Cryogenic fluid transport system for ships

Abstract

A cryogenic fluid transport system for a ship is provided, which is capable of storing a large amount of cryogenic fluid and stably storing and transporting the fluid for a long period of time. [Solution] The cryogenic fluid transport system of the present invention includes a liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage section which is supplied with and stores liquid phase cryogenic fluid; a solidification section which solidifies a portion of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid stored in the liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage section to generate a slush cryogenic fluid in which liquid phase cryogenic fluid and solid phase cryogenic fluid are mixed; a re-liquefaction section which is supplied with a portion of the evaporated gas generated by evaporation of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification section and re-liquefies the gas to generate a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid; and a power generation section which is supplied with the remainder of the evaporated gas generated by evaporation of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification section to generate electricity and selectively supply the generated electricity to the re-liquefaction section, and the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid generated in the re-liquefaction section is supplied to the solidification section and mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, in order to store a large amount of a gas-phase fluid at room temperature in a limited space, such as the cargo hold of a ship, and transport it efficiently, it is necessary to increase the storage density of the fluid by changing the phase of the gas-phase fluid to a liquid-phase fluid to increase the density.

[0003] At this time, a method of lowering the temperature of a fluid that exists in a gas phase at room temperature to a cryogenic temperature that is relatively lower than room temperature, and changing the phase of the gas phase fluid to a cryogenic liquid phase fluid (hereinafter referred to as a "liquid phase cryogenic fluid") is recognized as an appropriate method for storing and transporting cryogenic fluids in large quantities.

[0004] Meanwhile, the lower the boiling point of the liquid cryogenic fluid stored in the cargo hold, the easier it is to promote the evaporation of the liquid cryogenic fluid. When the liquid cryogenic fluid evaporates, a gaseous cryogenic fluid, for example, boil-off gas (BOG), is generated. Such evaporated gas increases the pressure inside the cargo hold, reducing the safety of storing the liquid cryogenic fluid. Therefore, in the past, insulation technology was applied to the cargo hold, or re-liquefaction technology was applied to re-liquefy the evaporated gas for disposal.

[0005] However, when a thermal insulation layer is provided in a cargo hold, there is a limit to how much evaporation gas can be reduced in the cargo hold, which makes it difficult to store and transport liquid-phase cryogenic fluid for long periods of time.

[0006] In addition, when connecting an evaporated gas re-liquefaction system to a cargo hold, a large amount of energy is required to re-liquefy the evaporated gas, and there is a problem that the actual storage capacity of the cargo hold is reduced due to the evaporated gas re-liquefaction system in a ship where space is limited.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a ship cryogenic fluid transport system that can not only reduce the generation of evaporative gas and store a large amount of cryogenic fluid, but also can stably store and transport the cryogenic fluid for a long period of time. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cryogenic fluid transport system for a ship that is not only capable of storing large quantities of cryogenic fluid by reducing the generation of evaporative gas, but also capable of stably storing and transporting the cryogenic fluid for long periods of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The cryogenic fluid transport system of the ship according to the present invention includes a liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit to which a liquid phase cryogenic fluid is supplied and stored; a solidification unit connected to the liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit and configured to solidify at least a portion of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid stored in the liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit to generate a slush cryogenic fluid in which the liquid phase cryogenic fluid and the solid phase cryogenic fluid are mixed; a re-liquefaction unit connected to the solidification unit and configured to receive at least a portion of the evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification unit and re-liquefy the gas to generate a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid; and a power generation unit connected to the solidification unit and configured to receive the remainder of the evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification unit to generate electric power and selectively supply the generated electric power to the re-liquefaction unit, wherein the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid generated by the re-liquefaction in the re-liquefaction unit is supplied to the solidification unit and mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid.

[0010] The apparatus may further include a solidification promoting unit connected to the solidification unit and promoting solidification of the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid by applying energy to the solidification unit.

[0011] The system may further include a sensor connected to the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit and configured to generate a fluid signal for at least one of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid, the solid-phase cryogenic fluid, the slush cryogenic fluid, and the evaporated gas stored in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit, and a controller configured to control at least one of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit, the solidification unit, the re-liquefaction unit, the power generation unit, and the solidification promotion unit based on the fluid signal generated by the sensor.

[0012] The liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit may include a cargo hold provided in the hull, having a space for storing the liquid phase cryogenic fluid and capable of solidifying the liquid phase cryogenic fluid, a vacuum insulation layer provided outside the cargo hold, and an equilibrium water storage unit provided outside the vacuum insulation layer.

[0013] The reliquefaction unit may include a first evaporated gas transfer line having one end connected to the cargo hold, a reliquefaction device connected to the other end of the first evaporated gas transfer line and reliquefying the evaporated gas using a cooling medium, a reliquefaction cryogenic fluid transfer line connecting the reliquefaction device and the cargo hold, a first evaporated gas transfer valve provided in the first evaporated gas transfer line, and a reliquefaction cryogenic fluid transfer valve provided in the reliquefaction cryogenic fluid transfer line.

[0014] The solidification unit may include a vacuum pump connected to the first evaporated gas transfer line to reduce the pressure inside the cargo hold.

[0015] The solidification unit may include a pressure regulating pump provided in the reliquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line, an injection device provided at a rear end of the pressure regulating pump and at least a portion of which is disposed inside the cargo hold, and a cold heat transfer line connecting the reliquefaction device and the injection device and transferring the cold heat of the cooling medium of the reliquefaction device to the injection device.

[0016] The solidification section may include an ultrasonic generator for solidification provided on at least one of the inner surfaces of the cargo hold.

[0017] The solidification promoting section may include a solidification promoting ultrasonic generator provided on at least one of the inner surfaces of the cargo hold.

[0018] In addition, the liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit may further include a liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 14 connected to the reliquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line and supplying the liquid phase cryogenic fluid to the cargo hold, and a liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer valve installed in the liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer line.

[0019] The power generation unit may include a second evaporated gas transfer line branching off from the first evaporated gas transfer line, a second evaporated gas transfer valve provided on the second evaporated gas transfer line, a power generation device connected to the second evaporated gas transfer line and generating power using the evaporated gas, and a power transfer line connected between the power generation device and the reliquefaction device and transferring at least a portion of the power generated from the power generation device to the reliquefaction device. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the generation of evaporative gas and store a large amount of cryogenic fluid, and also to stably store and transport the cryogenic fluid for a long period of time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a vessel in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating a cryogenic fluid transportation system of the ship of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of a cryogenic fluid transportation system of the ship of FIG. 1. [Figure 4]2 is a graph for explaining a phase change of a liquid cryogenic material that occurs in a solid-stating section in the cryogenic fluid transportation system of the ship of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a process diagram illustrating a cryogenic fluid transportation system of the vessel of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of a cryogenic fluid transportation system of the ship of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a process diagram illustrating a schematic of the cryogenic fluid transportation system of the vessel of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of a cryogenic fluid transportation system of the ship of FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments for embodying the concept of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] In the description of the present invention, if a detailed description of related publicly known configurations or functions is determined to make the gist of the present invention unclear, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0024] Furthermore, when a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component, but it should be understood that there may be other components in between.

[0025] The terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context.

[0026] In addition, in this specification, expressions such as one side, the other side, the upper side, the lower side, etc. are described based on the illustrations in the drawings, and it is to be made clear in advance that they will be expressed differently if the direction of the object is changed. For the same reason, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or shown roughly in the attached drawings, and the size of each component does not completely reflect the actual size.

[0027] In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by such terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another component.

[0028] As used herein, the meaning of "comprising" is to embody certain features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or components, and does not exclude the presence or addition of other certain features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups.

[0029] Hereinafter, a specific configuration of a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship in one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a cryogenic fluid transport system for a ship in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing in outline the cryogenic fluid transport system for the ship of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the cryogenic fluid transport system for the ship of FIG. 1.

[0031] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, in one embodiment of the present invention, a cryogenic fluid transport system 1 for a ship stores cryogenic fluid in a slush state, thereby reducing the generation of boil-off gas (BOG), and is therefore capable of storing large quantities of cryogenic fluid at a higher storage density than conventionally possible, as well as stably storing and transporting the cryogenic fluid for long periods of time.

[0032] To this end, in one embodiment of the present invention, the ship's cryogenic fluid transportation system 1 includes a liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, a solidification unit 20, a re-liquefaction unit 30, a power generation unit 40, a solidification promotion unit 50, a sensing unit 60, and a control unit 70.

[0033] The liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10 can store and supply liquid-phase cryogenic fluid. To this end, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10 includes a cargo hold 11, a vacuum insulation layer 12, an equilibrium water storage unit 13, a liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 14, and a liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer valve 15.

[0034] The cargo hold 11 is a portion provided in the hull (not shown) for storing a liquid-phase cryogenic fluid, and may include a space in which the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid can be solidified. For example, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is liquid hydrogen. In this case, the liquid hydrogen is liquid hydrogen supplied from the outside, or liquid hydrogen produced by liquefying gaseous hydrogen supplied from the outside. However, this is merely an example, and the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid includes at least one of liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and natural gas.

[0035] The vacuum insulation layer 12 can block heat from penetrating from the outside of the cargo hold 11 to the inside of the cargo hold 11. For this purpose, the vacuum insulation layer 12 is provided on the outside of the cargo hold 11, and an equilibrium water storage unit 13 is provided on the outside of the vacuum insulation layer 12.

[0036] At this time, the vacuum insulation layer 12 is provided with a predetermined thickness capable of blocking heat penetrating from the outside of the cargo hold 11 into the inside of the cargo hold 11. The thickness of the vacuum insulation layer 12 is directly related to the external heat blocking rate capable of blocking external heat. However, if the vacuum insulation layer 12 is formed thick in consideration of only the external heat blocking rate, the external heat blocking rate is improved, but the actual storage capacity of the cargo hold 11 is reduced. On the other hand, if the vacuum insulation layer 12 is formed thin in consideration of only the storage capacity of the cargo hold 11, the storage capacity of the cargo hold 11 can be increased, but the external heat blocking rate is reduced, resulting in a problem of increased generation of evaporated gas in the cargo hold 11. However, in this embodiment, as the heat penetrating from the outside of the cargo hold 11 into the inside of the cargo hold 11 is absorbed by the heat of fusion generated in the solid-phase portion 20, the vacuum insulation layer 12 can effectively block heat penetrating from the outside of the cargo hold 11 into the inside of the cargo hold 11 even if it is formed with a thickness thinner than that of a conventional vacuum insulation layer. Accordingly, since the vacuum insulation layer 12 has a thickness that is reduced compared to the conventional case, even if the vacuum insulation layer 12 and the equilibrium water storage section 13 are provided sequentially on the outside of the cargo hold 11, the storage capacity of the cargo hold 11 can be substantially increased.

[0037] The liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 14 is a line that transfers the liquid phase cryogenic fluid in the liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage tank 2 to the cargo hold 11, and one end of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 14 is connected to the liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage tank 2, and the other end of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 14 is connected to the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line 33 of the re-liquefaction section 30 described later.

[0038] The liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer valve 15 is provided in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 14, and when opened or closed, determines whether or not liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is supplied to the cargo hold 11. The liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer valve 15 is opened or closed by the control unit 70 based on a fluid signal of the sensor 60 transmitted to the control unit 70.

[0039] The solidification unit 20 can freeze and melt the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid to generate a slush cryogenic fluid in which liquid-phase cryogenic fluid and solid-phase cryogenic fluid are mixed. To this end, the solidification unit 20 is connected to the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, and the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is supplied from the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10.

[0040] The solidification unit 20 includes a vacuum pump 21 connected to a first evaporated gas transfer line 31 of the reliquefaction unit 30, which will be described later, and reduces the pressure inside the cargo hold 11. The vacuum pump 21 is driven in a state in which liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is supplied inside the cargo hold 11. The vacuum pump 21 is turned on and off by the control unit 70 based on a fluid signal of the sensor 60 transmitted to the control unit 70.

[0041] At this time, when the vacuum pump 21 is driven with the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid being supplied to the inside of the cargo hold 11, the inside of the cargo hold 11 is maintained in a vacuum state. For example, when the inside of the cargo hold 11 is depressurized to a vacuum state by the vacuum pump 21, the pressure of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid stored inside the cargo hold 11 decreases, and the temperature of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid decreases. In addition, when the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is depressurized to near the triple point by driving the vacuum pump 21, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid evaporates on the surface of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid. The temperature of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid decreases due to the latent heat of evaporation generated at this time, and the solid-phase cryogenic fluid crystallizes on the surface of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid.

[0042] On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a graph for explaining the phase change of the liquid cryogenic material that occurs in the solidifying section 20. In FIG.

[0043] 4, the liquid-gas coexistence line is a curve that runs from bottom left to top right, so that from a first point A on the liquid-gas coexistence line, i.e., a point having a first temperature T1 and a first pressure P1, to a second point B, i.e., a point having a second temperature T2 and a second pressure P2, to a third point C, i.e., a point having a third temperature T3 and a third pressure P3, the pressure of the liquid phase cryogenic fluid decreases and the temperature also decreases.

[0044] In particular, when the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid reaches the third point C, i.e., the triple point, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid changes into a solid-phase cryogenic fluid. That is, even if the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid supplied from the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10 to the solidification unit 20 evaporates, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid cannot deviate from the liquid-gas coexistence line. Therefore, even if the pressure of the cargo hold 11 containing the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is reduced by the vacuum pump 21 and the temperature of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is reduced, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid and the gas-phase cryogenic fluid coexist inside the cargo hold 11 until the entire liquid-phase cryogenic fluid contained in the cargo hold 11 is completely changed into a gas-phase cryogenic fluid. In this state, when the temperature T3 of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid reaches the triple point, the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid changes into a solid-phase cryogenic fluid, and a slush cryogenic fluid in which the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid and the solid-phase cryogenic fluid are mixed is generated inside the cargo hold 11.

[0045] The re-liquefaction unit 30 is connected to the solidification unit 20 to generate a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid by re-liquefying at least a part of the evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification unit 20.

[0046] The reliquefaction section 30 includes a first evaporated gas transfer line 31 , a reliquefaction device 32 , a reliquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line 33 , a first evaporated gas transfer valve 34 , and a reliquefied cryogenic fluid transfer valve 35 .

[0047] The first evaporated gas transfer line 31 is a line that transfers at least a portion of the evaporated gas generated inside the cargo hold 11 to the reliquefaction device 32, and is connected between the cargo hold 11 and the reliquefaction device 32.

[0048] The re-liquefaction device 32 can liquefy the evaporated gas supplied from the first evaporated gas transfer line 31. At this time, the re-liquefaction device 32 can liquefy the evaporated gas supplied from the first evaporated gas transfer line 31 using a cooling medium.

[0049] The reliquefaction device 32 is driven by power supplied from a power generation device 43 of the power generation unit 40, which will be described later. When power is supplied to the reliquefaction device 32 from the power generation device 43 of the power generation unit 40, which will be described later, the reliquefaction device 32 is driven to liquefy the evaporated gas, thereby generating a reliquefied cryogenic fluid. At this time, since the amount of evaporated gas supplied to the reliquefaction device 32 is significantly less than in the past, the reliquefaction device 32 is simplified compared to the past, and the energy required to reliquefy the evaporated gas is also significantly reduced compared to the past.

[0050] Meanwhile, the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid generated through the re-liquefaction device 32 is supplied to the cargo hold 11 along a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line 33 connected between the re-liquefaction device 32 and the cargo hold 11. The re-liquefied cryogenic fluid supplied inside the cargo hold 11 is mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid already generated in the cargo hold 11.

[0051] At this time, if re-liquefied cryogenic fluid continues to be supplied via re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line 33 while slush cryogenic fluid already produced is stored inside cargo hold 11, the ratio of re-liquefied cryogenic fluid to slush cryogenic fluid may increase inside cargo hold 11. An increase in the ratio of re-liquefied cryogenic fluid inside cargo hold 11 may increase the amount of evaporated gas generated.

[0052] On the other hand, in order to prevent an increase in the amount of evaporated gas generated due to an increase in the ratio of re-liquefied cryogenic fluid, the ultrasonic solidification generator 51 of the solidification promotion section 50 described later is driven to promote the solidification of the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid. This makes it possible to prevent the ratio of cryogenic fluid to the re-liquefied slush cryogenic fluid inside the cargo hold 11 from becoming excessively high. This will be described later.

[0053] The first evaporated gas transfer valve 34 is provided on the first evaporated gas transfer line 31 . The first evaporated gas transfer valve 34 is opened or closed under the control of the control unit 70 so that evaporated gas generated in the cargo hold 11 is supplied to either the reliquefaction device 32 or a power generation device 43 of the power generation unit 40, which will be described later. The first evaporated gas transfer valve 34 is opened or closed by the control unit 70 based on a fluid signal of the sensor 60 transmitted to the control unit 70.

[0054] The re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer valve 35 is provided in the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line 33. At this time, the first evaporated gas transfer valve 34 is an on-off valve that is opened or closed under the control of the control unit 70, so that the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid of the re-liquefaction device 32 is selectively supplied to the cargo hold 11. The re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer valve 35 is opened or closed by the control unit 70 based on a fluid signal of the sensor 60 transmitted to the control unit 70.

[0055] The power generating unit 40 may generate power by receiving the remaining evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid from the solidifying unit 20, and may selectively supply the generated power to the reliquefaction unit 30. To this end, the power generating unit 40 may include a second evaporated gas transfer line 41, a second evaporated gas transfer valve 42, a power generating device 43, and a power transfer line 44.

[0056] The second evaporation gas transfer line 41 connects the cargo hold 11 and the power generation device 43 to transfer the evaporation gas generated inside the cargo hold 11 to the power generation device 43. The second evaporation gas transfer line 41 is branched off from the first evaporation gas transfer line 31, and the second evaporation gas transfer line 41 may be provided with a second evaporation gas transfer valve 42. The second evaporation gas transfer valve 42 is opened and closed by the control unit 70 based on a fluid signal of the sensor 60 transmitted to the control unit 70.

[0057] The power generation device 43 is supplied with the evaporated gas from the second evaporated gas transfer line 41 and can convert the supplied evaporated gas into electric power. For example, the power generation device 43 can be provided as a fuel cell. The electric power converted by the power generation device 43 in this manner is supplied to the electric power consumer 3 in the ship via electric power transfer lines 44, 45 or is supplied to the reliquefaction device 32.

[0058] The solidification promoter 50 can apply energy to the solidification portion 20 to promote the solidification of the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid. For this purpose, the solid-phasing promoting section 50 includes an ultrasonic generator 51 for solid-phasing.

[0059] The solid-phasing ultrasonic generator 51 can generate an ultrasonic signal. The frequency of the ultrasonic signal generated by the solid-phasing ultrasonic generator 51 is adjusted by the control unit 70. At this time, the solid-phasing ultrasonic generator 51 is provided on at least a part of the inner surface of the cargo hold 11, for example, on the inner bottom surface of the cargo hold 11.

[0060] At this time, ultrasonic vibrations are generated according to the ultrasonic signals generated by the solidification ultrasonic generator 51. The ultrasonic vibrations generated in this manner are transmitted to the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid stored in the cargo hold 11. When the ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted to the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid, the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid is alternately depressurized and pressurized, causing a cavitation phenomenon in which cavities are repeatedly generated and eliminated in the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid. This phenomenon promotes the solidification of the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid.

[0061] Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the case where the energy for pulverizing the particles of the solid-phase cryogenic fluid contained in the slush cryogenic fluid is ultrasonic has been described as an example, but this is merely an example and does not limit the concept of the present invention.

[0062] The sensor 60 can generate a fluid signal for at least one of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid, solid-phase cryogenic fluid, slush cryogenic fluid, and evaporated gas stored in the cargo hold 11. For this purpose, the sensor 60 is provided in the cargo hold 11, and the fluid signal generated by the sensor 60 is transmitted to the controller 70, which uses the controller 70 to control at least one of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, the solidification unit 20, the re-liquefaction unit 30, the power generation unit 40, and the solidification promotion unit 50.

[0063] The control unit 70 can control at least one of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, the solidification unit 20, the re-liquefaction unit 30, the power generation unit 40, and the solidification promotion unit 50.

[0064] In this case, the control unit 70 may be, for example, a small built-in computer, and may include a program, a memory, a data processing unit including a CPU, etc. Here, the program includes an algorithm for controlling at least one of the fluid storage unit 10, the solidification unit 20, the reliquefaction unit 30, the power generation unit 40, and the solidification promotion unit 50 based on the fluid signal transmitted from the sensing unit 60. In addition, such a program is stored in a memory of a computer storage medium, for example, a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, an MO (magneto-optical disk), etc., and installed in the control unit 70.

[0065] In the cryogenic fluid transport system 1 for a ship having the above-mentioned configuration, liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is solidified in the solidification section 20, forming a slush cryogenic fluid in which liquid-phase cryogenic fluid and solid-phase cryogenic fluid are mixed.The slush-state cryogenic fluid thus formed can be densified by solid particles, which has the effect of enabling large quantities of cryogenic fluid to be stored and transported at a higher storage density than conventionally possible.

[0066] Furthermore, heat penetrating from the outside to the inside of the cargo hold 11 is absorbed by the heat of fusion generated in the solidification section 20, and the solidification of the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid is promoted through the solidification promotion section 50, thereby reducing the generation of evaporated gas in the cargo hold 11. This has the effect of enabling the cryogenic fluid to be stored and transported for a longer period of time in a more stable manner than in the past.

[0067] Furthermore, since the amount of evaporative gas generated in the cargo hold 11 is reduced compared to the conventional method, the thickness of the vacuum insulation layer 12 in the cargo hold 11 can be significantly reduced, and the equipment for processing the evaporative gas is simplified compared to the conventional method, which ensures economic efficiency.

[0068] Hereinafter, a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0069] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a cryogenic fluid transport system for a ship in another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a process diagram generally showing the cryogenic fluid transport system for the ship of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of the cryogenic fluid transport system for the ship of FIG. 5.

[0070] 5 to 7, in another embodiment of the present invention, a cryogenic fluid transport system 1' for a ship includes a liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, a solidification unit 20', a reliquefaction unit 30, a power generation unit 40, a solidification promotion unit 50, a sensing unit 60, and a control unit 70. However, the cryogenic fluid transport system 1' for a ship shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is substantially the same as the cryogenic fluid transport system 1 for a ship described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 except for the solidification unit 20', so the following description will focus on the solidification unit 20', which corresponds to the difference, and the description and drawing numbers of the above-mentioned embodiment will be used for the same parts.

[0071] The solidification section 20' may include a pressure control pump 22 provided in the reliquefaction cryogenic fluid transfer line 33, an injection device 23 provided at the rear end of the pressure control pump 22 and at least a portion of which is disposed inside the cargo hold 11, and a cold heat transfer line 24 connecting the reliquefaction device 32 and the injection device 23 and transferring the cold heat of the cooling medium of the reliquefaction device 32 to the injection device 23.

[0072] The pressure control pump 22 can pressurize the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid to a predetermined pressure. The liquid-phase cryogenic fluid pressurized through the pressure control pump 22 is supercooled by the cold heat transferred through the cold heat transfer line 24, and then supplied to the injection device 23.

[0073] The injection device 23 can inject the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid into the inside of the cargo hold 11. The supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid supplied to the injection device 23 undergoes a phase change while passing through the injection device 23.

[0074] At this time, the injector 23 may have injection holes (not shown) of substantially the same size. Thus, the particle size of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid passing through the injector 23 is also substantially the same. In this way, the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid injected through the injector 23 is injected while having substantially the same particle size, which can help the phase change of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid passing through the injector 23 to be easily performed.

[0075] Meanwhile, when the phase change of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is easily performed by the injection device 23, at least a part of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid injected into the cargo hold 11 through the injection device 23 is vaporized and solidified. To explain this, first, the volume of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid injected through the injection device 23 increases and the pressure decreases. Due to this decrease in pressure, the vaporization point of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid injected through the injection device 23 becomes lower, and the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid vaporizes. The heat of fusion of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid is removed by the latent heat of vaporization of the supercooled liquid-phase cryogenic fluid converted into a gaseous state, and the solidified cryogenic fluid accumulates at the bottom of the cargo hold 11. The solidified cryogenic fluid can be mixed with the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid to form a slush cryogenic fluid.

[0076] The cold heat transfer line 24 can connect the reliquefaction device 32 and the injection device 23, and can supply the injection device 23 with a cooling medium used for reliquefying the evaporated gas in the reliquefaction device 32. At this time, the cooling medium supplied to the injection device 23 through the cold heat transfer line 24 can exchange heat with the liquid cryogenic fluid supplied to the injection device 23 through the liquid cryogenic fluid transfer line 14. This heat exchange maximizes the Joule-Thomson cooling effect, and the liquid cryogenic fluid is supercooled, so that the supercooled liquid cryogenic fluid is injected through the injection device 23.

[0077] Hereinafter, a cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0078] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a cryogenic fluid transport system for a ship in yet another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a process diagram showing the cryogenic fluid transport system for the ship of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a control block diagram of the cryogenic fluid transport system for the ship of FIG. 8.

[0079] 8 to 10, in another embodiment of the present invention, a cryogenic fluid transport system 1'' of a ship includes a liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, a solid-phase unit 20'', a reliquefaction unit 30, a power generation unit 40, a sensing unit 60, and a control unit 70. However, the liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, the reliquefaction unit 30, the power generation unit 40, and the control unit 70 of the cryogenic fluid transport system 1'' of a ship shown in Figs. 8 to 10 are substantially the same as the liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, the reliquefaction unit 30, the power generation unit 40, and the control unit 70 of the cryogenic fluid transport system 1 of a ship described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, or the liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit 10, the reliquefaction unit 30, the power generation unit 40, and the control unit 70 of the cryogenic fluid transport system 1' of a ship described with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. Therefore, the following description will focus on the solid-phase unit 20'', which corresponds to the difference, and the same parts will be described with reference to the above embodiment and reference numerals will be used.

[0080] The solidification section 20'' includes a solidification ultrasonic generator 25 provided on at least one of the inner surfaces of the cargo hold 11. Here, the inner surface of the cargo hold 11 is at least one of the inner bottom surface, the left side wall surface, the right side wall surface, the front side wall surface, and the rear side wall surface. In this embodiment, a case in which the solidification ultrasonic generators 25 are provided on all of the inner surfaces of the cargo hold 11, namely the inner bottom surface, the left side wall surface, the right side wall surface, the front side wall surface, and the rear side wall surface, is described as an example, but this is merely an example and does not limit the concept of the present invention. If necessary, the installation position, the number of installations, etc. of the solidification ultrasonic generators 25 can be appropriately changed.

[0081] At this time, the solidification ultrasonic generator 25 solidifies at least a part of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid supplied to the inside of the cargo hold 11, so that a slush cryogenic fluid in which liquid-phase cryogenic fluid and solid-phase cryogenic fluid are mixed is generated inside the cargo hold 11. The solidification ultrasonic generator 25 can also solidify at least a part of the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid supplied from the re-liquefaction section 30 to the inside of the cargo hold 11 and the slush cryogenic fluid mixed with the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid.

[0082] For this purpose, the solidification ultrasonic generator 25 can generate an ultrasonic signal. The frequency of the ultrasonic signal generated by the solidification ultrasonic generator 25 is adjusted by the control unit 70. At this time, ultrasonic vibration is generated according to the ultrasonic signal generated by the solidification ultrasonic generator 25. The ultrasonic vibration generated in this manner is transmitted to at least one of the liquid cryogenic fluid, the reliquefied cryogenic fluid, and the slush cryogenic fluid mixed with the reliquefied cryogenic fluid stored in the cargo hold 11. When the ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to at least one of the liquid cryogenic fluid, the reliquefied cryogenic fluid, and the slush cryogenic fluid mixed with the reliquefied cryogenic fluid, at least one of the liquid cryogenic fluid, the reliquefied cryogenic fluid, and the slush cryogenic fluid mixed with the reliquefied cryogenic fluid is alternately depressurized or pressurized and solidified.

[0083] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to a specific embodiment, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and should be interpreted as having the broadest scope according to the basic idea disclosed in this specification. A person skilled in the art can combine or replace the disclosed embodiments to implement a pattern of a shape not shown, but this also does not depart from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art can easily modify or change the embodiments disclosed based on this specification, and it is clear that such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Cryogenic fluid transport system for ships 1' Cryogenic fluid transport system for ships 1'' Cryogenic fluid transport system for ships 2. Liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage tank 3 Electricity demand destination 10 Liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage section 11 Cargo hold 12 Vacuum insulation layer 13 Equilibrium water reservoir 14 Liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer line 15 Liquid phase cryogenic fluid transfer valve 20 Solid phase section 20' Solid phase section 20'' solid phase section 21 Vacuum Pump 22 Pressure control pump 23 Injection device 24 Heat and cold transfer line 25 Ultrasonic generator for solidification 30 Reliquefaction section 31 First evaporation gas transfer line 32 Reliquefaction equipment 33 Reliquefaction cryogenic fluid transfer line 34 First evaporative gas transfer valve 35 Reliquefaction cryogenic fluid transfer valve 40 Power generation section 41 Second evaporation gas transfer line 42 Second evaporative gas transfer valve 43 Power generation equipment 44, 45 Power transmission lines 50 Solid phase promotion part 51 Ultrasonic generator for solidification 60 Sensing part 70 Control section

Claims

1. a liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage section including a cargo hold into which the liquid phase cryogenic fluid is supplied and stored; a solidification unit connected to the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit and configured to solidify at least a portion of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid stored in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit to generate a slush cryogenic fluid having a mixture of liquid and solid phases; a re-liquefaction unit connected to the solidification unit, which receives at least a portion of the evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification unit and re-liquefies the evaporated gas to generate a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid; a power generating unit connected to the solidifying unit, receiving the remaining evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid from the solidifying unit to generate power, and selectively supplying the generated power to the re-liquefaction unit; The re-liquefied cryogenic fluid produced by re-liquefaction in the re-liquefaction unit is supplied to the cargo hold and mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid, The vessel further includes a solidification promoter connected to the cargo hold and applying energy to the inside of the cargo hold to induce a cavitation phenomenon in the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid stored in the cargo hold, thereby solidifying the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid. Shipboard cryogenic fluid transport systems.

2. a sensing unit coupled to the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit and configured to generate a fluid signal for at least one of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid, the solid-phase cryogenic fluid, the slush cryogenic fluid, and the evaporated gas stored in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit; and a control unit that controls at least one of the liquid cryogenic fluid storage unit, the solidification unit, the re-liquefaction unit, the power generation unit, and the solidification promotion unit based on the fluid signal generated by the sensing unit.

10. The marine cryogenic fluid transportation system of claim 1.

3. The liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit includes: A vacuum insulation layer provided on the outside of the cargo hold; The cryogenic fluid transportation system of claim 1 , further comprising: an equilibrium water storage unit provided outside the vacuum insulation layer.

4. The reliquefaction section includes: a first evaporation gas transfer line, one end of which is connected to the cargo hold; a re-liquefaction device connected to the other end of the first evaporated gas transfer line and configured to re-liquefy the evaporated gas using a cooling medium; a reliquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line connecting the reliquefaction apparatus and the cargo hold; a first evaporated gas transfer valve provided in the first evaporated gas transfer line; 2. The ship cryogenic fluid transportation system according to claim 1, further comprising: a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer valve provided in the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line.

5. The solid phase portion is and a vacuum pump connected to the first evaporated gas transfer line for reducing the pressure inside the cargo hold.

5. The marine cryogenic fluid transportation system of claim 4.

6. The solid phase portion is a pressure regulating pump provided in the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line; an injection device provided at a rear end of the pressure regulating pump and at least a portion of which is disposed inside the cargo hold; 5. The cryogenic fluid transportation system of claim 4, further comprising: a cold heat transfer line connecting the reliquefaction device and the injection device, for transferring the cold heat of the cooling medium of the reliquefaction device to the injection device.

7. The solid phase promoting part is a solid-phase promoting ultrasonic generator provided on at least one of the inner surfaces of the cargo hold and selectively generating ultrasonic energy for transmitting to the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid stored in the cargo hold; The ultrasonic energy generated by the solidification promoting ultrasonic generator induces a cavitation phenomenon in the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid, thereby solidifying the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid.

7. A cryogenic fluid transportation system for a ship according to claim 5 or 6.

8. a liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage section including a cargo hold into which the liquid phase cryogenic fluid is supplied and stored; a solidification unit connected to the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit and configured to solidify at least a portion of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid stored in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid storage unit to generate a slush cryogenic fluid having a mixture of liquid and solid phases; a re-liquefaction unit connected to the solidification unit, which receives at least a portion of the evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid from the solidification unit and re-liquefies the evaporated gas to generate a re-liquefied cryogenic fluid; a power generating unit connected to the solidifying unit, receiving the remaining evaporated gas generated by the evaporation of the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid from the solidifying unit to generate power, and selectively supplying the generated power to the re-liquefaction unit; The re-liquefied cryogenic fluid produced by re-liquefaction in the re-liquefaction unit is supplied to the cargo hold and mixed with the slush cryogenic fluid, The solid phase portion is a solid-phase ultrasonic generator provided on at least one of the inner surfaces of the cargo hold and selectively generating ultrasonic energy for transmitting to the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid or the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid stored in the cargo hold; The ultrasonic energy generated by the solidification ultrasonic generator induces a cavitation phenomenon in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid or the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid, thereby solidifying the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid or the re-liquefied cryogenic fluid. Shipboard cryogenic fluid transport systems.

9. The liquid phase cryogenic fluid storage unit includes: a liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer line connected to the reliquefied cryogenic fluid transfer line for supplying the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid to the cargo hold; The ship cryogenic fluid transportation system according to any one of claims 5, 6 and 8, further comprising: a liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer valve provided in the liquid-phase cryogenic fluid transfer line.

10. The power generation unit is a second evaporated gas transfer line branching off from the first evaporated gas transfer line; a second evaporated gas transfer valve provided in the second evaporated gas transfer line; a power generation device connected to the second evaporated gas transfer line and generating electric power using the evaporated gas; 10. The marine cryogenic fluid transportation system of claim 9, further comprising: a power transfer line connected between the power generation device and the reliquefaction device, the power transfer line transferring at least a portion of the electricity generated from the power generation device to the reliquefaction device.

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