JP2017067178A - Pre-cooler of hydrogen gas filling facility and pre-cooling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To keep a cooling temperature constant where hydrogen gas is cooled even if its configuration is simplified and its energy saving is carried out.SOLUTION: This invention relates to a pre-cooler 21 of hydrogen gas filling facility for cooling hydrogen gas prior to its filling where there is provided a refrigerant circulation passage 22 having liquid refrigerant R having a boiling point under a specified pressure as a temperature suitable for a cooling temperature of hydrogen gas filled in sealed state therein. A heat exchanging part 23 for evaporating refrigerant is provided in a liquid phase portion Ra of the refrigerant R in the refrigerant circulation passage 22 to cool the hydrogen gas through heat exchanging between the hydrogen gas to be cooled and the liquid-phase-refrigerant R to be evaporated. A heat exchanging part 24 for condensing refrigerant is provided in a gaseous phase portion Rb of the refrigerant R in the refrigerant circulation passage 22 to condense the gaseous-phase-refrigerant R through heat exchanging with the liquefied hydrogen. In addition, there is provided pressure adjustment means 29 for adjusting a pressure of refrigerant R in the refrigerant circulation passage 22 to a prescribed specific pressure to keep a temperature of the refrigerant R constant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydrogen gas filling facility for filling a hydrogen gas tank of a fuel cell vehicle or the like, for example, and more particularly to a precooler and a precooling method for cooling hydrogen gas prior to filling.

  Hydrogen gas tanks such as fuel cell vehicles are filled with hydrogen gas at high pressure.

  However, a temperature rise occurs due to adiabatic compression when filling with hydrogen gas. In the first place, unlike general gases, hydrogen gas has the property that the temperature rises due to the Joule-Thompson effect when adiabatically expanded.

  For this reason, in order to prevent an excessive increase in the gas temperature in the hydrogen gas tank during filling, it is necessary to make the compressed hydrogen gas low in advance prior to filling. This is called pre-cooling, and −40 ° C. to −33 ° C. is a temperature range defined by the compressed hydrogen filling technical standard (JPEC-S 0003 (2012)).

  As a cooling device that performs precooling, for example, a cooling device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below has been proposed.

  The cooling device of Patent Document 1 includes a container that stores a cooling medium such as brine, and has a configuration in which hydrogen gas is guided therein to perform heat exchange, that is, cooling. The cooling medium is circulated between the aforementioned container and a Freon refrigerator provided separately from the container, cooled by the Freon refrigerator, and supplied to the aforementioned container that performs heat exchange. The supply of the cooling medium is controlled based on the temperature detection of the hydrogen gas or the refrigerant, and cools the hydrogen gas to a predetermined temperature.

  However, in order to circulate the cooling medium, a pump is required and a refrigerator is also required. The apparatus is large, the sound generated by driving is noisy, startup takes time, and power consumption is high. . Moreover, since the cooling medium is controlled by supplying the cooling medium based on temperature detection by the thermometer, it is difficult to keep the cooling temperature constant.

  In this regard, Patent Document 2 discloses a cooling device that uses liquid nitrogen as a cooling medium and does not require a pump.

  The cooling device of Patent Document 2 is provided with an auxiliary heat exchanger and a main heat exchanger in order from the upstream side, and these are made into a double-pipe structure to flow hydrogen gas therein. In the main heat exchanger, liquefied nitrogen is exchanged for auxiliary heat exchange. In the vessel, vaporized liquefied nitrogen is supplied to cool the hydrogen gas.

  With this configuration, a pump is not required and the heat exchanger can be downsized.

  However, also in this cooling device, the temperature control of the hydrogen gas is performed by detecting the temperature of the hydrogen gas with a thermometer and based on this detection. That is, when the temperature of the hydrogen gas deviates from the target temperature, control is performed to adjust the opening of the flow rate adjusting valve and adjust the flow rate of the hydrogen gas to be cooled to obtain the cooled hydrogen gas at the target temperature.

  For this reason, it is difficult to keep the cooling temperature constant. Moreover, since liquefied nitrogen is directly used for cooling, there is a concern that it may become too cold.

JP 2005-83567 A JP 2011-127754 A

  Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to simplify the configuration and to make it easy to keep the cooling temperature constant.

  The means for this is a precooler of a hydrogen gas filling facility that cools the hydrogen gas prior to filling, and a liquid refrigerant whose boiling point at a specific pressure is suitable for the cooling temperature of the hydrogen gas is enclosed. The refrigerant circulation path is provided, and in the liquid phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation path, heat exchange with the hydrogen gas to be cooled is performed to cool the hydrogen gas, while the refrigerant in the liquid phase evaporates. A heat exchange part for refrigerant, and a gas exchange part of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit includes a heat exchange part for refrigerant condensation that exchanges heat with liquefied hydrogen to condense the refrigerant in the gas phase, It is the precooler of the hydrogen gas filling equipment provided with the pressure adjustment means which adjusts the pressure of the said refrigerant | coolant to the said specific pressure.

  Another means is a pre-cooling method for hydrogen gas filling equipment that cools hydrogen gas prior to filling, and a liquid refrigerant having a boiling point at a specific pressure suitable for the cooling temperature of the hydrogen gas is enclosed. A refrigerant circulation path, conducting the hydrogen gas to be cooled to the liquid phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation path, exchanging heat with the refrigerant, and cooling the hydrogen gas, An evaporating step for evaporating the refrigerant, a condensing step for conducting liquefied hydrogen to a gas phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit and exchanging heat with the refrigerant, and condensing the gas phase refrigerant, It is the precooling method of the hydrogen gas filling equipment which has the pressure regulation process which adjusts the pressure of the said refrigerant | coolant in a refrigerant circuit to the said specific pressure.

  In these configurations, the refrigerant sealed in the refrigerant circulation path evaporates in the liquid phase part (heat exchange part for refrigerant evaporation) that exchanges heat with the hydrogen gas to be cooled, and the gas phase part that exchanges heat with liquefied hydrogen ( The refrigerant is condensed in the refrigerant condensing heat exchange section) and circulated in the refrigerant circulation path. The pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is adjusted (pressure adjusting means) to a specific pressure whose boiling point is a temperature suitable for the cooling temperature of hydrogen gas. By adjusting the pressure, the temperature of the refrigerant becomes constant due to a change in latent heat when the refrigerant is vaporized.

  According to the present invention, since the refrigerant circulates by evaporation and condensation, a pump can be dispensed with and the configuration can be simplified. In addition, by adjusting the pressure of the circulating refrigerant, the temperature of the refrigerant is brought to the boiling point, and the temperature of the refrigerant is made constant by using latent heat, so the cooling temperature is kept constant with higher accuracy than feedback control by temperature detection. be able to.

Explanatory drawing of the hydrogen gas charging equipment provided with the precooler. Explanatory drawing of the hydrogen gas filling equipment provided with the precooler which concerns on another example.

An embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a so-called hydrogen station that supplies hydrogen gas to a hydrogen gas filling facility 11, specifically, a fuel cell vehicle X mainly.

  The hydrogen gas filling facility 11 includes a liquefied hydrogen storage tank 12 for storing liquefied hydrogen, a vaporizer 13 for vaporizing liquefied hydrogen, a compressor 14 for compressing the vaporized hydrogen gas, and a high pressure accumulator 15 for storing hydrogen gas at a high pressure. And a hydrogen dispenser 16 for supplying hydrogen to the hydrogen gas tank Xa of the fuel cell vehicle X in order, and guiding the liquefied hydrogen before being vaporized by the vaporizer 13 and the compressed hydrogen gas before being supplied to the hydrogen dispenser 16. The precooler 21 comprised is provided.

  The precooler 21 cools the compressed hydrogen gas prior to filling, and includes a refrigerant circulation path 22 for circulating the refrigerant R. The refrigerant circulation path 22 is a closed system, that is, a closed system, and the refrigerant R is sealed therein.

As the refrigerant R, a liquid refrigerant whose boiling point at a specific pressure is a temperature suitable for the cooling temperature of hydrogen gas is used. Since the cooling temperature of hydrogen gas is about −40 ° C. to −33 ° C., for example, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) is used as the refrigerant R. Carbon dioxide has a boiling point of −40 ° C. at 0.9 MPa.

  The refrigerant circulation path 22 is configured by a vertically long container 22a and a communication path 22b that communicates the upper and lower ends of the container 22a outside the container 22a, and the refrigerant R is sealed at the above-described specific pressure. A liquid phase portion Ra of the refrigerant R is formed at the lower portion of the communication path 22b, and a gas phase portion Rb of the refrigerant R is formed at the upper portion. The communication path 22b is formed thinner than the thickness of the container 22a.

  The refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 is provided in the liquid phase portion Ra of the refrigerant R in the communication passage 22b of the refrigerant circulation path 22, and the refrigerant condensation phase is provided in the gas phase portion Rb of the refrigerant R in the container 22a of the refrigerant circulation path 22. A heat exchange unit 24 is provided. The refrigerant evaporation heat exchanging unit 23 is a part that exchanges heat with the cooled compressed hydrogen gas to cool the compressed hydrogen gas, while evaporating the liquid-phase refrigerant R. The heat exchanger 24 for condensing refrigerant condenses the gas-phase refrigerant R by exchanging heat with liquefied hydrogen. By evaporating and condensing the refrigerant R, the refrigerant R can circulate in the refrigerant circuit 22 without a pump.

  The refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 includes a heat exchange pipe 23a that is formed below the communication path 22b and into which compressed hydrogen gas to be cooled is introduced as a heat source for evaporating the liquid-phase refrigerant R. A compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 25 extending from the high pressure accumulator 15 is connected to one end of the heat exchange pipe 23a, and a cooling hydrogen gas outlet path 26 extending toward the hydrogen dispenser 16 is connected to the other end of the heat exchange pipe 23a. ing. The compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 25 is provided with a gas supply opening / closing valve 25 a for supplying compressed hydrogen gas to the precooler 21.

  The refrigerant condensing heat exchanging section 24 includes a heat exchanging pipe 24a that is formed in the upper part of the container 22a and into which liquefied hydrogen as a cold heat source for condensing the gas-phase refrigerant R is introduced. One end of the heat exchange pipe 24a is branched from a liquefied hydrogen supply path 17 that extends from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 12 toward the vaporizer 13, and is connected to a liquefied hydrogen introduction path 27 for introducing liquefied hydrogen. The heat exchange pipe 24a A liquefied hydrogen lead-out path 28 is connected to the other end of the liquefied hydrogen to reflux the liquefied hydrogen before the vaporizer 13 in the liquefied hydrogen supply path 17. Thus, the source of the compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 25 that is the hydrogen gas introduction path to the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 and the source of the liquefied hydrogen introduction path 27 to the refrigerant condensation heat exchange section 24 are the same, It is connected to a liquefied hydrogen storage tank 12 for storing liquefied hydrogen.

  A switching on / off valve 17a is provided between a branch point of the liquefied hydrogen supply path 17 to the liquefied hydrogen introduction path 27 and a junction point from the liquefied hydrogen lead-out path 28, and the liquefied hydrogen introduction path 27 is opened and closed for supplying cold heat. A valve 27a is provided. For example, by closing the switching on / off valve 17a and opening the on / off valve 27a for supplying cold heat and supplying liquefied hydrogen to the heat exchange unit 24 for refrigerant condensation, the refrigerant R in the gas phase in the heat exchange unit 24 for refrigerant condensation is cooled. Then, it is condensed and liquefied, and the pressure of the refrigerant R in the container 22a is lower than before supply.

  In addition, the refrigerant circulation path 22 includes pressure adjusting means 29 that adjusts the pressure of the internal refrigerant R to the above-described specific pressure. The pressure adjusting means 29 includes a pressure adjusting passage 29a that connects an upper portion and a lower portion in the container 22a outside the container 22a, and a pressure adjuster 29b and a vaporizer 29c are provided on the pressure adjusting passage 29a. The pressure regulator 29b is provided on the upstream side of the regulation passage 29a, and is constituted by a known pressure regulation valve such as a diaphragm valve. The pressure regulator 29b adjusts the opening according to the pressure on the upstream side, and allows the refrigerant to pass when the upstream side is less than the specific pressure. The vaporizer 29c is provided on the downstream side of the pressure regulator 29b, vaporizes the passing refrigerant R by heat exchange, and sends it into the container 22a to increase the pressure of the refrigerant R in the container 22a.

  A safety valve 30 is provided at the upper part of the container 22a constituting the refrigerant circulation path 22. The safety valve 30 has a function of releasing the refrigerant R when the internal pressure rises excessively.

  Necessary members such as the pressure regulator 29b, the switching on-off valve 17a, the cold supply on-off valve 27a, and the gas supply on-off valve 25a are driven and controlled by a control unit (not shown). Under the control of the control unit, the compressed hydrogen gas to be cooled is guided to the refrigerant evaporating heat exchange unit 23 which is the liquid phase portion Ra of the refrigerant R in the refrigerant circuit 22 to exchange heat with the refrigerant R, and the compressed hydrogen gas Between the refrigerant R and the evaporating step for evaporating the liquid-phase refrigerant R, and the refrigerant R by introducing the liquefied hydrogen to the refrigerant condensation heat exchanging portion 24 which is the gas phase portion Rb of the refrigerant R in the refrigerant circuit 22. A condensation process for performing heat exchange and condensing the refrigerant R in the gas phase and a pressure adjusting process for adjusting the pressure of the refrigerant R in the refrigerant circulation path 22 to the specific pressure are performed.

  As described above, the source of the compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 25 that is the hydrogen gas introduction path to the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 and the source of the liquefied hydrogen introduction path 27 to the refrigerant condensation heat exchange section 24 are the same. Therefore, in the control by the control unit, the compressed hydrogen gas to be cooled is generated by vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen, and the liquefied hydrogen introduced into the heat exchange unit 24 for refrigerant condensation is the same as the liquefied hydrogen that is the source of the compressed hydrogen gas. The liquefied hydrogen in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 12 in the hydrogen gas filling equipment 11 is used.

  In the precooler 21 configured as described above, precooling is performed as follows.

  The refrigerant R in the refrigerant circuit 22 is automatically controlled by the pressure adjusting means 29 so that the pressure of the refrigerant R is constant. Since carbon dioxide as a refrigerant has a boiling point of −40 ° C. when the pressure is 0.9 MPa, the pressure is adjusted to 0.9 MPa by the pressure adjusting means 29. By this pressure control, the temperature of the refrigerant R is kept constant. For this reason, the cooling temperature for cooling the compressed hydrogen gas is kept constant.

  When the pressure of the refrigerant R is higher than the adjustment value, the switching on / off valve 17a is closed and the cold heat supply on / off valve 27a is opened, and the liquefied hydrogen is caused to flow through the refrigerant condensing heat exchange unit 24 to be vaporized at that portion. The refrigerant R is condensed and liquefied to reduce the volume. As a result, the pressure of the refrigerant R decreases and the liquid level of the refrigerant R increases. Conversely, when the pressure of the refrigerant R is lower than the adjustment value, the pressure regulator 29b is opened and the refrigerant R is sent to the vaporizer 29c to be vaporized. The vaporized refrigerant R is introduced into the container 22 a of the refrigerant circuit 22. As a result, the pressure of the refrigerant R increases and the liquid level of the refrigerant R decreases. By such a pressure adjusting process, the temperature of the refrigerant R is kept at the boiling point temperature where the latent heat changes. In other words, it is kept at a constant temperature by using latent heat that is not accompanied by a temperature change.

  In order to supply hydrogen gas from the hydrogen dispenser 16, when the gas supply opening / closing valve 25 a of the compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 25 is opened, the compressed hydrogen gas exits from the high pressure accumulator 15 and is sent to the refrigerant evaporation heat exchanger 23. It is done. Here, the compressed hydrogen gas is cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant R maintained at a constant temperature, supplied to the hydrogen dispenser 16 through the cooling hydrogen gas lead-out path 26, and filled in the hydrogen gas tank Xa. Since the temperature of the refrigerant R is −40 ° C., depending on conditions such as the flow rate of compressed hydrogen gas, the temperature of the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas tank Xa during filling is a temperature within a predetermined range of about −40 ° C. to −33 ° C. Can be.

  When the compressed hydrogen gas is cooled by the refrigerant evaporation heat exchanger 23 and the temperature of the refrigerant R rises and evaporates, the pressure of the refrigerant R increases. At this time, as described above, the switching on-off valve 17a is closed and the cold heat supply on-off valve 27a is opened, and liquefied hydrogen is caused to flow through the refrigerant condensing heat exchanging portion 24 to lower the pressure of the refrigerant R to the adjusted value.

  The refrigerant R in the refrigerant circulation path 22 circulates by evaporation in the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 and condensation in the refrigerant condensation heat exchange section 24.

  As described above, unlike the case where the cooling temperature is controlled based on the detection result of the thermometer, the cooling heat uses the latent heat when the refrigerant evaporates, so that the cooling temperature is kept constant, and cooling to a predetermined temperature range is possible. It can be done stably. Moreover, since the latent heat is used by controlling the pressure of the refrigerant R, electricity can be automatically generated without necessity, and the configuration is simple and simple. Moreover, since the refrigerant R circulates naturally, it is not necessary to use a pump as described above. For this reason, power consumption can be significantly reduced and energy saving can be realized. In addition, the apparatus can be simplified and miniaturized, and noise generation can be suppressed.

  Moreover, since the liquefied hydrogen that is the source of the supplied hydrogen gas is used pre-cooling without using a refrigerator, it is possible to effectively use cold energy. In addition, the simple configuration as described above facilitates maintenance.

  Further, the temperature of the refrigerant R is kept constant by adjusting the pressure of the refrigerant R, and since the latent heat of the refrigerant R at the boiling point without temperature change is used, the temperature of the refrigerant R can be accurately controlled. Since the liquefied hydrogen used for cooling the refrigerant R is at a low temperature, if the liquefied hydrogen is simply used for direct cooling as an effective use of the cold heat, there is a difficulty in overcooling. In this regard, as described above, the precooler 21 uses the boiling point and latent heat of the refrigerant R and adjusts the pressure by the pressure adjusting means 29 provided with the vaporizer 29c. Therefore, even if the precooler 21 is too cold, it can respond immediately. Proper cooling of compressed hydrogen gas can be performed.

  Next, another example will be described. In this description, parts that are the same as or equivalent to those in the above-described configuration are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the precooler 21 of the hydrogen gas filling equipment 11 includes a refrigerant circulation path 22, two containers (a first container 22 c and a second container 22 d) that store the refrigerant R, and a liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant flow path 31 through which R flows, the heat exchange pipe 23b of the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 in which the liquid refrigerant R vaporizes, the vaporized refrigerant flow path 32 through which the vaporized refrigerant R flows, and the vaporized refrigerant The heat exchange pipe 24b of the heat exchange unit 24 for condensing refrigerant to be condensed is configured. The first container 22c and the second container 22d are provided with the same pressure adjusting means 29 as described above.

  The first container 22c and the second container 22d are disposed in the middle of the liquid refrigerant flow path 31, and are branched from the liquid refrigerant flow path 31 and the liquid refrigerant flow path 31 to the first container 22c and the second container 22d, respectively. , 33d, a changeover switch 34 is provided. The upstream side of the changeover switch 34 in the liquid refrigerant flow path 31 is the introduction path 31a, the downstream side is the lead-out path 31b, and each part of the refrigerant R is arranged so as to naturally flow from the upstream side to the downstream side.

  The changeover switch 34 allows the refrigerant R that passes through the introduction part 31a of the liquid refrigerant flow path 31 from the refrigerant condensation heat exchanging part 24 to flow into either the first container 22c or the second container 22d and receives the refrigerant R. Is switched so that the refrigerant R of the other container (the first container 22c or the second container 22d) flows to the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23, for example, from the refrigerant condensation heat exchange section 24 to the refrigerant. When switching is made so that R enters the first container 22c, the refrigerant R in the second container 22d flows toward the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange unit 23, and the refrigerant R is transferred from the refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit 24 to the second. When entering the container 22d, the refrigerant R in the first container 22c is led out toward the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23. Thus, although there is the changeover switch 34, the refrigerant R circulates in the refrigerant circuit 22.

  The heat exchange pipe 23b of the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 constitutes the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23 together with the heat exchange pipe 23a through which the compressed hydrogen gas to be cooled passes. That is, the liquid-phase refrigerant R passing through the heat exchange pipe 23b is vaporized while heat-exchanged with the compressed hydrogen gas to cool the compressed hydrogen gas.

  The vaporized refrigerant flow path 32 includes a pressure regulator 35 that adjusts the pressure to a predetermined pressure according to the upstream pressure.

  The heat exchanging pipe 24b of the refrigerant condensing heat exchanging section 24 constitutes the refrigerant condensing heat exchanging section 24 together with the heat exchanging pipe 24a through which liquefied hydrogen as a cold heat source passes. That is, the vaporized refrigerant R passing through the heat exchange pipe 24 exchanges heat with liquefied hydrogen, and is condensed and liquefied.

  Necessary members such as the changeover switch 34, the pressure regulator 35, and the pressure regulator 29b of the pressure regulating means 29 are driven and controlled in the same manner as described above by a control unit (not shown).

Specifically, it is as follows.
The changeover switch 34 is set in advance so that the refrigerant R flows toward one of the containers, that is, the first container 22c or the second container 22d. Here, an example is shown in which the flow is set to flow in the branch path 33d to the second container 22c.

  The refrigerant R in the second container 22d is maintained at a predetermined pressure by the pressure adjusting means 29. When the gas supply opening / closing valve 25a of the compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 25 is opened, the compressed hydrogen gas is stored in the high-pressure accumulator 15. And is sent to the heat exchange pipe 23a of the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section 23. Then, heat exchange was performed between the refrigerant R in the heat exchange pipe 23b and the compressed hydrogen gas in the heat exchange pipe 23a, and the compressed hydrogen gas was cooled by exchanging heat with the refrigerant R maintained at a constant temperature. In addition, the hydrogen gas is supplied to the hydrogen dispenser 16 through the cooling hydrogen gas lead-out path 26 and filled in the hydrogen gas tank Xa.

  On the other hand, the liquid refrigerant R in the heat exchange pipe 23b evaporates by heat exchange. The vaporized refrigerant R flows through the vaporized refrigerant flow path 32 into the refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit 24. The pressure of the refrigerant R in the vaporized refrigerant flow path 32 is kept constant by the pressure regulator 35.

  Since the pressure of the refrigerant R increases due to the vaporization of the refrigerant R, the switching open / close valve 17a of the liquefied hydrogen supply path 17 is closed and the cold heat supply on / off valve 27a of the liquefied hydrogen introduction path 27 is opened to exchange heat of the liquefied hydrogen for refrigerant condensation. Flow to section 24. As a result, the refrigerant R in the heat exchange pipe 24b of the refrigerant condensation heat exchange section 24 is condensed and liquefied, and the pressure of the refrigerant R is lowered to the adjustment value.

  The liquefied refrigerant R enters the first container 22c from the introduction path 31a of the liquid refrigerant flow path 31 through the branch path 33c.

  When the refrigerant R is sufficiently filled in the first container 22c, the changeover switch 34 is switched, and the refrigerant R in the first container 22c flows into the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange unit 23 and is liquefied by the refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit 24. Will flow into the second container 22d.

  In this way, the compressed hydrogen gas is cooled as described above.

  The above configuration is one form for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and other configurations can be adopted.

  For example, in addition to carbon dioxide, for example, propane having a boiling point of 0.01 MPa and a boiling point of −42.09 ° C., propylene having a boiling point of −47.6 ° C. and a pressure of 0.04 MPa can be used as the refrigerant.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Hydrogen gas filling equipment 12 ... Liquefied hydrogen storage tank 21 ... Precooler 22 ... Refrigerant circulation path 23 ... Refrigerant evaporation heat exchange part 24 ... Refrigerant condensation heat exchange part 29 ... Pressure adjustment means 29b ... Pressure regulator 29c ... Vaporizer 25 ... Compressed hydrogen gas introduction path 27 ... Liquid hydrogen introduction path

Claims (5)

A precooler for hydrogen gas filling equipment that cools hydrogen gas prior to filling,
A refrigerant circulation path in which a liquid refrigerant having a boiling point at a specific pressure is a temperature suitable for the cooling temperature of the hydrogen gas is provided;
The liquid phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit includes a refrigerant evaporation heat exchanging unit that evaporates the liquid phase refrigerant while cooling the hydrogen gas by exchanging heat with the cooled hydrogen gas,
In the gas phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant condensing heat exchange section for heat exchange with liquefied hydrogen to condense the gas phase refrigerant,
A precooler for a hydrogen gas filling facility, comprising pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation path to the specific pressure. The precooler of the hydrogen gas filling equipment according to claim 1, wherein the pressure adjusting means includes a pressure regulator and a vaporizer. The source of the hydrogen gas introduction path to the refrigerant evaporation heat exchange section and the source of the liquefied hydrogen introduction path to the refrigerant condensation heat exchange section are the same and are connected to a liquefied hydrogen storage tank for storing liquefied hydrogen. The precooler of the hydrogen gas filling equipment according to claim 1 or 2. A pre-cooling method for hydrogen gas filling equipment for cooling hydrogen gas prior to filling,
A refrigerant circulation path in which a liquid refrigerant whose boiling point at a specific pressure is a temperature suitable for the cooling temperature of the hydrogen gas is enclosed;
An evaporating step of guiding the hydrogen gas to be cooled to a liquid phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation path, exchanging heat with the refrigerant, cooling the hydrogen gas, and evaporating the liquid phase refrigerant; ,
A condensing step of condensing the refrigerant in the gas phase by conducting liquefied hydrogen to the gas phase portion of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit and exchanging heat with the refrigerant;
A precooling method for a hydrogen gas filling facility, comprising a pressure adjusting step of adjusting a pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation path to the specific pressure. The hydrogen gas is generated by vaporizing liquefied hydrogen,
The precooling method of the hydrogen gas filling equipment according to claim 4, wherein the liquefied hydrogen that is the same as the liquefied hydrogen that is a source of the hydrogen gas is used for the liquefied hydrogen introduced into the heat exchanger for condensing refrigerant.

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