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A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, includes a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container, a quantity of gaseous material under pressure, occupying a space in the container and applying to the pro

A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, includes a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container, a quantity of gaseous material under pressure, occupying a space in the container and applying to the product a predetermined pressure of from about 30 to about 180 psig, and a quantity of gas-adsorbing material, storing under pressure a quantity of the gaseous material and releasing it into the container in response to a decrease in pressure in the container, thereby restoring and maintaining a predetermined pressure in the container as product is depleted from the container, wherein the gas-adsorbing material is wetted with a release-promoting agent to promote release of the sorbed gas from the gas-adsorbent material. A process of filling the container is also disclosed.

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1. A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, comprising: a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container, said container having a normally closed discharge valve through which said product is dispensed whe

1. A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, comprising: a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container, said container having a normally closed discharge valve through which said product is dispensed when the valve is opened;a quantity of gaseous material under pressure in the container, occupying a space in the container and applying to the product a predetermined pressure of from about 30 to about 180 psig to discharge product from the container when the valve is opened, said gaseous material comprising one of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide;a quantity of gas-adsorbing material in the container, said gas adsorbing material comprising one of activated carbon, zeolite, alumina, and a carbon fiber composite molecular sieve;a reserve supply of gaseous material adsorbed on the gas-adsorbing material, said reserve supply of gaseous material being desorbed from the gas-adsorbing material and released into the container in response to a decrease in pressure in the container, thereby restoring and maintaining a predetermined pressure in the container as product is depleted from the container; andwherein said gas-adsorbing material is pre-wetted with a release-promoting agent at the time of manufacture of the container to cause desorption of at least about 90 percent of the sorbed gas from the gas-adsorbing material during use of the system. 2. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the release-promoting agent is a polar fluid. 3. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the polar fluid comprises alcohol diluted with water to form a solution containing 25% alcohol; andthe polar fluid is added to the container in the ratio of 13%, by weight, of polar fluid to adsorbent material. 4. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the gas adsorbing material is in the form of a unitary cohesive body of material that retains its shape in the container, said cohesive body of material being in direct contact with the product. 5. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the gas adsorbing material is in granular or powdered form. 6. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 5, wherein: the gas adsorbing material is in the product; anda film or membrane cover is placed around the gas adsorbing material to prevent dispersal of it into the product but to enable flow of the stored gaseous material from the gas adsorbing material into the product. 7. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 6, wherein: the film or membrane cover prevents contact between the gas adsorbing material and the product; andthe release-promoting agent is not the product in the container. 8. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the gas adsorbing material is in the form of pellets. 9. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 4, wherein: the gas-adsorbing material is one of natural and synthetic zeolite. 10. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the product and gaseous material are together in the container, with said space comprising a head space above the product; anda dip tube extends from the discharge nozzle into the product. 11. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: a bag divides the interior of the container into a product chamber inside the bag and a propellant chamber outside the bag, and said product is in the product chamber and said gaseous material and gas adsorbing material are in the propellant chamber. 12. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: a piston divides the container into an upper portion and a lower portion; andthe product is in the upper portion and the gaseous material and gas adsorbing material are in the lower portion. 13. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the release-promoting agent is a non-polar fluid. 14. A process for pressurizing and filling a pressurized container with a product to be dispensed under pressure from the container and a pressurized gaseous material for pressurizing the product, comprising the steps of: placing in the container a predetermined quantity of gas-adsorbing material that adsorbs and stores a desired volume of the gaseous material under a predetermined pressure and releases the gaseous material when pressure falls below a predetermined level, said gas-adsorbing material comprising one of activated carbon and zeolite;placing in the container a quantity of the gaseous material under pressure sufficient to prevent initial release of some of the adsorbed gas from the gas-adsorbing material prior to use of the container, said gaseous material comprising one of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide;placing a predetermined quantity of a release-promoting agent in the container in an amount to wet the gas-adsorbing material for causing release of about 90 percent of the gaseous material from the gas-adsorbing material as gaseous material is desorbed from the gas-adsorbing material during use of the container; andthereafter placing product in the container. 15. A process as claimed in claim 14, wherein: the desired volume of gaseous material is adsorbed on the gas adsorbing material after the gas adsorbing material is placed in the container, by adsorption of at least a portion of the gaseous material placed in the container. 16. A process as claimed in claim 14, wherein: the desired volume of gaseous material is adsorbed on the gas-adsorbing material before the gas-adsorbing material is placed in the container. 17. A process as claimed in claim 14, wherein: the gas-adsorbing material comprises activated carbon, the gaseous material comprises carbon dioxide, and the release-promoting agent comprises a polar fluid. 18. A process as claimed in claim 17, wherein: the polar fluid comprises alcohol diluted with water to form a solution containing 25% alcohol; andthe alcohol and water solution comprises 13%, by weight, of the gas-adsorbing material. 19. A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, comprising: a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container;a quantity of gaseous material under pressure in the container with the product, occupying a space in the container and applying to the product a predetermined pressure of from about 30 to about 180 psig; anda quantity of gas-adsorbing material in the container with the product in direct fluid contact with the product, a quantity of the gaseous material being adsorbed on the gas-adsorbing material and desorbed from the gas-adsorbing material and released into the container in response to a decrease in pressure in the container, thereby restoring and maintaining a predetermined pressure in the container as product is depleted from the container, said gas-adsorbing material comprising one of activated carbon, zeolite, alumina, and a carbon fiber composite molecular sieve, and being wetted with a release-promoting agent prior to addition of product to the container to cause release of about 90 percent of the sorbed gas during use of the system. 20. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 19, wherein: the gas-adsorbing material comprises a unitary cohesive body of the material having a shape selected from the group consisting of a cube, a sphere, a flat panel, an accordion-pleated panel, and a hollow cylindrical body. 21. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said gas-adsorbing material is wetted with said release-promoting agent at the time it is introduced into the container during manufacture of the gas storage and delivery system to promote desorption of the sorbed gas from the gas-adsorbing material during use of the system. 22. A gas storage and delivery system as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said gas-adsorbing material is in one of a granular or powdered form; anda film or membrane cover is placed around the gas-adsorbing material to prevent dispersal of it into the product but to enable flow of the stored gaseous material from the gas-adsorbing material into the product. 23. A gas storage and delivery system for restoring pressure as it is depleted from a pressurized container, comprising: a container holding a product under pressure to be dispensed from the container, said container having a normally closed discharge valve through which said product is dispensed when the valve is opened;a quantity of gaseous material under pressure in the container, occupying a space in the container and applying to the product a predetermined pressure of from about 30 to about 180 psig to discharge product from the container when the valve is opened;a quantity of gas-adsorbing material in the container;a reserve supply of gaseous material adsorbed on the gas-adsorbing material, said reserve supply of gaseous material being desorbed from the gas-adsorbing material and released into the container in response to a decrease in pressure in the container, thereby restoring and maintaining a predetermined pressure in the container as product is depleted from the container; andwherein said gas-adsorbing material is wetted with a polar fluid as a release-promoting agent at the time of manufacture of the container to promote desorption of all or substantially all of the sorbed gas from the gas-adsorbing material during use of the container, said polar fluid comprising alcohol diluted with water to form a solution containing 25% alcohol, said polar fluid being added to the container in the ratio of 13%, by weight, of polar fluid to adsorbent material. 24. A process for pressurizing and filling a pressurized container with a product to be dispensed under pressure from the container and a pressurized gaseous material for pressurizing the product, comprising the steps of: placing in the container a predetermined quantity of gas-adsorbing material that adsorbs and stores a desired volume of the gaseous material under a predetermined pressure and releases the gaseous material when pressure falls below a predetermined level;placing in the container a predetermined quantity of the gaseous material under pressure;placing a predetermined quantity of a release-promoting agent in the container in an amount to wet the gas-adsorbing material for promoting release of all or substantially all of the gaseous material from the gas-adsorbing material as gaseous material is desorbed from the gas-adsorbing material during use of the container, said release-promoting agent comprising a polar fluid, wherein the polar fluid comprises alcohol diluted with water to form a solution containing 25% alcohol and the alcohol and water solution comprises 13%, by weight, of the gas-adsorbing material; andthereafter placing product in the container.