System for hot compressed gas
By performing a cyclic thermal compression gas method between storage devices, combined with a metal hydride compressor, the wear and noise pollution problems of mechanical compressors are solved, achieving efficient dihydrogen compression and reducing energy consumption.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- EIFHYTEC
- Filing Date
- 2022-03-15
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-03
AI Technical Summary
Existing mechanical compressors suffer from wear, noise pollution, power consumption, and hydrogen leakage when compressing dihydrogen, while thermochemical compressors consume too much energy at high pressures and are difficult to be compatible with industrial standards.
A thermally compressed gas circulation method is employed, which performs the circulation through a set of storage tanks, including cooling, heating and pressure equalization steps. Combined with a metal hydride compressor, heat is transferred between the storage tanks to achieve efficient gas compression.
It avoids mechanical component wear and noise pollution, achieves efficient gas compression, reduces energy consumption, and is suitable for high-pressure applications.
Smart Images
Figure CN116997743B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of gas compression. Specifically, it relates to a system for thermally compressing gases, particularly dihydrogen. Background Technology
[0002] Against the backdrop of strong growth in low-carbon solutions for the mobility and transportation of goods and passengers, dihydrogen appears to be a promising fuel. Its use in combination with fuel cells and electric motors in vehicles could represent an alternative to fossil fuels or an alternative to the batteries typically used to power electric motors.
[0003] Due to its low density, dihydrogen must be compressed to a pressure of approximately 700 bar before it can be used as fuel. It is typically delivered to service stations at a pressure of 200 bar, and then compressed on-site in compressors to pressures ranging from 450 bar to 1000 bar.
[0004] These compressors are typically mechanical, which has several drawbacks. Moving parts can cause hydrogen leakage. The pistons are not lubricated, which introduces impurities into the dihydrogen, damaging fuel cells and causing them to wear out quickly. Additionally, these compressors consume electricity, representing a significant cost and worsening the environmental balance of dihydrogen. Last but not least, mechanical compressors generate high levels of noise pollution, which is particularly problematic at urban service stations.
[0005] In response to these issues, thermochemical metal hydride compressors have been developed. Metal powder absorbs low-pressure dihydrogen to form metal hydrides. These hydrides are then heated, releasing high-pressure dihydrogen. Ideally, these compressors operate between 20 bar and 500 bar. Outside this operating range, it is difficult to find metal powders that can be compressed at temperature levels compatible with industrial standards. Specifically, for very high pressure levels, the energy required to further increase the pressure is excessive compared to that of mechanical compressors, which consume energy at approximately the ratio between the outlet and inlet pressures. Therefore, thermochemical compressors can be combined with mechanical compressors to achieve the final pressure level.
[0006] Alternatively, a thermal compressor is available. US20120028140 discloses a compressor comprising multiple reservoirs connected in series, wherein the pressure between two consecutive reservoirs is increased by heating an upstream reservoir. This method cannot achieve high flow rates and consumes too much energy. Summary of the Invention
[0007] One object of the present invention is to provide an energy-efficient compressor, particularly for pressures exceeding 500 bar, without the problems of wear, power consumption, noise, and leakage associated with mechanical compressors.
[0008] The object of the present invention is at least partially in response to the foregoing object by providing a circulation method for thermally compressed gases, wherein a group of several reservoirs perform circulation, during which they perform a pressure increase in contact with one reservoir or a series of hotter reservoirs, and then perform a pressure decrease to increase the pressure in other cooler reservoirs. To this end, a method for circulating thermally compressed gases in at least one group of several reservoirs in a system according to the invention is proposed, wherein for each reservoir in each group, each circulation comprises the following steps:
[0009] - Cool the gas contained in the storage tank and transfer the gas from the source to the storage tank.
[0010] - Transfer gas from the donor reservoir to the reservoir, which is the reservoir in the group whose gas has the lowest pressure than the gas in the reservoir, until the pressure in the reservoir and the pressure in the donor reservoir are equalized. If necessary, repeat the steps as long as there is another reservoir in the group whose gas has a higher pressure and temperature than the gas in the reservoir.
[0011] -Heat the gas contained in the storage tank and transfer the gas from the storage tank to the target.
[0012] - Transfer the gas from the storage container to the receiving container, which is the container in the group whose gas is at the highest pressure compared to the gas in the storage container, until the pressure in the storage container and the pressure in the receiving container are equalized. If necessary, repeat the steps as long as there is another container in the group whose gas is at a lower pressure and temperature than the gas in the storage container.
[0013] For each reservoir in the group, the steps of cooling the gas contained in the reservoir and transferring the gas from the source to the reservoir are performed sequentially.
[0014] Because of these arrangements, gases can be compressed to high pressure via thermal compression, thus avoiding problems such as noise and wear on mechanical parts. This method is particularly energy-efficient because as the pressure decreases, the heat used to increase the pressure in one reservoir is used to compress the contents of other reservoirs, and compression can occur in cascade.
[0015] Based on other characteristics:
[0016] The method can be carried out in multiple reservoirs in two sets, thereby allowing the steps of cooling the gas contained in one reservoir and transferring the gas from the source to one reservoir in one set and then to one reservoir in another set to occur sequentially, thus optimizing the method and, in particular, enabling a continuous supply of gas to the system and the generation of compressed gas.
[0017] - During the step of transferring gas from a donor reservoir in the same group where the gas is at a higher pressure and temperature to the reservoir, the transferred gas can be cooled to reduce the temperature rise of the contents of the reservoir, thereby maintaining the temperature difference between the reservoirs with increasing pressure and those with decreasing pressure. This temperature difference allows for optimized compression of the gas in the reservoirs.
[0018] - Each group of reservoirs may include at least three reservoirs, preferably at least four reservoirs, and the two transfer steps may each be repeated at least two times, preferably at least three times, so that the gas can withstand several pressure levels and thus achieve a large pressure rise for a given temperature difference.
[0019] The method may further include a gas compression step in a metal hydride compressor prior to transferring the gas from the source to the storage tank, thus combining the advantages of an initial compression provided by a hydride compressor with subsequent thermal compression at high pressure values that make the hydride compressor less suitable.
[0020] - During the step of cooling the gas contained in the first reservoir, heat can be extracted from the first reservoir and used to reheat the gas contained in the second reservoir, thus optimizing the energy consumption of the method.
[0021] - The step of transferring gas from the source to the first storage unit can occur simultaneously with the step of transferring gas from the second storage unit to the receiving storage unit or the target, thus optimizing the loop, in which several different steps occur simultaneously in the system or even several different storage units in the same group.
[0022] The present invention also relates to a system for thermally compressed gas, characterized in that the system includes a source, a target, and at least one set of reservoirs, each set of reservoirs including at least two reservoirs, the system including means for heating the contents of each reservoir and means for cooling the contents of each reservoir, each set further including:
[0023] - A transfer device for directly transferring gas from the source to each reservoir and from each reservoir to the target, and
[0024] - For each reservoir in the group, a bidirectional transfer device enables the gas to be transferred directly between the reservoir in the group and at least one other reservoir.
[0025] Because of these arrangements, gas can be compressed to high pressure through thermal compression, thus avoiding problems such as noise and wear of mechanical parts, while achieving energy-saving processes.
[0026] Based on other characteristics:
[0027] The gas can be dihydrogen, which is a relevant embodiment of the invention, because dihydrogen often needs to be compressed to high pressure for use, especially in transport; it can also be, for example, N2, O2, CH4, or helium.
[0028] The system may include two sets of storage tanks, thus optimizing its operation and, in particular, enabling a continuous supply of compressed gas to the system.
[0029] The system may include at least three reservoirs, preferably at least four, in each group, enabling the application of several pressure levels to the gas and thus achieving a large pressure rise for a given temperature difference.
[0030] Heating devices may include waste heat sources, such as biomass dihydrogen production equipment or electrolyzers, enabling the generated heat to be recovered, thereby reducing the energy costs of the system.
[0031] Cooling devices may include lethal cold sources, such as liquid nitrogen storage devices or reflux from the chilled water circuit, thus recovering available cooling energy and reducing the energy consumed by the system.
[0032] The source may include the vaporized gas outlet from a liquid dihydrogen storage tank, enabling the supply of cold dihydrogen to the storage tank to be supplied by the source, and thus achieving a particularly efficient first compression stage.
[0033] - All storage units in the same group can use the same gas, thus simplifying the system. Attached Figure Description
[0034] The invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description and referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0035] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a hot gas compression system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 Is it like this? Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the steps involved in the hot gas compression process.
[0037] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first stage of a hot gas compression process according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 It is completed Figure 3 A diagram illustrating the steps of the process that begins in the middle. Detailed Implementation
[0039] Figure 1 The hot gas compression system shown includes a source 1, a target 2, and one or more storage units 3.
[0040] The system according to the invention enables gas to be compressed from source 1, where the gas is at pressure P0, to pressure P. 目标 .
[0041] The gas involved in this invention is preferably dihydrogen. However, it can also be any other gas, such as oxygen or nitrogen.
[0042] The reservoir 3 is capable of containing a certain volume of the gas in a sealed manner. Within a group, the reservoirs 3 preferably all have the same volume, for example, 50 liters.
[0043] The thermal compression system includes a device 4 for heating the contents of each reservoir 3 and a device 5 for cooling the contents of each reservoir 3. The heating device 4 and the cooling device 5 bring a heat transfer fluid into contact with the contents of each reservoir 3. The heat transfer fluid can be used to heat or cool the contents if it is hotter or colder than the contents of the reservoir 3.
[0044] The heating device 4 can also be a resistor immersed in a reservoir.
[0045] Heater 4 can be connected to an electrolyzer or a biomass dihydrogen production unit. Therefore, if the gas is dihydrogen, the heat generated from producing it can be recovered in the thermal compression system. Depending on the system's installation location, other locally available waste heat sources can be connected to the heating system to reduce energy costs. For example, this could be a waste collection site or any other industrial site that generates heat.
[0046] The thermal compression system also includes a transfer device 6a for transferring gas directly from source 1 to each of the group's storage tanks 3, and a transfer device 6b for transferring gas directly from each of the group's storage tanks 3 to target 2. Here, direct transfer means transfer without passing through another storage tank 3 in the same group or another group, or through source 1 or target 2.
[0047] Finally, the thermal compression system includes a bidirectional transfer device (7) that allows gas to be directly transferred from each reservoir in a group to each other reservoir in the same group. Here, direct transfer means transfer that does not pass through another reservoir 3 in the same or another group, nor through source 1 or target 2. Therefore, taking into account any pair of reservoirs 3 in the same group, gas can be directly transferred between these two reservoirs 3 in two directions.
[0048] This invention relates to a method for circulating a thermocompressed gas in at least one group of multiple reservoirs 3. For each reservoir 3a in each group, each circulation includes the following steps:
[0049] - The gas contained in the reservoir 3a is cooled to a cold temperature T1, and the gas is transferred from the source 1 to the reservoir 3a. At the end of this step, the reservoir 3a contains gas at a pressure of P0 and a temperature of T1.
[0050] - Gas is transferred from another donor reservoir 3 to the reservoir 3a. The donor reservoir 3 is the reservoir in the same group of reservoirs 3 whose gas is at a higher pressure and temperature than the gas contained in the reservoir 3a, and whose gas is at the lowest pressure. Transfer occurs automatically when the bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between the reservoir 3a and the donor reservoir 3, until the pressure in the reservoir 3a and the pressure in the donor reservoir 3 are equalized. During this step, the gas contained in the reservoir 3a is compressed. At the end of the first occurrence of this step, the reservoir 3a contains gas at a pressure of P1 and a temperature of T1. This step can be repeated several times, as long as there is another reservoir 3 in the group whose gas is at a higher pressure and temperature than the gas contained in the reservoir 3a. For example, if the group includes three reservoirs 3, the step can be repeated twice, or if the group includes four reservoirs 3, the step can be repeated three times. Each time this step is repeated, the reservoir 3a increases by one pressure level. At the end of this step, the reservoir 3a contains gas at a pressure of P. K And the gas is at temperature T1, where K is equal to the number of times the transfer step is repeated.
[0051] - The gas contained in reservoir 3a is heated to a thermal temperature T2, enabling the establishment of a final pressure stage, and the gas is then transferred from reservoir 3a to target 2. At the end of this stage, the pressure contained in reservoir 3a is P. K+1 And the gas is at temperature T2. Pressure P K+1 Approximate to or equal to pressure P 目标 .
[0052] - Gas is transferred from the storage container 3a to another receiving storage container 3. The receiving storage container 3 is the one in the same group of storage containers 3 whose gas is at the highest pressure, while the gas in the receiving storage container 3a is at a lower pressure and temperature than the gas in the storage container 3a. Transfer occurs automatically when the bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between the storage container 3a and the receiving storage container 3, until the pressure in the storage container 3a and the pressure in the receiving storage container 3 are equalized. At the end of the first occurrence of this step, the pressure contained in the storage container 3a is close to or equal to P. K The gas is at temperature T2. This step can be repeated several times, as long as there is another reservoir 3 in a group whose gas is at a lower pressure and temperature than the gas in reservoir 3a. For example, if the group includes three reservoirs 3, the step can be repeated twice, or if the group includes four reservoirs 3, the step can be repeated three times. Each repetition of this step allows reservoir 3a to raise the pressure of another reservoir 3 in the same group by one level. At the end of this step and its repetition, reservoir 3a contains gas with a pressure close to or equal to P1 and a temperature of T2.
[0053] If all the reservoirs 3 in the group have the same volume, the amount of gas in the reservoir 3 can also be determined at each stage:
[0054] -At the end of the cooling and transfer steps at source 1, storage container 3a contains n0 moles of gas.
[0055] - At the end of a transfer step from donor reservoir 3 to reservoir 3a, reservoir 3a contains n1 moles of gas.
[0056] - At the end of the entire transfer step from one or more donor storage units 3 to storage unit 3a, storage unit 3a contains n K Molar gas,
[0057] -At the end of the heating step and transfer to target 2, storage 3a contains n K-1 Molar gas,
[0058] -At the end of a transfer step from the storage 3a to the receiving storage 3, the storage 3a contains n K-2 Molar gas,
[0059] - At the end of the entire transfer step from the storage 3a to one or more receiving storages, the storage 3a contains n -1 Molar gas.
[0060] For each reservoir 3 in the group, rather than for several reservoirs 3 simultaneously, the steps of cooling the gas contained in the reservoir and transferring the gas from the source to the reservoir 3a are performed sequentially. In this way, each reservoir 3 in the group passes through this step sequentially, and then performs the same cycle simultaneously, with each reservoir having a time lag relative to the other reservoirs.
[0061] In this process, the gas is thermally compressed by opening the transfer device between the two reservoirs 3, where the gas in reservoir 3 is compressed to the maximum extent, allowing the gas in the other reservoir to build up pressure. The reservoir receiving the gas is in a cold state, while the reservoir supplying the gas is in a warm state. This ensures that, with equal molar amounts of gas in both reservoirs, the hot reservoir has a higher pressure and can supply gas, increasing the pressure in the cold reservoir. During each cycle, each reservoir 3 thus experiences pressure build-up in a cold state, followed by pressure drop in a hot state. Therefore, during subsequent cycles, a reservoir 3 only needs to be reheated and cooled once.
[0062] Preferably, the gas being transferred is cooled during the step of transferring the gas from another reservoir 3 in the same group where the gas is at a higher pressure and temperature to the reservoir. This maintains the cooling temperature in the reservoir 3 receiving the hot gas, and thus maintains a temperature difference with the other hot reservoirs 3. The gas being transferred can be cooled before reaching the reservoir 3, for example in a bidirectional transfer device 7 between the two reservoirs 3. Alternatively, the gas being transferred can be cooled after it reaches the reservoir 3 by cooling the entire contents of the reservoir 3, for example by a cooling device 5. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the contents of the reservoir 3 cooled to a cold temperature T1 are maintained at the cold temperature T1 until the reheating step. Similarly, the contents of the reservoir 3 reheated to a hot temperature T2 are preferably maintained at the hot temperature T2 until the cooling step. This ensures that the temperature difference between T1 and T2 is always available when the hot reservoir 3 is connected to the cold reservoir 3 to build up the pressure of the latter.
[0063] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the steps of transferring gas from source 1 to first storage units 3a, ..., 3h occur simultaneously with the steps of transferring gas from second storage units 3a, ..., 3h to receiving storage unit 3 or target 2. Therefore, while some storage units 3 in the system perform certain steps, other storage units 3 perform other process steps, thereby saving time.
[0064] To optimize energy consumption according to the method of the present invention, during the step of cooling the gas contained in the first reservoirs 3a, ..., 3h, heat extracted from the first reservoirs 3a, ..., 3h can be used in the step of heating the gas contained in the second reservoirs 3a, ..., 3h. For example, the heat transfer fluid can be circulated from the first reservoirs 3a, ..., 3h to the second reservoirs 3a, ..., 3h.
[0065] A set of storage tanks 3 includes at least two storage tanks 3, for example, three storage tanks, preferably four storage tanks 3. This is based on compressing the gas from the pressure P0 at source 1 to the desired pressure P at target 2. 目标 The required number of stages determines the number of reservoirs 3 and other system parameters. Other parameters to be adjusted include the volume of the reservoirs 3 and the temperatures T1 and T2 at which the reservoirs 3 are heated and cooled. It is advantageous to have an even number of reservoirs 3 in a set. This ensures that, in each process step, one process step occurs in each reservoir 3.
[0066] The system may include a single set of storage units 3, but preferably two sets of storage units 3. In fact, the total number of steps in the aforementioned cycle (including repetitions of the second and fourth steps) is equal to twice the number of storage units 3 in one set. When the system includes a single set, only half of the steps can be performed simultaneously by one storage unit in the storage units 3. Specifically, the gas transfer phase from source 1 to target 2 does not occur in every stage of the cycle for a single set. Therefore, two sets can operate in parallel, allowing gas to be transferred from source 1 to one storage unit in the system's storage units 3 and from one storage unit in the system's storage units 3 to target 2 in every stage of the cycle. The number of storage units in each set can be different, but to obtain the aforementioned advantages of two sets, both sets must have an even or odd number of storage units.
[0067] In one specific implementation, an additional storage unit 3 may be provided to enable multi-stage heating and cooling. This is useful when the heating and cooling stages take longer than the transfer stages; typically, it may be useful to perform heating and cooling in two stages if these stages take twice as long as the transfer stages.
[0068] According to another specific design, a device can be provided that initially operates between a first source pressure P0 and a target pressure P1. Then, in a second stage, a portion of the gas can be extracted at pressure P1 and used as a source at pressure P1. The device then increases the pressure to P2. This can continue until the time required to finally reach the target pressure.
[0069] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the source gas pressure P0 is between 400 bar and 600 bar, for example from a metal hydride compressor, and the target gas pressure P目标 The pressure is between 800 bar and 1000 bar. In this configuration, two sets of four reservoirs 3 can be used, where pressure build-up in one reservoir 3a occurs, for example, in the following stages: 500 bar at the source, then 560 bar, 635 bar, and 725 bar after three transfer stages from another hot reservoir 3, and finally to 810 bar when reservoir 3a is reheated. Preferably, the gas cooling temperature T1 and the reheating temperature T2 are between 280 K and 310 K, for example 293.15 K, and between 360 K and 390 K, for example 373.15 K, respectively. Of course, these temperatures can be used in combination with other pressure values.
[0070] To optimize energy consumption, the cooling temperature T1 can be as low as possible, i.e., the ambient temperature or the temperature of the lowest available cold source on site. For example, liquid nitrogen, or reflux from a chilled water circuit, or other cold fluids can be used if they are available on site.
[0071] Alternatively, source 1 can be connected to the evaporator gas outlet of a liquid dihydrogen storage device (evaporating gas) at a temperature of 15K, thereby enabling the supply of cold dihydrogen to the storage device to be supplied by the source.
[0072] The system according to the invention is particularly advantageous for small-scale equipment, for example, where the gas output at target 2 is between 1 kg / h and 5 kg / h.
[0073] Other applications related to pressure / temperature are possible:
[0074] - The source connected to the evaporated gas outlet of the liquid dihydrogen storage device (evaporated gas):
[0075] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 0.5 bar and 2 bar.
[0076] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 5 bar and 50 bar
[0077] - Cooling temperature T1: between 15K and 300K
[0078] - Heating temperature T2: between 300K and 400K.
[0079] - Connected to the source of the deadly dihydrogen output generated by industrial equipment:
[0080] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 0.5 bar and 3 bar.
[0081] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 20 bar and 500 bar
[0082] - Cooling temperature T1: between 253K and 353K
[0083] - Heating temperature T2: between 353K and 1000K.
[0084] - Source connected to the cryogenic electrolyzer:
[0085] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 1 bar and 50 bar
[0086] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 2 bar and 200 bar
[0087] - Cooling temperature T1: between 253K and 293K
[0088] - Heating temperature T2: between 333K and 393K.
[0089] - Source connected to the high-temperature electrolytic cell:
[0090] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 1 bar and 30 bar
[0091] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 2 bar and 200 bar
[0092] - Cooling temperature T1: between 253K and 293K
[0093] - Heating temperature T2: between 333K and 1073K.
[0094] - A source connected to a thermochemical compressor, such as a metal hydride:
[0095] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 200 bar and 500 bar
[0096] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 400 bar and 1000 bar
[0097] - Cooling temperature T1: between 253K and 293K
[0098] - Heating temperature T2: between 353K and 423K.
[0099] - Source connected to cylinder outlet:
[0100] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 50 bar and 500 bar.
[0101] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 100 bar and 1000 bar
[0102] - Cooling temperature T1: between 253K and 293K
[0103] - Heating temperature T2: between 353K and 500K.
[0104] - Source connected to the biomass dihydrogen production unit:
[0105] - Pressure P0 at source 1: between 1 bar and 5 bar
[0106] - Pressure P at target 2 目标 Between 2 bar and 50 bar
[0107] - Cooling temperature T1: between 253K and 293K
[0108] - Heating temperature T2: between 353K and 1073K.
[0109] Figure 2 An example of an embodiment is shown, wherein the system according to the invention includes a set of two storage units 3a, 3b. Storage units 3a, 3b have equal volumes. Figure 2 In the diagram, arrows indicate gas flow. The state of each storage unit is recorded after the gas transfer is complete.
[0110] The cycle consists of four phases:
[0111] Step A:
[0112] - The gas contained in reservoir 3a is heated to temperature T2, and a portion of this gas is transferred to target 2. At the end of this step, the pressure contained in reservoir 3a is P2 = P 目标 And n0 moles of gas at temperature T2.
[0113] - The gas in storage 3b is cooled to temperature T1, and the gas is transferred from source 1 to storage 3b. At the end of this step, storage 3b contains n0 moles of gas at pressure P0 and temperature T1.
[0114] Step B:
[0115] - The bidirectional transfer device 7 opens between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3b, thereby transferring gas from reservoir 3a to reservoir 3b. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n gas at pressure P1 and temperature T2. -1 The gas contains n1 moles of gas, and the storage container 3b contains n1 moles of gas at a pressure of P1 and a temperature of T1.
[0116] Steps C and D are the same as steps A and B, except that memory 3a and memory 3b are swapped. The loop can restart at step A when step D ends.
[0117] Figure 3 and Figure 4 An example of an embodiment is shown, wherein the system according to the invention comprises two sets of four storage units 3a to 3d and storage units 3e to 3h. Storage units 3a to 3d have equal volumes. Storage units 3e to 3h have equal volumes. Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the diagram, arrows indicate gas flow. The state of each storage unit is recorded after the gas transfer is complete.
[0118] This loop consists of eight steps, A through H. We will describe the loop followed by memory 3a:
[0119] - Step A: Cool the gas contained in the reservoir 3a to temperature T1, and transfer the gas from source 1 to the reservoir 3a. At the end of this step, the reservoir 3a contains n0 moles of gas at pressure P0 and temperature T1.
[0120] - Step B: The bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3b, thereby allowing gas to be transferred from reservoir 3b to reservoir 3a. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n1 moles of gas at pressure P1 and temperature T1.
[0121] - Step C: The bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3d, thereby allowing gas to be transferred from reservoir 3d to reservoir 3a. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n2 moles of gas at pressure P2 and temperature T1.
[0122] - Step D: The bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3c, thereby allowing gas to be transferred from reservoir 3c to reservoir 3a. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n3 moles of gas at a pressure of P3 and a temperature of T1.
[0123] Step E: The gas contained in reservoir 3a is heated to temperature T2, and a portion of the gas is transferred to target 2. At the end of this step, the pressure contained in reservoir 3a is P4 = P 目标 And n2 moles of gas at temperature T2.
[0124] - Step F: The bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3b, thereby allowing gas to be transferred from reservoir 3a to reservoir 3b. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n1 moles of gas at pressure P3 and temperature T2.
[0125] - Step G: The bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3d, thereby allowing gas to be transferred from reservoir 3a to reservoir 3d. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n0 moles of gas at pressure P2 and temperature T2.
[0126] - Step H: The bidirectional transfer device 7 is opened between reservoir 3a and reservoir 3c, thereby allowing gas to be transferred from reservoir 3a to reservoir 3c. At the end of this step, reservoir 3a contains n gas at pressure P1 and temperature T2. -1 Molar gas. At the end of step H, the cycle can restart at step A.
[0127] All storage devices 3a to 3h follow the above cycle, and of course, are exchanged with the relevant storage device 3 at each transfer stage:
[0128] - The above cycle begins in storage 3b at step C.
[0129] - The above cycle begins in storage 3c at step G.
[0130] - The above cycle begins in storage 3d at step E.
[0131] - The above cycle begins in storage 3e at step B.
[0132] - The above cycle begins at step D in storage 3f.
[0133] - The above cycle begins in storage 3g at step H.
[0134] - The above cycle begins at step F in storage 3h.
[0135] The existence of two sets in the system means that during each stage of the cycle, storage 3 receives gas from source 1 and storage 3 sends gas to target 2. For example, in step A, storage 3d of the first set of storage 3 sends gas to target 2; in step B, storage 3h of the second set of storage 3; then in step C, storage 3c of the first set of storage 3, and so on. On the other hand, in step A, storage 3a of the first set of storage 3 receives gas from source 1; in step B, storage 3e of the second set of storage 3; then in step C, storage 3b of the first set of storage 3, and so on.
[0136] Considering this example, and performing the heating and cooling phases over the duration of the two transfer phases, this results in providing ten storage units 3 instead of eight. The ten storage units then form a single group, and each storage unit 3 can be connected to three other storage units 3 within the ten storage units via a bidirectional transfer device; of course, each storage unit 3 must also be connected to the source and the destination via the transfer device.
[0137] Although the above description is based on a specific embodiment, it does not limit the scope of the invention in any way, and modifications can be made, especially by substitution of technical equivalents or by different combinations of all or some of the features developed above.
Claims
1. A method for circulating a thermally compressed gas in a plurality of reservoirs (3) of at least one set of reservoirs (3), wherein for each reservoir (3a, ..., 3h) of the plurality of reservoirs (3), each circulation comprises the following steps: - Cool the gas contained in the storage tank (3a, ..., 3h) and transfer the gas from the source (1) to the storage tank (3a, ..., 3h). - Transfer gas from donor reservoir (3) to reservoirs (3a, ..., 3h) where the gas in donor reservoir (3) is at a higher pressure and temperature than that in reservoirs (3a, ..., 3h) in the same group, until the pressure in reservoirs (3a, ..., 3h) equalizes with the pressure in donor reservoir (3). Repeat the above steps whenever there is another reservoir (3) in the group where the gas is at a higher pressure and temperature than that in reservoirs (3a, ..., 3h). - Heat the gas contained in the storage container (3a, ..., 3h) and transfer the gas from the storage container (3a, ..., 3h) to the target (2). - The gas is transferred from the storage tanks (3a, ..., 3h) to the receiving storage tank (3), which is at a lower pressure and temperature than the gas from the storage tanks (3a, ..., 3h), until the pressure in the storage tanks (3a, ..., 3h) and the pressure in the receiving storage tank (3) are equalized. This step is repeated as long as there is another storage tank (3) in the group whose gas is at a lower pressure and temperature than the gas in the storage tanks (3a, ..., 3h). For each reservoir (3) in the group, the steps of cooling the gas contained in the reservoir (3a, ..., 3h) and transferring the gas from the source (1) to the reservoir (3a, ..., 3h) are performed sequentially.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The donor reservoir (3) is the reservoir in the group of reservoirs (3) whose gas is at the lowest pressure, and whose gas is at a higher pressure and temperature than that of the reservoirs (3a, ..., 3h).
3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving reservoir (3) is the reservoir in the group of reservoirs (3) whose gas is at the highest pressure, and whose gas is at a lower pressure and temperature than the gas from the reservoirs (3a, ..., 3h).
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the step of transferring gas from a donor reservoir (3) of the same group where the gas is at a higher pressure and temperature to the reservoir (3), the transferred gas is cooled to reduce the temperature rise of the contents of the reservoir (3).
5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a gas compression step in a metal hydride compressor before the gas is transferred from the source (1) to the storage tank.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein during the step of cooling the gas contained in the first reservoir (3a, ..., 3h), heat is extracted from the first reservoir (3a, ..., 3h) and the heat is used to reheat the gas contained in the second reservoir (3a, ..., 3h).
7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein at least two gas transfer steps are performed simultaneously, the first step involving two entities from the source, the target, and the storage, and the second step involving two entities not involved in the first step.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the step of transferring gas from the source (1) to the first storage (3) occurs simultaneously with the step of transferring gas from the second storage (3) to the receiving storage (3) or the target (2).
9. A system configured to implement the method according to claim 7, the system comprising a source (1), a target (2), and at least one set of storage containers (3), each set of storage containers comprising at least two storage containers (3), the system further comprising means (4) for heating the contents of each storage container and means (5) for cooling the contents of each storage container, each set further comprising: - A transfer device (6a, 6b) for directly transferring gas from the source (1) to each reservoir (3) and from each reservoir (3) to the target (2), and - For each of the reservoirs (3) in the group, the bidirectional transfer device (7) enables the gas to be transferred directly between the reservoir (3) in the group and at least one other reservoir (3).
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the gas is dihydrogen.
11. The system according to claim 9, comprising two sets of storage (3).
12. The system of claim 9, wherein each group has at least three storage units (3).
13. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that, Each group has at least four storage devices.
14. The system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein, The device (4) for heating the contents of each reservoir includes a waste heat source.
15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The waste heat source is a biomass dihydrogen production equipment or an electrolytic cell.
16. The system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein, The device (5) used to cool the contents of each reservoir includes a deadly cold source.
17. The system according to claim 16, characterized in that, The lethal cold source is a liquid nitrogen storage device or a reflux from a chilled water circuit.
18. The system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the source (1) comprises an evaporated gas outlet from a liquid dihydrogen storage device.
19. The system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein all the storage units (3) in the group have the same volume.