Pressure vessel

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pressure vessel capable of storing a fluid, the pressure vessel being provided with: a plurality of main body parts in which spaces are formed; and one or more connecting portions that connect the main body portions to each other, the main body portions and the connecting portions are alternately connected in series, the connecting portions are bent, and a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body portions has an outer shape having a linear portion and an arc portion. Each of the plurality of main body portions is disposed so as to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface located at the linear portion of another adjacent main body portion at the outer peripheral surface located at the linear portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a pressure container. BACKGROUND

[0002] A pressure container for storing a fluid is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open No. 2018-519480. The pressure container of Japanese Laid-Open No. 2018-519480 alternately has a cylindrical tube as an inner liner cavity and a flexible connector, and is capable of being folded into the inside of a case by bending a portion of the flexible connector.

[0003] Conventionally, a pressure container is cylindrical, and thus it is difficult to say that the volume for storing a fluid is effectively ensured. SUMMARY

[0004] The present specification discloses a pressure container capable of storing a fluid. The pressure container includes: a plurality of body portions that form a space inside; and one or more connection portions that communicate the body portions with each other, the body portions and the connection portions are alternately connected in series, and the connection portions are bent, and a cross section of the body portion perpendicular to a length direction has an outline shape including a straight line portion and a circular arc portion.

[0005] According to the above structure, the cross section of the body portion of the pressure container perpendicular to the length direction has the outline shape including the straight line portion and the circular arc portion. Thus, compared with the conventional one in which such a cross section is circular, it is possible to ensure a larger volume. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Hereinafter, features, advantages, technical and industrial importance of exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0007] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure container.

[0008] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view based on line II-II of Figure 1

[0009] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pressure container after winding a reinforcing member, based on the same viewpoint as Figure 2 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each drawing is merely an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated content. In addition, each drawing is an example, and a part is omitted.

[0011] Figure 1 ​​A pressure vessel 10 of the present embodiment is simply shown by a cross-sectional view. The pressure vessel 10 is capable of storing a fluid. The fluid is, for example, a fuel gas such as hydrogen. In the drawings, X and Y directions are appropriately shown for the sake of easy explanation. The X direction is orthogonal to the Y direction. The pressure vessel 10 is provided with a plurality of body portions 20 that form a space inside, and one or more connection portions 30 that make the body portions 20 communicate with each other. The connection portion 30 of course forms a space inside in order to make the body portions 20 communicate with each other.

[0012] According to Figure 1 , the body portion 20 is long in the Y direction, and both ends in the Y direction are openings 23. According to Figure 1 , the Y direction corresponds to the length direction of the body portion 20. The body portion 20 is provided with: a trunk portion 21 whose cross section orthogonal to the length direction is substantially constant; and a tapered portion 22 that is both end portions of the trunk portion 21 in the length direction. The tapered portion 22 gradually or stepwise narrows a cross-sectional area orthogonal to the length direction from the trunk portion 21 toward the opening 23. Hereinafter, the cross section orthogonal to the length direction in the cross section of the body portion 20 is referred to as a "first cross section".

[0013] According to Figure 1 , the plurality of body portions 20 are arranged side by side along the X direction (one direction). In addition, the plurality of body portions 20 are disposed at substantially the same position in the Y direction. From the pressure vessel 10 as a whole, the body portions 20 are connected in series alternately with the connection portions 30. The connection portion 30 is bent between the opening 23 of one body portion 20 and the opening 23 of another body portion 20. According to Figure 1 , the connection portion 30 is bent by substantially 180 degrees in a substantially U shape, thereby making the body portions 20 adjacent in the X direction communicate with each other. In such a pressure vessel 10, from the body portion 20 located at one end in the X direction to the body portion 20 located at the other end in the X direction, the communication is integrated.

[0014] The connection portion 30 is a pipe that connects the opening 23 of one body portion 20 and the opening 23 of another body portion 20, and thus a cross section orthogonal to the flow direction thereof is substantially narrower than the first cross section of the trunk portion 21. However, in the present embodiment, the cross section of the connection portion 30 is not necessarily narrower than the first cross section of the trunk portion 21. In other words, it is also possible that the body portion 20 does not have the tapered portion 22, and both ends of the trunk portion 21 are each the opening 23. In this case, a structure in which the trunk portion 21 and the connection portion 30 are directly connected is obtained.

[0015] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view based on the line II-II of Figure 1 . Figure 2The shape of the first cross section of the main body portion 20 is shown. The first cross section has an outer shape shape having a straight portion and a circular arc portion. Therefore, according to such a present embodiment, compared with the existing structure in which the cross section of the pressure container perpendicular to the length direction is circular, it is possible to ensure a larger volume for storing fluid.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2 the first cross section of the main body portion 20 (hereinafter referred to as an end main body portion 20b) located at both ends in the arrangement of the plurality of main body portions 20 in the X direction is different from the first cross section shape of the main body portion 20 (hereinafter referred to as an intermediate main body portion 20a) located in the middle in the arrangement. The first cross section of the intermediate main body portion 20a has an oblong shape having two straight portions and two circular arc portions. On the other hand, the first cross section of the end main body portion 20b has an outer shape shape having a single straight portion and a single circular arc portion and is different from the oblong shape.

[0017] Each of the plurality of main body portions 20 is configured to contact the outer peripheral surface at the straight portion with the outer peripheral surface at the straight portion of the other main body portion 20 adjacent thereto. That is, the main body portions 20 adjacent to each other in the X direction contact each other at the straight portions. By thus contacting the straight portions, each main body portion 20 can appropriately suppress expansion of the main stem portion 21 due to expansion of the fluid.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2 the first cross section of the end main body portion 20b can be said to be a substantially semicircular shape or a D-shaped shape. That is, the first cross section of the end main body portion 20b is rounded on the side not adjacent to the adjacent main body portion 20 in the X direction. Due to this, the end main body portion 20b can appropriately ensure strength with respect to the pressure of the fluid. Further, in the intermediate main body portion 20a and the end main body portion 20b, the shape and range of the tapered portion 22 in the main body portion 20 are sometimes different.

[0019] One example of a manufacturing method of the pressure container 10 will be briefly described. Hereinafter, the pressure container 10 in a state before the bending connection portion 30 is referred to as a pre-bent pressure container 10. First, an inner liner that is a hollow body to be a base material of the pre-bent pressure container 10 is prepared. The inner liner is formed of, for example, a resin such as nylon. The inner liner is a hollow body in which a main body shape portion having a shape corresponding to the main body portion 20 and a connection shape portion having a shape corresponding to the pre-bent connection portion 30 are alternately and linearly integrally formed.

[0020] A winding machine is used to wind wire, for example, in a mesh or spiral shape, onto the outer surface of such a liner. The winding machine is also known as a braiding machine or a tape braiding machine. The wire wound relative to the liner is carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is carbon fiber impregnated with resin. By winding the wire using a winding machine, a fiber layer 27 formed of CFRP is formed covering the outer surface of the liner.

[0021] The liner and the winding machine move relative to each other along the length of the liner. For example, the position of the winding machine is fixed, and the liner moves relative to it along its length. Along with this movement, the wire is wound using the winding machine. As a result, the pressure vessel 10 before bending can be manufactured efficiently. By using an integrally formed liner as a base material to perform the above-described winding to manufacture the pressure vessel 10 as a whole before bending, the number of parts and labor time can be reduced compared to the conventional method of manufacturing a pressure vessel by joining multiple parts of different thicknesses and shapes, thereby reducing the number of parts and labor time, and manufacturing the pressure vessel 10 at a lower cost.

[0022] The pressure vessel 10, before bending, is then bent into a roughly U-shape via the connecting part 30 to become... Figure 1 The pressure vessel 10 is in the shape shown. When the connecting part 30 is bent, the adjacent main body parts 20 in the X direction contact each other by pressing their respective straight portions, i.e., their planar side surfaces. As can be seen from the description so far, the pressure vessel 10 is composed of an inner liner and an outer fiber layer 27 relative to the inner liner. However, the inner liner is omitted from the figures.

[0023] The pressure vessel 10 after the connecting portion 30 is bent may also be further wound with a reinforcing member 70. The reinforcing member 70 is also CFRP. The reinforcing member 70 gathers all the main body portions 20 of the pressure vessel 10 and winds them around their outer periphery. Figure 3 This shows a cross-section of the pressure vessel 10 after the reinforcing member 70 has been wound around it. Figure 3 Is with Figure 2 A cross-sectional view from the same viewpoint. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the pressure vessel 10 includes a reinforcing member 70, which is wound around the outer periphery of a plurality of main body portions 20, fixing the plurality of main body portions 20 to each other. Figure 1 In the diagram, the extent of the reinforcing member 70, which wraps around the multiple main body portions 20 from the outside, is illustrated by a double-dotted line. Through the reinforcing member 70, the multiple main body portions 20 are fixed together, and their overall strength relative to fluid pressure is increased.

[0024] Furthermore, the cross-section of the connecting portion 30 perpendicular to its flow path direction can take various shapes. The cross-section of the connecting portion 30 perpendicular to the flow path direction can be the same oblong shape as the main body 20, or it can be any shape, such as a circle or a roughly quadrilateral shape. An oblong shape can broadly include an ellipse. Additionally, the connecting portion 30 can also have a so-called bellows structure, where its cross-sectional shape is repeatedly convex and concave. By designing the connecting portion 30 as a bellows structure, it is easy to bend the connecting portion 30.

[0025] In the pressure vessel 10, a connector 40 is provided at one end of one of the multiple main body sections 20 located at the end of the series connection. Figure 1 As shown by the double-dotted line, a connector 40 is installed at one end of the main body 20 located at one end and at the other end of the main body 20 in the X direction. The connector 40 is, for example, made of metal and formed in a ring shape. A component (not shown) for sealing the opening 23 is fastened to the connector 40. A component (not shown) that connects the opening 23 to a flow path (not shown) outside the pressure vessel 10 may also be fastened to the connector 40.

[0026] The specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application. The technology described in the scope of protection of this application includes technologies obtained by various modifications and alterations to the specific examples described above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exert their technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the technical solution at the time of application. In addition, the technology illustrated in this specification or drawings simultaneously achieves multiple objectives, and achieving one of these objectives is itself technically useful.

Claims

1. A pressure vessel capable of storing a fluid, wherein, Possessing: a plurality of body portions that form a space inside; and one or more connecting portions that make the body portions communicate with each other, the body portions and the connecting portions are connected in series alternately, and the connecting portions are bent, a cross section of the body portion perpendicular to the length direction has an outer shape that has a straight line portion and a circular arc portion.

2. The pressure vessel according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of body portions is configured so that an outer peripheral surface at the straight line portion contacts an outer peripheral surface at the straight line portion of an adjacent body portion.

3. The pressure vessel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of body portions are arranged side by side in one direction, a cross section of the body portion that is in the middle of the arrangement perpendicular to the length direction has an oblong shape that has two straight line portions and two circular arc portions, a cross section of the body portion that is at the ends of the arrangement perpendicular to the length direction has an outer shape that has a single straight line portion and a single circular arc portion and is different from the oblong shape.

4. The pressure vessel according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing member that is wound around the outer periphery of the plurality of body portions to fix the plurality of body portions to each other is further provided.

5. The pressure vessel according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of the connecting portion perpendicular to the flow path direction is any one of a circular shape, an oblong shape, and a substantially quadrangular shape.

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