The Boc Group, Inc.

Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Other

Linde Gmbh

Linde North America, Inc.

Ron C Lee

Mark T Grace

Darren Mennie

Joanne Rachel Greenwood

Frank R Fitch

Satish S Tamhankar

Naresh J Suchak

Mark J Kirschner

Barrie Dudley Brewster

David G Wardle

Rustam H Sethna

Robert Bruce Grant

Michael K Sahm

William M Kulik

Michael Bruce Pooley

Colin Michael Harrison

Stephen Clements

Prerona Chakravarty

Michael D Heil

Michael J Barrasso

Richard E Billman

Michael T Downey

Paul Jarrett

Makoto Kaneko

Stephen Foster

Nils Lindman

A method and apparatus for fueling the onboard storage tank of a vehicle with liquefied natural gas. A liquid cryogen such as liquid nitrogen is fed to a condensing unit to condense natural gas present in a fueling system. Liquefied natural gas is fed into the fueling system and natural gas vapor is recovered from the onboard storage tank of the vehicle and fed to the condensing unit. When the pressure of the onboard storage tanks is sufficient, the liquefied natural gas is fed from the fueling system to the onboard storage tanks.

Methods for liquefied natural gas fueling

A method for producing a fog of ice nuclei by introducing a cryogenic fluid and a humid gas stream into a freeze dryer. The cryogenic fluid and humid gas stream will form ice nuclei having a preferred size for introduction into vials contained in the freeze dryer.

Methods for freeze drying

A process for the jet milling of particles where water vapor is added to the jet milling system. The temperature, pressure and relative humidity of the water vapor is maintained and adjusted to ensure that the water vapor present during micronization is greater than allowed under equilibrium conditions, but remains above its Wilson point.

Nonequilibrium humidity control for jet milling

A hydrogen storage system for storing hydrogen gas at elevated pressures and cryogenic temperatures is disclosed. The hydrogen gas is fed to a storage container which contains a physisorption type material and a volatile liquid container for liquid nitrogen. Cryogenic conditions are maintained within the storage container during the periods of storage and the periods where the hydrogen gas is removed from the storage system.

Methods for hydrogen storage and refrigeration

A multi-bath apparatus and method for cooling a superconductor includes both a cooling bath comprising a first cryogen and a shield bath comprising a second cryogen. The cooling bath surrounds the superconductor, and the shield bath surrounds the cooling bath. The cooling bath is maintained at a first pressure and subcooled, while the shield bath is maintained at a second pressure and saturated. The cooling bath and the shield bath are in a thermal relationship with one another, and the first pressure is greater the second pressure. Preferably, the cryogens are liquid nitrogen, and the superconductor is a high temperature superconductor, such as a current limiter. Following a thermal disruption to the superconductor, the first pressure is restored to the cooling bath and the second pressure is restored to the shield bath in order to restore the superconductor to a superconductive state.

Multi-bath apparatus and method for cooling superconductors

A method for authentication of a first client in communication with a second client via an authentication server is disclosed, such that the first client and the second client are authenticated to each other, and the authentication server is authenticated to both the first client and the second client. The ability of a client and an authentication server to generate a one-time-use key unique to the client for a given request, is used as the basis for authentication. The flow of requests and responses coupled with each client's unique one-time-use key, such as a one time use account number used to encrypt messages, results in all three entities, the two clients and the authentication server, mutually authenticating each other. The method effectively prohibits a 'man-in-the-middle' attack, wherein an unauthorized entity tries to assume the roll of one of the two clients, or the authentication server.

Dynamic authentication and initialization method

Backup refrigeration is provided to a cryogenic refrigeration system comprising multiple cooling loops using a single backup coolant storage vessel. The backup coolant storage vessel is in fluid communication with at least one of the cooling loops, and the cooling loops are in fluid communication with each other. Each cooling loop, in turn, is in fluid communication with a refrigeration unit. In the event of lost coolant from one of the loops, coolant, e.g., liquid nitrogen, is transferred from the other loops to the loop that lost coolant, and the backup coolant storage vessel releases backup coolant into the system.

Backup cryogenic refrigeration system

Apparatus for producing liquid or solid xenon comprises a ducthaving an inletfor receiving gaseous xenon and an outletfor outputting gaseous xenon at a reduced temperature to a nozzle located in a vacuum chamber. A housingextends about the duct and contains a halocarbon coolant in thermal contact with the duct, and a second ductin thermal contact with the halocarbon coolant for conveying a flow of liquid nitrogen through the housingto control the temperature of the halocarbon. In view of the difference in the pressure of the xenon gas output from the duct and the pressure in the chamber, the thus-cooled gas is caused to liquefy or solidify in the vicinity of the nozzle.

System for liquefying or freezing xenon

A vacuum pumping system comprises a first gas supply for supplying a first gas, such as xenon, to a vacuum chamber. A pump receives the gas output from the chamber. A second gas supply supplies a purge gas, such as nitrogen or helium, for pumping with the first gas. A gas separator receives the pumped gases exhausted by the pump, and recovers the first gas and the purge gas from the stream. The recovered first gas is recirculated through the vacuum chamber, and the recovered second gas is recirculated through at least the pump.

Vacuum pumping system

A method and apparatus for storing and dispensing a liquid consisting of an oxygen containing mixture so that the liquid will not contain any more than a predetermined concentration of the oxygen at a predetermined pressure. In accordance with the invention, the mixture is introduced into the container at a specified initial concentration. A hypothetical volume of the saturated state of the liquid having the initial concentration is computed that when expanded into the total volume of the container, the resulting liquid would have the maximum enrichment. The liquid is dispensed from a bottom region of the container and dispensing is prevented when the liquid remaining within the container could possibly have the maximum enrichment computed at a particular dispensing pressure. Pressure relief methods are employed that avoid head space vapor being vented.

Method and apparatus for storing and dispensing a liquid composed of

An apparatus and method for spraying a cryogen in which a heat load is sprayed with a cryogen from one or more spray nozzles within a spray zone. A heat conductive element is positioned below the article and is provided with a surface sized to catch the liquid content of the cryogen that has been oversprayed, thereby to vaporize the overspray through direct heat transfer with the conductive element. In another aspect the present invention provides an apparatus and method in which a flow network a flow of a liquid cryogen is divided into first and second subsidiary streams. The second subsidiary stream is vaporized within a branch of the network and then mixed back into the first subsidiary stream to produce a two phase flow of the cryogen. The cryogen is then sprayed as the two phase flow. The flow rate of the second subsidiary stream can be controlled with a proportional valve to adjust the quality of the cryogen being sprayed so that pooling of overspray on said heat conductive element is inhibited.

Cryogenic apparatus and method for spraying a cryogen incorporating

A method and apparatus of mixing liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen to form a liquid mixture in which such streams are passed through a parallel flow heat exchanger in order to form a subcooled liquid oxygen stream and a partly vaporized liquid nitrogen stream both having the same temperature. The partly vaporized liquid nitrogen stream is phase separated in a phase separator to form liquid and vaporized nitrogen phases. The liquid phase stream composed of the liquid nitrogen is mixed with the subcooled liquid oxygen stream, preferably in a mixing tee, in order to form the desired mixture.

Method and apparatus for producing liquid mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen

An impingement freezer having a zoned freezing chamber in which the temperature of each zone is independently controllable so that the temperature profile within the impingement freezer is coldest at a zone adjacent the outlet and warmest at a zone adjacent the inlet for maximum thermodynamic usage of the refrigerant. Additionally, the velocity of each of the impingement jets is independently adjustable from zone to zone so that in the zone adjacent the entrance of the freezing chamber, the impingement jets can be adjusted to have maximum velocity to produce maximum heat transfer coefficients and thereby an acceptable rate of cooling within the impingement jet freezer. Impingement jets are formed within nozzles that are tapered in two orthogonal directions to prevent frost build-up. Circulation within the impingement jet freezer is produced by venturi-like devices driven by vaporization of incoming refrigerant.

Impingement jet freezer and method

A method of cooling a liquid process fluid in which a liquid process stream is formed from the liquid process fluid and the process fluid contained within the liquid process stream is frozen into a conveyable particulate form. The conveyable particulate form is introduced back into the liquid process fluid. The liquid process fluid can be contained within a container and pumped through a pipe connected to the container to form the liquid process stream. A freezing chamber connected to the top of the container can be provided to countercurrently directly exchange heat between rising vaporized coolant and descending liquid process fluid. The resultant conveyable particulate form can be metered by provision of a valve.

Process fluid cooling means and apparatus

A level detector for detecting a level of a liquid is provided with an elongated probe having opposed proximal and distal ends. In use, the distal end of the elongated probe is submerged beneath the level of the liquid with an unwetted length of the elongated probe located above the level of the liquid. A thermal conductor or an electrical heater is provided for maintaining a temperature difference between the proximal end of the elongated probe and the liquid so that at an intermediate location of the elongated probe, located above the level of the liquid, the temperature will be dependent upon the unwetted length of the elongated probe. A thermocouple or the like can be provided for generating a signal referable to the temperature at the intermediate location and the level of the liquid can thereby be correlated with such signal.

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Bloomsbury, NJ, United States of America

Ron C Lee