EP-4735790-A1 - ELECTRICAL CONTROL AND/OR MONITORING FOR A CRYOGENIC STORAGE VESSEL

Abstract

An electrical control and/or monitoring system for use with a cryogenic storage vessel has an electrical component, an enclosure surrounding the electrical component, an inert volume within the enclosure between the electrical component and the enclosure, and a control system. The control system has one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the inert volume, and one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel. The control system is configured to regulate the electrical component based on pressure data from the one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the inert volume, and the one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel.

Inventors

• REYNOLDS, Richard Hugh
• MORGAN, Thomas Andrew

Assignees

• Fabrum IP Holdings Limited

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240626

Claims (20)

1. 1. An electrical control and/or monitoring system for use with a cryogenic storage vessel comprising: an electrical component; an enclosure surrounding the electrical component; an inert volume within the enclosure between the electrical component and the enclosure; a control system comprising one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the inert volume, and one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel, the control system configured to regulate the electrical component based on pressure data from the one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the inert volume, and the one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel.
2. 2. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inert volume comprises an inert gas.
3. 3. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inert volume is an inert gas.
4. 4. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a power source for providing power to the electrical component.
5. 5. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of claim 4, further comprising electrical wires electrically connecting the power source to the electrical component.
6. 6. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure comprises a conduit surrounding at least part of the length of the electrical wires.
7. 7. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure comprises a conduit surrounding a major part of the length of the electrical wires.
8. 8. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure comprises a conduit surrounding the entire length of the electrical wires.
9. 9. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure comprises a reservoir providing an additional inert volume.
10. 10. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more temperature sensors configured to measure the temperature of the inert volume.
11. 11. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more temperature sensors configured to measure the temperature of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel.
12. 12. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inert gas is helium gas.
13. 13. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the inert gas is neon gas, argon gas, krypton gas, or nitrogen gas.
14. 14. The electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the inert gas is a combination of two or more of neon gas, argon gas, krypton gas, or nitrogen gas.
15. 15. A cryogenic system comprising: the electrical control and/or monitoring system of any one of the preceding claims; a cryogenic storage vessel comprising: an inner wall defining a containment volume within the inner wall for containing the cryogenic fluids; an outer wall defining an external periphery of the cryogenic storage vessel; the inner wall spaced inwardly from the outer wall; and an insulation volume between the outer wall and inner wall wherein the inert volume within the enclosure has a pressure and the cryogenic gas within the cryogenic storage vessel has a pressure, the pressure of the inert volume within the enclosure being greater than the pressure of the cryogenic gas within the cryogenic storage vessel.
16. 16. The cryogenic system of claim 15, wherein the cryogenic storage vessel contains cryogenic liquid and cryogenic gas.
17. 17. The cryogenic system of claim 15 or 16, wherein the inert gas has a pressure of about 100kPa to about 3000kPa.
18. 18. The cryogenic system of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the cryogenic gas has a pressure of about 10kPa to about WOOkPa.
19. 19. The cryogenic system of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the cryogenic fluid in the storage vessel is hydrogen.
20. 20. The cryogenic system of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the cryogenic fluid in the storage vessel is oxygen.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONTROL AND/OR MONITORING FOR A CRYOGENIC STORAGE VESSEL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electrical control and/or monitoring for a cryogenic storage vessel. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cryogenic systems are used for producing, maintaining and storing cryogenic liquids or cryogens, which are liquefied gases, and other substances at very low temperatures. Cryogens are produced by liquefying gases by cooling them until they change state to liquid. Cryogenic systems are now widely used in a number of different industries as they have proven to be useful in many different processes. Cryogenic systems typically have cryogenic liquid storage systems comprising a storage vessel for the cryogenic liquid. A product of cryogenic systems is boil-off gas, which are vapourised gases from the stored cryogenic liquid in the storage vessel. Boil-off gas is produced in a cryogenic storage vessel due to natural evaporation of the cryogenic liquid as some heat is inevitably transferred to the cryogenic liquid. Cryogenic storage often requires electrical control and monitoring. For example, cryogenic storage vessels often require controlled heat addition for the evaporation and pressurisation of the cryogenic gas at a rate to match the intended application of the cryogenic gas. In another example, cryogenic storage vessels often require other electrical components, such as one or more pressure sensors, temperature sensors, sensors to determine the level of liquid in the storage vessel. The sensors may have associated wires or other electrical components. Cryogenic gases may be flammable, combustible or oxidising. Accordingly, in situations in which the cryogenic gases is flammable or combustible, any ignition source must be kept out of contact with such cryogenic gases and/or liquids. It will be understood that a heat source may be an ignition source. Other electrical components, such as sensors, may also be an ignition source. As a result, it is difficult to provide a heat source for the cryogenic gases and/or liquids that efficiently and safely transfers heat to the cryogenic gases and/or liquids. It is also difficult to control and monitor the cryogenic gases and/or liquids in a safe manner. In addition, in situations in which the cryogenic gases are oxidising, any combustible source must be kept out of contact with such cryogenic gases and/or liquids. In this specification, where reference has been made to external sources of information, including patent specifications and other documents, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the present invention. Unless stated otherwise, reference to such sources of information is not to be construed, in any jurisdiction, as an admission that such sources of information are prior art or form part of the common general knowledge in the art. For the purpose of this specification, where method steps are described in sequence, the sequence does not necessarily mean that the steps are to be chronologically ordered in that sequence, unless there is no other logical manner of interpreting the sequence. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical control and/or monitoring system for a cryogenic storage vessel; and/or a method for controlling and/or monitoring cryogenic liquids and/or cryogens in a cryogenic storage vessel; which overcomes or at least partially ameliorates some of the abovementioned disadvantages, or which at least provides the public with a useful choice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an electrical control and/or monitoring system for use with a cryogenic storage vessel comprising: an electrical component; an enclosure surrounding the electrical component; an inert volume within the enclosure between the electrical component and the enclosure; a control system comprising one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the inert volume, and one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel, the control system configured to regulate the electrical component based on pressure data from the one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the inert volume, and the one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of a cryogen and/or cryogenic liquid within the cryogenic storage vessel. In some configurations, the inert volume comprises an inert gas. In some configurations, the inert volume is an inert gas. In some configurations, the electrical control and/or monitoring system further comprises a power source for providing power to the electrical component. In some configurations, the electrical control and/or monitoring system further comprises electrical wires electrically connecting the power source to the electrical component. In some configurations, the enclosu