Fuel supply facility

Abstract

To provide a fuel supply facility capable of ventilating a space including inside of a valve accommodation part.SOLUTION: A fuel supply facility according to one embodiment is a fuel supply facility for supplying fuel to a fuel consuming device. The fuel supply facility includes: a first transportation area having first fuel piping and a first outer shell covering the first fuel piping; and a second transportation area having second fuel piping and a second outer shell covering the second fuel piping. A part of the outer shell is formed by an outer wall of a valve accommodation part that accommodates a valve unit provided in the first fuel piping. A first closed space is defined by the first fuel piping and the first outer shell, and a second closed space is defined by the second fuel piping and the second outer shell. The first closed space and the second closed space are separated. The first transportation area includes a first ventilation system for ventilating the first closed space, and the second transportation area includes a second ventilation system for ventilating the second closed space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to fuel supply equipment.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below describes a gas fuel supply system that covers the periphery of a fuel supply pipe with a duct and constantly ventilates the inside of the duct from the perspective of accident prevention during fuel leakage.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The fuel supply equipment may include a valve housing portion that houses a valve unit provided in a fuel pipe. When the space including the inside of this valve housing portion is to be ventilated, the volume of the space to be ventilated becomes excessively large. Therefore, considering the capacity of the ventilation system, there is a risk that the ventilation of the space cannot be sufficiently performed.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide fuel supply equipment capable of ventilating a space including the inside of a valve housing portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A fuel supply facility according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a fuel supply facility that supplies fuel to a fuel-consuming device, and includes a first conveyance area having a first fuel pipe and a first outer shell covering the first fuel pipe, and a second conveyance area having a second fuel pipe and a second outer shell covering the second fuel pipe. A part of the first outer shell is formed by an outer wall of a valve housing portion that houses a valve unit provided in the first fuel pipe. A first closed space is defined by the first fuel pipe and the first outer shell, and a second closed space is defined by the second fuel pipe and the second outer shell. The first closed space and the second closed space are separated from each other. The first conveyance area has a first ventilation system for ventilating the first closed space, and the second conveyance area has a second ventilation system for ventilating the second closed space.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the above configuration, it becomes possible to ventilate the space including the inside of the valve housing portion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fuel supply facility 100. The fuel supply facility 100 according to the present embodiment supplies fuel acquired from a fuel supply source 101 to a fuel-consuming device 102. Here, the fuel-consuming device 102 is a device that consumes fuel to generate power or electricity. For example, an engine, a boiler, a Gas combustion unit (GCU), and a fuel cell correspond to the fuel-consuming device 102 of the present embodiment.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply facility 100 according to the present embodiment includes a first conveyance area 10 and a second conveyance area 30. The second conveyance area 30 is located closer to the fuel consumption device 102 than the first conveyance area 10. Also, in the fuel flow direction, the second conveyance area 30 is located downstream of the first conveyance area 10.

[0011] Furthermore, the first conveyance area 10 has a first fuel pipe 11, a first outer shell 12, and a first ventilation system 13. Also, the second conveyance area 30 has a second fuel pipe 31, a second outer shell 32, and a second ventilation system 33. Hereinafter, these components will be described in order.

[0012] <First Fuel Pipe> The first fuel pipe 11 is a pipe for conveying fuel. The fuel conveyed by the first fuel pipe 11 may be liquid fuel or gaseous fuel. For example, hydrogen gas, natural gas, ammonia, propane, butane, gasoline, etc. correspond to the fuel of the present embodiment. The first fuel pipe 11 of the present embodiment is formed by the inner pipes 16 of a plurality of first double pipes 15 and the accommodation pipe 20 located in the valve accommodation portion 19 described later. These inner pipes 16 and the accommodation pipe 20 are joined to each other by welding, for example.

[0013] <First Outer Shell> The first outer shell 12 is a portion that covers the first fuel pipe 11. The first outer shell 12 of the present embodiment is formed by the outer pipes 17 of a plurality of first double pipes 15 and the outer wall 21 of the valve accommodation portion 19. The above valve accommodation portion 19 is a portion that accommodates the valve unit 22, and the valve unit 22 is a device provided in the first fuel pipe 11. In FIG. 1, the valve unit 22 is shown in a simplified manner, but the valve unit 22 may include a plurality of pipes and a plurality of valves. The size of the valve accommodation portion 19 is not limited, and the valve accommodation portion 19 may be, for example, a valve box or a valve room larger than the valve box. Note that the outer pipe 17 of the first double pipe 15 and the outer wall 21 of the valve accommodation portion 19 are joined to each other by a flange, for example.

[0014] In addition, a first closed space 24 is located between the first fuel pipe 11 and the first outer shell 12. That is, an annular first closed space 24 is defined by the first fuel pipe 11 and the first outer shell 12. If fuel leaks from the first fuel pipe 11, the fuel itself or the combustible gas formed by vaporization of the fuel is trapped in the first closed space 24. Therefore, by constantly ventilating the inside of the first closed space 24, accidents caused by fuel leakage can be avoided. In this embodiment, in order to ensure the shape of the first closed space 24, an inner pipe support (not shown) is partially inserted between the inner pipe 16 and the outer pipe 17 of the first double pipe 15.

[0015] <First Ventilation System> The first ventilation system 13 is a system for ventilating the first closed space 24. The first ventilation system 13 of this embodiment includes an air supply pipe 26 that supplies air to the first closed space 24, an exhaust pipe 27 that discharges air from the first closed space 24, and an exhaust fan 28 provided in the exhaust pipe 27. By operating the exhaust fan 28, the first closed space 24 can be ventilated. The air supplied to the first closed space 24 may be air at a pressure similar to atmospheric pressure or pressurized high-pressure air. Also, the direction in which the ventilation air flows is not limited. For example, the positions of the exhaust pipe 27 and the air supply pipe 26 shown in FIG. 1 may be reversed.

[0016] <Second Fuel Pipe> The second fuel pipe 31 is a pipe for transporting fuel and is connected to the first fuel pipe 11. The second fuel pipe 31 of this embodiment is formed by the inner pipes 36 of a plurality of second double pipes 35. In this embodiment, among the plurality of second double pipes 35 in the second transport area 30, the second double pipe 35 closest to the first transport area 10 is a double flexible pipe joint whose shape can be deformed. Therefore, even if the relative positions of the first transport area 10 and the second transport area 30 change, this double flexible pipe joint can absorb the change. However, all of the second double pipes 35 located in the second transport area 30 may be ordinary double pipes, that is, double pipes whose shapes do not deform.

[0017] <Second outer shell> The second outer shell 32 is a portion that covers the second fuel pipe 31. The second outer shell 32 of the present embodiment is formed by the outer pipes 37 of a plurality of second double pipes 35. A second closed space 39 is located between the second fuel pipe 31 and the second outer shell 32. That is, an annular second closed space 39 is defined by the second fuel pipe 31 and the second outer shell 32. Similar to the first closed space 24, by constantly ventilating the inside of the second closed space 39, accidents caused by fuel leakage can be avoided.

[0018] In the present embodiment, the first closed space 24 and the second closed space 39 are separated. That is, air cannot pass between the first closed space 24 and the second closed space 39. Also, different from the first outer shell 12, the outer wall 21 of the valve housing portion 19 is not included in the second outer shell 32. Therefore, the volume of the second closed space 39 is smaller than that of the first closed space 24 including the inside of the valve housing portion 19.

[0019] Furthermore, each of the plurality of second double pipes 35 described above has a common flange 41 located at the longitudinal end, and adjacent second double pipes 35 are connected to each other via the common flange 41. Here, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow II-II in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the common flange 41 is an annular flange. The inner edge portion 42 of the common flange 41 is fixed to the inner pipe 36 of the second double pipe 35, and the outer edge portion 43 of the common flange 41 is located radially outward of the outer pipe 37 of the second double pipe 35. And a plurality of ventilation holes 44 arranged annularly are formed in a portion of the common flange 41 corresponding to the second closed space 39, that is, a portion corresponding to the space between the inner pipe 36 and the outer pipe 37. Although the common flanges 41 are fixed to each other by bolts, a plurality of bolt holes 45 through which the bolts pass are formed near the outer edge portion 43.

[0020] Via the common flange 41 as described above, adjacent second double pipes 35 are connected to each other. Therefore, the spaces located between the inner pipe 36 and the outer pipe 37 of each second double pipe 35 communicate with each other via the ventilation holes 44. And the entire communicated space forms a second closed space 39. Note that since the common flange 41 supports the inner pipe 36 and the outer pipe 37 at their longitudinal end portions respectively, there is no need to insert an inner pipe support or the like between the inner pipe 36 and the outer pipe 37. Therefore, the gap between the inner pipe 36 and the outer pipe 37 can be reduced, and the outer diameter of the outer pipe 37 of each second double pipe 35 can be reduced. Note that the first double pipe 15 and the second double pipe 35 located near the boundary between the first transport area 10 and the second transport area 30 are connected via a normal flange 50 in which no ventilation hole 44 is formed.

[0021] Also, in the present embodiment, the average outer diameter of the outer pipe 37 of the second double pipe 35 located in the second transport area 30 is smaller than the average outer diameter of the outer pipe 17 of the first double pipe 15 located in the first transport area 10. Here, the second transport area 30 is an area near the fuel consumption device 102 where the installation space of the device is limited. In the present embodiment, by reducing the average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the second double pipe 35 located in this second transport area 30, the degree of freedom in the design of the fuel consumption device 102 is improved.

[0022] <Second Ventilation System> The second ventilation system 33 is a system for ventilating the second closed space 39. The second ventilation system 33 of the present embodiment includes an air supply pipe 46 for supplying air to the second closed space 39, an exhaust pipe 47 for discharging air from the second closed space 39, and an exhaust fan 48 provided in the exhaust pipe 47. By operating the exhaust fan 48, the second closed space 39 can be ventilated. Note that the air supplied to the second closed space 39 may be air at a pressure approximately the same as the atmospheric pressure or pressurized high-pressure air. Also, the direction in which the ventilation air flows is not limited. For example, the positions of the exhaust pipe 47 and the air supply pipe 46 shown in FIG. 1 may be reversed.

[0023] As described above, in the present embodiment, the first closed space 24 including the inside of the valve housing portion 19 is separated from the second closed space 39 not including the inside of the valve housing portion 19, and the first closed space 24 is ventilated separately from the second closed space 39 by the second ventilation system 33. Therefore, according to the fuel supply facility 100 according to the present embodiment, the ventilation of the space including the inside of the valve housing portion 19 can be sufficiently performed.

[0024] Also, as described above, the volume of the second closed space 39 is smaller than that of the first closed space 24. Therefore, even when the flow path resistance in the second closed space 39 is somewhat large, the second closed space 39 can be ventilated. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the common flange 41 having a large flow path resistance can be adopted for the connection of the second double pipes 35. As a result, as described above, the average outer diameter of the outer pipes 37 of each of the second double pipes 35 can be reduced.

[0025] <Modification example> As described above, the fuel supply facility 100 according to the embodiment has been described. However, the configuration of the fuel supply facility 100 is not limited to the above. For example, in the above embodiment, the second double pipe 35 closest to the first transport area 10 among the plurality of second double pipes 35 in the second transport area 30 is a double flexible pipe joint. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the first double pipe 15 closest to the second transport area 30 among the plurality of first double pipes 15 in the first transport area 10 may be a double flexible pipe joint. That is, the double flexible pipe joint may be located in the first transport area 10 instead of the second transport area 30. In this case, the space between the inner pipe 16 and the outer pipe 17 of the double flexible pipe joint constitutes a part of the first closed space 24.

[0026] (Summary) The first item disclosed in this specification is a fuel supply facility for supplying fuel to a fuel consumption device, comprising a first conveyance area having a first fuel pipe and a first outer shell covering the first fuel pipe, and a second conveyance area having a second fuel pipe and a second outer shell covering the second fuel pipe, wherein a part of the first outer shell is formed by an outer wall of a valve housing portion that houses a valve unit provided in the first fuel pipe, a first closed space is defined by the first fuel pipe and the first outer shell, a second closed space is defined by the second fuel pipe and the second outer shell, the first closed space and the second closed space are separated from each other, the first conveyance area has a first ventilation system for ventilating the first closed space, and the second conveyance area has a second ventilation system for ventilating the second closed space.

[0027] According to this configuration, since the first closed space including the inside of the valve housing portion is separated from the second closed space and the first closed space is ventilated separately from the second closed space, the space including the inside of the valve housing portion can be ventilated.

[0028] The second item disclosed in this specification is that the second conveyance area is located closer to the fuel consumption device than the first conveyance area, a part of the first outer shell is formed by an outer pipe of at least one first double pipe having a part of the first fuel pipe as an inner pipe, a part of the second outer shell is formed by an outer pipe of at least one second double pipe having a part of the second fuel pipe as an inner pipe, and an average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the at least one second double pipe is smaller than an average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the at least one first double pipe. The fuel supply facility according to the first item.

[0029] According to this configuration, since the average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the second double pipe located in the vicinity of the fuel consumption device is small, the degree of freedom in the design of the fuel consumption device is improved.

[0030] The third item disclosed in this specification is the fuel supply facility according to the second item, wherein the at least one second double pipe includes two adjacent second double pipes, and the two adjacent second double pipes have a common flange which is an annular flange with an inner edge fixed to the end of the inner pipe and an outer edge located radially outward of the outer pipe, and a plurality of ventilation holes arranged annularly are formed in a portion corresponding to the second closed space, and the two adjacent second double pipes are connected to each other through the common flange.

[0031] According to this configuration, since there is no need to insert an inner pipe support or the like between the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the second double pipe, the average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the second double pipe can be reduced.

[0032] The fourth item disclosed in this specification is the fuel supply facility according to the third item, wherein the volume of the second closed space is smaller than that of the first closed space.

[0033] According to this configuration, even when the flow path resistance in the second closed space is relatively large, ventilation of the second closed space is possible, so that a common flange with a large flow path resistance can be adopted for the connection of the second double pipes.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0034] 10 First transport area 11 First fuel pipe 12 First outer shell 13 First ventilation system 15 First double pipe 16 Inner pipe 17 Outer pipe 19 Valve housing part 21 Outer wall 22 Valve unit 24 First closed space 30 Second transport area 31 Second fuel pipe 32 Second outer shell 33 Second ventilation system 35 Second double pipe 36 Inner pipe 37 Outer pipe 39 Second closed space 41 Common flange 42 Inner edge part 43 Outer edge part 44 Vent hole 100 Fuel supply facility 102 Fuel consumption device

Claims

1. A fuel supply facility for supplying fuel to a fuel consumption device, comprising: a first conveyance area having a first fuel pipe and a first outer shell covering the first fuel pipe; a second conveyance area having a second fuel pipe and a second outer shell covering the second fuel pipe, a part of the first outer shell being formed as an outer wall of a valve housing portion that houses a valve unit provided in the first fuel pipe; a first closed space being defined by the first fuel pipe and the first outer shell; a second closed space being defined by the second fuel pipe and the second outer shell; the first closed space and the second closed space being separated from each other; the first conveyance area having a first ventilation system for ventilating the first closed space; the second conveyance area having a second ventilation system for ventilating the second closed space. A fuel supply facility.

2. The second conveyance area is located closer to the fuel consumption device than the first conveyance area; a part of the first outer shell is formed as an outer pipe of at least one first double pipe having a part of the first fuel pipe as an inner pipe; a part of the second outer shell is formed as an outer pipe of at least one second double pipe having a part of the second fuel pipe as an inner pipe; The fuel supply facility according to claim 1, wherein an average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the at least one second double pipe is smaller than an average outer diameter of the outer pipe of the at least one first double pipe.

3. The at least one second double pipe includes two adjacent second double pipes; the two adjacent second double pipes have a common flange which is an annular flange having an inner edge portion fixed to an end portion of the inner pipe and an outer edge portion located radially outward of the outer pipe, and a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in an annular shape in a portion corresponding to the second closed space, and are connected to each other via the common flange. The fuel supply facility according to claim 2.

4. The fuel supply facility according to claim 3, wherein the second closed space has a smaller volume than the first closed space.

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