Technology for safe and energy-efficient storage of liquefied petroleum gas at strategic facilities

A technology for safe and energy efficient storage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at strategic facilities has been proposed. A strategy for controlling the technological parameters of the process of condensation of LPG vapors and regasification of the liquid phase has been developed. The peculiarity of the technology lies in the use of a vapor compression heat pump as a source of alternative energy with stabilization of temperature regimes, preventing LPG losses and providing a given regasification performance when supplied to the consumer. The compressor of the heat pump allows to provide the required degree of compression in the operating temperature range in the heat pump condenser, and throttling of the refrigerant through the thermostatic valve ensures the stabilization of the required pressure corresponding to the set range of values of the boiling points of the refrigerant in the evaporator. The regulation of these parameters under conditions of random disturbances caused by external factors creates conditions for the complete condensation of LPG vapors of various compositions formed as a result of its self-evaporation, and also maintains the productivity of the regasification process in the range of specified values, regardless of the climatic zone. The proposed automatic control will ensure the accuracy and reliability of control by reducing the spread of controlled parameters, ensuring their variation in a given range, which is a significant reserve for the intensification of thermal processes while reducing the magnitude of the fire risk and increasing the environmental safety of the environment, including through the use of harmless, non-flammable, non-explosive refrigerant. The use of operational information from the control object to regulate the temperature regimes of condensation of vapors of liquefied hydrocarbon gas in the evaporator and its regasification in the condenser of a vapor compression heat pump within the specified values creates optimal conditions for storing and dispensing gas in large-capacity tanks with minimal energy costs.