During discharging of the gas of the gas distribution facility, when the gas is first discharged, it may be discharged through the high pressure line 25A to shore (in direction A). End B of the lines 25A, 25B and 25C may be connected to other containers 12 in other holds of the ship. A part of the high pressure gas in line 25A may be directed through valve 43 and heat exchanger 72 to medium pressure line 25B. The gas adiabatically reduces pressure through the heat exchanger 72 and cools. In addition, a part of the high pressure gas from line 25A may be recirculated back to the continuous pipes 10 through valve 45, the heat exchanger 72, line 51 and line 29A without a reduction in pressure. However, as the gas directed from the high pressure line 25A to line 25B is reduced in pressure, with a drop for example in the order of 1500 psi, it cools the gas directed back to the continuous pipes 10 through the heat exchanger 72. This cooling may be substantial, and may cool the gas to -50°F. or lower. As the pressure drops in the pipes, the lines 25A, 25B and 25C may be sequentially selected to discharge the gas from the pipes. After cooling, the ship 62 may return to the gas supply point loading facility for another load of gas, with the pipes 10 remaining cold.

 It is expected that by cooling the continuous pipes 10 with cold gas from the heat exchanger 72, the continuous pipes 10 on the return journey will have a temperature in the order of -50°F. After loading the pipes 10 with gas, and returning to the discharge point, the temperature of the gas in the pipes 10 will increase to about 0°F. It is desirable to recover this cold from the gas during discharge of the gas at the gas distribution facility. For that purpose, referring to FIG. 13, as the gas is being discharged from the continuous pipes 10 through lines 25A, 25B or 25C and ship-to-shore connections using on-shore compressors 90 the gas is piped through a heat exchanger 92 against a flow, preferably countercurrent, of a suitable transportable fluid such as sea water. The sea water is pumped through the heat exchanger 92 with for example a pump 94. During discharge of the gas, the sea water is pumped from the sea at 93 through the heat exchanger 92 and line 95 into storage tanks on board the ship, which may for example be insulated ballast tanks 96 located within the double hull or double bottom of the ship. In this way, the sea water is cooled, but not to the point at which ice is formed, and forms a store of high heat capacity cold fluid. During subsequent filling of the pipes 10 at the loading facility, again using on-shore compressors, the cold sea water may be pumped from the ballast tanks 96 through the heat exchanger 92 and back to the sea, thus cooling any gas flowing through the lines 25A, 25B and 25C into the pipes 10. A ship may carry in the order of 17,000 tons of gas for the loaded voyage to the gas distribution facility, and may carry in its ballast tanks 10,000-15,000 tons of cooled sea water on the return voyage back to the gas supply point.

 This aspect of the invention may be used particularly advantageously with the continuous pipe coils 10, but may also be used with other gas storage containers, such as straight cylinders as disclosed in our prior patent application. A cold gas storage container in this context means a container whose temperature is below ambient temperatures (the temperature of the air through which the vehicle, for example the ship, moves), but is preferably much lower than ambient temperatures. In addition, where large volumes of gas are being transported by land, the technique may also be used in principle, although the cold storage fluid may, in that instance, be some other fluid such as ordinary water.

 Ships used for the transport of gas according to this invention should be double hulled and meet all safety requirements for the transportation of hazardous material.

 It is expected that, for the transport of natural gas, about 95% of the gas can be discharged while reducing the pressure in the continuous pipes 10 to about 150 psi. This amount of gas provides a heel or supply of undischarged gas which may be used as fuel for the ship's engines on the next leg of the ship's voyage back to the gas supply point.

 Any safely transportable gas may be transported with the gas storage device of the invention, such as natural gas, town gas, chlorine, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, ethane and ethylene.

 In a further embodiment, the storage device of the invention may be placed within a barge and moored close by a city together with a compressor and connected to a major gas supply pipeline to provide gas supply during hours of peak demand. During periods of low demand, the storage device may be replenished. The storage device could also be placed in a building on land or underground to provide a similar function, for example for the storage of natural gas for an electric power plant or town gas for a city. In smaller sizes, the storage device of the invention could be used to store compressed natural gas (CNG) in a CNG fuelling station for vehicles.

 Having now disclosed the invention, it is understood that a person skilled in the art could make modifications to the disclosed invention without departing from the essence of the invention that is covered by the scope and meaning of the claims that follow.

 We claim:

 1. A method of transporting gas to a gas distribution facility, said method comprising the steps of:

 obtaining a supply of gas at a gas supply point remote from the gas distribution facility;

 injecting the gas into a substantially continuous pipe bent to form ,plural layers, each of said plural layers including plural loops of pipe;

 transporting said substantially continuous pipe along with the gas to the gas distribution facility; and

 discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility.

 2. The method as defined in claim 1 in which said substantially continuous pipe is transported in a hold of a ship.

 3. The method as defined in claim 1 further including the steps of:

 discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility in a manner that cools said substantially continuous pipe; and

 returning said cooled substantially continuous pipe to a gas supply point.

 4. The method as defined in claim 3 in which discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility further includes the steps of:

 adiabatically reducing pressure of the gas in a heat exchanger;

 cooling a fluid passing through said heat exchanger; and circulating said cooled fluid into said substantially continuous pipes.

 5 . The method as defined in claim 2 in which discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility further includes the steps of:

 cooling a storable fluid with the gas; and

 storing said storable fluid on board the ship.

 6. The method as defined in claim 5 in which cooling said storable fluid further includes the step of:

 piping the gas through a heat exchanger against a flow of said storable fluid to cool said storable fluid.

 7. The method as defined in claim 5 further including the steps of:

 returning said substantially continuous pipes and said cooled storable fluid to a gas supply point;

 cooling the gas obtained at the gas supply point with said cooled storable fluid;

 re-filling said substantially continuous pipes with gas.

 8. A method of storing gas comprising the steps of:

 supplying gas when demand for the gas is low into a

 substantially continuous pipe bent to form plural layers,

 each of said plural layers including plural loops of pipe;

 storing the gas in said substantially continuous pipe; and

 discharging the gas from said substantially continuous pipe when demand for the gas is high.

 9. The method as defined in claim 8 in which said substantially continuous pipe is enclosed in a sealed container.

 10. The method as defined in claim 8 in which the gas is stored in plural substantially continuous pipes, each substantially continuous pipe being bent to form plural layers, each of said plural layers including plural loops of pipe, and each substantially continuous pipe is enclosed in a sealed container.

 11. The method as defined in claim 10 in which said substantially continuous pipes are charged serially.

 12. A method of transporting gas to a gas distribution facility, said method comprising the steps of:

 obtaining a supply of gas at a gas supply point remote from the gas distribution facility;

 transporting the gas to the gas distribution facility in cold gas storage containers;

 discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility while conserving said cold of said gas storage containers; and

 returning said cold gas storage containers to said gas supply point, with said containers retained in said cold condition.

 13. The method as defined in claim 12 in which said cold storage containers are transported in a hold of a ship.

 14. The method as defined in claim 13 in which discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility further includes the steps of:

 adiabatically reducing pressure of the gas in a heat exchanger;

 cooling a fluid passing through said heat exchanger; and

 circulating said cooled fluid into said gas storage containers.

 15. The method as defined in claim 13 in which discharging the gas at the gas distribution facility further includes the steps of:

 cooling a storable fluid using the gas; and

 storing said cooled storable fluid on board the ship.

 16. The method as defined in claim 15 in which cooling said storable fluid further includes the step of:

 piping the gas through a heat exchanger against a flow of said storable fluid to cool said storable fluid.

 17. The method as defined in claim 15 further including the steps of:

 returning said gas storage containers and said cooled storable fluid to a gas supply point;

 re-filling said gas storage containers with gas; and

 cooling the gas with said cooled storable fluid.

 18. A method of supplying gas to a gas distribution facility comprising the steps of :

 conducting the gas from a gas well to a gas supply point;

 obtaining a supply of gas at said gas supply point, said gas supply point being at a location remote from the gas distribution facility;

 cooling and compressing the gas at said gas supply point;

 injecting said cooled and compressed gas into a substantially continuous pipe bent to form plural layers, each of said plural layers including plural loops of pipe;

 transporting said cooled and compressed gas in said substantially continuous pipe to the gas distribution facility; and

 discharging said cooled and compressed gas at the gas distribution facility.

 19. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the substantially continuous pipe is contained within the hold of a ship.

 20. A method of supplying gas to users comprising the steps of:

 conducting the gas from a gas well to a gas supply point;

 obtaining a supply of gas at said gas supply point, said gas supply point being at a location remote from the users;

 cooling and compressing the gas at said gas supply point;

 injecting said cooled and compressed gas into a substantially continuous pipe bent to form plural layers, each of said plural layers including plural loops of pipe;

 transporting said cooled and compressed gas in said substantially continuous pipe to a gas distribution facility;

 discharging said cooled and compressed gas at said gas distribution facility;

 conducting the gas from said gas distribution facility to the users.

 21. The method as defined in claim 20 wherein the substantiallycontinuous pipe is contained within the hold of a ship.

　

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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

PATENT NO.: 6,003,460

DATED: December 21, 1999

INVENTOR(S): David G. Stenning and James A. Cran

　

　

 On the title page, at block [60] correct "December 30, 1995" to read "October 30, 1995"