Pull rod supported liquid hydrogen sphere tank support structure

Abstract

The application discloses a pull rod supported liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure, which comprises an inner spherical tank, an outer spherical tank, an adiabatic layer, an inner spherical tank support assembly and an outer spherical tank support assembly; the inner spherical tank support assembly is divided into a vertical pull rod assembly and a horizontal support rod assembly; the vertical pull rod assembly mainly comprises an upper connecting plate, a pin shaft, an upper wing plate, a pull rod, a lower wing plate and a lower connecting plate; the horizontal support rod assembly is mainly used for keeping the inner and outer spherical tanks with a common spherical center and limiting horizontal rotation of the inner spherical tank, and comprises a sliding block, a horizontal rod, a fixed block, an equatorial beam and a pin shaft; the fixed block is welded on the outer side of the equatorial surface of the inner spherical tank; the equatorial beam is composed of two pieces which are symmetrically welded on the upper and lower sides of the equatorial surface of the outer spherical tank; and the sliding block is placed in the middle of the equatorial beam; the inner spherical tank is supported in the inner part of the outer spherical tank by the vertical pull rod assembly; the pull rod has a small section and is provided with a cold insulation pad, so that reliable support can be provided for the inner spherical tank and the heat leakage of the support structure can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of petrochemicals and relates to a liquid hydrogen storage technology, specifically, a support structure for a liquid hydrogen spherical tank with tie rod support. Background Technology

[0002] Hydrogen, as an excellent energy carrier, boasts advantages such as high efficiency, cleanliness, zero pollution, and sustainability, making it one of the most promising clean energy sources today. Key technologies for hydrogen energy utilization include hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and application, with hydrogen storage being a crucial link in the hydrogen energy industry chain. Currently, hydrogen transportation and storage primarily rely on high-pressure gaseous hydrogen. Compared to gaseous hydrogen storage, liquid hydrogen storage offers advantages such as higher purity, lower long-distance transportation costs, and higher refueling efficiency.

[0003] Liquid hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, and transparent liquid with a boiling point of -252.8℃ at standard atmospheric pressure and a density of 70.79 kg / m³. At standard atmospheric pressure, the density of liquid hydrogen is 845 times higher than that of gaseous hydrogen. Due to its low latent heat of vaporization, hydrogen is difficult to liquefy. Currently, the main hydrogen liquefaction processes in use include three types: the pre-cooled Linde-Hampson process, the Kraut process, and the helium-cooled liquefaction process. Large-scale hydrogen liquefaction plants primarily employ the pre-cooled Kraut process.

[0004] Liquid hydrogen storage requires cryogenic liquid storage containers with excellent thermal insulation properties. Based on their usage, liquid hydrogen storage tanks can be categorized into stationary, mobile, and containerized tank types. Stationary liquid hydrogen storage tanks generally include two main categories: cylindrical tanks (vertical and horizontal) and spherical tanks. The heat loss due to evaporation in a storage tank is directly proportional to its volumetric surface area (S / V). Spherical tanks have the smallest specific surface area, thus minimizing heat loss and evaporation area for the same volume. From a mechanical perspective, spherical tanks are better subjected to stress than cylindrical tanks, exhibiting higher mechanical strength and more uniform stress distribution. From a geometric perspective, under the same volume and pressure, spherical tanks have a smaller surface area, requiring less steel. Therefore, spherical tanks are the more ideal type of stationary liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0005] Liquid hydrogen is a medium highly susceptible to external heat leakage, and the support structure of the spherical tank is one of the main heat conduction components. Therefore, the design of the support structure for liquid hydrogen storage equipment requires higher standards; in addition to meeting the requirement of reliable support, it is also necessary to minimize heat leakage from the support structure.

[0006] Patent CN110921124A discloses a double-walled liquid storage spherical tank, which includes an inner spherical tank, an outer spherical tank, multiple support pillars, multiple inner reinforcing plates, and multiple outer support plates. The structure of this double-walled liquid storage spherical tank, through its reinforced design, ensures the stability of the connection between the support pillars and the outer spherical tank, guarantees the sealing of the double-walled spherical tank, and eliminates the risk factors of safety accidents caused by media leakage. However, this structure is not suitable for cryogenic media storage. Patent CN213930419U discloses a support structure for a double-walled cryogenic liquid hydrogen spherical tank, including a cavity-shaped spherical outer container, a cavity-shaped spherical inner container, and several sets of support structures. The support structures mainly include: wall lugs, upper support pipes, connecting holes, lower support pipes, connecting support pipes, inner wall support plates, and outer support pipes. This structure considers the cold preservation requirements in cryogenic media storage, but does not consider factors such as the thermal expansion and contraction of the inner spherical tank during liquid hydrogen filling. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the issues of high heat leakage in the support structure of liquid hydrogen spherical tank equipment and the inability of the inner spherical tank to freely contract and expand during liquid hydrogen loading and unloading, this invention provides a tie-rod supported structure for liquid hydrogen spherical tanks.

[0008] This invention provides a tie-rod supported structure for a liquid hydrogen spherical tank. The structure includes an inner spherical tank, an outer spherical tank, an insulation layer, an inner spherical tank support assembly, and an outer spherical tank support column assembly. The inner wall of the inner spherical tank is in contact with liquid hydrogen, and the outer spherical tank is located outside the inner spherical tank. An insulation layer is provided between the inner and outer spherical tanks, and a vacuum is applied. The inner spherical tank support assembly is divided into a vertical tie-rod assembly and a horizontal support rod assembly. The vertical tie-rod assembly is mainly used to bear the loads of the inner spherical tank and includes an upper connecting plate, a pin, an upper flange, a tie rod, a lower flange, and a lower connecting plate. The upper connecting plate is welded to the inner side of the outer spherical tank, and the lower connecting plate is welded to the outer side of the inner spherical tank. The upper and lower connecting plates are connected to the upper and lower flanges respectively via pins. The upper and lower wing plates are welded to the two ends of the tie rod, respectively, and can rotate freely. The horizontal support rod assembly is mainly used to keep the inner and outer spherical tanks concentric and restrict the horizontal rotation of the inner spherical tank. It includes a sliding block, a horizontal rod, a fixed block, an equatorial beam, and a pin. The fixed block is welded to the outside of the equatorial plane of the inner spherical tank. Two equatorial beams are welded to the upper and lower sides of the equatorial plane of the inner side of the outer spherical tank. The sliding block is placed in the middle of the equatorial beam. The sliding block and the fixed block are provided with horizontal grooves and vertical blind holes. They are connected to the horizontal rod through the pin and can rotate freely. The outer spherical tank support column assembly is used to support the entire liquid hydrogen spherical tank. The upper end of the outer spherical tank support column assembly is connected to the equatorial plane of the outer spherical tank, and the lower end is supported on the tank foundation.

[0009] As an improvement, the vertical tie rod assembly also includes a vertical adjuster, a horizontal support beam, and a cooling pad. The horizontal support beam is welded to the inside of the outer spherical tank and connected to the upper connecting plate at the bottom, which can further enhance the support capacity of the vertical tie rod assembly. Cooling pads are respectively installed between the upper and lower flanges and the upper and lower connecting plates to reduce the heat leakage of the vertical tie rod assembly. A vertical adjuster is installed in the middle of the tie rod to adjust the length of the vertical tie rod.

[0010] As a further improvement, the horizontal support rod assembly also includes a horizontal adjuster and a friction-reducing pad; the horizontal support rod is equipped with a horizontal adjuster to adjust the length of the horizontal support rod; the friction-reducing pad is set between the sliding block and the inner wall of the outer spherical tank to reduce the coefficient of friction and reduce the sliding resistance of the sliding block.

[0011] As a further improvement, during the filling and unloading of liquid hydrogen in the inner spherical tank, the thermal expansion of the inner spherical tank is absorbed by the rotation of the vertical tie rod assembly and the horizontal support rod assembly around the pin axis, while maintaining the concentricity of the inner and outer spherical tanks, thus increasing the reliability of the support.

[0012] As a further improvement, the outer spherical tank support assembly includes an upper outer spherical tank support assembly, a lower outer spherical tank support assembly, tie rods, and a support base plate. The upper outer spherical tank support assembly is tangent to the equatorial plane of the outer spherical tank and consists of an outer spherical tank support cover plate, an upper outer spherical tank support, and an outer spherical tank U-shaped support plate. The lower outer spherical tank support assembly is welded below the upper outer spherical tank support assembly. The support base plate is located at the bottom of the lower outer spherical tank support assembly and is connected to the tank foundation by anchor bolts. Meanwhile, adjacent lower outer spherical tank supports are connected by tie rods.

[0013] As a further improvement, the space between the inner and outer spherical tanks is evacuated to about 5 to 10 Pa after the insulation material is stacked to form an insulation layer. Commonly used insulation materials are one or more of solid foam, powder, and fiber.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1) The liquid hydrogen spherical tank storage equipment is supported on the foundation by an external support column assembly, and tie rods are installed between the external spherical tank supports, ensuring reliable overall support;

[0016] 2) The inner spherical tank is supported inside the outer spherical tank by a vertical tie rod assembly. The tie rod has a small cross section and is equipped with a cold insulation pad, which can provide reliable support to the inner spherical tank while reducing the heat leakage of the support structure.

[0017] 3) A horizontal support rod assembly is provided on the equatorial surface of the inner spherical tank. The displacement caused by the thermal expansion of the inner spherical tank can be absorbed by moving the horizontal support rod. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1This is a front view of a tie-rod supported structure for a liquid hydrogen spherical tank according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 AA top view;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Detailed drawings of the central vertical tie rod assembly 4 and the outer tank support assembly 6 pieces;

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Detailed view of the vertical tie rod assembly 4 in direction B;

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Top view of the horizontal support rod assembly 5;

[0023] Figure 6 for Figure 5 CC detail of the mid-level support rod assembly 5;

[0024] Figure 7 for Figure 5 Detailed view of the connection between the middle sliding block 20 (fixed block 23) and the horizontal support rod 21;

[0025] Figure 8 for Figure 7 The D-direction view.

[0026] In the diagram: 1-Inner spherical tank, 2-Outer spherical tank, 3-Insulation layer, 4-Vertical tie rod assembly, 5-Horizontal support rod assembly, 6-Upper support column assembly of outer spherical tank, 7-Lower support column assembly of outer spherical tank, 8-Tie rod, 9-Support column base plate, 10-Upper connecting plate, 11-Pin, 12-Cocker pin, 13-Upper wing plate, 14-Vertical adjuster, 15-Tie rod, 16-Lower wing plate, 17-Lower connecting plate, 18-Horizontal support beam, 19-Cooling pad, 20-Sliding block, 21-Horizontal support rod, 22-Horizontal adjuster, 23-Fixing block, 24-Equatorial beam, 25-Friction-reducing pad, 26-Pin, 27-Outer spherical tank support column cover plate, 28-Upper support column of outer spherical tank, 29-Uniform support plate of outer spherical tank. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in the figure, the tie-rod supported liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure of this embodiment includes an inner spherical tank 1 and an outer spherical tank 2. The inner spherical tank 1 is supported in the cavity of the outer spherical tank 2 by tie-rod assemblies. An insulation layer 3 is located between the inner spherical tank 1 and the outer spherical tank 2. A vertical tie-rod assembly 4 and a horizontal support rod assembly 5 are provided on the inner spherical tank 2 to support the inner spherical tank 1. An upper support column assembly 6 and a lower support column assembly 7 are provided on the outside of the outer spherical tank 2 to support the entire liquid hydrogen spherical tank storage equipment.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, in this example, insulation material is stacked between the inner spherical tank 1 and the outer spherical tank 2. After the insulation material is stacked, a vacuum is drawn to about 5 to 10 Pa to form an insulation layer 3, which provides insulation protection for the inner spherical tank 1. Generally, insulation materials include foam, powder, fiber, etc.

[0030] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the upper connecting plate 10 is welded to the inner side of the outer spherical tank 2, and is also welded to the horizontal support beam 18 welded to the inner side of the outer spherical tank 2; the upper wing plate 13 is connected to the upper connecting plate 10 through the pin 11 and the cotter pin 12, and can rotate freely; the upper end of the tie rod 15 is welded to the lower part of the upper wing plate 13, and the lower end of the tie rod 15 is welded to the upper part of the lower wing plate 16, with a vertical adjuster 14 set in the middle of the tie rod 15; the lower wing plate 16 is connected to the lower connecting plate 17 through the pin 11 and the cotter pin 12, and the lower connecting plate 17 is welded to the inner spherical tank 1; during installation, the level of the inner spherical tank can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical adjuster 14, and after assembly, the vertical tie rod assembly 4 can rotate within a certain range, which can absorb part of the expansion displacement of the inner spherical tank 1.

[0031] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, equatorial beams 24 are symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the equatorial surface inside the outer spherical tank 2. The sliding block 20 is placed between the two equatorial beams 24, and a friction-reducing pad 25 is set between it and the outer spherical tank 2. The fixing block 23 is fixed on the equatorial surface outside the inner spherical tank 1. The sliding block 20 and the fixing block 23 are both provided with grooves in the middle, and blind holes for the platform are opened in the direction perpendicular to the grooves. The horizontal support rod 21 is flattened and has holes at both ends. One end is put into the groove of the sliding block 20 and connected by a pin 26. The other end is put into the groove of the fixing block 23 and connected by a pin 26. The thickness of the head of the pin 26 should be smaller than the depth of the platform, and the total length of the rod should be smaller than the depth of the blind hole to ensure that the pin 26 does not protrude from the sliding block 20 and the fixing block 23 after installation. After installation, the inner spherical tank 1 is positioned at the common center of the inner and outer spherical tanks by adjusting the level adjuster 22. Since the horizontal support rod 21 in the horizontal support rod assembly 5 can rotate and the sliding block 20 can slide on the equatorial beam 24, it can absorb the thermal expansion on the equatorial surface of the inner spherical tank 1 and play a guiding role.

[0032] like Figure 3As shown, the outer spherical tank 2 is welded to the outer tank cover plate 27 and the upper support column 28 of the outer spherical tank. A U-shaped support plate 29 of the outer spherical tank is provided at the connection between the outer spherical tank 2 and the upper support column 28. The upper support column 28 of the outer spherical tank is welded to the lower support column assembly 7 of the outer spherical tank. The bottom of the lower support column assembly 7 of the outer spherical tank is provided with a support base plate 9, which is fixed to the concrete foundation by anchor bolts.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the outer spherical tank 2 has 10 upper support columns 6 and 10 lower support columns 7, evenly distributed along the equatorial circumference of the outer spherical tank 2. The inner spherical tank 1 has 10 vertical tie rod assemblies 4 and 20 horizontal support rod assemblies 5, evenly distributed along the equatorial circumference of the inner spherical tank 1, with each vertical tie rod assembly 4 placed between adjacent outer spherical tank support columns 6.

[0034] The above descriptions are merely typical examples of the present invention and do not impose any limitations on the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art using the above technical content without departing from the scope of the present invention should be considered equivalent examples of equivalent variations. Any equivalent changes made to the above examples based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the present invention are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tie-rod supported structure for a liquid hydrogen spherical tank, characterized in that: The structure includes an inner spherical tank, an outer spherical tank, an insulation layer, an inner spherical tank support assembly, and an outer spherical tank support column assembly. The outer spherical tank is located outside the inner spherical tank, and an insulation layer is installed between the inner and outer spherical tanks and evacuated. The inner spherical tank support assembly is divided into a vertical tie rod assembly and a horizontal support rod assembly. The vertical tie rod assembly includes an upper connecting plate, a pin, an upper wing plate, a tie rod, a lower wing plate, and a lower connecting plate. The upper connecting plate is welded to the inner side of the outer spherical tank, and the lower connecting plate is welded to the outer side of the inner spherical tank. The upper and lower connecting plates are connected to the upper and lower wing plates respectively via pins and can rotate freely. The other ends of the upper and lower wing plates are respectively connected to the tie rods. The horizontal support rod assembly includes a sliding block, a horizontal rod, a fixed block, an equatorial beam, and a pin, which are used to keep the inner and outer spherical tanks concentric. The fixed block is welded to the outer side of the equatorial plane of the inner spherical tank. Two equatorial beams are welded to the upper and lower sides of the equatorial plane of the inner side of the outer spherical tank. The sliding block is placed in the middle of the equatorial beam. The sliding block and the fixed block are provided with horizontal grooves and vertical blind holes. They are connected to the horizontal rod through the pin and can rotate freely. The outer spherical tank support column assembly is used to support the entire liquid hydrogen spherical tank. The upper end of the outer spherical tank support column assembly is connected to the equatorial plane of the outer spherical tank, and the lower end is supported on the tank foundation.

2. The tie-rod supported liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical tie rod assembly also includes a vertical adjuster, a horizontal support beam, and a cold insulation pad; the horizontal support beam is welded to the inside of the outer spherical tank and connected to the upper connecting plate at the bottom; cold insulation pads are respectively installed between the upper and lower wing plates and the upper and lower connecting plates; and a vertical adjuster is installed in the middle of the tie rod.

3. The liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure with tie rod support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The horizontal support rod assembly also includes a level adjuster and a friction-reducing pad. The level adjuster is installed on the horizontal rod, and the friction-reducing pad is installed between the sliding block and the inner wall of the outer spherical tank.

4. The tie-rod supported liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the inner spherical tank is filled with liquid hydrogen and unloaded with liquid hydrogen, the thermal expansion of the inner spherical tank is absorbed by the rotation of the vertical tie rod assembly and the horizontal support rod assembly around the pin axis, while maintaining the concentricity of the inner and outer spherical tanks.

5. The liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure with tie rod support according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer spherical tank support assembly includes an upper outer spherical tank support assembly, a lower outer spherical tank support assembly, tie rods, and a support base plate. The upper outer spherical tank support assembly is tangent to the equatorial plane of the outer spherical tank and consists of an outer spherical tank support cover plate, an upper outer spherical tank support, and an outer spherical tank U-shaped support plate. The lower outer spherical tank support assembly is welded below the upper outer spherical tank support assembly. The support base plate is located at the bottom of the lower outer spherical tank support assembly and is connected to the tank foundation by anchor bolts. Meanwhile, adjacent lower outer spherical tank supports are connected by tie rods.

6. The tie-rod supported liquid hydrogen spherical tank support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The space between the inner and outer spherical tanks is evacuated to 5-10 Pa after the insulation layer is formed by accumulating insulation material. The insulation material is one or more of solid foam, powder, and fiber.

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