Electricity production facility
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023008528
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-14
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Electricity production installation
[0001] The invention relates to an electricity production installation.
[0002] The invention relates more particularly to an electricity production installation comprising a liquefied hydrogen storage facility, a pump for withdrawing liquid from the storage facility and a distribution circuit for the hydrogen supplied by the pump, the installation comprising a fuel cell and a supply line supplying the fuel cell with vaporization gases produced by the pump.
[0003] Document CN113375045 describes a filling station.
[0004] Despite good volumetric efficiency of liquid hydrogen cryogenic pumps, part of the pumped liquid is vaporized. Part of this vaporization gas compensates for the drop in the liquid level in the pumped tank, but the rest is generally sent to the atmosphere. This loss reduces the energy and economic performance of the station. A second, smaller part is lost at the tank. The objective is to avoid and recover these releases of gas molecules into the atmosphere.
[0005] There are vaporization gas compressor systems. These compressors are very expensive and only allow these gases to be compressed to a medium pressure (between 400-500 barg). The medium pressure volumes at a 700 barg station are small and only represent a small part of the requirement. Once these gas storages are full, the vaporization gas compressor can no longer fill anything. The vaporization gases are then still released into the atmosphere.
[0006] An aim of the present invention is to overcome all or part of the drawbacks of the prior art noted above.
[0007] To this end, the installation according to the invention, moreover in accordance with the generic definition given in the preamble above, is essentially characterized in that it comprises a heat exchange loop ensuring a heat exchange between the hydrogen circulating in the supply pipe upstream of the fuel cell and the fuel cell.
[0008] The invention may also relate to any alternative device or method comprising any combination of the above or below features within the scope of the claims.
[0009] Other features and advantages will appear on reading the description below, given with reference to the figures in which: Brief description of the figures
[0010] The invention will be better understood on reading the following description given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:
[0011] [Fig. 1] is a schematic view illustrating an example of structure and operation of an installation according to the invention. Detailed description
[0012] In all the figures, the same references refer to the same elements.
[0013] In this detailed description, the following embodiments are examples. Well that the description refers to one or more embodiments, this does not mean that the features apply only to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined and / or interchanged to provide other embodiments.
[0014] The electricity production installation 1 comprises a storage 1 for liquefied hydrogen, a pump 4 for withdrawing liquid from the storage and a circuit 3 for distributing the hydrogen supplied by the pump 4. The pump 4 can conventionally fill buffer storages 8.
[0015] The installation 1 comprises a fuel cell 5 and a supply line 6 supplying the fuel cell 5 with vaporization gases produced by the pump 4 (and possibly by the storage 2). The vaporization gases can be heated 9 then compressed 10 and possibly stored in a tank 11 before supplying the fuel cell 5. A low-pressure compressor 10 can be coupled to a low-pressure storage 11 to store and smooth the discharge of hydrogen to the fuel cell 5.
[0016] According to an advantageous feature, the installation 1 comprises a heat transfer fluid loop 7 ensuring a heat exchange between the hydrogen circulating in the supply pipe 6 upstream of the fuel cell 5 and the fuel cell 5 (via one or more exchangers 9).
[0017] That is to say that there is recovery of the vaporization gases from pump 4 as close as possible to pump 5 in order to better manage the liquid level in the pumping tank.
[0018] As illustrated, a tapping 12 on the gas phase of the storage can also recover the vaporization gases for this purpose.
[0019] A heat exchanger 9 can recover the cold from the vaporization gas (from the pump and / or from storage). This cold is then supplied to the fuel cell 5 in order to improve the performance of the latter. The surplus cold can possibly be used in other processes.
[0020] The fuel cell 5 is supplied with constant pressure thanks to the storage 11 and cooled thanks to the cold recovery 7. This improves the performance of the fuel cell 5.
[0021] The energy produced by the fuel cell 5 can be used on site directly
[0022]
[0023]
[0024] or resold to the network manager. This allows an economic recovery of a vaporized molecule. This allows good management of the liquid level of the pumping bath of the pump 4. This allows a relatively smaller dimensioning of the fuel cell 5 and its operation over longer time ranges.
Claims
Claims
1. Electricity production installation comprising a storage (1) of liquefied hydrogen, a pump (4) for withdrawing liquid from the storage and a circuit (3) for distributing the hydrogen supplied by the pump (4), the installation (1) comprising a fuel cell (5) and a supply line (6) supplying the fuel cell (5) with vaporization gases produced by the pump (4), the installation (1) comprising a heat exchange loop (7) ensuring a heat exchange between the hydrogen circulating in the supply line (6) upstream of the fuel cell and the fuel cell (5).