JP2014055600A - Gas filling device and gas filling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple detection method for piping-system gas leak involved in gas filling into a tank.SOLUTION: A gas filling device 100 performs a pipe conduit leak detection following tank leak detection which is performed by filling extremely low temperature nitrogen gas and detection gas (hydrogen gas) into a tank T from a detection gas filling mechanism 510. In the pipe conduit leak detection, leak detection gas (residual gas) residing in the tank T when completing the tank leak detection is delivered wholly into a looped pipe conduit including the tank T, which is connected via supply/exhaust connection piping 240 to downstream side supply piping 212d downstream of a supply valve 216 located in a pipe conduit closing position, tank side supply piping 310, upstream side exhaust piping 222u upstream of an exhaust valve 224 located in the pipe conduit closing position, and tank side exhaust piping 320. Then, looped-pipe conduit leak is detected according to the transition of pressure detected by each of a supply side pressure sensor 246 and an exhaust side pressure sensor 248 in the supply/exhaust connection piping 240.

Description

  The present invention relates to filling a tank with gas.

  Gas filling into the tank is required every time gas stored in the tank, for example, fuel gas such as hydrogen gas or natural gas is consumed, or following detection of gas leak in the tank. Various techniques have been proposed for quickly filling a tank with high-pressure gas through vaporization of fuel gas or liquefied gas for tank leak detection (Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-089620 A

  When filling the tank with gas, pipe connection to the cap valve of the tank is indispensable, and each time the pipe is connected or disconnected, the pipes involved in filling the tank with gas are handled by the operator. The handling of such piping may lead to gas leaks in the piping system that is involved in filling the tank with gas, but the situation is that such a situation is not considered in the above method. For this reason, the simple detection method of the gas leak of the piping system in connection with the gas filling to a tank came to be requested | required. Further, it is desired to be able to be used in combination with an existing tank leak detection method, for example, a detection method for detecting a tank leak by filling a gas through vaporization of a liquefied gas, and reducing the cost.

  In order to achieve at least a part of the above object, the present invention can be implemented as the following modes.

  (1) According to one form of this invention, the gas filling apparatus which fills a tank with gas is provided. The gas filling device extends from a gas supply source, and is connected to a supply pipe connected to a gas inlet port of a base valve included in the tank, and to a gas discharge port of the base valve, and remains in the tank while leaving pressure. A discharge pipe for guiding residual gas to the outside of the tank, a first open / close valve for opening / closing a pipe line of the supply pipe, a second open / close valve for opening / closing a pipe line of the discharge pipe, the supply pipe and the discharge pipe Are connected to the downstream side of the first bubble and the upstream side of the second open / close valve, a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the supply / exhaust connection pipe, and the first open / close valve; Closing control of the second on-off valve, the residual gas is distributed to the supply pipe on the downstream side of the first bubble and the discharge pipe and the supply / discharge connection pipe on the upstream side of the second on-off valve, The pressure A leak detection unit that detects a leak in a pipe line based on the output of the sensor, and a filling unit that fills the tank from the gas supply source through control of the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve With. In the gas filling device of the above aspect, if there is a leak in each of the pipes, the pipe internal pressure of the supply / discharge connection pipe changes from a pressure based on the pressure of the residual gas. Can be detected. Therefore, according to the gas filling apparatus of the above aspect, the gas leak in the piping system can be easily detected only by connecting the piping to the tank cap valve and controlling the valve. In addition, since the gas remaining in the tank only needs to be used for detecting the gas leak in the piping system, the gas for detecting the gas leak in the piping system and its supply / discharge mechanism are not required, and the cost can be reduced. Then, following the detection of the gas leak in the piping system, the tank can be filled with gas from the gas supply source through the control of the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve. The above-mentioned residual gas is the residual gas remaining in the tank before the gas filling, or the leak detection gas (residual gas) remaining in the tank at the completion of the tank leak detection performed before the gas filling. The pressure at the time of remaining in the tank passes through the pipe connection to the tank cap valve to the discharge pipe and the supply / discharge connection pipe upstream from the second opening / closing valve, and the supply pipe downstream from the first bubble. Go around without trouble.

  (2) In the gas filling device of the above aspect, the supply / discharge connection pipe includes a third open / close valve that opens and closes a pipe line, and the pressure sensor is provided in each of the supply / discharge connection pipes on both sides of the third open / close valve. You can This has the following advantages. First, if the third opening / closing valve is controlled to open, a gas leak in the piping system can be easily detected as in the above embodiment. Then, when the third on-off valve is controlled to close, the discharge pipe upstream from the second on-off valve and the supply pipe downstream from the first bubble are connected by the third on-off valve (close control) of the supply / discharge connection pipe. Can be partitioned. And about the discharge piping upstream from the 2nd on-off valve and the supply piping downstream from the 1st bubble which divided in this way, the gas leak of a piping system can be easily detected with the pressure sensor of the both sides of a 3rd on-off valve. That is, it is possible to determine whether there is a gas leak in the exhaust pipe upstream of the second on-off valve or the supply pipe downstream of the first bubble, or whether both pipes have a gas leak.

  (3) In the gas filling apparatus according to any one of the above forms, a detection gas supply that branches from the supply pipe downstream from a connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe and supplies a detection gas for detecting a leak in the tank to the tank A pipe and a detection gas discharge pipe that branches from the discharge pipe upstream from the connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe and guides the detection gas supplied to the tank through the detection gas supply pipe to the outside of the tank. You can By so doing, the detection gas can be supplied to the tank via the detection gas supply pipe and the supply pipe and filled into the tank, so that the tank leak can be detected by this detection gas. Further, the detected gas after detection can be discharged out of the tank through the discharge pipe and the detection gas discharge pipe branched from the pipe. Therefore, it can be used together with the existing tank leak detection method.

  (4) According to another aspect of the present invention, a gas filling method for filling a tank with gas is provided. The gas filling method includes a first on-off valve that opens and closes a supply pipe that extends from a gas supply source and is connected to a gas inflow port of a base valve of the tank, and is connected to a gas discharge port of the base valve. A filling process for filling the tank with gas from the gas supply source through control of both open / close valves with a second open / close valve that opens and closes a discharge pipe that guides remaining gas that remains in the tank to the outside. And a leak detection step for detecting a gas leak in the supply pipe and the discharge pipe prior to the filling step. In the leak detection step, the first on-off valve and the first And closing the two open / close valves to the supply pipe downstream of the first bubble and the discharge pipe and supply / discharge connection pipe upstream of the second open / close valve. The residual gas is distributed, and the internal pressure of the supply / discharge connection pipe connecting the supply pipe and the discharge pipe is detected on the downstream side of the first bubble and the upstream side of the second opening / closing valve. Based on the pipe internal pressure, a gas leak in the supply pipe downstream from the first bubble and the discharge pipe upstream from the second opening / closing valve is detected. Even with the gas filling method of the above embodiment, the remaining gas is spread over the discharge pipe and supply / discharge connection pipe upstream of the second opening / closing valve and the supply pipe downstream of the first bubble, and the gas leak in the pipe system is simplified by the pressure sensor. Can be detected. In addition, since the gas remaining in the tank only needs to be used for detecting the gas leak in the piping system, the gas for detecting the gas leak in the piping system and its supply / discharge mechanism are not required, and the cost can be reduced. Then, following the detection of the gas leak in the piping system, the tank can be filled with gas from the gas supply source through the control of the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve.

  The present invention can be realized, for example, in a form including gas leak detection of a tank.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structure of the gas filling apparatus 100 as 1st Embodiment of this invention with the structure of the nozzle | cap | die valve TV attached to the tank T. FIG. It is process drawing which shows the gas filling procedure including pipeline leak detection. It is process drawing which shows the gas filling procedure including the pipeline leak detection in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a gas filling device 100A as a hydrogen gas station together with a configuration of a cap valve TV attached to a tank T.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a gas filling apparatus 100 as a first embodiment of the present invention together with a configuration of a cap valve TV attached to a tank T. As shown in the figure, the gas filling device 100 includes a facility-side device group 200, an operation piping group 300, and a control device 400, and the operation piping group 300 is connected to the cap valve of the tank T every time the tank T is filled with gas. Connect to the TV as described below.

  The facility-side equipment group 200 includes a gas storage tank 210 that is a gas supply source, a facility-side supply pipe 212, a recovery tank 220 for the gas discharged from the tank T, a facility-side discharge pipe 222 that reaches the tank, A supply / discharge connection pipe 240 that connects the equipment-side supply pipe 212 and the equipment-side discharge pipe 222 is provided. The gas storage tank 210 stores the filling gas in the tank T, for example, the hydrogen gas filling the tank T of the vehicle equipped with the fuel cell at a pressure higher than the tank filling pressure, and the pressure reduction valve 214 decompresses the stored hydrogen gas. Above, it supplies to the tank T through the equipment side supply piping 212. FIG. The facility-side supply pipe 212 includes a supply valve 216 that opens and closes a pipe line, and causes hydrogen gas to flow to the supply joint 218 at the downstream end of the pipe line through opening control of the valve by a control device 400 described later. The supply valve 216 divides the facility-side supply pipe 212 into an upstream-side supply pipe 212u on the gas storage tank 210 side and a downstream-side supply pipe 212d on the supply joint 218 side.

  The recovery tank 220 recovers the hydrogen gas remaining in the tank T in the gas filling process by the control device 400 described later. The recovery tank 220 is provided in the facility-side discharge pipe 222 and is subjected to opening control by the control device 400 of the discharge valve 224 that opens and closes the pipe line, so that the residual hydrogen gas in the tank T is discharged from the discharge joint at the upstream end of the pipe line. It collects from the H.226 through the equipment side discharge pipe 222. The discharge valve 224 partitions the facility-side discharge pipe 222 into an upstream discharge pipe 222u on the discharge joint 226 side and a downstream discharge pipe 222d on the collection tank 220 side.

  The supply / discharge connection pipe 240 is connected downstream of the supply valve 216 and upstream of the discharge valve 224, and connects the equipment side supply pipe 212 and the equipment side discharge pipe 222, more specifically, the downstream side supply pipe 212d and the upstream side discharge pipe 222u. The connection line valve 242 for opening and closing the line is provided in the line. The supply / discharge connection pipe 240 includes a supply-side pressure sensor 246 and a discharge-side pressure sensor 248 that detect the internal pressure of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 on both sides of the connection pipe valve 242.

  The operation pipe group 300 is connected to the tank side supply pipe 310 connected to the gas inlet port P1 of the base valve TV and the gas discharge port P2 of the base valve TV which the tank T has in the base part thereof, and the residual gas in the tank T. A tank-side discharge pipe 320 that guides (hydrogen gas) to the outside of the tank. The tank-side supply pipe 310 and the tank-side discharge pipe 320 are so-called flexible hoses because they are handled so as to be connected to the gas inflow port P1 and the gas discharge port P2 by a coupler joint having a nozzle / receptacle structure. The tank-side supply pipe 310 is connected to the facility-side supply pipe 212 by connecting the upstream-side tank-side supply joint 314 to the supply joint 218. Thus, the hydrogen gas can be filled from the gas storage tank 210 to the tank T through valve control by the control device 400 such as the supply valve 216 and the tank side supply valve 312. The filling pressure at this time is detected by a discharge side pressure sensor 248 provided in the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 as described later, and the detection result is output to the control device 400. The tank side discharge pipe 320 is connected to the facility side discharge pipe 222 by connecting the tank side discharge joint 324 at the downstream end to the discharge joint 226. As a result, the residual gas (hydrogen gas) in the tank T can be collected in the collection tank 220 through valve control by the control device 400 such as the tank side discharge valve 322 and the discharge valve 224. Gas filling and residual gas recovery will be described later.

  The joint structures of the tank-side supply joint 314 and the supply joint 218, and the tank-side discharge joint 324 and the discharge joint 226 are inexpensive screw-in joint structures. This is because even if both the joints are left connected, there is no particular problem in gas filling described later and detection of a pipe leak before that, and the frequency of the attachment / detachment is low.

  In addition, the operation pipe group 300 includes a detection gas supply pipe 330 branched from the tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the tank side supply valve 312 of the tank side supply pipe 310 and a tank side discharge valve 322 of the tank side discharge pipe 320. And a detection gas discharge pipe 340 branched from the tank side discharge pipe 320 on the upstream side. The detection gas supply pipe 330 is a flexible hose similarly to the tank side supply pipe 310, and includes a receptor 332 at the upstream end, and an open / close valve 334 in the middle of the pipeline. When the receptor 332 is connected to the nozzle 520 of the pipe line extending from the detection gas filling mechanism 510 of the tank leak detection device 500, the detection gas supply pipe 330 detects the detection gas for detecting tank leak in the tank T. The gas is supplied from the gas filling mechanism 510 to the tank T. As proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-89620, the detection gas filling mechanism 510 is a cryogenic nitrogen obtained by heat exchange of fluid nitrogen with a detection gas, for example, hydrogen gas or helium gas, which is filled in the tank T. The tank T is mixed with gas.

  The detection gas discharge pipe 340 is a flexible hose similarly to the tank side discharge pipe 320, and includes a receptor 342 at the downstream end and an open / close valve 344 in the middle of the pipeline. And if the receptor 342 is connected to the nozzle which the detection gas collection | recovery apparatus or detection gas discharge | release apparatus which is not shown in figure, the detection gas discharge piping 340 guides the detection gas of the tank T out of a tank. In this case, since the branch point of the detection gas supply pipe 330 is downstream from the tank side supply valve 312, the detection gas supply pipe 330 is connected to the facility side supply pipe 212 ( The downstream supply pipe 212d), and hence the tank side supply pipe 310 branches off. Further, since the branch point of the detection gas discharge pipe 340 is upstream of the tank side discharge valve 322, the equipment side discharge pipe 222 (upstream discharge pipe 222u), upstream from the connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240, As a result, it branches off from the tank side discharge pipe 320. Note that the tank leak detection device 500 can be handled as an accessory device of the gas filling device 100, and in the case where detection of tank leak prior to gas filling is required, the detection gas is supplied to the nozzle 520 of the tank leak detection device 500. The receptor 332 of the supply pipe 330 may be connected.

  The control device 400 is constituted by a so-called microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like for executing a logical operation, receives a sensor input from the supply side pressure sensor 246, etc., and detects a pipe leak prior to gas filling or gas filling. Is performed through valve control of the supply valve 216 or the like. This pipeline leak detection and gas filling will be described later.

  The cap valve TV of the tank T includes an in-valve flow path Vp from the gas inflow port P1 to the gas exhaust port P2, and a branch flow path Bp branched from the flow path to reach the tank. A first backflow prevention valve G1, a first filter F1, and a second backflow prevention valve G2 are incorporated in the in-valve flow path Vp from the gas inflow port P1 to the branch location of the branch flow path Bp. . And the 2nd filter F2 and the opening-and-closing valve Vv are integrated in the flow path Vp in a valve | bulb downstream of a branch location. The opening / closing valve Vv is configured to take the pipeline closed position as an initial position, and is controlled by the control device 400 connected via the terminal connector Vc, and the pipeline of the in-valve channel Vp is opened in the gas filling process described later. Open and close. The tank T is equipped with a temperature sensor Ts for detecting the temperature in the tank, and the sensor output is output to the control device 400 via the terminal connector Vc.

  Next, hydrogen gas filling to the tank T performed by the gas filling device 100 described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing a gas filling procedure including pipe leak detection. When filling the gas, the supply valve 216 of the facility-side supply pipe 212, the tank-side supply valve 312 of the tank-side supply pipe 310, the tank-side discharge valve 322 of the tank-side discharge pipe 320, and the discharge valve 224 of the recovery tank 220 are Both take the pipeline closed position as the initial position.

  The hydrogen gas filling process shown in FIG. 2 is started by the control device 400 through an operator operation such as a filling start switch (not shown), and first, a leak detection completion process for the tank T, which is a previous process, is performed (step S100). . In this leak detection, a leak detection gas, for example, hydrogen gas, is filled in the tank T together with nitrogen gas from the detection gas filling mechanism 510 of FIG. 1 through the detection gas supply pipe 330 for tank leak detection. The filled gas is discharged or collected outside the tank through the detection gas discharge pipe 340. Therefore, in step S100, the connection between the nozzle 520 and the receptor 332 of the detection gas supply pipe 330 and the connection between the receptor 342 of the detection gas discharge pipe 340 and a nozzle (not shown) are released with the completion of the leak detection of the tank T. . This connection release is performed by automatically releasing the coupler joint of the nozzle / receptacle structure with an automatic device not shown in FIG. In this case, in the above tank leak detection process, the tank side supply valve 312 of the tank side supply pipe 310 and the tank side discharge valve 322 of the tank side discharge pipe 320 are in the pipeline closed position. The cryogenic nitrogen gas from 510 and the detection gas (hydrogen gas) mixed therein do not flow into the pipe line on the tank side supply joint 314 side or the pipe line on the tank side discharge joint 324 side. Therefore, the tank-side supply joint 314 and the tank-side discharge joint 324 do not become a low temperature that prevents manual operation by the worker. In tank leak detection, the tank-side supply pipe 310 and the tank-side discharge pipe 320 are already connected to the gas inlet port P1 and the gas outlet port P2 of the base valve TV by a coupler joint having a nozzle / receptacle structure, respectively. .

  Next, the control device 400 connects the open / close valve 334 and the open / close valve 334 to the pipes involved in the gas supply / discharge of the tank T for detecting the leak, that is, the detection gas supply pipe 330 and the detection gas discharge pipe 340. Are closed under control (step S110). In this case, when the opening / closing valve 334 and the opening / closing valve 344 have a manual valve structure, the control device 400 confirms the completion of the closing operation of both the opening / closing valves by a predetermined switch operation by an operator or the like. Become.

  In step S120 following step S110, pipelines involved in hydrogen gas filling from the gas storage tank 210, specifically, the facility-side supply pipe 212 and the tank-side supply pipe 310, and the facility-side discharge pipe 222 and the tank-side discharge The pipe 320 is connected. This pipe connection is made by connecting the tank side supply joint 314 and the supply joint 218 and the tank side discharge joint 324 and the screw joint of the discharge joint 226. In this case, since these joints are normally already connected, step S120 can be skipped. If it is necessary to connect the threaded joint, the connection work is performed by an operator. As described above, the tank-side supply joint 314 and the tank-side discharge joint 324 are kept at a low temperature in the previous tank leak detection process. Because it is not, there is no hindrance. The control device 400 confirms the completion of the connection of the screwed joint by a predetermined switch operation or the like of the worker, and performs the process of the next step S130.

  In subsequent step S130, control device 400 prepares for pipeline leak detection. That is, the control device 400 controls to open the connection pipe valve 242 of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240, the tank side supply valve 312 of the tank side supply pipe 310, and the tank side discharge valve 322 of the tank side discharge pipe 320. As a result, the downstream supply pipe 212d and the tank supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216 in the pipeline closed position are connected to the upstream discharge pipe 222u and the tank discharge pipe upstream of the discharge valve 224 in the pipeline closed position. 320 is connected via a supply / discharge connection pipe 240. That is, a loop-shaped pipeline including the tank T is formed by each of the above-described pipes. In this case, when a part of the above-described valves, for example, the tank side supply valve 312 and the tank side discharge valve 322 have a manual valve structure, the control device 400 completes the opening operation of both valves. It will be confirmed by the operator's predetermined switch operation.

  In subsequent step S140, control device 400 starts pipe leak detection. That is, the control device 400 outputs a control signal to the opening / closing valve Vv via the terminal connector Vc of the base valve TV, and controls the opening / closing valve Vv to open. In response to the opening of the valve, the residual gas in the tank T, that is, the residual hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas (hereinafter referred to as the residual gas) discharged from the detection gas discharge pipe 340 after filling the tank T for tank leak detection and released from the detection gas discharge pipe 340. Gas) is a loop-shaped pipe line including the tank T, that is, an upstream side exhaust pipe 222u and a tank side exhaust pipe 320 upstream of the exhaust valve 224, a supply / discharge connection pipe 240, and a downstream side downstream of the supply valve 216. It is led to the side supply pipe 212d and the tank side supply pipe 310 as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1, and reaches each part of these pipe lines. The pressure of the residual gas described above is reduced to about 1 Mpa or less due to the release after the tank leak is detected. However, since the pressure in the pipe is even lower, the residual gas in the tank T is distributed to the pipes described above. The loop-shaped pipe line including the tank T becomes a so-called closed system. Therefore, if no pipe leak occurs, the pressure in the pipe line is approximately the same as the residual gas in the tank T. Converge. On the other hand, if a pipeline leak has occurred, the pressure in the pipeline will decrease according to the degree of the leak.

  The control device 400 reads the detected pressures of the supply-side pressure sensor 246 and the discharge-side pressure sensor 248 of the supply / exhaust connection pipe 240, waits until the detected pressure from both sensors becomes a constant pressure, and connects the supply / exhaust connection pipe 240. The conduit valve 242 is controlled to be closed (step S150). In this case, if the detected pressure from both sensors does not become constant even after a predetermined time has elapsed, it is assumed that a pipeline leak has occurred in any part of the looped pipeline including the tank T. Is done. The control device 400 controls the connection line valve 242 to be closed after the elapse of the time in order to investigate the occurrence location of the leak in more detail. By the closing control of the connection pipe valve 242 in step S150, the loop-like pipe line including the tank T is connected to the upstream discharge pipe 222u and the tank upstream of the discharge valve 224 with the connection pipe valve 242 as a boundary. The side discharge pipe 320 is divided into a downstream supply pipe 212 d and a tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216. In step S150, the opening / closing valve Vv of the base valve TV can also be controlled to be closed. If it carries out like this, piping divided as mentioned above can be made to separate from tank T after pipe leak detection.

  The control device 400 continuously reads the detected pressures of the supply-side pressure sensor 246 and the discharge-side pressure sensor 248 after closing control of the connection pipeline valve 242 and determines whether there is a pipeline leak based on the detected pressure transition of both sensors. Is detected (step S160). This pipeline leak detection is performed for the upstream side exhaust pipe 222u and the tank side exhaust pipe 320 upstream of the exhaust valve 224, and for the downstream side supply pipe 212d and the tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216, respectively. This is performed based on the sensor output transition. Then, when detecting a pipeline leak based on the detected pressure transition of the supply side pressure sensor 246 and the discharge side pressure sensor 248, the control device 400 notifies that the pipeline leak has occurred, including the leak occurrence location. , To encourage leak repair by workers. For example, if a pipe leak has occurred in any of the upstream side exhaust pipe 222u and the tank side exhaust pipe 320 upstream of the exhaust valve 224, the sensor output of the exhaust side pressure sensor 248 will decrease and control. The apparatus 400 notifies that a pipeline leak has occurred in the upstream side exhaust pipe 222u and the tank side exhaust pipe 320 upstream of the exhaust valve 224. The same applies to the downstream supply pipe 212d and the tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216. Upon receiving this notification, the worker attempts to repair leaks such as reconnecting joints and replacing pipes.

  The control device 400 starts charging hydrogen gas into the tank T when it is detected in step S160 that there is no pipeline leak or after leak repair accompanying the pipeline leak detection (step S170). That is, the control device 400 controls to open and close the opening / closing valve Vv of the cap valve TV and the supply valve 216 of the facility-side supply pipe 212. As a result, the hydrogen gas in the gas storage tank 210 is depressurized by the pressure reducing valve 214, reaches the base valve TV through the equipment side supply pipe 212 and the tank side supply pipe 310, It is filled via the path Vp and the branched flow path Bp branched from it. In this case, since the opening / closing valve Vv of the cap valve TV is controlled to open, the hydrogen gas from the gas storage tank 210 is connected to the pipe line upstream of the discharge valve 224 under the closing control and the connecting pipe line under the closing control. It also flows into the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 of the valve 242. Therefore, the discharge side pressure sensor 248 of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 detects the hydrogen gas filling pressure.

  When the gas filling is started in this way, the control device 400 performs the hydrogen gas filling up to a predetermined filling pressure and the hydrogen gas discharge in the pipe line after the filling is completed (step S180), and the hydrogen gas filling process is finished. In step S180, the control device 400 continues the valve control up to a predetermined filling pressure while monitoring the pressure transition of the discharge side pressure sensor 248, and fills the tank T with hydrogen gas. When the hydrogen gas filling at the predetermined pressure is completed in this way, the control device 400 controls the closing of the opening / closing valve Vv of the cap valve TV and the supply valve 216 of the equipment side supply pipe 212 and then the discharge valve of the equipment side discharge pipe 222. 224 is controlled to open. As a result, the hydrogen gas that has flowed into the pipe upstream of the discharge valve 224 under the closed control and the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 of the connection pipe valve 242 under the closed control passes through the downstream discharge pipe 222d. It is guided to 220 and collected in the tank.

  The hydrogen gas filling process described above shows a state of gas filling subsequent to the detection of the leak in the tank T. However, the hydrogen gas filling is also performed when the hydrogen gas in the tank T is consumed and needs to be replenished, and there is a case where the leak detection of the tank T is not required. In this case, by the previous hydrogen gas filling process, the disconnection of the coupler joint of the nozzle / receptacle structure in step S100 and the supply / exhaust piping of the detection gas in step S120 are closed. Therefore, in the hydrogen gas filling process that does not require the detection of the leak in the tank T, both processes are skipped, and each process is executed from step S120.

  As described above, in the gas filling apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, the tank T is filled with the cryogenic nitrogen gas and the detection gas (hydrogen gas) mixed therein from the detection gas filling mechanism 510. Following the clique detection, pipe leak detection is executed. In this pipeline leak detection, the leak detection gas (residual gas) remaining in the tank T when the tank leak detection is completed is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. Guide them to the various parts of these pipelines. In this case, the pipes subject to the pipe leak are the downstream supply pipe 212d downstream of the supply valve 216 in the pipe closed position and the tank side supply pipe 310 upstream of the discharge valve 224 in the pipe closed position. Is a loop-like pipe line including the tank T connected to the upstream side discharge pipe 222u and the tank side discharge pipe 320 via the supply / discharge connection pipe 240, and the tank side supply joint 310 of the tank side supply pipe 310 and the equipment A supply joint 218 of the side supply pipe 212, and a screw-type joint of the tank side discharge joint 324 of the tank side discharge pipe 320 and the discharge joint 226 of the equipment side discharge pipe 222. In the gas filling device 100 of this embodiment, the leak of the loop-shaped pipe line is detected based on the detected pressure transition of the supply-side pressure sensor 246 and the discharge-side pressure sensor 248 of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 (step S150). ~ 160). Since the loop-shaped pipe line is a closed system, if there is a leak in the pipe line, the detection pressure of both the above-described sensors (the pipe internal pressure of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240) will decrease, Pipe leak can be detected easily. In addition, since the residual gas in the tank T can be used for such a pipe leak detection, the pipe leak detection gas and its supply / discharge mechanism are not required. That is, according to the gas filling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a pipeline leak at low cost. Moreover, following the detection of the pipe leak, the gas storage is performed through the opening control of both the supply valve 216 of the equipment side supply pipe 212 extending from the gas storage tank 210 and the discharge valve 224 of the equipment side discharge pipe 222 connected to the recovery tank 220. Hydrogen gas can be filled from the tank 210 to the tank T without any problem.

  Further, in the gas filling device 100 of the present embodiment, the pressure of the supply side pressure sensor 246 and the discharge side pressure sensor 248 on both sides of the valve is closed after the pipe line of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 is closed by the connection pipe line valve 242. Monitor the transition. At this time, since the connection line valve 242 is controlled to be closed (step S150), the loop-shaped line as the closed system is connected to the upstream side of the discharge valve 224 with the connection line valve 242 as a boundary. An upstream discharge pipe 222u and a tank discharge pipe 320 are divided into a downstream supply pipe 212d and a tank supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216. Therefore, the upstream discharge pipe 222u and the tank side discharge pipe 320 upstream of the partitioned discharge valve 224, and the downstream supply pipe 212d and the tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216 are respectively described above. Pipeline leaks can be detected individually and simply based on sensor output transition. Therefore, there is a pipe leak in any of the upstream side exhaust pipe 222u and the tank side exhaust pipe 320 upstream of the exhaust valve 224, and the downstream side supply pipe 212d and the tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216. It can also be determined whether there is a pipe leak in both pipes.

  Further, in the gas filling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the detection gas supply pipe 330 is branched from the tank side supply pipe 310 on the downstream side of the connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 and the tank side supply valve 312, and this detection gas supply pipe. 330 is connected to the detection gas filling mechanism 510 through the connection between the receptor 332 and the nozzle 520. Thus, prior to the hydrogen gas filling, the tank T can be detected by filling the tank T with the cryogenic nitrogen gas and the detection gas (hydrogen gas) mixed therein from the detection gas filling mechanism 510. In addition, the detection gas discharge pipe 340 is branched from the tank side discharge pipe 320 upstream of the connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 and the tank side discharge valve 322, so that the tank T is supplied to the tank T via the detection gas supply pipe 330. The cryogenic nitrogen gas and the detection gas (hydrogen gas) mixed therein can be led out of the tank through the detection gas discharge pipe 340 and discharged out of the tank. As a result, according to the gas filling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the tank leak detection is performed using the existing tank leak detection apparatus 500 including the detection gas filling mechanism 510, and thereafter, the pipe leak described above is performed. Detection and hydrogen gas filling can be achieved.

  In addition, when tank leak detection is performed using the tank leak detection device 500, the tank side supply valve 312 of the tank side supply pipe 310 and the tank side discharge valve 322 of the tank side discharge pipe 320 are set to the pipeline closed position. For this reason, the cryogenic nitrogen gas from the detection gas filling mechanism 510 and the detection gas (hydrogen gas) mixed therein are supplied to the tank-side supply joint 314 side pipe or the tank-side discharge joint 324 side pipe. Therefore, the tank-side supply joint 314 and the tank-side discharge joint 324 can be kept at a low temperature that prevents manual operation by the worker. Therefore, the connection work by the workers of the tank side supply joint 314 and the supply joint 218 and the connection work by the workers of the tank side discharge joint 324 and the discharge joint 226 at the time of pipe connection (step S120) involved in hydrogen gas filling. Can be avoided.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment is characterized in that the loop-shaped pipe leak detection described above is sequentially performed on the downstream side of the tank T and the upstream side of the tank T. FIG. 3 is a process diagram showing a gas filling procedure including pipeline leak detection in the second embodiment.

  As described above, the hydrogen gas filling process shown in FIG. 3 includes the tank T leak detection completion process (step S100), the tank T leak detection gas supply / discharge pipe closing (step S110), and hydrogen. The pipeline connection (step S120) involving gas filling is sequentially executed. In the pipeline leak detection preparation following the pipeline connection (step S132), the control device 400, unlike the embodiment described above, supplies the tank side supply while keeping the connection pipeline valve 242 of the supply / exhaust connection piping 240 closed. The tank side supply valve 312 of the pipe 310 and the tank side discharge valve 322 of the tank side discharge pipe 320 are controlled to be opened. As a result, the downstream supply pipe 212d and the tank supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216 in the pipeline closed position are connected to the upstream discharge pipe 222u and the tank discharge pipe upstream of the discharge valve 224 in the pipeline closed position. 320 is a state of being partitioned with reference to 242 of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240. In addition, when the above-mentioned valve has a manual valve structure, it is as described above.

  In the subsequent step S142, the control device 400 starts pipe leak detection on the downstream side of the tank T. That is, the control device 400 outputs a control signal to the opening / closing valve Vv via the terminal connector Vc of the base valve TV, and controls the opening / closing valve Vv to open. In response to the opening of the valve, the residual gas in the tank T, that is, the residual hydrogen gas and nitrogen gas (hereinafter referred to as the residual gas) discharged from the detection gas discharge pipe 340 after filling the tank T for tank leak detection and released from the detection gas discharge pipe 340. Gas) reaches the upstream discharge pipe 222u and the tank side discharge pipe 320 upstream of the discharge valve 224, and the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 up to the connection pipe valve 242. Hereinafter, the upstream side exhaust pipe 222u upstream of the exhaust valve 224 and the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 to the tank side exhaust pipe 320 and the connection pipe valve 242 are referred to as a tank downstream side pipe line for convenience of explanation.

  The control device 400 reads the detected pressure of the discharge side pressure sensor 248 in the supply / discharge connection pipe 240, waits until the detected pressure becomes constant, and controls the opening / closing valve Vv of the cap valve TV to be closed (step S152). Due to the closing control of the opening / closing valve Vv, the downstream pipe line of the tank becomes a closed system. Therefore, if there is no pipe leak, the pipe pressure is approximately the same as the residual gas in the tank T. Converge. On the other hand, if a pipeline leak has occurred, the pressure in the pipeline will decrease according to the degree of the leak.

  The control device 400 continuously reads the detected pressure of the discharge-side pressure sensor 248 after the closing control of the opening / closing valve Vv, and detects the presence or absence of a pipeline leak in the downstream piping line of the tank based on the detected pressure transition. (Step S162). Then, when detecting a pipeline leak based on the detected pressure transition of the discharge-side pressure sensor 248, the control device 400 notifies that a pipeline leak has occurred and prompts the operator to repair the leak. Upon receiving this notification, the worker attempts to repair leaks such as reconnecting joints and replacing pipes on the downstream pipe line of the tank.

  When the controller 400 detects in step S162 that there is no pipeline leak in the downstream pipe line of the tank, or after repairing the leak associated with the pipeline leak detection in the downstream tank pipe, Pipe leak detection upstream of T is started (step S164). That is, the control device 400 controls the opening of the connection valve 242 of the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 and also controls the opening / closing of the cap valve TV. In response to the opening of the valve, the residual gas in the tank T passes through the tank downstream pipe line, the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 after the connection pipe valve 242, the downstream supply pipe 212d downstream of the supply valve 216, and the tank. It reaches all parts of the side supply pipe 310. Hereinafter, the supply / discharge connection pipe 240 after the connection pipe valve 242, the downstream side supply pipe 212 d and the tank side supply pipe 310 downstream of the supply valve 216 are referred to as a tank upstream side pipe line for convenience of explanation.

  The control device 400 continuously reads the detected pressures of the supply-side pressure sensor 246 and the discharge-side pressure sensor 248 in the supply / exhaust connection piping 240, and based on the detected pressure transition, the presence / absence of a pipeline leak is determined. The road is detected (step S166). That is, since the pipe leak detection for the tank downstream pipe line has been completed in step S162, the pipe leak detection in step S166 is a leak detection for the tank upstream pipe line. Then, when detecting a pipeline leak based on the detected pressure transition of the supply-side pressure sensor 246, the control device 400 notifies the occurrence of the pipeline leak and prompts the operator to repair the leak. Upon receiving this notification, the worker attempts to repair the leak such as reconnection of the joint or replacement of the pipe on the upstream pipe line of the tank.

  When the control device 400 detects in step S166 that there is no pipeline leak in the upstream pipe line of the tank, or after repairing the leak associated with the pipeline leak detection in the upstream tank pipe, The valve control described above is performed to start filling hydrogen gas into the tank T (step S170). After that, hydrogen gas filling up to a predetermined filling pressure under the monitoring of the pressure transition of the discharge side pressure sensor 248 and hydrogen gas discharge in the pipeline after filling through the valve control described above are performed (step S180). Then, the hydrogen gas filling process is terminated.

  Even in the hydrogen gas filling process of the second embodiment described above, the process is performed after detecting the leak of the tank T. However, in the hydrogen gas filling when the leak detection of the tank T is not required, the above-described process is performed. As described above, each process is executed from step S120 by skipping the disconnection of the coupler joint having the nozzle / receptacle structure in step S100 and the closing of the supply / exhaust piping of the detection gas in step S120.

  The effects described above can also be achieved by the gas filling process of the second embodiment described above.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are intended to solve part or all of the above-described problems, or part of the above-described effects. Or, in order to achieve the whole, it is possible to replace or combine as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, although the filling gas to the tank T was hydrogen gas, it is applicable also to the form with which other gases are filled into the tank T. In addition, the hydrogen gas filling process is performed after the leak detection of the tank T is performed. However, it is possible to adopt a form as a so-called hydrogen gas station in which the hydrogen gas in the tank T is filled when consumed. In such a hydrogen gas station, the tank T is directly filled with hydrogen gas without performing leak detection of the tank T. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of a gas filling apparatus 100A as a hydrogen gas station together with a configuration of a cap valve TV attached to the tank T. As shown in the figure, in the gas filling device 100A, the detection gas supply pipe 330 and the detection gas discharge pipe 340 are not required, so that the pipe configuration is simplified. In the tank filling of the consumed hydrogen gas, in the hydrogen gas filling process shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the disconnection of the coupler joint of the nozzle / receptacle structure in step S100 and the supply / discharge of the detection gas in step S120 are performed. What is necessary is just to perform each process from step S120, skipping piping closure. In such hydrogen filling, unconsumed hydrogen gas remaining unconsumed in the tank T is distributed to the tank upstream pipe line and the tank downstream pipe line described above. Leak detection can be performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Gas filling device 100A ... Gas filling device 200 ... Equipment side apparatus group 210 ... Gas storage tank 212 ... Equipment side supply piping 212u ... Upstream side supply piping 212d ... Downstream side supply piping 214 ... Pressure reducing valve 216 ... Supply valve 218 ... Supply Joint 220 ... Recovery tank 222 ... Equipment side discharge pipe 222u ... Upstream side discharge pipe 222d ... Downstream side discharge pipe 224 ... Discharge valve 226 ... Discharge joint 240 ... Supply / discharge connection pipe 242 ... Connection line valve 246 ... Supply side pressure sensor 248 ... discharge side pressure sensor 300 ... operation pipe group 310 ... tank side supply pipe 312 ... tank side supply valve 314 ... tank side supply joint 320 ... tank side discharge pipe 322 ... tank side discharge valve 324 ... tank side discharge joint 330 ... detection gas Supply pipe 332 ... Receptor 334 ... Open / close valve 34 ... Detection gas discharge pipe 342 ... Receptor 344 ... Open / close valve 400 ... Control device 500 ... Tank leak detection device 510 ... Detection gas filling mechanism 520 ... Nozzle T ... Tank P1 ... Gas inflow port P2 ... Gas exhaust port G1 ... First backflow prevention Valve G2 ... Second backflow prevention valve F1 ... First filter F2 ... Second filter TV ... Base valve Vc ... Terminal connector Vp ... Valve flow path Bp ... Branch flow path Ts ... Temperature sensor Vv ... Open / close valve

Claims (4)

A gas filling device for filling a tank with gas,
A supply pipe extending from the gas supply source and connected to the gas inlet port of the base valve of the tank;
A discharge pipe connected to the gas discharge port of the base valve, and leading the residual gas remaining in the tank while leaving pressure;
A first on-off valve for opening and closing the pipeline of the supply pipe;
A second on-off valve for opening and closing the pipe of the discharge pipe;
A supply / discharge connection pipe connecting the supply pipe and the discharge pipe on the downstream side of the first bubble and the upstream side of the second opening / closing valve;
A pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the supply / discharge connection pipe;
The first on-off valve and the second on-off valve are controlled to be closed, and the supply pipe on the downstream side of the first bubble, the discharge pipe on the upstream side of the second on-off valve, and the supply / discharge connection pipe are A leak detector that spreads residual gas and detects a leak in the pipe line based on the output of the pressure sensor;
A gas filling device comprising: a filling unit configured to fill the tank from the gas supply source through control of the first opening and closing valve and the second opening and closing valve. The gas filling device according to claim 1,
A gas filling apparatus comprising: a third open / close valve that opens and closes a pipe line in the supply / discharge connection pipe; and the pressure sensor in each of the supply / discharge connection pipes on both sides of the third open / close valve. The gas filling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
A detection gas supply pipe that branches from the supply pipe downstream from a connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe, and supplies a detection gas for leak detection of the tank to the tank;
A gas filling device comprising: a detection gas discharge pipe that branches from the discharge pipe upstream from a connection point of the supply / discharge connection pipe and guides the detection gas supplied to the tank through the detection gas supply pipe to the outside of the tank . A gas filling method for filling a tank with gas,
A first on-off valve that opens and closes a supply pipe extending from a gas supply source and connected to a gas inlet port of a base valve of the tank; and connected to a gas discharge port of the base valve to leave pressure in the tank A filling step for filling the tank with gas from the gas supply source through control of both opening and closing valves with a second opening and closing valve for opening and closing a discharge pipe for leading the remaining residual gas to the outside of the tank;
A leak detection step for detecting a gas leak in the supply pipe and the discharge pipe prior to the filling step;
In the leak detection step,
Prior to the filling step, the first on-off valve and the second on-off valve are controlled to be closed, the supply pipe on the downstream side of the first bubble, the discharge pipe on the upstream side of the second on-off valve, and Spread the residual gas to the supply / discharge connection pipe,
Detecting the internal pressure of the supply / discharge connection pipe connecting the supply pipe and the discharge pipe on the downstream side of the first bubble and the upstream side of the second opening / closing valve;
A gas filling method for detecting a gas leak in the supply pipe on the downstream side of the first bubble and the discharge pipe on the upstream side of the second opening / closing valve on the basis of the detected pipe internal pressure.

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