Compression of hydrogen gas with vapor control

1 . A compressor apparatus for compressing gaseous hydrogen, comprising:

a. a source configured to supply gaseous hydrogen containing water vapor from 0 to 95% in volume, inclusive, at a first source pressure level;

b. a first liquid compression chamber being configured to compress the gaseous hydrogen from said first source pressure level to a second predetermined pressure level by means of a compression liquid, wherein said compression liquid is selected from the group consisting of water and water-based liquids incorporating inorganic compounds effective to reduce the freezing temperature of said water-based liquids below the freezing temperature of pure water;

c. a first fluid interconnection and control mechanism configured to establish fluid communication between said source of gaseous hydrogen and said first liquid compression chamber and to regulate the flow of gaseous hydrogen from said source into said first liquid compression chamber;

d. a second high-pressure gas chamber being configured to receive compressed gaseous hydrogen from said first liquid compression chamber during a compression operation;

e. a second fluid interconnection and control mechanism configured to establish fluid communication between said first liquid compression chamber and said second high-pressure gas chamber and to regulate the flow of compressed gaseous hydrogen from said first liquid compression chamber to said second high-pressure gas chamber;

f. a storage tank configured to receive compressed gaseous hydrogen released from said second high-pressure gas chamber and to store the gaseous hydrogen at or below a third predetermined pressure level, wherein said third pressure level is less than said second pressure level;

g. a third fluid interconnection and control mechanism configured to establish fluid communication between said second high-pressure gas chamber and said storage tank and to regulate the flow of compressed gaseous hydrogen from said second high-pressure gas chamber to said storage tank;

h. a liquid reservoir configured to contain and supply said compression liquid to said first liquid compression chamber;

i. a pumping device configured to transfer said compression liquid from said liquid reservoir into said first liquid compression chamber under pressure;

j. a fourth fluid interconnection and control mechanism configured to establish fluid communication between said first liquid compression chamber and said liquid reservoir and to regulate the flow of said compression liquid from said first liquid compression chamber to said liquid reservoir;

k, wherein said compressor apparatus is configured to perform a compression process comprising:

i. admitting gaseous hydrogen from said source into said first liquid compression chamber through said first fluid interconnection and control mechanism;

ii. actuating said pumping device to introduce said compression liquid from said liquid reservoir into said first liquid compression chamber, thereby compressing said gaseous hydrogen therein, while said second fluid interconnection and control mechanism remains open, permitting the compressed gaseous hydrogen to flow into said second high-pressure gas chamber, such that the pressure of said gaseous hydrogen in said first liquid compression chamber and said second high-pressure gas chamber equalizes and increases concurrently;

iii. closing said second fluid interconnection and control mechanism upon the pressure of the gaseous hydrogen in said second high-pressure gas chamber attaining said second predetermined pressure level, said second pressure level being selected such that the vapor content within said gaseous hydrogen is at or below a predefined concentration level;

iv. subsequently actuating said third fluid interconnection and control mechanism to release said compressed gaseous hydrogen from said second high-pressure gas chamber into said storage tank, whereby said gaseous hydrogen is stored at or below said third predetermined pressure level, such that the vapor content in gaseous hydrogen stored within said storage tank remains at or below said predefined concentration level.

2 . The compressor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a vapor measurement and monitoring device configured to measure and monitor the vapor concentration within the second high-pressure gas chamber, wherein said second predetermined pressure is achieved when the vapor content inside said second chamber is at or below a predefined concentration.

3 . The compressor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature regulation apparatus configured and operative to maintain the temperature within said second high-pressure gas chamber at a value less than the temperature within said first liquid compression chamber throughout the duration of the compression process.

4 . The compressor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said second high-pressure gas chambers is fluidly connected to said first liquid compression chamber, and said second fluid interconnection and control mechanism is configured and operative to establish selective fluid communication between said first liquid compression chamber and a single one of said plurality of second high-pressure gas chambers at any given instance, such that fluid communication with only one of said second high-pressure gas chambers is permitted at a time, thereby facilitating sequential discharge of compressed gaseous hydrogen from said first liquid compression chamber to a respective one of said second high-pressure gas chambers.

5 . The compressor apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of said first liquid compression chambers is fluidly connected to said second high-pressure gas chamber, and said second fluid interconnection and control mechanism is configured and operative to establish selective fluid communication between said second high-pressure gas chamber and a single one of said plurality of first liquid compression chambers at any given instance, such that fluid communication with only one of said first liquid compression chambers is permitted at a time, thereby enabling selective compression of gaseous hydrogen within a respective one of said first liquid compression chambers and transfer of said compressed gaseous hydrogen to said second high-pressure gas chamber.

6 . The compressor apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a. a plurality of compression stages disposed in a serial arrangement, each of said stages comprising:

i. a respective one of said first liquid compression chambers;

ii. a respective one of said second high-pressure gas chambers;

iii. a respective one of said pumping devices configured and operative to effectuate transfer of said compression liquid into said respective first liquid compression chamber; and

iv. a respective ones of said first, second, third, and fourth fluid interconnection and control mechanism configured and operative to establish and regulate fluid communication as recited in claim 1 ;

b, wherein said compressor apparatus is adapted to compress said gaseous hydrogen through said plurality of stages in a sequential manner, such that:

i. gaseous hydrogen, having been compressed to an intermediate pressure level in said second high-pressure gas chamber of a preceding stage, is supplied as input to the said liquid compression chamber of a subsequent stage;

ii. said sequential compression process continues through each of said stages until the gaseous hydrogen within said second high-pressure gas chamber of the final stage attains said second predetermined pressure level; and

iii. said gaseous hydrogen is thereafter released from said second high-pressure gas chamber of said final stage through the respective third fluid interconnection and control mechanism into said storage tank, wherein said gaseous hydrogen is stored at or below said predetermined third pressure level.