EP3819532A1

EP3819532A1 - Fluid tank having internal evaporator

Info

Publication number: EP3819532A1
Application number: EP19830881.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hoon Jin Park; Keun Oh Park
Original assignee: Latticetechnology Co ltd
Current assignee: Latticetechnology Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-02
Filing date: 2019-07-02
Publication date: 2021-05-12
Also published as: JP7126024B2; EP3819532A4; WO2020009396A1; KR102117852B1; KR20200003673A; JP2021529293A; CN112384731A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fluid tank having an internal evaporator and, more specifically, to a fluid tank having an internal evaporator, which can convert a liquid-phase fluid stored inside a tank main body to a gas-phase fluid by means of a conversion means provided inside the tank main body and send the converted gas-phased fluid to a point of use by means of a sending means, and, thereby, has an excellent space utilization, while preventing ultra-low temperature brittleness from being induced.

Description

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a fluid tank having an internal evaporator and, more specifically, to a fluid tank having an internal evaporator, which may convert a liquid-phase fluid stored inside a tank main body to a gas-phase fluid by means of a conversion means such as an evaporator provided inside the tank main body, and send the gas-phase fluid obtained by the conversion to a point of use by means of a sending means, and, thereby, having an excellent space utilization efficiency, while preventing ultra-low temperature brittleness from being induced.

[Background Art]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank 10 according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the fluid tank 10 according to the related art includes a tank main body 11 in which a liquid-phase fluid such as liquefied natural gas is stored.
Here, in order to supply a gas-phase fluid such as natural gas to a point of use, a sending means 13 that may send the liquid-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body 11 is provided, and the liquid-phase fluid is sent to the outside by using the sending means 13. The liquid-phase fluid sent to the outside may be heated and converted into a gas-phase fluid by using the evaporator 12 provided outside the tank main body 11, thereby supplying the gas-phase fluid.
Here, valves 15 and 16 provided upstream and downstream of the evaporator 12 are closed in order to stop operation so that the gas-phase fluid is not supplied to the point of use. Here, the remaining liquid-phase fluid needs to be discharged to an outlet according to a control of an evaporator control valve 18 including an evaporator pressure relief valve 18-1 or an evaporator safety valve 18-2.
Further, since the liquid-phase fluid flows to the outside of the tank main body 11 and is converted into the gas-phase fluid by using the evaporator 12, there is a risk of inducing ultra-low temperature brittleness of an ultra-low temperature liquid-phase fluid, and a separate space is required for the evaporator 12 for conversion into the gas-phase fluid, which is problematic.
A fluid tank 20 illustrated in FIG. 2 has been devised to solve the problems of the fluid tank 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, and has a configuration in which an evaporator 22 is provided inside a tank main body 21, and a gas-phase fluid obtained by conversion using the evaporator 22 is sent to a point of use of the gas-phase fluid by using a compressor 22-1 or the like.
However, in the fluid tank 20 illustrated in FIG. 2, an entire liquid-phase fluid in the tank main body 21 needs to be heated by using the evaporator 22, and thus a lot of energy is consumed for conversion into the gas-phase fluid. In addition, valves 25 and 26 provided upstream and downstream of the compressor 22-1 are closed when operation is stopped, and the remaining liquid-phase fluid needs to be discharged to an outlet according to a control of an evaporator control valve 28 including an evaporator pressure relief valve 28-1 or an evaporator safety valve 28-2.
Further, the compressor 22-1 for sending the gas-phase fluid obtained by the conversion from the inside of the tank main body 21 to the point of use needs to be separately provided. Therefore, a separate space is required for the compressor 22-1, and maintenance costs increases due to frequent breakdowns of the compressor 22-1.
Reference Numerals 17-1, 17-2, 27-1, and 27-2 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate tank control valves 17 and 27 including tank pressure relief valves 17-1 and 27-1 and tank safety valves 17-2 and 27-2 for a pressure control of the tank main bodies 11 and 21.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid tank having an internal evaporator, which may convert a liquid-phase fluid such as liquefied natural gas stored inside a tank main body to a gas-phase fluid such as natural gas by means of a conversion means such as an evaporator provided inside the tank main body and send the gas-phase fluid obtained by the conversion to a point of use by means of a sending means, and, thereby, having an excellent space utilization efficiency, while preventing ultra-low temperature brittleness of the liquefied natural gas from being induced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid tank having an internal evaporator, which does not need a control means for discharging or controlling a liquid-phase fluid, and thereby, having an excellent space utilization efficiency and enabling a reduction of manufacturing cost and time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid tank having an internal evaporator, which is configured to prevent an influence on a liquid-phase fluid stored inside a tank main body by means of a conversion means provided inside the tank main body, thereby making it possible to prevent conversion of the liquid-phase fluid such as liquefied natural gas and minimize energy consumption for maintaining the liquid-phase fluid in a liquid state.

[Technical Solution]

In one general aspect, a fluid tank having an internal evaporator includes: a tank main body 100 in which a liquid-phase fluid is stored; a conversion means 200 provided inside the tank main body 100 and making the liquid-phase fluid exchange heat with a heating medium supplied from the outside to convert the liquid-phase fluid into a gas-phase fluid; and a sending means 400 provided to supply the liquid-phase fluid in the tank main body 100 to the conversion means 200 and send the gas-phase fluid obtained by the conversion in the conversion means 200 to an external point of use through a gas-phase fluid pipe 300.
The gas-phase fluid pipe 300 may include a gas-phase fluid pipe control valve 310 configured to control the gas-phase fluid flowing to the point of use.
The fluid tank 1000 may further include a pressure control unit 500 configured to control a pressure in the tank main body 100 and including a tank pressure relief valve 510 and a tank safety valve 520.
The conversion means 200 may include a conversion means body 210 converting the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid by using the supplied heating medium, a high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 through which the heating medium is supplied from the outside to the conversion means body 210, a low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 through which the heating medium that has exchanged heat with the liquid-phase fluid in the conversion means body 210 is discharged to the outside, and an insulation means provided for insulation of the conversion means body 210.
The insulation means may be a first insulation means 241 formed of an insulating material and formed on an outer circumferential portion of the conversion means body 210 or a second insulation means 242 implemented by a vacuum means to maintain a vacuum state of the outer circumferential portion of the conversion means body 210.
The conversion means 200 may further include a support 250 provided so as to be attachable and detachable to and from the conversion means body 210 to fix the conversion means body 210 to the inside of the tank main body 100.
The tank main body 100 may include a maintenance opening 110 provided so as to be openable.
The conversion means 200 may further include a discharged gas pipe 260 through which an external gas flows into the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220, and the discharged gas pipe 260 includes a discharged gas control valve 261 configured to control the external gas flowing into the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220.

[Advantageous Effects]

The fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the present invention may convert a liquid-phase fluid such as liquefied natural gas stored inside the tank main body to a gas-phase fluid such as natural gas by means of the conversion means provided inside the tank main body and send the gas-phase fluid obtained by the conversion to a point of use by means of a sending means, and, thereby, preventing ultra-low temperature brittleness of the liquefied natural gas from being induced.
The fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the present invention does not need a control means for discharging or controlling a liquid-phase fluid, and thus has an excellent space utilization efficiency and enables a reduction of manufacturing cost and time.
The fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the present invention is configured to prevent an influence on a liquid-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body by means of the conversion means provided inside the tank main body, thereby making it possible to prevent conversion of the liquid-phase fluid such as liquefied natural gas and minimize energy consumption for maintaining the liquid-phase fluid in a liquid state.

[Description of Drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank according to the related art.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating another fluid tank according to the related art.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is another diagram illustrating the fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is another diagram illustrating the fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is another diagram illustrating the fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Detailed Description of Main Elements]

1000:: Fluid tank having internal evaporator
100:: Tank main body
200:: Conversion means
210:: Conversion means body
220:: High-temperature heating medium pipe
221:: High-temperature heating medium control valve
230:: Low-temperature heating medium pipe
241:: First insulation means
242:: Second insulation means
250:: Support
260:: Discharged gas pipe
261:: Discharged gas control valve
300:: Gas-phase fluid pipe
310:: Gas-phase fluid pipe control valve
400:: Sending means
500:: Pressure control unit
510:: Tank pressure relief valve
520:: Tank safety valve

[Best Mode]

Hereinafter, a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is another diagram illustrating the fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured to convert a stored liquid-phase fluid into a gas-phase fluid, and send the gas-phase fluid to a point of use, and largely includes a tank main body 100, a conversion means 200, and a sending means 400.
The tank main body 100 is a component in which a liquid-phase fluid is stored. Here, the liquid-phase fluid stored in the tank main body 100 may be liquefied natural gas (LNG), and therefore, the tank main body 100 should be able to maintain an ultra-low temperature for storing the liquefied natural gas.
It is a matter of course that the tank main body 100 of the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention may store various liquid-phase fluids that need to be stored at an ultra-low temperature, in addition to the liquefied natural gas.
Further, the tank main body 100 may include an inlet (not illustrated) for supplying and storing the liquid-phase fluid, and an outlet (not illustrated) for discharging the liquid-phase fluid from the inside of the tank main body 100 for a selected purpose. Here, the inlet may be implemented by a nozzle to supply, by spraying, the liquid-phase fluid into the tank main body 100. The inlet may be implemented in various forms, and since the inlet corresponds to a publicly-known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The conversion means 200 is a component that is provided inside the tank main body 100 and makes the liquid-phase fluid exchange heat with a heating medium supplied from the outside, such that a gas-phase fluid is generated by heating the liquid-phase fluid.
Here, it is preferable that the conversion means 200 is implemented by an evaporator for converting the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid by heating the liquid-phase fluid. However, it is a matter of course that the conversion means 200 may be implemented by other various means that may convert the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid by heating the liquid-phase fluid.
The heating medium in the conversion means 200 implemented by an evaporator may be a means that heats the liquid-phase fluid by being supplied with electric energy. However, it is preferable that the medium in the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented by a gas-phase heating medium means or a liquid-phase heating medium means, and the liquid-phase fluid exchanges heat therewith, such that the gas-phase fluid is generated by heating the liquid-phase fluid stored in the tank main body 100.
The sending means 400 is provided to supply the liquid-phase fluid in the tank main body 100 to the conversion means 200 to convert the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid by heating the liquid-phase fluid, and send the gas-phase fluid to an external point of use (an engine or the like) through a gas-phase fluid pipe 300.
Here, the sending means 400 may be implemented by a pump that may supply the liquid-phase fluid to the conversion means 200 and send the gas-phase fluid obtained by conversion performed in the conversion means 200 to an external point of use through the gas-phase fluid pipe 300.
The sending means 400 may be implemented by other various means such as a heating type pressurization device that may pressurize the inside of the tank main body 100 by heating the liquid-phase fluid and send the gas-phase fluid to the outside, as long as the liquid-phase fluid may be supplied to the conversion means 200 and the gas-phase fluid obtained by conversion performed in the conversion means 200 may be sent to an external point of use through the gas-phase fluid pipe 300.
As described above, the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention may convert an ultra-low temperature liquid-phase fluid into a gas-phase fluid by means of the conversion means 200 provided inside the tank main body 100 and send the gas-phase fluid to a point of use through the gas-phase fluid pipe 300. Since the fluid in a liquid state does not flow to the outside of the tank main body 100, it is possible to prevent ultra-low temperature brittleness due to the liquid state from being induced.
In addition, the conversion means 200 for converting the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid is positioned inside the tank main body 100. Since the conversion means 200 for converting the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid is not provided outside the tank main body 100, there is no need for a space to provide the conversion means 200, which is advantageous.
Further, since the liquid-phase fluid is converted into the gas-phase fluid by means of the conversion means 200 provided inside the tank main body 100, an external conversion means (evaporator), which converts the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid to supply the gas-phase fluid to a point of use from the outside of the tank main body 100, need not be provided, and a valve for controlling the flow of the liquid-phase fluid, a liquid-phase fluid measurement device for a control of the valve, or the like may be omitted. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a manufacturing cost and time and realize an excellent space utilization efficiency.
In addition, as described above, the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention supplies the gas-phase fluid to a point of use through the gas-phase fluid pipe 300 by using operations of the conversion means 200 and the sending means 400, and the gas-phase fluid pipe 300 may include a gas-phase fluid pipe control valve 310 for controlling the gas-phase fluid to be sent to the point of use.
The gas-phase fluid pipe control valve 310 may be implemented by various control valve means as long as the gas-phase fluid flowing through the gas-phase fluid pipe 300 may be controlled, and thus is not limited. The gas-phase fluid control valve 310 may further include a sensor or the like capable of measuring a flow rate of the gas-phase fluid, in addition to controlling the flow of the gas-phase fluid.
In addition, the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention may further include a pressure control unit 500 that may control a pressure inside the tank main body 100, and the pressure control unit 500 may include a tank pressure relief valve 510 for reducing a pressure in the tank main body 100, and a tank safety valve 520.
The pressure control unit 500 including the tank pressure relief valve 510 and the tank safety valve 520 may discharge the gas-phase fluid in the tank main body 100 through the outlet to control the pressure in the tank main body 100.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is another diagram illustrating the fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a conversion means 200 of a fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a conversion means body 210 that converts a supplied liquid-phase fluid into a gas-phase fluid by making the liquid-phase fluid exchange heat with a heating medium, a high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 through which the heating medium is supplied from the outside to the conversion means body 210, a low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 through which the heating medium that has exchanged heat with the liquid-phase fluid in the conversion means body 210 is discharged to the outside, and an insulation means formed outside the conversion means body 210 so as to surround the conversion means body 210 and provided for insulation between the conversion means body 210 and the inside of a tank main body 100.
More specifically, the conversion means body 210 may be implemented by an evaporator. In the conversion means body 210, the liquid-phase fluid is converted into the gas-phase fluid by exchanging heat with the heating medium supplied through the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220, and the heating medium whose temperature is relatively lowered due to the heat exchange with the liquid-phase fluid is discharged to the outside through the low-temperature heating medium pipe 230.
Here, although the heating medium flows into the conversion means body 210 or is converted through the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 and the low-temperature heating medium pipe 230, the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 and the low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 may be provided independently of each other, but are not limited thereto. The high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 and the low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 may form one heating medium circulation system, in which the heating medium discharged through the low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 may be heated and flow to the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220.
Further, the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 may further include a high-temperature heating medium control valve 221 controlling a supply of the heating medium.
As described above, the conversion means body 210 is positioned inside the tank main body 100, and its temperature increases due to the inflow of the heating medium. Therefore, the insulation means may be provided to minimize an influence on the liquid-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body 100.
A first insulation means 241 formed of an insulating material as illustrated in FIG. 5 may be an example of the insulation means.
The first insulation means 241 may be formed of an insulating material to prevent heat energy generated by the heating medium in the conversion means body 210 from being transferred to the liquid-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body 100.
Here, the first insulation means 241 may be formed of various insulating materials, as long as it is possible to prevent the heat energy in the conversion means body 210 from being transferred to the liquid-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body 100.
A second insulation means 242 implemented by a vacuum means capable of making an outer circumferential surface of the conversion means body 210 vacuous as illustrated in FIG. 6 may be another example of the insulation means 240.
The second insulation means 242 may be implemented by a vacuum means to maintain a vacuum state of an outer circumferential portion of the conversion means body 210, thereby preventing the heat energy generated by the heating medium in the conversion means body 210 from being transferred to the liquid-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body 100.
The second insulation means 242 may be implemented by various vacuum means such as a vacuum chamber and a vacuum insulating shell.
That is, the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the insulation means implemented by the first insulation means 241 or the second insulation means 242 to prevent the heat energy generated by the heating medium in the conversion means body 210 from being transferred to the liquid-phase fluid, such that it is possible to minimize energy loss for maintaining the liquid state of the fluid, while maintaining an ultra-low temperature of the liquid-phase fluid to prevent the liquid-phase fluid from being converted into the gas-phase fluid.
In addition, the conversion means 200 of the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the second embodiment of the present invention may further include a support 250 provided to support the conversion means body 210 inside the tank main body 100.
The shape of the support 250 is not limited. However, it is preferable that the support 250 is formed so that the position of the conversion means body 210 in the tank main body 100 is easily fixed, and the support 250 is easily attached to and detached from the conversion means body 210 for maintenance.
Further, the tank main body 100 includes a maintenance opening 110 for detaching the conversion means body 210 implemented by an evaporator or the like from the support 250 to perform maintenance of the conversion means body 210, and for repairing or replacing the conversion means body 210.
The maintenance opening 110 is formed to be openable, such that the conversion means 200 may be moved to the outside through the opened maintenance opening 110, thereby facilitating the maintenance or replacement of the conversion means 200.
The shape of the maintenance opening 110 is not limited. However, it is a matter of course that the maintenance opening 110 needs to be larger than the conversion means 200 to make insertion and drawing the conversion means 200 into and from the tank main body 100 easy, and the maintenance opening 110 needs to have a structure capable of preventing the leakage of the liquid-phase fluid or gas-phase fluid stored inside the tank main body 100.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is another diagram illustrating the fluid tank having an internal evaporator according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a conversion means 200 of a fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the third embodiment of the present invention may further include a discharged gas pipe 260 through which an external gas may flow into a high-temperature heating medium pipe 220.
That is, in a case where operation of the fluid tank is stopped without sending a gas-phase fluid to a point of use, a heating medium remains in the conversion means 200, and thus the heating medium needs to be removed in order to minimize an influence on a liquid-phase fluid stored inside a tank main body 100.
Therefore, the conversion means 200 of the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes the discharged gas pipe 260 through which an external gas may be supplied to the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220, such that the heating medium may be discharged to the outside through a low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 by means of the gas supplied from the outside, thereby minimizing an influence of the heating medium on the liquid-phase fluid.
Further, the discharged gas pipe 260 further includes a discharged gas control valve 261 capable of controlling an external gas flowing into the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220.
That is, the fluid tank 1000 having an internal evaporator according to the third embodiment of the present invention may close the discharged gas control valve 261 at the time of operation to prevent an external gas from flowing into the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220, and when the operation of the fluid tank 1000 is stopped, the fluid tank 1000 may allow an external gas to flow to the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 and be discharged together with the heating medium through the low-temperature heating medium pipe 230, such that the heating medium remaining inside a conversion means body 210 is rapidly removed, thereby minimizing an influence on the liquid-phase fluid.

Claims

A fluid tank having an internal evaporator, the fluid tank comprising:
a tank main body 100 in which a liquid-phase fluid is stored;

a conversion means 200 provided inside the tank main body 100 and making the liquid-phase fluid exchange heat with a heating medium supplied from the outside to convert the liquid-phase fluid into a gas-phase fluid; and

a sending means 400 provided to supply the liquid-phase fluid in the tank main body 100 to the conversion means 200 and send the gas-phase fluid obtained by the conversion in the conversion means 200 to an external point of use through a gas-phase fluid pipe 300.
The fluid tank of claim 1, wherein the gas-phase fluid pipe 300 includes a gas-phase fluid pipe control valve 310 configured to control the gas-phase fluid flowing to the point of use.
The fluid tank of claim 1, further comprising a pressure control unit 500 configured to control a pressure in the tank main body 100 and including a tank pressure relief valve 510 and a tank safety valve 520.
The fluid tank of claim 1, wherein the conversion means 200 includes a conversion means body 210 converting the liquid-phase fluid into the gas-phase fluid by using the supplied heating medium, a high-temperature heating medium pipe 220 through which the heating medium is supplied from the outside to the conversion means body 210, a low-temperature heating medium pipe 230 through which the heating medium that has exchanged heat with the liquid-phase fluid in the conversion means body 210 is discharged to the outside, and an insulation means provided for insulation of the conversion means body 210.
The fluid tank of claim 4, wherein the insulation means is a first insulation means 241 formed of an insulating material and formed on an outer circumferential portion of the conversion means body 210 or a second insulation means 242 implemented by a vacuum means to maintain a vacuum state of the outer circumferential portion of the conversion means body 210.
The fluid tank of claim 4, wherein the conversion means 200 further includes a support 250 provided so as to be attachable and detachable to and from the conversion means body 210 to fix the conversion means body 210 to the inside of the tank main body 100.
The fluid tank of claim 6, wherein the tank main body 100 includes a maintenance opening 110 provided so as to be openable.
The fluid tank of claim 4, wherein the conversion means 200 further includes a discharged gas pipe 260 through which an external gas flows into the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220, and
the discharged gas pipe 260 includes a discharged gas control valve 261 configured to control the external gas flowing into the high-temperature heating medium pipe 220.