KR102667518B1 - A High-Pressure Fluid Storage Container with an Airtight structure of the Spring-Energized Seal Method Using an Closed Curved Pressure Spring - Google Patents

Abstract

The high-pressure fluid storage container with the spring-energized seal type airtight structure using a closed curve-shaped pressure spring according to the present invention includes a container body with a storage space inside which high-pressure fluid is stored, and at least one of both ends of the container body. A nozzle boss is coupled to one side and has a fluid passage hole through which fluid flows inside, and a ring shape formed between the end surface of the container body and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss in contact with the end surface of the container body. It includes an airtight forming unit installed in the sealing groove to seal the inside of the storage space, wherein the airtight forming unit is made of an elastic material and is formed to be fitable into the sealing groove, and an insertion space having an opening on one side is formed therein. It is formed of a sealing jacket and a metal material and is inserted into the insertion space. By providing an elastic pressing force to both sides around the opening of the insertion space, the sealing jacket is connected to the end surface of the container body and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss. It includes a pressure spring in close contact with the pressure spring, and the cross-section of the pressure spring is formed in the form of a closed curve.

Description

{A High-Pressure Fluid Storage Container with an Airtight structure of the Spring-Energized Seal Method Using an Closed Curved Pressure Spring}

The present invention relates to a high-pressure fluid storage container, and more specifically, to a high-pressure fluid storage container capable of preventing leakage of high-pressure fluid by applying an airtight structure of the spring-energized seal type using a closed curve-shaped pressure spring. will be.

Fossil fuels, which were previously used as the main energy source, are becoming increasingly depleted over time, and human interest is gradually shifting to alternative energy sources due to environmental pollution issues.

Among these alternative energy sources, hydrogen fuel is attracting attention, and its potential is very high as hydrogen is not only very abundant but also has no concerns about environmental pollution.

In particular, cars using hydrogen fuel are being studied as an alternative to cars using existing internal combustion engines, and the results are currently showing results.

Accordingly, various research is being actively conducted on storage containers that are installed in automobiles and charging stations to safely store hydrogen gas filled at high pressure. And generally, hydrogen storage containers are equipped with an O-ring that is provided between the body and the nozzle portion to prevent hydrogen leakage.

However, in conventional hydrogen storage containers, destruction phenomena in which the O-ring is damaged as hydrogen molecules penetrate, diffuse, and permeate the inside of the O-ring due to the internal high-pressure hydrogen environment have been reported.

This is known to be related to the filling ratio when installing O-rings. In general, the phenomenon of swelling of the O-ring occurs due to hydrogen penetrating into the O-ring, and this can be classified into overflow and buckling depending on the type of destruction.

Figure 1 is a photograph showing a destruction phenomenon occurring in an O-ring. Figure 1 (A) shows an overflow phenomenon occurring, and Figure 1 (B) shows a buckling phenomenon occurring.

At this time, if the filling rate of the O-ring is high, an overflow phenomenon occurs in which the O-ring protrudes through the assembled gap between the body and the nozzle, and if the filling rate of the O-ring is low, a buckling phenomenon in which the O-ring is crushed and destroyed in the installed space tends to occur. see.

Therefore, there is a need for a method to prevent fluid leakage from hydrogen storage containers due to such destruction phenomenon.
The present invention was developed as a result of the following task.
- Name of ministry: Korea Techno Park Promotion Association
- Name of organization specializing in project management: Busan Techno Park
- Research project name: Material parts technology development
- Research project name: Clean energy technology innovation company development project
- Name of project carrying out organization: Ether City Co., Ltd.
- Research period: 2023-04-18 ~ 2023-11-30

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0137895

The present invention is an invention made to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and is intended to prevent leakage of high-pressure fluid from occurring due to the internal high-pressure gas environment in a high-pressure fluid storage container filled with a predetermined gas at high pressure. It has a purpose.

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

The high-pressure fluid storage container of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is equipped with a spring-energized seal type airtight structure using a closed curve-shaped pressure spring, comprising a container body having a storage space inside which high-pressure fluid is stored; A nozzle boss that is coupled to at least one of both ends of the container body and has a fluid passage hole through which fluid flows inside, and between an end surface of the container body and an opposing surface of the nozzle boss that is in contact with the end surface of the container body. It includes an airtight forming unit installed in a ring-shaped sealing groove formed in the storage space to seal the inside of the storage space, wherein the airtight forming unit is made of an elastic material and is formed to be fitable in the sealing groove, and has one side on the inside. A sealing jacket with an open insertion space is formed of a metal material and is inserted into the insertion space. By providing an elastic pressing force to both sides around the opening of the insertion space, the sealing jacket is pressed to the end surface of the container body and It includes a pressure spring that comes into close contact with the opposing surface of the nozzle boss, and the pressure spring has a closed curved cross-section.

At this time, the sealing jacket may be arranged so that the opening of the insertion space faces in the direction of the storage space on the leakage path of the high-pressure fluid.

And the sealing jacket connects a pair of close sealing parts and one side of the pair of close sealing parts each in contact with an end surface of the container body or an opposing surface of the nozzle boss, and connects the pair of close sealing parts to each other. It may include a connection part forming the insertion space.

Here, a lip may be formed on the outer surface of the connection portion to protrude in an outwardly curved shape.

Additionally, a separation prevention protrusion may be formed on the connection part that extends to the other connection part on the opposite side and shields a portion of the opening of the insertion space.

Meanwhile, the pressure spring has a pair of first elasticity providing points formed so that the extension lines connecting each other intersect the end surface of the container body and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss, and the extension lines connecting each other are formed to intersect the end surface of the container body and the opposite surface of the nozzle boss. It includes a pair of second elasticity providing points formed side by side on opposing surfaces of the nozzle boss, and the elastic deformation of the first elasticity providing points may be formed to be higher than the elastic deformation of the second elasticity providing points. .

In order to solve the above problems, the high-pressure fluid storage container of the present invention with an airtight structure of the spring-energized seal method using a closed curve-shaped pressure spring is installed between opposing surfaces of the nozzle boss that contacts the end surface of the container body. As it includes an airtight forming unit installed in the ring-shaped sealing groove to seal the inside of the storage space, it has the advantage of improving leakage that occurs in a high-pressure gas environment.

In particular, the airtight forming unit is made of an elastic material so that it can be fitted into a sealing groove, and includes a sealing jacket with an insertion space with an opening on one side inside, and a metal material that is inserted into the insertion space and is centered around the opening of the insertion space. It provides elastic pressing force on both sides and includes a closed curved pressing spring that brings the sealing jacket into close contact with the end surface of the container body and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss, providing superior sealing power than conventional sealing means such as O-rings. It has the advantage of being able to do it.

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 of the claims.

Figure 1 is a photograph showing destruction of an O-ring provided in a conventional hydrogen storage container.
Figure 2 is a view showing a high-pressure fluid storage container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the assembly structure of the container body and the nozzle boss in the high-pressure fluid storage container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the structure of an airtight forming unit applied to a high-pressure fluid storage container according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a view showing the sealing jacket in the high-pressure fluid storage container according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a view showing the sealing jacket in the high-pressure fluid storage container according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a view showing the inside of the sealing groove and the sealing jacket in the high-pressure fluid storage container according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a view showing the inside of the sealing groove in the high-pressure fluid storage container according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In this specification, when a component (or region, layer, portion, etc.) is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another component, it is directly placed/on the other component. This means that they can be connected/combined or a third component can be placed between them.

Identical reference numerals refer to identical elements. Additionally, in the drawings, the thickness, proportions, and dimensions of components are exaggerated for effective explanation of technical content.

“And/or” includes all combinations of one or more that the associated configurations may define.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be named a second component without departing from the scope of the present invention, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Additionally, terms such as “below,” “on the lower side,” “above,” and “on the upper side” are used to describe the relationship between the components shown in the drawings. The above terms are relative concepts and are explained based on the direction indicated in the drawings.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Additionally, terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and unless interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, are explicitly defined herein. do.

Terms such as “include” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but do not include one or more other features, numbers, or steps. , it should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 is a view showing the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a container body 20 and a nozzle boss 30.

The container body 20 has a storage space inside which high-pressure fluid is stored, and may have various lengths and shapes depending on the application location and purpose.

In this embodiment, the high-pressure fluid filled in the storage space is hydrogen, but the high-pressure fluid applicable to the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the present invention is not limited to hydrogen.

The nozzle boss 30 is coupled to at least one of both ends of the container body 20, and a fluid passage hole 31 through which fluid flows is formed inside.

That is, the nozzle boss 30 may be provided only on one end of the container body 20 depending on the shape of the container body 20, or may be provided on both ends of the container body 20 as in the present embodiment. .

The fluid passage hole 31 forms a gas flow path when the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 is docked in an external filling facility or gas withdrawal facility.

3 and 4 are diagrams showing the assembly structure of the container body 20 and the nozzle boss 30 in the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an airtight forming unit 100 is provided between the container body 20 and the nozzle boss 30 to seal the storage space.

This airtight forming unit 100 has a ring-shaped sealing groove 32 formed between the end surface of the container body 20 and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss 30 in contact with the end surface of the container body 20. It is installed in and plays the role of sealing the inside of the storage space.

And the air tightness forming unit 100 may include a sealing jacket 110 and a pressure spring 120 in detail. Details of each detailed configuration will be described later.

In addition, in this embodiment, the sealing groove 32 has a recessed shape toward the nozzle boss 30, but this is just an example. The sealing groove 32 has a recessed shape toward the container body 20, or the nozzle boss 30 has a recessed shape. Of course, it may be in a depressed form on both sides of (30) and the container body (20).

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the structure of the airtight forming unit 100 applied to the high pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the sealing jacket 110 is made of an elastic material to be fitable into the sealing groove 32, and has an insertion space 111 with an opening on one side formed therein. .

At this time, the sealing jacket 110 may be disposed in the sealing groove 32 so that the opening of the insertion space 111 faces the direction of the storage space on the leakage path of the high-pressure fluid.

Additionally, in this embodiment, the sealing jacket 110 may include a pair of close sealing parts 113 and a connecting part 112.

A pair of close sealing parts 113 is provided so as to contact the end surface of the container body 20 or the opposing surface of the nozzle boss 30, respectively.

And the connection part 112 connects one side of the pair of close sealing parts 113 to each other, and forms the insertion space 111 together with the pair of close sealing parts 113.

That is, the sealing jacket 110 has an insertion space 111 formed therein, and the insertion space 111 has an opening formed in some areas.

More specifically, in this embodiment, a lip 113a may be formed on the outer surface of the connection portion 112 to protrude in an outwardly curved shape.

Such lip 113 is elastically deformed while in contact with the end surface of the container body 20 or the opposing surface of the nozzle boss 30, thereby improving airtightness.

Additionally, in this embodiment, a separation prevention protrusion 113b may be formed on the connection portion 112 that extends toward the other connection portion 112 on the opposite side and shields a portion of the opening of the insertion space 111.

This separation prevention protrusion 113b can prevent the pressure spring 120 inserted into the insertion space 111 from being separated through the opening.

The pressure spring 120 is made of a metal material and is inserted into the insertion space 111, and provides a pressing force due to elasticity to both sides around the opening of the insertion space 111. Accordingly, the pressure spring 120 may serve to bring the sealing jacket 110 into close contact with the end surface of the container body 20 and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss 30.

And in this embodiment, the pressure spring 120 has a characteristic that its cross-section is formed in a closed curve, more specifically, in an oval shape.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressure spring 120 in this embodiment includes a pair of first elasticity providing points 121 and a pair of second elasticity providing points 122 formed at predetermined positions.

Among these, the pair of first elasticity providing points 121 are formed so that extension lines connecting them intersect the end surface of the container body 20 and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss 30.

In addition, the pair of second elasticity providing points 122 is formed in parallel with an extension line connecting the end surface of the container body and the opposite surface of the nozzle boss.

That is, the extension line connecting the pair of first elasticity providing points 121 and the extension line connecting the pair of second elasticity providing points 122 may be formed in a shape that intersects each other.

At this time, in the case of this embodiment, the elastic deformation degree of the first elasticity providing point 121 is characterized in that it is formed higher than the elastic deformation degree of the second elasticity providing point 122. Due to this feature, the pressing spring 120 can provide pressing force by elasticity to both sides around the opening of the insertion space 111.

Accordingly, the present invention can provide a sealing force superior to that of conventional sealing means such as O-rings.

Below, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. At this time, in each embodiment to be described below, overlapping descriptions of components provided identically to those of the first embodiment described above will be omitted. Additionally, in subsequent embodiments, components not shown in the drawings will be assigned the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment.

Figure 7 is a view showing the sealing jacket 110 in the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7, the sealing jacket 110 is formed to have an overall shape substantially similar to that of the first embodiment described above, including the connection portion 112 and the close sealing portion 113. .

However, the sealing jacket 110 of this embodiment has the feature of further including a gap sealing portion 114 formed on one side of the connecting portion 112.

The gap sealing portion 114 is formed in an expanded form on one side of the connecting portion 112 so as to fill the gap (G, see FIG. 9) formed at the connecting point between the container body 20 and the nozzle boss 30. This can prevent high-pressure fluid from leaking through the gap (G).

In this embodiment, the gap sealing portion 114 is illustrated as having an arc-shaped cross section, but of course, the shape of the gap sealing portion 114 may be modified in various ways without limitation.

Figure 8 is a view showing the sealing jacket 110 in the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The sealing jacket 110 of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8 is formed to have an overall shape substantially similar to that of the first embodiment described above, including the connection portion 112 and the close sealing portion 113.

However, the sealing jacket 110 of this embodiment has the feature of further including an auxiliary recessed groove 115 recessed from the inside of the insertion space 111 toward the connection portion 112.

This auxiliary recessed groove 115 serves to allow the pair of close sealing portions 113 to open more easily when they are elastically deformed outward by the pressure spring 120.

And in this embodiment, the inner surface of the auxiliary recessed groove 115 is formed in an overall curved shape to prevent it from easily breaking, but the shape of the auxiliary recessed groove 115 can also be modified in various ways.

Figure 9 is a view showing the inside of the sealing groove 32 and the sealing jacket 110 in the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The sealing jacket 110 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9 is formed to have an overall shape similar to that of the above-described embodiments, including the connection portion 112 and the close sealing portion 113.

However, in this embodiment, the container body 20 is formed with a fluid blocking protrusion 21 that protrudes a predetermined length toward the inner space of the sealing groove 32.

In addition, in this embodiment, the sealing jacket 110 is depressed into a shape corresponding to the fluid blocking protrusion 21 based on the state in which the sealing jacket 110 is inserted into the sealing groove 32, so that the fluid blocking protrusion 21 is formed. It has a shape in which a protrusion insertion groove 116 that can be inserted is formed.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, while the sealing jacket 110 is inserted into the sealing groove 32, the fluid blocking protrusion 21 is inserted into the protrusion insertion groove 116 of the sealing jacket 110, so that the high-pressure fluid storage container ( It is possible to physically block high-pressure fluid from flowing into the gap (G) between the container body 20 and the nozzle boss 30 inside the receiving space of 10).

Figure 10 is a view showing the inside of the sealing groove 32 in the high-pressure fluid storage container 10 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In the fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, the end surface of the container body 20 and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss 30 each have a plurality of close contact protrusions protruding toward the inner space of the sealing groove 32. (22, 33) has the characteristic of being arranged sequentially.

Such close contact protrusions 22 and 33 strongly press the outer surface of the close sealing portion 113 when the sealing jacket 110 is inserted into the sealing groove 32, thereby maximizing the sealing effect.

As described above, preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been examined, and the fact that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms in addition to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit or scope thereof is recognized by those skilled in the art. It is self-evident to them. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive, and thus the present invention is not limited to the above description but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

10: High pressure fluid storage container
20: container body
21: Fluid blocking protrusion
22, 33: Close protrusions
30: nozzle boss
31: Fluid passage hole
32: Sealing groove
100: air tightness forming unit
110: Sealing jacket
111: Insertion space
112: connection part
113: Close sealing part
113a: lip
113b: Breakaway prevention protrusion
114: gap seal
115: Auxiliary depression groove
116: Protrusion insertion groove
120: Pressure spring
121: First elasticity provision point
122: Second elasticity provision point

Claims (6)

A container body formed with a storage space inside which high-pressure fluid is stored;
a nozzle boss coupled to at least one of both ends of the container body and having a fluid passage hole through which fluid flows; and
an airtight forming unit installed in a ring-shaped sealing groove formed between an end surface of the container body and an opposing surface of the nozzle boss that contacts the end surface of the container body to seal the inside of the storage space;
Includes,
The air tightness forming unit,
a sealing jacket made of an elastic material to be fitable into the sealing groove and having an insertion space with an opening on one side thereof; and
It is formed of a metal material and is inserted into the insertion space, and provides elastic pressing force to both sides around the opening of the insertion space, thereby bringing the sealing jacket into close contact with the end surface of the container body and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss. pressure spring;
Including,
The pressure spring has a closed curved cross-section,
The container body is,
a fluid blocking protrusion protruding a predetermined length toward the inner space of the sealing groove;
Including,
The sealing jacket is,
a protrusion insertion groove recessed into a shape corresponding to the fluid blocking protrusion based on the state of insertion into the sealing groove;
Including,
The fluid blocking protrusion is,
Characterized in that the sealing jacket is inserted into the protrusion insertion groove while being inserted into the sealing groove.
A high-pressure fluid storage container with an airtight structure. According to paragraph 1,
The sealing jacket is,
The opening of the insertion space is arranged to face the direction of the storage space on the leakage path of the high-pressure fluid,
A high-pressure fluid storage container with an airtight structure. According to paragraph 1,
The sealing jacket is,
a pair of close sealing parts each in contact with an end surface of the container body or an opposing surface of the nozzle boss; and
a connecting portion that connects one side of the pair of tight sealing portions to each other and forms the insertion space together with the pair of tight sealing portions;
Including,
A high-pressure fluid storage container with an airtight structure. According to paragraph 3,
A lip is formed on the outer surface of the connection portion and protrudes in an outwardly curved shape.
A high-pressure fluid storage container with an airtight structure. According to paragraph 3,
The connection part is formed with a breakaway prevention protrusion that extends to the other connection part on the opposite side and shields a portion of the opening of the insertion space.
A high-pressure fluid storage container with an airtight structure. According to paragraph 3,
The pressure spring is,
a pair of first elasticity providing points formed so that extension lines connecting each other intersect an end surface of the container body and an opposing surface of the nozzle boss; and
a pair of second elasticity providing points where extension lines connecting each other are formed parallel to the end surface of the container body and the opposing surface of the nozzle boss;
Includes,
The elastic deformation degree of the first elasticity provision point is formed to be higher than the elastic deformation degree of the second elasticity provision point,
A high-pressure fluid storage container with an airtight structure.