JP2005315294A - High pressure tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high pressure tank capable of operating a safety valve normally by sensing the atmospheric temperature of the tank properly and also provide a fuel cell vehicle equipped with the high pressure tank. <P>SOLUTION: The high pressure tank 1 is equipped with a tank body 10 to accommodate high pressure gas internally, the safety valve 20 to relieve to outside the high pressure gas from the tank body 10 in association with a temperature rise, and a good thermal conductive means 30 connected with the safety valve 20, wherein the good thermal conductive means 30 is made of a material having a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than the thermal conductivity which the surface of the tank body 10 has. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a high-pressure tank provided with a safety valve and a fuel cell system equipped with the high-pressure tank.

  Conventionally, in a high-pressure tank (gas cylinder) that stores compressed gas or the like, if the atmospheric temperature of the high-pressure tank abnormally increases for some reason, there is a problem that the durability of the high-pressure tank decreases due to an increase in internal pressure in the high-pressure tank. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, there is a case where a safety valve for releasing the gas in the tank body is attached to the tank body of the high-pressure tank.

Such a safety valve has a structure in which, when the safety valve is overheated due to an abnormal increase in ambient temperature or the like, the melting plug is melted and the gas in the tank body is discharged. ) Etc.
JP 2002-168399 A JP 2002-181298 A JP 2002-286138 A JP 2001-317645 A

  By the way, as for high-pressure tanks mounted on vehicles, etc., it is expected to increase the size of the high-pressure tank in order to increase its cruising range. It is effective to adopt.

  However, since the safety valve opens due to overheating due to heat transfer from the tank body or the surroundings, if a fire breaks out from the safety valve when the full length of the high-pressure tank is extended, Detection of the temperature rise on the safety valve side is delayed, and a rise in internal pressure in the high-pressure tank causes a problem that the durability of the high-pressure tank is reduced.

  In order to solve such a problem, for example, a configuration in which safety valves are provided at both ends of the high-pressure tank can be considered, but this is not appropriate because a plurality of safety valves are required and the manufacturing cost increases. Moreover, there is a possibility that the temperature rise at a part (for example, the central part) away from any safety valve cannot be detected.

  Therefore, in view of such problems, the present invention provides a high-pressure tank capable of appropriately operating heat around the high-pressure tank to the safety valve and operating the safety valve normally, and a fuel cell vehicle equipped with the high-pressure tank. The purpose is to do.

  A high-pressure tank according to the present invention includes a tank main body that stores high-pressure gas therein, a safety valve that discharges high-pressure gas stored in the tank main body to the outside as the temperature rises, and good heat conduction that is connected to the safety valve. Means.

  In the high-pressure tank having such a configuration, heat is transmitted to the safety valve from both the tank body and the good heat conduction means, so that the safety valve can be appropriately overheated and operated normally. Even if the overall length of the high-pressure tank is extended, the high temperature conduction means can be arranged at a location away from the safety valve so that the temperature rise at that location can be transmitted to the safety valve. It is possible to prevent a decrease in durability.

  The good heat conduction means can be formed of a member having a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than the thermal conductivity of the surface of the tank body. According to this, even for a tank body having a low thermal conductivity, heat can be appropriately transmitted from the good heat conduction means to the safety valve, and the safety valve can be operated normally.

  Further, the good heat conduction means can be arranged so as to come into contact with the temperature sensing part of the safety valve. According to this, heat transfer is performed directly from the good heat conducting means to the temperature sensing part of the safety valve, so that heat transfer can be speeded up.

  Here, the temperature sensing part of the safety valve senses a temperature rise when the safety valve releases the high-pressure gas accommodated in the tank body to the outside, for example, a soluble alloy in a fusible stopper. .

  The surface of the tank body may be formed of a resin member, and the good heat conducting means may be formed of an aluminum member. According to this configuration, heat can be efficiently transferred to the safety valve while reducing the weight of the high-pressure tank.

  The good heat conduction means may be arranged to extend from the safety valve along the periphery of the tank body. According to this structure, the heat of the location apart from the safety valve in the tank body can also be transmitted to the safety valve.

  The good heat conduction means may be arranged so as to extend from the safety valve toward a flammable (flammable) part arranged in the vicinity of the tank body. According to this configuration, the heat around the flammable component that causes the tank body to overheat can be transmitted to the safety valve.

  The high-pressure tank according to the present invention is a hydrogen tank containing high-pressure hydrogen gas, and the hydrogen tank can be mounted on a fuel cell vehicle. According to this configuration, the safety valve can be appropriately operated even when the entire length of the high-pressure tank is increased in order to increase the cruising distance of the fuel cell vehicle.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the high pressure tank which can transmit the heat | fever around a high pressure tank appropriately to a safety valve, and can operate a safety valve normally, and the fuel cell vehicle carrying the said high pressure tank.

  Hereinafter, a high-pressure tank according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is the illustration for demonstrating this invention, and this invention is not limited only to these embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the following embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a high-pressure tank of fuel gas (high-pressure hydrogen) mounted on a fuel cell vehicle is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another type of compression is used. The present invention can be arbitrarily applied to a high-pressure tank that accommodates gas or liquefied gas.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a high-pressure tank according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the tank body and the safety valve shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the high-pressure tank 1 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the high-pressure tank 1 includes a tank main body 10, a safety valve 20 attached to the substantially center of one end of the tank main body 10 in the longitudinal direction, and one end connected to the safety valve 20. Heat conduction means 30.

  The tank main body 10 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and accommodates a medium such as high-pressure hydrogen gas in the inside 12 thereof. The shape and size of the tank main body 10 can be arbitrarily selected according to the specifications. Here, since the tank main body 10 is mounted on the fuel cell vehicle, the tank main body 10 is provided with a tank for increasing the cruising distance of the vehicle. A large tank body 10 (for example, a total length of about 180 cm) in which the overall length of the main body 10 is set longer is employed.

  The surface 11 of the tank body 10 is formed of a predetermined member, and any member can be used for this member. However, as described above, here, the tank body 10 is attached to the fuel cell vehicle. Since it is installed, a resin liner or the like is used to reduce the weight of the vehicle. The surface 11 of the tank body 10 is configured to cover the outer peripheral surface of the tank body 10 except for a safety valve 20 described later.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the safety valve 20 provided approximately at the center of one end of the tank body 10 in the longitudinal direction is attached to the tank body 10 with a screw part 25 for attachment and the tank body 10 when attached to the tank body 10. A valve body 23 having a flange 24 and the like, a gas escape passage 21 formed so as to open the inside 12 and the outside of the tank body 10 along substantially the axis of the valve body 23, and the gas escape It is comprised with the soluble alloy 22 etc. which were filled so that the path | route 21 might always be obstruct | occluded.

  In the safety valve 20 configured in this manner, when the ambient temperature of the safety valve 20 rises for a certain reason and satisfies a predetermined temperature, the fusible alloy 22 as the temperature sensing part softens and melts, and the gas escape path 21 is vacant. The inside 12 and the outside of the main body 10 are opened. As a result, the high-pressure gas in the tank body 10 is released to the outside (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2), and the durability of the tank body 10 is prevented from being lowered.

  The safety valve 20 is a concept including a fusible stopper, and the configuration thereof is not limited to that shown in FIG. As long as the medium of the tank main body 10 is discharged to the outside as the temperature rises, a known one can be arbitrarily adopted. For example, the fusible alloy 22 may be configured to be melted into the gas escape passage 21 and solidified, or the fusible alloy 22 previously formed into a predetermined shape is inserted into the gas escape passage 21. You may comprise.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the good heat conduction means 30 includes an end (connection end) 31 connected to the safety valve 20 and an open end 32, and the end 31 is connected. It is formed to extend along the tank body 10 from the safety valve 20.

  The good heat conduction means 30 is for moving the thermal energy around the high-pressure tank 10 to the safety valve 20 and is formed from a member having a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than the thermal conductivity of the surface 11 of the tank body 10. Has been. For example, when the surface 11 of the tank body 10 is formed of a resin member, the good heat conducting means 30 can be formed of a resin member or a metal member such as aluminum or steel.

  Further, the good heat conducting means 30 is formed in a plate shape having a predetermined surface area, and its end 31 is disposed between the end face of the tank body 10 and the end face of the flange 24 and is pressed while being threaded. 25 and the safety valve 20 are fastened together.

  In the safety valve 20, a notch 26 is formed between the end face of the screw portion 25 and the end face of the flange portion 24 so as to contact the soluble alloy 22. The predetermined portion of the end portion 31 of the good heat conducting means 30 comes into contact with the fusible alloy 22 when accommodated in the notch 26 of the safety valve 20, and this state is obtained when the good heat conducting means 30 is fastened together by the screw portion 25. Fixed. According to this, since it arrange | positions so that the good heat conduction means 30 may contact the fusible alloy 22 of the safety valve 20, heat-speed can be speeded up and it is suitable.

  The end 31 is formed so as to extend along the tank body 10, and the open end 32 is opposite to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the tank body 10 (the end where the safety valve 20 is disposed). It is arrange | positioned so that it may be located in the vicinity.

  The shape of the good heat conducting means 30 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3. For example, if the purpose of reducing the weight of the vehicle is not impaired, substantially half of the outer peripheral surface of the tank body 10 is covered. Alternatively, it may be formed in a shape matching the space in which the high-pressure tank 1 is mounted. Further, the configuration for connecting the good heat conduction means 30 to the safety valve 20 is not limited to welding or screwing, and any connection configuration may be adopted as long as heat transfer from the good heat conduction means 30 to the safety valve 20 is possible. Can do. Furthermore, the open end 32 may be arranged so as to remain in the approximate center in the longitudinal direction without extending to the vicinity of the other end in the longitudinal direction of the tank body 10.

  Next, the operation of the safety valve 20 configured as described above will be described. When the atmospheric temperature of the high-pressure tank 1 is normal, the pressure relief hole 21 of the safety valve 20 is closed with a soluble alloy 22 or the like.

  Thereafter, when the ambient temperature rises at a site away from the safety valve 20 of the high-pressure tank 1 due to a predetermined cause such as a fire, the good heat conduction means 30 disposed on the surface of the high-pressure tank 1 and in the vicinity of the site is overheated. Heat is transferred to the safety valve 20 from the surface of the tank 1 and the good heat conducting means 30. As described above, since the surface of the tank body 10 is formed of a resin liner having a low thermal conductivity, heat transfer from the tank body 10 to the safety valve 20 is difficult, but the good heat conduction means 30 has a thermal conductivity. Therefore, heat is efficiently transferred to the safety valve 20.

  As a result, the safety valve 20 is overheated before the durability of the tank body 10 is reduced due to an increase in internal pressure in the tank body 10, the fusible alloy 22 is softened and melted, the gas escape passage 21 is vacant, and the high pressure in the tank body 10 is Gas is released to the outside.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, for example, the tank body 10 whose overall length is set longer in order to increase the cruising distance of the vehicle, is opposite to the end of the tank body 10 where the safety valve 20 is disposed. When a fire or the like occurs in the vicinity of the end, there is a possibility that a deviation or a time lag occurs between the ambient temperature at the end of the tank body 10 and the ambient temperature of the safety valve 20. As a result of the efficient transfer of heat from the fire to the safety valve 20 by the extended good heat conduction means 30, the safety valve 20 can be operated before the durability of the tank body 10 is reduced due to an increase in internal pressure in the high-pressure tank. It becomes like this.

  In particular, when the surface of the high-pressure tank 1 is formed of a member having a low thermal conductivity, such as a resin liner, for the purpose of reducing the weight of the vehicle, heat is further transferred from the fire occurrence site of the high-pressure tank 1 to the safety valve 20. It becomes difficult to be transmitted. However, since the good heat conduction means 30 according to the present embodiment is formed of a member having a high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, heat due to a fire is transmitted from the good heat conduction means 30 to the safety valve 20 and appropriately the safety valve 20. Can be activated.

  In addition, since the good heat conduction means 30 is arranged along the periphery of the tank body 10, a dead space that tends to be formed around the tank body 10 can be used effectively, and the high-pressure tank 1 as a whole can be made compact. Can fit.

  Further, for example, in a fuel cell vehicle, if the length of one tank body 10 is extended in the traveling direction of the vehicle and a safety valve 20 and good heat conduction means 30 are provided for this, the number of tank bodies that have been conventionally mounted is reduced. It is possible to reduce the weight of the vehicle and reduce the production cost.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a high-pressure tank according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the second embodiment, members that are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the high-pressure tank 2 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the high-pressure tank 2 according to the second embodiment and the high-pressure tank 1 according to the first embodiment are different from each other in that good heat conduction means is arranged around the entire tank body 10. This is the point.

  Specifically, the high-pressure tank 2 according to the second embodiment includes a tank body 10, a safety valve 20 connected to the tank body 10, and good heat conduction means 40 having both ends connected to the safety valve 20. It has.

  The good heat conduction means 40 includes one end portion 31 and the other end portion 42 respectively connected to the safety valve 20, and forms a substantially rectangular frame surrounding the tank body 10. The frame may be configured to completely surround the tank body 10 by setting the height thereof to be substantially equal to the inner diameter of the tank body 10, or as shown in FIG. You may set to the size of.

  According to the second embodiment, the good heat conduction means 40 is disposed around the entire high pressure tank 2 and the both end portions 41 and 42 of the good heat conduction means 40 are connected to the safety valve 20. The temperature rise around the tank 2 can be transmitted to the safety valve 20 more reliably.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a high-pressure tank according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the third embodiment, members that are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic external view of the high-pressure tank 3 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the high-pressure tank 3 according to the third embodiment is different from the high-pressure tank 1 according to the first embodiment in that good heat conduction means is wound around the tank body 10. It is a point arranged as follows.

  Specifically, the high-pressure tank 3 according to the third embodiment includes a tank body 10, a safety valve 20 connected to the tank body 10, and good heat conduction means 50 connected to the safety valve 20. Yes.

  The good heat conducting means 50 includes an end portion 51 connected to the safety valve 20 and an open end 52, and is formed in a spiral shape so as to wrap around the tank body 10 with the longitudinal direction of the tank body 10 as an axis. Yes. The good heat conducting means 50 is formed in a wire shape so that it can be easily wound, and the spiral interval can be arbitrarily set according to the specification.

  According to the third embodiment, the good heat conduction means 40 is arranged so as to be wound around the high-pressure tank 2, so that the temperature rise around the high-pressure tank 2 can be more reliably transmitted to the safety valve 20. become.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a high-pressure tank 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the fourth embodiment, members that are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the high-pressure tank 4 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the high-pressure tank 4 according to the fourth embodiment and the high-pressure tank 1 according to the first embodiment are different in that a plurality of good heat conduction means are provided at places where ignition is likely to occur. This is the configuration.

  Specifically, the high-pressure tank 4 according to the fourth embodiment includes a tank body 10, a safety valve 20 connected to the tank body 10, a first good heat conduction means 60 connected to the safety valve 20, and a first Two good heat conduction means 70.

  The first good heat conducting means 60 includes an end portion 61 connected to the safety valve 20 and an open end 62, and extends in the direction of the flammable component 80. The flammable component 80 is a flammable component that easily burns, and when the tank body 10 is mounted on a fuel cell vehicle, for example, wiring, a heat insulating material, a sealing material, and the like correspond to this.

  The second good heat conduction means 70 includes an end 71 connected to the safety valve 20 and an open end 72, and extends along the periphery of the tank body 10. And a plurality of layers are formed between the end portion on the longitudinal direction safety valve 20 side and the substantially central portion. Here, the portion between the end of the tank body 10 on the side of the longitudinal direction safety valve 20 and the substantially central portion is assumed as a location where ignition is likely to occur.

  According to the fourth embodiment, since a plurality of good heat conducting means are provided, a temperature rise can be detected over a wider range. In addition, since the good heat conduction means is arranged paying attention to a part or part that easily ignites, it is possible to detect the temperature rise more efficiently and to operate the safety valve 20 appropriately.

  In particular, since vehicles such as automobiles are required to be compact, it is easy to arrange components in a small accommodation space. For this reason, when a flammable component such as a wiring, a heat insulating material, or a sealing material ignites, it is a matter of time for the tank body 10 to overheat. Since the first good heat conduction means 60 is provided in consideration of the flammability of the arranged components, the safety valve 20 can be reliably operated in a state where the tank body 10 may be overheated.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a high-pressure tank according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the fifth embodiment, members that are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the high-pressure tank 5 according to the fifth embodiment by cutting. As shown in FIG. 7, the high-pressure tank 5 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the high-pressure tank 1 according to the first embodiment in that the good heat conduction means 90 is bolted to the tank body 10. It is a point attached.

  Specifically, the high-pressure tank 5 according to the fifth embodiment includes a tank body 10, a safety valve 200 connected to the tank body 10, and good heat conduction means 90 having an end 91 connected to the safety valve 200. It is equipped with.

  The good heat conduction means 90 includes an end portion (connection end) 91 connected to the safety valve 200 and an open end 92, and extends along the tank body 10 from the safety valve 200 to which the end portion 91 is connected. Is formed. The end portion 91 of the good heat conducting means 90 is disposed on the end surface of the flange portion 24 of the valve body 23 and is attached to the tank body 10 by tightening bolts 93.

  According to the fifth embodiment, the good heat conduction means 90 is disposed on the end face of the flange portion 24 of the valve body 23, and is fixed by bolting, so that the good heat conduction means 90 can be easily attached to the safety valve 200. Can be connected to.

  The connection configuration between the good heat conduction means 90 and the safety valve 200 is not limited to that shown in the first embodiment or the fifth embodiment, and for example, the end 91 of the good heat conduction means 90 is connected to the safety valve 200. It can also be fixed to the end face of the flange 24 of the valve body 23 by adhesion or the like.

[Other embodiments]
As described above, the present invention has been described using the preferred embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where one safety valve 20 is provided for one tank body 10 is illustrated. However, depending on the size of the tank body 10 and the like, a plurality of safety valves 20 may be provided on one tank body 10. Also good. In such a case, the safety valve 20 may be provided with the good heat conduction means 30, or the two or more safety valves 20 may share one good heat conduction means 03.

  Even when the present invention is applied to a tank having a plurality of safety valves, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be produced.

1 is a schematic plan view of a high-pressure tank according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which cuts and shows the safety valve shown in FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of the high-pressure tank 1 shown in FIG. It is a schematic plan view of the high-pressure tank 2 concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic external view of the high-pressure tank 3 concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic external view of the high-pressure tank 4 concerning 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which cuts and shows the high-pressure tank 5 concerning 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 High pressure tank 10 Tank main body 11 Tank main body surface 12 Tank main body inside 20 Safety valve 30 Good heat conduction means 31 End (connection end)
32 Open end

Claims (8)

A tank body containing high-pressure gas inside;
A safety valve that discharges high-pressure gas stored in the tank body to the outside as the temperature rises;
Good heat conduction means connected to the safety valve;
High pressure tank equipped with. The good heat conduction means is
The high pressure tank according to claim 1, wherein the high pressure tank is formed of a member having a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than a thermal conductivity of a surface of the tank body. The good heat conduction means is
The high-pressure tank according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure tank is disposed so as to come into contact with a temperature sensing part of the safety valve. The surface of the tank body is
The high-pressure tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the high-pressure tank is formed of a resin member. The good heat conduction means is
The high-pressure tank according to claim 4, wherein the high-pressure tank is formed of an aluminum member. The good heat conduction means is
The high-pressure tank according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the high-pressure tank is disposed so as to extend from the safety valve along the periphery of the tank body. The good heat conduction means is
The high-pressure tank according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the high-pressure tank is disposed so as to extend from the safety valve in a direction of a flammable component disposed in the vicinity of the tank body. The high-pressure tank according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the high-pressure tank is a hydrogen tank containing high-pressure hydrogen gas, and the hydrogen tank is mounted on a fuel cell vehicle.

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