SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REFUELLING A COMPRESSED GAS PRESSURE VESSEL USING A THERMALLY COUPLED NOZZLE

摘要

A pressure vessel refuelling system enables consistent mass flow rates and reduces the in-tank temperature rise caused by the heat of compression as gas is added to a vessel. The system includes a pressure vessel having a first gas inlet/outlet port and an interior cavity, and a nozzle is in fluid communication with the first gas inlet/outlet port. The nozzle and the pressure vessel are thermally coupled such that Joule-Thomson expansion of a gas flowing through the nozzle cools the interior cavity and contents of the pressure vessel.