KR102664993B1 - Apparatus for storing liquefied gas - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquefied gas storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing portion; a container portion disposed inside the housing portion with a vacuumed gap between the housing portion and storing liquefied gas therein; a cover part covering the housing part and an upper part of the container part; A refrigerator coupled to the cover part and maintaining the liquefied gas in a liquefied state through a cold head; A blocking portion located inside the container portion and blocking heat exchange with the outside; And it may include a transfer unit connected to the cover unit to transfer the liquefied gas.

Description

Liquefied gas storage device {APPARATUS FOR STORING LIQUEFIED GAS}

The present invention relates to a liquefied gas storage device.

In general, a liquefied gas storage device is composed of a dual structure of an inner container that stores the liquefied gas and an outer container that maintains the temperature of the liquefied gas stored in the inner container, and the space between the inner container and the outer container is filled with a cold insulating material. It is structured to suppress evaporation of liquefied gas as much as possible by minimizing heat intrusion by filling the powder and maintaining a vacuum state.

In addition, the inlet and outlet of the liquefied gas storage device are formed to have small diameters and long lengths in order to minimize heat inflow and heat exchange from the outside.

Meanwhile, depending on the intended use of the liquefied gas storage device, it may be necessary to install another device, such as a heat exchanger, a superconducting magnet, or a research experiment chamber, inside the internal container.

At this time, since other devices are inserted and installed through the inlet and outlet of the liquefied gas storage device, as the diameter of the inlet and outlet increases, there is a problem in that heat inflow and heat exchange from the outside occur.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and a refrigerator is provided in the container portion disposed at a vacuumed interval between the housing portion to maintain the liquefied gas in a liquefied state, and a blocking portion is located inside the container portion. The purpose is to provide a liquefied gas storage device that blocks heat exchange with the outside.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A liquefied gas storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing portion; a container portion disposed inside the housing portion with a vacuumed gap between the housing portion and storing liquefied gas therein; a cover part covering the housing part and an upper part of the container part; A refrigerator coupled to the cover unit and cooling the high-pressure gas and the vaporized gas into a liquefied state through a cold head; A blocking portion located inside the container portion and blocking heat exchange with the outside; And it may include a transfer part connected to the cover part to transport gas from the outside.

It may further include a vacuum port located on the outside of the housing unit to vacuum the gap.

It may further include an insulating part that contacts the lower surface of the outer peripheral part of the cover part and insulates at least a portion of the gap.

The insulation unit includes a first insulation material coupled to the container unit and spaced apart from the cover unit; a first airtight member located between the first insulator and the cover part and maintaining the airtight state of the container part; a second insulating material located between the first insulating material and the housing and spaced apart from the container portion; And it may include a second airtight member located between the first insulator and the second insulator and maintaining the airtight state of the gap.

The cold head may further include a plurality of protruding pins protruding downward inside the container unit.

The cold head may have a larger cross-sectional diameter than the heat transfer part that transfers cooling heat to the cold head.

The blocking portion may include a third insulating material connected to the inner peripheral surface of the container portion and surrounding the refrigerator.

A blocking space filled with a blocking gas lighter than the gas in which the liquefied gas is vaporized may be further included between the cover part and the cold head.

The blocking gas may have a lower boiling point than the gas in which the high-pressure gas and the liquefied gas are vaporized.

The blocking gas may be helium gas.

The transfer unit may further include a cooling gas transfer line for transferring the high-pressure gas and the liquefied gas, and a blocking gas transfer line for transferring the blocking gas.

The liquefied gas storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a refrigerator in the container portion disposed at a vacuumed interval between the housing portion to maintain the liquefied gas in a liquefied state, and a blocking portion is located inside the container portion. This can block heat exchange with the outside.

By further including an insulating part that contacts the lower surface of the outer peripheral part of the cover part and insulates at least part of the gap formed between the container part and the housing part, the gap insulation effect can be maximized.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1A to 1C are diagrams showing a liquefied gas storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing a third insulating material included in the blocking portion of the liquefied gas storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 3a to 3c are diagrams showing an insulation portion in a liquefied gas storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the description are omitted, and similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to “include” a certain element, this means that it may further include other elements rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary. In addition, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part throughout the specification, this means not only when it is directly connected, but also when it is connected through another member in the middle, or electrically between other elements in the middle. This also includes cases where they are connected. Furthermore, throughout the specification of the present application, when a member is said to be located “on” another member, this includes not only the case where a member is in contact with another member, but also the case where another member exists between the two members. Additionally, expressions such as “first,” “second,” and the like used in this specification may modify various components regardless of order and/or importance, and may be used to distinguish one component from another component. It is only used and does not limit the corresponding components, and does not necessarily mean other components. For example, 'first direction' and 'second direction' may mean the same direction or different directions.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing a liquefied gas storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates a blocking portion 500 in the liquefied gas storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing that the third insulation material 510 is included, and FIGS. 3A to 3C are diagrams showing the insulation portion in the liquefied gas storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1A to 3B, the liquefied gas storage device 10 includes a housing unit 100, a container unit 200, a cover unit 300, a refrigerator 400, a blocking unit 500, and a transfer unit 600. may include.

Here, the housing part 100 is open at the top and has a hollow shape so that the container part 200 can be inserted therein.

The container unit 200 is disposed inside the housing unit 100 with a vacuumed gap between it and the housing unit 100, and liquefied gas may be stored therein.

The liquefied gas may be liquefied nitrogen (LN2), but is not limited thereto and may be, for example, liquefied helium, liquefied air, liquefied oxygen, liquefied argon, etc.

An insulating support 101 may be formed at the inner bottom of the housing portion 100 to support the container portion 200.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 3C, one insulating support 101 may be formed at the inner bottom of the housing unit 100, but the insulating support 101 is not limited to this, and may be formed in plural pieces, for example, two or three. It can be configured.

The insulating support 101 may be formed to minimize heat exchange between the housing portion 100 and the container portion 200.

At this time, the insulation support 101 may be made of a material with low thermal conductivity, such as perlite, urethane foam, glass wool, epoxy glass, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 3C , the outside of the housing unit 100 may further include a vacuum port 110 for vacuuming the gap between the housing unit 100 and the container unit 200.

As the gap between the housing part 100 and the container part 200 is vacuumed through the vacuum port 110, the insulation effect between the outside of the housing part 100 and the inside of the container part 200 is maximized. Heat exchange can be minimized.

The cover part 300 may cover the upper part of the housing part 100 and the container part 200.

The cover part 300 is coupled to the upper part of the housing part 100 and the container part 200 to keep the gap between the housing part 100 and the container part 200 and the inside of the container part 200 in an airtight state. It can be.

The liquefied gas storage device 10 may further include an insulating portion 310 that contacts the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the cover portion 300 and insulates at least a portion of the gap. That is, the insulation unit 310 is intended to block heat exchange with the outside through the outer peripheral surface of the container unit 200, and may be made of a material with low thermal conductivity such as perlite, urethane foam, or glass wool.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 2, the upper part of the insulation part 310 is in contact with the lower surface of the outer peripheral part of the cover part 300, one side is in contact with the inner wall of the housing part 100, and the other side is in contact with the container part 200. ), the gap between the housing portion 100, the container portion 200, and the cover portion 300 is maintained in an airtight state, and the housing portion 100, the container portion 200, and the cover portion ( 300) can minimize the occurrence of heat exchange between them.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the insulation unit 310 may include a first insulation material 311, a first airtight member 313, a second heat insulator 315, and a second airtight member 317. there is.

One side of the first insulating material 311 may be coupled to the container portion 200 and may be disposed to be spaced apart from the cover portion 300.

For example, the first insulating material 311 may be coupled so that its inner surface is adjacent to the outer surface of the container unit 200, as shown in FIG. 3A.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, the first insulation material 311 has a locking protrusion formed on at least a portion of the container portion 200, and the container portion 200 has a locking protrusion through a bent portion extending straight from the outer wall. can be combined with

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3C, the first insulation material 311 is formed with a locking protrusion on at least a portion of the container portion 200 and a locking groove in the direction of the housing of the locking protrusion, and the container portion 200 is separated from the outer wall. It can be combined with the locking jaw through a double bend extending into an 'ㄱ' shape.

The first airtight member 313 is located between the first insulator 311 and the cover part 300 and can maintain the airtight state of the container part 200.

For example, the first airtight member 313 may be disposed to be adjacent to the upper part of the first insulating material 311 and the lower part of the cover part 300, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C.

The second insulation material 315 may be located between the first insulation material 311 and the upper part of the housing unit 100 and spaced apart from the container unit 200.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the second insulator 315 is located between the upper part of the housing part 100 and the lower part of the first insulator 311, and is located on the outer surface of the container part 200. It can be arranged to be spaced apart from. At this time, the cover part 300, the first insulating material 311, and the second insulating material 315 may be integrally coupled through a screw portion (not shown).

The second airtight member 317 is located between the first insulator 311 and the second insulator 315 and can maintain the airtight state of the gap between the housing part 100 and the container part 200.

For example, the second airtight member 317 may be disposed to be adjacent to the lower part of the first insulating material 311 and the upper part of the second insulating material 315, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C.

Meanwhile, the refrigerator 400 is coupled to the cover part 300 and may include a cold head 410 at the bottom that cools the high-pressure gas and the vaporized liquefied gas to a liquefied state.

The liquefied gas liquefied through the refrigerator 400 may naturally vaporize over time. The naturally vaporized liquefied gas may be re-liquefied by the refrigerator 400.

The refrigerator 400 may be operated when re-liquefaction of naturally vaporized gas is required or when high-pressure gas is injected from the outside and liquefies the injected high-pressure gas into liquefied gas.

In this way, when high-pressure gas is injected, the refrigerator 400 is operated only when it is necessary to liquefy the injected high-pressure gas into liquefied gas or to re-liquefy naturally vaporized gas, thereby efficiently operating the refrigerator 400. The power consumption required to use can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C , the cold head 410 may further include a plurality of protruding pins 411 that protrude downward inside the container unit 200.

As the cold head 410 further includes a plurality of protruding pins 411, the area where high-pressure gas and liquefied gas come into contact with vaporized gas increases, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency of the refrigerator 400.

As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the cold head 410 may have a larger cross-sectional diameter than the heat transfer part (eg, the displacer of the refrigerator 400) that transfers cooling heat to the cold head 410.

The cold head 410 may be formed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the inner peripheral surface of the container unit 200, but is not limited to this, and the cold head 410 may be formed to be connected along the inner peripheral surface of the container unit 200. It may be possible.

In this way, the cold head 410 has a larger cross-sectional diameter than the heat transfer portion, so that the high-pressure gas or liquefied gas located at the top of the container portion 200 quickly cools the vaporized gas and the high-pressure gas or liquefied gas is vaporized. By preventing the heated gas from rising to the top of the cold head 410, heat exchange with the cover part 300 can be prevented.

The blocking unit 500 is located inside the container unit 200 and can block heat exchange with the outside.

The blocking portion 500 is formed between the cover portion 300 and the cold head 410 to block radiant heat and convection phenomena from occurring.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the blocking unit 500 may be formed as a single block, but is not limited thereto and may be formed as a plurality of blocks, such as two or three.

In addition, the blocking unit 500 is arranged to be spaced apart from the inner peripheral surface of the container unit 200 in order to minimize the occurrence of convection phenomenon, or to prevent convection between gases between the lower part of the blocking unit 500 and the upper part of the blocking unit 500. In order to block the phenomenon from occurring, it may be placed in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container unit 200.

The blocking unit 500 may include a third insulating material 510 that is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the container unit 200 and surrounds the refrigerator 400.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3C, the third insulating material 510 may be formed to surround the outer surface of the refrigerator 400 and be connected to the inner peripheral surface of the container unit 200, and may be used to exchange heat between the refrigerator 400 and the outside. can be prevented.

Between the cover part 300 and the cold head 410, a blocking space 320 filled with a blocking gas that is lighter than the liquefied gas vaporized gas may be further included.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1C, the blocking space 320 may include a first blocking space filled with a blocking gas lighter than the liquefied gas vaporized gas between the cover part 300 and the blocking part 500. You can. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1C, a second blocking space filled with a blocking gas lighter than the liquefied gas vaporized gas may be included between the blocking unit 500 and the cold head 410.

In this way, by further including the blocking space 320 between the cover part 300 and the cold head 410, the liquefied gas prevents convection from occurring due to the blocking gas lighter than the vaporized gas, and prevents the high-pressure gas and By preventing the gas in which the liquefied gas has been vaporized from being transported to the space in contact with the cover part 300, heat exchange between the cover part 300 and the high-pressure gas and the gas in which the liquefied gas has been vaporized can be prevented.

The blocking gas may have a lower boiling point than the liquefied gas and the vaporized gas, and may be, for example, helium (He) gas. In the case of helium, it has the characteristic of not freezing even at an absolute temperature of 0K at 1 atm, and has the lowest boiling point of all existing substances at -269℃ or lower. In addition, helium is the closest gas to an ideal gas, and is environmentally friendly, safe as it is a non-reactive inert gas, and has the characteristics of being curveless, non-flammable, and producing no by-products during the cooling process, so it can be liquefied. It can be safe because no chemical reaction occurs between the gas and the vaporized gas.

For example, if the boiling point of the blocking gas is higher than the boiling point of the gas in which the liquefied gas is vaporized, heat exchange between the blocking gas and the vaporized gas may occur, causing a phase change in the blocking gas to a liquefied state. When a phase change occurs in the blocking gas in a liquefied state, the phase-changed blocking gas falls downward in a liquid state and prevents the high-pressure gas and the vaporized gas from being transferred to the space in contact with the cover unit 300. It may become impossible. On the other hand, if the boiling point of the blocking gas is lower than the boiling point of the gas in which the liquefied gas is vaporized, a phase change in the blocking gas may not occur even if heat exchange occurs between the blocking gas and the vaporized gas.

The transfer unit 600 is connected to the cover unit 300 so that gas can be transferred from the outside.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 3C, the transfer unit 600 is connected to the bottom of the container unit 200 and includes a cooling gas transfer line 610 for transferring high-pressure gas and liquefied gas, a cover unit 300, and a cold head. It may include a blocking gas transfer line 620 connected between 410 and transferring blocking gas.

High-pressure gas and liquefied gas are supplied to the interior of the container unit 200 through the cooling gas transfer line 610, and blocking gas is supplied between the cover unit 300 and the cold head 410 through the blocking gas transfer line 620. By supplying , heat exchange between the outside and the inside of the container unit 200 can be blocked.

As described above, according to the liquefied gas storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the refrigerator 400 is installed in the container portion 200 disposed at a vacuumed interval between the housing portion 100 and the housing portion 100. It is equipped to maintain the liquefied gas in a liquefied state.

Additionally, the blocking unit 500 is located inside the container unit 200 to block heat exchange with the outside.

In addition, it further includes an insulating part 310 that contacts the lower surface of the outer peripheral part of the cover part 300 and insulates at least a portion of the gap formed between the container part 200 and the housing part 100, thereby insulating the gap. The effect can be maximized.

In addition, by further including a blocking space 320 between the cover part 300 and the cold head 410, it prevents convection from occurring due to the blocking gas where the liquefied gas is lighter than the vaporized gas, and prevents the high-pressure gas and By preventing the gas in which the liquefied gas has been vaporized from being transported to the space in contact with the cover part 300, heat exchange between the cover part 300 and the high-pressure gas and the gas in which the liquefied gas has been vaporized can be prevented.

The description of the present invention described above is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. will be.

Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

For example, each component described as single may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

10: Liquefied gas storage device
100: Housing part
101: Insulating support
110: Vacuum port
200: container department
300: Cover part
310: insulation part
311: first insulation material
313: 1st airtight member
315: second insulation material
317: Second airtight member
320: blocking space
400: Freezer
410: cold head
411: protruding pin
500: Blocking unit
510: Third insulation material
600: transfer unit
610: Cooling gas transfer line
620: Blocking gas transfer line

Claims (11)

In the liquefied gas storage device,
Housing part;
a container portion disposed inside the housing portion with a vacuumed gap between the housing portion and storing liquefied gas therein;
a cover part covering the housing part and an upper part of the container part;
A refrigerator coupled to the cover part and cooling the high-pressure gas and the vaporized gas into a liquefied state through a cold head;
A blocking portion located inside the container portion and blocking heat exchange with the outside; and
It includes a transfer part connected to the cover part to transport gas from the outside,
The cover is used to prevent heat exchange between the cover part and the gas in which the high-pressure gas and the liquefied gas are vaporized by preventing the high-pressure gas and the gas in which the liquefied gas is vaporized from being transported to a space in contact with the cover part. It further includes a blocking space between the unit and the cold head filled with a blocking gas lighter than the vaporized gas of the liquefied gas,
The blocking gas is a liquefied gas storage device whose boiling point is lower than the gas in which the liquefied gas is vaporized.
According to claim 1,
A liquefied gas storage device located on the outside of the housing unit and further comprising a vacuum port for vacuuming the gap.
According to claim 1,
The liquefied gas storage device further includes an insulating part that contacts the lower surface of the outer peripheral part of the cover part and insulates at least a portion of the gap.
According to claim 3,
The insulation part,
a first insulating material coupled to the container portion and spaced apart from the cover portion;
a first airtight member located between the first insulator and the cover part and maintaining the airtight state of the container part;
a second insulating material located between the first insulating material and the housing portion and spaced apart from the container portion; and
A liquefied gas storage device comprising a second airtight member located between the first and second insulators and maintaining an airtight state of the gap.
According to claim 1,
The cold head is a liquefied gas storage device that further includes a plurality of protruding pins protruding downward inside the container portion.
According to claim 1,
The cold head is a liquefied gas storage device whose cross-sectional diameter is larger than that of the heat transfer part that transfers cooling heat to the cold head.
According to claim 1,
The blocking portion is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the container portion and includes a third insulating material surrounding the refrigerator.
delete delete According to claim 1,
A liquefied gas storage device, wherein the blocking gas is helium gas.
According to claim 1,
The transfer unit,
A cooling gas transfer line for transferring the high-pressure gas and the liquefied gas, and
A liquefied gas storage device further comprising a blocking gas transfer line for transferring the blocking gas.

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