My Invention - Onboard Vehicle Refueling System (OVRS) - Abridged Slideshare Version

Intellectual Property of E. Greg Ibizugbe

2 Onboard Vehicle Refueling System Invention

• Present invention provides a solution to the CNG station

unavailability problem by imparting a mobile refueling capability to

vehicles that run on compressed natural gas or other gaseous

fuels.

• It accomplishes this through an integrated system of onboard

compression, storage, interface modules and a centralized

electronic control system; onboard refueling operation is

implemented by the compression module which is enclosed in

lightweight, acoustic containment within the vehicle.

• With this invention, natural gas vehicles or NGVs are effectively

able to refuel from readily available sources of natural gas: such

as home residences, commercial and other building facilities with

existing utility gas piping infrastructure.

• Invention applies to vehicles that run on compressed natural gas

(CNG) or other compressed fuel gas (CFG) such as Dimethyl Ether

(DME), Syngas, Propane et al.


4

Onboard Vehicle Refueling System Invention

• Onboard refueling operation is

accomplished by the compression

module which is enclosed in a

lightweight acoustic containment

within the vehicle.

• Fuel gas from low pressure sources

such as residential / commercial

utility gas piping is hooked up to the

vehicle fuel receptacle which feeds

the compression module. Fuel gas is

subsequently compressed to higher

pressures and intercooling is

implemented through a gas cooler to

increase stored gas volumes prior to

tank delivery.

• An Electronic Control Module (ECM)

utilizing stored algorithms

administers control over onboard

refueling, shutdown, regeneration

(adsorbed tanks) operations as well

as providing a means for temperature

based repletion of storage tanks.

• Human machine interface is provided

by a User Interface Module (UIM)

which domiciles system indicators

and control settings. UIM also serves

as a two way communication

platform linked to the ECM and

provides resources for transmission

of audio visual alerts, wireless

remote operation and network

support.


• Natural gas is commonly used as

an energy source for heating,

cooking, and electrical

generation.

• It is also used as a fuel for

vehicles. Natural gas is more

plentiful and cheaper than

gasoline.

• However, in many regions globally

Africa, Europe and North America

- there are currently very few

natural gas refueling stations for

vehicles. Natural gas vehicles

(NGVs) have been around for long

and operate by utilizing

compressed natural gas also

known as CNG.

• Use of fuel gas other natural gas

is called compressed fuel gas or

CFG.

• There are several advantages or

benefits with using natural gas

over conventional liquid fuels such

as petrol (gasoline) and diesel.


• Lower fueling costs – natural gas

remains cheaper than liquid fuels

gasoline or diesel

• And the price spread or differential

between oil and gas is widening…

• Number of reasons for this…

‒ Supply: Geologically there’s always

more volumes of gas than oil in

ground

‒ More Supply: Growing shale gas

production worldwide from

previously uneconomic reserves

‒ Constraints associated with liquid

hydrocarbon production e.g. OPEC

Quotas, Escalating costs etc.

• Natural gas much less costly to

refine for consumer use

‒ Multiple refining stages required to

produce Petrol (Gasoline) / Diesel

grades used today


• Environmental benefits – combustion of natural gas is

cleaner burning; emits far lower greenhouse gas emissions

than gasoline or diesel.

• As a matter of fact, natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil

fuel and unlike gasoline or diesel combustion does not

produce solid particulate emissions that worsen air pollution


• Advantages also include

safety – natural gas is a much

safer fuel than gasoline or

diesel as it has a narrower

flammability range than both

liquid fuels.

• It is also lighter density than

air, therefore in case of a

leak, it quickly disperses into

air with adequate ventilation


• Unfortunately a major problem hinders wider scale

adoption of natural gas powered vehicles exists –

namely there is a huge deficit or shortage in the

number of CNG supply stations worldwide

compared to those for liquid fuels, gasoline and

diesel.

• For example, in the United States alone - it is

estimated that there are roughly over 1,000 CNG

stations compared to over 120,000 stations for

gasoline and diesel (i.e. 1 CNG to 120 petrol/diesel)

• Building up CNG fuel station and delivery

infrastructure to be on par with current

gasoline/diesel capacity is quite capital intensive

and such investments takes time.

• This means current shortfall in number of CNG fuel

stations will not be remedied for years to come.

• In Africa, there are very few instances of operating

CNG stations despite bountiful reserves of natural

gas and despite existing gas distribution

infrastructure

• My invention provides a solution to this CNG fuel

station unavailability problem by imparting a mobile

refueling capability to natural gas vehicles. In

essence, the vehicle becomes a mobile refueling

station.

• Invention enables natural gas vehicles to effectively

refuel from readily available sources of natural gas

such as existing utility gas piping in homes

residences and other building facilities with

existing utility gas piping infrastructure.


• Embodiments of this invention provide mobile

refueling capability for Natural Gas Vehicles or NGVs

that burn compressed natural gas (CNG) or other

compressed fuel gas (CFG) such as Syngas, Dimethyl

Ether (DME), Hydrogen, et al (such vehicles are known

as Fuel Gas Vehicles or FGVs).

• Invented system may be built into a vehicle by vehicle

manufacturer or vendor at the factory, or retrofitted

into an existing vehicle.

• In developed countries, a utility natural gas

distribution system already exists for use in homes,

offices and commercial or public buildings. This

existing utility gas infrastructure provides a readily

accessible source of natural gas that can be put to

use in fueling natural gas vehicles.

• My invention leverages this existing utility gas

infrastructure to provide a refueling solution for

Natural Gas Vehicles, thereby resolving the CNG fuel

station scarcity problem that has plagued adoption of

Natural Gas Vehicles.

• Therefore using the invented system, the natural gas

vehicle is no longer tied down to the nearest CNG fuel

station or standalone garage-based vehicle refueling

appliances; as they not needed.

• Invented system also allows NGVs to refuel at any

location with a permissible source of natural gas such

as Gas Tank Farm, Pipelines, Parks, Ports etc. Any

location or facility that has utility gas can become a

refueling point for a vehicle using embodiments of the

invention.


• Invented system comprises of

the following fundamental

components:

‒ An Onboard Gas Compressor

Which is mounted within the

vehicle, for compressing

lower pressure gas fuel into

the higher pressure gas fuel;

‒ Storage Tanks

At least one storage tank,

which is mounted within the

vehicle, for storing the high

pressure gas fuel; and

‒ Electronic Control Module

An electronic control module

(ECM), which is mounted on

the vehicle, that controls the

compressor and controls

delivery of high pressure gas

fuel from the at least one

storage tank to the engine.

Onboard Compression Module

Gas Flow Gas

Cooler

Multi-stage

Compressors To

Storage

Tanks ECM

Motor


• Other primary components include

‒ Gas Cooler

Which is located in the Compression Module

and cools the compressed gas after each

stage of compression.

This process is referred to as ‘Intercooling’

and provides cooling benefits of higher

volumes of gas stored (more mileage) and

reduced storage temperature.

‒ Lower Pressure Hose

Delivers natural gas from utility piping to

NGV fuel receptacle

‒ User Interface Module (UIM)

Interface for human control is provided by

the user interface module (UIM) which

domiciles system indicators and control

settings. Refueling operation is initiated on

the UIM via touch or voice activation.

UIM also serves as a two way

communication platform linked to the ECM

and provides resources for transmission of

audio-visual alerts, wireless remote

operation and network support.

Physical definition of the UIM is very

flexible, it could be a touch screen device,

or an abstract projection or a panel with

hard indicators and controls. The UIM may

include abstract or physical representations

of one or more forms (e.g. touch screen,

control panel, dials, sensor readouts) that

allows the user to interact with the system

13

Onboard Vehicle Refueling System Invention

• Other components include

‒ Sensor Network

An array of sensors wired to the

ECM for safety and control

monitoring tasks such as gas

leak detection, vehicle motion

detection, overpressure /

overheating detection, impurity

detection, etc.

Sensors monitor various

conditions during refueling

operation and relay data back to

the ECM which automatically

takes the decision to shutdown

refueling operation if safety

thresholds have been exceeded.

‒ Control Devices Network

An array of valves and other

control devices wired to the

ECM.

ECM executes shutdown or

control of refueling operation

through control valves / devices.

ECM

(controls / shuts down refueling

operation)

Gas Leak Detectors

Vehicle Motion

Sensor

Pressure /Temp

Sensors

Oxygen-in-Gas

Detector

ECM

(controls / shuts down refueling

operation)

Safety Shutoff

Valves

Flow Control / Check

Valves

Diverter Valves

Relief Valves


• To initiate refueling operation, vehicle is

placed in proximity to a utility gas piping

outlet and building electrical power supply.

• A little plumbing is required to install

breakaway fittings on the gas piping outlet to

couple up one end of the low pressure hose

fuel hose with a dispenser head at the other

end that is similarly coupled up into the

vehicle fuel receptacle.

• This provides a safety benefit of quick

disconnection if the hose is yanked or vehicle

moves. This low pressure fuel hose feeds

utility gas from the gas piping outlet into the

vehicle fuel receptacle.

• An electrical power cable with one end

connected to the vehicle power receptacle is

then hooked up to the building 110 or 220V

electrical power outlet. This supplies

electrical power required to operate electric

motor that drives the onboard compressor

within the vehicle.


• Refueling operation is initiated on the

User Interface Module also known as

UIM via touch or voice or even

remote activation.

• Following activation on the UIM, a 3

Port Diverter Valve at the inlet to the

Compression Module switches flow

path to the suction side of the

Onboard Compressor.

• Safety valves open up and the

Electric Motor drives the multi-stage

Onboard Gas Compressor.

• At this stage, the UIM displays ‘ON’

status on an indicator tagged

‘Onboard Fueling Mode’ and audio-

visual notification is transmitted to

the vehicle user.

• The UIM is designed to support

wireless and remote operations

functionality. This means notification

not just limited to the console but is

transmittable to a remote controlled

device wirelessly linked to the UIM.

3-Port

Diverter

Valve

Direct Fueling Pathway

Onboard Compression

Pathway

Gas

Flow

Gas

Flow

Engine


• Within the Compression Module, fuel gas is

compressed through multiple stages as well

as being cooled via the Gas Cooler

connected to the Gas Compressor.

• The Gas Cooler is an innovative component

of my invention and cools the hot

compressed gas each time it exits a stage

form the gas compressor. This process is

referred to as Intercooling and it provides

tremendous benefits by increasing the final

density of stored gas via temperature

reduction.

• The benefit is that higher density translates

to more volumes of gas stored within a fixed

tank space which translates to increased

driving range or mileage. An additional

benefit of the Gas Cooler unit is the reduced

thermal stress on the fuel tank since

compressed gas is delivered at close to

ambient temperature; this prolongs the

service life of the fuel tanks.


• There are 3 major variations of the gas

cooler in my invention:

‒ Phase Change Gas Cooler

The first variation of the Gas Cooler is

the Phase Change Embodiment – it

contains No Moving Parts and utilizes

Phase Change materials within a liner in

the Gas Cooler.

Phase Change materials such as salt

hydrates absorb large amounts of heat

energy also known as heat of fusion

when undergoing transition from solid to

liquid state thereby cooling down the hot

compressed gas prior to storage in fuel

tanks.

This embodiment is particularly useful for

space constrained application such as

small cars or bikes.

‒ Direct Air-Cooled Gas Cooler

The Second variation or embodiment of

the Gas Cooler takes a more

conventional approach and utilizes Direct

Air Cooling by employing a Cooler Fan.

‒ Pumped Coolant Gas Cooler

The Third variation of the Gas Cooler

utilizes a pumped Coolant Fluid which is

not air but may be liquid or gaseous. This

Gas Cooler variation is suitable for

application that demand rapid cooling

and higher gas flow capacity.

Gas Cooler:

Phase Change

Embodiment

Gas Cooler:

Direct Air

Cooled

Embodiment

Gas Cooler:

Pumped

Coolant

Embodiment


• Back to the onboard refueling operation –

compressed gas exits the Gas Cooler at

high pressure.

• In conventional applications this final

pressure may be as high as 3000 to 3600

pounds per square inch which is

equivalent to 250 times normal

atmospheric pressure!

• The compressed gas is delivered to the

fuel storage tanks and following final tank

fill up at desired final pressure, the

Onboard Gas Compressor shuts down and

Safety valves before and after the Gas

Compressor shut close.

• Next the 3 Port Diverter Valve switches to

the direct flowpath to the fuel tanks while

at the UIM an indicator tagged ‘Onboard

Fueling Mode’ displays ‘OFF’ status and

an audio-visual notification is transmitted

to the vehicle user.

• At this point, the external low pressure

hose and electric power cable are

manually disconnected by the vehicle

user and vehicle is fueled up, ready for

use.



• Enables Natural Gas Vehicles fitted with invented

system to refuel from buildings or facilities with

existing utility gas piping

• Captures economic benefits of natural gas as a

transportation fuel

• Sidesteps current scarcity problem of natural gas

fuel stations

• Patented suite of networked sensors provide

extensive range of monitoring and detection of

condition or state changes

• Safe, automated shutdown of refueling operation

whenever temperature, pressure, motion, purity or

containment thresholds have been breached

• Patented optimization features – including variable

tank storage pressure setting that is set

proportionally to ambient temperature to avoid

overpressurization during hotter weather

• Innovative networking capabilities provided by

system through inclusion of wireless and network

controller circuits

• Enables online vendor service delivery and

diagnostics as well as logging of runtime data


• Built-in wireless capability enables convenience

of remote operations

• Onboard refueling can be started or terminated

remotely by vehicle user

• Invented system includes patented gas cooler

and tank system designs that are scalable to

different sizes and types of vehicles or crafts

• For example: Conformal storage tank

embodiment allows invented system to adapted

to space constrained applications such as motor

bikes, carts and trikes

• Reliability is heavily factored in design

philosophy of the invented system

• For example: Moisture extractor in design

ensures water present in feed gas stream is

removed in order avoid impairment to

compressor service life

• Networking features built into patented invented

system ensures vendor or maintenance service

provider is never far away

• Online diagnostics, automated system

messaging enable seamless vendor engagement

when needed


• Nigeria

‒ 20 Year Patent awarded

‒ Patent no NG/P/2013/566

• International

‒ Patent pending

‒ US provisional patent in place.

‒ Patent application filed with USPTO

‒ Patent application efforts in other countries in

progress

• Available for licensing

‒ In whole or part

• Open to licensing offers from interested parties

• [email protected]

• www.ng.linkedin.com/pub/greg-

ibizugbe/18/256/94

• http://www.slideshare.net/gregibizugbe/

• www.facebook.com/greg.ibizugbe

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My Invention - Onboard Vehicle Refueling System (OVRS) - Abridged Slideshare Version

Technology

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costs natural gas

volumes of gas

safety natural gas

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