A multi-tank liquid hydrogen system
By using the liquid hydrogen filling, pressurization, transportation and hydrogen recovery modules of the multi-tank liquid hydrogen system, the problems of low hydrogen storage density and high cost of high-pressure hydrogen supply systems are solved, achieving efficient increase in hydrogen storage capacity and extension of vehicle driving range, while reducing system costs and fuel waste.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHAANXI HEAVY DUTY AUTOMOBILE CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing high-pressure hydrogen supply systems have low hydrogen storage density, low space utilization, and the arrangement of multiple storage tanks increases the vehicle wheelbase, resulting in high costs. Impurities in the hydrogen affect the lifespan of fuel cells, and the preparation process is complex.
The system employs a multi-tank liquid hydrogen system, including a liquid hydrogen filling module, a liquid hydrogen pressurization module, a fuel delivery module, and a hydrogen recovery module. It increases hydrogen storage capacity through cryogenic liquid hydrogen pressurization, heat exchange, and pressure stabilization. The system shares a hydrogen filling port and a return port, and hydrogen recovery avoids waste. The heat exchange module assists in heat dissipation.
It improves hydrogen storage density and refueling convenience, reduces system costs, meets the needs of long-distance driving range, reduces fuel waste, and improves the economy of the whole vehicle.
Smart Images
Figure CN122447633A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of power supply technology for new energy fuel cell commercial vehicles, specifically to a multi-tank liquid hydrogen system. Background Technology
[0002] The mainstream hydrogen supply systems used in domestic new energy fuel cell vehicles are high-pressure hydrogen supply systems. Due to regulatory restrictions, the volume of a single onboard high-pressure hydrogen storage tank is ≤450L. When matched with 70MPa pressure, the hydrogen storage capacity of a single tank is ≤18.2kg. To increase the driving range, multiple tanks are required. A multi-tank high-pressure hydrogen storage system consists of multiple high-pressure tanks, high-pressure pipelines, low-pressure pipelines, pressure reducing devices, and safety pressure relief devices.
[0003] High-pressure pipelines connect multiple storage tanks in series. When adding hydrogen, the hydrogen gun is connected to the hydrogen inlet, the hydrogen pressure is set, and high-pressure hydrogen is added to the storage tanks along the high-pressure pipeline. The pressure in all storage tanks rises synchronously until the set pressure or maximum working pressure is reached, at which point the one-way valve prevents hydrogen backflow.
[0004] When a hydrogen supply command is received, the valves of multiple storage tanks open simultaneously. High-pressure hydrogen passes through the bottle valve and the high-pressure pipeline pressure reducing device. The pressure reducing device reduces the pressure of the high-pressure hydrogen to the hydrogen pressure required by the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine before it is delivered to the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine.
[0005] When the pressure inside the storage tank exceeds the set pressure due to temperature changes during safety pressure relief, the safety pressure relief device will automatically open to release hydrogen into the atmosphere until the pressure is lower than the set pressure, ensuring the safety of the system.
[0006] Existing drawbacks:
[0007] 1) High-pressure hydrogen supply systems have low hydrogen storage density, and a single storage tank can only store a small amount of hydrogen. Generally, multiple storage tanks need to be combined, resulting in low space utilization and low space energy storage density.
[0008] 2) Multiple storage tanks are generally located behind the cab, which increases the wheelbase of the vehicle and requires a fixed frame and protective cover to enclose them. The hydrogen storage density is low and multiple storage tanks cannot meet the requirements of long-distance driving range (≥1000km).
[0009] 3) During the production and preparation of high-pressure hydrogen, the hydrogen contains a lot of impurities, which affects the service life of fuel cells;
[0010] 4) High-pressure storage tanks are mostly composed of an inner liner and carbon fiber winding, which is costly. Summary of the Invention
[0011] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-tank liquid hydrogen system.
[0012] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is: a multi-tank liquid hydrogen system, including a liquid hydrogen filling module, wherein liquid hydrogen flows to several tanks through a one-way check valve and a cryogenic pipeline;
[0013] The liquid hydrogen pressurization module is used to open the liquid outlet device of the pressurized tank when it detects that the fuel pressure in any storage tank is low, releasing cryogenic liquid hydrogen. After passing through a heat exchanger and a buffer heat exchanger, the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is converted into gaseous hydrogen. The gaseous hydrogen returns to the low-pressure storage tank, thus completing the pressurization.
[0014] The fuel delivery module identifies the working signal of the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine, detects the pressure of several storage tanks except for the pressurized storage tank, and opens the liquid outlet device of the high-pressure storage tank. Liquid hydrogen or cryogenic gaseous hydrogen passes through the heat exchanger and is stored in the gaseous hydrogen storage buffer device. Then, the hydrogen pressure is stabilized by the pressure stabilizing device and delivered to the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine for use.
[0015] The hydrogen recovery module collects hydrogen that has been safely depressurized from the storage tank and the hydrogen storage buffer device. When the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine is working, the hydrogen in the hydrogen recovery device is delivered to the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine through the pressure reducing device.
[0016] Preferably, the multi-tank liquid hydrogen system is also equipped with a heat exchange module. After recognizing the working signal of the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine, the heat exchanger on / off switch is opened, and the cooling water begins to circulate and exchange heat with the fuel.
[0017] Preferably, the liquid hydrogen refueling module observes the pressure inside the storage tank through a pressure gauge. If the pressure inside the storage tank is greater than the liquid hydrogen pressure inside the hydrogen refueling station, the hydrogen refueling station connects the return gas gun to the return gas port and opens the shut-off device to reduce the pressure inside the storage tank to be lower than the pressure inside the hydrogen refueling station.
[0018] Preferably, the plurality of storage tanks share a single set of return gas inlet and hydrogen filling inlet.
[0019] Preferably, the heat exchanger is connected to the cooling water in the cooling module of the fuel cell, hydrogen internal combustion engine, battery, or motor, wherein high-temperature cooling water is connected to the inlet and low-temperature cooling water is connected to the outlet.
[0020] Preferably, the storage tank is a liquid hydrogen cylinder.
[0021] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0022] 1) Compared with high-pressure hydrogen supply systems, the present invention can improve the mass hydrogen storage density of the hydrogen supply system, increase the hydrogen storage capacity of a single storage tank, increase the driving range of the whole vehicle, and support modular expansion of the driving range.
[0023] 2) In the liquid hydrogen refueling mode of this invention, a single set of hydrogen filling port and return gas port are used, and the hydrogen refueling station can complete the fuel refueling of multiple storage tanks at one time, which improves the convenience of refueling and reduces system costs;
[0024] 3) In the pressurization mode of this invention, one of the storage tanks is selected to install the pressurization liquid outlet device. After heat exchange, the liquid returns to the storage tank and adaptively adjusts the pressure inside the storage tank to ensure that the pressure inside the storage tank is in normal working condition, meet the power requirements of the vehicle, and reduce system costs.
[0025] 4) The hydrogen recovery device of the present invention can store most of the hydrogen that has been safely depressurized and discharged from the storage tank and the hydrogen storage buffer device, thus avoiding fuel waste and increased operating costs after direct emission into the atmosphere;
[0026] 5) The heat exchange of this invention enables heat exchange between liquid hydrogen and cooling water, which helps dissipate heat from the vehicle modules, reduces the power consumption of the cooling modules, and improves the overall vehicle economy. Attached Figure Description
[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.
[0028] In the diagram: 1-Storage tank; 2-Heat exchanger; 3-Gaseous hydrogen storage and buffer device; 4-Hydrogen recovery module; 5-Pressure reducing device; 6-Pressure stabilizing device; 7-Pressure relief device; 8-Stop device; 9-Return port; 10-One-way check valve; 11-Hydrogen filling port; 12-Buffer heat exchanger; 13-Fuel cell; 14-Cooling module; 15-Vacuum outlet. Detailed Implementation
[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0030] The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system of this invention consists of liquid hydrogen storage tanks 1 (number ≥ 2), heat exchanger 2, gaseous hydrogen storage buffer device 3, hydrogen recovery device 4, pressure reducing device 5, pressure stabilizing device 6, pressure relief device 7, and shut-off device 8, and has the functions of liquid hydrogen system filling, fuel transportation, tank pressurization, hydrogen recovery, safety pressure relief, and heat exchange.
[0031] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0032] Liquid hydrogen refueling in this system: After the vehicle parks at the designated location at the hydrogen refueling station and completes operations such as destatication, the pressure inside the storage tank is observed using a pressure gauge. If the pressure in the storage tank is higher than the liquid hydrogen pressure inside the refueling station, the refueling station needs to connect the return gas gun to the return gas port 9 and open the shut-off device 8 to reduce the pressure in storage tank 1 to below the pressure of the refueling station. If the pressure in storage tank 1 is lower than the liquid hydrogen pressure inside the refueling station, this operation is not necessary. Then, the hydrogen refueling gun is connected to the hydrogen refueling port, and the liquid hydrogen flows through the one-way check valve 10 and the cryogenic pipeline to several storage tanks. Several storage tanks share a set of return gas port 9 and hydrogen refueling port 11.
[0033] The liquid hydrogen pressurization system employs an additional liquid outlet device (hereinafter referred to as the pressurized tank) installed on one of several storage tanks 1. When the system detects insufficient fuel pressure in any of the several storage tanks 1, the liquid outlet device of the pressurized tank will open, releasing cryogenic liquid hydrogen. After passing through heat exchanger 2 and buffer heat exchanger 12, the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is converted into gaseous hydrogen, which then returns to the under-pressurized tank, completing the system pressurization and ensuring that the tank pressure remains within the normal operating range.
[0034] The system's fuel delivery mechanism works as follows: After recognizing the operating signal of fuel cell 13 or the hydrogen internal combustion engine, it detects the pressure in several storage tanks (excluding the pressurized tank). The tank with the highest pressure is prioritized to open its liquid outlet. Liquid hydrogen or cryogenic gaseous hydrogen passes through heat exchanger 2 and is briefly stored in the gaseous hydrogen storage buffer device 3. Then, the hydrogen pressure is stabilized by the pressure stabilizing device 6 and delivered to fuel cell 13 or the hydrogen internal combustion engine for use. Once the liquid hydrogen in the other storage tanks (excluding the pressurized tank) is nearly depleted or reaches a set value, fuel from the pressurized tank is used.
[0035] Hydrogen recovery in this system: If the fuel in the liquid hydrogen storage tank is stored unused for a long time, the pressure will gradually rise. If the pressure exceeds the set value, the safety pressure relief device 7 will be activated to release the excess hydrogen through the vent 15, thereby reducing the pressure in the storage tank and protecting its safety. Similarly, the gaseous hydrogen storage buffer device 3 will also release hydrogen. To avoid fuel waste, a hydrogen recovery module 4 is added to the multiple storage tanks to collect the hydrogen released from the storage tanks and the gaseous hydrogen storage buffer device 3. If the pressure exceeds the working pressure of the hydrogen recovery device 4, it will be released into the atmosphere. When the fuel cell 13 or the hydrogen internal combustion engine is working, the hydrogen in the hydrogen recovery module 16 is delivered to the fuel cell 13 or the hydrogen internal combustion engine through the pressure reducing device 5.
[0036] The heat exchange in this system involves connecting the cooling water from the cooling modules 14 (fuel cell / hydrogen internal combustion engine / battery / motor, etc.) to the heat exchanger 2, which is then separated by an on / off switch. High-temperature cooling water is connected to the inlet, and low-temperature cooling water is connected to the outlet. Upon detecting the operating signal of the fuel cell 13 or the hydrogen internal combustion engine, the heat exchanger on / off switch opens, and the cooling water begins to circulate, exchanging heat with the fuel.
[0037] This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Anyone should know that any structural changes made under the guidance of this invention, and any technical solutions that are the same as or similar to this invention, fall within the protection scope of this invention.
[0038] The technologies, shapes, and structures not described in detail in this invention are all known technologies.
Claims
1. A multi-tank liquid hydrogen system, characterized in that, Includes a liquid hydrogen filling module, through which liquid hydrogen flows to several storage tanks via a one-way check valve and cryogenic pipeline; The liquid hydrogen pressurization module is used to open the liquid outlet device of the pressurized tank when it detects that the fuel pressure in any storage tank is low, releasing cryogenic liquid hydrogen. After passing through a heat exchanger and a buffer heat exchanger, the cryogenic liquid hydrogen is converted into gaseous hydrogen. The gaseous hydrogen returns to the low-pressure storage tank, thus completing the pressurization. The fuel delivery module identifies the working signal of the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine, detects the pressure of several storage tanks except for the pressurized storage tank, and opens the liquid outlet device of the high-pressure storage tank. Liquid hydrogen or cryogenic gaseous hydrogen passes through the heat exchanger and is stored in the gaseous hydrogen storage buffer device. Then, the hydrogen pressure is stabilized by the pressure stabilizing device and delivered to the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine for use. The hydrogen recovery module collects hydrogen that has been safely depressurized from the storage tank and the hydrogen storage buffer device. When the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine is working, the hydrogen in the hydrogen recovery device is delivered to the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine through the pressure reducing device.
2. The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system is also equipped with a heat exchange module. After recognizing the working signal of the fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion engine, the heat exchanger on / off switch is opened, and the cooling water begins to circulate, exchanging heat with the fuel.
3. The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid hydrogen refueling module observes the pressure inside the storage tank through a pressure gauge. If the pressure in the storage tank is greater than the liquid hydrogen pressure in the hydrogen refueling station, the hydrogen refueling station connects the return gas gun to the return gas port and opens the shut-off device to reduce the pressure in the storage tank to be lower than the pressure of the hydrogen refueling station.
4. The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The aforementioned storage tanks share a common set of return gas inlet and hydrogen filling inlet.
5. The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heat exchanger is connected to the cooling water in the cooling module of the fuel cell, hydrogen internal combustion engine, battery or motor, wherein high-temperature cooling water is connected to the inlet and low-temperature cooling water is connected to the outlet.
6. The multi-tank liquid hydrogen system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage tank is a liquid hydrogen cylinder.