An efficient and flexible multi-mode hydrogen refueling station

Abstract

A gas supply device, in particular an efficient and flexible multi-mode hydrogen refueling station, comprising: a gas source device, a first compression unit, a first control unit, a primary gas storage unit, a second control unit, a second compression unit, a third control unit, a secondary gas storage unit, a backup gas storage unit and a filling unit; the gas supply device is configured to be switchable between six connection modes to cope with different working conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of mechanical equipment, in particular to a specially designed gas supply device and a method for supplying gas using the device, and more particularly to a novel hydrogenation station and a method for hydrogenation using the hydrogenation station in a specially designed manner. Background Art

[0002] For a long time, fuel cell-powered vehicles have attracted widespread attention due to their low pollution and high energy efficiency. Hydrogen energy is internationally recognized as the green energy of the future due to its high energy efficiency, wide sources, renewable nature, and zero pollution from combustion products. There have been many research reports on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, some of which are gradually being put into commercialization. Many countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, China, South Korea, and the European Union, are vigorously developing hydrogen vehicles and actively building hydrogen refueling stations and related hydrogen energy infrastructure. Hydrogen-powered vehicles have become an important application direction in the field of new energy. Hydrogen is refueled into fuel cell vehicles through hydrogen refueling stations or hydrogen refueling machines, and is stored in high-pressure hydrogen cylinders on board. However, compared with conventional fossil fuel vehicles, a major disadvantage of hydrogen energy vehicles is that their hydrogen refueling equipment cannot meet relevant requirements.

[0003] For example, many hydrogen refueling stations are unable to adapt to the hydrogen refueling load during peak hours, regular hours, and late night hours when there is little demand for hydrogen refueling. For example, when vehicles need to be refueled continuously during peak hours with heavy loads, it is easy to have insufficient hydrogen supply capacity. After the first few vehicles are refueled, the hydrogen pressure in the hydrogen storage tank will drop significantly, and the hydrogen refueling speed of subsequent vehicles will be significantly slowed down. If a large high-pressure hydrogen storage tank is configured according to the requirements of peak hours, and a large amount of high-pressure hydrogen is continuously provided and stored using a high-pressure compressor, there will be significant energy waste and machine loss during regular hours and late night hours, resulting in a significant increase in infrastructure investment and maintenance costs that are not matched with hydrogen supply, and even making the related equipment completely economically unfeasible. People are eager to obtain a new type of hydrogen refueling station with sufficient flexibility and flexible switching of hydrogen storage and supply capacity with a simple structural design to keep up with the increasingly accelerated development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

[0004] The inventor of this application has conducted in-depth research and developed a gas supply device that can meet the above requirements, specifically a hydrogenation station, which can achieve flexible, convenient and timely switching between multiple different modes with an extremely simple structure, perfectly adapting to the requirements of different load periods, and unexpectedly found that through the design of switching between the above different modes, the overall design capacity of the compressor in the gas supply equipment can be significantly reduced, energy consumption can be reduced, the number of compressor start-stops can be reduced, and the loss and maintenance cost of the compressor equipment can be significantly reduced. Based on this research result, the present invention was completed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a device for supplying gas, which can conveniently switch between six different connection modes in the gas supply system. Based on these connection modes, gas can be supplied in at least seven different operating modes, effectively adapting to different hydrogenation load requirements.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a gas supply device, the gas supply device comprising: a gas source device, a first compression unit, a first control unit, a primary gas storage unit, a second control unit, a second compression unit, a third control unit, a secondary gas storage unit, a spare gas storage unit and a filling unit; the primary gas storage unit comprises N first-level gas cylinders, N is an integer ≥3, the secondary gas storage unit comprises M second-level gas cylinders, M is an integer ≥3, the spare gas storage unit comprises K third-level gas cylinders, K is an integer ≥2;

[0007] At least two or more of the gas source device, the first compression unit, the first control unit, the primary gas storage unit, the second control unit, the second compression unit, the third control unit, the secondary gas storage unit, the backup gas storage unit and the filling unit are connected to each other, so that the gas supply device is configured to switch between the following six connection modes:

[0008] A) First connection mode: In this first connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; optionally, the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit, another second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit; the filling unit is not connected to the standby gas storage unit;

[0009] B) Second connection mode: In this second connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is directly connected to the filling unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the filling unit or between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; optionally, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit; the second-level gas storage unit is not connected to the filling unit, and the first-level gas storage unit and the filling unit are not connected to the standby gas storage unit;

[0010] C) Third connection mode: In this third connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit; the standby gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit via the second compression unit, and optionally another second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit;

[0011] D) Fourth connection mode: In this fourth connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit; the first-level gas storage unit and the second-level gas storage unit are not connected to the filling unit; the standby gas storage unit is directly connected to the filling unit or is connected to the filling unit via the second compression unit;

[0012] E) Fifth connection mode: In the fifth connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas storage cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas storage cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; optionally, the second compression unit is also connected to the second-level gas storage unit, and the second-level gas storage unit is not connected to the filling unit;

[0013] F) Sixth connection mode: In this sixth connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, and the first compression unit is directly connected to the outside of the gas supply device via the first control unit, or is directly connected to the backup gas storage unit via the first control unit; at the same time, the first compression unit is connected to a level 1 gas cylinder in the first gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first gas storage unit, another level 1 gas cylinder in the first gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a level 2 gas cylinder in the second gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second gas storage unit; optionally, another level 2 gas cylinder in the second gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in at least one of the first connection mode to the sixth connection mode, the primary gas storage unit is connected to the backup gas storage unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the primary gas storage unit and the backup gas storage unit. Preferably, in all of the first connection mode to the sixth connection mode, the primary gas storage unit is controlled to deliver gas to the backup gas storage unit via the second control unit, or the first compression unit is controlled to deliver gas to the backup gas storage unit via the first control unit. More preferably, in the case where all the 1st-level gas cylinders in the primary gas storage unit are full, if the backup gas storage unit is not full, the primary gas storage unit is controlled to deliver gas to the backup gas storage unit via the second control unit. According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the case where all the 1st-level gas cylinders in the primary gas storage unit are full and all the 2nd-level gas cylinders in the secondary gas storage unit are full, if the backup gas storage unit is not full, the primary gas storage unit is controlled to deliver gas to the backup gas storage unit via the second control unit.

[0015] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a buffer tank located downstream of the gas source device and adjacent to the first compression unit.

[0016] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas source device is selected from the following devices: a gas storage tank, a gas generation device based on a chemical reaction, and a gas generation device based on an electrochemical reaction.

[0017] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas source device is a hydrogen source device, such as a large hydrogen storage tank, a hydrogen generator based on a pure chemical process, or a hydrogen generator based on an electrochemical process.

[0018] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for supplying gas using the gas supply device of the present invention. According to a preferred embodiment, the method adopts one of the following seven operating modes:

[0019] First operation mode: In the first operation mode, the gas supply device adopts a first connection mode, the gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, the gas is pressurized to a second pressure by the first compression unit, and is input into the first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit. At the same time, the gas in the second-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is pressurized to a third pressure by the second compression unit, and then input into the first-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit; optionally, the gas in the second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit is transported to the filling unit, and is discharged outwardly through the filling unit. The first-level gas cylinder is an inactive first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the N first-level gas cylinders, the second-level gas cylinder is an inactive first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the N first-level gas cylinders except the first-level gas cylinder, the first second-level gas cylinder is an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the M second-level gas cylinders, and the second second-level gas cylinder is an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the M second-level gas cylinders except the first second-level gas cylinder;

[0020] Second operation mode: In the second operation mode, the gas supply device adopts the first connection mode, the gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, the gas is pressurized to a second pressure by the first compression unit, and is input into an unfilled first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure in the first-level gas storage unit. After the first-level gas cylinder is filled, the gas is input into the next unfilled first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure, until all the first-level gas cylinders in the first-level gas storage unit are filled, then, the gas in the first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure in the first-level gas storage unit is pressurized to a third pressure by the second compression unit, and then input into an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure in the second-level gas storage unit. After the second-level gas cylinder is filled, the gas is input into the next unfilled inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure, until all the second-level gas cylinders in the second-level gas storage unit are filled; optionally, the gas in a second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure in the second-level gas storage unit is transported to the filling unit, and the gas is supplied to the outside via the filling unit;

[0021] The third operating mode: In the third operating mode, the gas supply device adopts the second connection mode, the gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, the gas is pressurized to a second pressure by the first compression unit, and input into the first-level gas cylinder in the primary gas storage unit. At the same time, the gas in the second-level gas cylinder in the primary gas storage unit is directly input into the filling unit; optionally, the gas in the third-level gas cylinder in the primary gas storage unit is pressurized to a third pressure by the second compression unit, and then input into the first-level gas cylinder in the secondary gas storage unit; the secondary gas storage unit has no There is a gas delivery to the injection unit; the first level 1 gas cylinder is an inactive level 1 gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the N level 1 gas cylinders, the second level 1 gas cylinder is an inactive level 1 gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the N level 1 gas cylinders except the first level 1 gas cylinder, the third level 1 gas cylinder is an inactive level 1 gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the N level 1 gas cylinders except the first and second level 1 gas cylinders, and the first level 2 gas cylinder is an inactive level 2 gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the M level 2 gas cylinders;

[0022] Fourth operation mode: In the fourth operation mode, the gas supply device first adopts the first connection mode, the gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, the gas is pressurized to a second pressure through the first compression unit, and is input into the first 1st level gas cylinder in the first gas storage unit. At the same time, the gas in the second 1st level gas cylinder in the first gas storage unit is pressurized to a third pressure through the second compression unit, and then input into the first 2nd level gas cylinder in the second gas storage unit; the gas in the other inactive 2nd level gas cylinders in the second gas storage unit except the first 2nd level gas storage unit is sequentially transported to the filling unit in order from high to low, until the gas pressure of all the inactive 2nd level gas cylinders in the second gas storage unit makes it impossible to supply gas to the outside through the filling unit; at this time, the gas supply device is switched to the third connection mode, the gas with a fourth pressure in the standby gas storage unit is pressurized through the second compression unit and then transported to the filling unit, and at the same time, the gas source device provides gas to the first gas storage unit, and the first gas storage unit provides gas to the second gas storage unit;

[0023] Fifth operation mode: In the fifth operation mode, the gas supply device adopts the fourth connection mode, the gas with the fourth pressure in the backup gas storage unit is directly delivered to the filling unit, and the primary gas storage unit provides gas to the secondary gas storage unit; when the pressure of the gas in the backup gas storage unit is insufficient to supply gas to the outside via the filling unit, the gas with the fourth pressure in the backup gas storage unit is pressurized by the second compression unit and then delivered to the filling unit, or the gas supply device is switched to the first connection mode, and the secondary gas storage unit provides gas to the filling unit;

[0024] Sixth operating mode: In the sixth operating mode, the gas supply device adopts the fifth connection mode, the gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, the gas is pressurized to a second pressure through the first compression unit, and then further pressurized through the second compression unit and directly transported to the filling unit; at the same time, another part of the gas pressurized to the second pressure is input into the first-level gas cylinder in the primary gas storage unit, and at the same time, the gas in the second-level gas cylinder in the primary gas storage unit is pressurized to a third pressure through the second compression unit, and then input into the first-level gas cylinder in the secondary gas storage unit; optionally, the second-level gas cylinder in the secondary gas storage unit The gas in the first-level gas cylinder is transported to the filling unit, and the gas is supplied to the outside through the filling unit; the first-level gas cylinder is an inactive first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the N first-level gas cylinders, the second-level gas cylinder is an inactive first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the N first-level gas cylinders except the first-level gas cylinder, the first-level second-level gas cylinder is an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the M second-level gas cylinders, and the second-level second-level gas cylinder is an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the M second-level gas cylinders except the first-level second-level gas cylinder;

[0025] Seventh operating mode: In the seventh operating mode, the gas supply device adopts the sixth connection mode, the gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, the gas is pressurized to a second pressure by the first compression unit, and then directly delivered to the outside of the gas supply device or directly delivered to the backup gas storage unit via the first control unit; at the same time, the gas pressurized to the second pressure is input into the first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, and at the same time, the gas in the second-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is pressurized to a third pressure by the second compression unit, and then input into the first-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit; optionally, the second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit The gas in the second-level gas cylinder is transported to the filling unit, and the gas is supplied to the outside through the filling unit; the first-level gas cylinder is an inactive first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the N first-level gas cylinders, the second-level gas cylinder is an inactive first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the N first-level gas cylinders except the first-level gas cylinder, the first-level second gas cylinder is an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure and not filled among the M second-level gas cylinders, and the second-level second gas cylinder is an inactive second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure among the M second-level gas cylinders except the first-level second gas cylinder.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in at least one of the first to fourth operating modes, or in at least one of the sixth to seventh operating modes, the gas source device continuously supplies gas to the primary gas storage unit, and the primary gas storage unit continuously supplies gas to the secondary gas storage unit. Preferably, in all of the first to fourth operating modes and the sixth to seventh operating modes, the gas source device continuously supplies gas to the primary gas storage unit, and the primary gas storage unit continuously supplies gas to the secondary gas storage unit.

[0027] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supplied gas is selected from one of the following: hydrogen, oxygen, methane, methanol vapor, carbon monoxide, biogas, water gas, nitrogen, and rare gases. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first pressure is 0.6-3MPa; the second pressure is 20-25MPa; the third pressure is 40-95MPa, such as 40-45MPa or 80-95MPa, or 85-90MPa; the fourth pressure is 15-25MPa. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method is generally carried out at a temperature of ambient temperature to 80°C. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas supply equipment of the present invention is a hydrogenation station. According to another particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention is a hydrogenation method using the hydrogenation station.

[0028] In the following detailed description section, the design details of the devices and methods developed in this application are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The accompanying drawings show some designs of the present invention. For the purpose of clear display, the sizes of various devices, components, channels, etc. in the drawings may be enlarged or reduced to a certain extent, rather than being drawn completely in accordance with the size ratio of the actual equipment. The actual size and relative proportion setting of the monolithic reactor of the present invention are only set by the numerical range specifically recorded in this specification, and are not limited by the schematic drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a first connection mode of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a second connection mode of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a third connection mode of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing a fourth connection mode of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing a fifth connection mode of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing a sixth connection mode of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing a device for a comparative experiment according to the prior art;

[0038] Fig. 9 A typical simulated distribution of vehicle traffic requiring hydrogen refueling over a 24-hour period is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] "Range" disclosed herein is in the form of lower limit and upper limit. It can be one or more lower limits, and one or more upper limits respectively. A given range is defined by selecting a lower limit and an upper limit. The selected lower limit and upper limit define the boundaries of a particular range. All ranges that can be defined in this way are inclusive and combinable, i.e. any lower limit can be combined with any upper limit to form a range. For example, a range of 60-120 and 80-110 is listed for a particular parameter, and it is understood that a range of 60-110 and 80-120 is also expected. In addition, if the minimum range values ​​1 and 2 are listed, and if the maximum range values ​​3, 4 and 5 are listed, the following ranges can all be expected: 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-3, 2-4 and 2-5.

[0040] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the numerical range "ab" represents an abbreviation of any real number combination between a and b, where a and b are both real numbers. For example, the numerical range "0-5" means that all real numbers between "0-5" have been listed in this document, and "0-5" is just an abbreviation of these numerical combinations. In addition, when a parameter is expressed as an integer ≥ 2, it is equivalent to disclosing that the parameter is, for example, an integer 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc.

[0041] If not specifically stated, the term "two" used in this specification means "at least two".

[0042] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, all embodiments and preferred embodiments mentioned herein can be combined with each other to form a new technical solution.

[0043] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, all technical features and preferred features mentioned herein can be combined with each other to form a new technical solution.

[0044] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, all steps mentioned herein may be performed sequentially or randomly, but are preferably performed sequentially. For example, the method includes steps (a) and (b), which means that the method may include steps (a) and (b) performed sequentially, or may include steps (b) and (a) performed sequentially. For example, the method may further include step (c), which means that step (c) may be added to the method in any order, for example, the method may include steps (a), (b) and (c), or may include steps (a), (c) and (b), or may include steps (c), (a) and (b), etc.

[0045] In the present invention, if there is no special explanation, the "including" mentioned herein means open or closed. For example, the "including" may mean that other components not listed may also be included, or only the listed components may be included.

[0046] The prefixes "first", "second", "third", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", "level 1", "level 2", "level 3", etc. used in defining a certain part or component in the present invention are only used to distinguish different parts or components, and are purely for the purpose of distinction and definition, and do not indicate that these parts or components have any specific specific limitations in terms of size, subordinate level, logical relationship, or upstream and downstream relationship in the technical process. The characteristics of these parts or components in terms of size, subordinate level, logical relationship, or upstream and downstream relationship in the technical process are only defined by their specific description in the specification of the present invention.

[0047] In the present invention, when describing the spatial relationship of a specific component or object relative to other components or objects, the terms "inside", "outside", "above", "below", etc. are used to indicate that the former is located inside, outside, above or below the latter, and the two may be in direct contact, or be separated by a certain distance or separated by a third component or object.

[0048] In the following detailed description, the gas supply equipment of the present invention is mainly described based on a hydrogen refueling station, but the specific design of the gas supply equipment and method of the present invention can be used for the supply of other types of gases, including any gas that is already available in the prior art or may be developed in the future for large-scale commercial use, such as hydrogen, various hydrocarbon gases (methane, ethane, propane, butane, ethylene, propylene, butene, acetylene), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, halogen gases (fluorine, chlorine, bromine), vaporized alcohols (such as methanol vapor), rare gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon), oxygen, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, etc., and thereby obtain the benefits of the present invention.

[0049] In the present invention, the term "full" means that a container is filled with gas (e.g., gas) so that the pressure in the container has reached a preset threshold. The gas cylinders in different gas storage units may have different preset pressure thresholds. For example, the preset pressure threshold of the first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit may be any value between 20-25 MPa, such as 20 MPa. At this time, when the pressure in a first-level gas cylinder reaches 20 MPa, it is determined that the first-level gas cylinder has been "full".

[0050] It should be emphasized that what is shown in the drawings and described below are only some specific embodiments of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims of the present invention, and may include any technical solution within the scope of the claims, including but not limited to further improvements and substitutions to these specific embodiments.

[0051] The method of the present invention is a pressure composite hydrogenation method, in which hydrogenation is carried out at different composite pressures through special design, and significant improvements in process flexibility and energy saving are achieved at the same time. The device of the present invention is an efficient and flexible multi-mode hydrogenation station, in which a variety of specially designed connection modes are used to achieve significant improvements in process flexibility and energy saving at the same time.

[0052] The present invention Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a hydrogen refueling station according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In the figure, lines are used to represent various pipelines, pipes, wires, and conduits, which are used to connect the various components in the equipment. Figure 1 All connections of the various components are shown in FIG. 1 . Throughout the present invention, when a component is described as being "connected" to another component, it means that various fluids (gases) can flow smoothly between the two components. It should be emphasized here that Figure 1The components shown connected together do not necessarily mean that these components are "connected". Although these components are connected to each other, different switches, valves and other devices may be set in the connecting pipelines, pipes, wires and conduits to make the connected components in a "connected" or "non-connected" state. In other words, Figure 1 Only the "connection method" of each component is shown, but not the "connection method". Figure 2-7 In the diagram, solid lines are used to indicate "connectivity", no lines are drawn between unconnected components, and dotted lines are used to indicate that two components are "optionally connected", that is, "may be connected or not connected".

[0053] See also Figure 1 , the hydrogen filling station includes a gas source device, specifically a hydrogen source. The hydrogen source can be a large hydrogen storage tank, which can be made of rigid materials (such as stainless steel, hard plastic) or elastic or bendable materials (such as flexible plastic, resin, etc.). More preferably, the hydrogen source is an on-site hydrogen production device capable of preparing hydrogen on site, such as a hydrogen generation device based on a pure chemical reaction (such as a chemical reaction of a raw material containing hydrogen anions such as lithium aluminum hydride or sodium borohydride with water, an aqueous solution of an acid or an aqueous solution of an alkali), or a hydrogen generation device based on an electrochemical reaction, preferably a hydrogen generation device based on an electrochemical reaction. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas source device is an electrolyzer and / or a reversible fuel cell capable of producing hydrogen. Specifically, the electrolyzer can be selected from at least one of an alkaline electrolyzer, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, a solid oxide electrolyzer and a reversible electrolyzer. Preferably, the electrochemical reaction-based hydrogen generation device will continue to operate until all the level 1 gas tanks in the level 1 gas storage unit, all the level 2 gas cylinders in the level 2 gas storage unit, and all the level 3 gas cylinders in the backup gas storage unit are full. When all the level 1 to level 3 gas cylinders are full, the voltage applied to the electrochemical reaction hydrogen generation device is stopped, so that the hydrogen generation device stops generating hydrogen. According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the pressure in one or more specific gas cylinders decreases due to hydrogenation, equipment leakage, chemical reaction or climate influence, and the device determines that the gas cylinder is in a "non-full" state, a voltage is applied to the electrochemical reaction hydrogen generation device so that the hydrogen generation device generates hydrogen and is charged with hydrogen according to a specific defined path, sequence and method.

[0054] The hydrogen supply of the hydrogen source depends on the hydrogen demand, specifically the following factors: (1) the number of hydrogen-powered vehicles served simultaneously by the hydrogen refueling station; (2) the hydrogen storage tank capacity of the hydrogen-powered vehicles; (3) the target hydrogen refueling time and hydrogen refueling amount of the hydrogen-powered vehicles; (4) the fullness of all gas cylinders in the hydrogen refueling equipment. According to the specific hydrogen demand, the hydrogen supply per unit time can be increased by increasing the current intensity applied to the hydrogen source. When necessary, it can also be supplemented by regular or temporary use of an external hydrogen source (for example, a hydrogen tank trailer).

[0055] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the vicinity of the gas source device (in Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, one or more buffer tanks 2 are arranged downstream of the hydrogen source, specifically, the on-site hydrogen production device 1. In the case of using multiple buffer tanks, these buffer tanks can be arranged in series or in parallel. These buffer tanks are used to prevent the subsequent devices (such as the first compression unit) from being severely impacted when the hydrogen flow rate generated by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 changes significantly (for example, the current density in the on-site hydrogen production device 1 suddenly increases, or the moment when the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is started).

[0056] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, other devices such as pressure gauges, valves, temperature sensors, temperature control equipment, gas impurity separators, liquid impurity separators, controllers, etc. may be provided between the on-site hydrogen production device 1 and the buffer tank 2 as needed.

[0057] The device of the present invention includes two compression units, wherein the terms "first compression unit" and "low-pressure compression unit 3" are used interchangeably herein, and the terms "second compression unit" and "medium-pressure compression unit 7" are used interchangeably herein. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pressure of the hydrogen produced by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is 0.1-10MPa, for example, 0.2-5MPa, or 0.6-3MPa, or 1-2MPa, or is within the numerical range obtained by combining any two of the above end values. After passing through the low-pressure compression unit 3, the hydrogen is pressurized to about equal to or slightly higher than the pressure of the primary gas storage unit ( Figure 1 The preset pressure threshold (i.e., "filling pressure") of the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is shown, for example, pressurized to about 15-30 MPa, or 18-25 MPa, or 20-22 MPa, or within the numerical range obtained by combining any two of the above end values, and then the pressurized hydrogen (also called "medium-pressure hydrogen") is transported to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, or in some cases directly transported to the filling unit 10, or through the second compression unit ( Figure 1The medium-pressure compression unit 7 is shown as a medium-pressure compression unit 7) to pressurize the medium-pressure hydrogen from the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 into high-pressure hydrogen (the pressure can be 40-95Mpa, such as 40-45MPa, or 40-75MPa, or 45-75MPa, or 80-95MPa, preferably 85-90MPa) and then transport it to the filling unit 10. It can be seen that the medium-pressure compression unit 7 is used to pressurize the medium-pressure hydrogen from the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 into high-pressure hydrogen and then transport it to the secondary gas storage unit ( Figure 1 The high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is shown. Any other required devices, such as controllers, valves, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, buffer devices, purification devices, recovery devices, cooling / heating devices, etc., may be provided at the low-pressure compression unit 3 and the medium-pressure compression unit 7, immediately upstream or downstream thereof, or in the surrounding areas.

[0058] The device of the present invention also includes at least three control units, namely a first control unit ( Figure 1 The following are shown: 4 control units A), the second control unit ( Figure 1 6 control unit B) and the third control unit ( Figure 1 8 control unit C). The function of the first control unit is mainly to control the delivery of the medium-pressure hydrogen obtained by pressurizing the low-pressure compression unit 3 to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the backup gas storage unit ( Figure 1 As shown, when any one of the gas cylinders in the spare tube bundle unit 12 is not filled, the control unit A will remain in the open state and continue to supply hydrogen to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 until all the gas cylinders in the equipment are filled. The second control unit B is used to control the medium-pressure hydrogen in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 to be a) directly delivered to the filling unit 10, b) delivered to the filling unit 10 after being pressurized by the medium-pressure compression unit 7, c) directly delivered to the spare gas storage unit 12, or d) delivered to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 after being pressurized by the medium-pressure compression unit 7. If necessary, any two, three or four of the above a) to d) can also be performed simultaneously. The third control unit ( Figure 1 As shown, the control unit C) is mainly used to control the delivery of the high-pressure hydrogen obtained by compressing the medium-pressure hydrogen (hydrogen from the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5) in the medium-pressure compression unit 7 to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9.

[0059] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first control unit, the second control unit and the third control unit may be manually controlled or remotely controlled, and may be controlled according to a preset program or controlled in real time according to the operating status of each component in the device and the hydrogen pressure status. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first control unit, the second control unit and the third control unit are all connected to a computer or a logic circuit, and may be optionally remotely monitored and controlled, and may be operated according to a preset program, while receiving data provided by the pressure sensor and the device working status sensor in the device and giving real-time feedback and issuing instructions, adjusting the internal pipeline switch status of the device, so as to perform different connection modes and operation modes.

[0060] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the primary gas storage unit ( Figure 1 The medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is shown as comprising a shell and N first-level gas cylinders arranged in the shell. The shell can be made of any material as needed, such as plastic, aluminum alloy, iron, copper, stainless steel, etc. A mechanical support structure, a heat-insulating material and a buffer material can be arranged between the shell and the gas cylinder. Preferably, N is an integer of at least 3, such as 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, or a larger integer, such as 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500. The first-level gas cylinder can be made of any material that has a barrier capability to hydrogen. For example, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc., the inner surface of the tank body can be coated with another metal coating or polymer coating to improve the sealing performance. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, all the first-level gas cylinders in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 are exactly the same, have the same material and size, and have exactly the same pressure after being filled. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each first-level gas cylinder has an independent air inlet and air outlet, or air is inlet and outlet through the same opening. According to a preferred embodiment, the air inlet (or opening, for the case of air inlet and air outlet through the same opening) of each first-level gas cylinder is independently connected to the upstream low-pressure compression unit 3, and the air outlet (or opening, for the case of air inlet and air outlet through the same opening) of each first-level gas cylinder is independently connected to the downstream line. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pressure sensor is provided inside or outside the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 to obtain the information of each first-level gas cylinder in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 in real time.

[0061] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the first-level gas cylinder in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is inflated by the low-pressure compression unit 3, only one first-level gas cylinder is inflated at each specific moment. Specifically, at the moment of starting the inflation, the air pressure information of each first-level gas cylinder in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is obtained in real time, the air pressure information is arranged in descending order, and the "activity status" information of all first-level gas cylinders is obtained, and the first-level gas cylinders with a status of "full" are eliminated according to the air pressure information, and then the first-level gas cylinders with a status of "active" are eliminated, and finally the "not filled inactive" first-level gas cylinders with the highest pressure are selected. When two or more "not filled inactive" first-level gas cylinders have the same highest pressure, a first-level gas cylinder is randomly selected as the "not filled inactive" first-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure, and medium-pressure hydrogen is filled into it until it is full or until an external signal instructs to stop filling with medium-pressure hydrogen. In the present invention, "active state" is divided into "active" and "inactive". "Active" means that a specific gas cylinder is being filled with hydrogen, or is supplying gas to a downstream device, while "inactive" means that the gas cylinder is not performing any operation of filling or supplying gas to the outside, and is preferably in a state of relative isolation from other components in the device. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preset threshold pressure of all level 1 gas cylinders is 15-30MPa, or 18-25MPa, or 20-22Mpa, or is within the numerical range obtained by combining any two of the above end values. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at the moment when the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 starts to supply hydrogen to the outside, the air pressure information of each level 1 gas cylinder in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is obtained in real time, the air pressure information is arranged in descending order, and the "activity status" information of all level 1 gas cylinders is obtained, and the level 1 gas cylinders with the status of "active" are eliminated, and finally the "inactive" level 1 gas cylinder with the highest pressure is selected. When two or more "not filled inactive" level 1 gas cylinders have the same maximum pressure, a level 1 gas cylinder is randomly selected as the "not filled inactive" level 1 gas cylinder with the highest pressure, and the medium-pressure hydrogen is output from the level 1 gas cylinder until an external signal is received to stop outputting the medium-pressure hydrogen or the pressure of the level 1 gas cylinder drops to a level that is insufficient to supply medium-pressure hydrogen to the outside.

[0062] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the secondary gas storage unit ( Figure 1The high pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is shown as comprising a shell and M two-stage gas cylinders arranged in the shell, the shell can be made of any material as required, such as plastic, aluminum alloy, iron, copper, stainless steel, etc., and a mechanical support structure, a heat insulating material and a buffer material can be arranged between the shell and the gas cylinder. Preferably, M is an integer of at least 3, for example, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, or a larger integer, for example, 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500. The two-stage gas cylinder can be made of any material that has a barrier capability to hydrogen. For example, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc., the inner surface of the tank body can be coated with another metal coating or polymer coating to improve the sealing performance. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, all the two-stage gas cylinders in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 are exactly the same, have the same material and size, and have exactly the same pressure after being filled. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each two-stage gas cylinder has an independent air inlet and air outlet, or air is inlet and outlet through the same opening. According to a preferred embodiment, the air inlet (or opening, for the case of air inlet and air outlet through the same opening) of each two-stage gas cylinder is independently connected to the upstream medium-pressure compression unit 7, and the air outlet (or opening, for the case of air inlet and air outlet through the same opening) of each two-stage gas cylinder is independently connected to the downstream line. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pressure sensor is provided inside or outside the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 to obtain the information of each two-stage gas cylinder in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 in real time.

[0063] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the second-level gas cylinders in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 are inflated by the medium-pressure compression unit 7, only one second-level gas cylinder is inflated at each specific moment. Specifically, at the moment of starting the inflation, the air pressure information of each second-level gas cylinder in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is obtained in real time, the air pressure information is arranged in descending order, and the "activity status" information of all second-level gas cylinders is obtained, and the second-level gas cylinders with a status of "full" are eliminated according to the air pressure information, and then the second-level gas cylinders with a status of "active" are eliminated, and finally the "not filled inactive" second-level gas cylinders with the highest pressure are selected. When two or more "not filled inactive" second-level gas cylinders have the same highest pressure, a second-level gas cylinder is randomly selected as the "not filled inactive" second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure, and high-pressure hydrogen is filled into it until it is full or an external instruction is received to stop filling with high-pressure hydrogen. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preset threshold pressure of all level 2 gas cylinders is 35-95MPa, or 40-45MPa, or 50-70MPa, or 60-75MPa, or 80-95MPa, or 85-90MPa, or within the numerical range obtained by combining any two of the above end values. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at the moment when the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 starts to supply hydrogen to the outside, the air pressure information of each second-level gas cylinder in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is obtained in real time, the air pressure information is arranged in descending order, and the "activity status" information of all second-level gas cylinders is obtained, and the second-level gas cylinders with the status of "active" are eliminated. Finally, according to the specific operation mode, the "inactive" second-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure or the lowest pressure is selected. When two or more "not filled inactive" second-level gas cylinders have the same highest or lowest pressure, a second-level gas cylinder is randomly selected as the "not filled inactive" second-level gas cylinder with the highest or lowest pressure, and the second-level gas cylinder outputs high-pressure hydrogen to the outside until an external signal instructs to stop outputting high-pressure hydrogen or the pressure of the second-level gas cylinder drops to a level that is insufficient to supply hydrogen to the outside.

[0064] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the backup gas storage unit ( Figure 1 The spare tube bundle unit 12 shown in FIG. 1 includes a shell and K three-stage gas storage cylinders arranged in the shell. Figure 1In the embodiment shown, because these three-stage gas cylinders present a narrow and long appearance, the collection of these three-stage gas cylinders is also called a "tube bundle". The shell can be made of any material as needed, such as plastic, aluminum alloy, iron, copper, stainless steel, etc., and a mechanical support structure, heat insulation material and buffer material can be arranged between the shell and the gas cylinder. Preferably, K is an integer of at least 2, for example, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, or a larger integer, for example, 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500. The three-stage gas storage cylinder can be made of any material having a barrier capability to hydrogen, such as stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc., and the inner surface of the tank body can be coated with another metal coating or polymer coating to improve the sealing performance. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, all the three-stage gas cylinders in the spare tube bundle unit 12 are exactly the same, have the same material and size, and have exactly the same pressure after being filled. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each three-stage gas cylinder has an independent air inlet and air outlet, or air is inletted and outletted through the same opening. According to a preferred embodiment, the air inlet (or opening, for the case of air inlet and air outlet through the same opening) of each three-stage gas cylinder is independently connected to the upstream medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, and the air outlet (or opening, for the case of air inlet and air outlet through the same opening) of each three-stage gas cylinder is independently connected to the downstream line. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pressure sensor is provided inside or outside the spare tube bundle unit 12 to obtain the information of each three-stage gas cylinder in the spare tube bundle unit 12 in real time.

[0065] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the 3-level gas cylinders in the spare tube bundle unit 12 are inflated by the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, only one 3-level gas cylinder is inflated at each specific moment. Specifically, at the moment of starting the inflation, the air pressure information of each 3-level gas cylinder in the spare tube bundle unit 12 is obtained in real time, the air pressure information is arranged in descending order, and the "activity status" information of all 3-level gas cylinders is obtained. According to the air pressure information, the 3-level gas cylinders with a status of "full" are eliminated, and then the 3-level gas cylinders with a status of "active" are eliminated. Finally, the "not filled inactive" 3-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure is selected. When two or more "not filled inactive" 3-level gas cylinders have the same highest pressure, a 3-level gas cylinder is randomly selected as the "not filled inactive" 3-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure, and medium-pressure hydrogen is filled into it until it is full or until an external signal instructs to stop filling with medium-pressure hydrogen. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preset threshold pressure of all the 3-level gas cylinders is 15-30MPa, or 18-25MPa, or 20-22Mpa, or is within the numerical range obtained by combining any two of the above end values. According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at the moment when the spare tube bundle unit 12 starts to supply hydrogen to the outside, the air pressure information of each 3-level gas cylinder in the spare tube bundle unit 12 is obtained in real time, the air pressure information is arranged in descending order, and the "activity status" information of all 3-level gas cylinders is obtained, and the 3-level gas cylinders with the status of "active" are eliminated, and finally the "inactive" 3-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure is selected. When two or more "unfilled inactive" 3-level gas cylinders have the same highest pressure, a 3-level gas cylinder is randomly selected as the "unfilled inactive" 3-level gas cylinder with the highest pressure, and the 3-level gas cylinder outputs medium-pressure hydrogen to the outside until an external signal instructs to stop outputting medium-pressure hydrogen or the pressure of the 3-level gas cylinder drops to a level that is insufficient to supply medium-pressure hydrogen to the outside.

[0066] According to some embodiments of the present invention, various devices such as pressure sensors, temperature sensors, valves, controllers, product collectors, purification equipment, rectifying devices, chemical absorption equipment, physical adsorption equipment, gas component monitoring equipment, pumps, flow meters, sampling ports, observation windows, pressure / temperature regulators, baffles, flanges, threads, pins, fins, and any combination thereof may be provided inside, outside, around, upstream, and downstream of any component or device in the apparatus as required. These devices may be integrated with any device or may be installed additionally.

[0067] As described above, the novel device developed by the present invention can freely switch between six different connection modes and adopt seven different operation modes according to specific circumstances, so as to flexibly cope with different load conditions encountered at different times during the operation of the device. In the following paragraphs, the applicant will discuss these different connection modes and operation modes.

[0068] I. First operating mode

[0069] The first operation mode corresponds to the working condition of the high load period, and there are more vehicles that continuously refuel with hydrogen, which consumes the hydrogen in the equipment to a certain extent, resulting in at least one of the second-level gas cylinders in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 being in an "unfilled" state or even an "empty" state. In the present invention, the "empty" state does not mean that there is no hydrogen in a gas cylinder, but that the hydrogen pressure in the gas cylinder is too low and is insufficient to supply hydrogen to the downstream device.

[0070] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the first operating mode, the device is Figure 2 In the first connection mode A shown, the low-pressure hydrogen (0.6-3MPa) produced by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is purified and buffered in the buffer tank 2 through the hydrogen supply pipeline, and then compressed to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 by the low-pressure compression unit 3 (compressor or pump). As mentioned above, the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 includes several medium-pressure hydrogen storage bottles with a rated working pressure (preset pressure threshold). When the low-pressure compression unit 3 provides medium-pressure compressed hydrogen to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, the control unit A can determine the residual pressure of each hydrogen storage bottle in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, and fill the inactive gas storage bottles with hydrogen in the order of the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottles from high to low.

[0071] At the same time, the hydrogen of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is pressurized to 40-95MPa, for example, 45-85MPa, by the medium-pressure compression unit 7 (compressor or pump), and then transported to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9. The pressure and activity state judgment of each hydrogen storage bottle in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 can be completed by the control unit B. The high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 includes several high-pressure hydrogen storage bottles with a rated working pressure of 40-95MPa, for example, 85 to 90MPa. When the medium-pressure compression unit 7 supplies compressed hydrogen to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9, the control unit C can judge the residual pressure of each hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9, and fill the inactive hydrogen storage bottles with hydrogen in the order of the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottle group from high to low. When the hydrogen storage bottle groups in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 reach the rated working pressure (preset threshold pressure), it is considered that these hydrogen storage bottles are full, and the first operating mode ends, that is, the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is shut down, or other switches are shut down, so that the entire equipment is in standby mode. Figure 2In the first connection mode shown, the backup gas storage unit (shown in the figure as the backup tube bundle unit 12) is in an isolated state and is not connected to other components. However, according to another embodiment, when it is detected that any one or more 3-stage gas storage bottles in the backup tube bundle unit are in an "unfilled" state, the inactive hydrogen storage bottles are filled with hydrogen via the 4 control unit A or the control unit C in the order of the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottle group from high to low until all the hydrogen storage bottles are fully filled. At this time, the first operation mode ends, that is, the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is shut down, or other switches are shut down, so that the entire equipment is in a standby state.

[0072] II. Second operating mode

[0073] The second operation mode corresponds to the working conditions during the off-peak hours with lower loads. There are fewer vehicles coming to refuel, and the hydrogen in the equipment is consumed at a lower level. There may be at least one 2-stage gas cylinder in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 that is "not full", but the amount of hydrogen provided by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is much higher than the hydrogen consumption caused by vehicle refueling. In this operation mode, the equipment is still in the first connection mode A. First, each hydrogen storage bottle of the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is filled, and then each hydrogen storage bottle of the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is inflated through the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5. In this second operation mode, the low-pressure hydrogen (0.6-3MPa) produced by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is purified and cached in the buffer tank 2 through the hydrogen supply pipeline, and then transported to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 through the low-pressure compression unit 3 (compressor or pump). When the low-pressure compression unit 3 delivers hydrogen to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, the control unit A determines the residual pressure of each hydrogen storage bottle in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, and fills each hydrogen storage bottle with hydrogen in order from high to low according to the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottle.

[0074] When the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is filled with gas, that is, when the pressure of all hydrogen storage bottles in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 reaches the preset threshold pressure (20-25MPa), the hydrogen of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is pressurized to 40-95MPa, for example, 45-85MPa, through the medium-pressure compression unit 7 (compressor or pump), and then transported to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9. The pressure and activity state judgment of each hydrogen storage bottle in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 can be completed by the control unit B. The high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 includes several high-pressure hydrogen storage bottles with a rated working pressure of 40-95MPa, for example, 85 to 90MPa. When the medium-pressure compression unit 7 supplies compressed hydrogen to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9, the control unit C can judge the residual pressure of each hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9, and fill the inactive hydrogen storage bottles with hydrogen in the order of the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottle group from high to low. When the hydrogen storage bottle groups in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 reach the rated working pressure (preset threshold pressure), it is considered that these hydrogen storage bottles are full, and the second operating mode ends, that is, the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is shut down, or other switches are shut down, so that the entire equipment is in standby mode.

[0075] III. The third operating mode

[0076] The third operation mode corresponds to the working situation during the extremely high load period and has been going on for a period of time, where many vehicles have been continuously refueled with hydrogen, which consumes a great deal of hydrogen in the equipment, resulting in at least one 2nd-level gas cylinder in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 being in an "unfilled" state or even an "empty" state, and at least one 1st-level gas cylinder in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 also being in an "unfilled" state or even an "empty" state. The third operation mode is used for initial inflation of vehicles to be inflated that have a high degree of hydrogen consumption and a very low pressure of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage cylinder (e.g., lower than the preset threshold pressure in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5).

[0077] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the third operating mode, the device is Figure 3 In the second connection mode B shown, the filling unit 10 bypasses the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the medium-pressure compression unit 7 through a pipeline and is directly connected to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 for initial vehicle filling. Hydrogen is directly drawn from the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 to initially fill the vehicle. When the pressure in the hydrogen storage bottle reaches a predetermined lower limit or the pressure in the hydrogen storage bottle cannot maintain the flow rate required for vehicle filling, the third operation mode terminates.

[0078] In addition, in the third operation mode, while the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is used to initially refill the vehicle, the low-pressure compression unit 3 continuously replenishes hydrogen to the inactive hydrogen storage bottle of the medium-pressure compression unit 7, and the replenishment of hydrogen is carried out in sequence according to the residual pressure of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle from high to low. This function can be realized by the control unit A. The control unit A can detect the pressure of each inactive hydrogen storage bottle group in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit in real time, connect the compressor or pump of the low-pressure compression unit to the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the medium-pressure compression unit 7 for hydrogen replenishment, and when the pressure of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle reaches the preset threshold pressure (i.e., it is determined to be full), switch to the next highest pressure inactive hydrogen storage bottle. Optionally, at the same time, the medium-pressure compression unit 7 extracts hydrogen from the inactive hydrogen storage bottle of the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 (according to the residual pressure from high to low), and replenishes hydrogen to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 (according to the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 from high to low) through the control unit C.

[0079] IV. Fourth operating mode

[0080] The fourth operating mode is a mode that is performed immediately after the third operating mode, and is used for the vehicle that has already been initially inflated during the extremely high load period. Compared with the third operating mode, in the fourth operating mode, hydrogen is further consumed, for example, the pressure of at least one hydrogen storage bottle in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is further reduced, while the vehicle being inflated has already had preliminary hydrogen filling, and the hydrogen pressure in the vehicle's hydrogen storage tank has increased to a certain extent compared to before the initial inflation.

[0081] In the fourth operation mode, the device first switches to the first connection mode A (eg Figure 2 As shown), hydrogen continues to be filled from the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 to the vehicle 11 via the filling unit 10. The filling order is from low to high or from high to low according to the pressure of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9. When the pressure in one hydrogen storage bottle reaches a predetermined lower limit or reaches pressure balance with the vehicle, switch to the next inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the lowest pressure or the highest pressure to inflate the vehicle. When the pressure reaches a predetermined lower limit or reaches pressure balance with the vehicle, switch to the next inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the lowest pressure or the highest pressure to inflate the vehicle, and so on, until the filling is completed. When the hydrogen storage cylinder of the filled vehicle 11 reaches a predetermined filling mass, the fourth operating mode ends. However, in the fourth operating mode, after the hydrogen in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is exhausted as described above, there is a high possibility that the hydrogen filling amount required by the vehicle 11 still cannot be met. In this case, the device is switched to the third connection mode C (such as Figure 4As shown), the spare tube bundle unit 12 is activated, so that an inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the spare tube bundle unit 12 provides hydrogen to the medium-pressure compression unit 7, which is pressurized into high-pressure hydrogen (for example, 40-80MPa) and then transported to the filling unit 10 to replenish the vehicle 11 with gas to the target filling amount.

[0082] In addition, in the fourth operation mode, while the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is used to refuel the vehicle 11, the low-pressure compression unit 3 continuously replenishes hydrogen to the inactive hydrogen storage bottle of the medium-pressure compression unit 7, and the replenishment of hydrogen is carried out in sequence from high to low according to the residual pressure of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle. This function can be realized by the control unit A. The control unit A can detect the pressure of each inactive hydrogen storage bottle group in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit in real time, connect the compressor or pump of the low-pressure compression unit to the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the medium-pressure compression unit 7 for hydrogen replenishment, and when the pressure of the inactive hydrogen storage bottle reaches the preset threshold pressure (i.e., it is determined to be full), switch to the next highest pressure inactive hydrogen storage bottle. Optionally, at the same time, the medium-pressure compression unit 7 extracts hydrogen from the inactive hydrogen storage bottle of the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 (according to the residual pressure from high to low), and replenishes hydrogen to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 (according to the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 from high to low) through the control unit C. According to one embodiment of the present invention, while the high-pressure hydrogen is supplied to the filling unit 10 via the spare tube bundle unit 12, if the pressure of a hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 reaches a pressure that can be used to charge the filling vehicle, the hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 can be used to charge the vehicle at any time, either individually or simultaneously. Figure 4 In the third connection mode C, the connection between the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the filling unit 10 is shown as a dotted line, indicating that the two can be "connected" or "not connected" as needed. According to another embodiment, the inactive hydrogen storage bottles can also be filled with hydrogen by the 4 control units A according to the order of the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottles in the spare tube bundle unit 12 from high to low, until all the hydrogen storage bottles in the spare tube bundle unit 12 are full. Figure 4 In the third connection mode C, the connection between the control unit A and the spare tube bundle unit 12 is shown by a dotted line, indicating that the two can be "connected" or "not connected" as needed.

[0083] V. Fifth operating mode

[0084] The fifth operation mode refers to the situation where the hydrogen production equipment in the hydrogen refueling station fails, that is, the on-site hydrogen production device 1 stops, no longer provides hydrogen to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit, or the amount of hydrogen provided is significantly reduced. Specifically, when the hydrogen production device 1 in the station fails and stops or the hydrogen production efficiency is significantly reduced, the equipment adopts the fourth connection mode (such as Figure 5As shown), the spare tube bundle unit 12 is activated. Figure 5 As shown, in the fourth connection mode, since the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is in a shutdown or power reduction state, the connection between the on-site hydrogen production device 1 and the buffer tank is indicated by a dotted line, that is, the two can be optionally "connected" or "not connected". The spare tube bundle unit 12 and the filling unit 10 can be directly connected (for initial filling of the vehicle) or connected via the medium pressure compression unit 7 (for subsequent filling of the vehicle). Therefore, the above two connection modes between the spare tube bundle unit 12 and the filling unit 10 are Figure 5 The dashed lines represent the connections mentioned above, indicating that any one of the two types of connections can be adopted as needed. According to one embodiment, the spare tube bundle unit 12 includes a three-stage gas storage bottle, the pressure of which is close to the pressure of the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, for example, it can be around 20MPa. The filling unit 10 bypasses the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the medium-pressure compression unit 7 through a pipeline and is directly connected to the spare tube bundle unit 12 for initial filling of the vehicle. While the spare tube bundle is initially filling the vehicle, the medium-pressure compression unit 7 draws hydrogen from the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the spare tube bundle unit 12, and replenishes hydrogen to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 through the control unit C (hydrogen is filled successively in the order of the residual pressure of the hydrogen storage bottles in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 from high to low).

[0085] For the direct initial filling of the refueling vehicle 11 by the above-mentioned spare tube bundle unit 12, when the pressure of the three-level gas storage bottle of the spare tube bundle unit 12 and the refueling vehicle 11 reaches equilibrium, if the pressure of one or more hydrogen storage bottles in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is higher than the preset threshold pressure (that is, the one or more hydrogen storage bottles are full), the device is switched to the first connection mode A, and the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 performs subsequent hydrogen filling of the vehicle 11. If there is no available hydrogen storage bottle in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 when the pressure of the three-level gas storage bottle of the spare tube bundle unit 12 and the refueling vehicle 11 reaches equilibrium, or the vehicle still does not reach the target filling amount after the hydrogen in the available hydrogen storage bottle of the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 is exhausted due to the charging of the spare tube bundle unit 12, then when the device is in the fourth connection mode, the medium-pressure compression unit 7 is started, hydrogen is extracted from the inactive hydrogen storage bottle with the highest pressure in the spare tube bundle unit 12, and pressurized in the medium-pressure compression unit 7 to form high-pressure hydrogen, and the high-pressure hydrogen is used to replenish the vehicle 11 to the target filling amount through the filling unit 10.

[0086] VI. Sixth operating mode

[0087] The sixth operation mode shows that the hydrogen production equipment in the hydrogen refueling station is fully functional, but the hydrogen storage in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the spare tube bundle unit 12 has been exhausted or the pressure has been significantly reduced, which is insufficient to inflate the vehicle, simulating a long-term peak hydrogen refueling state.

[0088] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the sixth operating mode, the device is Figure 6 In the fifth connection mode shown, the low-pressure hydrogen (0.6-3MPa) produced by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is purified and buffered in the buffer tank 2 through the hydrogen supply pipeline, and then compressed by the low-pressure compression unit 3 (compressor or pump) to form medium-pressure hydrogen, and then directly transported to the medium-pressure compression unit 7, further compressed to form high-pressure hydrogen (for example, 40-95MPa, or 45-85MPa), and then the high-pressure hydrogen is directly transported to the filling unit 10. At the same time, a part of the medium-pressure hydrogen leaving the low-pressure compression unit 3 is further transported to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5. Optionally, hydrogen is also output from the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, and after being pressurized into high-pressure hydrogen by the medium-pressure compression unit 7, the hydrogen is transported to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned process of charging the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 and transporting hydrogen to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 can be carried out in the same manner as described in the above first operation mode.

[0089] VII. Seventh operating mode

[0090] The seventh operation mode shows that most of the gas cylinders in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the spare tube bundle unit 12 of the hydrogen filling station are full, and there are few vehicles using the hydrogen filling station for hydrogen filling, and the consumption of hydrogen is extremely low, such as the period from 12 o'clock at night to 5 o'clock in the morning. In this seventh operation mode, the device adopts Figure 7 In the sixth connection mode shown, the low-pressure hydrogen (0.6-3MPa) produced by the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is purified and cached in the buffer tank 2 through the hydrogen supply pipeline, and then compressed by the low-pressure compression unit 3 (compressor or pump) to form medium-pressure hydrogen, and then directly transported to the backup gas storage unit 12, or transported to an external hydrogen storage tank, or transported to other adjacent hydrogen refueling stations via a gas pipeline. At the same time, the medium-pressure hydrogen output by the low-pressure compression unit 3 is also transported to the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, and the hydrogen storage bottles in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 are filled in sequence from high to low pressure. While the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 is being inflated, hydrogen is also output from the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, compressed to high pressure by the medium-pressure compression unit 7, and then transported to the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9, and the hydrogen storage bottles in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 are filled in sequence from high to low pressure. Whenever a vehicle uses the hydrogen filling station for hydrogen filling, hydrogen is output from the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 to the filling unit 10, and then the vehicle is filled with hydrogen.

[0091] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gas supply equipment of the present invention is programmed to determine the connection mode and operation mode that the gas supply equipment should select based on the pressure of each hydrogen storage bottle in the medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5, the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 and the spare tube bundle unit 12, the operating state of the gas source device, and the frequency of occurrence of gas filling vehicles measured at the filling unit, the accumulated gas filling time and the real-time pressure of the gas in the gas storage bottle of the filling vehicle.

[0092] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when more than 80%, preferably more than 90%, preferably more than 95% of the gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are full, and the duration of the vehicle being connected to the gas supply equipment for hydrogen refueling accounts for less than 40%, or less than 30%, or less than 20%, or less than 10%, or less than 5% of a specific unit time (e.g., 1 hour, or 40 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 20 minutes), the gas supply equipment adopts the seventh operating mode.

[0093] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when more than 70%, preferably more than 80%, preferably more than 90%, and more than 95% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are full, and more than 40%, preferably more than 45%, preferably more than 50%, and more than 60% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are not full, and the duration of the vehicle being connected to the gas supply equipment for hydrogen refueling accounts for less than 50%, or less than 40%, or less than 30%, or less than 20%, or less than 10% of a specific unit time (for example, 1 hour, or 40 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 20 minutes), the gas supply equipment adopts the second operation mode.

[0094] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when more than 50%, preferably more than 60%, preferably more than 65%, and more than 68% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are full, and more than 60%, preferably more than 65%, preferably more than 70%, and more than 80% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are not full, and the duration of the vehicle being connected to the gas supply equipment for hydrogen refueling accounts for less than 70%, or less than 65%, or less than 60%, or less than 55% of a specific unit time (for example, 1 hour, or 40 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 20 minutes), the gas supply equipment adopts the first operating mode.

[0095] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when more than 50%, preferably more than 60%, preferably more than 65%, and more than 68% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are not filled, and more than 50%, preferably more than 55%, preferably more than 60%, and more than 65% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are empty, and the duration of the vehicle being connected to the gas supply equipment for hydrogen refueling accounts for not less than 70%, or not less than 75%, or not less than 80%, or not less than 85% of a specific unit time (for example, 1 hour, or 40 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 20 minutes), the gas supply equipment adopts the third operation mode.

[0096] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when more than 30%, preferably more than 40%, preferably more than 50% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are empty, and more than 70%, preferably more than 75%, preferably more than 80% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are empty, and the duration of the vehicle being connected to the gas supply equipment for hydrogen refueling accounts for not less than 70%, or not less than 75%, or not less than 80%, or not less than 85% of a specific unit time (for example, 1 hour, or 40 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 20 minutes), the gas supply equipment adopts the fourth operating mode.

[0097] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when a gas source device fails, causing its gas supply flow rate under normal working conditions to be lower than 50%, 40%, or 30% of the rated gas supply flow rate, the gas supply equipment adopts the fifth operating mode.

[0098] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when more than 55%, preferably more than 60%, preferably more than 70%, and more than 80% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are empty, and more than 80%, preferably more than 85%, and preferably more than 90% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are empty, and more than 30%, preferably more than 40%, preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 60%, and more preferably more than 70% of the gas cylinders in the spare gas storage units are empty, and the duration of the vehicle being connected to the gas supply equipment for hydrogen refueling accounts for not less than 70%, or not less than 75%, or not less than 80%, or not less than 85% in a specific unit time (for example, 1 hour, or 40 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 20 minutes), the gas supply equipment adopts the sixth operating mode. Example

[0099] In the following Example 1 and Comparative Examples, the multi-mode hydrogen refueling station of the present invention is compared with a hydrogen refueling station using only a single mode. Example

[0100] Example 1 uses Figure 1 The components are arranged in the structure shown in the figure, wherein the on-site hydrogen production device 1 is an electrolytic hydrogen production device capable of producing hydrogen at a pressure of about 2MPa, with a rated hydrogen production of about 500 kg / day. The hydrogen produces medium-pressure hydrogen of 20MPa after passing through the low-pressure compression unit 3. The medium-pressure hydrogen storage unit 5 includes nine 0.5m 3 The preset filling pressure of each gas storage cylinder is 20MPa; the hydrogen gas passes through the medium pressure compression unit 7 to produce 45MPa high pressure hydrogen gas, and the high pressure hydrogen storage unit 9 includes nine 0.5m 3 The preset filling pressure of each gas storage cylinder is 45MPa; the spare tube bundle unit 12 includes three gas storage cylinders with a volume of 0.5m 3 The preset filling pressure of each gas cylinder is 20MPa.

[0101] In this embodiment 1, when more than 95% of the gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are full, and the duration of the vehicle connecting to the gas supply equipment for hydrogenation accounts for less than 5% in 20 minutes, the gas supply equipment adopts the seventh operation mode; when more than 90% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are full, and more than 60% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are not full, and the duration of the vehicle connecting to the gas supply equipment for hydrogenation accounts for less than 10% in 20 minutes, the gas supply equipment adopts the second operation mode; when more than 65% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are full, and more than 80% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are not full, and the duration of the vehicle connecting to the gas supply equipment for hydrogenation accounts for less than 60% in 20 minutes, the gas supply equipment adopts the first operation mode; when more than 68% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are not full, and more than 60% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are empty, and the vehicle is connected to the gas supply equipment When the duration of hydrogen refueling of the gas supply equipment for more than 70% in 20 minutes, the gas supply equipment adopts the third operation mode; when more than 50% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are empty, and more than 80% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are empty, and the duration of hydrogen refueling of the vehicle connected to the gas supply equipment for more than 80% in 20 minutes, the gas supply equipment adopts the fourth operation mode; when a gas source device fails, resulting in its gas supply flow rate under normal working conditions being lower than 40% of the rated gas supply flow rate, the gas supply equipment adopts the fifth operation mode; when more than 80% of the medium-pressure gas cylinders in the gas supply equipment are empty, and more than 90% of the high-pressure gas cylinders are empty, and more than 70% of the gas cylinders in the spare gas storage units are empty, and the duration of hydrogen refueling of the vehicle connected to the gas supply equipment for more than 80% in 20 minutes, the gas supply equipment adopts the sixth operation mode.

[0102] In this embodiment 1, hydrogen is added at a rate of 500 kg / day using a hydrogen filling station. Fig. 9 The typical simulation distribution diagram of the vehicle that needs hydrogen refueling within 24 hours is shown to design the charging load distribution. The typical simulation distribution diagram is designed by the inventor based on the time distribution diagram of the refueling vehicles in a gas station on a highway within a week, and is converted into a total amount of hydrogen refueling of 500 kg / day in proportion. A hydrogen cylinder is used instead of a hydrogen energy vehicle for hydrogen refueling operation (one hydrogen cylinder represents one hydrogen energy vehicle). The use capacity of the hydrogen cylinder is set to 5 kg, the hydrogen filling pressure is 35 MPa, and the filling time is about 5 minutes. It takes a little longer time during peak hours.

[0103] The total energy consumption of the hydrogen refueling station of Example 1 after 24 hours is 1439 kWh.

[0104] Comparative Example 1

[0105] Designed with Figure 8 The equipment shown in the figure is a comparative example 1, which uses the same on-site hydrogen production device 1 as in Example 1, which is an electrolytic hydrogen production device capable of producing hydrogen at a pressure of about 2 MPa, with a rated hydrogen production of about 200 kg / day. The hydrogen passes through the buffer tank 2 and the compression unit 3 to produce 45 MPa high-pressure hydrogen, which is stored in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 4. The high-pressure hydrogen storage unit 4 includes fifteen 0.5 m 3 The preset filling pressure of each gas cylinder is 45MPa. The multi-mode operation design is not adopted, and the following single mode is adopted within 24 hours: the compression unit continuously inflates the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit, and the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit stops every time all the gas cylinders in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit are filled, and the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit supplies hydrogen to the filling unit. The selection of gas cylinders for filling in the high-pressure hydrogen storage unit and gas cylinders for supplying gas to the filling unit follows the rules described above, that is, "each time, select the unfilled inactive gas cylinder with the highest pressure at the current moment to inflate it; each time, select the inactive gas cylinder with the highest pressure at the current moment to supply gas to the filling unit."

[0106] In Comparative Example 1, hydrogen is charged at a hydrogen filling station with a hydrogen filling rate of 500 kg / day. The charging load distribution and the hydrogen cylinder capacity (5 kg, filling pressure 35 MPa) are the same as those in Example 1.

[0107] The total energy consumption of the hydrogen refueling station using Comparative Example 1 after 24 hours is 1625 kWh.

[0108] Compared with Comparative Example 1, the above Example 1 achieves energy saving of about 11.4%.

[0109] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the technical concept of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, including the combination of various technical features in any other suitable manner, and these simple modifications and combinations should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present invention and belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gas supply device, comprising: A gas source device, a first compression unit, a first control unit, a primary gas storage unit, a second control unit, a second compression unit, a third control unit, a secondary gas storage unit, a spare gas storage unit and a filling unit; the primary gas storage unit includes N first-level gas cylinders, N is an integer ≥3, the secondary gas storage unit includes M second-level gas cylinders, M is an integer ≥3, and the spare gas storage unit includes K third-level gas cylinders, K is an integer ≥2; At least two or more of the gas source device, the first compression unit, the first control unit, the primary gas storage unit, the second control unit, the second compression unit, the third control unit, the secondary gas storage unit, the backup gas storage unit and the filling unit are connected to each other, so that the gas supply device is configured to switch between the following six connection modes: A) First connection mode: In this first connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit, another second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit; the filling unit is not connected to the standby gas storage unit; B) Second connection mode: In this second connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is directly connected to the filling unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the filling unit or between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit; the second-level gas storage unit is not connected to the filling unit, and the first-level gas storage unit and the filling unit are not connected to the standby gas storage unit; C) Third connection mode: In this third connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit; the standby gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit via the second compression unit, and optionally another second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit; D) Fourth connection mode: In this fourth connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a second-level gas cylinder in the second-level gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second-level gas storage unit; the first-level gas storage unit and the second-level gas storage unit are not connected to the filling unit; the standby gas storage unit is directly connected to the filling unit or is connected to the filling unit via the second compression unit; E) Fifth connection mode: In the fifth connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, the first compression unit is connected to a first-level gas storage cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first-level gas storage unit, another first-level gas storage cylinder in the first-level gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first-level gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to the filling unit; optionally, the second compression unit is also connected to the second-level gas storage unit, and the second-level gas storage unit is not connected to the filling unit; F) Sixth connection mode: In this sixth connection mode, the gas source device is connected to the first compression unit, and the first compression unit is directly connected to the outside of the gas supply device via the first control unit, or is directly connected to the backup gas storage unit via the first control unit; at the same time, the first compression unit is connected to a level 1 gas cylinder in the first gas storage unit, the first control unit is arranged between the first compression unit and the first gas storage unit, another level 1 gas cylinder in the first gas storage unit is connected to the second compression unit, and the second control unit is arranged between the first gas storage unit and the second compression unit; the second compression unit is connected to a level 2 gas cylinder in the second gas storage unit, and the third control unit is arranged between the second compression unit and the second gas storage unit; optionally, another level 2 gas cylinder in the second gas storage unit is connected to the filling unit.

2. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that In at least one of the first to sixth connection modes, the primary gas storage unit is communicated with the backup gas storage unit, and the second control unit is disposed between the primary gas storage unit and the backup gas storage unit.

3. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gas supply apparatus further includes a buffer tank located downstream of the gas source device and adjacent to the first compression unit.

4. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gas source device is selected from the following devices: a gas storage tank, a gas generation device based on a chemical reaction, and a gas generation device based on an electrochemical reaction.

5. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gas source device is a hydrogen source device.

6. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that In at least one of the first connection mode, the second connection mode, the third connection mode, the fifth connection mode and the sixth connection mode, the gas source device continuously supplies gas to the primary gas storage unit, and the primary gas storage unit continuously supplies gas to the secondary gas storage unit.

7. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that The supplied gas is selected from one of the following: hydrogen, oxygen, methane, methanol vapor, carbon monoxide, biogas, water gas, nitrogen, and rare gas.

8. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gas source device supplies gas with a first pressure, which is pressurized to a second pressure through a first compression unit, and is pressurized to a third pressure through a second compression unit. The filling pressure in the standby gas storage unit is a fourth pressure. The first pressure is 0.6-3MPa, the second pressure is 20-25MPa, the third pressure is 40-95MPa, and the fourth pressure is 15-25MPa.

9. The gas supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gas supply equipment operates at temperatures ranging from ambient temperature to 80°C.

10. A method for supplying gas, the method using the gas supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to supply gas.

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