neutral buoyancy.
  • Also among the embodiments are those that further include netting to hold the barge into engagement with other barges to form a bundle of barges.
  • the air barge includes a coupling arrangement to couple the air barge to another air barge in a bundle of air barges.
  • the air barge comprises a stabilizer
  • hull comprises at least one bladder and those in which the hull comprises a skin made of stretched polyethylene or another substance that is substantially impermeable to the gas being carried by the air barge.
  • substantially impermeable is the value of impermeability that would be obtained by asking a number of ordinary artisans what value would be regarded as “substantially impermeable” and taking the average value of their respective answers. It is believed that as the number of ordinary artisans asked increases without bound, the average value will converge to a value that is susceptible to evaluation and thus definite within the bounds of the law.
  • inventions that further include a thruster that is configured to move the air barge relative to a towing vehicle that is towing the air barge, sensors to assess wind conditions, and a controller to control movement of the thruster in response to the wind conditions.
  • the thruster comprises a drone.
  • Embodiments further include those in which the air barge has a circular cross section, those in which it is frameless, and those in which it can be folded to fit into a carrying case.
  • FIG. 1 shows an air barge for carrying hydrogen
  • FIG. 2 shows the air barge of FIG. 1 as part of a bundle of air barges being towed by a vehicle.
  • FIG. 1 shows an air barge 10 for carrying hydrogen.
  • the air barge 10 is a streamlined aerostat having a longitudinal axis 12 that extends between a bow 14 and stern 16 thereof.
  • FIG. 2 shows a bundle 18 formed by air barges 10 that are held together by netting 20 with their respective longitudinal axes in parallel.
  • Each air barge 10 features a harness 22.
  • the harness 22 extends along the length of the air barge 10 and is attached at multiple points to distribute the tension that arises from towing.
  • each harness 22 includes fixtures to permit fastening of adjacent barges 10 along their respective lengths when rigging the bundle 18.
  • each harness 22 is brought together at the bundle’s front end 24 to support a towing cable 26 that extends to a towing vehicle 28.
  • each harness 22 includes fixtures that connect directly to the towing cable 26.
  • a suitable fixture is one that relies on a Prusik hitch or Prusik knot. Such a fixture slides along the cable 26 when unweighted. However, loading prevents the fixture from further sliding.
  • Embodiments include those in which the towing vehicle 28 is a waterborne vehicle, such as a ship or boat, and those in which the towing vehicle 28 is an airborne vehicle, such as an airship or dirigible.
  • the towing vehicle 28 carries one or more empty carrying cases 30.
  • a leash 32 connects the bundle 18 to a thruster 34.
  • the thruster 34 controls the bundle’s position relative to that of the towing vehicle 28.
  • the thruster 34 causes the bundle 18 to lead the towing vehicle 28, thereby permitting the energy of the tailwind to be used to assist propulsion.
  • the thruster 34 positions the bundle 18 on the leeward side of the towing airship to avoid having its cross section contribute to the crosswind’s effect.
  • the thruster 34 takes the form of a remote-controlled drone.
  • a controller 36 coupled to sensors 38 provides instructions for controlling the thruster 34.
  • the air barge 10 comprises a hull 40 that is both impermeable to hydrogen and that withstands the high pressure that results from holding enough hydrogen to achieve neutral buoyancy.
  • a valve 42 provides a connection for use when inflating or deflating the hull 40.
  • the hull 40 is a two-layer structure that comprises a jacket 44 that envelops one or more bladders 46.
  • a bladder 46 provides impermeability to hydrogen.
  • the jacket 42 applies a radially-compressive force against the bladder 46 so as to provide mechanical support when the hull 40 has been pressurized.
  • the hull 40 comprises a material that carries out the functions of both the jacket 42 and the bladder 46.
  • the bladder 46 comprises a material that is substantially impermeable to gas, and in particular, to gases made of small molecules, such as hydrogen or helium gas.
  • gases made of small molecules such as hydrogen or helium gas.
  • suitable materials include stretched polyethylene film such as that sold under the tradename MYLAR(R).
  • Suitable materials for a jacket 44 include a fabric formed from woven carbon nanotubes, or a felt or woven material.
  • Ease of manufacture can also be achieved by having the material for the jacket 44 take the form of a strip that can be wrapped around the bladder 46. In such cases, it is useful to have an adhesive on one side of the strip so that the jacket 44 can easily be secured to the bladder 46 as manufacture proceeds.
  • the material for the jacket 44 is applied in a deposition process. This results in a particularly even coating that can be applied as a bladder 46 passes through a deposition station. Suitable deposition processes include electrostatic deposition and vapor deposition.
  • the air barge 10 is filled with hydrogen, thereby increasing its volume. At some point, the barge’s volume reaches its maximum. At this point, the barge 10 will generally have developed positive buoyancy.
  • a compressor is used to fill the air barge 10.
  • Such a compressor is one capable of pressurizing the hydrogen to the point of achieving neutral buoyancy. Because such a compressor is prone to heating, it may be useful to use multiple compressors to allow those not being used to cool down.
  • the air barge 10 is filled by permitting liquid hydrogen to evaporate into the containment volume 40. Also among the embodiments are those that combine the foregoing methods, for example by permitting liquid hydrogen to evaporate and changing over to the compressor when the evaporation rate slows as a result of increasing pressure.
  • the barge 10 will have reached neutral buoyancy.
  • the amount of hydrogen gas in the containment volume 40 is sufficient to raise the pressure within to about ten atmospheres.
  • air barges 10 are rigged together prior to filling are those that include filling the air barges 10 in ways that correspond to their positions in a bundle.
  • a bundle 18 has two or more layers of air barges 10
  • the towing vehicle 28 begins towing the bundle 18 towards its destination. Because the bundle 18 as a whole is at neutral buoyancy, a relatively low air speed is sufficient to generate dynamic lift. As a result, a towing vehicle 28 traveling at modest speeds is able to tow the bundle 18 at a velocity sufficient to raise the bundle 18. This is particularly useful in those cases in which the towing vehicle 28 is a waterborne vessel since it is often desirable for the bundle 18 to be far enough above the water’s surface to avoid waves and other undesirable surface effects. In those cases in which the towing vehicle 28 is an airship, the bundle 18, being at neutral buoyancy, imposes no additional downward force for the airship to overcome.
  • the bundle 18 thus provides a convenient way to transport gas from where it is produced to where it is consumed.
  • the use of the bundle 18 avoids the need to liquify the gas.
  • the payload of the air barge 10 is large enough to be economically viable.
  • the use of an air barge 10, particularly one towed by an airship permits transport over land and sea and thus avoids the burden of intermodal transport.
  • the air barge 10 lacks a rigid framework. As a result, after having emptied the air barge 10, it is a simple matter to fold it and place it in the empty carrying case 30 that, as noted above, is carried by the towing vehicle 28. After having been emptied and folded into their respective carrying cases 30, the barges 10 that form the bundle 18, once are easily transported by the towing vehicle 28 back to their origin to be re-used for another load.
  • the apparatus has been described in connection with the transport of hydrogen. However, the same principles are applicable to the transport of any gas provided that, when maintained at the same temperature and pressure, the gas in the air barge has lower density than that outside the air barge. Thus, for Earth’s atmosphere, hydrogen, helium, and mixtures thereof would have this property.
  • the gas in the air barge may comprise more than one species, provided that the gas, as a whole, has the required property.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)

Abstract

An air barge that holds a gas that is lighter than air includes a hull that is impermeable to the gas and that is sufficiently strong to sustain pressure caused by filling the air barge with enough gas to weigh down the air barge to an extent sufficient to prevent the air barge from rising.

Description

AIR BARGE FOR TRANSPORTING HYDROGEN
Cross-References to Related Applications
[001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/257,207 filed October 19, 2021, which is incorporatd herein by reference.
Background
[002] This invention relates to cargo transport and in particular to the transport of hydrogen.
[003] Hydrogen is a useful reagent for the manufacture of certain goods. For example, the manufacture of fertilizer requires copious amounts of hydrogen to combine with nitrogen to form ammonia. Nitrogen is widely available. In fact, most of the Earth’s air is nitrogen. However, hydrogen gas is substantially absent from the atmosphere. Hydrogen is generally acquired by recovering it from one of the many compounds of which it is a part.
[004] Once recovered, it is often necessary to transport the hydrogen to where it will be used. A method for doing so involves liquifying the hydrogen and placing it on a cargo ship or a railroad car for transport. This has the advantage of reducing its volume, thereby permitting a large amount to be carried at one time. However, this requires considerable equipment for liquifying large amounts of hydrogen and keeping it liquid.
[005] Another method of transporting hydrogen is to use a pipeline. However, this requires building a pipeline. Existing pipelines used for natural gas would generally not be compatible with hydrogen gas because the chemical properties of hydrogen gas are quite different from natural gas.
Summary
[006] In one aspect, the invention contemplates filling tubular air barges with enough hydrogen gas to achieve neutral buoyancy, bundling the air barges together with their longitudinal axes in parallel, and using a towing vehicle to tow them to the destination. The air barges are emptied of their cargo, folded into a compact package, and returned to their starting point by the towing vehicle. [007] To accumulate enough mass to achieve neutral buoyancy, a great many hydrogen molecules must be placed in the air barge. This causes the internal pressure in the balloon to be quite high. To accommodate this, the air barge uses a bladder enclosed by an outer jacket. The bladder is made of a material resistant to leakage, such as MYLAR. The outer jacket provides structural support to prevent the bladder from bursting.
[008] It is preferable for the bundle to have a harness that prevents the balloons from moving relative to each other. In some embodiments, the harness takes the form of coupling structures along the sides of the air barges to engage neighboring air barges. In other embodiments, the harness takes the form of a net that surrounds the bundle.
[009] In some embodiments, harness includes a fin to stabilize the bundle when the towing vehicle is underway.
[010] In other embodiments, the harness includes a thruster to adjust the orientation of the bundle relative to the towing vehicle in such a way as to take advantage of prevailing winds. By properly orienting the bundle, the thruster can cause the bundle to function as a kite or sail that provides thrust for the towing vehicle.
[Oil] The bundle also includes a coupler to permit attachment to the towing vehicle. In some cases, the coupler has a bridle that can be used to adjust the bundle’s angle-of- attack, thus providing a way to control dynamic lift resulting from forward motion of the towing vehicle. Examples of a bridle include a traveler that slides along a bundle to adjust the bundle’s angle in relation to wind direction and a tether that is disposed at the bundle’s front end.
[012] A typical bundle will have about ten or so air barges, each of which is pressurized to about ten atmospheres.
[013] In one aspect, the invention features an apparatus that includes an air barge that holds a gas that is lighter than air. The air barge includes a hull that is impermeable to the gas and that is strong enough to sustain the pressure force that arises when the hull has been filled with a quantity of the gas that is sufficient to weigh down the air barge to an extent sufficient to prevent the air barge from rising.
[014] Among these embodiments are those in which the hull includes a bladder that is impermeable to gas as well as a jacket that surrounds the bladder and applies a radially - compressive force sufficient to enable the bladder to accommodate the quantity of gas. [015] In some embodiments, the air barge is one of several air barges that form a bundle of air barges, all of which are aligned with their longitudinal axes in parallel. Among these are embodiments that further include a harness at a front end of the bundle to permit the bundle to be towed and those that include a towing vehicle that is connected to the bundle by a towing cable. Examples of towing vehicles include an airship or a waterborne vehicle.
[016] Some embodiments also include a container or carrying case that is sized to accommodate the air barge when the air barge is deflated.
[017] In some embodiments, the apparatus also includes a towing vehicle that tows a bundle of air barges and carries containers or carrying cases that are sized to accommodate the air barges when deflated.
[018] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes hydrogen in the hull. The hydrogen has enough mass to cause the barge to lose positive buoyancy and attain neutral buoyancy.
[019] Also among the embodiments are those that further include netting to hold the barge into engagement with other barges to form a bundle of barges.
[020] In some embodiments, the air barge includes a coupling arrangement to couple the air barge to another air barge in a bundle of air barges.
[021] In other embodiments, the air barge comprises a stabilizer.
[022] Further embodiments include those in which the hull comprises at least one bladder and those in which the hull comprises a skin made of stretched polyethylene or another substance that is substantially impermeable to the gas being carried by the air barge.
[023] As used herein, “substantially impermeable” is the value of impermeability that would be obtained by asking a number of ordinary artisans what value would be regarded as “substantially impermeable” and taking the average value of their respective answers. It is believed that as the number of ordinary artisans asked increases without bound, the average value will converge to a value that is susceptible to evaluation and thus definite within the bounds of the law.
[024] Also among the embodiments are those that further include a thruster that is configured to move the air barge relative to a towing vehicle that is towing the air barge, sensors to assess wind conditions, and a controller to control movement of the thruster in response to the wind conditions. Among these are embodiments in which the thruster comprises a drone.
[025] Embodiments further include those in which the air barge has a circular cross section, those in which it is frameless, and those in which it can be folded to fit into a carrying case.
[026] These and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:
[027] Other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following description, and from the claims.
Description of Drawings
[028] FIG. 1 shows an air barge for carrying hydrogen and
[029] FIG. 2 shows the air barge of FIG. 1 as part of a bundle of air barges being towed by a vehicle.
Description
[030] FIG. 1 shows an air barge 10 for carrying hydrogen. The air barge 10 is a streamlined aerostat having a longitudinal axis 12 that extends between a bow 14 and stern 16 thereof.
[031] FIG. 2 shows a bundle 18 formed by air barges 10 that are held together by netting 20 with their respective longitudinal axes in parallel. Each air barge 10 features a harness 22. As a result, it is possible to form bundles 18 with different numbers of air barges. In a preferred embodiment, the harness 22 extends along the length of the air barge 10 and is attached at multiple points to distribute the tension that arises from towing. In some embodiments, each harness 22 includes fixtures to permit fastening of adjacent barges 10 along their respective lengths when rigging the bundle 18.
[032] In some embodiments, individual harnesses 22 are brought together at the bundle’s front end 24 to support a towing cable 26 that extends to a towing vehicle 28. In other embodiments, each harness 22 includes fixtures that connect directly to the towing cable 26. A suitable fixture is one that relies on a Prusik hitch or Prusik knot. Such a fixture slides along the cable 26 when unweighted. However, loading prevents the fixture from further sliding.
[033] Embodiments include those in which the towing vehicle 28 is a waterborne vehicle, such as a ship or boat, and those in which the towing vehicle 28 is an airborne vehicle, such as an airship or dirigible. The towing vehicle 28 carries one or more empty carrying cases 30.
[034] In some embodiments, a leash 32 connects the bundle 18 to a thruster 34. The thruster 34 controls the bundle’s position relative to that of the towing vehicle 28. Thus, if a tailwind exists, the thruster 34 causes the bundle 18 to lead the towing vehicle 28, thereby permitting the energy of the tailwind to be used to assist propulsion. In case of crosswind, particularly with the towing vehicle 28 being an airship, the thruster 34 positions the bundle 18 on the leeward side of the towing airship to avoid having its cross section contribute to the crosswind’s effect.
[035] In some embodiments, the thruster 34 takes the form of a remote-controlled drone. A controller 36 coupled to sensors 38 provides instructions for controlling the thruster 34.
[036] Referring back to FIG. 1, the air barge 10 comprises a hull 40 that is both impermeable to hydrogen and that withstands the high pressure that results from holding enough hydrogen to achieve neutral buoyancy. A valve 42 provides a connection for use when inflating or deflating the hull 40.
[037] In some embodiments, the hull 40 is a two-layer structure that comprises a jacket 44 that envelops one or more bladders 46. In such embodiments, a bladder 46 provides impermeability to hydrogen. The jacket 42 applies a radially-compressive force against the bladder 46 so as to provide mechanical support when the hull 40 has been pressurized.
[038] In other embodiments, the hull 40 comprises a material that carries out the functions of both the jacket 42 and the bladder 46.
[039] In those embodiments that have a two-layer hull 40, the bladder 46 comprises a material that is substantially impermeable to gas, and in particular, to gases made of small molecules, such as hydrogen or helium gas. Examples of a suitable material include stretched polyethylene film such as that sold under the tradename MYLAR(R). [040] Suitable materials for a jacket 44 include a fabric formed from woven carbon nanotubes, or a felt or woven material.
[041] For ease in manufacture, it is useful for the material to take the form of a woven tube, much like a large sock. In such a form, it is a simple matter to unroll the material onto a partially-filled bladder 46 to form a jacket 44.
[042] Ease of manufacture can also be achieved by having the material for the jacket 44 take the form of a strip that can be wrapped around the bladder 46. In such cases, it is useful to have an adhesive on one side of the strip so that the jacket 44 can easily be secured to the bladder 46 as manufacture proceeds.
[043] In yet another embodiment, the material for the jacket 44 is applied in a deposition process. This results in a particularly even coating that can be applied as a bladder 46 passes through a deposition station. Suitable deposition processes include electrostatic deposition and vapor deposition.
[044] In operation, the air barge 10 is filled with hydrogen, thereby increasing its volume. At some point, the barge’s volume reaches its maximum. At this point, the barge 10 will generally have developed positive buoyancy.
[045] In some practices, a compressor is used to fill the air barge 10. Such a compressor is one capable of pressurizing the hydrogen to the point of achieving neutral buoyancy. Because such a compressor is prone to heating, it may be useful to use multiple compressors to allow those not being used to cool down. In an alternative practice, the air barge 10 is filled by permitting liquid hydrogen to evaporate into the containment volume 40. Also among the embodiments are those that combine the foregoing methods, for example by permitting liquid hydrogen to evaporate and changing over to the compressor when the evaporation rate slows as a result of increasing pressure.
[046] Additional hydrogen is then added to the containment volume 40. This increases the mass of the hydrogen, which in turn causes the barge 10 to lose buoyancy.
Eventually, the barge 10 will have reached neutral buoyancy. In a typical embodiment, the amount of hydrogen gas in the containment volume 40 is sufficient to raise the pressure within to about ten atmospheres.
[047] In those cases in which a bundle 18 is to be formed, it is useful for the air barges 10 that comprise the bundle 18 to be rigged in advance of being filled, thus avoiding the difficulties inherent in wrestling several filled air barges 10 into proper relative positions and orientations to form a bundle 18.
[048] Among those practices in which the air barges 10 are rigged together prior to filling are those that include filling the air barges 10 in ways that correspond to their positions in a bundle. As an example, in those cases in which a bundle 18 has two or more layers of air barges 10, it may be useful be useful to fill air barges 10 in an upper lower to positive buoyancy so that they lift off those air barges in the lower layer, to fill air barges 10 in the lower layer to neutral buoyancy, and then then complete filling the air barges 10 in the upper layer so that they too are at neutral buoyancy.
[049] In some embodiments, it is useful to provide one or more stabilizers 48 on the bundle 18. In those cases in which only one air barge 10 is to be towed, it is useful to provide one or more stabilizers 48 on the air barge 10. Among these are embodiments that comprise a passive stabilizer 48 and those that comprise an active stabilizer 48.
[050] Once the air barges 10 that form the bundle 18 have all been filled to capacity, the towing vehicle 28 begins towing the bundle 18 towards its destination. Because the bundle 18 as a whole is at neutral buoyancy, a relatively low air speed is sufficient to generate dynamic lift. As a result, a towing vehicle 28 traveling at modest speeds is able to tow the bundle 18 at a velocity sufficient to raise the bundle 18. This is particularly useful in those cases in which the towing vehicle 28 is a waterborne vessel since it is often desirable for the bundle 18 to be far enough above the water’s surface to avoid waves and other undesirable surface effects. In those cases in which the towing vehicle 28 is an airship, the bundle 18, being at neutral buoyancy, imposes no additional downward force for the airship to overcome.
[051] The bundle 18 thus provides a convenient way to transport gas from where it is produced to where it is consumed. The use of the bundle 18 avoids the need to liquify the gas. In addition, since a considerable amount of gas is in present in the containment volume 40 as a result of the effort to reach neutral buoyancy, the payload of the air barge 10 is large enough to be economically viable. Moreover, the use of an air barge 10, particularly one towed by an airship, permits transport over land and sea and thus avoids the burden of intermodal transport.
[052] In principle, it would also be possible to tow the air barges 10 along a line in much the same way that a tugboat tows a line of barges along a waterway. However, such a configuration would tend to be more difficult to control in the presence of winds of varying direction.
[053] The air barge 10 lacks a rigid framework. As a result, after having emptied the air barge 10, it is a simple matter to fold it and place it in the empty carrying case 30 that, as noted above, is carried by the towing vehicle 28. After having been emptied and folded into their respective carrying cases 30, the barges 10 that form the bundle 18, once are easily transported by the towing vehicle 28 back to their origin to be re-used for another load.
[054] The apparatus has been described in connection with the transport of hydrogen. However, the same principles are applicable to the transport of any gas provided that, when maintained at the same temperature and pressure, the gas in the air barge has lower density than that outside the air barge. Thus, for Earth’s atmosphere, hydrogen, helium, and mixtures thereof would have this property. The gas in the air barge may comprise more than one species, provided that the gas, as a whole, has the required property.
[055] It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus comprising an air barge that holds a gas that is lighter than air, wherein said air barge comprises a hull that is impermeable to said gas and that is configured to sustain a pressure force arising from having filled said hull with sufficient quantity of gas to weigh down said air barge to an extent sufficient to prevent said air barge from rising.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said air barge is a first air barge and said apparatus further comprises a bundle of air barges, among which is said first air barge, wherein longitudinal axes of air barges in said bundle are parallel.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a harness at a front end of said bundle to permit said bundle to be towed.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a towing vehicle that is connected to said bundle by a towing cable.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said towing vehicle is an airship.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said towing vehicle is a waterborne vehicle.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a carrying case that is sized to accommodate said air barge when said air barge is deflated.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a towing vehicle to tow a bundle of air barges, among which is said air barge, wherein said towing vehicle comprises carrying cases for accommodating said air barges when said air barges are deflated.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising hydrogen in said hull, said hydrogen being of sufficient mass to cause said barge to lose positive buoyancy and attain neutral buoyancy.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hull is configured to permit to sustain a pressure of ten atmospheres.
- 9- The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising netting to hold said barge into engagement with other barges to form a bundle of barges. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said air barge comprises a coupling arrangement to couple said air barge to another air barge in a bundle of air barges. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said air barge comprises a stabilizer. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hull comprises at least one bladder. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hull comprises a skin made of stretched polyethylene. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thruster that is configured to move said air barge relative to a towing vehicle that is towing said air barge, sensors to assess wind conditions, and a controller to control movement of said thruster in response to said wind conditions. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said thruster comprises a drone. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said air barge has a circular cross section. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said air barge is frameless. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hull comprises a bladder that is impermeable to said gas and a jacket that surrounds said bladder and applies a radially-compressive force thereto, said force being sufficient to enable said bladder to accommodate said quantity of gas.
- lO-
PCT/US2022/047113 2021-10-19 2022-10-19 Air barge for transporting hydrogen WO2023069503A1 (en)

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