JP7185925B2 - Off-site hydrogen station - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hydrogen station, and more particularly to a power supply attached to an off-site hydrogen station.

Automobiles running on the power of internal combustion engines have the problem of CO2 emissions. In order to solve the above problems, automobiles that run on the output of an electric motor have been proposed. As automobiles that run on the output of an electric motor, there is a fuel cell vehicle in which electric power from a fuel cell is used to generate an electric motor.

A fuel cell vehicle does not have a means for generating hydrogen to be consumed by the fuel cell itself. This is because the hydrogen generator capable of supplying the amount consumed by the fuel cell vehicle is relatively large. Therefore, a facility for supplying the hydrogen required by the fuel cell vehicle is required. A typical example of the facility is a hydrogen station.

Hydrogen stations are roughly classified into an off-site type that does not itself have hydrogen gas production means and pressure boosting means, and an on-site type that has them.

The hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell vehicle at the hydrogen station is an extremely explosive gas. Therefore, equipment and facilities that handle them must be highly explosion-proof. This is the same for the vehicles that carry hydrogen.

In addition, since hydrogen stations are highly dangerous facilities, it is desirable that the power supplied to the equipment for controlling or monitoring the facilities is provided not only from commercial power sources but also from backup power sources.

One factor that prevents the construction of hydrogen stations from spreading is the problem of cost. That is, the construction cost of the hydrogen station is high because it is necessary to prepare the equipment to ensure the above-mentioned explosion-proof property, and furthermore, the price of hydrogen gas is currently as high as 100 yen/Nm3. It is said that it is difficult to secure profitability in terms of cost-effectiveness, and that this is one of the factors that prevents the construction of hydrogen stations from spreading as expected.

As a prior art in the hydrogen station, the technical proposal relating to Patent Document 1 is known. However, in the technical proposal of Patent Document 1, there is no idea that the hydrogen station needs a backup power supply. Therefore, there is a possibility that the control means of the station will also stop when the commercial power supply stops. Further, according to the technical proposal of Patent Document 1, there is no method for ensuring explosion-proofness for hydrogen storage facilities. Therefore, there is a risk of induced explosion when hydrogen gas leaks. These problems boil down to the fact that no security is provided for safe operation or safe shutdown of the system.

Furthermore, according to the technical proposal of Patent Literature 1, no consideration is given to means for making a profit in the hydrogen station. Therefore, it did not provide an idea that could contribute to the spread of hydrogen stations.

By the way, a fuel cell that generates electricity based on hydrogen gas emits nitrogen-rich gas as a by-product. This nitrogen-rich gas is an inert gas and can be used in a wide range of fields for the purpose of improving safety such as security and purging.

Nitrogen-rich gas is indispensable for the production of ammonia, which is widely used as a raw material for pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, and the like. In order to generate this ammonia, nitrogen gas and water must generally be reacted in a harsh environment of a high temperature of 400° C. or higher and a high pressure of over 100 atm, which is a factor that causes an increase in energy consumption and a rise in the price of ammonia. Met.

In recent research on ammonia production, a method has been developed that uses a metal compound called molybdenum as a catalyst and a reducing agent that uses the rare earth samarium to react nitrogen gas and water under normal temperature and pressure to produce ammonia. It is According to this method, since it is not necessary to apply heat or pressure, it is expected that the method is easy and contributes to the reduction of energy consumption. However, in the first place, nitrogen gas is generally generated by cooling air to −200° C. and taking advantage of the difference in boiling points to extract nitrogen gas from the air. Since a large amount of energy consumption is required, the present situation is that no fundamental solution has been reached.

The applicant of the present application focused on these conventional problems and came up with the idea that it would be possible to achieve both safety assurance and profitable operation in hydrogen stations. We have developed a mechanism for a hydrogen station that can solve these problems at once by using it appropriately and effectively, leading to the proposal of the "off-site hydrogen station" according to the present invention.

JP 2006-316817 A

In view of the background art described above, an object of the present invention is to propose a hydrogen station that can realize profitable operation while improving safety and functionality.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an off-site hydrogen station for supplying hydrogen gas to a fuel cell vehicle, comprising at least one hydrogen gas tank filled with hydrogen gas transported by a gas transport vehicle. hydrogen supply means for receiving supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas tank to supply hydrogen gas to the fuel cell vehicle; a fuel cell for generating electricity by receiving the supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas tank; and nitrogen exhausted by the fuel cell A means comprising a nitrogen gas tank for storing rich gas and a nitrogen supply means for receiving the supply of nitrogen rich gas from the nitrogen gas tank and supplying the nitrogen rich gas to the empty tank of the gas carrier is adopted.

In addition, the present invention employs means in which a nitrogen supply line for supplying nitrogen-rich gas from the nitrogen gas tank to the nitrogen supply means is provided, and a pressure increasing valve is provided at a predetermined intermediate position of the nitrogen supply line.

Further, in the present invention, a hydrogen supply line for supplying hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas tank to the hydrogen supply means or the fuel cell is provided, and the hydrogen gas tank supplies hydrogen gas to the fuel cell vehicle via the hydrogen supply means. and a second hydrogen gas tank for supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell.

Furthermore, the present invention employs a means in which the hydrogen gas tank is arranged in an isolated compartment, and the compartment is purged with nitrogen-rich gas exhausted from the fuel cell.

According to the off-site hydrogen station according to the present invention, a fuel cell is provided, and the nitrogen-rich gas produced as a by-product by the fuel cell is appropriately supplied to the outside, so that the nitrogen-rich gas can be effectively used. It has excellent effects such as

Gas trucks are the primary source of nitrogen-rich gas. The gas carrier initially carries hydrogen gas and fills the hydrogen gas tank in the hydrogen station with the hydrogen gas. Since the transport vehicle is purged with nitrogen-rich gas, it is possible to improve explosion-proofness and transport and sell it to places where nitrogen-rich gas is required. In addition, the nitrogen-rich gas produced as a by-product of the fuel cell can be effectively utilized as a valuable means of profitability.

Secondly, the nitrogen-rich gas is supplied to a section in which a hydrogen gas tank is isolated. By purging the section in which the hydrogen gas tank is isolated with the nitrogen-rich gas, it contributes to improving the explosion-proofness of the hydrogen gas tank.

A third source of the nitrogen-rich gas is vehicle tires. In recent years, tires are filled with nitrogen gas because the permeability of rubber is low, air pressure fluctuations due to temperature are small, and deterioration of rubber can be delayed. In general, charging nitrogen gas is costly, but by making effective use of the nitrogen-rich gas generated as a by-product of fuel cells, it becomes possible to fill the tires of vehicles that come to a hydrogen station with nitrogen-rich gas at a low cost.

Further, according to the off-site hydrogen station according to the present invention, by using the electric power generated by the fuel cell as a backup power source for the hydrogen station, it is possible to prevent stoppage of the control means and safety mechanism of the station. By making it possible to externally transmit the power generated by the fuel cell, it is possible to effectively use the power source for selling power other than the backup power source.

Furthermore, according to the off-site hydrogen station according to the present invention, the hydrogen gas tank is divided into the first hydrogen gas tank, which is the hydrogen supply source for the hydrogen vehicle, and the second hydrogen gas tank, which is the hydrogen supply source for the fuel cell. By adopting a mode in which these are not in communication with each other in normal times, it is possible to prevent the pulsating pressure of the tanks, especially the pulsating pressure from the first hydrogen gas tank to the second hydrogen gas tank.

1 is a system configuration schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an off-site hydrogen station according to the present invention; FIG.

The off-site hydrogen station 1 according to the present invention comprises one or more hydrogen gas tanks 10, and a hydrogen replenishing means 30 for receiving hydrogen gas 21 supplied from the hydrogen gas tank 10 and replenishing the fuel cell vehicle 40 with the hydrogen gas 21. a fuel cell 50 for generating electricity by receiving the hydrogen gas 21 supplied from the hydrogen gas tank 10; a nitrogen gas tank 60 for storing the nitrogen rich gas 54 exhausted by the fuel cell 50; The most characteristic feature is the configuration provided with a nitrogen supply means 80 for supplying the nitrogen-rich gas 54 to the outside.
An embodiment of an off-site hydrogen station 1 according to the present invention, that is, a system configuration and operation will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The gas transport vehicle 20, the hydrogen replenishment means 30, the fuel cell vehicle 40, and the fuel cell 50 are already known, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Furthermore, the off-site hydrogen station 1 according to the present invention is not particularly limited to the embodiments described below. The material or shape of the can be changed as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an off-site hydrogen station 1 according to the present invention.
The off-site hydrogen station 1 according to the present invention mainly includes one or more hydrogen gas tanks, and a hydrogen tank for receiving hydrogen gas 21 supplied from the hydrogen gas tank 10 and replenishing the hydrogen gas 21 to the fuel cell vehicle 40 . a supply means 30; a fuel cell 50 which receives the supply of hydrogen gas 21 from the hydrogen gas tank 10 to generate electricity; a nitrogen gas tank 60 which stores the nitrogen rich gas 54 discharged from the fuel cell 50; and a nitrogen supply means 80 for receiving the supply of the nitrogen-rich gas 54 and supplying the nitrogen-rich gas 54 to the outside.

The off-site hydrogen station 1 is a refueling station for replenishing the fuel cell vehicle 40 with hydrogen gas 21 . The hydrogen gas 21 to be replenished to the fuel cell vehicle 40 is filled inside the hydrogen gas tank 10 and fed and filled into the fuel cell vehicle 40 via the hydrogen supply means 30 for measuring the hydrogen gas 21 .

The hydrogen gas tank 10 is provided for the purpose of storing the hydrogen gas 21 and supplying the hydrogen gas 21 to the hydrogen supply means 30 and the fuel cell 50 .

It is desirable that the hydrogen gas tank 10 is provided with a first hydrogen gas tank 11 and a second hydrogen gas tank 12 . This is for the convenience of installation when the fuel cell 50 is installed later, and for the prevention of mutual influence of pulse pressure.
The hydrogen gas tank 10 and the surrounding pipes (13 to 15) must withstand an ultrahigh pressure of about 70 MPa, and there is a risk that their withstand pressure will decrease if they are processed after installation.
Further, when the hydrogen gas 21 is being supplied to the fuel cell vehicle 40, rapid pressure fluctuations (undershoot/overshoot) are likely to occur when the supply of air is started or stopped. At that time, the power (voltage) output from the fuel cell 50 often changes. In that sense, in order to prevent the pulse pressure of the first hydrogen gas tank 11 from being transmitted to the fuel cell 50, it is preferable to separate the first hydrogen gas tank 11 and the second hydrogen gas tank 12 from each other.

The supply of hydrogen gas 21 from the first hydrogen gas tank 11 to the hydrogen replenishing means 30 and from the second hydrogen gas tank 12 to the fuel cell 50 are carried out by separate hydrogen supply lines 13, respectively.

The first hydrogen gas tank 11 and the second hydrogen gas tank 12 are communicated with each other by a communication line 15 . A release valve 16 is provided at a predetermined intermediate position of the communication conduit 15 .
The release valve 16 is normally closed, and is released/opened when the pressure in either the first hydrogen gas tank 11 or the second hydrogen gas tank 12 falls below a predetermined pressure. In that case, when the release valve 16 is released and opened, the hydrogen gas 21 is supplied to the tank on the lower side than the tank on the higher pressure side until the pressures of both are balanced. In other words, by supplying the hydrogen gas 21 from the tank with the higher pressure to the tank with the lower pressure, the residual amount of the hydrogen gas 21 on the side with the lower pressure is increased. This is for the purpose of providing convenience to the side with a large amount of use (amount of demand).
In order to prevent chattering-like operation, it is desirable that the opening and closing pressure of the release valve 16 have a predetermined difference between the valve opening pressure and the valve closing pressure. In this case, the valve opening pressure should be lower than the valve closing pressure.

The first hydrogen gas tank 11 and the second hydrogen gas tank 12 are filled with hydrogen gas 21 from a hydrogen filling vehicle 20 through a filling port 19 and a filling pipeline 14 . A check valve 18 and a filling shut-off valve 17 are provided at a predetermined intermediate position of the filling line 14 . The filling cutoff valve 17 needs to be opened only when the hydrogen tank 10 is filled with the hydrogen gas 21, and the check valve 18 is its backup.

It is desirable that the filling pipeline 14 and the communication pipeline 15 are the same pipeline and have an overlapping portion. This is due to the ease of construction and the saving of materials.
In that case, the release valve 16 needs to be arranged on the first hydrogen gas tank 11 or the second hydrogen gas tank 12 side, and the check valve 18 and filling cutoff valve 17 need to be arranged on the filling port 19 side.

The hydrogen replenishing means 30 replenishes and fills the fuel cell vehicle 40 with the hydrogen gas 21 supplied from the first hydrogen gas tank 11 through the hydrogen supply pipeline 13 .

The fuel cell 50 generates electric power 51 through the reaction of oxygen 52 and hydrogen gas 21 with water 53 .
The reaction causes nitrogen-rich gas 54 and water 53 to be exhausted and drained.
The oxygen 52 is contained in the atmosphere, that is, the nitrogen-rich gas 54 is the remainder after removing the oxygen 52 to be used for the reaction.
In most cases, the nitrogen rich gas 54 has a nitrogen concentration of approximately 90-95%. The remaining approximately 4 to 9% is oxygen and approximately 1% is other gases.
Incidentally, the nitrogen concentration in the atmosphere is usually about 80%.

The electric power 51 generated by the fuel cell 50 can be transmitted to the outside, and can be used as a backup power source for equipment in the hydrogen station 1 that requires electric power.
At this time, it is desirable to perform external power transmission during normal times, and to use the power 51 of the hydrogen station 1 as a backup power source for equipment that requires the power 51 when the commercial power supply is lost.
In addition, since the power generated by the fuel cell 50 is direct current, it is output via an inverter for DC-AC conversion, frequency conversion means (frequency conversion device), voltage conversion means (trans cubicle), etc. Configurations are also envisioned.

Nitrogen-rich gas 54 exhausted from fuel cell 50 is stored in nitrogen gas tank 60 . That is, the nitrogen gas tank 60 is provided for the purpose of storing the nitrogen-rich gas 54 and supplying the nitrogen-rich gas 54 to the nitrogen supply means 80 .

The nitrogen-rich gas 54 is supplied from the nitrogen gas tank 60 to the nitrogen supply means 80 through the nitrogen supply pipeline 61 . A check valve 63 is arranged at a predetermined intermediate position of the nitrogen supply pipe 61 .

Also, in the nitrogen supply pipe line 61, a mode is adopted in which a pressure increasing valve 70 is provided at a predetermined intermediate position. The pressure increasing valve 70 is provided for the purpose of increasing the pressure of the nitrogen-rich gas 54 supplied from the nitrogen gas tank 60 and feeding it to the nitrogen supply means 80, and a conventional pressure increasing valve 70 is sufficient. In a mode having such a pressure increasing valve 70 , the check valve 63 is arranged at the rear stage of the pressure increasing valve 70 .

The nitrogen supply means 80 supplies and fills the empty tank of the gas transport vehicle 20 with the nitrogen-rich gas 54 supplied from the nitrogen gas tank 60 through the nitrogen supply pipe line 61 . As for the specific structure of the nitrogen supply means 80, similar to the hydrogen replenishment means 30, a well-known gas supply device is already used, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As a means for further ensuring the explosion-proofness of the hydrogen station 1, a configuration in which the first hydrogen gas tank 11 and the second hydrogen gas tank 12 are arranged in the section A that is shielded and isolated is assumed.
Furthermore, it is assumed that the inside of the compartment A is purged of the nitrogen-rich gas 54 discharged from the fuel cell 50 .
By shielding and isolating the compartment A and purging the nitrogen-rich gas 54 having a low oxygen concentration into the compartment A, even if the hydrogen gas 21 leaks from the hydrogen gas tank 10, explosion is less likely to occur.

The off-site hydrogen station 1 according to the present invention configured as described above is equipped with a fuel cell 50 and appropriately supplies the nitrogen-rich gas 54 produced as a by-product by the fuel cell 50 to effectively utilize the nitrogen-rich gas 54. By supplying and filling the empty tank of the gas carrier 20 with the nitrogen-rich gas 54, the tank is purged with the nitrogen-rich gas 54, which is expected to improve the explosion-proofness, and the hydrogen gas 21 By using the gas transport vehicle 20 that has transported the nitrogen-rich gas 54 to transport the nitrogen-rich gas 54, the operation efficiency of the gas transport vehicle 20 is expected to be improved, and the nitrogen-rich gas 54 that has been discarded in the fuel cell 50 so far can be effectively used. And it will contribute to profitable operation.

The off-site hydrogen station according to the present invention has the above configuration and operation modes, and as described in "Effects of the Invention", exhibits many effects as a hydrogen station.
Therefore, we think that the industrial applicability is great.

1 Hydrogen station 10 Hydrogen gas tank 11 First hydrogen gas tank 12 Second hydrogen gas tank 13 Hydrogen supply line 14 Filling line 15 Communication line 16 Release valve 17 Filling cutoff valve 18 Check valve 19 Filling port 20 Gas carrier 21 Hydrogen gas 30 hydrogen supply means 40 fuel cell vehicle 50 fuel cell 51 electric power 52 oxygen (atmosphere)
53 Water 54 Nitrogen-rich gas 60 Nitrogen gas tank 61 Nitrogen supply line 63 Check valve 70 Pressure increasing valve 80 Nitrogen supply means A Compartment

Claims (3)

An off-site hydrogen station for supplying hydrogen gas to a fuel cell vehicle,
one or more hydrogen gas tanks filled with hydrogen gas transported by a gas transport vehicle;
hydrogen replenishment means for receiving supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas tank and replenishing the fuel cell vehicle with hydrogen gas;
a fuel cell that receives supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas tank and generates power;
a nitrogen gas tank for storing nitrogen-rich gas discharged from the fuel cell;
nitrogen supply means for receiving a supply of nitrogen-rich gas from the nitrogen gas tank and supplying the nitrogen-rich gas to an empty tank of the gas carrier ;
a nitrogen supply line for supplying nitrogen-rich gas from the nitrogen gas tank to the nitrogen supply means;
An off-site hydrogen station, characterized in that a pressure increasing valve is provided at a predetermined intermediate position of the nitrogen supply pipeline.
a hydrogen supply line for supplying hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas tank to the hydrogen supply means or the fuel cell;
The hydrogen gas tank comprises a first hydrogen gas tank for supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell vehicle via the hydrogen supply means, and a second hydrogen gas tank for supplying hydrogen gas to the fuel cell. The off-site hydrogen station according to claim 1. 3. The off-site hydrogen station according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen gas tank is arranged in an isolated compartment, and the compartment is purged with nitrogen-rich gas exhausted from the fuel cell. .

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