JP2003307300A - Hydrogen storage alloy container and ventilation material support material - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly arrange ventilation materials inside a bottle type hydrogen storage alloy container. <P>SOLUTION: This container is constituted of a cylindrical container body 1 which has an opening 2 with a small diameter and a bottom, a ventilation material support material 10 that can be deformed so as to reduce the diameter for passing through the opening 2 and be returned from the reduced state by elastic force, and a plurality of bar type ventilation materials 4 arranged along the axial direction of the container body 1 and supported by the ventilation material support material 10. Thereby, the ventilation materials can be arranged uniform inside the hydrogen storage alloy container without largely decreasing an alloy filling quantity, and the performance and reliability of the hydrogen storage alloy container can be improved. Working efficiency in filling an alloy into the container is also improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hydrogen storage alloy container capable of storing and releasing hydrogen by containing a hydrogen storage alloy, and a ventilation support used in the container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hydrogen storage alloys are capable of reversibly absorbing and releasing hydrogen with absorption and heat radiation. Therefore, hydrogen is absorbed by the alloy by cooling, and hydrogen is released by heating the alloy that has absorbed hydrogen. be able to. The hydrogen storage alloy can be used for various purposes, and can be used as a heating / cooling system or a hydrogen storage system utilizing heat absorption / release. Recently, a fuel cell has been attracting attention as an environmentally friendly power source, and a hydrogen storage alloy has been used as an apparatus capable of storing hydrogen used as a fuel in the fuel cell and appropriately extracting it. The hydrogen storage alloy is stored in an appropriate container, and as the container, there are a large container to a portable container, and a small container is often a bottle-shaped container.

FIG. 7 shows the bottle type container 20. The container 20 has a bottomed cylindrical container body 21 and a mouth portion 22 above the container body 20 and having a diameter smaller than that of the container body 20. The mouth portion 22 has an appropriate valve. A base 23 provided with piping and the like is attached. When the container 20 is obtained, the rod-shaped ventilation member 2 is passed through the mouth portion 22.
After arranging a plurality of 5 ... 25 inside, hydrogen storage alloy powder 2
6 is filled, and then a mouthpiece 23 is attached to the mouth portion 22 to seal the container. The ventilation member 25 needs to be supported from the outside of the container being filled with the alloy, and therefore the ventilation member 25 has a length exceeding the mouth portion 23.

[0004]

However, when obtaining the above-mentioned container, there is a problem that it is difficult to uniformly set the arrangement of the ventilation member in the container and the workability is poor. Even if the work is performed carefully, there is a problem that the vent material is likely to gather in the central part of the container due to the narrow mouth, resulting in poor hydrogen permeability and hindering the alloy filling. Also,
If you have a buffer effect on the expansion of the alloy by the ventilation material,
There is a problem that due to the uneven position of the ventilation member, a sufficient cushioning effect cannot be obtained and the container may be deformed.

In order to cope with such a problem, as shown in FIG. 8, a tubular member 31 made of metal or the like is arranged around the ventilation member 25 so that the ventilation members 25 can be kept spaced from each other. There has also been proposed a hydrogen storage alloy container 30 in which the ventilation member 25 can be arranged without variation. According to this method, it is possible to make the arrangement of the ventilating material uniform, but there is a problem that the volume of the tubular material reduces the amount of alloy filled in the container and the amount of hydrogen storage per container decreases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even in the bottle type having a narrow mouth, the vent material is provided inside the container so that the vent material is not concentrated in the center and does not hinder the filling of the alloy. It is intended to provide a hydrogen storage alloy container that can be evenly arranged in the container and can sufficiently obtain the alloy filling amount.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, among the hydrogen storage alloy containers of the present invention, the invention according to claim 1 is a container body having a bottomed cylindrical container having a small-diameter mouth portion, and the mouth. And a ventilation member support member that can be deformed to reduce its diameter so that it can pass through the section, and that can be restored to its shape from a reduced diameter state by elastic force, and that is arranged along the axial direction of the container body. It is characterized by comprising a plurality of rod-shaped ventilation members supported.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the hydrogen storage alloy container according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the ventilating material supporting member is a wire.

A hydrogen storage alloy container according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the ventilating material support material is made of a material having a heat transfer property superior to that of the hydrogen storage alloy. .

A hydrogen storage alloy container according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the hydrogen storage alloy container according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the ventilating material support member is arranged in one annular wire or at intervals in the axial direction. The annular wire comprises a plurality of annular wires, and the annular wire includes a fixing portion for fixing the ventilation member arranged along the axial direction, and can be curved or bent to the inner peripheral side.
Alternatively, it is characterized by having two or more bending deformation portions.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the hydrogen storage alloy container according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the fixed portion is provided with a coil portion around which a wire is wound.

A ventilation member support member according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it is made of a wire, can be deformed by reducing its diameter, and can recover its shape from a reduced diameter state by elastic force.

That is, according to the present invention, when the ventilation material is placed in the container body, the diameter of the ventilation material support material is reduced while the ventilation material support material is supported by the ventilation material support material. The ventilation material can be passed while being supported. When the reduced-diameter ventilation material support material and the ventilation material are inserted into the container body through the mouth, the ventilation material support material returns to its shape due to the elastic force,
The ventilation member can be arranged at a desired position in the container body, and the insertion work can be easily performed. The ventilation material arranged in the container can be evenly arranged in an intended state, and is not evenly arranged in the central portion. As a result, the powder alloy can be easily filled and good air permeability can be obtained. Further, when the ventilation material has a buffering effect on the alloy expansion, the evenly arranged ventilation material effectively buffers the alloy expansion,
Deformation of the container is prevented.

As described above, the container body of the present invention has the cylindrical container body and the small-diameter mouth portion, and the container body may have a tubular shape, such as a cylindrical shape or a rectangular tube shape. The shape is not limited. Further, the mouth portion has a relatively small diameter with respect to the container body, and the shape thereof is not limited to a particular shape such as a cylinder, as long as it has a cylindrical shape. The container is suitable for a container having a relatively small size and portability, but the present invention is not particularly limited with respect to the size of the container and whether or not it has portability.

Further, the ventilation member housed in the container has a rod-like shape, and a desired number can be housed in the container. The cross-sectional shape of the ventilation material is not particularly limited, and may be an appropriate shape such as a column. Further, the material of the ventilation material is not particularly limited in the present invention as long as it can provide the air permeability. It is desirable that it has elasticity so as to buffer the expansion of the hydrogen storage alloy when absorbing hydrogen.

The ventilating material support member has a size capable of reducing its diameter and capable of passing through the mouth portion of the container when the diameter is reduced. After the diameter is reduced, the shape can be restored by the elastic force, and due to the shape return, the shape is usually accommodated in the container body and exceeds the container mouth. The structure for reducing the diameter of the ventilation support material is
The present invention is not limited to a specific structure,
As a result, the diameter may be reduced so that the shape can be restored by the elastic force. The elastic force can be obtained by an appropriate urging member, but may be obtained by reducing the diameter of the ventilation material support member itself by elastic deformation. The breather support may preferably consist of wire.
When the wire is used, the ventilation material supporting member can be formed into a frame shape, the hydrogen storage alloy can be moved between the frames, and a sufficient amount of the hydrogen storage alloy powder filled in the container can be secured. it can. Further, it is desirable that the breathable material support material is made of a material having a high heat conductivity (at least a heat conductivity higher than that of the hydrogen storage alloy).

The ventilator support preferably comprises one annular wire or a plurality of axially spaced annular wires as claimed in claim 4. The annular wire includes a fixing portion that fixes the ventilation member that is arranged along the axial direction, and one or more bending deformation portions that can be curved or bent and deformed are provided on the inner peripheral side. If the ventilation member is supported by the plurality of annular wires, the ventilation member can be supported more reliably. Further, by maintaining the strength in the axial direction with the ventilation material, it is possible to eliminate the need for the wire in the vertical direction, and to increase the filling amount of the alloy. As described in claim 5, the fixing portion is provided with a coil portion around which the wire is wound, so that the wire can be bent and deformed by acid deformation through the coil portion to reduce the diameter. Therefore, the diameter can be easily reduced by compressing the annular wire. Further, except for the pressing and contracting force, the shape is easily restored by the elastic force of the coil portion.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
~ It demonstrates based on FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen storage alloy container 1 of the present invention has an appearance similar to that of a conventional one, and has a bottomed cylindrical container body 2 and a small-diameter mouth portion 3. Inside the container body 2, a ventilation material support material 10 and a plurality of ventilation materials 4 ... 4 supported by the ventilation material support material 10 are arranged. The ventilation member is composed of a glass fiber or the like that is elastically deformable in the radial direction.

The breather support 10 is laid between two axially spaced annular wires 11. Specifically, the annular wire 11 has a star shape in which six narrow-angle portions 11a and six wide-angle portions 11b are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and each of the narrow-angle portion 11a and the wide-angle portion 11b has a star shape. The wire is wound once in a ring shape. Each narrow angle part 1
The ring-shaped fixing portion 1 has a size such that the ventilation member 4 can be accommodated in 1a.
3 is formed, and the fixing portions 13 ... 13 are ventilation material fixing portions. The ventilation members 4 can be supported by inserting the ventilation members 4 into the fixing portions 13 ... 13, respectively. The strength of the annular wire 11 may be small, as long as it has at least a strength to support the ventilation member 4,
It can be configured with a small diameter. As a result, it is possible to minimize the decrease in the alloy filling amount in the container due to the ventilation material support material. The annular wire 11 has the wide-angle portion 11
b can be deformed so as to be curved toward the inner peripheral side, and the wide-angle portions 11b are respectively bent and deformed portions. In addition, in each wide-angle portion 11b, the coil portion 14 is formed in a ring shape having a relatively small diameter, and the bending portion is elastically deformed by the fixing portion 14.

A procedure for accommodating the ventilation member 4 in the container body 2 using the ventilation member supporting member 10 will be described. First, the six ventilation members 4 which are slightly longer than the height of the ventilation member supporting member 10 ...
4 are prepared, and as shown in FIG. 4, the respective ventilation members 4 are inserted into the fixing portions 13 of the ventilation member supporting member 10 and fixed. Next, each wide-angle portion 11b of the annular wire 11 is bent to the inner peripheral side. Then, the annular wire 11 has the wide-angle portions 11b.
Is elastically deformed with the coil portion 14 as a fulcrum, and as a result, the diameter is reduced as shown in FIG. Reduced diameter ventilation material support material 10
Is sized to pass through the mouth portion 3 even if the ventilation member 4 is included, as shown in FIG. The diameter reduction can be performed by the operator pressing the inner circumference side or mechanically.

In the above state, the ventilation material support material 10 and the ventilation material are inserted into the container body 2 through the mouth portion 3. When the pressing force to the inner peripheral side in the container body 2 is released, the annular wire 11
The elastic material of the coil portion 14 restores the shape of the breathable material support material to the shape before the diameter reduction. As a result, each ventilation member 4 ... 4
Are positioned within the container body 2 according to the shape of the annular wire 11 and can be arranged at the intended even spacing. The above-mentioned breathable material support material 10 and breathable material 4 are attached to the main body container 2
After being placed inside, the hydrogen-absorbing alloy powder is filled into the container body 2 through the mouth portion 3 as in the conventional case, and then a mouthpiece is fitted into the mouth portion 3 to hermetically seal the inside of the container 1. At this time, the ventilating material 4 does not get in the way, and the alloy filling work can be easily performed. Further, since the ventilation member 4 is supported by the ventilation member supporting member 10, it is not necessary to set the length of the ventilation member to exceed the length of the mouth as in the conventional case, and at least the length of the ventilation member does not exceed the mouth. The length can be set within the container body, which makes the filling work of the alloy easier.

When hydrogen is absorbed and released by the hydrogen storage alloy in the container 1, good ventilation is ensured by the ventilation members 4 which are arranged substantially evenly, and therefore the hydrogen absorption and release efficiency is also improved. Further, the ventilation member 4 is elastically deformable in the radial direction as described above, buffers the expansion force generated when the hydrogen storage alloy absorbs hydrogen, and suppresses the deformation of the container. FIG. 6 shows changes in container deformation rate (radial direction) when hydrogen is repeatedly absorbed and released in the hydrogen storage alloy container 1. As a result, it was revealed that the hydrogen storage alloy container of the present invention can remarkably suppress the increase of the container deformation rate as compared with the conventional example in which the vent material is housed as it is.

[0023]

As described above, according to the hydrogen storage alloy container of the present invention, the bottomed cylindrical container body having a small-diameter opening and the shrinkable deformation capable of passing through the opening. A ventilation member support member capable of returning to its shape from a reduced diameter state by elastic force, and a plurality of rod-shaped ventilation members arranged along the axial direction of the container body and supported by the ventilation member support member. Therefore, the ventilation material can be evenly arranged in the container without causing a large decrease in the alloy filling amount, and the performance and reliability of the container can be improved. Also, the work efficiency of filling the container with the alloy is improved.

Further, according to the breathable material support material of the present invention, the hydrogen storage alloy container is made of a wire, can be reduced in diameter and deformed, and can be restored to its shape from a reduced diameter state by elastic force. The ventilation member can be easily arranged in the container, and the ventilation member can be evenly arranged in the container.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a hydrogen storage alloy container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is also a perspective view of a ventilation member support member.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for fixing the ventilation member to the ventilation member supporting member in the same manner.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a shrinkage deformation of the ventilation material support material.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in container deformation rate during repeated hydrogen absorption and desorption.

FIG. 7 is a front cross-sectional view showing an alloy filled state in a conventional hydrogen storage alloy container.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view showing another conventional hydrogen storage alloy container.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Hydrogen storage alloy container 2 container body 3 mouth 4 ventilation materials 10 Ventilation material support material 11 ring wire 11a Narrow angle part 11b Wide angle part 13 Fixed part 14 coil 26 Hydrogen storage alloy

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A bottomed cylindrical container body having a small-diameter mouth portion, and a venting material capable of contracting deformation so as to pass through the mouth portion and capable of returning to its shape from a contracted state by elastic force. A hydrogen storage alloy container comprising a support material and a plurality of rod-shaped ventilation materials arranged along the axial direction of the container body and supported by the ventilation material support material. 2. The hydrogen storage alloy container according to claim 1, wherein the gas permeable material support material is a wire. 3. The hydrogen storage alloy container according to claim 1, wherein the gas permeable material support material is made of a material having higher heat conductivity than a hydrogen storage alloy. 4. The ventilation material support member comprises one annular wire or a plurality of annular wires arranged at intervals in the axial direction, and the annular wire comprises a ventilation material arranged along the axial direction. The hydrogen storage alloy container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hydrogen storage alloy container is provided with a fixing portion for fixing and has one or more bending deformation portions capable of being curved or bent and deformed on an inner peripheral side. 5. The hydrogen storage alloy container according to claim 4, wherein the fixing portion is provided with a coil portion around which a wire is wound. 6. A venting material support member comprising a wire, capable of being deformed by reducing its diameter, and capable of returning to its shape from a reduced diameter state by elastic force.