JP2016148398A - tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress that a normally-closed valve is erroneously valve-opened.SOLUTION: In a tank 100 having a tank main body 1 for storing a fluid, a discharge passage 23 which communicates with the inside of the tank main body 1, and discharges the fluid stored in the tank main body 1 to the outside, a normally-closed valve 7 arranged at the discharge passage 23, and a valve drive unit 8 which valve-opens the normally-closed valve 7 when an abnormal rise of an atmospheric temperature is sensed, the valve drive unit 8 comprises: a string-shaped or a pipe-shaped thermal contraction member 81 which is attached to an arbitrary place at its one end side, and connected to the normally-closed valve 7 at the other end side so that a place which should be sensed in the abnormal rise of the atmospheric temperature is included therein, and tension is not generated, and generates tension for valve-opening the normally-closed valve 7 while being contracted when heated; and a cutter 82 which contacts with the thermal contraction member 81 when the tension is generated at the thermal contraction member 81 due to the application of an external force to the tank 100, and cuts the thermal contraction member 81.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a tank.

  As a conventional tank, when the tank body is heated, a normally closed valve provided in a discharge passage for discharging the fluid stored in the tank body to the outside is attached to the surface of the tank body and heated. Some are configured to open using the tension of a heat-shrinkable member that sometimes contracts (see Patent Document 1).

US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0326334

  However, in the above-described conventional tank, for example, when the external force such as a collision load is applied to the tank and the tension is generated in the heat contraction member due to a factor other than the heat contraction, the normally closed valve is erroneously opened. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and when the external force is applied to the tank and the heat shrink member is tensioned, the normally closed valve is caused by the tension of the heat shrink member caused by the external force. The purpose is to prevent the valve from opening accidentally.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a tank body for storing fluid, and a fluid stored in the tank body in communication with the inside of the tank body are discharged to the outside. In a tank comprising a discharge passage, a normally closed valve provided in the discharge passage, and a valve drive device that opens the normally closed valve when an abnormal increase in ambient temperature is detected, the valve drive device One end side is attached to an arbitrary place so that tension may not be detected, and the other end side is connected to a normally closed valve so that tension does not occur. A thread-like or tubular heat-shrinkable member that generates tension for opening the valve, and a cutter that contacts the heat-shrinkable member and cuts the heat-shrinkable member when tension is generated in the heat-shrinkable member due to external force applied to the tank And comprising Link is provided.

  According to this aspect of the present invention, when tension is generated in the heat shrinkable member due to external force applied to the tank, the heat shrinkable member can be cut by the cutter, so the tension of the heat shrinkable member caused by the external force Therefore, it is possible to suppress the normally closed valve from being erroneously opened.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to similar components.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tank 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The tank 100 includes a tank main body 1 and a tank valve 2 attached to one end of the tank main body 1. The tank 100 is mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle, for example, and fluid fuel (for example, hydrogen gas or natural gas) supplied to a fluid fuel-using device such as a fuel cell stack or an internal combustion engine mounted on the moving body together with the tank 100. It can be used as a fuel source. The tank 100 can also be used as a fuel source for fluid fuel supplied to stationary fluid fuel usage equipment.

  The tank body 1 is a container capable of storing a fluid (gas or liquid) therein. In this embodiment, the tank body 1 is a pressure vessel that can be filled with fluid until the internal pressure reaches a predetermined rated pressure (for example, 70 MPa) higher than atmospheric pressure.

  The tank valve 2 includes a filling passage 21 for filling the tank body 1 with a fluid, an extraction passage 22 for taking out the fluid filled in the tank body 1, and a tank body 1 and a tank body when a fire or the like occurs, for example. And a discharge passage 23 for discharging the fluid filled in the tank body 1 to the outside when the periphery of 1 is heated.

  One end of the filling passage 21 serves as an introduction port 21 a for introducing fluid stored in an external fluid source into the filling passage 21, and the other end communicates with the inside of the tank body 1. The filling passage 21 is provided with a check valve 3 and a manual first normally open valve 4.

  The check valve 3 allows the fluid introduced into the filling passage 21 from the introduction port 21a to flow to the tank body 1 and prevents the fluid filled in the tank body 1 from flowing backward toward the introduction port 21a. .

  The manually operated first normally open valve 4 is provided in the filling passage 21 downstream of the check valve 3. The first normally open valve 4 is normally opened, and is manually closed as necessary in an emergency or the like.

  One end of the take-out passage 22 communicates with the inside of the tank body 1, and the other end serves as an outlet 22 a for taking out the fluid filled in the tank body 1 from the tank body 1. The fluid taken out from the take-out port 22a is supplied to the fluid fuel-using device via, for example, a pipe connected to the take-out port 22a. The take-out passage 22 is provided with a manually operated second normally open valve 5 and a shutoff valve 6.

  The manual second normally open valve 5 is normally opened and is manually closed as necessary in an emergency or the like.

  The shutoff valve 6 is an electromagnetic valve that is opened and closed by an electric signal, and is opened when it is necessary to take out fluid from the outlet 22a.

  The discharge passage 23 has one end communicating with the filling passage 21 downstream of the first normally open valve 4 and the other end communicating with the atmosphere. A normally closed valve 7 is provided in the discharge passage 23.

  The normally closed valve 7 includes a fluid inlet 7a, a fluid outlet 7b, a communication passage 71 that communicates the fluid inlet 7a and the fluid outlet 7b, and a sealing body as a valve body that seals the communication passage 71. 72, and in a normal state, the communication path 71 is sealed by the sealing body 72. The sealing body 72 is made of a material that can be broken by applying an external load, and is, for example, a glass sphere. The sealing body 72 is destroyed by receiving an external load and loses the function of sealing the communication path 71. That is, the normally closed valve 7 is opened when the sealing body 72 is destroyed.

  The normally closed valve 7 is a heat-actuated type that opens the normally closed valve 7 by detecting an abnormal rise in ambient temperature when, for example, a fire occurs and the tank body 1 and the surroundings of the tank body 1 are heated. The valve drive device 8 opens the valve.

  The valve driving device 8 includes a heat contraction member 81 for opening the normally closed valve 7 by applying an external load to the sealing body 72 and destroying the sealing body 72.

  The heat-shrinkable member 81 is made of a material having a property of contracting when heated to increase the member temperature, and is formed in a thread shape or a tubular shape (hollow shape) so that the entire length is shortened when contracted. In the present embodiment, as the material of the heat shrinkable member 81, a material whose total length is shortened by about 2% to 5% when the temperature of the member itself is increased from 80 ° C. to 100 ° C., such as a polyolefin or a fluorine-based polymer. I use it.

  The heat-shrinkable member 81 does not appear to be tensioned so as to include a portion where it is desired to sense an abnormal increase in the ambient temperature and when the member temperature is, for example, less than 80 ° C. (when the ambient temperature can be determined to be normal). In addition, one end is attached to an arbitrary place in a slack state, and the other end is connected to the normally closed valve 7.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, two heat shrink members 81, that is, a first heat shrink member 81 a and a second heat shrink member 81 b are arranged on the tank body 1 along the surface.

  The other end of each of the heat shrink members 81a and 81b is destroyed when an external load is applied to the sealing body 72 by the tension when the member temperature becomes, for example, 80 ° C. or more and the heat shrink member 81 is tensioned. Are connected to the normally closed valve 7 respectively. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the other end of each heat shrink member 81 is directly connected to the sealing body 72, and the sealing body 72 is pressed against the wall surface of the communication path 71 by tension. Thus, the valve driving device 8 is configured so as to destroy the sealing body 72 by applying an external load. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the other end of each heat shrink member 81 is connected to a pressing wall 74 attached to one end of a spring 73 disposed inside the normally closed valve 7. The valve drive device 8 is configured so as to move the pressing wall 74 and press the pressing wall 74 against the sealing body 72 to apply an external load to the sealing body 72 to break it.

  One end of the first heat shrink member 81 a is attached to the surface on the other end side of the tank body 1, which is opposite to the attachment side of the normally closed valve 7. That is, the first heat shrink member 81 a is disposed along the surface of the tank body 1 from one end side to the other end side of the tank body 1. Therefore, even if an abnormal increase in the atmospheric temperature occurs at any location from one end side to the other end side of the tank body 1, it is possible to detect the abnormal increase in the atmospheric temperature and open the normally closed valve 7. Therefore, for example, even in the case of a so-called long tank 100 in which the total length of the tank body 1 exceeds 1600 mm, the normally closed valve 7 is opened by reliably detecting an abnormal increase in the ambient temperature around the tank body 1. be able to. In this way, by opening the normally closed valve 7 when the ambient temperature around the tank body 1 abnormally increases, the tank body 1 is prevented from being deformed due to an abnormal increase in the pressure of the tank body 1. be able to.

  The second heat shrink member 81 b is shorter than the first heat shrink member 81 a, and one end thereof is attached to the surface near the center of the tank body 1. Thus, the 1st heat contraction member 81a and the 2nd heat contraction member are separately arrange | positioned along the surface of the tank main body 1 the 2nd heat contraction member 81b whose length is shorter than the 1st heat contraction member 81a. When the ambient temperature rises at the place where the two are connected to each other, the normally closed valve 7 can be quickly opened by the tension of the second heat shrinkable member 81b. That is, the second heat shrinkable member 81b is shorter in length than the first heat shrinkable member 81a, so that the tension when heated and contracted is greater than that of the first heat shrinkable member 81a. Therefore, when the ambient temperature rises at the place where the first heat shrink member 81a and the second heat shrink member 81b are arranged with each other, the normally closed valve 7 is quickly opened by the tension of the second heat shrink member 81b. Can do.

  Although not shown, for example, one end side of the heat shrink member 81 may be attached to an arbitrary place away from the tank body 1, for example, a vehicle frame or the like if the tank 100 is mounted on a fuel cell vehicle. . In this way, the normally closed valve 7 can be opened in advance before the tank body 1 is ignited, for example, when a fire occurs at some distance from the tank body 1.

  By the way, when the normally closed valve 7 is opened by the tension when the heat contraction member 81 contracts as in the present embodiment, for example, some object is present in the tank 100 (tank main body 1, tank valve 2, valve driving device 8). When an external force is applied to the tank 100 such as when a collision occurs, the heat-shrinkable member 81 in a relaxed state is pulled in a direction different from the shrinkage direction, tension is generated in the heat-shrink member 81, and the normally closed valve 7 is opened. There is a risk of it. That is, when some external force is applied to the tank 100, the valve driving device 8 may cause the normally open valve to be opened by mistake.

  Therefore, the valve drive device 8 according to the present embodiment is configured such that when some external force is applied to the tank 100 and the heat-shrinkable member 81 in a relaxed state is pulled in a direction different from the contraction direction and tension is generated in the heat-shrink member 81. Further, a cutting device 82 for cutting the heat shrink member 81 in contact with the heat shrink member 81 is further provided.

  One cutting device 82 is provided on each of the one end side and the other end side of each heat shrink member 81. Note that the number of cutting devices 82 is not limited to this, and may be one for each heat shrinkable member 81 or three or more.

  The cutter 82 is a blade that contacts the heat shrink member 81 and cuts the heat shrink member 81 when the heat shrink member 81 is pulled in a direction different from the shrink direction and tension is generated in the heat shrink member 81. The heat shrink member 81 is arranged so as to surround the heat shrink member 81 with a predetermined interval. In addition to this, for example, the blade may be disposed so as to face the heat shrink member 81 with a predetermined gap therebetween. By providing such a cutting device 82, when some external force is applied to the tank 100, the valve driving device 8 can be prevented from erroneously opening the normally open valve.

  The tank 100 according to the present embodiment described above includes a tank main body 1 for storing fluid, and a discharge passage 23 that communicates with the inside of the tank main body 1 and discharges the fluid stored in the tank main body 1 to the outside. And a normally closed valve 7 provided in the discharge passage 23, and a valve driving device 8 that opens the normally closed valve 7 when an abnormal increase in ambient temperature is detected.

  And this valve drive device 8 is attached to an arbitrary place so that tension may not be included so that a place where it is desired to sense an abnormal rise in ambient temperature is included, and the other end side is connected to the normally closed valve 7. When the tension is generated in the heat-shrinkable member 81 by applying an external force to the tank 100 and the thread-like or tubular heat-shrinkable member 81 that contracts when heated to open the normally closed valve 7. And a cutting device 82 that cuts the heat shrinking member 81 in contact with the heat shrinking member 81, so that when the external force is applied to the tank 100 and tension is generated in the heat shrinking member 81, The contraction member 81 can be cut. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the normally closed valve 7 from being erroneously opened due to the tension of the heat shrinkable member 81 caused by an external force.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the normally closed valve 7 is arrange | positioned at the one end side of the tank main body 1, and the valve drive device 8 is the 1st heat contraction member 81a with which one end side is attached to the surface of the other end side of the tank main body 1. A second heat shrink member 81b having a length shorter than that of the first heat shrink member 81a and having one end attached to the surface of the tank body 1 on the side of the normally closed valve 7 relative to one end of the first heat shrink member 81a; The at least two heat shrinkable members 81 are provided.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the 1st heat contraction member 81a is arrange | positioned along the surface of the tank main body 1 from the one end side of the tank main body 1 to the other end side, it is a tank. Even if it occurs at any location from the one end side to the other end side of the main body 1, the normally closed valve 7 can be opened by sensing the abnormal rise in the ambient temperature. Therefore, for example, even if the tank body 1 is so long that the total length of the tank body 1 exceeds 1600 mm, the normally closed valve 7 is opened by reliably detecting an abnormal increase in the ambient temperature around the tank body 1. Can do.

  Further, since the second heat shrink member 81b having a shorter length than the first heat shrink member 81a is arranged along the surface of the tank body 1 separately from the first heat shrink member 81a, the first heat shrink member When the ambient temperature rises abnormally at the place where 81a and the second heat shrink member 81b are arranged with each other, the normally closed valve 7 can be quickly opened by the tension of the second heat shrink member 81b. That is, the second heat shrink member 81b is shorter in length than the first heat shrink member 81a, so that the tension when heated and shrunk is greater than that of the first heat shrink member 81a. When the ambient temperature rises abnormally at the place where the first heat shrink member 81b and the second heat shrink member 81b are arranged, the normally closed valve 7 can be quickly opened by the tension of the second heat shrink member 81b.

  In addition to this, if one end of the heat shrink member 81 is attached to an arbitrary place away from the tank main body 1, the fire may occur in the tank main body 1 when a fire occurs to some extent away from the tank main body 1. The normally closed valve 7 can be opened in advance before turning.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the normally closed valve 7 is a fluid inlet 21a, a fluid outlet, a communication path 71 that communicates the fluid inlet 21a and the fluid outlet, and a valve body that seals the communication path 71. The normally closed valve 7 so that the heat-shrinkable member 81 can break the seal 72 from the outside by applying a load to the seal 72 by the tension when the heat-shrink member 81 contracts. It is connected. Therefore, when the atmospheric temperature rises abnormally, the heat shrink member 81 is contracted to generate tension, thereby applying a load to the sealing body 72 to break the sealing body 72 from the outside, and the normally closed valve 7 Can be opened.

  Further, in the above embodiment, if the normally closed valve 7 is a fusing valve in which a liquid for expanding and destroying the sealing body 72 from the inside is encapsulated inside the sealing body 72 when heated, For example, it is possible to change the sealing body 72 so that it can be destroyed from the outside only by making a slight design change to various known plug valves. And since it is not necessary to provide the normally closed valve 7 which can destroy the sealing body 72 from the outside separately from the fusing valve, the increase in cost, the number of parts, and the enlargement of the tank valve 2 are suppressed. Can do. Further, when the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the normally closed valve 7 abnormally rises earlier than the ambient temperature at the location where the heat shrink member 81 is disposed, the sealing body 72 is destroyed from the inside, and the normally closed valve 7 is quickly removed. The valve can be opened.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the above embodiment only shows a part of application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiment. Absent.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the two heat shrink members 81a and 81b are arranged along the surface of the tank body 1, but it is sufficient that at least the first heat shrink member 81a is arranged, and three heat shrink members 81 are provided. You may arrange above.

  Further, the heat shrinkable member 81 may be housed in a hollow tube made of a material that easily conducts heat (for example, SUS316). In this way, when the tank 100 is mounted on a moving body during assembly or transportation, the heat shrinkable member 81 can be protected from external force or the like generated during traveling.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tank main body 7 Normally closed valve 7a Fluid inflow port 7b Fluid outflow port 8 Valve drive device 23 Release passage 71 Communication passage 72 Sealing body 81 Heat contraction member 81a First heat contraction member 81b Second heat contraction member 82 Cutter 100 Tank

Claims (5)

A tank body for storing fluid;
A discharge passage for communicating with the inside of the tank body and discharging the fluid stored in the tank body to the outside;
A normally closed valve provided in the discharge passage;
A valve driving device for opening the normally closed valve when an abnormal rise in ambient temperature is detected;
A tank comprising:
The valve driving device includes:
One end side is attached to an arbitrary place so as to include a place where it is desired to detect an abnormal rise in ambient temperature, and the other end side is connected to the normally closed valve so that no tension is generated, and contracts when heated. A thread-like or tubular heat-shrink member that generates tension to open the normally closed valve;
A cutter for cutting the heat shrinkable member in contact with the heat shrinkable member when tension is generated in the heat shrinkable member by applying an external force to the tank;
A tank comprising: The normally closed valve is disposed on one end side of the tank body,
The valve driving device includes:
A first heat shrinkable member attached at one end to the surface of the other end of the tank body;
A second heat shrinkable member having a length shorter than that of the first heat shrinkable member and having one end side attached to the surface of the tank body on the normally closed valve side relative to one end of the first heat shrinkable member;
Comprising at least two of the heat shrinkable members
The tank according to claim 1. One end side of the heat shrink member is attached to an arbitrary place away from the tank body,
The tank according to claim 1. The normally closed valve includes a fluid introduction port, a fluid discharge port, a communication path that communicates the fluid introduction port and the fluid discharge port, and a sealing body that serves as a valve body that seals the communication path. Prepared,
The heat-shrinkable member is connected to the normally closed valve so that the sealed body can be broken from the outside by applying a load to the sealed body by the tension when contracted,
The tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The normally closed valve is a plug valve in which a liquid for expanding and destroying the sealing body from the inside is encapsulated inside the sealing body when heated.
The tank according to claim 4.

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