Methods for storing and using liquid hydrogen

Abstract

Method for storing and using liquid hydrogen, in which liquid hydrogen is stored, stored and withdrawn from a primary storage tank, wherein, in addition to internal components in the primary storage tank, at least one reliquefaction unit and at least one level sensor are installed, and at least one cryogenic pump is used for storing and withdrawing liquid hydrogen, and the evaporation energy required for the withdrawal and / or use of liquid hydrogen to convert the liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is extracted from a refrigerant located in a secondary refrigeration circuit, which is condensed and pressurized by a pump and stored in a secondary storage tank, wherein the secondary storage tank may be located separately from the primary storage tank.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to the field of hydrogen technology and concerns a method for storing and using liquid hydrogen, such as can be used for the transport and storage of liquid hydrogen in tanks and the distribution to smaller storage units, truck transport tanks and to consumers.

[0002] Liquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen naturally exists in the molecular form of H2. To exist as a liquid, H2 must be cooled below its critical temperature of 33 K (Wikipedia, keyword "liquid hydrogen").

[0003] Hydrogen storage is the reversible storage of hydrogen with the goal of preserving its chemical and physical properties for future use. Storage includes the processes of loading into storage, temporary storage, and unloading. Conventional methods of storing hydrogen include compressed gas storage in pressure vessels using compressors and liquefied gas storage using cooling and compression.

[0004] Due to its chemical and physical properties, the handling of hydrogen differs from other energy sources.

[0005] When hydrogen escapes from a storage facility, it forms a flammable mixture with the ambient air at a concentration of just 4% and an explosive mixture (oxyhydrogen gas) at a concentration of 18% or more.

[0006] Compared to many hydrocarbons, hydrogen has a low enthalpy of combustion and thus a low energy density per unit volume (approximately one-third that of natural gas). This requires a tank three times larger or three times higher pressure to store equivalent amounts of energy than natural gas. However, due to its low molar mass, it has a comparatively high energy density per unit mass (e.g., more than twice that of natural gas).

[0007] Due to its small molecular size, hydrogen diffuses relatively well through a wide variety of materials, making many unsuitable for tank shells. High temperatures and high internal pressure intensify the diffusion process. Hydrogen embrittlement places additional stress on metal tank shells. This effect does not occur with plastic shells.

[0008] During cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction, unavoidable thermal insulation losses lead to evaporation / outgassing. To prevent the pressure in the containers from rising too high, the hydrogen gas is released via a pressure relief valve. If this resulting hydrogen gas cannot be used, significant losses occur.

[0009] Large amounts of energy are required not only for hydrogen production but also for storage (compression accounts for approximately 12%, liquefaction for approximately 20% of the stored energy). Therefore, despite its many advantages, hydrogen storage is currently often uneconomical.

[0010] For large quantities, liquefied gas storage is used. Because pressure liquefaction is no longer possible above the critical point (33 K, 1.3 MPa = 13.0 bar), the hydrogen is heavily cooled and compressed (LH2) for liquefaction.

[0011] The energy required for this can be divided into the following components, each related to the stored energy content: - 28 to 46% for liquefaction depending on the quantity and method used, - 6% for transport between liquefaction station and filling station, - up to 3% per day (% / d) due to boil-off losses, and - Evaporation losses during transfer.

[0012] Pressure then no longer poses a problem for the tank design. However, considerable effort is required to insulate the tank and pipes. Advantages include the lower reactivity at low temperatures and the 800-fold higher density of liquid hydrogen compared to gaseous hydrogen at ambient pressure. Nevertheless, liquid hydrogen requires a lot of space per unit weight. At 71 kg / m 3a density only slightly higher than small-pore foamed polystyrene (a 20-liter bucket can only hold 1.42 kg of liquid hydrogen, which is about a tenth of that of gasoline). The disadvantage is that, due to the very low temperature inside the tank, even with good thermal insulation, a heat flow from the environment cannot be avoided. This leads to partial evaporation of the hydrogen. To prevent a buildup of pressure, this hydrogen must be released if the hydrogen gas produced is intermittent or non-existent (so-called boil-off losses). Further measures (boil-off management) can minimize losses due to evaporation; in stationary applications, for example, by coupling it with a combined heat and power (CHP) plant.

[0013] For use in automobiles, tanker robots have been developed to handle the coupling and refueling. The energy required for liquefaction is only required once; subsequent transfer requires relatively little energy but generates additional outgassing. Transporting the fuel from the factory by tanker truck to filling stations / storage tanks also consumes up to 6% of the energy used due to the large volume and low energy density – many times more than the distribution of liquid fuels (0.2%).

[0014] In confined spaces, the combination of the above-mentioned variants enables significantly higher storage densities of up to 100 kg / m 3As with compressed gas storage, storage occurs above the critical temperature and pressure of up to 1000 bar. The storage pressure is thus equivalent to compressed gas storage, but the storage temperature, at -220 °C (53 K), is higher than that of liquid hydrogen. The advantage of the high storage density is offset by the necessary expenditure for the pressure tank and thermal insulation (Wikipedia, keyword "hydrogen storage").

[0015] Since hydrogen in liquid form (LH2) offers the highest storage density, this state of hydrogen is playing an increasingly important role as an alternative fuel despite its disadvantages (H. Eichsleder, M. Klell: Hydrogen in Vehicle Technology, 2008, ISBN 978-3-8348-0478-5).

[0016] Storage tanks for LH2 are established worldwide. Atmospheric tanks are the most common, where the liquid is stored at a cryogenic temperature of 20.3 K. Despite the very complex insulation, these tanks exhibit an average static evaporation rate of 1-2% / day. The gaseous LH2 loss can usually only be used to a limited extent and is lost during transport and storage.

[0017] Supercritical tanks are also known. These are sealed against the environment and allow a buildup of pressure and temperature inside for a certain period of time (e.g., the duration of transport). However, when the pressure is released at the end of the storage process, a large amount of gas is released, which in turn cannot be reused as LH2.

[0018] Another source of evaporation losses in LH2 tanks is level measurement. Current methods rely on electrical resistance measurements and transfer heat into the cryogenic liquid with each measurement.

[0019] Even under atmospheric storage conditions, each transfer process creates a pressure drop between the storage container and the target container and thus further evaporation losses in the order of 10-20%.

[0020] Here, too, the evaporating H2 gas can only be partially used and is lost from the LH2 logistics chain.

[0021] Finally, the LH2 is converted to a gaseous state before being used for energy production. This is usually done by selectively adding ambient heat. This process dissipates the considerable energy required for LH2 production. Approximately 30% of the energy contained in the hydrogen is lost during this process.

[0022] Furthermore, JP 2017 - 67 274 A is known from the prior art, in which a gas supply device is specified which consists of a storage container which stores liquefied gas, an evaporator which evaporates the liquefied gas discharged from the storage container, a compressor which compresses gas evaporated from the liquefied gas by the evaporator, an accumulator which stores the gas compressed by the compressor, and a supply passage which leads from the accumulator to a delivery device.

[0023] Furthermore, a method and a device for compressing a gas are known from WO 2016 / 139 433 A1.

[0024] In a gas compression process, a gas is cooled, then condensed to a liquid, the liquid is pressurized by a pump, then reheated, and during this reheating, evaporated to a compressed gas. A first heat pump, which operates by utilizing the magnetocaloric effect, exchanges heat between a first portion of the cooled gas, which condenses at the cold source, and a cooling fluid external to the process, thereby heating the cooling fluid. A second heat pump, which utilizes the magnetocaloric effect, exchanges heat between a second portion of the cooled gas, which condenses at the cold source, and the compressed liquid, which evaporates at the hot source.

[0025] A disadvantage of the state-of-the-art solutions is that high evaporation losses occur during storage and evaporation losses during distribution and use of the LH2.

[0026] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for storing and using liquid hydrogen in which evaporation losses during storage and evaporation losses during distribution and use of LH2 are avoided as far as possible.

[0027] The object is achieved by the invention defined in the claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims, whereby the invention also includes combinations of the individual dependent claims in the sense of an AND connection, as long as they are not mutually exclusive.

[0028] In the method according to the invention for storing and using liquid hydrogen, liquid hydrogen is stored in a primary storage facility, stored and withdrawn, wherein in addition to internal fittings in the primary storage facility, at least one reliquefaction unit and at least one fill level gauge are installed, and at least one cryogenic pump is used for storing and withdrawing liquid hydrogen, and the evaporation energy required for the withdrawal and / or use of liquid hydrogen for converting the liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is extracted from a refrigerant located in a secondary refrigeration circuit, which refrigerant is condensed and pressurized by a pump and stored in a secondary storage facility, wherein the secondary storage facility can be arranged spatially separate from the primary storage facility.

[0029] Advantageously, a tank for liquid hydrogen is used as the primary storage, which maintains the liquid phase of the hydrogen in the tank through insulation and / or pressure and / or temperature.

[0030] Furthermore, it is advantageous to use at least one reliquefaction unit as additional installation in the primary storage facility, using materials and components utilizing the magnetocaloric effect, wherein superconducting materials are advantageously used to realize the magnetic field required for this purpose.

[0031] It is also advantageous to use at least one level gauge using acoustoelectronic components as an additional installation in the primary storage tank.

[0032] It is also advantageous to use at least one level gauge as an additional component in the primary storage tank, which transmits its measured values ​​contactlessly, advantageously by means of capacitive, inductive and / or radio transmission, from the interior of the primary storage tank.

[0033] It is also advantageous if the application of liquid hydrogen from the primary storage is carried out in storage facilities for use in fuel cells.

[0034] It is also advantageous if the evaporation energy required for the withdrawal and / or conversion of liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is applied via a heat exchanger by a refrigerant which can be stored in a secondary storage facility, wherein the refrigerant from a secondary storage facility is even more advantageously used for application in an air conditioning system or in a refrigeration system.

[0035] It is also advantageous if the gaseous hydrogen produced during the withdrawal and / or conversion of liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is stored and / or passed on to consumers.

[0036] The solution according to the invention makes it possible for the first time to provide a method for storing and using liquid hydrogen in which evaporation losses during storage and evaporation losses during the distribution and use of LH2 are avoided as far as possible.

[0037] This is achieved using a process in which liquid hydrogen is stored in a primary storage facility and then withdrawn.

[0038] A liquid hydrogen tank is advantageously used as the primary storage medium, which can be constructed according to the state of the art in terms of dimensions, materials, and insulation performance. According to the invention, the primary storage medium must maintain the liquid phase of the hydrogen in the tank through insulation and / or pressure and / or temperature. Advantageously, the tank can be surrounded by a liquid nitrogen shield, thereby maintaining a temperature of 77 K around the tank. This ensures that cooling the liquid hydrogen does not require the same cooling and / or insulation effort as compared to ambient temperature.

[0039] Primary storage devices that can be used according to the invention, so-called cryogenic tanks, are known to store liquid, cryogenic gases and are usually vacuum-insulated or have other, very high insulation properties.

[0040] Such cryogenic tanks can have volumes of, for example, 2 to 3500 m 3 and be stationary or mobile.

[0041] In addition to known internals, at least one reliquefaction unit and at least one level gauge are additionally installed in the primary storage tanks according to the invention.

[0042] Advantageously, at least one reliquefaction unit is used as an additional component in the primary storage facility, using materials and components that utilize the magnetocaloric effect. According to the invention, magnetic or magnetizable materials are used that exhibit a temperature reduction when a decreasing magnetic field acts. Superconducting materials can advantageously be used to realize the desired magnetic field.

[0043] The use of materials exploiting the magnetocaloric effect for cooling purposes near room temperature is well known. However, the efficiency of this process scales with the ratio between the lower and upper temperatures, as well as with the magnitude of the magnetic field change.

[0044] The present invention therefore utilizes the permanent high magnetic field of superconducting materials, such as superconducting coils, for the reliquefaction unit, operating only against a liquid nitrogen shield with an upper temperature of 77 K. This allows for an efficiency of approximately 30% for reliquefaction, instead of the 1-2% typical for gas chillers.

[0045] In addition, when using superconducting materials, the LH2 itself takes care of cooling them below the transition temperature, thus requiring no additional effort. This can further increase the effectiveness of the inventive method.

[0046] Likewise, at least one level gauge using acoustoelectronic components is advantageously installed as an additional component in the primary storage device. A particular advantage is that the at least one level gauge transmits its measured values ​​contactlessly, advantageously via capacitive, inductive, and / or wireless transmission, from within the primary storage device, and these values ​​can be queried there contactlessly.

[0047] This eliminates the need for a cable from the primary storage tank, which would connect the cold area of ​​the storage tank to the warm environment, thus eliminating the corresponding heat input.

[0048] It is also advantageous if all other known and inventive additional installations in the primary and also the secondary storage transmit or record data contactlessly, so that thermal bridges from the primary or secondary storage are avoided as far as possible.

[0049] During the process according to the invention, the fill level in the primary storage tank is measured using acoustoelectronic components that sensitively detect the phase boundary between the liquid and gas phases using surface acoustic waves (SAW). Unlike established resistance measurement methods, the measurement itself does not generate any heat input into the liquid hydrogen.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the invention, at least one cryogenic pump is used for storing and withdrawing liquid hydrogen, which stores liquid hydrogen and / or withdraws it for transport into containers or for use.

[0051] The use of a cryogenic pump according to the invention avoids the transfer losses of liquid hydrogen from the primary storage tank caused by the pressurization of the gas phase.

[0052] The particular advantage of the solution according to the invention is that the transfer process of liquid hydrogen from the primary container to another container or to the secondary container is carried out under atmospheric storage conditions and with simultaneous return of cold hydrogen gas to the primary storage. This avoids the evaporation of liquid hydrogen due to pressure losses.

[0053] In contrast to known cryogenic liquid hydrogen pumps, which are only designed for short-term use, for very high flow rates and for very high pressures, the cryogenic pump used according to the invention is an integral part of the primary storage and / or secondary storage and / or can be arranged between the storage facilities in the logistics chain.

[0054] The liquid hydrogen present in the primary storage facility can be taken directly from the primary storage facility and transferred as liquid hydrogen, for example, to another storage facility or tank and used and consumed, for example, to operate a fuel cell.

[0055] Furthermore, the liquid hydrogen can be converted into its gaseous state and then used, for example, as fuel.

[0056] The conversion of liquid hydrogen into its gaseous state can be carried out using state-of-the-art technology.

[0057] However, according to the invention, the liquid hydrogen is converted into its gaseous state for use by extracting the required evaporation energy from a refrigerant located in a secondary refrigeration circuit. The refrigerant condenses, is pressurized by a pump, and stored in a secondary storage tank, which can be located separately from the primary storage tank.

[0058] This can be achieved, for example, by converting the liquid hydrogen into its gaseous state in a heat exchanger which has a refrigerant on the other side from which the heat is extracted for condensation and / or further cooling, whereby the cold of the liquid hydrogen has been absorbed and transferred to a secondary storage facility or used directly.

[0059] The secondary storage can be a storage for a refrigerant, such as CO2, which can then advantageously be used in an air conditioning system or in a cooling system.

[0060] It is important that the refrigerant in the secondary circuit always becomes gaseous or liquid when absorbing the evaporation energy of the liquid hydrogen and also remains gaseous or liquid. For example, in a heat exchanger, heat energy is extracted from a gaseous refrigerant by transferring the evaporation energy to the liquid hydrogen, thus cooling the refrigerant and converting the gaseous refrigerant into its liquid state. If, depending on the pressure, the temperature of the refrigerant for this transition from the gaseous to the liquid state is as high as possible compared to the temperature of the liquid hydrogen, a high amount of energy can be stored in the secondary circuit.

[0061] According to the invention, it is of particular importance that the recovery of the initially applied condensation energy takes place by reusing the cold in the form of condensation energy of the refrigerant via secondary storage units, which can be arranged spatially separately.

[0062] Instead of evaporating the liquid hydrogen for energy use by heating it with ambient heat, the cold inherent in the liquid hydrogen is stored in a secondary storage and / or a secondary refrigeration circuit.

[0063] This means that a refrigerant is present in the secondary storage which is available for cooling consumption regardless of the time and location of the evaporation of the liquid hydrogen.

[0064] This allows the two processes of liquid hydrogen evaporation and the utilization of its inherent cold for cooling applications to be decoupled from each other both temporally and spatially. The energetic recovery of the liquefaction energy is particularly evident in the savings in electrical energy for various everyday cooling applications.

[0065] The present invention contributes significantly to increasing the efficiency of liquid hydrogen logistics, since high evaporation losses and high vaporization losses can be largely avoided and, at the same time, energy savings can be achieved by recovering the initially used liquefaction energy.

[0066] The highest energy storage density achievable with the invention makes the process of the invention ideal for storage and use in tank systems for transport, stationary storage, and onboard use. The process of the invention allows liquid hydrogen to be stored with high purity and directly used for energy or other purposes.

[0067] The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment.

[0068] This shows Fig. 1 a flow diagram for the method according to the invention with consumers, and Fig. 2 a flow chart for the inventive method with secondary storage Example 1

[0069] According to Fig. 1 is a primary storage 1 in the form of a stationary tank with 5 m 3 Storage volume vacuum insulated and surrounded by a liquid nitrogen shield. Primary storage 1 contains 3 m3 Containing liquid hydrogen and a reliquefaction unit 2 made of gadolinium as magnetocaloric material and two superconducting coils, wherein a part of the reliquefaction unit 2 is arranged above and a part below the liquid level of the liquid hydrogen.

[0070] Furthermore, a level gauge 4 is arranged as a SAW component in the primary tank 1, which covers the expected range of the level to be measured.

[0071] In the liquid hydrogen there is a cryogenic pump 3, to which a pump line for the liquid hydrogen is connected for injection and withdrawal, which leads outside the primary storage 1.

[0072] For storage, liquid hydrogen is filled from a tank truck 5 into the primary storage facility 1 and stored there until it is withdrawn for use.

[0073] The use of liquid hydrogen can be realized as fuel for vehicles 6.

[0074] For energy use, the liquid hydrogen is converted into gaseous form in a heat exchanger 9. The cold of the liquid hydrogen can then be used via another refrigerant to cool a cold storage facility 8. The gaseous hydrogen can be used, for example, as fuel 7. Example 2

[0075] In the case of the use of stored liquid hydrogen from a primary storage facility 1, Fig.2 when the liquid hydrogen is heated to convert it into gaseous form, the existing cold inherent in the liquid hydrogen is extracted via a heat exchanger 9 and transferred to a refrigerant in the form of CO2, which is stored in liquid form in a secondary storage 10 and in gaseous form in another secondary storage 11, which are components of a secondary refrigeration circuit.

[0076] To increase the pressure, the CO2 is fed through a liquid pump 12 and stored in liquefied form at high pressure in the secondary storage tank 10. This is possible because the liquid phase is created by condensing the CO2 from its refrigerant vapor at lower pressure. A heat exchanger 9 uses the cold of the liquid hydrogen intended for heating to cool the CO2 gas until it condenses.

[0077] With the secondary storage units 10, 11, the use of liquid hydrogen is decoupled temporally and spatially in a secondary refrigeration circuit. Thus, cooling by a refrigeration consumer 8 in the form of refrigerated goods is not dependent on the hydrogen demand for, for example, a fuel cell in a truck or a stationary gas turbine, and vice versa.

[0078] Energy recovery is achieved by eliminating the use of electrical energy for conventional cooling. The use of liquid CO2 also allows for storage at room temperature, because the cooling is only generated when the pressure is released from high to low. List of reference symbols 1 primary storage 2 reliquefaction unit 3 cryogenic pump 4 level gauges 5 Tanker for feeding liquid hydrogen into the primary storage facility 6 Consumers of liquid hydrogen 7 Consumers of gaseous hydrogen 8 cooling consumers 9 heat exchangers 10 Secondary storage refrigerant liquid 11 Secondary storage refrigerant gaseous 12 Pump

Claims

[1] A method for storing and using liquid hydrogen, in which liquid hydrogen is stored, stored and withdrawn from a primary storage facility, wherein in addition to internal fittings in the primary storage facility, at least one reliquefaction unit and at least one level gauge are installed, and at least one cryogenic pump is used for storing and withdrawing liquid hydrogen, and the evaporation energy required for the withdrawal and / or use of liquid hydrogen to convert the liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is extracted from a refrigerant located in a secondary refrigeration circuit, which refrigerant is condensed and pressurised by a pump and stored in a secondary storage facility, wherein the secondary storage facility can be arranged spatially separate from the primary storage facility. [2] Method according to claim 1, in which a tank for liquid hydrogen is used as the primary storage, which tank maintains the liquid phase of the hydrogen in the tank by insulation and / or pressure and / or temperature. [3] Method according to claim 1, in which at least one reliquefaction unit is used as additional installations in the primary storage facility using materials and components utilising the magnetocaloric effect, wherein superconducting materials are advantageously used to realise the magnetic field required for this purpose. [4] Method according to claim 1, in which at least one level gauge using acoustoelectronic components is used as additional installations in the primary storage. [5] Method according to claim 1, in which at least one level gauge is used as additional fittings in the primary storage, which transmits its measured values ​​contactlessly, advantageously by means of capacitive, inductive and / or radio transmission, from the interior of the primary storage. [6] A method according to claim 1, wherein the application of liquid hydrogen from the primary storage is carried out in storage for use in fuel cells. [7] Method according to claim 1, in which the evaporation energy required for the withdrawal and / or conversion of liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is applied via a heat exchanger by a refrigerant which can be stored in a secondary storage facility. [8] A method according to claim 7, wherein the refrigerant from a secondary storage is used for application in an air conditioning system or in a refrigeration system. [9] Method according to claim 1, in which the gaseous hydrogen produced during the withdrawal and / or conversion of liquid hydrogen into its gaseous form is stored and / or passed on to consumers.

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