FR2672882A1 - TANK FILLING SYSTEM FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATING WITH CRYOGENIC HYDROGEN. - Google Patents

Abstract

a) Tank filling system for a motor vehicle running on cryogenic hydrogen, b) characterized in that there is provided a coupling common to the two pipes (20,21) consisting of a coupling socket (15 ) and a coupling plug (10), the coupling socket (15) is provided with a first closure member arranged directly in the vicinity of the joint plane (T) and a second closure member ( 18) connecting the two pipes (20, 21) to each other in the closed position, and located at a certain distance from the first member, the two pipes (20, 21) leading directly from the hydrogen tank to the coupling (15) and a fuel supply line branching off from the line (20) for liquid hydrogen and leading to the internal combustion engine.

Description

Tank filling system for a working motor vehicle

  The invention relates to a tank filling system for a motor vehicle operating with cryogenic hydrogen with a hydrogen tank and two pipes therein

  connected for liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen, which can be coupled to a storage tank on the side of the dispensing station.

  In the case of such motor vehicles, refilling the hydrogen tank with liquid hydrogen using so-called "Johnston couplings" is difficult and time-consuming; which constitutes a serious impediment to the introduction and development of liquid hydrogen technology in vehicles After the coupling of two pipes, it is necessary because of the construction of a "Johnston coupling" first of all to remove the ambient air that is still in the pipes of the

  filling system, which is obtained by evacuating the pipes and then rinsing them with a suitable agent, for example with helium, this having to be repeated several times.

  Immediately after the pipes which are connected together are refrigerated, that is to say, traversed by hydrogen, this hydrogen used for the cooling of the pipes and other parts of the installation not being provided for the application envisaged, that is to say the hydrogen reservoir located on the side of the vehicle remains first still closed, and that the hydrogen is returned by a second "Johnston coupling" and corresponding pipes to the It is only when the pipes have reached a certain temperature that the liquid hydrogen is introduced into the hydrogen tank. In this way, the formation of gas during the filling the hydrogen tank is largely excluded In reverse, so when separating the hydrogen tank from the vehicle and the storage tank, it will t reheat the pipes after blow-blowing the hydrogen still in the pipes, to avoid the formation of dangerous mixtures and disruptions in the operation by portions

air and humidity.

  It can easily be realized that the handling of filling systems of this type leaves much to be desired and takes a long time. In addition, it is necessary to make a considerable investment in the technical process, in order to make possible the described procedures. hitherto customary to provide a vacuum insulated valve box disposed on the hydrogen tank, a box in which, as a rule, are contained four electromagnetically operable shut-off valves and three non-return valves, with which are switched on the different operating positions running with liquid hydrogen, running with hydrogen in gaseous state, filling, rinsing, warming The valve box occupies a considerable space, which restricts the space available to the user. hydrogen container or the residual payload of the motor vehicle The shutter valves pe can be operated electromagnetically and the vacuum insulation of the valve box is in

besides very expensive.

  The present invention aims to provide a filling system of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is built more simply and simplifies

  the flow of the process during filling.

  This problem is solved according to the invention thanks to the fact that a common coupling consisting of a coupling plug and a coupling plug, the coupling plug is provided with a first closure member disposed immediately adjacent the joint plane and a second closure member connecting the two pipes to one another in the closed position, the two pipes further leading with interposition of a shut-off valve directly from the hydrogen reservoir to the coupling plug and a fuel supply line departing from the pipeline for the liquid hydrogen and leading to the internal combustion engine The basic idea of the invention is then to constitute the filling system in such a way that it is connected under the operating conditions (hydrogen transport under a pressure of 3 bar and a temperature of 250 Kelvin) to the storage tank on the side of the sta distribution and can be separated and there is no need for vacuuming, rinsing and cooling or heating the parts of the filling system between the coupling plug and the hydrogen reservoir and thus simplifies the construction of the system Thanks to the filling system according to the invention, it is also possible to reduce the number of electromagnetically actuated shut-off valves to two units. No check valves are required. In addition, the coupling socket can be further refrigerated with gaseous hydrogen during the running of the motor vehicle, so before the

  start up of the distribution station.

  According to another development of the invention, it is proposed that the two remaining shutter valves are arranged in the vacuum isolation space of the hydrogen tank, so that we can do without the box This reduces the need for space of the hydrogen plant in the motor vehicle and reduces in

besides the costs.

  The coupling plug of a conventional "Johnston" coupling has a terminal pipe which extends when the system is in the coupled position beyond the joint plane in the coupling socket. which is made with a double wall for the purpose of vacuum insulation, a greater gap, also referred to as "thermal conductivity length" between the place where the mechanical connection of the two parts of the coupling and the where the hydrogen passes from one pipe to the other In this way, it protects against icing and reduces the losses of hydrogen by vaporization in the pipe A mating plug made in this way is designated also as "male part" The corresponding designation for the coupling socket is the "female part" According to an advantageous configuration of the filling system according to the invention, the coupling plug is immediately provided in the vicinity of the joint plane of a closure member and the end pipe tube is movable axially towards the coupling plug and can be pulled back behind the body of the at the end of the plug, the terminal tube of pipe, in the coupling position, can be put in operational connection with the second closure member of the coupling socket. In this way, it is possible to maintain also the part situated on the plug side (at the filling station side) of the filling system under operating conditions In addition, when separating the coupling, the inner closing member (away from the joint plane) of the coupling plug is automatically closed by removal of the terminal pipe from the side of the plug Only then is the closing of the first closure member (close to the joint) of the side The closed space between the second shutter member and the first shutter member also acts as an insulator. The series assembly of the two shut-off devices of the coupling plug increases, due to the double shutter , security against the exit of the agent

cryogenic in the atmosphere.

  The pipe on the plug side is concentrically surrounded by the formation of an annular space by an outer wall disposed between the exit point of the pipe, namely the storage tank on the side of the distribution station, and the wall external connection to the coupling plug, a permanent vacuum between the outer wall and the pipe To allow the entry and exit of the terminal pipe pipe in a simple manner, it is proposed to form the outer wall in the near zone of the form of a

  flexibly in the form of a diaphragm bellows.

  The gap between the coupling plug and the coupling plug is minimized when both parts have a connecting flange, so that the coupling can be made as a flanged connection. , in an advantageous embodiment of the filling system according to the invention constituted by ball valves, whose passage bores are provided to receive the terminal tube of the pipeline Ball valves are simple to manufacture and guarantee a good In addition, the space remaining between the connecting flanges is then constructed in a simple geometrical manner and is therefore easy to rinse. In the known couplings "Johnston", the space between the couplings is angular so that in practice there is always a little residual air, which leads to hydrogen pollution and disturbances in the dark as well as the possibility of formation of dangerous mixtures with regard to

  safety in the filling system.

  The rinsing process after coupling of the coupling plug and the coupling plug and the decompression process before the separation can according to another development of the invention be very easily achieved thanks to the fact that the organ on the side of the plug is provided with at least one rinsing device, which, when the closure member is slightly open, connects the space in which the joint plane is located with the pipe located on the side of the plug. the plug and an evacuation orifice and has at least one decompression device which, when the organ

  shutter is closed and is operated slightly

  beyond the closing position, connects the space in which the joint plane is located with a discharge opening. The space between the coupling plug and the coupling plug is consequently automatically rinsed or decompressed by actuating the ball valve on the side of the plug There can be no special flushing and decompression valves in the filling system or the piping system

  located on the side of the distribution station.

  This can be done in a particularly simple and economical way when the rinsing device and the decompression device are formed by channels in the spherical plugs and in this way by channels which can be operatively linked in the

  parts that receive the spherical bushels.

  Separate pipelines for liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen are provided in practice, the pipeline for liquid hydrogen being provided as a supply line and the pipeline for hydrogen in the gaseous state. In this way, it is normally necessary to have two "Johnston" couplings for the filling system, which doubles the costs and increases maintenance. As a result, a very considerable advantage is obtained, according to another development. of the filling system according to the invention, when the pipe located on the side of the plug and the terminal tube of pipe that connects to it consists of two concentric pipes or tubes, one of the pipes being provided for the passage of hydrogen liquid and the other pipe being provided for the passage of hydrogen in the gaseous state and the external pipe and the end pipe of external pipe In this case, it is advisable that the second closure member located on the outlet side (away from the joint plane) consists of two terminal closures arranged concentrically with respect to each other. the other, and spring-compressed, which correspond to the terminal pipe tubes and are respectively disposed at the mouth of the

  pipes connected to the coupling socket.

  It is further proposed that the outer end closure has a ball disposed in an annular groove of a longitudinal channel of the coupling socket, one of the two lines being connected to the annular groove and the ball being disposed in the direction of the joint plane and compressed by spring against a narrowing in the longitudinal channel and being able to be urged by the outer pipe terminal tube, and in that the inner terminal closure is formed by a valve head disposed on the side, remote from the plane of the seal, ball, valve head which is arranged in the direction of the joint plane, spring-loaded against a ball-passing bore disposed in the longitudinal direction of the coupling socket, the valve head being provided with an axial extension passing through the passage bore, which extension can be urged by the inner terminal tube of pipe and is for seen from axial passages and the other being connected to the space away from the plane of joint of terminal closures formed construction can also (spherical valve, valve

are easy to manufacture.

  When, when found in pipe position, connected to are connected to each other, the two pipes corresponding to the side of the valve head in this way, which otherwise be conical, or the like) terminal closures are Closure, both the mating plug, one has the assurance that this end of the mating plug remains cold, as long as the cryogen circulates in the pipelines. According to another development of the filling system according to the invention, it is proposed that the inner pipe and the inner pipe terminal tube are provided for passing the liquid hydrogen and that the outer pipe and the outer pipe terminal tube serve as a passageway hydrogen in the gaseous state, thanks to which the

  Spray losses decrease further.

  It is advantageous that, similarly to the inner closure member described above of the coupling plug, the coupling plug or the pipe connected thereto is also provided with another shutter, the terminal tube of pipe then being in operative connection with the other shutter member located on the side of the plug relative to the pipe located on the side of the plug in a longitudinal movement In this way, we arrive at what Both the coupling plug and the coupling plug are also sealed automatically after disconnection Between the internal shut-off devices and the external shut-off devices (ball valves), there is then

once an insulating space.

  To avoid transverse expansion of the coupling in the area of the ball valves, it is proposed that the other closure member located on the side of the plug is disposed in the section.

  pipe located before the diaphragm bellows.

  Suitably, the other closure member located on the side of the plug is constituted as a spring-compressed terminal closure, which closure is mounted between the inner pipe and the inner pipe terminal tube. It is of course also possible to provide a end closing on the plug side which is constructed exactly like the terminal closure on the socket side In this way, the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the coupling plug and the two pipes can be sealed automatically of the mating plug when separating from

mating.

  With the filling system according to the invention, the filling time can be reduced, for example in the case of a hydrogen tank

  type 1251, about 60 minutes to about 10 minutes.

  In addition, the flow of the process is simplified while at the same time increasing the safety The strong simplification of the process flow makes it possible to automate the filling, for example by using

a robot.

  Other advantages and details of the invention will be explained from the embodiment shown schematically in FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the principle construction of the filling system according to the invention (on the side of the distribution station with coupling piece). FIG. 2 shows the principle construction of the filling system according to the invention (reservoir

hydrogen and piping).

  Figure 3 shows a "Johnston" coupling.

  FIG. 4 shows a principle construction for a filling system to which are connected

"Johnston" couplings.

  FIG. 5 shows a coupled coupling according to FIG. 1 before removal of the end pipe of pipe. FIG. 6 shows a coupling according to FIG.

  when flushing the clamp before filling.

  Figures 7a to 7d show a block diagram for the closure member of the coupling plug. FIG. 8 shows a coupling according to FIG.

during filling.

  FIG. 9 shows a coupling according to FIG.

  during the emptying of the terminal tube of pipe.

  Figure 10 shows the schematic diagram of a

  terminal closure located on the side of the plug.

  Figures 11a to 11d show a coupling according to

  Figure 1 in a detailed form.

  Figs. 12a to 12d show the end closure located on the outlet side in a detailed form. FIGS. 13 a to 13 c show the end closure according to FIG. 12 in engagement with the tube

pipeline terminal.

  FIGS. 1 and 2 show the principle construction of a filling system according to the invention. On the side of the dispensing station, there is provided a storage tank 1 with liquid hydrogen LH 2 to which a pipe is connected. 2, on which is connected a pump 3 and an electromagnetically actuated shut-off valve 4. A pipe 5 is connected to the pipe 2 and is connected to the upper end of the storage tank 1 and a shut-off valve 6. The duct 2 is connected by a bypass to the duct 5 forming an intermediate space and is concentrically surrounded by a duct 7, where a duct 8, in which a find a pressure limiting valve Pipes 2 and 7 are preferably elastically formed and lead to a Coupling plug 10 FIG. 1 depicts the vacuum insulation of pipes 2 and 7. Pipes 2 and 7 open into a terminal pipe consisting of an outer pipe 7a and an inner pipe 2a. terminal tube of pipe is movable in the longitudinal direction relative to the coupling plug 10, which is obtained by means of a diaphragm bellows II The coupling plug 10 is provided with a shutter member constituted under the shape of a ball valve 12, the passage bore 12a of the ball valve, when it is in the open position to remove the end pipe from the coupling plug, which one represented at

Figure 1.

  The coupling plug 10 is connected by a connecting flange 13 to the connecting flange 14 of a coupling plug 15 in a detachable manner. The coupling plug 15 is also provided with a ball valve 16, whose the passage bore 16 a serves to receive the end pipe tube In the contact plane of the connecting flanges 13 and 14, the so-called joint plane T, is disposed a seal 17 In the zone, remote from the joint plane, the coupling socket 15 is arranged another closure member 18, an insulating intermediate space 19 being provided between the closure member 18 and the ball valve 16 18 is compressed by spring in the direction of the closed position and connects, in the closed position, two lines 20 and 21 connected to the coupling socket 15 The closure member 18 is opened by the end tube of pipe penetrating into the coupling socket 15, the inner pipe terminal tube 2 has, in the open position, being connected to the pipe 20 and the outer pipe terminal tube 7 a being connected to the pipe 21. In this way, the pipe 20 constitutes the pipe in which the pipe 20 LH 2 liquid hydrogen is fed to a hydrogen reservoir 22 shown in Figure 2 and the pipe 21 is the pipe, through which during filling from the hydrogen reservoir 22 of the hydrogen in the gaseous state GH 2 is returned to the side of the dispensing station and is for example discharged into a chimney via the pipe 8 and the pressure limiting valve 9 (which must be calibrated at a level lower than that of the limiting valve pressure located on the side

of the hydrogen tank).

  The hydrogen reservoir 22, located on the vehicle side, shown in FIG. 2, is isolated under vacuum and contains liquid hydrogen and in the gaseous state. The pipe 20 leads to the zone near the bottom of the hydrogen tank. The pipe 21 leads to the upper zone of the hydrogen tank 22. In the vacuum insulated space 23, which surrounds the hydrogen tank 22 is disposed in the pipe 20 an electromagnetically actuated shut-off valve 24 and in the pipe 21 an electromagnetically actuated shut-off valve 25 upstream of the shut-off valve bypassed a pipe 26 with various pipes and valves (safety valves, manometers) of the pipe 20 bypassed upstream of the shut-off valve 24 a fuel supply line 27 which leads to a heating support 28 shown symbolically with a shut-off valve 29 actuated electromagnetically upstream and beyond to a

  internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.

  There are three possibilities of operation a hydrogen operation in the gaseous state; a

  operation with liquid hydrogen; filling.

  In the case of gaseous hydrogen operation, the shut-off valves 25 and 29 are open and the shut-off valve 24 is closed. The hydrogen in the gaseous state flows from the upper part of the gas. hydrogen reservoir 23 through the pipe 21 via the coupling plug 15 (more precisely via the "cold part" containing the shut-off member 18) and via the pipe 20 in the fuel supply pipe 27 In the case of operation with liquid hydrogen, the shut-off valve 25 is closed and the shut-off valves 24 and 29 are open Due to the pressure in the hydrogen reservoir 22, for example 3 bars, liquid hydrogen is compressed in the pipe 20 and thence in the pipe 27 and then in the heating apparatus 28, where vaporization takes place. If the pressure in the hydrogen tank 22 is no longer sufficient, it is heated. then the hydrogen tank for r vaporization of the liquid hydrogen and in this way raise the pressure in the tank Before filling, the motor vehicle must run for some time with gaseous hydrogen to cool the coupling socket 15 when the coupling plug 10 and the coupling plug 15 are connected to each other and the shut-off members are open and the end pipe tube is inserted into the coupling plug, the liquid hydrogen flows through the pipe 20 into the hydrogen reservoir 22 when the shut-off valve 29 is closed and the shut-off valve 24 is opened and hydrogen in the compressed gaseous state flows by line 21 when

  the shut-off valve 25 is open.

  In FIG. 3, a "Johnston" coupling is shown by a filling system according to the state of the art. In contrast to the coupling, which is applied to the filling system according to the invention, the coupling " Johnston "is provided with no closure member The male part 30 of the coupling is fixedly connected to a terminal tube of pipe 31, in which is arranged coaxially a pipe 32 provided for the passage of liquid hydrogen In the space 33 between the outer wall of the pipe 32 and the inner wall of the pipe

  pipe terminal 31 is a permanent vacuum.

  The female part 34 of the coupling is connected by means of a threaded sleeve 35 to the male part 30 and has O-rings 36 which seal against the end pipe 31 of the male part 30. sealing is furthermore formed on a flow element 37 of the end pipe 31, which rests against the "cold end" 38 of the female portion 34 This "cold end" 38 is connected by a tube 39 to the 'hot end' of the female part 34 Before starting up the 'Johnston' coupling, it is necessary to deaerate, rinse and refrigerate the coupling and the pipes which extend it. As is evident from the representation, the deaeration and Rinsing a "Johnston" coupling are difficult operations, since the space between the male part 30 and the female part 34 has many angles. In addition, there are blind buffers B1 and B2 (FIG. 4). to open , pressurized hydrogen escaping into the atmosphere and open cold pipes 20, 21 filled with hydrogen as well as

  Cold shutter valves 40, 41 to the atmosphere.

  In Figure 4, there is shown a filling system according to the state of the art, however with valve equipment, as necessary for operation with a coupling "Johnston" according to Figure 3 The same parts are provided with the same references In the pipe 21 is arranged (downstream) in addition to the shut-off valve 25 another shut-off valve 40

  can be electromagnetically operated.

  In the pipe 20 is disposed upstream of the

  shut-off valve 24 a non-return valve 41. Between the non-return valve 41 and the closure member 29 goes into

  bypassing a pipe 42, in which is disposed another shutter member 43 electromagnetically operable with a check valve 44 mounted downstream and which leads to the fuel supply line 27, a connection to the pipe 21

  being provided between the shut-off valves 25 and 40.

  A line 46 provided with a non-return valve also leads to the fuel supply line 27, which starts bypassing upstream of the shut-off valve 25 The four shut-off valves mentioned and the three non-return valves are all arranged in a vacuum-insulated valve box 47 which is provided with a safety valve 48 The fuel supply line 27 is surrounded in section of the valve box 47 to the heater 28 The filling of a filling system according to the state of the art operates as follows: After removing the closures on the coupling side and the blind plugs Bil, B 2 of the female parts B 3 and B 4 of the "Johnston" couplings, which must be done very quickly, to avoid the introduction of air into the cold pipes, we connect the "Johnston" couplings to each other It is all about first necessary to Rinse and evacuate For this purpose, the shut-off valves 24 and 25 are closed and the shut-off valves 40 and 43 are opened. Then the pipes 20, 42 and 21 are evacuated and rinsed from the airstream side. the distribution station

  and refrigerated with LH 2 liquid hydrogen.

  Then, the shut-off valve 43 is closed and the shut-off valves 24 and 25 are opened, after which the hydrogen reservoir 22 is filled. When the filling process is completed, the shut-off valves 24 25 are again closed and the shut-off valve 43 is opened, so as to be able to heat the pipes, for example with helium in the gaseous state. Then, the two "Johnston" couplings are separated and the blind plugs and plugs B1 and B2. When operated with liquid hydrogen, the shut-off valves 24 and 43 are open and the shut-off valves 25 and 40 are closed. In operation with hydrogen in the gaseous state, the shut-off valves 24, 43 and 40 are closed and the

  shutoff valve 25 is open.

  It is easy to see that the filling system described according to the state of the art is of expensive construction, is difficult to use and

  is poor in security technology.

  In what follows, we will go into detail in the course of the process during filling performed using the filling system according to the invention for this we will refer to Figures 5 and 9, on the representation of the coupling FIGS. 5, 6 and 9 corresponding to the representation according to FIG. 1 FIG. 5 represents the beginning of the filling process. At this moment, the coupling plug 10 and the coupling plug 15 are already clamped on one the other, however, the ball valves 12 and 16 are not yet closed and the end pipe tube with the inner tube 2a and the outer tube 7a is accordingly engaged in the coupling plug 10 and the shutter member 18 is

  closed "The cold end" of the coupling plug-

  15 is suitably refrigerated by the operation of the gas before stopping the vehicle at

  engine, which is symbolized by dashes.

  The coupling plug 10 is furthermore connected to a deaeration pipe 50, in which a non-return valve 51 is arranged and which leads to the pipe 8 For the purpose of deaeration, as shown in FIG. 6, the ball valve 12 is a little open When the shutter valve 6 is open hydrogen in the gaseous state can then discharge into the pipes 50 and 8 the air which is in the space between the coupling plug 10 and the coupling plug 15, which is symbolized by arrows and a line of dashes parallel to the

pipe.

  FIGS. 7a to 7d show what is happening in a greatly simplified manner. FIG. 7a shows the ball valve 12 of the coupling plug 10 in the closed position in view from above, that is, the passage bore 12a of the spherical plug 70 is disposed vertically with respect to the corresponding channel 71 of the ball valve 12. In the hollow spherical portion for receiving the spherical plugs, two bores 72 are provided. and 73 which are in connection with the pipe 50 The ball valve 70 is provided in the line between the bores, located on the receiving side, 72 and 73, of a slot 74 In addition, there are two chamfers 75 and 76 on the opposite sides diagonally of the through bore 12 a On the left side, in Figure 7a, the ball valve 70 is the hydrogen On the right side is the joint plane If we turn then the spherical ball 70 slightly in the direction of the opening, that is to say in this example in the opposite direction of the clockwise, as shown in Figure 7 b, the slot 74 then comes into recovery with the bore 72, while at the same time the chamfer 75 establishes a connection between the channel 71 and the through bore 12a and the chamfer 76 establishes a connection between the through bore 12a and the space 77 in which is the joint plane T. As a consequence of the hydrogen flows from the channel 71 via the chamfer 75, the through bore 12a and the chamfer 76 in the space 77, where the air It is pushed back and via the slot 74 and the bore 72 operating in rinsing bore is compressed in the pipe 50 This is as long as there is still hydrogen in the space 77 Then the ball 70 is turned further, so that the passage bore 12a is connected completely

  on channel 71, as shown in Figure 7c.

  In the opposite direction, ie for decompression, a short excess rotation is performed after turning the ball in a clockwise direction in the closing direction and reaching this closing direction , so that the slot 74 overlaps with the bore 73, which functions in this way as a bore of

decompression (Figure 7 d).

  The actual filling process

  can be seen from Figures 2 and 8 on those

  ci, the ball valve 16 of the coupling socket 15 is then also completely open and the end pipe tube is completely out when the diaphragm bellows 11 is compressed, whereby the shutter member 18 is open and in this way the pipe 2 a is connected to the pipe 20 and the pipe 7 a is connected to the pipe 21 When the shut-off valve 4 is open and when the pump 3 turns, liquid hydrogen flows from the storage tank 1 in the pipe 20 and gas is discharged from the hydrogen reservoir via the pipe 21 in the pipe 8 which goes to the chimney In any case, it is possible to insert the pump 3, as long as the gas pressure is large enough in the storage tank, to allow a backflow of hydrogen

for an acceptable time.

  Once the hydrogen reservoir 22 has been sufficiently filled, the pump 3 is stopped, the shut-off valve 4 is closed, the shut-off valve 6 is opened and the pipe 2a is emptied of its liquid hydrogen. LH 2, as shown in FIG. 9 For this, the end pipe tube is inserted until the closure member 18 is closed, so that the hydrogen is still in the pipe 2 has flowed back through line 7a in line 5 and in this way into storage tank 1 It is also possible to empty hydrogen which is still in line 2a when the shutter 4 is closed, the shut-off valve 6 is open and the end pipe tube is completely, that is to say when the connection with the tank of the vehicle 22 still remains, in this hydrogen tank 22 when there is a pressure

  sufficiently high in the storage tank 1.

  In a similar manner to the closure member 18 in the coupling socket 15, it is also possible to provide on the side of the coupling plug 12 another closure member A, when this seems necessary for reasons of This type of closure member A is shown in FIG. 10 and is then constructed according to the coupling representation according to FIG. 1 in the zone directly to the left of the diaphragm bellows, in order to prevent an enlargement. transverse coupling in the zone of the ball valves and the motor vehicle The inner tube 2 of the terminal pipe tube is in this case provided with a ball valve 101 biased by a spring 100, which is arranged axially between the pipe 2 and the inner pipe 2 a The sealing with respect to the outer pipe 7 is obtained by means of a bellows 102 In this way, it is possible that Coupling 10, more exactly the pipe 2, is also automatically sealed as soon as the coupling plug is separated from the coupling plug A shutter member A is at the same time as the closure member 18 open and closed, because the inner tube 2 is based on the

shutter organs.

  FIG. 11a shows a sectional representation of the coupling of the filling system according to the invention in the coupled position. Here the coupling is represented above the center line with the open ball valves and with the terminal tube of the pipe. fully extended and below the center line with closed ball valves and the fully-terminated line terminal tube. The same references as in Figure 1 are used. The coupling plug 15 is secured by means of a flange. 111 on the vehicle body 112 Actuating of the ball valves 12 and 16 is preferably carried out automatically by means of an appropriate wheel-house Here, it is envisaged that after the coupling, the actuator is activated first. the ball valve 12 for deaeration and rinsing the space between the coupling socket 15 and the coupling plug 10 The tap valve In this example, the spherical 12 is provided with an electric heater 113, which prevents the icing from being carried out safely. The diaphragm bellows, made for example of special steel, is threaded into a metal sleeve 114. The outer tube 7a of the end pipe of the pipe is double-walled and vacuum-insulated At its end is fixed axially elastically a nozzle with a seal

  115 by a bellows 116.

  In Figure 11b, there is shown the rear end of the coupling plug 10 and the actuating mechanism for discharging the terminal tube of the pipe The diaphragm bellows 11 is connected by its end adjacent the joint plane to a flange

  117 of the coupling plug 10, which serves as a counter-

  support for the fixing bolts (FIG. 11a) At the end remote from the sealing plane of the diaphragm bellows 11, the latter is fixed to a cover 118. On the cover 118 is attached a lateral extension 118a, which is provided with a threaded hole and passes without being able to rotate in a longitudinal groove 114a of the metal sleeve 114, which extends over the entire length of the metal bellows 11 In the threaded hole of the lateral extension 118a is mounted so as to be able to turn a set screw 119, which abuts in a stop 114b at the right end, in the figure, of the metal sleeve 114 and in a guide 114c disposed at the left end, in the figure, of the metal sleeve 114 By turning the grub screw 119, the lid can be moved towards the joint plane or in the opposite direction and from this

  how to compress or stretch the metal bellows 11.

  Since an outer wall 270 surrounding the two pipes 2 and 7 has been fixed on the cover 118, concentrically forming an intermediate space provided for the vacuum insulation, which is again connected to the pipes 2 and 7 in a manner which is not shown in the figures, it is possible to move the end pipe tube formed from the inner tube 2a and the outer tube 7a to the coupling plug 10 in the axial direction and thus to enter and exit In the In the region of the longitudinal groove 114a, the metal bush 114 has a semi-cylindrical shape to allow entry and exit of the pipe 2, 7, 270 provided with an elbow

  at right angles (left in the figure).

  In FIGS. 12 a to 12 d, the closure member 18 of the coupling plug 15 is shown in the assembled state and in detail. The plug member 18 consists of two end closures biased towards the plane of engagement. joined by a common compression spring 120 In doing so an outer terminal closure corresponding to the pipe 21 is constituted by a ball 121 having a through bore 121a, which is disposed in a longitudinal groove 122 of a longitudinal channel 123 and rests against The inner end closure corresponding to the pipe 20 is formed by a valve head 125, which is provided with an axial extension 125a passing through the passage bore 121 coated with plastics material. Figures 12 b to 12 d, the two end closures are shown as spare parts The axial extension of the valve head 125 consists of two strips of sheet metal

  arranged in a cross relative to each other.

  The operating mode of the closure member 118, that is to say of the two end closures is visible in FIGS. 13a to 13c. When the end pipe of the pipe is out, the endpiece is fixed on the bellows 116 the outer tube 7a seals against the left side in FIG. 13a of the narrowing 124 of the channel 123 The inner tube 2a, the internal diameter of which is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the through bore 121a , rests on the plastic coating of the passage bore 121a of the ball 121 and presses it to the right in the figure, so that a connection is established between the pipe and the annular space between The ball 121 is then pressed to the right in the figure until it rests against a constriction 126 and in this way the connection between the lines 21 and 20 is interrupted. transverse sheet 127 inside of the tube 2a (FIGS. 13b and 13c), the extension 125a and with it the valve head 125 also moves to the right in the figure, so that liquid hydrogen can flow from the pipe 2a through the channels formed between the through bore 12a and the axial extension 125a towards the pipe 20 The bellows 116 has, in this construction, the role of

compensate for game tolerances.

Claims (5)

CLAIMS) Tank filling system for a motor vehicle operating with cryogenic hydrogen with a hydrogen tank and two pipes connected thereto for liquid hydrogen and in the gaseous state, which can be coupled to the tank storage device on the dispensing station side, characterized in that there is provided a coupling common to both ducts (20, 21) consisting of a coupling plug (15) and a coupling plug (10), the coupling socket (15) is provided with a first closure member disposed immediately in the vicinity of the joint plane (T) and a second closure member (18) connecting the two pipes (20, 21). to one another in the closed position, and being at a distance from the first member, the two lines (20, 21) further leading with the interposition of a shut-off valve (24, 25) directly from the first member, hydrogen tank ( 22) to the coupling plug (15) and a fuel supply line (27) branching from the pipeline (20) for the liquid hydrogen and leading to the internal combustion engine.   20) filling system according to claim 1, the hydrogen tank being isolated under vacuum, characterized in that the shut-off valves (24, 25) are arranged in space   vacuum-insulated (23) hydrogen container (22).   30) filling system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coupling plug has a terminal tube of   channel, which extends into a coupled position   beyond the joint plane in the coupling socket, characterized in that the coupling plug (10) is provided with a closure member (12) directly adjacent to the joint plane (T) and the tube pipe terminal can be movably removed axially in the direction of the coupling plug (10) and as far back as the plug member on the plug side, the terminal pipe can be be put in operational liaison with the second organ   shutter (18) of the coupling socket (15).   40) filling system according to claim 3, wherein the pipe on the side of the plug is concentrically surrounded, forming an annular space, an outer wall (270) disposed between the exit point of the pipe and the plug coupling system, characterized in that the outer wall (270) is formed in the area near the plug so   flexible in the form of a diaphragm bellows (11).   ) Filling system according to one of   preceding claims, characterized in that the   coupling plug (15) and the coupling plug (10) respectively have a connecting flange (13, 14).   ) Filling system according to one of   Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the   sealing members close to the joint plane are formed in the form of ball valves (12, 16), whose passage bores (12a, 16a) are provided for receiving the end tube of pipeline.   ) Filling system according to one of   Claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the   at the side of the plug is provided with at least one rinsing device which, when the closure member is slightly open, connects the space in which the joint plane (T) is located, with the pipe located on the plug side and a discharge opening and has at least one pressure relief device, which when the shutter member is closed and is slightly beyond the closed position, connects the space , in which is the joint plane (T), with a discharge opening. 8) Filling system according to   claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the   rinsing device and the pressure relief device are formed by channels (74, 75, 76) in the spherical plugs (70) and by channels (72, 73) for receiving spherical plugs   can be put in operational liaison with those   this. 9 *) Filling system according to one of the   Claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the   pipe located on the side of the plug and the terminal tube of pipe connected to it consists of two concentric pipes (2, 7) or pipes (2 a, 7 a), one of the pipes being provided for the passage of the liquid hydrogen and the other pipe for the passage of hydrogen in the gaseous state and the other pipe (7) and the other end pipe of the pipe   (7a) are so constituted as to be isolated under vacuum.   A tank filling system according to claim 9, characterized in that the second plug-side closure member (18) consists of two spring-loaded terminal closures arranged concentrically with respect to each other, closures which correspond to the terminal pipe tubes (2a, 7a) and are respectively disposed at the mouth of the pipes (20, 21) connected to the coupling socket. 11) filling system according to claim 10, characterized in that the outer end closure has a ball (121) disposed in an annular groove (122) of a longitudinal channel (123) of the coupling socket (15), wherein one of the two pipes (21) is connected to the annular groove (122) and wherein the ball (121) is placed towards the joint plane (T) by being spring-loaded against a narrowing (124) in the longitudinal channel (123) and is urged by the end pipe (7a), and in that the inner end closure is formed by a valve head (125) disposed on the side remote from the joint plane of the ball (121), which head is placed in the direction of the joint plane (T) by being spring-loaded against a through bore (121 a) of the ball (121) disposed in the longitudinal direction of the coupling engagement ( 15), while the valve head (125) is provided with an axial extension (125a) passing through the through bore (121a), which extension can be urged by the inner pipe terminal tube (2a) and is provided with axial passages and the other of the two pipes (20) being connected to the space corresponding to the side remote from the joint plane of the valve head (125).   ) Filling system according to one of   Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the   internal pipe (2) and the inner pipe terminal pipe (2 a) are provided for the passage of liquid hydrogen and the outer pipe (7) and the end pipe pipe (7 a) are provided for the passage of hydrogen in the state gaseous.   ) Filling system according to one of   Claims 3 to 12, characterized in that another   closing member (A) mounted upstream of the terminal pipe end, located on the plug side, is provided, in which the end pipe of the pipe is movable in the longitudinal direction relative to the pipe located on the side of the plug and is in operational liaison with the other organ   shutter (A) located on the plug side.   140) Filling system according to   claims 4 and 13, characterized in that the other   shut-off member (A) on the plug side is disposed in the pipe section before the diaphragm bellows (11).   150) Filling system according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the other closure member (A) located on the plug side is constituted as a spring-compressed end closure which is mounted between the inner pipe ( 2) and the terminal tube of pipe (2 a) inside.