The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 24, 1999
Filed:
Oct. 27, 1997
David Burgener, Elmhurst, IL (US);
Air Liquide America Corp., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
The invention provides a system for unloading liquified gases from rail cars or other transport vehicles by using an energy buffer system which allows the shifting of electric demand to off-peak hours when electric power rates are lower. The system employs a buffer tank containing solidified gas to withdraw vapor remaining in the rail car after the liquified gas has been removed. The invention relies on the fact that the liquified gas which is to be unloaded has a triple point pressure that is low enough to allow recovery of the majority of the residual vapor in the rail car. The system allows the use of a smaller refrigeration unit operating at a constant load over a long period of time, in place of a larger refrigeration unit. The system also provides an additional advantage of extracting vapor from a rail car at a faster rate than the rate which is possible with a typical compressor.