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

Intellectual Property of E. Greg Ibizugbe

2Onboard 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
TanksECM
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
• 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.

17
• 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
• inventorgreg@outlook.com
• www.ng.linkedin.com/pub/greg-
ibizugbe/18/256/94
• http://www.slideshare.net/gregibizugbe/
• www.facebook.com/greg.ibizugbe

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

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