METHOD OF REFILLING AND UNLOADING CYLINDERS FOR STORAGE OF COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC F17C5/06 F17D1/04 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to gas industry and can be used for acceptance, storage and distribution of compressed natural gas from unit of gas accumulators to consumer in cylinders of vehicles or other cylinders. It can also be used for refueling vehicles with compressed natural gas as motor fuel. Method of loading and unloading cylinders for storage of compressed natural gas, in which gas is supplied through a compressor unit to three balloon sections of at least one unit of gas accumulators, wherein supply is performed with different priority of gas distribution to consumer from each balloon section so that first high-pressure balloon section is connected and by means of gassing vehicle cylinder is filled with gas until pressure is equalized between them, then the middle priority balloon section is connected, and when equality of pressures in it and the vehicle cylinder is achieved, the low-priority balloon section is connected, filling the vehicle cylinder to the pressure value corresponding to its maximum load, after which the gas accumulator unit is considered to be discharged, then by means of the compressor plant the gas from the high-priority balloon section is pumped to the low-priority balloon section, and when achieving the minimum possible for the compressor operation pressure in the high-priority balloon section, compression into the low-priority balloon section is continued from the medium-priority balloon section to the maximum pressure in the low-priority balloon section, then providing passive gas distribution from gas accumulator unit, at which gas is first distributed from the medium-priority balloon section to the residual pressure value, then gas is dispensed from the low-priority balloon section to the maximum pressure of the vehicle cylinder filling, and when low-priority pressure in the balloon section is equal to the maximum pressure of the vehicle cylinder filling, continuing process of compressor gas pumping from medium-priority balloon section to low-priority balloon section or until pressure drop in medium-priority balloon sections to minimum possible pressure for compressor, or to the maximum allowable pressure in the low-priority balloon sections, wherein the pumping process is continued until the minimum possible pressure in the balloon sections of the high and medium priorities, and in low-pressure balloon section – pressure equal to pressure of maximum filling of vehicle cylinder, after which unit of gas accumulators is considered completely discharged.

EFFECT: invention increases efficiency of using compressed natural gas cylinder volume, which ensures storage of larger volume of gas with reduction of number of storage cylinders, reduced weight and dimensions of gas accumulator unit.

3 cl, 1 dwg