A hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of hydrogen hydraulic equipment, and specifically to a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure, comprising a cold tank, a heat exchange tube, a first auger spiral and a second auger spiral. The cold tank is placed horizontally, and the heat exchange tube is spirally coiled. The heat exchange tube extends from front to back along the axis of the cold tank, and the two ends of the heat exchange tube pass through the front and rear ends of the cold tank respectively. The first auger spiral is arranged on the outside of the heat exchange tube. The present invention is provided with a first auger spiral and a second auger spiral. Under the rotation of the first auger spiral and the second auger spiral, the catalyst inside the cold tank moves in opposite directions on the inside and outside of the heat exchange tube, so that the catalyst particles between the inside and outside of the heat exchange tube are continuously exchanged, promoting friction and collision between the catalyst particles, and avoiding liquid hydrogen adhering to the surface of the catalyst particles, thereby causing catalyst passivation and reduced catalytic efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of hydrogen liquefaction equipment, and in particular to a hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure. Background Art

[0002] Normally, hydrogen is a mixture of orthohydrogen and parahydrogen. Orthohydrogen and parahydrogen are two spin isomers of molecular hydrogen, existing due to the two possible couplings of the nuclear spins of the two hydrogen atoms. The two nuclear spins in orthohydrogen are parallel, while the two nuclear spins in parahydrogen are antiparallel. The equilibrium percentage of orthohydrogen and parahydrogen is closely related to temperature. At room temperature, hydrogen is approximately a mixture of 75% orthohydrogen and 25% parahydrogen. However, as the temperature decreases, orthohydrogen gradually converts to parahydrogen. At the boiling point of liquid hydrogen, parahydrogen predominates. Existing liquid hydrogen production equipment generally produces liquid hydrogen in a non-equilibrium state, with orthohydrogen spontaneously converting to parahydrogen. This process is exothermic. Because the heat released by the conversion of orthohydrogen to parahydrogen is greater than the latent heat of vaporization of liquid hydrogen, liquid hydrogen will evaporate regardless of the insulation performance of the liquid hydrogen storage tank. Therefore, the conversion of orthohydrogen to parahydrogen must be completed simultaneously with the production of liquid hydrogen.

[0003] Existing hydrogen liquefaction equipment for converting orthohydrogen to parahydrogen typically adds a catalyst to the inside of a reactor, which is catalyzed by a catalyst (such as ferric oxide) to rapidly convert orthohydrogen to parahydrogen. For example, a hydrogen liquefaction cold box with ortho-parahydrogen conversion disclosed in the Chinese invention patent publication CN112484394B uses the above technology to rapidly convert orthohydrogen to parahydrogen under the action of a catalyst. However, this solution still has the following problems: insufficient contact between the catalyst and liquid hydrogen allows liquid hydrogen to adhere to the catalyst surface, resulting in catalyst passivation and greatly reduced catalytic efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure to address the problems existing in the current hydrogen liquefaction cold box, so as to solve the problems of insufficient contact between the catalyst and liquid hydrogen, easy adhesion of liquid hydrogen to the catalyst surface, resulting in catalyst passivation and low catalytic efficiency.

[0005] The above purpose is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure comprises:

[0007] Cold tank, cold tank placed horizontally;

[0008] The heat exchange tube is spirally coiled and extends from front to back along the axis of the cold tank, with both ends of the heat exchange tube passing through the front and rear ends of the cold tank respectively;

[0009] A first auger spiral is arranged on the outside of the heat exchange tube;

[0010] The second auger spiral is arranged on the inner side of the heat exchange tube, and the rotation direction of the second auger spiral is opposite to that of the first auger spiral;

[0011] The heat exchange tube, the first auger spiral and the second auger spiral can rotate synchronously around the axis of the cold tank.

[0012] In one embodiment, the hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure further includes: a driving shaft, the driving shaft being capable of rotating around the axis of the cold tank, and the driving shaft being connected to the heat exchange tube.

[0013] In one embodiment, the driving shaft passes through the front center of the heat exchange tube into the interior of the cold tank and is fixedly connected to the middle of the heat exchange tube.

[0014] In one embodiment, the heat exchange tube is made of elastic material;

[0015] When the heat exchange tube does not undergo elastic deformation, there is a gap in the direction in which the heat exchange tube extends along the axis of the cold tank.

[0016] In one embodiment, a cooling water inlet is provided at the front end of the heat exchange tube for conveying cooling water into the interior of the heat exchange tube;

[0017] A cooling water outlet is provided at the rear end of the heat exchange tube for outputting the cooling water inside the heat exchange tube to the outside.

[0018] In one embodiment, a catalyst filling port is provided on one side of the upper portion of the cold tank, and a catalyst discharge port is provided on one diagonal side of the lower portion of the cold tank.

[0019] In one embodiment, the catalyst filling port and the catalyst discharge port are both provided with solenoid valves.

[0020] In one embodiment, an air inlet is provided on the front lower side of the cold tank, and an air outlet is provided on the rear lower side of the cold tank.

[0021] In one embodiment, filter plates are provided in both the air inlet and the air outlet.

[0022] In one embodiment, the cold tank includes an outer tank and an inner tank, an interlayer is provided between the outer tank and the inner tank, and pearl sand is filled in the interlayer.

[0023] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0024] The present invention is provided with a first auger spiral and a second auger spiral. Under the rotation of the first auger spiral and the second auger spiral, the catalyst inside the cold tank moves in opposite directions on the inner and outer sides of the heat exchange tube, so that the catalyst particles between the inner and outer sides of the heat exchange tube are continuously exchanged, promoting friction and collision between the catalyst particles, and avoiding liquid hydrogen adhering to the surface of the catalyst particles, which causes catalyst passivation and reduced catalytic efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a side view of a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 A top view of a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Middle AA section view;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of a heat exchange tube in a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the flow state of the catalyst in a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure according to the present invention.

[0031] in:

[0032] 100, cold tank; 110, catalyst filling port; 120, catalyst discharge port; 130, air inlet; 140, air outlet; 150, filter plate; 160, outer tank; 170, inner tank; 180, interlayer; 200, heat exchange tube; 210, cooling water inlet; 220, cooling water outlet; 310, first auger screw; 320, second auger screw; 400, drive shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0034] The serial numbers of the components herein, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the objects described and do not have any order or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings). In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0035] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, when a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediary. Furthermore, when a first feature is "above," "above," or "above" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. When a first feature is "below," "below," or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0036] like Figures 1-6 As shown, a hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure includes a cold tank 100, a heat exchange tube 200, a first auger spiral 310 and a second auger spiral 320. The cold tank 100 is placed horizontally, the heat exchange tube 200 is spirally coiled, the heat exchange tube 200 extends from front to rear along the axis of the cold tank 100, and the two ends of the heat exchange tube 200 respectively pass through the front and rear ends of the cold tank 100. The first auger spiral 310 is arranged on the outside of the heat exchange tube 200, and the second auger spiral 320 is arranged on the inside of the heat exchange tube 200. The rotation direction of the second auger spiral 320 is opposite to that of the first auger spiral 310. The heat exchange tube 200, the first auger spiral 310 and the second auger spiral 320 can rotate synchronously around the axis of the cold tank 100.

[0037] It should also be noted that if Figure 4 As shown, an air inlet 130 is provided at the front lower side of the cold tank 100 , and an air outlet 140 is provided at the rear lower side of the cold tank 100 .

[0038] An inlet port 130 is provided for conveying the material (orthohydrogen gas) into the interior of the cold tank 100, and an outlet port 140 is provided for discharging the reacted material (parahydrogen gas) into the interior of the collection container. It will be appreciated that the inlet port 130 is positioned at the lower front side of the cold tank 100, while the outlet port 140 is positioned at the lower rear side of the cold tank 100 to increase the length of the hydrogen reaction path within the cold tank 100, thereby allowing the catalyst to more fully convert orthohydrogen into parahydrogen.

[0039] During use, the cold tank 100 is first filled with catalyst, and then cooling water is allowed to enter from the front end of the heat exchange tube 200 and flow out from the rear end of the heat exchange tube 200. Then, the air inlet port 130 is allowed to continuously pass material (orthohydrogen) into the cold tank 100, and the air outlet port 140 is allowed to continuously discharge material (parahydrogen) to the outside of the cold tank 100. At the same time, the heat exchange tube 200, the first auger spiral 310 and the second auger spiral 320 are able to rotate synchronously around the axis of the cold tank 100. Since the interior of the cold tank 100 is full of catalyst, under the rotation of the first auger spiral 310 and the second auger spiral 320, the catalyst inside the cold tank 100 moves in opposite directions on the inside and outside of the heat exchange tube 200, so that the catalyst particles between the inside and outside of the heat exchange tube 200 are continuously exchanged, promoting friction and collision between the catalyst particles, and avoiding liquid hydrogen adhering to the surface of the catalyst particles, causing catalyst passivation and reduced catalytic efficiency.

[0040] It should also be noted that if Figure 6 As shown, in order to prevent unreacted materials from being discharged from the catalyst discharge port 120, in the present invention, the first auger spiral 310 located on the outside of the heat exchange tube 200 is configured to drive the catalyst to move from the rear end to the front end, and the second auger spiral 320 located on the inside of the heat exchange tube 200 is configured to drive the catalyst to move from the front end to the rear end, so that the material stays inside the cold tank 100 longer, the reaction is more complete, and the content of impurities (orthohydrogen) in the material discharged from the catalyst discharge port 120 is reduced.

[0041] In a further embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure further includes a driving shaft 400 . The driving shaft 400 can rotate around the axis of the cold tank 100 , and the driving shaft 400 is connected to the heat exchange tube 200 .

[0042] The drive shaft 400 is used to connect to an external drive source, such as (the output end of a motor), so that the motor outputs torque to drive the drive shaft 400 to rotate, and then the rotation of the drive shaft 400 drives the heat exchange tube 200, the first auger spiral 310 and the second auger spiral 320 to rotate synchronously around the axis of the cold tank 100.

[0043] In a further embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the driving shaft 400 passes through the front center of the heat exchange tube 200 into the interior of the cold tank 100 and is fixedly connected to the middle of the heat exchange tube 200.

[0044] This is done to reduce the risk of excessive deformation of the heat exchange tube 200 when the drive shaft 400 drives the heat exchange tube 200 to rotate synchronously. When the drive shaft 400 is fixedly connected to the middle portion of the heat exchange tube 200, when the drive shaft 400 rotates, the torque is first transmitted to the middle portion of the heat exchange tube 200, and then from the middle portion to the ends of the heat exchange tube 200. This greatly reduces the degree of deformation at both ends of the heat exchange tube 200, and prevents a significant difference in the degree of deformation at the two ends of the heat exchange tube 200.

[0045] In a further embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the heat exchange tube 200 is made of an elastic material. When the heat exchange tube 200 is not elastically deformed, there is a gap in the direction in which the heat exchange tube 200 extends along the axis of the cold tank 100 .

[0046] like Figure 6 As shown, when the heat exchange tube 200 is not elastically deformed (i.e., the catalyst is not blocked), since the heat exchange tube 200 has a gap in the direction in which the axis of the cold tank 100 extends, in addition to exchanging the catalyst back and forth along the axis of the heat exchange tube 200, the catalyst can also be exchanged along the radial direction of the cold tank 100. In addition, the catalyst can also perform a small circulation around a single spiral line of the heat exchange tube 200, which can make the temperature uniformity of the catalyst inside the cold tank 100 better, thereby improving the catalytic efficiency.

[0047] It can be understood that since the heat exchange tube 200 has a certain elasticity, when the catalyst is blocked at any position at the front and rear ends of the cold tank 100, the outline diameter of the heat exchange tube 200 will be shortened at the blocked end, and the outline diameter of the heat exchange tube 200 will be increased at the unblocked end. The resistance to the rotation of the first auger spiral 310 and the second auger spiral 320 corresponding to the heat exchange tube 200 at the blocked end is reduced, which is conducive to removing the blockage. Moreover, after the heat exchange tube 200 is deformed, the heat exchange tube 200 is tightened so that there is no longer a gap in the direction in which the heat exchange tube 200 extends along the axis of the cold tank 100. At this time, the catalyst in the cold tank 100 only has a circulation exchange at the front and rear ends along the axis of the cold tank 100, which is conducive to increasing the circulation speed of the catalyst inside the cold tank 100 and quickly dispersing the catalyst evenly throughout the cold tank 100.

[0048] In a further embodiment, Figure 1As shown, a cooling water inlet 210 is provided at the front end of the heat exchange tube 200 for conveying cooling water into the interior of the heat exchange tube 200 , and a cooling water outlet 220 is provided at the rear end of the heat exchange tube 200 for outputting the cooling water inside the heat exchange tube 200 to the outside.

[0049] The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure also includes an inlet pump, an outlet pump and a circulating water tank. The output end of the inlet pump is connected to the cooling water inlet 210, the input end of the inlet pump is arranged inside the circulating water tank, the input end of the outlet pump is connected to the cooling water outlet 220, and the output end of the outlet pump is arranged inside the circulating water tank. A cooling module should also be provided inside the circulating water tank for cooling the cooling water inside the circulating water tank.

[0050] When in use, start the liquid inlet pump, liquid outlet pump and cooling module. Under the action of the liquid inlet pump, the cooling water inside the circulating water tank enters the cooling water inlet 210 through the liquid inlet pump, and further enters the heat exchange tube 200 through the cooling water inlet 210. Under the action of the liquid outlet pump, the cooling water in the heat exchange tube 200 enters and flows back to the inside of the circulating water tank through the cooling water outlet 220. The cooling module is used to cool the cooling water inside the circulating water tank so that the temperature of the cooling water entering the heat exchange tube 200 is lower than the catalyst temperature outside the heat exchange tube 200, thereby cooling the catalyst.

[0051] In a further embodiment, a catalyst filling port 110 is provided on one side of the upper portion of the cold tank 100 , and a catalyst discharge port 120 is provided on one diagonal side of the lower portion of the cold tank 100 .

[0052] A catalyst filling port 110 is provided for adding catalyst (such as ferric oxide particles) into the cold tank 100. The catalyst should fill the cold tank 100 and make the catalyst in a loose and porous state. A catalyst discharge port 120 is provided for discharging the catalyst from the cold tank 100 after the catalyst performance deteriorates to the point where it can no longer be used.

[0053] In a further embodiment, solenoid valves are provided in the catalyst filling port 110 and the catalyst exhaust port 120 .

[0054] Various sensors should be installed inside the cold tank 100 to monitor the various performance indicators of the catalyst in real time, such as activity, selectivity, pressure drop, etc., so that the staff can timely understand the activity of the catalyst. When the activity of the catalyst is reduced to the point where it can no longer be used, the staff can control the solenoid valve corresponding to the catalyst discharge port 120 through the catalyst activity online monitoring system to open first to discharge the failed catalyst, and then open the solenoid valve corresponding to the catalyst filling port 110 to add new catalyst to the cold tank 100.

[0055] In a further embodiment, Figure 4As shown, filter plates 150 are provided in the air inlet 130 and the air outlet 140 .

[0056] The filter plate 150 is provided to filter the catalyst particles to prevent the catalyst from being discharged through the outlet pipe 140 . In addition, the filter plate 150 can also filter impurities in the material (normal hydrogen gas) to prevent the impurities from entering the interior of the cold tank 100 .

[0057] In a further embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the cold tank 100 includes an outer tank 160 and an inner tank 170 , with an interlayer 180 between the outer tank 160 and the inner tank 170 , and the interlayer 180 is filled with pearl sand.

[0058] The cold tank 100 is configured to be an outer tank 160 and an inner tank 170 , and pearlescent sand is filled in the interlayer 180 between the outer tank 160 and the inner tank 170 for thermal insulation, thereby minimizing heat exchange between the outside and the inside of the cold tank 100 .

[0059] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0060] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several embodiments of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hydrogen liquefaction device with a filtering structure, characterized in that: include: Cold tank, cold tank placed horizontally; The heat exchange tube is spirally coiled and extends from front to back along the axis of the cold tank, with both ends of the heat exchange tube passing through the front and rear ends of the cold tank respectively; A first auger spiral is arranged on the outside of the heat exchange tube; The second auger spiral is arranged on the inner side of the heat exchange tube, and the rotation direction of the second auger spiral is opposite to that of the first auger spiral; The heat exchange tube, the first auger screw and the second auger screw can rotate synchronously around the axis of the cold tank; the front end of the heat exchange tube is provided with a cooling water inlet for conveying cooling water into the heat exchange tube; A cooling water outlet is provided at the rear end of the heat exchange tube for discharging the cooling water inside the heat exchange tube to the outside; a catalyst filling port is provided on one side of the upper part of the cold tank, and a catalyst discharge port is provided on the diagonal side of the lower part of the cold tank; an air inlet port is provided on the front side of the lower part of the cold tank, and an air outlet port is provided on the rear side of the lower part of the cold tank.

2. The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A driving shaft rod is capable of rotating around the axis of the cold tank and is connected to the heat exchange tube.

3. The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving shaft passes through the front end center of the heat exchange tube into the interior of the cold tank and is fixedly connected to the middle part of the heat exchange tube.

4. The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange tube is made of elastic material; When the heat exchange tube does not undergo elastic deformation, there is a gap in the direction in which the heat exchange tube extends along the axis of the cold tank.

5. The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The catalyst filling port and the catalyst discharge port are both provided with electromagnetic valves.

6. The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Filter plates are provided in the air inlet and outlet pipes.

7. The hydrogen liquefaction equipment with a filtering structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cold tank comprises an outer tank and an inner tank, an interlayer is provided between the outer tank and the inner tank, and pearl sand is filled in the interlayer.

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