Method and system for filling gas tank of hydrogen-fueled vehicle

Abstract

Heat is transferred at a first heat exchanger (11) from a first portion of the liquid hydrogen to the heat transfer fluid stream by heat exchange with the heat transfer fluid to produce a vaporized hydrogen stream and a warmed heat transfer fluid stream. The vaporized hydrogen stream is combined with a second portion of liquid hydrogen in an amount designed to produce a combined stream having a desired temperature for filling one or more buffer vessels (19). Heat is also transferred at the second heat exchanger from the pressurized hydrogen stream from the at least one buffer vessel (19) to the cooled heat transfer fluid stream to produce a cooled pressurized hydrogen stream for filling a gas tank of the fuel cell electric vehicle.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] none. Background of the Invention Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for filling a pressurized hydrogen tank.

[0005] More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for filling a gas tank of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) with hydrogen, the device comprising a liquefied gas source, a transfer circuit, which is in downstream fluid communication with the liquefied gas source and includes at least one downstream end, which is adapted and configured to be removably connected to a vehicle hydrogen tank to be filled. Background Art

[0006] In order to refuel a fuel cell electric vehicle with high pressure gaseous hydrogen in a manner that complies with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard J2601, the temperature of the gaseous hydrogen just upstream of the fuel tank must be controlled within a relatively narrow and cold temperature window, such as between -17.5°C and -40°C. Moreover, the pressure ramp rate of the gaseous hydrogen must be controlled based on various physical characteristics, such as ambient temperature, fuel tank type, and the temperature and flow rate of the gaseous hydrogen just upstream of the fuel tank. A pressure control valve (usually located just upstream of a heat exchanger used to cool the hydrogen) is used to perform control of the pressure ramp rate.

[0007] Hydrogen refueling stations that use a liquid hydrogen source are known.

[0008] This type of refueling station enables the use of refrigeration from liquid hydrogen to produce pre-cooled pressurized hydrogen for rapid filling without excessive temperature increases in the gas in the tank during the filling process.

[0009] For example, Daney et al. proposed a conceptual refilling station that uses a vaporizer to provide high-pressure gaseous hydrogen at ambient temperature, which is then cooled before being delivered to the vehicle tank. Daney et al., "Hydrogen-fuelled vehicle fuelling station," Advances in Cryogenic Engineering, vol 41, 1996.

[0010] Another such station implemented at a city bus refilling station uses a vaporizer that transfers heat from the ambient air to a pumped stream of liquid hydrogen to provide a high-pressure gaseous hydrogen stream to the vehicle tanks. Raman et al., "A rapid fill hydrogen fuel station for fuel cell buses," 12th World Energy conference Hydrogen energy Progress 2, pp 1629-1642.

[0011] US2020-0095113 A1 discloses a type of hydrogen supply station using a liquid hydrogen source. During vehicle filling mode, a control valve is used to mix a vaporized hydrogen gas stream and a liquid hydrogen gas stream to produce a gaseous hydrogen gas stream (derived from mixing) with a predetermined low temperature desired for rapid filling. If enough gaseous hydrogen can be obtained from one or more buffer containers, the gaseous hydrogen used to fill a given vehicle is produced by mixing a liquid hydrogen gas stream with a gaseous hydrogen gas stream from the buffer (these). If the filling requirement exceeds the availability of the gaseous hydrogen stored in one or more buffer containers, a gaseous hydrogen gas stream is produced by feeding a liquid hydrogen gas stream to a vaporizer. Between vehicle fillings, the buffer (these) containers are refilled with gaseous hydrogen produced by mixing a liquid hydrogen gas stream and a gaseous hydrogen gas stream from a vaporizer. Although the temperature of the hydrogen in the buffer (these) containers immediately after filling may be colder than the environment, heat leakage into the buffer (these) containers causes heating of hydrogen, even to ambient temperature. This requires cooling the gaseous hydrogen to a relatively low temperature (eg, -40°C) before it enters the vehicle tank so that rapid filling can be achieved.

[0012] The cost of gaseous hydrogen that has been used to fill vehicles (at hydrogen refueling stations that utilize an on-site liquid hydrogen source) consists of many cost components, including the production of hydrogen, the distribution of liquid hydrogen, the storage of liquid hydrogen, the vaporization of liquid hydrogen, and the cooling of gaseous hydrogen. Although the solution disclosed in US2020-0095113 is quite satisfactory, there is still a need for methods and systems with improved efficiency in the total cost of gaseous hydrogen used to fill vehicle tanks. Summary of the invention

[0013] A system for filling a gas tank of a fuel cell electric vehicle with pressurized hydrogen is disclosed, the system comprising: a liquid hydrogen storage container; a liquid hydrogen pump, the liquid hydrogen pump being in downstream flow communication with the storage container and being adapted and configured to receive a liquid hydrogen gas stream from the storage container and to pump and pressurize the liquid hydrogen gas stream to produce a pressurized hydrogen gas stream; a first heat exchanger having a temperature increase circuit, the temperature increase circuit being adapted and configured to receive a first portion of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream therein and vaporize it to produce a vaporized hydrogen gas stream, and the first heat exchanger also having a cooling circuit; a bypass circuit adapted and configured to receive a second portion of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the liquid hydrogen pump; a boil-off hydrogen circuit adapted and configured to receive the boil-off hydrogen gas stream; a buffer container feed conduit adapted and configured to receive the boil-off hydrogen gas stream from the boil-off hydrogen circuit and a second portion of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the bypass circuit to form a combined stream; a first temperature control valve adapted and configured to control a flow rate of the boil-off hydrogen gas stream in the boil-off hydrogen circuit; a second a temperature control valve adapted and configured to control the flow rate of the second portion in the bypass loop; at least one buffer container adapted and configured to receive and store the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit until a vehicle gas tank fill is requested; a second heat exchanger having a cooling circuit adapted and configured to receive and cool the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit and / or the pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the at least one buffer container to produce a cooled pressurized hydrogen gas stream, the second heat exchanger also A heating circuit, a filling circuit, the filling circuit consisting of, in order of flow, a cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger and at least one filling distributor, the at least one filling distributor being adapted and configured to engage with a fuel cell electric vehicle to allow its gas tank to be filled with the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas stream; a temperature sensor disposed in the buffer vessel feed conduit, the temperature sensor being adapted and configured to measure the temperature of the combined stream; and a heat exchange fluid loop, the heat exchange fluid loop consisting of, in order of flow, a surge vessel containing a primary heat transfer fluid, a primary heat transfer fluid pump adapted and configured to pump the primary heat transfer fluid through the heat exchange fluid loop, the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger, the heating circuit of the second heat exchanger, and the surge vessel. The first heat exchanger is adapted and configured to exchange heat between the relatively hot primary heat transfer fluid and a relatively cold first portion of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream to produce the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and the cooled primary heat transfer fluid stream.The second heat exchanger is adapted and configured to exchange heat between the relatively hotter combined flow and / or the relatively hotter pressurized hydrogen gas flow from the at least one buffer vessel on the one hand and the relatively cooler cooled main heat transfer fluid flow on the other hand. The first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve control the flow rate of the vaporized hydrogen gas flow and the second portion, respectively, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

[0014] A method for filling a gas tank of a fuel cell electric vehicle with pressurized hydrogen is also disclosed. The method includes the following steps. A system disclosed above is provided. Liquid hydrogen is pumped from the liquid hydrogen storage container with the liquid hydrogen pump to produce a pressurized hydrogen gas stream. The main heat transfer fluid flow is pumped with the main heat transfer fluid pump in the heat exchange fluid loop. The pressurized hydrogen gas stream is divided into a first part and a second part. Through heat exchange between the first part and the main heat transfer fluid flow, the first part is vaporized in the warming circuit of the first heat exchanger and the main heat transfer fluid flow is cooled in the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger to produce a vaporized hydrogen gas stream and a cooled main heat transfer fluid flow. The vaporized hydrogen gas stream is received in the vaporized hydrogen loop. The second part is received in the bypass loop. The combined flow consisting of the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and the second part from the vaporized hydrogen loop is received in the buffer container feed conduit. The combined flow is received and stored in the at least one buffer container until the filling of the vehicle gas tank is requested. When a vehicle gas tank is requested to be filled, the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit and / or the pressurized hydrogen gas flow from the at least one buffer container is cooled in the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger by heat exchange between the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit and / or the pressurized hydrogen gas flow from the at least one buffer container and the cooled main heat transfer fluid flow, and the cooled main heat transfer fluid flow is heated in the warming circuit of the second heat exchanger to produce a cooled pressurized hydrogen gas flow and a heated main heat transfer fluid flow. The temperature of the combined flow in the buffer container feed conduit is measured with the temperature sensor. The flow rate or pressure of the vaporized hydrogen gas flow and the second portion is controlled with the first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve, respectively, based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. The vehicle gas tank is filled with the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas flow.

[0015] The system and / or the method may include one or more of the following aspects:

[0016] -The at least one filling dispenser includes a first filling dispenser and a second filling dispenser, each of the first filling dispenser and the second filling dispenser being adapted and configured to engage with a corresponding fuel cell electric vehicle so as to allow its associated gas tank to be filled with pressurized hydrogen, the filling circuit branching into a first branch flow and a second branch flow, the first branch flow being adapted and configured to feed pressurized hydrogen from the at least one buffer container to the first filling dispenser, and the second branch flow being adapted and configured to feed pressurized hydrogen from the at least one buffer container to the second filling dispenser.

[0017] -The system further comprises an auxiliary heat transfer pump and an auxiliary heat exchanger, the auxiliary heat exchanger comprising a heating circuit, the heating circuit being in flow communication between the heating circuit of the first heat exchanger and the buffer container feed conduit, wherein: the auxiliary heat transfer circuit is formed by the cooling circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger and the auxiliary heat transfer pump; the auxiliary heat transfer circuit is adapted and configured to circulate the auxiliary heat transfer fluid from the auxiliary heat transfer pump through the cooling circuit of the auxiliary heat transfer circuit and return to the auxiliary heat transfer pump; and the auxiliary heat exchanger is a tube-in-tube heat exchanger, the tube-in-tube heat exchanger comprising an inner tube concentrically arranged within an outer tube, the heating circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger being the inner tube, and the cooling circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger being the outer tube.

[0018] The system further comprises a pressure accumulation circuit in flow communication between the liquid hydrogen storage region of the storage container and the head space of the storage container, the pressure accumulation circuit being adapted and configured to receive a liquid hydrogen gas stream from the liquid hydrogen space of the storage container, vaporize the liquid hydrogen gas stream received from the storage container by heat exchange with a block of the heat exchanger in a second warming circuit of the first heat exchanger, and return the vaporized liquid hydrogen to the head space to accumulate pressure therein.

[0019] -The system further includes an evaporation gas discharge circuit, which is in flow communication between the top space of the storage container and the ambient atmosphere of the system, the evaporation gas discharge circuit includes a first end in downstream flow communication with the top space, a second end selectively open to the ambient atmosphere, and a second warming circuit of the first heat exchanger between the first end and the second end, the evaporation gas discharge circuit being adapted and configured to receive evaporation gas from the top space, to heat the received evaporation gas in the second warming circuit by heat exchange with a block of the first heat exchanger, and to discharge the heated evaporation gas to the ambient atmosphere via the second end.

[0020] -The system further includes: a main heat transfer line, which is in fluid communication between the main heat transfer fluid pump and the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger; a main heat transfer fluid bypass loop, which has a first end in downstream fluid communication with the main heat transfer fluid line, a second end in upstream fluid communication with the main heat transfer fluid line, and a heat exchanger section between the first end and the second end; and a fan heater, which is adapted and configured to blow ambient air over the heat exchange section to warm the pumped flow of the main heat transfer fluid before it is cooled at the first heat exchanger.

[0021] - The first heat exchanger comprises a metal block formed by high temperature casting in liquid form around its heating circuit and cooling circuit.

[0022] -The system further includes: a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor each arranged in the filling circuit, the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor being adapted and configured to respectively measure the pressure and the temperature of the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas flow received from the second heat exchanger; and a pressure control valve arranged in the filling circuit, the pressure control valve being adapted and configured to control the pressure of the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas flow for filling a gas tank of a fuel cell electric vehicle, wherein the operation of the pressure control valve is based on the pressure and the temperature measured by the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor.

[0023] -The method further comprises the steps of: pumping an auxiliary heat transfer fluid in an auxiliary heat exchange loop with the auxiliary heat transfer pump to produce a recirculation stream of the auxiliary heat transfer fluid; and heating the vaporized hydrogen gas stream in a warming loop of the auxiliary heat exchanger by heat exchange between the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and the recirculation stream of the auxiliary heat transfer fluid, and cooling the recirculation stream of the auxiliary heat transfer fluid in a cooling loop of the auxiliary heat exchanger.

[0024] -The method further comprises the steps of: feeding the liquid hydrogen gas stream from the storage container to the second warming loop of the first heat exchanger; vaporizing the feed liquid hydrogen gas stream in the second warming loop of the first heat exchanger by heat exchange with the block of the first heat exchanger to produce a vaporized liquid hydrogen gas stream; and returning the vaporized liquid hydrogen gas stream to the head space of the storage container, thereby increasing its pressure.

[0025] - The method further comprises the steps of: feeding a gaseous hydrogen gas stream from the head space of the storage container to the second warming loop of the first heat exchanger; and vaporizing the feed liquid hydrogen gas stream in the second warming loop of the first heat exchanger and discharging the vaporized liquid hydrogen gas to the ambient atmosphere. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Other unique features and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0027] In the figure:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the inventive site and method of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic representation of the sites and variations of the method.

[0030] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic representation of the sites and variations of the method.

[0031] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Schematic representation of the sites and variations of the method.

[0032] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 Schematic representation of the sites and variations of the method.

[0033] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 Schematic representation of the sites and variations of the method.

[0034] Figure 7 yes Figures 2 to 6 Schematic representation of the combination of site and method features.

[0035] legend

[0036] Liquid hydrogen source 1

[0037] Liquid hydrogen feed line 3

[0038] Liquid hydrogen pump 5

[0039] Pressurized hydrogen flow 9

[0040] Second portion of pressurized hydrogen 10

[0041] The first heat exchanger 11

[0042] Second portion of pressurized hydrogen 12

[0043] Vaporized hydrogen loop 13

[0044] Heating circuit 14

[0045] Auxiliary heat exchanger 15

[0046] Second temperature control valve 16

[0047] Buffer container feed conduit 17

[0048] First temperature control valve 18

[0049] Temperature sensor 20

[0050] Buffer container 19

[0051] Valve 21

[0052] Pressurized hydrogen gas stream 23

[0053] First pressurized hydrogen substream 23'

[0054] Second pressurized hydrogen substream 23"

[0055] Bypass catheter 24

[0056] Second heat exchanger 25

[0057] Cooling circuit 26

[0058] The first of the two second heat exchangers 25' The second of the two second heat exchangers 25" Pressure sensor 27

[0059] Pressure sensor 27'

[0060] Pressure sensor 27"

[0061] Temperature sensor 29

[0062] Temperature sensor 29

[0063] Temperature sensor 29

[0064] Filling dispenser 31

[0065] Filling dispenser 31'

[0066] Fill dispenser 31"

[0067] Pressure control valve 33

[0068] Fuel cell electric vehicles 35

[0069] Fuel cell electric vehicle 35'

[0070] Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle 35"

[0071] Pressure regulating container 37

[0072] Heat transfer fluid flow 39

[0073] Main HTF pump 41

[0074] Pumped main HTF flow 43

[0075] Temperature sensor 45

[0076] Cooled main HTF flow 47

[0077] Auxiliary HTF pump 49

[0078] First main HTF split 53'

[0079] Second main HTF split 53”

[0080] Three-way flow control valve 55

[0081] The main flow 56 of the cooled main HTF is passed through the heated second heat transfer fluid flow 57 and the heated first heat transfer fluid branch flow 57'

[0082] The second heat transfer fluid split flow 57" after heating The bypass flow 58 of the cooled main HTF The first bypass flow 58' of the cooled main HTF The second bypass flow 58" of the cooled main HTF The three-way flow control valve 67

[0083] Auxiliary heat transfer fluid pump 71

[0084] The pumped auxiliary heat transfer fluid stream 73 passes through the pressure accumulation loop of the heated auxiliary heat transfer fluid stream 75 and the liquid hydrogen feed pipeline 77 control valve 79

[0085] Temperature sensor 81

[0086] Gaseous hydrogen pipeline 83

[0087] Headspace feed line 85

[0088] Control valve 87

[0089] Discharge valve 89

[0090] Drain 91

[0091] Gaseous hydrogen return line 93

[0092] 3-way flow control valve 95'

[0093] 3-way flow control valve 95"

[0094] Main HTF bypass flow 97

[0095] Fan heater 99 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0096] In known filling methods utilizing a liquid hydrogen source (such as US11,155,459), a liquid hydrogen gas stream is pumped to a very high pressure above its critical pressure. The resulting very cold pressurized fluid is divided into two streams. The first stream is heated at a "vaporizer" in contact with the ambient atmosphere. We use the term "vaporizer" extensively because the cold pressurized fluid can be in a dense liquid state (above its critical pressure) or in a supercritical state, and it is even conceivable that it may be in a gaseous state. The second stream bypasses the vaporizer and is recombined with the vaporized first stream in a controlled manner so as to reach a predetermined temperature of the combined flue. While maintaining a fairly satisfactory method of filling FCEV gas tanks from a liquid hydrogen source, the available refrigeration (i.e., cold or negative heat) of the cold pressurized fluid in the first stream is therefore lost to the ambient atmosphere at the vaporizer. Depending on the flow rate required at the dispenser(s) for filling the one or more FCEV gas tanks, the pressurized fluid from the vaporizer can be used to fill the gas tank(s) directly and optionally supplemented with an amount of hydrogen from the one or more buffer containers, or it can be alternatively stored in the one or more buffer containers and used later to complete the filling of the one or more gas tanks. Given sufficient time and due to heat leaks at the one or more buffer containers, the temperature of the heated pressurized fluid (usually still at a very low temperature) rises to ambient temperature. In order to effectively fill the one or more gas tanks, this ambient temperature fluid must be cooled with an external refrigeration source so that Joule-Thomson heating (at a temperature above the transition temperature of hydrogen) can be accommodated without over-pressurizing the gas tank(s).

[0097] To avoid wasting the refrigeration that can be obtained from the pressurized hydrogen at the vaporizer achieved using this technology, in the practice of the present invention, this refrigeration (i.e., cold or negative heat) is instead captured by heat exchange with a primary heat transfer fluid (primary HTF). This captured cold is then used to cool the pressurized hydrogen used to fill the vehicle tank(s) by heat exchange between the primary HTF and the pressurized hydrogen. This provides improved efficiency compared to conventional technologies that require an external refrigeration source to cool the pressurized hydrogen.

[0098] In the present invention, the heat exchange fluid loop includes, in order of flow: a pressure regulating vessel containing a main HTF, a main HTF pump, a cooling circuit of a first heat exchanger, a warming circuit of a second heat exchanger; and returns to the pressure regulating vessel. Each of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger includes a warming circuit and a cooling circuit. Liquid hydrogen is pumped by a liquid hydrogen pump and divided into a first part and a second part. The first part is fed to the warming circuit of the first heat exchanger, and the main HTF is pumped from the pressure regulating vessel to the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger and passes through the loop by the main HTF pump. At the first heat exchanger, the first part of the pumped hydrogen is warmed by heat exchange with the pumped main HTF to produce vaporized hydrogen received in the vaporized hydrogen circuit and a cooled main HTF. The second part of the pumped hydrogen is received in a bypass circuit that bypasses the first heat exchanger. The vaporized hydrogen corresponding to the first part is combined with the second part of the pumped liquid hydrogen in an amount controlled by a temperature control valve associated with the vaporized hydrogen loop and the bypass loop, which is based on a temperature sensor disposed in a buffer container feed conduit receiving these combined flows. The combined flow is received and stored in one or more buffer containers until the filling of the vehicle gas tank is requested. The pressurized hydrogen from the one or more buffer containers or directly from the buffer container feed conduit is fed to the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger, and the cooled main HTF (obtained from the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger) is fed to the warming circuit of the second heat exchanger. At the second heat exchanger, the heated pressurized hydrogen is cooled by a heat exchanger with the cooled main HTF to produce cooled pressurized hydrogen and heated main HTF for filling one or more gas tanks of the FCEV. The heated main HTF is then returned to the pressure regulating container.

[0099] Optionally, one or more temperature control schemes may be utilized in the practice of the present invention.

[0100] To ensure that the main HTF is not overcooled by heat transfer with the block of the first heat exchanger and the cold of the pumped liquid hydrogen, at least a portion of the flow of the pumped main HTF can be warmed up if necessary in a bypass loop before being directed to the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger.

[0101] To ensure that the temperature of the vaporized hydrogen leaving the first heat exchanger is not too cold, the pressurized hydrogen leaving the first heat exchanger may be further warmed in an auxiliary heat exchanger in flow communication between the first heat exchanger and the one or more buffer vessels. In this case, the vaporized hydrogen may then be warmed by heat exchange with an auxiliary heat transfer fluid (auxiliary HTR) flowing through an auxiliary heat transfer loop. Whether the auxiliary HTF and the primary HTF are the same or different types of heat exchanger fluids, the heat exchange loop through which the primary HTF flows is separate from the auxiliary heat exchange loop.

[0102] To ensure that the first heat exchanger does not get too warm, the block of the first heat exchanger can be cooled in one or both of two ways. First, the pressure buildup circuit of the storage container can be extended through the additional cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger. In other words, the additional cooling circuit serves as a heat exchanger section of a typical pressure buildup circuit. Second, the boil-off gas discharge line can be extended through the additional cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger.

[0103] In order to ensure that the pressurized hydrogen obtained from the at least one buffer container and / or buffer container feed conduit for filling the gas tank of the FCEV is sufficiently cold, a flow control valve can be used to divide the flow of the cooled main HTF from the first heat exchanger into a flow that flows through the warming circuit of the second heat exchanger and a flow that bypasses the warming circuit. If more cooling is required, more of the flow of the cooled main HTF is allowed to flow through the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger and less bypasses the second heat exchanger. If less cooling is required, less of this flow is allowed to flow through the cooling circuit and more of this flow is allowed to bypass the second heat exchanger.

[0104] Specific embodiments will now be described.

[0105] like Figure 1 As best shown, a liquid hydrogen gas stream 3 from a liquid hydrogen storage container 1 is pumped with a liquid hydrogen pump 5 to provide a pressurized hydrogen gas stream 9. The pressurized hydrogen gas stream 9 is divided into a stream consisting of a first portion 10 of the pressurized hydrogen gas, which is received in a warming loop 14 of a first heat exchanger 11, and a stream of a second portion 12 of the pressurized hydrogen gas, which is received in a bypass loop 24. The hydrogen of stream 10 is vaporized in the warming loop 14 and is received in a vaporized hydrogen gas loop 13. On the other hand, the hydrogen of stream 12 is not vaporized because the bypass loop 24 bypasses the first heat exchanger 11. In the event that the hydrogen in the vaporized hydrogen gas conduit 13 is subcooled, it may optionally be warmed in an auxiliary heat exchanger 15. The vaporized hydrogen in the vaporized hydrogen gas loop 13 and the liquid hydrogen in the bypass loop 24 are combined and received as a combined stream in a buffer vessel feed conduit 17.

[0106] The temperature sensor 20 is disposed in the buffer vessel feed conduit 17 and is adapted and configured to measure the temperature of the combined flow therein. The temperature of the combined flow is controlled as follows. The flow rate or pressure of the vaporized hydrogen in the vaporized hydrogen conduit 13 and the liquid hydrogen in the bypass conduit 24 is controlled by the first temperature control valve 18 and the second temperature control valve 16, respectively, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 20. If the temperature of the combined flow in the buffer vessel feed conduit 17 is too cold, the flow rate of the liquid hydrogen gas stream in the bypass conduit 24 is reduced by the second temperature control valve 16, while the flow rate of the vaporized hydrogen gas stream in the vaporized hydrogen conduit 13 is increased. Conversely, if the temperature of the combined flow in the buffer vessel feed conduit 17 is too warm, the flow rate of the liquid hydrogen gas stream in the bypass conduit 24 is increased by the second temperature control valve 16, while the flow rate of the vaporized hydrogen gas stream in the vaporized hydrogen conduit 13 is reduced.

[0107] The hydrogen of the combined stream in the buffer vessel feed conduit 13 may be fed to one or more buffer vessels 19 for storage until a vehicle tank refill is requested, in which case the hydrogen from the one or more buffer vessels 19 is fed as a pressurized hydrogen stream 23 towards a second heat exchanger 25. Alternatively, the hydrogen of the combined stream in the buffer vessel feed conduit 13 may bypass the one or more buffer vessels 19 and be fed as a pressurized hydrogen stream 23 towards the second heat exchanger 25. Whether the hydrogen of the combined stream is first fed to the one or more buffer vessels 21 and later fed towards the second heat exchanger 25 or alternatively fed directly towards the second heat exchanger 25, this alternative flow configuration is controlled by opening or closing one or more valves 21 constituting a set of valves as appropriate.

[0108] The main HTF stream 39 is pumped with a main HTF pump 41 to produce a pumped main HTF stream 43. The pumped main HTF stream 43 is fed to the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger 11 to produce a cooled main HTF stream 47.

[0109] Optionally, the temperature (representing the temperature of the material constituting the first heat exchanger 11) is measured with a temperature sensor 45. The temperature sensor 45 may measure the skin temperature of the first heat exchanger 11. Alternatively, it may be embedded in the material from which the first heat exchanger 11 is made. Alternatively, it may measure the temperature of the main HTF within the first heat exchanger 11 or the temperature of the main HTF at the outlet of the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger. A controller (such as a programmable logic controller or a computer) controls the speed of the main HTF pump 41 (such as by increasing or decreasing the speed of a variable frequency drive of the pump 41) based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 45 and a predetermined set point temperature or a set point temperature range to be achieved.

[0110] The coldness from the pumped liquid hydrogen stream 9 captured by the pumped main HTF stream 43 is at least partially returned to the hydrogen used to fill the FCEV gas tanks. To achieve this, the pressurized hydrogen stream 23 (coming from the one or more buffer containers 19 via the set of valves 21 or directly from the buffer container feed conduit 17) is fed to the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger 25, where it is cooled by heat exchange with at least a portion of the cooled main HTF stream 47 fed to the warming circuit of the second heat exchanger 25. The thus cooled pressurized hydrogen stream is used to fill the gas tanks of the FCEV via the filling distributor 31. The thus warmed main HTF stream 57 is then returned to the pressure regulating vessel 37.

[0111] Optionally, the temperature of the hydrogen (used to fill the FCEV tank) is measured with a temperature sensor 29. A controller (such as a programmable logic controller or computer that is the same or different from the programmable logic controller or computer that controls the main HTF pump) controls a three-way flow control valve 55 to distribute the flow 23 of the cooled main HTF between the main HTF flow 56 fed to the warming loop of the second heat exchanger 25 and the bypass flow 58 of the main HTF. This control is based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 29 and a predetermined set point temperature or a set point temperature range to be achieved. The bypass flow 58 of the cooled main HTF and the warmed main HTF flow 57 are combined and returned to the pressure regulating vessel 37.

[0112] Optionally, the pressure of the cooled pressurized hydrogen from the second heat exchanger 25 is controlled by a pressure control valve 33 based on the temperature and pressure of the hydrogen (used to fill the tank of the FCEV 35), which are measured by the temperature sensor 29 and the pressure sensor 27, respectively. The pressure control valve 33 is controlled by a controller (such as a programmable logic controller or a computer) that is coded with a filing algorithm, such as a filing algorithm that complies with the SAE standard J2601 for filling light vehicles.

[0113] Any type of heat exchanger known in the art of heat transfer involving cryogenic fluids can be used for the first heat exchanger 11. Typically, the first heat exchanger is a cold storage medium, such as the cold storage medium described in US 9,258,657, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The cold storage medium is made of a block of metal (such as aluminum, stainless steel, copper or lead). It has a sufficiently high specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity so that it can easily transfer heat (accept cold) and store a satisfactory amount of refrigeration (cold). More specifically; the cold storage medium typically has a specific heat capacity between 2000 and 4000 kJ / m 3The cold storage medium is formed as a metal block formed by high temperature casting in liquid form around the warming circuit and the cooling circuit to increase the thermal contact therebetween. The distance between adjacent parts of the warming and cooling circuits of the first heat exchanger 11 can be as low as 1 mm or more, preferably at least 5 mm. This allows a satisfactory high enough capacity to be generated between the warming circuits to store cold mass quantities to be accepted by the pumped main HTF flow 43.

[0114] like Figure 2 As best shown, the pressurized hydrogen gas stream 23 can be divided into a first pressurized hydrogen sub-stream 23' and a second pressurized hydrogen sub-stream 23". At the first heat exchanger 25' of the two second heat exchangers, the first pressurized hydrogen sub-stream 23' is cooled in its cooling circuit. Similarly, at the second heat exchanger 25" of the two second heat exchangers, the second pressurized hydrogen sub-stream 23" is also cooled in its cooling circuit. The cooled main HTF stream 47 is correspondingly divided into corresponding first main HTF split streams 53' and second main HTF split streams 53" using a three-way valve flow controller 67, wherein the three-way valve flow controller is controlled by a controller (such as a programmable logic controller or computer that is the same or different from the programmable logic controller or computer that controls the main HTF pump 41). After cooling at a corresponding one of the two second heat exchangers 25', 25", the two pressurized hydrogen gas streams obtained from the sub-streams 23', 23" are used to fill corresponding gas tanks of the FCEVs 35', 35".

[0115] Figure 2 and Figure 6 Embodiments may be used to simultaneously fill two gas tanks of a FCEV. For example, one of the buffer containers 19 at one pressure may provide pressurized hydrogen for filling the gas tank of a first FCEV 35', while another of the buffer containers 19 at a different pressure may provide hydrogen for filling the gas tank of a second FCEV 35". Those skilled in the art will recognize that the diagram of the set of valves 21, the one or more buffer containers 19, and the first and second pressurized hydrogen substreams 23', 23' are simplified. The lines leading from the buffer containers 19 may be branched to achieve such simultaneous filling, and need not be limited to the simply illustrated scheme in which a single manifold handles a single stream from the buffer containers 19.

[0116] Optionally, the temperature of the hydrogen (used to fill the FCEV gas tanks) is measured with a temperature sensor 29' associated with the first FCEV 35', and the temperature of the hydrogen is measured with a temperature sensor 29" associated with the second FCEV 35". A controller (such as a programmable logic controller or computer that is the same or different from the programmable logic controller or computer that controls the main HTF pump) controls a three-way flow control valve 55 to distribute the flow 23 of cooled main HTF between a main HTF flow 56 fed to the warming loop of the second heat exchanger 25 and a bypass flow 58 of the main HTF. This control is based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 29 and a predetermined set point temperature or a set point temperature range to be achieved. The bypass flow 58 of cooled main HTF and the warmed main HTF flow 57 are combined and returned to the pressure regulating vessel 37.

[0117] like Figure 3 As best shown, if the temperature increase at the first heat exchanger 11 is insufficient to reach the desired temperature, the vaporized hydrogen gas stream in the vaporized hydrogen gas loop 13 obtained from the first heat exchanger 11 can be further heated at the auxiliary heat exchanger 15. The vaporized hydrogen gas stream in the loop 13 is fed to the warming loop of the auxiliary heat exchanger 15 to produce an additional heated vaporized hydrogen gas stream combined with the liquid hydrogen gas stream from the bypass loop 24. Flowing through the cooling loop of the auxiliary heat exchanger 15 is the auxiliary heat exchanger fluid (auxiliary HTF). The auxiliary HTF is pumped with the auxiliary HTF pump 49, heated at the heater 51, fed to the cooling loop of the auxiliary heat exchanger 15, and returned to the inlet of the auxiliary HTF pump 49. Non-limiting examples of the heater 51 include an electric heater or radiator heated by an ambient air fan (such as the electric heater or radiator disclosed in WO 2021138169 A1). The operation of the auxiliary HTF pump 49 is controlled by a controller (such as a programmable logic controller or computer that is the same or different from the programmable logic controller or computer that controls the main HTF pump) based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 52 and a predetermined temperature set point or temperature set point range. The temperature sensor 52 can measure the skin temperature of the auxiliary heat exchanger 15, the temperature of the auxiliary HTF within the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger 15, or the temperature of the auxiliary HTF at the outlet of the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger 15. Although the auxiliary heat exchanger can have any configuration known in the art of heat transfer involving cryogenic fluids, it is typically a tube-in-tube heat exchanger. The warming circuit is an inner tube concentrically disposed within an outer tube. The cooling circuit is formed by the annular space between the inner and outer tubes.

[0118] like Figure 4As best shown, at least a portion of the pressure accumulation loop for the storage container 1 extends through the second warming loop of the first heat exchanger 11. Valve 79 can be opened to allow an amount of liquid hydrogen from the storage container 1 to flow to the second warming loop via the pressure accumulation loop liquid hydrogen feed line 77. The liquid hydrogen vaporizes in the warming loop and returns to the head space of the storage container 11 via the gaseous hydrogen line 83, thereby accumulating pressure therein. This can be particularly useful when the first heat exchanger 11 is a cold storage medium as described above.

[0119] like Figure 5 As best shown, at least a portion of the boil-off gas discharge line for the storage vessel 1 extends through the second warming circuit of the first heat exchanger 11. Valves 87 and 89 can be opened to allow an amount of boil-off gas from the head space of the storage vessel 1 to flow to the second warming circuit via the head space feed line 85. The cold boil-off gas transfers cold to the first heat exchanger 11 as it flows through the warming circuit and is subsequently discharged to the ambient atmosphere via the gaseous hydrogen line 83 and the discharge port 91.

[0120] like Figure 6 As best shown, if the temperature of the main HTF is deemed too cold, the pumped main HTF flow 43 can be warmed by heat exchange with ambient air. Based on the temperature measured by the pressure sensor 81, a controller (such as a programmable logic controller or computer that is the same or different from the programmable logic controller or computer that controls the main HTF pump 41) controls the 3-way flow control valves 95', 95". The 3-way flow control valves 95', 99" can be selectively opened to allow at least a portion of the main HTF flow to enter the main HTF bypass loop 97 from the main HTF bypass flow 97, which includes a first end in downstream flow communication with the main HTF pipeline 43, and a second end in upstream fluid communication with the main HTF 43. The relatively cold main HTF is warmed by a fan heater 99, which blows ambient air onto the heat exchanger section of the fan heater 99. Typically, the fan heater is a finned fan. Fin fans are known as a type of heat exchanger that moves ambient air over fin tubes through which a hot or cold (compared to the ambient) fluid flows. The thus warmed main HTF is then allowed to flow to the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger 11 .

[0121] like Figure 7 Best shown, Figures 2 to 6 Each of the described features can be integrated into one system.

[0122] The present invention provides several advantages.

[0123] Because the coldness of the liquid hydrogen recovered at the first heat exchanger is used to cool the pressurized hydrogen used to fill the gas tank of the FCEV at the second heat exchanger, the present invention does not require an external refrigeration source.

[0124] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments of the present invention, it is obvious that, in view of the foregoing description, many alternatives, modifications and variations will be clear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended to include all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. The present invention can suitably include disclosed elements, be composed of disclosed elements or be substantially composed of disclosed elements, and can be implemented in the absence of undisclosed elements. In addition, if there is language related to sequence, such as first and second, it should be understood in an exemplary sense rather than in a restrictive sense. For example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that some steps can be combined into a single step.

[0125] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0126] "Comprising" in the claims is an open transition term, which means that the subsequently identified claim elements are a non-exclusive list, that is, anything else may be additionally included and remain within the scope of "comprising." "Comprising" is defined herein to necessarily encompass the more restrictive transition terms "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of; thus, "comprising" may be replaced by "consisting essentially of" or "consisting of" and remain within the clearly defined scope of "comprising."

[0127] "Providing" in the claims is defined to mean supplying, furnishing, making available, or preparing something. The step may instead be performed by any actor in the absence of explicit language in the claims.

[0128] Optional or optionally means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur. The description includes examples where the event or circumstance occurs and examples where the event or circumstance does not occur.

[0129] Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value and / or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range.

[0130] All references identified herein are each hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entirety, and for the specific information for which each reference is cited, the specific information is provided.

Claims

1. A system for filling a gas tank of a fuel cell electric vehicle with pressurized hydrogen gas, the system comprising: Liquid hydrogen storage container (1); a liquid hydrogen pump (5) in downstream flow communication with the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) and adapted and configured to receive a liquid hydrogen gas stream (3) from the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) and to pump and pressurize the liquid hydrogen gas stream to produce a pressurized hydrogen gas stream (9); a first heat exchanger (11) having a warming circuit (14) adapted and configured to receive therein a first portion (10) of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream and vaporize it to produce a vaporized hydrogen gas stream, and the first heat exchanger also having a cooling circuit; a bypass loop (24) adapted and configured to receive a second portion (12) of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the liquid hydrogen pump (5); a boil-off hydrogen circuit (13) adapted and configured to receive the boil-off hydrogen flow; a buffer vessel feed conduit (17) adapted and configured to receive the boil-off hydrogen gas stream from the boil-off hydrogen gas loop and a second portion of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the bypass loop (24) to form a combined stream; a first temperature control valve (18) adapted and configured to control the flow rate of the vaporized hydrogen gas stream in the vaporized hydrogen gas loop; a second temperature control valve (16) adapted and configured to control the flow rate of the second portion in the bypass loop; at least one buffer container (19) adapted and configured to receive and store the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit (17) until a vehicle gas tank fill is requested; a second heat exchanger (25) having a cooling circuit (26) adapted and configured to receive and cool the combined stream from the buffer vessel feed conduit (17) and / or the pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the at least one buffer vessel (19) to produce a cooled pressurized hydrogen gas stream, the second heat exchanger also having a warming circuit; a filling circuit consisting, in flow order, of the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger and at least one filling dispenser (31), adapted and configured to engage with a fuel cell electric vehicle (35) so as to allow its gas tank to be filled with the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas stream; a temperature sensor (20) disposed in the buffer vessel feed conduit (17), the temperature sensor being adapted and configured to measure the temperature of the combined flow; as well as A heat exchange fluid loop (39, 43, 47, 56, 57, 58) consisting of, in order of flow, a pressure regulating vessel (37) containing a primary heat transfer fluid, a primary heat transfer fluid pump (41) adapted and configured to pump the primary heat transfer fluid through the heat exchange fluid loop, a cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger, a warming circuit of the second heat exchanger, and the pressure regulating vessel (37), wherein: The first heat exchanger (11) is adapted and configured to exchange heat between the relatively hotter primary heat transfer fluid and a relatively cooler first portion of the pressurized hydrogen gas stream to produce the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and a cooled primary heat transfer fluid stream; The second heat exchanger is adapted and configured to exchange heat between the relatively hotter combined stream and / or the relatively hotter pressurized hydrogen gas stream from the at least one buffer vessel (19) on the one hand and the relatively cooler cooled main heat transfer fluid stream on the other hand; and The first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve (18, 16) control the flow rate of the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and the second portion, respectively, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein: The at least one filling dispenser comprises a first filling dispenser and a second filling dispenser (31', 31"), each of the first filling dispenser and the second filling dispenser being adapted and configured to engage with a corresponding fuel cell electric vehicle (35', 35") so as to allow its associated gas tank to be filled with pressurized hydrogen, the filling circuit branching into a first branch flow (23') and a second branch flow (23"), the first branch flow being adapted and configured to feed pressurized hydrogen from the at least one buffer container (19) to the first filling dispenser, and the second branch flow being adapted and configured to feed pressurized hydrogen from the at least one buffer container (19) to the second filling dispenser.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary heat transfer pump (71) and an auxiliary heat exchanger (49), the auxiliary heat exchanger comprising a warming circuit, the warming circuit being in flow communication between the warming circuit of the first heat exchanger and the buffer vessel feed conduit (17), wherein: The auxiliary heat transfer circuit is formed by the cooling circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger and the auxiliary heat transfer pump (71); The auxiliary heat transfer loop is adapted and configured to circulate an auxiliary heat transfer fluid from the auxiliary heat transfer pump, through a cooling loop of the auxiliary heat transfer loop and back to the auxiliary heat transfer pump; and The auxiliary heat exchanger is a tube-in-tube heat exchanger including an inner tube concentrically arranged inside an outer tube, a warming circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger is the inner tube, and a cooling circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger is the outer tube.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure accumulation circuit (77, 83) in flow communication between the liquid hydrogen storage area of ​​the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) and the head space of the liquid hydrogen storage container (1), the pressure accumulation circuit being adapted and configured to receive a liquid hydrogen gas flow from the liquid hydrogen space of the liquid hydrogen storage container (1), vaporize the liquid hydrogen gas flow received from the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) in a second warming circuit of the first heat exchanger by heat exchange with a block of the heat exchanger, and return the vaporized liquid hydrogen (83) to the head space to accumulate pressure therein.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a boil-off gas discharge circuit in flow communication between the head space of the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) and the ambient atmosphere of the system, the boil-off gas discharge circuit comprising a first end (85) in downstream flow communication with the head space, a second end selectively open to the ambient atmosphere, and a second warming circuit of the first heat exchanger between the first end and the second end, the boil-off gas discharge circuit being adapted and configured to receive boil-off gas from the head space, to warm the received boil-off gas in the second warming circuit by heat exchange with a block of the first heat exchanger, and to discharge the warmed boil-off gas to the ambient atmosphere via the second end (83).

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a main heat transfer line in fluid communication between the main heat transfer fluid pump (41) and a cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger; a main heat transfer fluid bypass loop (97) having a first end in downstream fluid communication with the main heat transfer fluid line, a second end in upstream fluid communication with the main heat transfer fluid line, and a heat exchanger section between the first end and the second end; and A fan heater (99) is adapted and configured to blow ambient air over the heat exchange section to warm the pumped flow of the primary heat transfer fluid before it is cooled at the first heat exchanger (11).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein: The first heat exchanger (11) comprises a metal block formed by high temperature casting in a liquid form surrounding a heating circuit and a cooling circuit thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a pressure sensor (27) and a temperature sensor (29), each disposed in the filling circuit, the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor being adapted and configured to measure, respectively, the pressure and temperature of the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas stream received from the second heat exchanger; and A pressure control valve (33) is arranged in the filling circuit, which is adapted and configured to control the pressure of the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas flow for filling the gas tank of the fuel cell electric vehicle (35), wherein the operation of the pressure control valve (33) is based on the pressure and the temperature measured by the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor (27, 29).

9. A method for filling a gas tank of a fuel cell electric vehicle with pressurized hydrogen gas, the method comprising the steps of: Providing a system as claimed in claim 1; Pumping liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) using the liquid hydrogen pump (5) to generate a pressurized hydrogen flow; Pumping a main heat transfer fluid flow in the heat exchange fluid loop with the main heat transfer fluid pump (41); dividing the pressurized hydrogen gas stream (9) into a first portion and a second portion (10, 12); By heat exchange between the first part and the main heat transfer fluid flow, the first part (10) is vaporized in the warming circuit (14) of the first heat exchanger and the main heat transfer fluid flow is cooled in the cooling circuit of the first heat exchanger to produce a vaporized hydrogen gas flow and a cooled main heat transfer fluid flow; receiving the vaporized hydrogen gas flow into the vaporized hydrogen gas loop (13); receiving the second portion (12) into the bypass loop (24); receiving a combined stream consisting of the boil-off hydrogen stream and the second portion from the boil-off hydrogen loop into the buffer vessel feed conduit (17); receiving and storing the combined flow in the at least one buffer container (19) until a fill of the vehicle gas tank is requested; When a vehicle gas tank filling is requested, the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit (17) and / or the pressurized hydrogen gas flow from the at least one buffer container (19) is cooled in the cooling circuit of the second heat exchanger (26) by heat exchange between the combined flow from the buffer container feed conduit and / or the pressurized hydrogen gas flow from the at least one buffer container and the cooled main heat transfer fluid flow, and the cooled main heat transfer fluid flow is heated in the warming circuit of the second heat exchanger to produce a cooled pressurized hydrogen gas flow and a heated main heat transfer fluid flow; measuring the temperature of the combined flow in the buffer vessel feed conduit (17) with the temperature sensor (20); controlling the flow rate or pressure of the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and the second portion with the first temperature control valve and the second temperature control valve (18, 16), respectively, based on the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor; and The vehicle gas tank is filled with the cooled pressurized hydrogen gas stream.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: pumping an auxiliary heat transfer fluid in an auxiliary heat exchange loop with the auxiliary heat transfer pump (71) to produce a recirculating flow of the auxiliary heat transfer fluid; and The vaporized hydrogen gas stream is heated in the heating circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger by heat exchange between the vaporized hydrogen gas stream and the recirculating flow of the auxiliary heat transfer fluid, and the recirculating flow of the auxiliary heat transfer fluid is cooled in the cooling circuit of the auxiliary heat exchanger (49).

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: Feeding the liquid hydrogen gas stream from the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) into the second temperature increasing loop of the first heat exchanger; vaporizing the feed liquid hydrogen gas stream in a second warming loop of the first heat exchanger by heat exchange with a block of the first heat exchanger to produce a vaporized liquid hydrogen gas stream; and The vaporized liquid hydrogen stream is returned to the head space of the liquid hydrogen storage container (1), thereby increasing its pressure.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of: feeding a gaseous hydrogen stream from the head space of the liquid hydrogen storage container (1) to the second temperature increasing loop of the first heat exchanger; and The feed liquid hydrogen gas stream is vaporized in a second warming loop of the first heat exchanger, and the vaporized liquid hydrogen gas is discharged to the ambient atmosphere.

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