Hydrogen charging device, hydrogen charging method

Abstract

To suppress unintentional decrease of an amount of charging into a hydrogen tank.SOLUTION: Before charging hydrogen into a hydrogen tank, a control is performed such that a coolant is made to flow on at least a part of a pipe for charging hydrogen into the hydrogen tank to cool the pipe.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for filling a hydrogen tank with hydrogen and a method for filling a hydrogen tank with hydrogen. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that in a hydrogen storage unit, a plurality of hydrogen tanks are attached to a manifold, the tanks are filled with hydrogen via the manifold, and hydrogen is supplied from the tanks via the manifold. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-157552 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When filling multiple tanks with hydrogen from a hydrogen filling device, it is possible to fill multiple tanks simultaneously using branched hydrogen flow paths connected to the hydrogen supply unit. However, for example, when the hydrogen filling device is placed outdoors, the amount of hydrogen filled may decrease, and the intended amount of hydrogen may not be filled.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a hydrogen filling device capable of suppressing unintended reduction in the filling amount, and also to provide a hydrogen filling method capable of similarly suppressing unintended reduction in the filling amount. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a result of extensive research, the inventors discovered that when filling multiple hydrogen tanks with hydrogen, the piping from the hydrogen supply device to the hydrogen tanks is long, and the piping itself is thick to withstand pressure, so the heat capacity of the piping itself is large, which causes the temperature of the hydrogen to rise as the hydrogen flows.The inventors then discovered that this increase in hydrogen temperature leads to an unintended decrease in the amount of hydrogen filled, and concretized a means for solving this problem.

[0007] The present application discloses a hydrogen filling device that fills multiple hydrogen tanks with hydrogen, the hydrogen filling device comprising a hydrogen supply unit equipped with a nozzle for filling hydrogen, a storage unit for mounting the multiple hydrogen tanks, a main pipe extending from the hydrogen supply unit, a hydrogen supply branch pipe extending from the main pipe to the hydrogen tanks, and a control device, the control device controlling the flow of refrigerant through the main pipe before hydrogen is filled into the hydrogen tanks.

[0008] The coolant circulated under the control of the control device may be hydrogen flowing out as the coolant from at least one of the installed hydrogen tanks. In this case, the hydrogen tank from which hydrogen as a refrigerant flows can be the hydrogen tank that allows the refrigerant to flow the longest distance through the main pipe. If the hydrogen remaining in that hydrogen tank is below a predetermined value, hydrogen as a refrigerant may be flowed from another hydrogen tank.

[0009] The coolant circulated under the control of the control device may be a pre-cooled coolant supplied from a hydrogen supply unit.

[0010] The present application also discloses a hydrogen filling method for simultaneously filling multiple hydrogen tanks with hydrogen, which comprises circulating a refrigerant through at least a portion of the piping for filling the hydrogen tanks with hydrogen to cool the piping before filling the hydrogen tanks with hydrogen. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the hydrogen filling device and method disclosed herein, the piping can be cooled before hydrogen is filled into the hydrogen tank, which prevents the temperature of the hydrogen being supplied through the piping during hydrogen filling from increasing, thereby making it possible to prevent unintended reductions in the amount of hydrogen filled. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hydrogen cartridge 10. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows the external appearance of the hydrogen filling device 50. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the hydrogen filling device 50. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the hydrogen filling device 60. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the hydrogen filling device 70. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] 1. Hydrogen tank First, a hydrogen cartridge will be described, which is one example of a hydrogen tank to be filled with hydrogen by the hydrogen filling device and method of the present disclosure. The hydrogen cartridge 10 is a container that stores hydrogen to be supplied in a liquid or gas state. An explanatory diagram is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1(a) is an external view of the hydrogen cartridge 10 (the tank body 11 contained therein is shown by a dotted line), and Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction of the axis O of the hydrogen cartridge 10. As can be seen from these figures, in this embodiment, the hydrogen cartridge 10 has the tank body 11 and a case 17. The tank body 11 also includes a liner 12, a reinforcing layer 13, and a protective layer 14 that constitute the container body, and a cap 15 and an on-off valve 16 are arranged on the container body.

[0014] 1.1. Raina The liner 12 is one of the members constituting the container body of the tank body 11, is a hollow member that defines the internal space, and is cylindrical in this embodiment. The liner 12 has a body portion 12a with a roughly constant diameter, and openings at both ends of the body portion 12a are narrowed by dome-shaped side ends 12b, and a nozzle 15 is disposed in the narrowed opening 12c. The liner 12 may be made of any material capable of retaining hydrogen contained in its internal space without leakage, and any known material may be used. Specifically, the liner may be made of, for example, nylon resin, polyethylene-based synthetic resin, or metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. Among these, from the viewpoint of weight reduction, it is preferable that the material constituting the liner is synthetic resin. The thickness of the liner 12 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm.

[0015] 1.2. Reinforcement layer The reinforcing layer 13 is one of the components that constitute the container body, and is made of multiple layers of laminated fibers that are impregnated with hardened resin. The fiber layers are formed by wrapping fiber bundles around the outer periphery of the liner 12 in multiple layers to a predetermined thickness. The thickness of the reinforcing layer 13 and the number of turns of the fiber bundle are determined by the required strength and are not particularly limited, but are about 10 mm to 30 mm.

[0016] [Fiber bundle] The fiber bundles of the reinforcing layer 13 are made of carbon fibers, for example, and the fiber bundles are in the form of bands of carbon fibers bundled together and having a predetermined cross-sectional shape (for example, a rectangular cross-section). Although there is no particular limitation on the specific cross-sectional shape, an example of the cross-sectional shape is a rectangle with a width of about 6 mm to 20 mm and a thickness of about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm. The amount of carbon fibers contained in the fiber bundle is also not particularly limited, but an example of the fiber bundle is about 36,000 carbon fibers.

[0017] [Impregnating resin] The resin impregnated and cured in the fibers (fiber bundles) in the reinforcing layer 13 is not particularly limited as long as it can increase the strength of the fibers. Examples of such resins include thermosetting resins that are cured by heat, specifically epoxy resins and unsaturated polyester resins that contain amine- or anhydride-based curing accelerators and rubber-based reinforcing agents. Other examples include resin compositions that use epoxy resin as a base agent and are cured by mixing a curing agent into it. In this case, the resin composition, which is a mixture of the base agent and the curing agent, reaches and penetrates the fiber layer between the time of mixing and curing, and the time of curing, and automatically cures.

[0018] 1.3.Protective layer If necessary, a protective layer 14 may be disposed on the outer periphery of the reinforcing layer 13 as one of the members constituting the container body. When provided, for example, glass fiber is wound and impregnated with resin. The impregnated resin can be considered to be the same as the reinforcing layer 13. This can impart impact resistance to the tank body 11. The thickness of the protective layer 14 is not particularly limited, but may be about 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0019] 1.4. Base The nozzles 15 are members attached to each of the two openings 12c of the liner 12, and are disposed on both ends of the liner 12 in the direction of the axis O. The nozzle 15 on one end side functions as an opening that communicates between the inside and outside of the container body, and has an opening / closing valve 16 disposed therein. The nozzle 15 on the other end side is closed. The material constituting the base 15 is not particularly limited as long as it has the necessary strength, and examples of the material include stainless steel and aluminum.

[0020] 1.5.Shut-off valve The on-off valve 16 is closed when the hydrogen cartridge 10 is not attached to the hydrogen filling device 50, and is opened by being pressed by a push rod (not shown) of the connection device 55 when the hydrogen cartridge 10 is attached to the hydrogen filling device 50. The tip of the on-off valve 16 has a connection part 16a connected to the hydrogen filling device 50 on the side connected to the hydrogen filling device 50. The connection part 16a is a portion that can be engaged and disengaged with the connection device 55 of the hydrogen filling device 50. The specific manner is not limited, but in this embodiment, a mechanical connection (mechanical interface) can be used, and among them, a mount such as that used to connect a photographing lens to a body of a camera can be applied, and more specifically, a C mount can be used. Therefore, in this embodiment, the connection part 16a is connected to the connection device 55 of the hydrogen filling device 50 while rotating the hydrogen cartridge 10 around the axis O.

[0021] 1.6.Case The case 17 is a member that encloses the tank body 11 and forms the outer shell of the hydrogen cartridge 10 , and has a housing 18 and a handle 19 . The housing 18 is a cylindrical member, and is configured so that the tank body 11 can be stored inside the housing 18. The housing 18 is also provided with a hole 18a at a position facing the on-off valve 16 of the stored tank body 11, and is configured so that the on-off valve 16 can be accessed from the outside.

[0022] The handle 19 is an arch-shaped member located at the end of the housing 18 opposite the side on which the opening / closing valve 16 of the tank body 11 is located, and the user can hold this handle 19 to carry the hydrogen cartridge 10 or to attach and detach the hydrogen cartridge 10 to the hydrogen filling device 50.

[0023] 1.7.Other Although there are no particular limitations on the allowable pressure of the tank body 11, from the viewpoint of being relatively easy to transport and being able to store a larger amount of hydrogen, a tank capable of storing hydrogen at an allowable pressure of more than 20 MPa and not more than 70 MPa can be cited. When filling with hydrogen, the higher the temperature when 70 MPa is reached, the smaller the amount of hydrogen that is filled (the greater the pressure drop when the tank returns to room temperature).

[0024] 2. Structure and control of hydrogen filling device Next, the structure and control of the hydrogen filling device according to each embodiment will be described. Here, the embodiment of filling the hydrogen cartridge with hydrogen will be described, but the hydrogen tank to be filled with hydrogen is not limited to the hydrogen cartridge described above, and may be any other known form of hydrogen tank.

[0025] 2.1. Example 1 Structure Fig. 2 is an external perspective view of hydrogen filling device 50 according to embodiment 1, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of hydrogen filling device 50 (the upper stage of two-stage storage section 51 in Fig. 2). Hydrogen filling device 50 is a device for filling hydrogen into hydrogen cartridge 10. That is, it is configured so that hydrogen cartridge 10 that has consumed hydrogen can be attached and can be detached after hydrogen has been filled into hydrogen cartridge 10. To this end, the hydrogen filling device 50 includes a storage section 51 , a hydrogen supply section 52 , a main pipe 53 , a hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 , a connection device 55 , a solenoid valve 56 , a valve 57 , a hydrogen discharge section 58 , and a control device 59 . The details are explained below.

[0026] [Storage section] The storage section 51 is a section in which the hydrogen cartridge 10 is stored when the hydrogen cartridge 10 is connected to the hydrogen filling device 50. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a hydrogen cartridge 10 being stored in one storage section 51. Figure 3 shows a diagram in which hydrogen cartridges 10 have been installed in all of the multiple storage sections 51 arranged in a row. As can be seen from these figures, storage section 51 is a space in which hydrogen cartridge 10 is placed, and is a space surrounded by an inner wall having an opening 51a through which hydrogen cartridge 10 can be inserted and removed. Connection device 55 is disposed at the bottom of storage section 51, on the side opposite opening 51a. In this embodiment, the storage sections 51 are provided in two upper and lower stages, with six storage sections 51 provided on each stage, but the number of storage sections 51 is not particularly limited.

[0027] [Hydrogen supply unit] The hydrogen supply unit 52 is a supply port that supplies hydrogen to be filled into the hydrogen cartridge 10 to the hydrogen filling device 50. Therefore, a connection member (sometimes called a nozzle) of a hydrogen supply pipe extending from a hydrogen supply device such as a hydrogen station is connected to the hydrogen supply unit 52. A typical form of the hydrogen supply unit 52 is a receptacle.

[0028] [Main Pipe] The main pipe 53 is a pipe through which hydrogen flows, connecting the hydrogen supply unit 52 to the hydrogen discharge unit 58, and a hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 branches off from the main pipe 53. The main pipe 53 may be provided with a pressure gauge 53a so that the internal pressure can be known.

[0029] [Hydrogen supply branch pipe / connection device] The hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 is a pipe that branches off from the main pipe 53 and extends toward each storage unit 51. The hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 is a pipe through which hydrogen to be filled into the hydrogen cartridge 10 flows, and supplies hydrogen to the connection device 55.

[0030] The connection device 55 is located at the bottom of the storage section 51, at the connection portion of the hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 with the tank body 11 of the hydrogen cartridge 10, and is connected to the on-off valve 16 of the tank body 11 described above, and operates the opening and closing of the on-off valve 16 of the tank body 11 to allow hydrogen to flow into the tank body 11. In this embodiment, the connection device 55 has a rod-shaped push rod (not shown) arranged in the storage section 51, and when the hydrogen cartridge 50 is stored in the storage section 51, the push rod presses the valve body of the on-off valve 16, thereby opening the on-off valve 16 and allowing hydrogen from the hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 to flow into the tank body 11. In this embodiment, the connecting device 55 has a connected portion (not shown) that engages with the connecting portion 16a provided at the tip of the on-off valve 16. The shape of the connected portion is adapted to the shape of the connecting portion 16a.

[0031] [Solenoid valve] The solenoid valves 56 are provided in the respective hydrogen supply branch pipes 54 and can be electromagnetically controlled to open and close. In this embodiment, the solenoid valves 56 are electrically connected to a control device 59 and the open / closed states are controlled based on signals from the control device 59. In this embodiment, the hydrogen supply branch pipe 54 is switched on and off by providing a solenoid valve 56, but this is not limited to the above. The connection device 55 may be configured so that a push rod provided therein can be electrically controlled to control the opening and closing, and may also serve as a solenoid valve.

[0032] [Valve / hydrogen exhaust section] Valve 57 is a switching valve provided in main pipe 53, and by opening valve 57, hydrogen can be discharged to the outside from hydrogen discharge portion 58. On the other hand, when valve 57 is closed, the discharge of hydrogen from hydrogen discharge portion 58 to the outside is restricted. The valve 57 may be a valve that can be opened and closed manually, or may be a valve that can be opened and closed by an electrical signal. When configured to be opened and closed by an electrical signal, the valve 57 may be electrically connected to a control device 59, and the open / closed state may be controlled by the control device 59.

[0033] [Control device] In this embodiment, the control device 59 is a control device that individually controls the opening and closing of each of the multiple solenoid valves 56. More specifically, in this embodiment, the control device 59 controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valves 56 (or an electrically controllable push rod (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an "electromagnetic push rod")) after the hydrogen cartridge 10 is attached to the hydrogen control device 50 and before hydrogen is filled. The specific content of the control will be explained later. However, the control device does not need to be used solely for that purpose and can be provided with other functions for controlling the hydrogen filling device 50. The embodiment of the control device 59 is not particularly limited, but it can typically be configured by a computer.

[0034] A computer has a processor called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as a working area, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) that serves as a storage medium, a receiving unit that is an interface that accepts information into the computer, whether wired or wireless, and an output unit that is an interface that sends information from the computer to the outside, whether wired or wireless. The receiver is connected to a device that transmits a signal to start filling when the hydrogen cartridge 10 is attached to the hydrogen filling device 50. On the other hand, the output is communicatively connected to the solenoid valve 56 (or solenoid push rod) so that the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 56 (or solenoid push rod) can be controlled.

[0035] The computer stores a computer program for executing each process of control performed by the hydrogen filling device 50 of this embodiment as specific commands. In the computer, the CPU, RAM, and ROM as hardware resources work together with the computer program. Specifically, the CPU realizes the function by executing the computer program recorded in the ROM in the RAM that functions as a work area based on a filling start signal obtained via the receiving unit. Information obtained or generated by the CPU is stored in the RAM. Then, based on the obtained results, commands are sent to the solenoid valve 56 (or solenoid push rod) via the output unit as necessary.

[0036] 2.1.2. Control (hydrogen filling method) Next, a method for filling hydrogen into the hydrogen cartridge 10 under the control of the control device 59 of the hydrogen filling device 50 will be described.

[0037] In the initial state of the hydrogen filling device 50, the solenoid valve 56 (or the electromagnetic push rod) and the valve 57 are in a closed position. When the control device 59 receives a signal from this state that the hydrogen cartridge 10 has been attached to the hydrogen filling device 50, or when the control device 59 receives a signal to start hydrogen filling after attachment, the control device 59 opens the solenoid valve 56 (or the electromagnetic push rod) before hydrogen is filled. This allows hydrogen remaining in the attached hydrogen cartridge 10 to flow into the main pipe 53. Valve 57 is then opened either manually or under the control of control device 59 . As a result, the hydrogen remaining in the hydrogen cartridge 10 flows through the main pipe 53. This is accompanied by adiabatic expansion of the hydrogen inside the hydrogen cartridge 10. As a result, the temperature of the hydrogen drops, and the hydrogen flowing through the main pipe 53 functions as a refrigerant because of its low temperature, and is able to cool the main pipe 53.

[0038] Then, after a certain period of time has elapsed since hydrogen was released from the hydrogen cartridge 10 (cooling of the main pipe 53), the valve 57 is closed and hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen supply unit 52 to fill the hydrogen cartridge 10. Because the main pipe 53 has already been cooled during this hydrogen filling process, the temperature of the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen supply unit 52 (the hydrogen supplied is normally in a cooled state) is prevented from rising by the main pipe 53. This makes it possible to prevent an unintended decrease in the amount of hydrogen filled due to a rise in the hydrogen temperature. In addition, since the main pipe 53 can be filled with hydrogen before filling the hydrogen cartridge 10 with hydrogen, even if air is mixed in the main pipe 53 when the hydrogen cartridge 10 is installed, it can be discharged, thereby preventing air from entering the hydrogen cartridge 10.

[0039] In this embodiment, the hydrogen remaining in the hydrogen cartridge 10 is used as a refrigerant. Therefore, cooling is performed within the range of the remaining hydrogen in the installed hydrogen cartridge 10. When multiple hydrogen cartridges 10 are installed, hydrogen can be made to flow into the main pipe 53 from one hydrogen cartridge 10 selected from the multiple cartridges in sequence or simultaneously. In addition, when the amount of remaining hydrogen in the hydrogen cartridge 10 is known, it is more effective to attach the hydrogen cartridge 10 with the greatest amount of remaining hydrogen to the storage section 51 furthest from the hydrogen discharge section 58 (where hydrogen can flow the longest through the main pipe 53).

[0040] 2.2. Example 2 In the embodiment 2, the control (hydrogen filling method) is different from that of the above-mentioned embodiment 1. Since the configuration of the device can be considered to be similar to that of the embodiment 1, the control (hydrogen filling method) according to the embodiment 2 will be described here.

[0041] In the initial state of the hydrogen filling device 50, the solenoid valve 56 (or the electromagnetic push rod) and the valve 57 are in a closed position. In this embodiment, even if the control device 59 receives a signal indicating that the hydrogen cartridge 10 has been attached to the hydrogen filling device 50 from this state, or even if the control device 59 receives a signal to start hydrogen filling after attachment, the control device 59 maintains the solenoid valve 56 (or the electromagnetic push rod) in a closed position. On the other hand, the valve 57 is opened manually or under the control of the control device 59 .

[0042] Next, a refrigerant is supplied from hydrogen supply unit 52. As the refrigerant, hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen station or the like is in a pre-cooled state, and the pre-cooled hydrogen flows through main pipe 53 as a refrigerant, thereby cooling main pipe 53.

[0043] Then, after a certain period of time has elapsed since the refrigerant was supplied from hydrogen supply unit 52 (cooling main pipe 53), valve 57 is closed and solenoid valve 56 (or electromagnetic push rod) is controlled by control device 59 to open, and hydrogen is filled from hydrogen supply unit 52 into hydrogen cartridge 10. Because main pipe 53 has already been cooled during this hydrogen filling, an increase in the temperature of the hydrogen supplied from hydrogen supply unit 52 is suppressed by main pipe 53. This makes it possible to suppress an unintended decrease in the amount of hydrogen filled due to an increase in the hydrogen temperature. In addition, since the main pipe 53 can be filled with hydrogen before filling the hydrogen cartridge 10 with hydrogen, even if air is mixed in the main pipe 53 when the hydrogen cartridge 10 is installed, it can be discharged, thereby preventing air from entering the hydrogen cartridge 10.

[0044] 2.3. Example 3 In the third embodiment, a hydrogen filling device 60 shown in Fig. 4 is used. Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of the device (similar to Fig. 3). Specifically, in hydrogen filling device 60, a cooling pipe 61 is provided instead of solenoid valve 56 and control device 59 compared to hydrogen filling device 50. Other devices can be considered to be similar to hydrogen filling device 50. 4, the cooling pipe 61 forms a flow path that surrounds at least a portion of the main pipe 53 from the outside (a double pipe structure). Then, at least before filling the hydrogen cartridge 10 with hydrogen, and if necessary, during hydrogen filling, a refrigerant is passed through the cooling pipe 61 to cool the main pipe 53. There are no particular limitations on the refrigerant used, and any gas or liquid that can function as a refrigerant may be appropriately selected. According to this, because the main pipe 53 has already been cooled when hydrogen is filled into the hydrogen cartridge 10, the temperature of the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen supply unit 52 is prevented from increasing due to the main pipe 53. This makes it possible to prevent an unintended decrease in the amount of hydrogen filled due to an increase in the hydrogen temperature. Here, we have explained how to actively cool the main pipe 53 using the cooling pipe 61, but instead, it is also possible to surround the main pipe 53 with insulation material to prevent it from receiving heat from the outside, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the main pipe 53.

[0045] 2.4. Example 4 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a hydrogen filling device 70 according to embodiment 4. The reference symbols shown in FIG. 5 can be considered to be the same as those of the hydrogen filling device 50 described above. In the fourth embodiment, the multiple hydrogen cartridges 10 are mounted radially, and the main pipe 53 is short. By shortening the main pipe 53, the volume (heat capacity) of the main pipe can be kept small, and the temperature of the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen supply unit 52 is prevented from increasing due to the main pipe 53, even without cooling. This makes it possible to prevent an unintended decrease in the filling amount due to an increase in the hydrogen temperature. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any of the above-mentioned first to third embodiments may be used in combination.

[0046] In a configuration in which the hydrogen cartridges 10 are mounted radially, the mounting direction can be the radial direction of a sphere or circle, and the arrangement direction of multiple hydrogen cartridges 10 can be a direction along the spherical surface or a direction along the circumference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10...hydrogen cartridge (hydrogen tank), 11...tank body, 12...liner, 13...reinforcing layer, 14...protective layer, 15...mouthpiece, 16...opening / closing valve, 17...case, 50...hydrogen filling device, 51...storage section, 52...hydrogen supply section, 53...main piping, 54...hydrogen supply branch pipe, 55...connecting device, 56...solenoid valve, 57...valve, 58...hydrogen discharge section, 59...control device, 60...hydrogen filling device, 61...cooling pipe, 70...hydrogen filling device

Claims

1. A hydrogen filling device for filling a plurality of hydrogen tanks with hydrogen, a hydrogen supply unit equipped with a nozzle for filling hydrogen; a storage section for mounting a plurality of the hydrogen tanks; a main pipe extending from the hydrogen supply unit; a hydrogen supply branch pipe that extends from the main pipe to the hydrogen tank; A control device, the control device controls the flow of a refrigerant through the main pipe before hydrogen is filled into the hydrogen tank; Hydrogen filling equipment.

2. 2. The hydrogen filling device according to claim 1, wherein the coolant circulated under the control of the control device causes hydrogen to flow out as a coolant from at least one of the installed hydrogen tanks.

3. 3. The hydrogen filling device according to claim 2, wherein the hydrogen tank from which the refrigerant flows out is a hydrogen tank that allows the refrigerant to flow through the main pipe for the longest distance.

4. 4. The hydrogen filling device according to claim 3, wherein when the remaining amount of hydrogen in said hydrogen tank is equal to or less than a predetermined value, hydrogen as a coolant is caused to flow out from another hydrogen tank.

5. 2. The hydrogen filling device according to claim 1, wherein a pre-cooled refrigerant supplied from the hydrogen supply unit is used as the refrigerant.

6. A method for simultaneously filling multiple hydrogen tanks with hydrogen, comprising the steps of: before filling the hydrogen tank with hydrogen, a refrigerant is circulated through at least a portion of a pipe for filling the hydrogen tank with hydrogen to cool the pipe; How to fill hydrogen tanks.

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