CN117212451A - Protector for high-pressure tank and high-pressure tank - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a protector for a high-pressure tank and a high-pressure tank, wherein the protector for the high-pressure tank is provided with a plurality of division protectors which are arranged along the outer surface of a dome part in a manner of extending upwards in a direction from the top of the dome part to a cylinder part, namely, in a direction of extending upwards, and dividing the outer surface in the circumferential direction. When the outer surface is viewed in the axial direction of the cylinder portion, a linear gap continuous in the polar direction is formed between the adjacent zone protectors in the circumferential direction, and when the outer surface of the dome portion is viewed in the axial direction of the cylinder portion, the angle formed by the adjacent zone protectors in the circumferential direction is θ, the radius of the high-pressure tank is R, and the collapse amount when a predetermined load is applied to the zone protector is h, the relationship of COS θ (1-h)/(2×R) is satisfied.

Description

Protector for high-pressure tank and high-pressure tank

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a protector for a high-pressure tank and a high-pressure tank.

Background

The high-pressure tank described in japanese patent laying-open No. 2021-156382 is provided with a tank body and a protector. The tank body has hemispherical dome portions at both ends of a cylindrical cylinder portion, and forms an internal space for sealing a fluid. The protector is arranged on the outer surface of the dome part. The protector is used for protecting the tank body against an impact from the outside in order to secure impact resistance such as when the tank falls down during tank processing. The protector has resin ribs formed in a lattice shape. The resin rib deforms to absorb the impact to the can body, and protects the can body from cracks and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

In the high-pressure tank as described above, the following problems arise: if the thickness or volume of the protector is increased to further improve the protection function of the tank body, the vehicle mountability is reduced or the cost is increased.

The present disclosure can be implemented as follows.

(1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a protector for a high-pressure tank is provided. The protector for a high-pressure tank is a protector for a high-pressure tank provided with a tank main body, wherein the tank main body has a dome portion at both ends of a cylindrical cylinder portion and forms an internal space for sealing a fluid, the protector for a high-pressure tank is provided with a plurality of zone protectors which are arranged along an outer surface of the dome portion so as to extend in a direction from the top of the dome portion toward the cylinder portion, that is, in a polar direction, and which are arranged so as to be in a zone in the circumferential direction, a linear gap continuous in the polar direction is formed between the zone protectors adjacent in the circumferential direction when the outer surface of the cylinder portion is observed in the axial direction of the cylinder portion, an angle formed between the zone protectors adjacent in the circumferential direction when the outer surface of the dome portion is observed in the axial direction of the cylinder portion is defined as θ, a radius of the high-pressure tank is defined as R, and a predetermined load applied to the zone protectors is satisfied by a zone relationship of θ -2h (COS-R)/(h).

According to this aspect, the outer surface of the dome portion is covered with a plurality of division protectors provided to divide the dome portion in the circumferential direction at intervals of θ satisfying the relationship of COS θ (1-h)/(2×r). A linear gap is formed between the adjacent zone protectors in the circumferential direction. In this way, the protector covering the outer surface of the dome portion is not continuously provided over the entire circumference, but is provided by dividing the protector in the circumferential direction.

Therefore, by grounding with a plurality of zone protectors, the input of impact to the tank body can be dispersed, as compared with a structure in which the entire outer surface of the dome portion is covered with a single protector that is annularly continuous so as to correspond to the entire circumference. In addition, by providing a plurality of gaps, the high-pressure tank can be made lighter than a single protector having no gaps and being continuous in a circular ring shape with the same thickness. Further, by providing the gap, interference with peripheral components can be easily suppressed during mounting of the high-pressure tank, and mountability of the high-pressure tank can be improved.

(2) In the above aspect, the plurality of zone protectors may have the same shape and be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. According to this aspect, the division protector is easy to manufacture.

(3) In the above aspect, the minimum value in the polar direction of the width of the division protector when the outer surface of the dome portion is viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder portion may be 1/20 or more of the radius of the high-pressure tank. According to this aspect, the width of the zone protector is not excessively narrowed with respect to the radius of the high-pressure tank, and the area of the outer surface of the dome portion covered by the zone protector can be ensured by a certain amount. Therefore, the fall of the impact absorbing performance due to the excessive narrowing of the width of the division protector can be suppressed.

(4) In the above aspect, a thin portion may be further provided between the adjacent section protectors in the circumferential direction, the thin portion protruding from the outer surface by a smaller protruding amount than the protruding amount of the section protector, and connecting the section protectors to each other. According to this aspect, the division protectors are connected to each other by the thin wall portion, so that strength is increased, and attachment to the tank body can be facilitated.

The present disclosure can be implemented not only in the form of a protector for a high-pressure tank but also in the form of a high-pressure tank.

Drawings

Features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and in which:

fig. 1 is a side view showing the whole of a high-pressure tank in a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a part of the high-pressure tank.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a part of the high-pressure tank.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the high-pressure tank.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a mode of installing the zone protector.

Fig. 6 is a side view showing the zone protector in the 45 degree drop test.

Fig. 7 is a top view illustrating a portion of a high pressure tank of a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

A. First embodiment:

A1. overall structure of the high pressure tank 1:

a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 6. Fig. 1 is a side view showing the entirety of a high-pressure tank 1 in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 1, a central axis C of the high-pressure tank 1 is shown as a one-dot chain line. The high-pressure tank 1 of the present embodiment is used, for example, for storing a gas such as hydrogen gas at a high pressure of about 70 to 80 MPa.

As shown in fig. 1, the high-pressure tank 1 includes a tank main body 2 and high-pressure tank protectors 3 and 4 (hereinafter, simply referred to as "protectors 3 and 4"). As shown in fig. 1, the tank body 2 can be divided into a hollow cylindrical cylinder portion 21 and two dome portions 22 and 23 connected to both sides of the cylinder portion 21. The dome portions 22 and 23 have a shape of a part of a substantially hemispherical shape, which is formed by a base portion having a circular shape having the same diameter as the cylinder portion 21 and is dome-shaped and bulges laterally from the base portion.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the high-pressure tank 1, and is a cross-sectional view when the high-pressure tank 1 is cut in a horizontal plane passing through the center axis C. As shown in fig. 2, the tank body 2 includes: the inner liner 24, the reinforcing layer 25, the valve side joint 26, and the end side joint 27 (see fig. 1). The liner 24 internally forms an interior space 28 for a sealing fluid. The liner 24 is formed by joining two liner parts in a two-part shape, for example, at the center in the longitudinal direction of the high-pressure tank 1. The liner 24 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin such as a nylon-based resin (polyamide-based resin) or a polyethylene-based resin, or a metal such as an aluminum alloy, and in the present embodiment, is formed of nylon.

The reinforcing layer 25 covers the outer peripheral surface of the liner 24. The reinforcing layer 25 is a layer formed of Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) and covers the entire outer surface of the liner 24. Specifically, the resin-impregnated fiber bundles are wound around the surface of the liner 24 by a fiber winding method (hereinafter referred to as "FW method") and then the resin is cured. In a typical FW method, circumferential winding for coating the outer circumference of the cylinder portion 21 of the liner 24 and spiral winding for coating the outer circumferences of the dome portions 22, 23 are utilized.

As the resin of the reinforcing layer 25, a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin, a polyester resin, or a polyamide resin can be used. The fibers constituting the reinforcing layer 25 include carbon fibers, glass fibers, and aramid fibers. The reinforcing layer 25 can be formed by sequentially winding a plurality of types (for example, glass fibers and carbon fibers) of fibers by the FW method to form a layer of different fibers. In the present embodiment, the reinforcing layer 25 is formed by sequentially stacking a layer made of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) and a layer made of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP).

The valve side joint 26 is disposed at a position of an apex of the dome portion 22 on one end side (left side in fig. 1) of the liner 24. The valve-side joint 26 has a through hole 29 communicating with the internal space 28 of the high-pressure tank 1. The valve side joint 26 includes a valve, not shown, for opening and closing an opening of the valve side joint 26. The end-side joint 27 is disposed at the apex of the dome portion 23 on the other end side (right side in fig. 1) of the liner 24. The end-side joint 27 has a bottomed hole not shown. These valve side joint 26 and end side joint 27 are joined to the liner part by insert molding, for example, when the liner part is molded.

A2. The structure of the protectors 3, 4:

next, the structure of the protectors 3, 4 will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 5. The protectors 3 and 4 protect the tank body 2 against an impact from the outside in order to ensure impact resistance when the high-pressure tank 1 falls down when the high-pressure tank 1 is handled. The protectors 3, 4 can be formed of, for example, resin such as foamed polyurethane having elasticity. The protectors 3, 4 are provided at both ends of the high-pressure tank 1 by substantially the same structure. Thus, the protector 3 on the valve side joint 26 side will be mainly described as an example.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a part of the high-pressure tank 1, and shows the high-pressure tank when viewed from the valve-side joint 26 side. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the high-pressure tank 1, and is a view when viewed from the dome 22 side. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the protector 3 is constituted by a plurality of (8 in the present embodiment) division protectors 31 provided so as to be divided in the circumferential direction of the dome portion 22. The partition protector 31 is disposed along the outer surface of the dome portion 22 so as to extend in a direction from the top of the dome portion 22 toward the cylinder portion 21, i.e., in a direction extending extremely upward, and partitions the outer surface in the circumferential direction.

In the present embodiment, 8 zone protectors 31 having the same shape are equally arranged in the circumferential direction at equal intervals in a radial direction with respect to the dome portions 22 and 23. In fig. 3 and 4, some of the 8 zone protectors 31 are omitted from illustration. With these 8 zone protectors 31, most of the outer surfaces of the dome portions 22, 23 except the vicinity of the vertices of the dome portions 22, 23 where the joints 26, 27 are formed are covered from above the reinforcing layer 25. Most of them are approximately 75% or more, that is, 270 degrees or more, of the entire outer periphery.

The protector 3 composed of the 8 section protectors 31 is entirely formed in a shape from a substantially hemispherical shape along the outer surface of the dome portion 22 except for the vicinity of the apex. The division protector 31 has a shape corresponding to a portion other than the vicinity of the apex in a portion corresponding to a fan shape having a central angle in a range of about 30 to 40 degrees, for example, in a plan view, of the outer surface of the dome portion 22. The partition protector 31 gradually widens as it approaches the outer side in the radial direction, and the width d on the outer diameter side is larger than the width b on the inner diameter side. The width b on the inner diameter side is the minimum value of the polar direction of the width of the division protector 31. A chamfer 34 is formed on the outer surface of the circumferential end of the division protector 31.

As shown in fig. 2, an inner surface 32 of the zone protector 31 that contacts the outer surface of the dome 22 has a smoothly curved shape so as to substantially follow the outer surface of the dome 22. The division protector 31 is assembled and fixed via an adhesive with respect to a predetermined position in the outer surface of the reinforcing layer 25 of the dome portion 22. The section protector 31 has elasticity, and is thus assembled in such a manner that its overall shape is slightly elongated at the time of assembly.

Referring again to fig. 3 and 4. A gap 33 is formed between the section protectors 31. The gap 33 is linearly continuous along the radial direction of the dome portion 22 when the outer surface of the dome portion 22 is viewed along the direction of the central axis C. The width of the gap 33 gradually increases as it approaches the outer side in the radial direction, and the width w2 of the gap 33 on the outer diameter side is larger than the width w1 of the gap 33 on the inner diameter side. The gap 33 has a shape of a part of a circular ring shape having a central angle of about 10 to 15 degrees in plan view, for example. In the first embodiment, the section protectors 31 are completely separated by the gaps 33, and are subdivided.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view for explaining the arrangement of the zone protector 31, and shows the outer surface of the dome portion 22 when viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder portion 21. As shown in fig. 5, when the angle formed by the section protectors 31 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction is defined as the section angle θ, the radius of the high-pressure tank 1 is defined as the radius R, and the crush amount of the section protector 31 is defined as the crush amount h, the following relational expression (1) is established.

COSθ≥(1-h)/(2×R)…(1)

As shown in fig. 5, the "division angle θ" is an angle between the center lines C1 of the adjacent division protectors 31 in the width direction of the division protector 31 when viewed in the axial direction of the cylinder portion 21. The center line C1 passes through the center S of the high-pressure tank 1. The radius R is a length from the center S to the end on the outer diameter side of the zone protector 31, and is a length of the outermost diameter of the high-pressure tank 1.

The crush amount h of the section protector 31 is a crush amount when a predetermined load is applied to the section protector 31. The predetermined load is a load applied when the drop test of the high-pressure tank 1 is assumed. As the drop test, an oblique 45-degree drop test (technical standard for containers for compressed hydrogen automobile fuel devices, japan automobile institute of property law, JARIS001 (2004)) which is the most stringent condition for the high-pressure tank 1 was conceived. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the zone protector 31 in the 45-degree inclined drop test. The 45 degree drop test is the following: the high-pressure tank 1 was dropped onto the ground 41 from a predetermined height appropriately determined by the center of gravity of the high-pressure tank 1, with the angle between the center axis C of the high-pressure tank 1 and the ground being 45 degrees.

If the crush amount h of the center section protector 311 in fig. 5 is at least about h/2 of the crush amount of the left section protector 312 in fig. 5, impact absorption can be performed by both the center section protector 311 and the adjacent section protector 312. The above formula (1) is a relational expression for impact absorption by the plurality of zone protectors 31 when the high-pressure tank 1 is dropped. By reducing θ to some extent and increasing the number of zone protectors 31, the possibility that a plurality of zone protectors 31 can be grounded to more effectively absorb shock increases. The width b of the division protector 31 is set to be, for example, approximately 1/20 or more of the radius R of the high-pressure tank 1, and the adjacent division protectors 31 do not overlap. This is because if the width b of the division protector 31 is too narrow, there is a concern that the impact absorbing performance becomes low. The specific numerical value of the division angle θ is about 15 degrees or less.

(1) In the high-pressure tank 1 according to the first embodiment, the entirety of the outer surfaces of the dome portions 22 and 23 is covered with a plurality of division protectors 31 which are divided substantially equally at predetermined angles in the circumferential direction, instead of the entirety of the outer surfaces of the dome portions 22 and 23 being covered with a single protector which is annularly continuous. When the high-pressure tank 1 is grounded from the vicinity of the gap 33 when it falls, for example, the impact is absorbed by the adjacent two zone protectors 31. Therefore, the input of the impact to the tank main body 2 can be dispersed as compared with the case of grounding with a single protector. Therefore, deformation of the can body 2 at the time of dropping can be suppressed.

A drop test was performed using the high-pressure tank 1 of the first embodiment satisfying the above formula (1) and having a total length l=2000 mm, a radius r=340 mm, a thickness t=78 mm of the protector 3, a width b=30 mm of the protector, a partition angle θ=12 degrees, and a tank weight of 235kg as a test example. From the analytical test results of the present inventors when the canister was dropped, it was successfully confirmed that: in the high-pressure tank 1 of the first embodiment, the compression set acting on the tank body 2 due to the impact at the time of dropping is reduced to about 1/2 as compared with the tank having the protector of the integral structure.

(2) Further, by providing the plurality of gaps 33, interference with peripheral components can be easily suppressed when the high-pressure tank 1 is mounted on a vehicle, as compared with a single protector that is continuous in a circular shape. In addition, the high-pressure tank 1 can be reduced in weight, and the mountability of the high-pressure tank 1 can be improved. In addition, the material cost of the protector 3 and the adhesive at the time of assembly to the high-pressure tank 1 can be reduced. That is, according to the high-pressure tank 1 of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained: the sufficient strength against the impact is ensured, the increase in the volume of the protectors 3, 4 is suppressed, and the improvement of the vehicle mountability and the cost reduction are achieved.

(3) In the high-pressure tank 1 according to the first embodiment, since the plurality of division protectors 31 are configured in the same manner, the division protectors 31 can be easily manufactured. In addition, the plurality of division protectors 31 can be easily assembled to the tank body 2.

B. Second embodiment:

next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 7. In the second embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a part of the high-pressure tank 1 of the second embodiment, and shows the view when viewed from the valve-side joint 26 side.

The high-pressure tank 1 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the thin portion 35 is formed in the protector 3 and the depth of the gap 33 is small. In the first embodiment described above, each of the section protectors 31 is formed entirely separately by the gap 33, but in the second embodiment, each of the section protectors 31 is formed continuously in a circumferential shape by being partitioned by the thin wall portion 35 with the thin wall portion 35 in between.

The protruding amount of the thin wall portion 35 from the outer surfaces of the dome portions 22, 23 is smaller than the protruding amount of the zone protector 31. A gap 33 is formed by the fall between the thin portion 35 and the division protector 31. As an example of the protruding amount of the division protector 31, for example, the thickness t (see fig. 6) of the thickest part where the chamfer 34 is formed. The thickness t corresponds to the distance from the grounding point when the high-pressure tank 1 is grounded to the tank body 2 in the 45-degree drop test.

In the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. Further, since the division protectors 31 are connected to each other by the thin wall portion 35, the strength of the protector 3 increases, and the installation of the division protector 31 to the tank body 2 can be facilitated.

C. Other embodiments:

(C1) The protectors 3, 4 provided in the high-pressure tank 1 of the first embodiment are composed of 8 division protectors 31, but the number of division protectors 31 may be other than 8. The number of the division protectors 31 may be any integer of 2 or more, for example, 2 to 8 or 9 or more.

(C2) The shapes of the section protector 31 and the gap 33 are not limited to the above. For example, the plurality of section protectors 31 may not be identical in shape. The widths of the division protector 31 and the gap 33 may be constant in the radial direction.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations within a range not departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features of the embodiments described in the summary of the application can be replaced or combined as appropriate to solve part or all of the above-described problems or to achieve part or all of the above-described effects. Note that, this feature can be deleted appropriately as long as it is not described as an essential feature in the present specification.

Claims (5)

1. A protector for a high-pressure tank is provided with a tank body which has dome portions at both ends of a cylindrical cylinder portion and forms an internal space for sealing a fluid,

the protector for the high-pressure tank is provided with a plurality of division protectors which are arranged along the outer surface of the dome part in a direction from the top of the dome part to the cylinder part, namely, in a very upward extending manner, and divide the outer surface in the circumferential direction,

when the outer surface is viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder part, a linear gap continuous in the polar direction is formed between the adjacent zone protectors in the circumferential direction,

the angle formed by the adjacent division protectors in the circumferential direction when the outer surface of the dome portion is viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder portion is defined as θ, the radius of the high-pressure tank is defined as R, the amount of collapse when a predetermined load is applied to the division protector is defined as h,

the relationship of COS theta (1-h)/(2 xR) is satisfied.

2. The protector for high-pressure tank according to claim 1, wherein,

the plurality of zone protectors have the same shape and are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

3. The protector for a high-pressure tank according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the minimum value in the polar direction of the width of the zone protector when the outer surface of the dome portion is viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder portion is 1/20 or more of the radius of the high-pressure tank.

4. The protector for a high-pressure tank according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

and a thin portion protruding from the outer surface by a smaller protruding amount than that of the division protector, and connecting the division protectors to each other, is further provided between the division protectors adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction.

5. A high-pressure tank is provided with:

a tank body having dome portions at both ends of a cylindrical cylinder portion, and forming an internal space for sealing a fluid; and

A plurality of division protectors which are arranged along the outer surface of the dome part in a direction from the top of the dome part to the cylinder part, namely, in a very upward direction, and divide the outer surface in the circumferential direction,

when the outer surface is viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder part, a linear gap continuous in the polar direction is formed between the adjacent zone protectors in the circumferential direction,

the angle formed by the adjacent division protectors in the circumferential direction when the outer surface of the dome portion is viewed along the axial direction of the cylinder portion is defined as θ, the radius of the high-pressure tank is defined as R, the amount of collapse when a predetermined load is applied to the division protector is defined as h,

the relationship of COS theta (1-h)/(2 xR) is satisfied.