JP2017145920A - Tank mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tank mounting structure which enables a gas accumulating between a mouth piece and a valve to be discharged to the outside while inhibiting entry of foreign objects when a high pressure tank is mounted on a vehicle.SOLUTION: A tank mounting structure according to the invention includes: a mouth piece 3 of a high pressure tank 1; a valve assembly 50 inserted into the mouth piece 3; and a bracket 40 which is disposed around the mouth piece 3 and fixes the high pressure tank 1 to a vehicle. The mount piece 3 has an air bleeding hole 31 communicating from an inner peripheral surface 3a to an outer peripheral surface 3b. The bracket 40 has an exhaust hole 41 forming a passage which allows the bleeding hole 31 to communicate with the outside in a state where the bracket 40 engages with the mouth piece 3. The passage bends at least one time in a middle part thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a tank mounting structure.

  Conventionally, high-pressure tanks that store fuel gas such as natural gas or hydrogen gas at high pressure are widely known. Such a high-pressure tank is often mounted on a mobile body using these gases as fuel, such as a fuel cell vehicle.

  As this type of high-pressure tank, a metal base is attached to a synthetic resin liner, and the outer surface of the liner is covered with a reinforcing layer made of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics). A valve assembly (a part incorporating a valve or the like, hereinafter simply referred to as a valve) for controlling supply / discharge of fuel gas between the external gas supply line and the inside of the high-pressure tank is attached to the base.

  In the high-pressure tank, gas may accumulate in the space between the valve and the base, and it is necessary to discharge the accumulated gas to the outside of the tank. In the following Patent Document 1, a gas vent hole for discharging the gas accumulated in the space between the base and the valve to the outside of the tank is formed in the valve. Further, a seal (PTFE seal) is provided at the opening of the gas vent hole in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the tank from the outside of the gas vent hole.

WO2010-058552 gazette

  The above high-pressure tank is provided with a seal that prevents foreign substances (pebbles, water, etc.) from entering the tank through the vent hole from the outside. There was a risk that the pebbles and the like hit the seal, causing the seal to break and foreign matter to enter the tank.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and its purpose is to suppress the gas accumulated between the base and the valve while suppressing the intrusion of foreign substances when a high-pressure tank is mounted on the vehicle. The object is to provide a tank mounting structure that can be discharged.

  In order to solve the above problems, a tank mounting structure according to the present invention is a tank mounting structure used when a high pressure tank for storing fuel gas is mounted on a vehicle, and is inserted into the base of the high pressure tank and the base. A valve and a bracket disposed around the base and fixing the high-pressure tank to the vehicle, the base having a vent hole communicating from an inner peripheral surface thereof to an outer peripheral surface; It has a discharge hole that constitutes a flow channel that communicates the vent hole and the outside in a state of being engaged with a base, and the flow channel is bent at least once in the middle thereof.

  According to such a configuration, a discharge hole communicating with the vent hole of the valve is formed in the bracket for fixing the tank, and the gas accumulated between the base and the valve can be discharged out of the tank through the discharge hole. . In addition, since the flow path constituting the discharge hole is bent at least once in the middle thereof, foreign matter that enters the vent hole from the outside via the discharge hole can be suppressed, and foreign matter enters the tank. Can be suppressed.

  According to the present invention, when a high-pressure tank is mounted on a vehicle, it is possible to provide a tank mounting structure that can discharge gas accumulated between a base and a valve to the outside while suppressing entry of foreign matter. it can.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of a high pressure tank. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating the tank mounting structure in this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the bracket which fixes a high pressure tank to a vehicle. It is a schematic sectional drawing for demonstrating the tank mounting structure in a modification.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

  First, the configuration of the high-pressure tank will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a high-pressure tank. In FIG. 1, illustration of a bracket and the like which will be described later is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the high-pressure tank 1 includes a sealed cylindrical container body 2 as a whole and a base 3 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the container body 2. The inside of the container body 2 is a storage space 5 for storing various gases. The high-pressure tank 1 can be used to store high-pressure fuel gas. For example, hydrogen as a combustible fuel gas, compressed natural gas (CNG gas), or the like can be stored.

  The container body 2 has a two-layer structure including an inner liner 11 (inner shell) having gas barrier properties and a reinforcing layer 12 (outer shell) disposed on the outer periphery of the liner 11. The reinforcing layer 12 is made of, for example, FRP containing carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and is wound around so as to cover the outer surface of the liner 11.

  The base 3 is fitted into the opening of the liner 11. The base 3 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. The opening of the base 3 is configured so that parts such as a pipe and a valve assembly 50 can be screwed and connected. The valve assembly 50 is integrally incorporated with piping elements such as valves and joints, and controls the gas supply and discharge by connecting the storage space 5 and an external gas flow path (not shown). In FIG. 1, an example in which the valve assembly 50 is provided only on one side of the base 3 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Moreover, although the nozzle | cap | die 3 was provided in the both ends of the high pressure tank 1, you may provide the nozzle | cap | die 3 only in one edge part.

  Next, the tank mounting structure in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a tank mounting structure. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the configuration of the bracket. In FIG. 2, illustration of the reinforcing layer 12 and the liner 11 is omitted.

  As described above, the valve assembly 50 connects the storage space 5 in the container body 2 and an external gas flow path (not shown) to control gas supply and discharge. Screwed into the connection. As shown in FIG. 2, a female thread portion 32 for screwing and connecting the valve assembly 50 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 3 a of the base 3, and a female thread portion 32 of the base 3 is formed on the shaft portion of the valve assembly 50. A male screw portion 52 is formed to be screwed onto the screw. Further, an O-ring 60 as a seal member is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the valve assembly 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the base 3.

  By the way, when the O-ring 60 used as a sealing structure between the base 3 and the valve assembly 50 is made of a resin or rubber material, hydrogen permeates between molecules of the material. In this case, hydrogen that has passed through the O-ring 60 may accumulate in the cylindrical space 90 formed by a substantially cylindrical gap surrounded by the O-ring 60, the base 3, and the valve assembly 50. In order to discharge the hydrogen accumulated in the cylindrical space 90 to the outside of the tank, a method of forming a vent hole 31 in the base 3 that communicates from the inner peripheral surface 3a of the base 3 to the outer peripheral surface 3b is generally adopted. Yes.

  However, if the vent hole 31 is formed in the base 3, water and foreign matter may enter the high-pressure tank 1 from the outside through the vent hole 31, which may reduce the sealing performance. In order to solve such a problem, in the present embodiment, a bracket 40 is provided around the base 3 to realize both the function of suppressing the contamination and the gas discharge function. Below, the structure of the bracket 40 is demonstrated.

  The bracket 40 is a member for engaging the base 3 and fixing the high-pressure tank 1 to the vehicle. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the bracket 40 has a discharge hole 41 that constitutes a flow path that connects the vent hole 31 and the outside in a state of being engaged with the base 3. The discharge hole 41 has one end 41a communicating with the vent hole 31 and the other end 41b communicating with the outside, and is bent at least once in the middle. As described above, since the discharge hole 41 is provided so as to communicate with the vent hole 31 connected to the cylindrical space 90, the O-ring 60 is transmitted from the high-pressure tank 1 and accumulated in the cylindrical space 90. The gas can be discharged to the outside through the discharge hole 41 communicating with the vent hole 31. Further, in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the tank from the outside (on the other end 41b side) of the discharge hole 41, the flow path constituting the discharge hole 41 is bent at least once in the middle thereof. Thus, since the discharge hole 41 has a structure bent in the middle thereof, it is possible to make it difficult for foreign matter from entering the vent hole 31 through the discharge hole 41, and foreign matter entering the tank. Can be prevented. By providing the bracket 40 having such a structure, it is possible to suppress the entry of foreign matter into the tank while releasing the gas accumulated between the base 3 and the valve assembly 50 to the outside.

  Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which the discharge hole 41 is bent once in the middle thereof, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the discharge hole 41 may be bent a plurality of times in the middle. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a spiral groove 42 may be formed in the bracket 40, and the groove 42 may be configured to communicate with the vent hole 31 and the outside. As described above, the flow path communicating with the vent hole 31 is constituted by the groove 42 that is bent a plurality of times, so that it is possible to further suppress the entry of foreign matters from the outside while maintaining the function of venting. In addition, the flow path which connects the vent hole 31 and the outside is not limited to the illustrated example, and has a function of suppressing foreign matter from entering the tank through the vent hole 31 from the outside. If it is, it is possible to adopt other shapes and the like.

  As a modified example, a gas permeable film 80 is provided between the discharge hole 41 of the bracket 40 and the vent hole 31 of the base 3, in other words, at the outer end of the vent hole 31 (one end 41 a of the discharge hole 41). Also good. As the gas permeable membrane 80, for example, a material such as a PTFE porous membrane is preferably used. However, the material is not limited to this example. The gas permeable membrane 80 is not limited to this example. Other materials can be used as long as they have a function.

  The tank mounting structure in the present embodiment described above includes the base 3 of the high-pressure tank 1, the valve assembly 50 inserted into the base 3, and the bracket 40 that is disposed around the base 3 and fixes the high-pressure tank 1 to the vehicle. The base 3 has a vent hole 31 communicating from the inner peripheral surface 3 a to the outer peripheral surface 3 b, and the bracket 40 communicates the vent hole 31 and the outside in a state engaged with the base 3. It has the discharge hole 41 which comprises a flow path, and this flow path is bent at least once in the middle.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. Each element included in each of the specific examples described above and their arrangement, material, condition, shape, size, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, and can be appropriately changed.

1: High pressure tank 2: Container body 3: Base 3a: Inner peripheral surface 3b: Outer peripheral surface 5: Storage space 11: Liner 12: Reinforcing layer 31: Vent hole 41: Bracket 41: Discharge hole 42: Groove 50: Valve Assembly (valve)
60: O-ring 80: Gas permeable membrane 90: Cylindrical space

Claims (1)

In the tank mounting structure used when mounting a high-pressure tank for storing fuel gas on a vehicle,
A base of the high-pressure tank;
A valve inserted into the base;
A bracket disposed around the base and fixing the high-pressure tank to a vehicle;
The base has a vent hole communicating from the inner peripheral surface to the outer peripheral surface,
The bracket has a discharge hole that constitutes a flow path that communicates the vent hole and the outside in a state of being engaged with the base,
The tank mounting structure, wherein the flow path is bent at least once in the middle thereof.

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