JP4415628B2 - Gaseous fuel storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaseous fuel storage device, and more particularly to a flow path capable of discharging stored gaseous fuel to the outside.

In vehicles that store gaseous fuel in tanks, an exhaust passage is provided in the gas supply passage, and when the pressure exceeds a certain level, the gaseous fuel is temporarily released to the atmosphere to prevent damage to valves, accessories, etc. downstream of the tank. (See Patent Document 1). However, there is no disclosure of a gaseous fuel storage device that allows gas to flow only through the discharge channel for the purpose of voluntarily discharging the gas in the tank.
JP2003-201921 (page 3-6, Fig.1)

  The hydrogen storage system, filling system, and supply system at the time of vehicle production are pressurized with helium gas to check the airtightness. However, after pressurization, it is necessary to discharge the internal helium gas. Moreover, it is necessary to forcibly discharge the fuel in the high-pressure tank for vehicle maintenance (removal and replacement of periodic replacement parts).

  In recent years, a vehicle using gas as fuel is required to downsize a fuel tank for the purpose of saving space. On the other hand, it is necessary to increase the amount of storage for the purpose of extending the cruising range of the vehicle, and gaseous fuel storage is in the direction of higher pressure.

  Although it is conceivable to take gaseous fuel directly from the high-pressure tank, it is necessary for the production equipment and the maintenance equipment to cope with the high-pressure tank as needed. In addition, there is a problem that workability is deteriorated by always handling high-pressure fuel equivalent to a high-pressure tank by work.

A supply flow path for supplying gaseous fuel from the tank, a pressure reducing valve for depressurizing the gaseous fuel flowing through the supply flow path, a discharge flow path capable of discharging gaseous fuel downstream from the pressure reducing valve, and a gas in the discharge flow path A shut-off valve capable of shutting off the fuel, and a check valve sealed at the outer end of the discharge passage by pressure from the inside of the passage and opened and closed under a certain condition were provided. The pressure reducing valve is a variable pressure reducing valve that can be adjusted to an arbitrary set pressure. When the gaseous fuel is discharged out of the flow path, the variable pressure reducing valve is configured to reduce the gaseous fuel to a use variable range or less when the gaseous fuel is supplied. Set.

In the present invention, by providing a discharge flow path downstream of the pressure reducing valve, hydrogen is depressurized below the use variable range at the time of fuel supply, so that high pressure fuel equivalent to the pressure in the high pressure tank 1 may be discharged. And workability is improved. In addition, by providing a shutoff valve and a check valve in the discharge channel, in the unlikely event that a leak from the shutoff valve occurs, the check valve can prevent gas from being discharged to the outside.

(Example)
First, the configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The present invention is a tank for storing gaseous fuel (for example, hydrogen) (for example, high pressure tank 1), a variable pressure reducing valve for reducing the pressure of hydrogen to a set pressure (hereinafter referred to as pressure reducing valve 2), Shutoff valve 3 (electromagnetic shutoff valve) that can turn on / off hydrogen flow, check valve 4 that is sealed by pressure from inside the discharge flow path 6 and can be opened and closed under certain conditions (connecting external device 10), A supply flow path 5 for supplying hydrogen to a power generation source (for example, a fuel cell) and a discharge flow path 6 for discharging hydrogen in the high-pressure tank 1 are configured. It is assumed that the diameter of the discharge channel 6 is larger than the diameter of the supply channel 5.

  The supply flow path 5 includes a pressure reducing valve 2 and connects the high-pressure tank 1 and a fuel cell (not shown). In addition, an adjustment valve (not shown) for adjusting the amount of hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell is attached in the high-pressure tank 1. The discharge channel 6 includes a shut-off valve 3, one end is connected to the supply channel 5 downstream of the pressure reducing valve 2, and a check valve 4 is attached to the other end.

  Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the white arrow in a figure shows the flow direction of hydrogen.

  First, the fuel cell power generation will be described.

  The hydrogen stored in the high-pressure tank 1 is supplied to the fuel cell after adjusting the regulating valve, sending the required flow rate to the supply flow path 5, and reducing the pressure to a predetermined pressure by the pressure reducing valve 2. In this state, the shutoff valve 3 is closed.

  Next, a description will be given of the discharge of hydrogen in the high-pressure tank 1 during work (certain conditions).

  First, the pressure reducing valve 2 is adjusted to a pressure that is equal to or lower than the variable range (use variable range) used when hydrogen is supplied to the fuel cell (hydrogen supply). Next, the external device 10 is inserted while the shut-off valve 3 is closed. The external device 10 includes a connection part 11 connected to the check valve 4, an external flow path 13 having the connection part 11 attached to one end, a lever 12 for introducing hydrogen into the external flow path 13, and a connection part 11 It is constituted by a discharge part 14 that is movable by a lever 12 that is inside and is connected to the discharge channel 6 when the connection part 11 is connected. Then, after turning the lever 12, the shut-off valve 3 is opened. When the shut-off valve 3 is opened, hydrogen flows from the high-pressure tank 1 to the supply flow path 5. Hydrogen depressurized by the pressure reducing valve 2 is caused to flow to the discharge channel 6 due to a pressure difference. Then, it passes through the shutoff valve 3 and the check valve 4 and flows to the external flow path 13.

  By doing so, the following effects are obtained.

  By providing the discharge flow path 6 downstream of the pressure reducing valve 2, hydrogen is depressurized to a predetermined pressure, so that high-pressure hydrogen equivalent to the internal pressure of the high-pressure tank 1 is not discharged and workability is improved. . For example, when loaded onto a vehicle, during vehicle production and vehicle maintenance, the depressurization from the high-pressure tank 1 and the supply flow path 5 to the outside of the vehicle is discharged at a predetermined pressure that is reduced regardless of the pressure of the high-pressure tank 1. As a result, production facilities and maintenance facilities are not significantly changed due to changes in vehicle specifications. Further, by providing the shutoff valve 3 and the check valve 4 in the discharge flow path 6, in the unlikely event that a leak occurs from the shutoff valve 3, the check valve 4 can prevent the gas from being released to the outside. In addition, since the shut-off valve 3 is an electromagnetic shut-off valve 3, it is possible to set the shut-off valve 3 in a place that is normally out of reach during work layout, improving vehicle layout. To do.

  When hydrogen is discharged, it can be discharged by attaching the external device 10 to the check valve 4, so that the work can be performed while checking the preparation status and the abnormal condition on the facility side, and the possibility of an accident can be reduced. In addition, since the pressure reducing valve 2 is set to depressurize below the variable pressure at the time of hydrogen supply, the energy at the time of hydrogen discharge is reduced, and discharge work can be performed without using a special (for example, pressure resistant) external device 10, Tools, instruments, etc. to be used can be made inexpensive. In the unlikely event that hydrogen is released outside the external device 10, the possibility of damaging equipment or the like due to the hydrogen pressure can be reduced.

  By making the diameter of the discharge flow path 6 larger than the diameter of the supply flow path 5, it becomes easier for hydrogen to flow through the discharge flow path 6, and the discharge efficiency can be increased.

It is a block diagram concerning the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure at the time of the gas discharge concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 High pressure tank 2 Pressure reducing valve 3 Shut-off valve 4 Check valve 5 Supply flow path 6 Discharge flow path 10 External device 11 Connection part 12 Lever 13 External flow path 14 Discharge part

Claims (3)

In a gaseous fuel storage device for storing gaseous fuel in a tank,
A supply flow path for supplying gaseous fuel from the tank;
A pressure reducing valve for depressurizing the gaseous fuel flowing through the supply flow path;
A discharge passage capable of discharging gaseous fuel out of the passage downstream of the pressure reducing valve;
A shutoff valve capable of shutting off gaseous fuel in the discharge flow path;
A check valve that is sealed to the outside end of the discharge flow path by pressure from within the flow path and can be opened and closed under certain conditions;
Equipped with a,
The pressure reducing valve is a variable pressure reducing valve that can be adjusted to an arbitrary set pressure,
When discharging gaseous fuel out of the flow path,
The gas fuel storage device , wherein the variable pressure reducing valve is set so as to depressurize the gas fuel to a use variable range or less when supplying the gas fuel. The gaseous fuel storage device of claim 1.
The gas fuel storage device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that an external device is attached to the check valve. The gaseous fuel storage device according to claim 1 or 2,
The diameter of the discharge channel is gaseous fuel storage device according to claim diameter greater <br/> that of the supply passage.

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