Double-valve linkage vacuum filling device for liquid hydrogen storage tank

Abstract

The utility model provides a double-valve linkage vacuum packing device for a liquid hydrogen storage tank, which comprises a packing container arranged at the top of the liquid hydrogen storage tank, the upper part of the packing container is connected with a packing pump, and the bottom of the packing container is communicated with a vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank; the double-valve mechanism comprises a filler valve arranged between the upper part of the filler container and the filler pump, and a connecting valve arranged between the lower part of the filler container and the liquid hydrogen storage tank; the vacuumizing mechanism comprises a vacuumizing assembly connected with the filler container through an exhaust pipeline and a pressure sensor arranged on the filler container; and the controller is respectively connected with the filler pump, the filler valve, the connecting valve, the vacuumizing assembly and the pressure sensor, and is used for firstly filling the filler container with filler, then vacuumizing the filler container to a certain degree and finally enabling the filler to fall into a vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank. The utility model solves the technical problems that the construction period is long, the efficiency is low, the filling is not uniform, and the vacuum degree does not reach the standard, which are caused by the fact that the filling is performed firstly and then the vacuumizing is performed in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of liquid hydrogen storage tank filling, and in particular to a dual-valve linkage vacuum filling device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid hydrogen storage tanks are widely used in aerospace, energy storage, and hydrogen fuel supply. Their cryogenic storage characteristics require highly efficient insulation capabilities. Currently, large liquid hydrogen storage tanks primarily employ a medium or low vacuum method combined with insulation material filling (such as hollow glass microspheres or perlite) to reduce heat conduction. However, existing large liquid hydrogen storage tanks typically use a one-time filling of insulation material (e.g., glass microspheres) followed by vacuuming. The presence of numerous glass microspheres hinders gas escape, leading to long construction cycles, low efficiency, and issues such as uneven filling and substandard vacuum levels.

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems, this utility model provides an optimized design that combines a filling device with a vacuuming device, which can improve vacuuming efficiency, accelerate construction speed, and ensure uniform filling of insulation material. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks, which solves the aforementioned technical problems of long construction period, low efficiency, and easy occurrence of uneven packing and substandard vacuum.

[0005] This embodiment provides a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks, including:

[0006] A packing container is installed on top of a liquid hydrogen storage tank, and a packing pump is connected to its upper part. Its bottom is used to communicate with the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0007] The dual-valve mechanism includes a packing valve disposed between the upper part of the packing container and the packing pump, and a connecting valve disposed between the lower part of the packing container and the liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0008] The vacuuming mechanism includes a vacuuming assembly connected to the packing container via a vacuuming pipe, and a pressure sensor disposed in the packing container;

[0009] The controller is connected to the packing pump, the packing valve, the connecting valve, the vacuum assembly, and the pressure sensor, respectively. It is used to first fill the packing container with packing material, then evacuate the packing container to a certain degree of vacuum, and finally allow the packing material to fall into the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank.

[0010] Furthermore, the controller incorporates the following modules:

[0011] Control module;

[0012] The vacuum pump switching module is connected to the control module and is used to automatically control the start and stop of the vacuum pumping components based on the vacuum data fed back by the pressure sensor.

[0013] The valve linkage module, connected to the control module, is used to control the opening and closing of the packing valve and connecting valve, as well as the working status of the packing pump, according to the process of first packing, then vacuuming, and finally discharging.

[0014] Furthermore, the vacuum pumping assembly includes a low-vacuum pump used for coarse evacuation and a high-vacuum pump used for fine evacuation.

[0015] Furthermore, the low-vacuum pump is a pump group consisting of a Roots pump and a rotary vane pump connected in series, and the high-vacuum pump is a molecular pump.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a heating mechanism, which includes a heating belt wrapped around the outer wall of the filling container, a temperature sensor embedded in the inner wall of the container, and a PID temperature control module connected to the heating belt and the temperature sensor.

[0017] The controller also has a built-in temperature control module connected to the control module, which is used to dynamically adjust the power of the heating belt according to the data from the PID temperature control module to maintain a constant temperature.

[0018] Furthermore, the filling container is a funnel-shaped container with a cone angle of 40°~50°, and its inner wall is treated with a nano-coating or mirror polishing.

[0019] Furthermore, a filter blanket is provided at the inlet of the packing container that connects to the air extraction pipeline. The pore size of the filter blanket is smaller than that of the packing material and it is removable and replaceable.

[0020] Furthermore, a bellows compensator is provided at the connection between the exhaust pipe and the packing container to absorb thermal expansion and contraction deformation.

[0021] This embodiment also provides a method for using a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for a liquid hydrogen storage tank. The method of use is for the aforementioned dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for a liquid hydrogen storage tank, and the method of use includes the following steps;

[0022] S1. The vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank is first evacuated by an external vacuum pump or the vacuum pumping mechanism to achieve the target vacuum level.

[0023] S2. Close the connecting valve and open the packing valve. The packing pump will work and inject a certain amount of packing into the packing container through the feeding pipe.

[0024] S3. Close the packing valve and start the vacuum pumping mechanism to evacuate the packing container. First, use the low vacuum pump to perform a rough evacuation of the packing container. When the pressure drops to a certain level, switch to the high vacuum pump to perform a fine evacuation until the pressure reaches the target vacuum level.

[0025] S4. After the target vacuum level is reached, the controller opens the connection valve, allowing the packing material in the packing container to fall into the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank under gravity. The operation of S2-S4 is repeated, repeating the process of "packing → vacuuming → material dropping" until the vacuum layer is filled with a certain amount of packing material.

[0026] This embodiment also provides another method of using a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks. The method of using the dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks described above includes the following steps.

[0027] S1. The vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank is first evacuated by an external vacuum pump or the vacuum pumping mechanism to achieve the target vacuum level.

[0028] S2. Start the heating mechanism to heat the packing container through the heating belt. The heating temperature is controlled by the PID temperature control module.

[0029] S3. Close the connecting valve and open the packing valve. The packing pump will start working and inject a certain amount of packing into the packing container through the packing delivery pipeline.

[0030] S4. Close the packing valve and start the vacuum pumping mechanism to evacuate the packing container. First, use the low vacuum pump to perform a rough evacuation of the packing container. When the pressure drops to a certain level, switch to the high vacuum pump to perform a fine evacuation until the pressure reaches the target vacuum level.

[0031] S5. The controller opens the connection valve, allowing the packing material in the packing container to fall into the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank under gravity. The operation of S3-S5 is repeated, repeating the process of "packing → vacuuming → packing" until the vacuum layer is filled with a certain amount of packing material.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects achieved by this utility model include at least the following:

[0033] This vacuum filling device combines a filling container with a vacuum pumping mechanism, enabling simultaneous operation of vacuuming and filling. Since the glass microspheres fall freely into the vacuum environment without being affected by airflow or external interference, they are less likely to agglomerate or accumulate unevenly during the filling process, which helps to improve the uniformity of the vacuum layer, filling efficiency, and vacuum level. The controller enables fully automated operation of vacuum pump switching, valve linkage, and temperature control, reducing manual intervention and lowering operational errors and risks. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for a liquid hydrogen storage tank provided in this embodiment;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method of using the dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks provided in this embodiment.

[0037] icon:

[0038] 10 - Packed container; 20 - Liquid hydrogen storage tank; 30 - Packed pump;

[0039] 40 - Double valve mechanism; 41 - Packing valve; 42 - Connecting valve;

[0040] 50 - Vacuum pumping mechanism; 51 - Vacuum pumping assembly; 52 - Pressure sensor;

[0041] 60-Controller;

[0042] 70 - Heating mechanism; 71 - Heating belt; 72 - Temperature sensor; 73 - PID temperature control module;

[0043] 80-glass microspheres. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0045] In the description of this utility model, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0046] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, outlines some embodiments of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0047] This utility model provides a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 1 As shown, it includes a packing container 10, a packing pump 30, a double valve mechanism 40, a vacuum mechanism 50, a controller 60, and a heating mechanism 70.

[0048] The filling container 10 is a funnel-shaped container connected to the top of the liquid hydrogen storage tank 20 and connected to the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank 20 via a connecting pipe, serving as a vacuum space. The volume of the funnel-shaped container can be 5% of the volume of the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank 20, the cone angle can be 40°~50°, the inner wall is treated with nano-coating or mirror polishing, and the material is 304 stainless steel. The interface between the feeding pipe and the funnel-shaped container adopts a flange sealing structure and is fixed to the top of the storage tank with bolts. In addition, compared with the annular vacuum layer, the funnel-shaped container is smaller in volume and simpler in structure, can directly contact the external environment, the open structure of the funnel can also reduce powder residue, and the cleaning process is convenient and quick, reducing maintenance time and improving production efficiency.

[0049] The dual-valve mechanism 40 includes a packing valve 41 located at the top of the funnel-shaped container and a connecting valve 42 located at the bottom, used to control the communication status between the packing container 10 and the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank 20. In the dual-valve mechanism 40: the packing valve 41 can be a pneumatic butterfly valve, located at the feed inlet at the top of the funnel-shaped container; the connecting valve 42 can be an electric shut-off valve, located between the bottom of the funnel-shaped container and the storage tank, specifically the feed valve on the storage tank can be used as the connecting valve 42; both the packing valve 41 and the connecting valve 42 are connected to the controller 60 (mostly a PLC controller) via signal lines and are opened and closed according to a preset program.

[0050] The vacuuming mechanism 50 includes a vacuuming assembly 51 connected to the packing container 10, and a pressure sensor 52 disposed on the packing container 10. The vacuuming assembly 51 is connected to the funnel-shaped container via a vacuum pipe to evacuate the funnel-shaped container. The vacuuming assembly 51 includes a low-vacuum pump group and a high-vacuum pump. The low-vacuum pump group consists of a Roots pump and a rotary vane pump connected in series, used to initially evacuate the funnel-shaped container to 100°C. Pa; the high-vacuum pump is a molecular pump, which further evacuates the vacuum inside the funnel-shaped container to 6.67 Pa; the coordinated operation of the low-vacuum pump group and the high-vacuum pump will significantly shorten the construction time and improve the construction efficiency; through the optimized design of the vacuum pump group, energy consumption is reduced. This device uses a molecular pump as the high-vacuum pump, which has many advantages such as energy saving, environmental protection, and cost saving compared with diffusion pumps; in addition, the inlet of the gas extraction pipe is covered with a filter blanket to prevent glass microspheres 80 from entering the pipe while allowing gas to pass through; the filter blanket can be fixed to the inner wall of the pipe with clamps for easy disassembly and cleaning; in addition, the pressure sensor 52 is embedded inside the funnel-shaped container to monitor the vacuum inside the funnel in real time and feed it back to the controller 60; in addition, a bellows compensator is provided at the connection between the gas extraction pipe and the funnel-shaped container to absorb thermal expansion and contraction deformation.

[0051] The controller 60 is connected to the dual-valve mechanism 40, heating mechanism 70, vacuuming mechanism 50, temperature sensor 72, packing pump 30, and pressure sensor 52 via signal lines to achieve fully automated operation. The controller 60 incorporates the following functional modules: a control module; a vacuum pump switching module, connected to the control module, used to automatically control the start and stop of the low-vacuum pump group and the high-vacuum pump based on vacuum data fed back from the pressure sensor 52; a valve linkage module, connected to the control module, used to control the opening and closing of the packing valve 41 and connecting valve 42 and the working state of the packing pump 30 according to the "packing → vacuuming → material dropping" process; and a temperature control module, connected to the control module, dynamically adjusting the power of the heating belt 71 based on data from the PID temperature control module 73 to maintain a constant temperature.

[0052] The heating mechanism 70 includes a heating belt 71 wound around the outer wall of a funnel-shaped container, a temperature sensor 72 embedded in the inner wall of the container, a PID temperature control module 73 connecting the heating belt 71 and the temperature sensor 72, and heat insulation material on the outside of the heating belt. The heating belt 71 can be wound evenly around the outer wall of the funnel-shaped container in a spiral manner, and the heating temperature can be 40~80℃, with the specific heating temperature adjusted according to the vacuuming rate. The external heat insulation material can reduce heat loss and make the heating more uniform. The temperature sensor 72 is embedded in the inner wall of the funnel-shaped container and is connected to the PID temperature control module 73 through a signal line to provide real-time temperature data feedback to the controller 60.

[0053] This embodiment also provides a method for using a dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for a liquid hydrogen storage tank. The method is used with the vacuum packing device, which includes a heating mechanism 70, and the vacuum pumping assembly 51 includes a low-vacuum pump group and a high-vacuum pump. Please refer to... Figure 2 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0054] Step 1: Before the device is put into formal operation, the annular vacuum layer of the storage tank is evacuated using an external vacuum pump or the aforementioned vacuuming mechanism 50. When using an external vacuum pump, it can be directly connected to the evacuation port of the storage tank for evacuation. Similarly, the vacuuming mechanism 50 can evacuate the storage tank not only through the packing container but also through another evacuation pipe connected to the evacuation port of the storage tank. During the pre-vacuuming of the storage tank, since there are no glass microspheres 80 obstructing the airflow, the evacuation time is short, and the target vacuum level can be quickly reached. Thus, during the subsequent packing process, only a short-term vacuuming of the funnel-shaped container is required, improving overall efficiency.

[0055] Step 2: Before filling, the funnel-shaped container is pretreated. The heating mechanism 70 is activated, and the heating belt 71 uniformly heats the outer wall of the funnel-shaped container in a spiral winding manner. The temperature is controlled by the PID temperature control module 73, and the heating temperature range is 40~80℃, with the specific heating temperature determined by the vacuuming rate. During the heating process, the temperature sensor 72 monitors the inner wall temperature of the container in real time to ensure that adsorbed moisture and volatile substances are fully desorbed, thereby reducing the resistance in the subsequent vacuuming stage.

[0056] Step 3: Packing operation. Close the connecting valve 42 and open the packing valve 41. The packing pump 30 starts working and injects hollow glass microspheres 80 into the funnel-shaped container through the glass microspheres 80 delivery pipeline.

[0057] Step 4: After filling the funnel-shaped container to a certain extent, close the packing valve 41 and start the vacuum pumping mechanism 50 to evacuate the funnel-shaped container. This process is divided into two stages, including a low vacuum stage. In this stage, the low vacuum pump group first performs coarse evacuation on the funnel-shaped container, and the pressure sensor 52 monitors the pressure change in real time. When the pressure drops to 100 Pa or ≤100 Pa, the controller 60 triggers a switching command to enter the high vacuum stage. In this stage, the low vacuum pump group is turned off, and the molecular pump is started for fine evacuation. The pumping continues until the pressure reaches 6.67 Pa (corresponding to 5×10⁻² Torr). This vacuum level can effectively eliminate the influence of residual gas in the microsphere gaps on the heat preservation performance.

[0058] Step 5: Controller 60 controls the opening of connection valve 42. Under the action of gravity, the hollow glass microspheres 80 slide evenly into the vacuum layer of the storage tank along the funnel cone surface, with the cyclic logic repeating the "filling → vacuuming → material dropping" process until the vacuum layer is filled to a certain extent, such as completely filled. Furthermore, the filling amount of the filling container 10 can be controlled by the pumping rate and pumping time per unit time; the filling amount of the vacuum layer of the storage tank can be controlled based on the pre-filling amount of the filling container 10, the ratio of the filling volume to the vacuum layer filling volume, and the number of filling cycles.

[0059] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. A dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks, characterized in that, include: A packing container (10) is disposed on top of a liquid hydrogen storage tank (20), and a packing pump (30) is connected to its upper part. Its bottom is used to communicate with the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank (20). The dual valve mechanism (40) includes a packing valve (41) disposed between the upper part of the packing container (10) and the packing pump (30), and a connecting valve (42) disposed between the lower part of the packing container (10) and the liquid hydrogen storage tank (20). The vacuum mechanism (50) includes a vacuum assembly (51) connected to the packing container (10) via a vacuum pipe, and a pressure sensor (52) disposed in the packing container (10). The controller (60) is connected to the packing pump (30), the packing valve (41), the connecting valve (42), the vacuum assembly (51) and the pressure sensor (52) respectively. It is used to first fill the packing container (10) with packing, then draw a certain vacuum in the packing container (10), and finally make the packing fall into the vacuum layer of the liquid hydrogen storage tank (20).

2. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller (60) has the following built-in modules: Control module; The vacuum pump switching module is connected to the control module and is used to automatically control the start and stop of the vacuum pumping component (51) based on the vacuum data fed back by the pressure sensor (52). The valve linkage module is connected to the control module and is used to control the opening and closing of the packing valve (41) and the connecting valve (42) and the working status of the packing pump (30) according to the process of first packing, then vacuuming and finally dropping materials.

3. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vacuum assembly (51) includes a low-vacuum pump used for coarse evacuation and a high-vacuum pump used for fine evacuation.

4. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 3, characterized in that, The low-vacuum pump is a pump group consisting of a Roots pump and a rotary vane pump connected in series, and the high-vacuum pump is a molecular pump.

5. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a heating mechanism (70), which includes a heating belt (71) wrapped around the outer wall of the filling container (10), a temperature sensor (72) embedded in the inner wall of the container, and a PID temperature control module (73) connected to the heating belt (71) and the temperature sensor (72). The controller (60) also has a built-in temperature control module connected to the control module, which is used to dynamically adjust the power of the heating belt (71) according to the data of the PID temperature control module (73) to maintain a constant temperature.

6. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The filling container (10) is a funnel-shaped container with a cone angle of 40°~50°, and its inner wall is treated with nano-coating or mirror polishing.

7. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that, A filter blanket is provided at the inlet of the filling container (10) that is connected to the air extraction pipeline. The pore size of the filter blanket is smaller than that of the filling material and it is removable and replaceable.

8. The dual-valve linkage vacuum packing device for liquid hydrogen storage tanks according to claim 1, characterized in that, A corrugated compensator is provided at the connection between the exhaust pipe and the packing container (10) to absorb thermal expansion and contraction deformation.

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