JP2001343099A - Gas charging equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent that air is mixed in a gas compression system after regeneration of a dehumidifier. SOLUTION: A regenerating means 41 is provided which utilizes a high temperature gas produced by heating a gas for charging as regenerating gas for a dehumidifier A and a dehumidifier B.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas filling apparatus for filling a fuel tank into a gas tank of a vehicle or various apparatuses using gas fuel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional gas filling apparatus of this type,
There is a structure in which a compressor for compressing fuel gas is driven by an electric motor. In this conventional gas filling device, a gas inlet of a compressor is connected to a gas supply source, and a gas outlet is connected to a gas tank of an engine device such as a vehicle or a generator or a gas tank of various devices by a charging hose. The compressor is driven by the motor, and the gas is pressure-fed to and filled in the gas tank. A dehumidifier is interposed between the gas inlet of the compressor and the gas supply source to remove moisture contained in the supplied gas. This dehumidifier adopts a structure in which a housing forming a part of a gas passage is filled with a dehumidifier. That is, by passing the filling gas through the dehumidifier, the moisture in the gas is adsorbed by the dehumidifier and removed.

Since the amount of water that can be dehumidified by a dehumidifier is limited, a conventional gas filling apparatus includes a regenerating unit that regenerates a dehumidifier by evaporating the water adsorbed on the dehumidifier. . This regenerating means adopts a configuration in which high-temperature air flows through a regenerating passage connected to the dehumidifier in parallel with the gas passage. That is, when the high-temperature air flows into the dehumidifier, the moisture adsorbed by the dehumidifier evaporates and is discharged to the outside of the dehumidifier through the regeneration passage.

[0004]

However, the conventional gas filling apparatus constructed as described above uses high-temperature air to regenerate the dehumidifier, and is usually used after the regeneration step is completed. When the pressure is returned to the above range, there is a problem that the air remaining in the dehumidifier enters the gas compression system. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to prevent air from entering a gas compression system after regenerating a dehumidifier.

[0005]

In order to achieve this object, a gas filling apparatus according to the present invention comprises a regeneration means for using a high-temperature gas obtained by heating a filling gas as a regeneration gas for a dehumidifier. It is a thing. According to the present invention, since the dehumidifier can be regenerated by the filling gas, no air is mixed in the dehumidification step.

A gas filling apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the gas filling apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein a plurality of dehumidifiers are arranged in parallel and a gas inlet of each dehumidifier is provided. By interposing a switching valve at each gas outlet,
Each dehumidifier is connected to be switchable between a dehumidified state in which the filling gas flows and a regeneration state in which the regeneration gas flows.
In this configuration, the filling gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in the dehumidified state is heated and supplied to the dehumidifier for regeneration. According to the present invention, the dehumidifier can be regenerated by the filling gas from which the moisture has been removed.

A gas filling apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the gas filling apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the regenerating means is connected to a dehumidifier at the end of the regenerating step. In this configuration, the filling gas flowing out of a certain dehumidifier is supplied without heating. According to the present invention, the dehumidifier whose temperature has increased in the regeneration step can be forcibly cooled at the end of the regeneration step.

A gas filling apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the gas filling apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the switching valve is a pilot type switching valve, and a pilot fluid is provided. Is used as a filling gas. According to the present invention, the use mode of the dehumidifier can be switched by the switching valve without using air.

A gas filling apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the gas filling apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the filling gas pressurized by the compressor is used as a pilot fluid. According to the present invention, no special pressurizing device is required for increasing the pressure of the gas used as the pilot fluid.

A gas filling apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the gas filling apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the compressor for compressing the filling gas is operated by a gas engine. The regenerating means is configured to be driven and the regeneration gas flowing out of the dehumidifier is supplied to the engine as fuel. According to the present invention, the engine can be operated using the gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in the regeneration step.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a gas filling apparatus according to the present invention is shown in FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gas filling device according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 6 are block diagrams of a dehumidifying device, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control device, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the gas filling device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the dehumidifier.
In these figures, what is indicated by reference numeral 1 is a gas filling device 1 according to this embodiment. This gas filling device 1
Is a housing for housing the engine 3 and the compressor 4 inside the housing 2, and a gas supply coupler 5 provided on the side of the housing 2.
(Hereinafter simply referred to as gas) is compressed by the compressor 4 and charged into gas tanks of vehicles and various devices (not shown).

The engine 3 is a water-cooled gas engine, and has a structure in which a crankshaft 6 is connected to a rotating shaft of a compressor 4 to drive the compressor 4. An exhaust fan 7, a cooling water pump 8, a starter motor and a generator (not shown) are connected to the crankshaft 6. The exhaust fan 7 is provided to ventilate the air in the housing 2. Although not shown, an electric auxiliary exhaust fan is provided on the upper part of the housing 2 so that the inside of the housing 2 can be ventilated by the auxiliary exhaust fan.
The cooling device having the cooling water pump 8 has a structure in which engine cooling water cooled by a radiator 9 disposed on the side of the housing is supplied to the gas cooler 10 of the compressor 4 and the engine 3. A cooling water reserve tank 11 is connected between the cooling water outlet of the gas cooler 10 and the cooling water inlet of the cooling water pump 8.

The intake device of the engine 3 is an engine 3
And a mixer 12 connected to the mixer 12 via a throttle valve (not shown), and an air cleaner 13 connected upstream of the mixer 12. The throttle valve has a structure controlled by a control device described later. The mixer 12 is connected to the gas supply coupler 5 via a fuel gas supply pipe 14. Fuel gas supply piping 14
A fuel flow control valve 15 for controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas, a zero governor 16 for reducing the pressure of the fuel gas supplied to the mixer 12 to approximately the atmospheric pressure, and emergency shutoff valves 17 and 17. Is interposed. That is, the engine 3 uses natural gas for compression supplied to the gas filling device 1 as fuel. Said fuel flow control valve 15;
The emergency shutoff valve 17 is also controlled by a control device described later. The emergency shutoff valves 17 and 17 are used to shut off fuel gas supplied to the engine 3 in the event of an abnormality, and are opened when the engine 3 and the compressor 4 are operating. It is configured to close when it is stopped or when the control device detects an abnormality. The two emergency shut-off valves 17, 17 are provided so that even if one of the valves breaks down, the other can shut off the fuel gas. The exhaust device of the engine 3 is shown in FIGS.
Has a structure in which exhaust gas is discharged out of the housing via a muffler indicated by reference numeral 21. The muffler 21 is provided with a gas heating device 23 for heating a gas supplied as a regeneration gas to a dehumidifier 22 described later.

The compressor 4 has four compression units # 1 to # 4.
Is a multi-stage reciprocating compressor equipped with a compressor, a gas is sucked from a blow-down tank 24 connected to a gas inlet of a compression section # 1, and compressed in a compression section # 1 to a compression section # 4 to be sequentially compressed. The structure that discharges to The gas compressed in each compression section is supplied between the compression section # 1 and the compression section # 2, between the compression section # 2 and the compression section # 3, between the compression section # 3 and the compression section #
4 and on the discharge side of the compression section # 4.

The compressor outlet pipe 25 is provided with a filter 26.
, An emergency separation coupler 27, a tank connection coupler 28 and the like, and the tank connection coupler 2
8 allows connection to gas tanks of vehicles and various devices not shown. The filter 26
Is for separating oil from the gas compressed by the compressor 4. The oil separated by the filter 26 is passed through an oil return valve 29 to the compressor 4.
Inside. The oil of the compressor 4 is stored in the blowdown tank 24, and is sent from the blowdown tank 24 to each compression unit by a lubricating device having an oil filter 30 and an oil pump 31.

The blowdown tank 24 is connected to the gas supply coupler 5 via a gas inlet pipe 32. This gas inlet pipe 32 has a filter 33 and a check valve 34.
And a dehumidifier 22 to be described later. In this embodiment, the blowdown tank 24 is provided with a filter 26 and an emergency separation coupler 27 at the compressor outlet pipe 25.
And a gas inlet of each of the compressors # 2 to # 4 and a filter upstream side of the compressor outlet pipe 25 via a safety valve 36. Further, a safety valve 37 is connected to the blowdown tank 24 for releasing the gas to the atmosphere when the pressure of the gas inside the blowdown tank 24 exceeds a predetermined value.

The dehumidifier 22 is for removing water contained in the gas supplied to the compressor 4 and is provided in parallel with the gas inlet pipe 32 as shown in FIGS. The dehumidifiers A and B described above and a regeneration unit 41 for regenerating one of the dehumidifiers A and B during operation. The dehumidifiers A and B have the same structure as the conventional one, and are formed by filling the housing with a dehumidifier.

The regenerating means 41 comprises a number of gas pipes connected to the dehumidifiers A and B, and a gas pipe 10 interposed between these gas pipes.
The pilot type switching valves SV1 to SV10, the first to third solenoid valves 42 to 44 for controlling these switching valves, and the like, and the usage of each of the dehumidifiers A and B is as follows. It has a structure that can be switched. The three modes are a dehumidified state in which moisture is removed from the filling gas, a regeneration state in which the adsorbed moisture is evaporated, and a purge state in which cooling is performed with the filling gas. The first to third solenoid valves 42 to 44
Is controlled by a control device described later.

The gas pipe constitutes an upstream side of the dehumidifier 22 in the gas inlet pipe 32 and connects the dehumidifier A to the gas supply coupler 5 with an upstream first gas inlet pipe 32.
a, a downstream first gas inlet pipe 32b for guiding the gas from the dehumidifier A to the blowdown tank 24, and a gas from the middle of the upstream first gas inlet pipe 32a to the dehumidifier B. Second gas inlet pipe 32c for carrying out gas, a second downstream gas inlet pipe 32d for guiding gas from the dehumidifier B to the first downstream gas inlet pipe 32b, and a second downstream gas inlet pipe 32d. A regeneration gas supply pipe 45 for guiding regeneration gas to the dehumidifier A or the dehumidifier B through the gas heating device 23 from the middle of the gas inlet pipe 32d, and a dehumidifier A or a dehumidifier B Gas recovery pipe 46 for guiding unnecessary gas discharged from the fuel supply system to the fuel supply system of the engine 3, and a first purge gas supply connecting the dehumidifier A and the downstream first gas inlet pipe 32b. Pipe 47, dehumidifier B and said downstream second gas inlet pipe 32
d) and a second purge gas supply pipe 48 for connection with the gas supply pipe 48. The gas heating device 23 has a structure in which a part of the regeneration gas supply pipe 45 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the muffler 21, and the filling gas flowing in the regeneration gas supply pipe 45 is heated by the heat of the exhaust gas. I am trying to be.

The upstream first gas inlet pipe 32a is provided with a switching valve SV1, the downstream first gas inlet pipe 32b is provided with a switching valve SV2, and the upstream second gas inlet pipe 32c is provided. A switching valve SV3 is provided at the downstream side, and a switching valve SV4 is provided at the downstream second gas inlet pipe 32d. Further, switching valves SV5 and SV7 are provided in the regeneration gas supply pipe 45, and switching valves SV6 and SV8 are provided in the gas recovery pipe 46. The switching valve SV5 and the switching valve S
V6 is arranged to open and close the gas passage of the dehumidifier A, and the switching valves SV7 and SV8 are arranged to open and close the gas passage of the dehumidifier B. Further, a switching valve SV9 is provided in the first purge gas supply pipe 47, and a switching valve SV10 is provided in the second purge gas supply pipe 48.

The first solenoid valve 42 is a five-port three-position solenoid-operated directional control valve, and a check valve 51, an accumulator 52, and a check valve 51 are provided in a gas passage between the compressor # 2 and the compressor # 3 of the compressor 4. A high pressure filling gas supplied by the pilot pressure introducing pipe 54 is connected as a pilot gas to each of the switching valves SV1 to SV10 and two other electromagnetic valves. A structure for supplying to the valves 43 and 44 is adopted. More specifically, the first solenoid valve 42 transmits the pilot gas to the switching valves SV1, SV2, SV
8 and a first dehumidifying position (see FIGS. 3 and 4) to be supplied to the second solenoid valve 43, and the switching valves SV3 and SV
V4, SV6 and the second dehumidifying position (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to be supplied to the third solenoid valve 44, and shut off the supply of the pilot gas to close all the switching valves SV1 to SV10. It is possible to switch between the neutral position (see FIG. 2).

The second and third solenoid valves 43, 44
The second solenoid valve 43 comprises a port 2 position solenoid switching valve.
The regeneration position where the pilot gas is supplied to the switching valve SV7 when the first solenoid valve 42 is switched to the first dehumidification position as shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. The switching position can be switched to the purge position where the pilot gas is supplied to the switching valve SV10. As shown in FIG. 5, the third solenoid valve 44 is
It is possible to switch between the regeneration position where the pilot gas is supplied to the switching valve SV5 and the purge position where the pilot gas is supplied to the switching valve SV9 as shown in FIG. I can do it. In addition, among these three solenoid valves 42 to 44, all other ports to which the pilot gas is not supplied among the five ports are connected to the fuel supply system of the engine 3.
Further, these solenoid valves 42 to 44 use explosion-proof type.

Next, a control device for controlling the solenoid valves 42 to 44 and each actuator of the gas filling device 1 will be described. The control device is indicated by reference numeral 51 in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 51 connects various sensors to the input side and connects actuators such as valves and motors to the output side. The sensors include a first pressure sensor 52 for detecting the pressure of the gas flowing into the gas inlet pipe 32, a second pressure sensor 53 for detecting the pressure of the gas discharged to the compressor outlet pipe 25, and an operation mode. An operation changeover switch 54, a suction gas flow meter 55 for detecting a flow rate of gas flowing through the gas inlet pipe 32, a discharge gas flow meter 56 for detecting a flow rate of gas flowing through the compressor outlet pipe 25, A first temperature sensor 57 for detecting an air temperature, a second temperature sensor 58 for detecting a temperature inside the housing 2, and a third temperature for detecting a temperature of an engine cooling water at an engine outlet. A sensor 59; a fourth temperature sensor 60 for detecting the temperature of the compressor 4; a fifth temperature sensor 61 for detecting the temperature of the gas discharged from the compressor 4; Regeneration gas supply 6 for detecting the temperature of the gas flowing through the tube 45
A temperature sensor 62 for detecting the temperature of the gas flowing through the gas recovery pipe 46 of the dehumidifier 22;
A gas detector 64, an engine speed sensor 65, and a throttle valve opening sensor 6 disposed at an upper portion in the housing 2.
6 and a sensor 67 for connection confirmation provided near the coupler 28 for tank connection.

The actuators controlled by the controller 51 include the fuel flow control valve 15, the emergency shutoff valve 17, a throttle valve opening / closing drive motor 71, an ignition control circuit 72 for controlling the ignition timing of the engine 3, and Oil return valve 29, electric motor 73 for auxiliary exhaust fan, blowdown valve 35, and first to third solenoid valves 42 to 42 of dehumidifier 22
44 and the like. The power supply for the control device 51 and each electronic component is a battery (not shown) so that the actuator can be driven and various controls described later can be performed even when the engine 3 is stopped.
The battery is charged by the power generated by the generator mounted on the engine 3.

The control device 51 controls the engine 3 and the first to third solenoid valves 42 to 44 of the dehumidifier 22 based on the data detected by the sensors described above. The set values of various data are stored in a memory indicated by reference numeral 74 in FIG. The control device 51 employs a configuration in which the operation mode of the engine 3 is switched by the operation switch 54. The operation modes include an operation stop mode, a low-speed filling mode, a normal filling mode, a rapid filling mode, and the like. When the operation stop mode is selected, the engine 3 is stopped and each valve is closed. When the low-speed charging mode is selected, the engine speed is lower than that in the normal charging mode. The gas is filled in a suppressed state. By selecting this low-speed charging mode, the noise can be reduced, so that the gas can be charged even at midnight. When the high-speed filling mode is selected, the engine speed is increased to a relatively high speed range to fill the gas. By selecting the high-speed filling mode, gas can be charged in a short time.

At the time of gas filling, a target engine speed R1 and an actual engine speed R2 determined for each operation mode are set.
And the throttle valve opening is controlled by feedback control so that the difference in the number of revolutions is eliminated. The target engine speed is stored in the memory 74. Further, as the difference between the actual filling pressure of the gas and the predetermined final filling pressure (target pressure) becomes smaller, the controller 51 sets the engine speed to a predetermined speed (for driving the compressor 4). (The lowest possible rotation speed). To reduce the engine speed, the throttle valve opening is reduced by a predetermined function.

A more detailed description of the structure of the control device 51 will be described together with the operation of the gas filling device 11 with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. When one of the low-speed operation mode, the normal operation mode, and the high-speed operation mode is selected by the operation changeover switch 54 in step S1 of FIG. 8, the control device 51 proceeds to step S1.
In steps S2 and S3, various kinds of data are detected by the sensors of the first type sensor group described later before the engine is started. The sensors of the first type sensor group are a first pressure sensor 52 for detecting a gas supply pressure P1, a gas detector 64, and a sensor 67 for connection confirmation.

If at least one of the results detected by these sensors is abnormal, a warning is displayed on a display panel (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the housing and a warning lamp is turned on in step S4. When the gas detector 64 detects gas, the sub exhaust fan is driven for a predetermined time in step S5. The abnormality is determined in step S3 when the gas pressure P1 of the gas on the gas supply source side detected by the first pressure sensor 52 is smaller than a predetermined value, and when the gas detector 64 detects the gas. This is when the connection confirmation sensor 67 does not detect the connection. After driving the sub exhaust fan in step S5, the control device 51 determines whether or not the gas detector 64 detects gas again in step S6. When the abnormal state continues, all the controls are stopped. . When an abnormality other than the gas detection occurs, that is, when the connection confirmation sensor 67 does not detect the connection, the control is stopped after displaying a warning for a predetermined time.

If the abnormality is eliminated by driving the sub exhaust fan, or if it is determined in step S3 that there is no abnormality, the process proceeds to step S7, and the control device 5
1 performs initial setting of each valve. In the next step S8, the controller 51 reads the throttle valve opening at the time of engine start from the memory 74, and reads the throttle valve opening / closing drive motor 7
1 to set the throttle valve opening. Thereafter, the control device 51 determines whether or not the integrated value of the gas filling flow rate q is smaller than a predetermined set value in step S9. The integrated value is determined by the discharge gas flow meter 56 or the suction gas flow meter 5.
5, and is stored in the memory 74.

When NO is determined in step S9, that is, when the integrated value of the gas filling flow rate q exceeds the set value, the first to third of the dehumidifier 22 are determined in step S10.
The dehumidifiers A and B used by the electromagnetic valves 42 to 44 are switched, and the other dehumidifier not used for dehumidification is regenerated. The control of the dehumidifier 22 in step S10 is performed as shown in a flowchart of FIG. 9 described later. At this time, the data of the integrated value is cleared. In addition to the data to be cleared, the discharge flow integrated value and the total gas flow integrated value are accumulated in another storage area of the memory 74 in order to charge a gas charging user or pay a gas charge to a gas supply source. I keep it.

Thereafter, in step S11, the control device 51 starts the starter motor to start the engine 3, and in step S12, the operation state is detected by the sensors of the second type sensor group described later. The sensors of the second type sensor group are:
An engine speed sensor 65 for detecting the actual engine speed R2; and a second engine speed sensor 65 for detecting the gas filling pressure P2.
, A discharge gas flow meter 56, first to fifth temperature sensors 57 to 61, and the like. When the engine 3 starts, the rotation of the crankshaft 6 is transmitted to the rotation shaft of the compressor 4, and the compressor 4 starts operating.

After detecting the operating state by the various sensors as described above, the controller 51 reads out the target engine speed R1 corresponding to the operating mode from the memory 74 in step S13. The target engine speed R1 is different for each operation mode. The target engine speed R1 is lower in the low-speed charging mode than in the normal charging mode, and is higher in the rapid charging mode than in the normal charging mode. Is set in advance. After setting the target engine speed R1 in this way, the control device 51 corrects the target engine speed R1 in step S14 according to the difference between the charging pressure P2 and the final charging pressure. This correction is performed so that the target engine speed R1 decreases as the difference between the actual filling pressure and the final filling pressure decreases. After correcting the target engine speed R1, a difference between the target engine speed R1 and the actual engine speed R2 is determined in step S15. Next, the control device 51 opens and closes the throttle valve by feedback control so that the above-mentioned rotational speed difference becomes zero in step S17.

That is, when the actual engine speed R2 is larger than the target engine speed R1, the throttle valve is operated in the closing direction. When the actual engine speed R2 is smaller than the target engine speed R1, the throttle valve is opened. Operate in the direction. Before the opening and closing operation of the throttle valve in step S17, as shown in step S16, it is possible to add control for correcting the throttle valve rotation opening to be faster or slower in accordance with the rotational speed difference. it can.

Next, the controller 51 calculates the rate of increase dp2 / dt of the charging pressure P2 in step S18, and obtains the integrated value of the gas charging flow q based on the detection value of the discharge gas flow meter 56 in step S19. . The value of the increase rate dp2 / dt is determined in step S14 or step S14 in the next routine.
16 and so on. And the control device 51
Detects the operating state by various sensors in step S20, and determines whether to stop the operation in step S21. As the sensor used in step S20, the first sensor
Pressure sensor 52, a gas detector 64, a connection confirmation sensor 67, a second pressure sensor 53, an operation changeover switch 54, and a second sensor for detecting the temperature inside the housing 2.
Temperature sensor 58, a third temperature sensor 59 for detecting the temperature of the engine cooling water at the engine outlet, a fourth temperature sensor 60 for detecting the temperature of the compressor 4,
A fifth temperature sensor 61 for detecting the temperature of the gas discharged from the compressor 4;

In step S20, the dehumidifier 22
The temperature of the gas in the regeneration gas supply pipe 45 is detected by a sixth temperature sensor 62, and when this temperature has reached a predetermined upper limit temperature, the dehumidifiers A and B are switched. That is, when the dehumidifier A or the dehumidifier B is in the regeneration state, the filling gas is supplied to the regeneration gas supply pipe 45, and the portion of the regeneration gas supply pipe 45 that is in contact with the muffler 21 is excessively heated. There is no.

It is determined that the operation is stopped in step S21 when the gas pressure P1 of the gas inlet pipe 32 detected by the first pressure sensor 52 is smaller than a predetermined value, and when the gas detector 64 Is detected, when the connection confirmation sensor 67 does not detect the connection, and when the rate of increase dp2 / dt of the filling pressure P2 obtained in step S18 is abnormal (for example, when the filling pressure P2 is rapidly reduced). ), When the operation stop mode is selected by the operation changeover switch 54, and when the temperature detected by each temperature sensor becomes higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature.

If it is determined in step S21 that the operation is stopped, a warning is displayed on the display panel and a warning lamp is turned on in step S22, and the engine 3 is turned on in step S23.
To stop. When the operation stop mode is selected by the operation changeover switch 54, the engine 3 is stopped without displaying a warning by the display panel or the warning lamp. In step S23, the first solenoid valve 42 of the dehumidifier 22 is switched to the neutral position as shown in FIG. By switching the first solenoid valve 42 in this manner, the switching valve SV
No pilot gas is supplied to 1 to SV10, and all these switching valves SV1 to SV10 are closed.
The engine is stopped by sending a control signal to the ignition control circuit 72 to cut off the power supplied to the ignition plug.

If it is determined in step S21 that the operation is to be continued, the flow advances to step S24 to determine whether or not the charging pressure P2 has reached the maximum pressure P2max (final charging pressure), that is, whether or not gas charging has been completed. judge. If the filling of the gas has not been completed, the process returns to step S13 to repeat the above-described control. The engine 3 is stopped.

The control of the dehumidifier 22 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. If it is determined in step S9 of the flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown in step P1, a dehumidifier switching signal is input. Next, as shown in Step P2, the control unit determines whether or not the dehumidifier used for dehumidification is the dehumidifier A.

If the result of this determination is YES, the operation proceeds to step P3, in which the first solenoid valve 42 is switched to the first dehumidification position, and in step P4, the second solenoid valve 43 is switched to the regeneration position. Thus, the first and second solenoid valves 42, 43
, The switching valve SV as shown in FIG.
1, SV2 is opened and the filling gas flows to the dehumidifier A, and the switching valves SV7 and SV8 are opened to allow the regeneration gas to flow to the dehumidifier B. The regeneration gas is a filling gas heated by the gas heating device 23 after being dehumidified by the dehumidifier A. When the regeneration gas passes through the dehumidifier B, the moisture adsorbed on the dehumidifier B evaporates. This moisture flows into the fuel supply system of the engine 3 from the dehumidifier B through the gas recovery pipe 46 together with the regeneration gas.

This regeneration state is maintained until the temperature of the gas (recovery gas) flowing through the gas recovery pipe 46 reaches a predetermined regeneration end temperature, as shown in step P5.
The temperature of the recovered gas is detected by a seventh temperature sensor 63 provided in the gas recovery pipe 46. After the recovered gas temperature reaches the regeneration end temperature, in step P6, the second solenoid valve 43 is switched to the purge position. By switching the second electromagnetic valve 43 in this manner, the switching valve SV7 is closed and the switching valve SV10 is opened as shown in FIG. This purge gas is a filling gas dehumidified by the dehumidifier A. Since this gas has not passed through the gas heating device 23, it has a lower temperature than the regeneration gas. When the purge gas flows into the dehumidifier B, the dehumidifier B that has been heated during regeneration is cooled. The purge gas also flows into the fuel supply system of the engine 3 through the gas recovery pipe 46. By shifting the dehumidifier B to the purge state in this way, the control of the dehumidifier 22 ends.

If NO is determined in step P2, that is, if the dehumidifier B is used for dehumidification, the process proceeds to step P7, where the first solenoid valve 42 is switched to the second dehumidification position. In step P8, the third solenoid valve 44 is switched to the regeneration position. Thus, the first and third solenoid valves 42, 4
4 by switching the switching valve as shown in FIG.
When SV3 and SV4 are opened and the filling gas flows into dehumidifier B, switching valves SV5 and SV6 are opened and dehumidifier A
The regeneration gas starts to flow. When the regeneration gas passes through the dehumidifier A, the moisture adsorbed on the dehumidifier A evaporates. This moisture flows into the fuel supply system of the engine 3 from the dehumidifier A through the gas recovery pipe 46 together with the regeneration gas.

This regeneration state is maintained until the temperature of the gas (recovery gas) flowing through the gas recovery pipe 46 reaches a predetermined regeneration end temperature, as shown in step P9.
The temperature of the recovered gas is detected by a seventh temperature sensor 63 provided in the gas recovery pipe 46. After the recovered gas temperature reaches the regeneration end temperature, the third solenoid valve 44 is switched to the purge position in Step P10. By switching the third solenoid valve 44 in this manner, as shown in FIG.
Is closed, the switching valve SV9 is opened, and the purge gas flows into the dehumidifier A. This purge gas is a filling gas dehumidified by the dehumidifier B. Since this gas has not passed through the gas heating device 23, it has a lower temperature than the regeneration gas. When the purge gas flows to the dehumidifier A, the dehumidifier A that has been heated during regeneration is cooled.
The purge gas also flows into the fuel supply system of the engine 3 through the gas recovery pipe 46. By shifting the dehumidifier A to the purge state in this way, the control of the dehumidifier 22 ends.

According to the gas filling apparatus 1 constructed as described above, the regenerating means 4 using the high-temperature gas obtained by heating the filling gas as the regenerating gas for the dehumidifier A and the dehumidifier B.
1, dehumidifiers A and B by filling gas
Can be regenerated and air can be prevented from entering the filling gas in the dehumidification step.

A plurality of dehumidifiers A and B are arranged in parallel, and switching valves SV1 to SV10 are interposed at the gas inlet and gas outlet of each of the dehumidifiers A and B, so that the gas for filling flows. The dehumidifiers A and B are connected so as to be switchable between a wet state and a regeneration state in which the regeneration gas flows, and the regeneration means 41 heats the filling gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in the dehumidification state. Since the configuration is such that the dehumidifier is supplied to the dehumidifier for regeneration, the dehumidifier can be regenerated with the filling gas from which the moisture has been removed.

The regenerating means 41 is configured to supply the filling gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in the dehumidified state to the dehumidifier A or B at the end of the regeneration step without heating. The dehumidifier, whose temperature has increased in the regeneration step, can be forcibly cooled at the end of the regeneration step. Dehumidifier 2
Since the switching valves SV1 to SV10 of No. 2 are pilot switching valves and the pilot fluid is a filling gas, the usage of the dehumidifiers A and B can be switched by the switching valves SV1 to SV10 without using air. it can.

Since the filling gas pressurized by the compressor 4 is used as the pilot fluid of the switching valves SV1 to SV10,
No special pressurizing device is required to increase the pressure of the gas used as the pilot fluid. The compressor 4 for compressing the filling gas is driven by a gas engine, and the regenerating means 41 of the dehumidifier 22 is provided with the regeneration gas flowing out of the dehumidifier A or the dehumidifier B as fuel for the engine 3. Dehumidifiers A and B in the regeneration process
The engine 3 can be operated using the gas flowing out of the engine 3.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, the dehumidifier can be regenerated by the filling gas, and no air flows into the dehumidifier. Thus, it is possible to realize a gas filling device that can prevent the gas filling.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the dehumidifier can be regenerated by the filling gas from which the water has been removed, the water can be efficiently evaporated in the regeneration step, and the regeneration time can be reduced. can do. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the dehumidifier whose temperature has increased in the regeneration step can be forcibly cooled at the end of the regeneration step, so that the dehumidifier can be shifted from the regeneration state to the dehumidification state in a short time. it can.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the use mode of the dehumidifier can be switched by the switching valve without using air, it is possible to prevent air from flowing into the dehumidifier from the switching valve. In addition, it is possible to more reliably prevent air from entering the gas compression system. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since a special pressurizing device is not required for increasing the pressure of the gas used as the pilot fluid, a gas filling device that does not mix with air is realized while reducing costs. can do. According to the invention of claim 6, the engine can be operated by using the gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in the regeneration step, so that a tank for storing a gas containing a large amount of water is not required and is unnecessary. The gas filling device can be operated by effectively utilizing the gas, and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a gas filling device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a dehumidifier.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a dehumidifier.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a dehumidifier.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a dehumidifier.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a dehumidifier.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the gas filling device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the dehumidifier.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gas filling device, 3 ... Engine, 4 ... Compressor, 22 ...
Dehumidifier, 23: gas heating device, 32: gas inlet pipe, 4
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Regeneration means, 42 ... 1st solenoid valve, 43 ... 2nd solenoid valve, 44 ... 3rd solenoid valve, SV1-SV10 ... Switching valve.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Naoki Ota 2500 Shinkai, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka Yamaha Motor F-term (reference) 3E072 DA05 GA30 4D052 AA04 CD01 DA02 DA06 DB02 DB03 FA06 GA01 GA03 GB04 GB08 GB09 HA01 HA02 HA03

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A gas filling apparatus comprising: a dehumidifier interposed in a gas passage through which a filling gas flows; and a regeneration means for regenerating the dehumidifier by supplying a heated regeneration gas. A gas filling apparatus, wherein the regenerating means uses a high-temperature gas obtained by heating the filling gas as the regenerating gas. 2. The gas filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
By installing a plurality of dehumidifiers in parallel and switching valves at the gas inlet and gas outlet of each dehumidifier, a dehumidification state in which the filling gas flows and a regeneration state in which the regeneration gas flows. Each dehumidifier is switchably connected, and the regenerating means heats the filling gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in a dehumidified state and supplies it to the dehumidifier for regeneration. Gas filling equipment. 3. The gas filling device according to claim 2, wherein
A gas filling apparatus characterized in that the regenerating means supplies the dehumidifier at the end of the regenerating step with the filling gas flowing out of the dehumidifier in a dehumidified state without heating. 4. A gas filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching valve is a pilot switching valve, and the pilot fluid is a filling gas. Filling device. 5. The gas filling device according to claim 4, wherein
A gas filling apparatus, wherein a filling gas pressurized by a compressor is used as a pilot fluid. 6. A gas filling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a compressor for compressing the filling gas is driven by a gas engine, and the regeneration means comprises a dehumidifier. A gas filling device for supplying regeneration gas flowing out of the engine to the engine as fuel.