Patent ID: 8122918
Filing Date: 2012-02-28
Classification: F17C,Y02E

Abstract:
1. At a refuel depot where on board vehicle tanks are refueled from a bank of independently switched storage tanks containing high pressure fuel gas, a switching apparatus for determining which one of the depot storage tanks is activated to allow gas flow to the on board vehicle tank when gas in the storage tanks of high pressure gas at the depot utilized for refueling the on board fuel-tanks, comprising: (i) a gas flow circuit interconnecting the bank of storage tanks to an inlet of the vehicle tanks; (ii) a control valve in the gas flow circuit between the bank of storage tanks and the vehicle tank inlet; (iii) a first pressure sensor that monitors gas pressure at a depot side of the control valve, the first pressure sensor connected in advance of and proximate to the control valve with respect to the direction of gas flow; (iv) a second pressure sensor that monitors gas pressure at a vehicle side of the control valve, the second sensor connected at the vehicle side of the control valve; (v) gas flow outlet valves V (vi) a gas flow switching valve located a) between the gas flow outlet valves V (vii) a programmed control unit to control the valves comprising a pressure comparator measuring a) a first pressure at the first pressure sensor (P wherein, when a pressure difference between the P