Patents by Inventor Friedel Michel

Friedel Michel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8191584
    Abstract: On cold filling of pressure containers the filling gas is cooled before introduction into the pressure container to be filled. On completion of the filling process the pressure container is sealed in a pressure-tight manner. As the gas warms up the pressure in the pressure container rises rapidly. According to the invention, the pressure container is cooled before the introduction of the filling gas. The filling gas cools rapidly by means of heat transfer to the pressure container, whereby the filling capacity of the pressure container is considerably increased. Said method is particularly suitable for the filling of small tanks, in particular, for gas-driven vehicles and fuel-cell systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Martin Kesten, Friedel Michel
  • Patent number: 7500497
    Abstract: A method for filling a compressed-gas container, in particular a compressed gas container in an airbag system, with a gas or gas mixture, or for producing a gas mixture in a compressed gas container. The filling is accomplished by introducing a gas mixture, or at least one gaseous component of the gas mixture, into a cooled compressed-gas container in the form of a gas or liquid-cooled gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Friedel Michel, Ulrich Klebe
  • Patent number: 7490635
    Abstract: A method for filling a pressure vessel, for example an airbag system, with a gas or gas mixture. The filling is accomplished by cooling a pressure vessel, filling said vessel with at least one type of gas at a temperature which is higher than the boiling point thereof and closing the cold vessel. A pressure is produced in the filled and closed vessel by heating said vessel at an ambient temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Hermann Grabhorn, Ulrich Klebe, Friedel Michel
  • Publication number: 20080202629
    Abstract: The invention concerns a process respectively a device for filling a high pressure gas container (1), comprising the following steps: Supplying a liquefied or solidified first gas (2) into a gas container (1) while the gas container (1) is being cooled; stopping the cooling of the gas container (1) after the supplying step of the first gas; then introducing a gaseous second gas (3) into the gas container (1) and closing the gas container (1). The invention allows for a efficient, reproducible, reliable and economical filling of high pressure gas containers (1), in particular for airbag systems or for fuel cells, and allows to use conventional devices for introducing gases respectively closing gas containers that are not particularly adapted for low temperature respectively high pressure applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Friedel Michel, Lutz Thiedecke, Ulrich Klebe, Hans Hiller, Thorsten Frank, Friedel Theissen
  • Publication number: 20080016884
    Abstract: On cold filling of pressure containers the filling gas is cooled before introduction into the pressure container to be filled. On completion of the filling process the pressure container is sealed in a pressure-tight manner. As the gas warms up the pressure in the pressure container rises rapidly. According to the invention, the pressure container is cooled before the introduction of the filling gas. The filling gas cools rapidly by means of heat transfer to the pressure container, whereby the filling capacity of the pressure container is considerably increased. Said method is particularly suitable for the filling of small tanks, in particular, for gas-driven vehicles and fuel-cell systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2002
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Inventors: Martin Kesten, Friedel Michel
  • Publication number: 20070251247
    Abstract: In the method for filling a pressure vessel (1), in particular a pressure vessel in airbag systems, with a gas or gas mixture, one or more cryogenically solidified gases and optionally a cryogenically liquefied gas are introduced into a pressure vessel (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2005
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Applicant: AIR LIQUIDE DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
    Inventors: Ulrich Klebe, Friedel Michel, Ansgar Dechesne
  • Publication number: 20070246121
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for filling a compressed-gas container, in particular a compressed-gas container in an airbag system, with a gas mixture, or for producing a gas mixture in a compressed gas container. According to said method, a gas mixture or at least one gaseous component of the gas mixture is introduced into a cooled compressed-gas container in the form of a gas or liquid-cooled gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Publication date: October 25, 2007
    Inventors: Friedel Michel, Ulrich Klebe
  • Publication number: 20070193647
    Abstract: A high pressure gas container with a container body for storing gas and at least one first valve for discharging the stored gas, further includes an auxiliary valve for introducing the gas into the container body and for temporarily closing the container body until the container body is sealed permanently, wherein the first valve and the auxiliary valve are in fluid connection with the container body. A process for filling a high pressure gas container having a container body for storing gas, at least one first valve for discharging the stored gas and an auxiliary valve wherein the first valve and the auxiliary valve are in fluid connection with the container body, includes the following steps: The gas is introduced into the container body through the auxiliary valve, the auxiliary valve is at least temporarily closed, the auxiliary valve is sealed permanently.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventors: Ulrich Klebe, Friedel Michel
  • Publication number: 20070186991
    Abstract: A process, an arrangement and a gas supply station for filling high pressure gas containers include supplying a liquefied or solidified first gas (2) from a gas supply station (13) through a thermally isolated filling tube (14) with a moveable tube head (15) to the high pressure gas container (1); as well as a process of batch filling of high pressure gas containers (1) with gas, wherein multiple gas containers (1) are cooled in parallel, which are filled sequentially using the process. The invention allows for fast, economical, reliable, reproducible and precise filling of high pressure gas containers, wherein a number of the known conventional devices that are not particularly suited for high pressure respectively low temperature appliances may still be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventors: Ulrich Klebe, Hans Hiller, Friedel Theissen, Friedel Michel
  • Publication number: 20070181211
    Abstract: The invention concerns a process, an arrangement and a device for filling a high pressure gas container (1) with liquefied gas, comprising the following steps connecting the gas container to a metering valve (17) and connecting the metering valve (17) to a first container (21) containing liquefied gas, wherein the first container (21) is positions above the gas container (1) at a geodetic height (H); opening the metering valve (17) and admitting the quantity of liquefied gas is supplied with the first container (21) into the gas container (1) at a hydrostatic pressure that corresponds to the geodetic height (H); closing the metering valve (17). As the hydrostatic pressure may be tightly controlled, the high pressure gas container (1) may be efficiently, reproducible, reliable and economically filled at a particularly high metering precision.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Inventors: Ulrich Klebe, Hans Hiller, Friedel Theissen, Friedel Michel, Thorsten Frank
  • Publication number: 20070017597
    Abstract: The inventive method for filling a pressure vessel, for example an airbag system with a gas or a gas mixture consists in filling said vessel with at least one type of gas at a temperature which is higher than the boiling point thereof, closing the cold vessel and in producing a pressure in the filled and closed vessel by heating at an ambient temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2004
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Inventors: Ulrich Klebe, Friedel Michel, Hermann Grabhorn
  • Patent number: 6634178
    Abstract: In a prior-art method to regulate the pressure inside a cryogenic tank containing cold gas when a main stream for a consumer is withdrawn, heated gas in the form of a heating gas secondary stream, which is regulated as a function of the tank pressure, is fed through the cryogenic tank via a pipe. In order to start on this basis and to provide a simple and safe operating method to regulate the main stream and the secondary stream while also providing a cost-efficient device for this purpose, it is proposed by the method according to the invention that the secondary stream and the main stream be fed to a pressure-control means equipped with a first adjustable throttle for the secondary stream and with a second adjustable throttle for the main stream, whereby the throttles are coupled to each other in such a way that they can be opened and closed in opposite directions as a function of the pressure in the tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignee: Messer Griesheim GmbH
    Inventors: Friedel Michel, Heinz Koser, Rainer Schmitt
  • Patent number: 5669235
    Abstract: Two heat exchangers are hooked up together in order to generate a flow of cold gas. A deep-frozen liquefied medium is evaporated in the first heat exchanger (1) by means of heat exchange with a heat transfer medium. The evaporated medium is re-cooled in the second heat exchanger. The deep-frozen liquefied cryogenic medium used for this purpose is likewise evaporated in this process. The two flows of gas thus generated are conveyed to a mixing site and then combined to form a flow of cold gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 23, 1997
    Assignee: Messer Griesheim GmbH
    Inventor: Friedel Michel