Extremely low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation self-power supply

Abstract

The invention provides an extremely low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation self power supply. The system and the method mainly relate to liquid hydrogen serving as a pre-cooling stage for realizing extremely low temperature and waste gas power generation self-power supply. The system comprises a refrigerating machine, a liquid hydrogen heat exchanger, a solid helium heat exchanger, an energy conversion device, a liquid hydrogen storage tank, a DC / DC converter, a DC / AC converter, a low-temperature valve, superconducting cables, pipelines and the like, wherein the superconducting cables and the pipelines are connected with the functional units. Liquid hydrogen enters the extremely low temperature test system through a cold storage working medium of the heat exchanger to be pre-cooled, then the temperature needed by the extremely low temperature test is provided through low temperature refrigeration (dilution refrigeration, adsorption refrigeration or heat insulation demagnetization refrigeration), and the other part of hydrogen enters the energy conversion device to generate power. On the premise of ensuring no functional interference, liquid hydrogen cold energy precooling and low-temperature refrigeration are utilized to provide an extremely low-temperature environment, meanwhile, hydrogen enters the energy conversion device for power generation, redundant liquid hydrogen cold energy can also be used for solid helium, efficient utilization of energy is achieved, and meanwhile energy consumption for preheating a low-temperature working medium is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of cryogenic refrigeration technology. Specifically, it relates to a cryogenic environment creation system that integrates efficient precooling, working fluid solidification, and energy self-circulation. Background Technology

[0002] High-performance cryogenic testing and operation systems need to maintain stable operation in extremely low-temperature environments to achieve accurate measurements and reliable operation. Currently, these systems primarily rely on mechanical cooling methods such as closed-loop GM refrigerators. While these methods can meet ultra-low temperature requirements, they suffer from several inherent limitations, including complex system structure, significant temperature fluctuations, severe micro-vibration interference, high system power consumption, and limited available cooling power. Furthermore, these cooling methods have low efficiency in specific temperature ranges, severely restricting the widespread deployment of cryogenic systems in large-scale integration and specialized application scenarios.

[0003] Liquid hydrogen, as a clean energy carrier, has a normal atmospheric pressure temperature of approximately 20.3 K (–252.9 °C), containing considerable cold energy resources. Effectively recovering and utilizing this often-discarded cold energy for pre-cooling superconducting chip systems is a promising energy-saving and resource-recycling method that aligns with sustainable development requirements.

[0004] The cryogenic properties of liquid hydrogen make it suitable as a precooling stage in cryogenic systems such as cryogenic refrigerators. Integrating liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery systems with these cryogenic devices can significantly reduce their cooling load in the 50K to 4K temperature range. This synergy helps improve the overall energy efficiency and cooling capacity of the cryogenic system and may reduce reliance on expensive refrigerants such as liquid helium.

[0005] The key to achieving precooling of cryogenic systems using liquid hydrogen cold energy lies in developing efficient, compact, and reliable heat transfer and heat exchange structures. Optimized thermal link design can maximize the transfer of cold energy to the high-temperature end of the cryogenic system (such as the 50K / 4K platform of a dilution refrigerator, or the heat sink of an adiabatic demagnetizing refrigerator), thereby improving the start-up and operating conditions of the cryogenic stage and enhancing the performance and stability of the entire cryogenic platform.

[0006] Utilizing liquid hydrogen's cooling energy for efficient precooling of cryogenic testing and operation will contribute to the development of more energy-efficient and compact cryogenic testing and operation platforms. This will not only accelerate the research and development and testing of cryogenic devices and systems, but also provide new possibilities for deploying high-performance cryogenic testing and operation systems in specific scenarios such as liquid hydrogen refueling stations and aerospace cryogenic facilities.

[0007] Utilizing liquid hydrogen for efficient precooling of solid helium can significantly reduce energy consumption and time costs in the solid helium phase transition preparation process, providing a stable and thermally conductive thermal interface for cryogenic testing and operation systems. Combining this with the high efficiency and low loss characteristics of superconducting power electronics in power transmission and distribution, a novel cryogenic platform with a compact structure and outstanding thermal-electrical synergistic management capabilities can be constructed. This approach is expected to significantly improve system energy efficiency, enhance operational stability, and provide a new technological path for large-scale cryogenic devices and mobile extreme environment testing applications. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To fully utilize the cold energy in liquid hydrogen, and considering the extremely low temperature environment, this invention aims to provide an extremely low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation for self-powered operation. Specifically, leveraging the extremely low temperature properties of liquid hydrogen, it combines dilution refrigeration, adsorption refrigeration, or adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration to create an extremely low temperature environment. Simultaneously, the hydrogen obtained from heat exchange is used to generate electricity for the entire system. This invention efficiently utilizes and recovers the abundant and substantial cold energy in liquid hydrogen, applying it to the precooling stage for creating the extremely low temperature environment. It significantly improves the energy efficiency of the entire cryogenic system, reduces power consumption, increases effective cooling power, and may reduce dependence on scarce or expensive refrigerants (such as liquid helium).

[0009] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0010] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and exhaust gas power generation, comprising: a liquid hydrogen storage tank, a liquid hydrogen heat exchanger, a refrigerator, a DC / DC / DC / AC converter, an energy conversion device, a cryogenic valve, and superconducting cables and pipelines connecting the above functional units. The invention is characterized in that the energy conversion device is connected to the DC / DC / DC / AC converter through superconducting cables to provide power for the refrigerator, ultra-low temperature testing, and operation.

[0011] Liquid hydrogen from the storage tank enters a heat exchanger where it exchanges heat with helium. The hydrogen then enters an energy conversion device to generate electricity. A portion of the liquid hydrogen's cooling medium is supplied to the pre-cooling stage of the refrigerator and superconducting cables. The energy conversion device provides power for the refrigerator, cryogenic testing, and operation. The liquid hydrogen heat exchanger "splits" the liquid hydrogen into hydrogen gas and cold energy. A DC / DC / DC / AC converter converts the direct current generated by the energy conversion device into alternating current usable by the refrigerator. The pre-cooling stage of the refrigerator further cools the helium carrying the liquid hydrogen's cold energy to 1-4 K. The refrigerator then lowers the temperature to the mK level.

[0012] This invention is based on an ultra-low temperature system that uses liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas to generate electricity, and further includes a solid-helium heat exchanger. The solid-helium heat exchanger can be a helium-3 refrigeration thermostat, a liquid-helium continuous flow thermostat, a high-efficiency compact aluminum plate-fin heat exchanger, or a shell-and-tube helium throttling heat exchanger, and its function is to convert gaseous helium into solid helium.

[0013] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation, and further includes a cold storage device. The cold storage device can be a rhodium-iron cold storage body, a nitrogen accumulator, or a neon accumulator.

[0014] The present invention is based on an ultra-low temperature system that uses liquid hydrogen precooling and exhaust gas to generate electricity, characterized in that the refrigeration unit can be a single-stage, two-stage, three-stage, or four-stage system.

[0015] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation for self-powered operation. The system is characterized in that the refrigeration unit may include an adiabatic demagnetizing refrigeration unit, a dilution refrigeration unit, an adsorption refrigeration unit, a pulse tube refrigeration unit, a Stirling refrigeration unit, a thermoacoustic refrigeration unit, and a GM refrigeration unit.

[0016] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and exhaust gas power generation for self-powered operation. The energy conversion device can be a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a solid oxide fuel cell, an alkaline fuel cell, a phosphoric acid fuel cell, a molten carbonate fuel cell, a hydrogen internal combustion engine, or a hydrogen gas turbine.

[0017] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation for self-powered operation. The liquid hydrogen heat exchanger is part of the precooling unit of the refrigeration unit and can be a continuous positive hydrogen conversion heat exchanger, a ring-fin heat exchanger, a plate-fin liquid hydrogen vaporizer, a tube-shell heat exchanger, or a microchannel heat exchanger.

[0018] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and exhaust gas power generation for self-powered operation. The DC / DC converter is characterized by including Buck / Boost / Buck-Boost converters, Chuck converters, SEPIC converters, ZETA converters, and isolated DC / DC converters.

[0019] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and exhaust gas power generation, characterized in that the DC / AC converter includes a square wave inverter, a modified sine wave inverter, and a pure sine wave inverter.

[0020] This invention relates to an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation, characterized in that the external fluid at the cold end of the refrigerator is a cryogenic working fluid, and the external fluid at the hot end of the refrigerator is a usable fluid such as air, pure water, or ethylene glycol. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the purpose, basic principles, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention, the accompanying drawings used in the prior art description will be briefly introduced below. The following drawings are incorporated herein as part of this invention and are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. Those skilled in the art will be able to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and exhaust gas power generation. In the diagram, the dashed boxes represent components that require liquid hydrogen cooling energy, the solid arrows represent hydrogen transmission, the dashed arrows represent electrical transmission, and the hollow arrows represent the transmission of the cold storage working fluid. The following diagrams are the same.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation for self-powering, provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation for self-powering, provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the figure, the dotted lines and arrows represent helium gas transmission.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen precooling and waste gas power generation for self-powering, provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. In addition to the following detailed description, the present invention may have other implementations. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] The structure of this embodiment is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, it includes a liquid hydrogen storage tank, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a helium refrigerator, an adiabatic demagnetizing refrigerator, a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a DC / DC and DC / AC converter, a liquid hydrogen pump and a circulation pump, as well as superconducting cables, pipelines, diverter valves, cryogenic valves, etc., connecting the above functional units.

[0029] Liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen storage tank enters the plate-fin heat exchanger, where it exchanges heat with high-pressure helium, cooling the helium to about 20K and releasing hydrogen.

[0030] 20K high-pressure helium gas enters the helium refrigerator to absorb heat. The cold head of the helium refrigerator is connected to the ADR precooling stage and acts as a heat sink to absorb magnetization and release heat. The adiabatic demagnetizing refrigerator starts up and lowers the ambient temperature to 50mK, providing an extremely low temperature for ultra-low temperature testing and operation.

[0031] Hydrogen enters a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell and reacts with oxygen to generate electricity. The electricity is then converted from direct current to alternating current by a DC / DC or DC / AC converter to drive the refrigerator, forming a closed loop.

[0032] Example 2

[0033] The structure of this embodiment is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it includes a liquid hydrogen storage tank, a helium-3 refrigerator, a microchannel JT heat exchanger, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a hydrogen gas turbine, a rhodium-iron accumulator, a dilution refrigerator, a DC / DC / DC / AC converter, a shunt valve, a smart three-way valve, and superconducting cables and pipelines connecting the above functional units.

[0034] Liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen storage tank enters the plate-fin heat exchanger, where it exchanges heat with high-pressure helium, cooling the helium to about 20K and releasing hydrogen.

[0035] Hydrogen enters the catalytic combustion chamber, mixes with air, and burns to drive a micro gas turbine to generate electricity. The electrical energy is then converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use in the refrigerator and cryogenic testing and operation via DC / DC and DC / AC converters.

[0036] A portion of the helium gas flows through a plate-fin heat exchanger for cascaded cooling, and the cold energy is stored in a rhodium-iron cold storage body. The cold storage body is connected to a dilution refrigerator, which continuously cools the gas to 10 mK, providing extremely low temperatures for ultra-low temperature testing and operation.

[0037] Another portion of the liquid hydrogen cold energy enters the helium precooling heat exchanger to initially cool the pure helium gas, and then enters the three-stage helium-3 refrigerator. The 0.1K helium gas is throttled and expanded to 0.8K through the microchannel countercurrent heat exchanger, and solid helium is deposited on the rotating inclined wall (to prevent agglomeration).

[0038] Example 3

[0039] The structure of this embodiment is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, it includes a liquid hydrogen storage tank, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a DC / DC / DC / AC converter, a rhodium-iron cold storage body, a dilution refrigerator, a flow divider valve, a smart three-way valve, a cryogenic valve, and superconducting cables and pipelines connecting the above functional units.

[0040] Liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen storage tank enters the plate-fin heat exchanger, where it exchanges heat with high-pressure helium, cooling the helium to about 20K and releasing hydrogen.

[0041] Liquid hydrogen flows through a three-stage plate-fin heat exchanger, where its temperature decreases. This cold energy is then stored in a rhodium-iron regenerator to buffer temperature fluctuations. The regenerator is directly pre-cooled. 3 He 4 The mixing chamber and dilution refrigerator operate continuously, providing extremely low temperatures for ultra-low temperature testing and operation.

[0042] Hydrogen enters a high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell and reacts with oxygen to generate electricity, which is then converted into alternating current by a DC / DC or DC / AC converter to drive a refrigerator.

Claims

1. A very low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply, comprising: The liquid hydrogen storage tank, the liquid hydrogen heat exchanger, the refrigerator, the DC / DC, DC / AC converter, the energy conversion device, the low-temperature valve and the superconducting cable, pipeline and the like connected with the above functional units, characterized in that the energy conversion device is connected with the DC / DC, DC / AC converter through the superconducting cable to provide electric energy for the refrigerator, the ultra-low temperature test and operation. The liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen storage tank enters the heat exchanger to exchange heat with helium, and the hydrogen enters the energy conversion device to generate electricity; a part of the cold storage medium of the liquid hydrogen heat exchanger is transported to the pre-cooling stage of the refrigerator and the superconducting cable, and the energy conversion device provides electric energy for the refrigerator, the ultra-low temperature test and operation. The liquid hydrogen heat exchanger divides the liquid hydrogen into hydrogen and cold energy, the DC / DC, DC / AC converter converts the direct current generated by the energy conversion device into alternating current available for the refrigerator, and the pre-cooling stage of the refrigerator further cools the helium carrying the cold energy of the liquid hydrogen to 1-4K, and the refrigerator reduces the temperature to the mK level.

2. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1, further comprising a solid helium heat exchanger, characterized in that, The helium-solid heat exchanger can be a helium three refrigeration type thermostat, a liquid helium continuous flow type thermostat, a high-efficiency compact aluminum plate-fin heat exchanger and a sleeve type helium throttling heat exchanger, which functions to change gaseous helium into solid helium.

3. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a cold accumulator. The cold accumulator can be a rhodium-iron cold accumulator, a solid nitrogen energy accumulator and a solid neon energy accumulator.

4. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The refrigerator can be one-stage, two-stage, three-stage or four-stage.

5. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that, The refrigerator can include an adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration unit, a dilution refrigeration unit, an adsorption refrigeration unit, a pulse tube refrigeration unit, a Stirling refrigeration unit, a thermoacoustic refrigeration unit, a GM refrigeration unit and a helium refrigerator.

6. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1, 2, characterized in that, The energy conversion device can be a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a solid oxide fuel cell, an alkaline fuel cell, a phosphoric acid fuel cell, a molten carbonate fuel cell, a hydrogen internal combustion engine and a hydrogen gas turbine.

7. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1, 2, characterized in that, The liquid hydrogen heat exchanger is part of the pre-cooling unit of the refrigerator, which can be a continuous secondary hydrogen conversion heat exchanger, a ring fin heat exchanger, a plate-fin liquid hydrogen vaporizer, a tube sleeve heat exchanger and a micro-channel heat exchanger.

8. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply of claim 1, characterized in that The DC / DC converter includes a Buck / Boost / Buck-Boost converter, a Chuk converter, a SEPIC converter, a ZETA converter and an isolated DC / DC converter.

9. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply of claim 1, characterized in that The DC / AC converter includes a square wave inverter, a modified sine wave inverter and a pure sine wave inverter.

10. The ultra-low temperature system based on liquid hydrogen pre-cooling and waste heat power generation self-power supply according to claim 1, 2, characterized in that, The external fluid of the cold end of the refrigerator is a low-temperature working medium, and the external fluid of the hot end of the refrigerator is air, pure water, ethylene glycol and the like.

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