System for fast-filling compressed natural gas powered vehicles

Claim 1

A method of refueling a road transportation vehicle comprising receiving and storing liquid natural gas at a site in a relatively large supply tank at relatively low cryogenic temperature and moderate pressure, dispensing the liquid natural gas from the supply tank generally exclusively on demand when a vehicle is present for refueling, converting the dispensed gas to compressed natural gas vapor at relatively high pressure of several thousand psi and moderate near ambient temperature through the addition of energy to the gas primarily in thermal form while simultaneously delivering the gas in vapor form to a high-pressure fuel tank on the vehicle whereby the need for large horsepower vapor compressor capacity and/or large volume high-pressure storage capacity at the site is avoided, the liquid natural gas being converted in one zone to its supercritical state by the addition of heat, the natural gas being raised to a control temperature at or near ambient temperature in another zone by the controlled addition of heat by measuring the temperature of the gas after it is heated in said another zone.

Claim 2

A method of refueling a road transportation vehicle comprising receiving and storing liquid natural gas at a site in a relatively large supply tank at relatively low cryogenic temperature and moderate pressure, dispensing the liquid natural gas from the supply tank generally exclusively on demand when a vehicle is present for refueling, converting the dispensed gas to compressed natural gas vapor at relatively high pressure of several thousand psi and moderate near ambient temperature through the addition of energy to the gas primarily in thermal form while simultaneously delivering the gas in vapor form to a high-pressure fuel tank on the vehicle whereby the need for large horsepower vapor compressor capacity and/or large volume high-pressure storage capacity at the site is avoided, the liquid natural gas being converted in one zone to its supercritical state by the addition of heat, the natural gas being raised to a control temperature at or near ambient temperature in another zone by the controlled addition of heat by measuring the temperature of the gas after it is heated in said another zone.