Railway vehicles

Abstract

To provide a railway vehicle that can reduce the weight and improve the strength of a gas container unit equipped with a high-pressure gas container for storing gas used in a gas-using device, while suppressing gas accumulation inside the gas container unit. [Solution] One aspect of the present disclosure is a railway vehicle 1 having a fuel cell 13 and a fuel tank unit 11 provided on a roof structure YK and equipped with a fuel tank 21 for storing fuel gas used in the fuel cell 13, wherein the fuel tank unit 11 comprises a tank housing section 22 for housing the fuel tank 21 and a roof section 23 covering the tank housing section 22, and the roof section 23 is formed of a corrugated slate plate 31 which is formed in a corrugated shape with irregularities aligned in the direction of the rails.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a railway vehicle having a gas container unit including a high-pressure gas container on its roof.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell unit including a hydrogen tank for storing hydrogen.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In railway vehicles, devices such as air conditioners and tanks, and in particular in low-floor trains, all devices including those of the main circuit and auxiliary circuit are mounted on the roof. Here, the devices mounted on the roof of a railway vehicle are required to have a structure that can withstand the strength of snow accumulation and the strength that can withstand even when an operator stands on it during maintenance. Therefore, the roof part of the device mounted on the roof of a railway vehicle is formed by a flat plate with the four corners of the plate folded to increase the strength, or a flat plate with a reinforcing material inside to have sufficient strength. In addition, in the fuel cell unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, the roof part thereof is formed by a flat plate.

[0005] However, when the roof part of the device is formed by a flat plate, the thickness of the flat plate itself increases, or the weight of the device increases due to the addition of the mass of the reinforcing material inside.

[0006] Further, in the fuel cell unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, even when hydrogen gas leaks from the hydrogen tank, it is desirable that hydrogen gas does not stay inside the fuel cell unit.

[0007] Therefore, this disclosure was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a railway vehicle that can reduce the weight and improve the strength of a gas container unit equipped with a high-pressure gas container for storing gas used in a gas-using device, while suppressing gas accumulation inside the gas container unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the railway vehicle of this disclosure has the following configuration. (1) A railway vehicle having a gas usage device and a gas container unit provided on a roof structure and equipped with a high-pressure gas container for storing gas used by the gas usage device, wherein the gas container unit comprises a gas container housing section for housing the high-pressure gas container and a roof section covering the gas container housing section, and the roof section is formed of a corrugated sheet with undulations aligned in the direction of the rails.

[0009] In this disclosure, the roof of the gas container unit is formed of corrugated sheet metal, which allows for improved strength while reducing the sheet thickness compared to flat sheet metal. Therefore, the gas container unit can be made lighter and stronger.

[0010] Furthermore, since the corrugated sheets forming the roof are formed in a wavy shape with the protrusions and indentations aligned in the direction of the rails, an opening can be provided between the protrusions of the corrugated sheets forming the roof and the gas container housing at the end face in the direction of the sleepers in the gas container unit. Therefore, even if gas leaks from the high-pressure gas container, the gas will be discharged to the outside of the gas container unit through the opening, thus preventing gas from accumulating inside the gas container unit.

[0011] (2) In the railway vehicle of (1), it is preferable that the roof portion is formed such that the central part is the highest and the lower part is towards the ends in the direction of the sleepers.

[0012] In this disclosure, the strength of the roof portion of the gas container unit can be ensured.

[0013] (3) In the railway vehicle of (1) or (2), it is preferable that a sealing plate is provided on the end face in the rail direction of the gas container housing section to seal the inside and outside of the gas container unit.

[0014] In this disclosure, even if the overhead wire is severed while the vehicle is in motion, the blocking plate can prevent the severed overhead wire from entering the gas container unit from the rail-direction end face of the gas container unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the railway vehicle of this disclosure, a gas container unit equipped with a high-pressure gas container for storing gas used in a gas-using device can be made lighter and stronger while suppressing gas accumulation inside the gas container unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view of the railway vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the fuel tank unit. [Figure 3] This is a magnified view of region A in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a top view of the fuel tank unit. [Figure 5] This is a side view of the fuel tank unit in the direction of the railway ties. [Figure 6] This is a side view of the fuel tank unit in the direction of the rails. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] Embodiments of railway vehicles described herein will be explained.

[0018] [Regarding the overall configuration of railway rolling stock] As shown in FIG. 1, the railway vehicle 1 of the present embodiment includes a fuel tank unit 11 provided on a roof plate YK1 constituting a roof structure YK, a fuel cell 13 installed below a floor plate 12 constituting a frame DW, and a gas conduit 14 disposed between the fuel tank unit 11 and the fuel cell 13. The fuel cell 13 generates electricity using fuel gas (e.g., hydrogen gas) supplied from a fuel tank 21 provided in the fuel tank unit 11 via the gas conduit 14.

[0019] In FIG. 1, the railway vehicle 1 has six fuel tank units 11, but the number of fuel tank units 11 provided is not particularly limited to six, and may be five or less or seven or more. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 1, only one fuel cell 13 and one gas conduit 14 are shown. The fuel tank unit 11 is an example of the "gas container unit" of the present disclosure. The fuel cell 13 is an example of the "gas using device" of the present disclosure.

[0020] The railway vehicle 1 further includes a bogie DS traveling on a rail RL, a frame DW supported by the bogie DS, side structures GK standing at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the frame DW, end structures TK standing at both ends in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the frame DW, and a roof structure YK connected to the upper ends of the side structures GK and the end structures TK. The side structure GK includes a side window GM, a side door GT1 for passengers, and a side door GT2 for crew members. Various devices KZ are provided below the frame DW.

[0021] [Regarding the fuel tank unit] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the fuel tank unit 11 includes a fuel tank 21 that stores fuel gas used in the fuel cell 13, a tank housing portion 22 that houses the fuel tank 21, and a roof portion 23 that covers the upper surface of the tank housing portion 22. The fuel tank 21 is an example of the "high-pressure gas container" of the present disclosure. The tank housing portion 22 is an example of the "gas container housing portion" of the present disclosure.

[0022] The fuel tank 21 is a container for storing fuel gas used in the fuel cell 13, and is a container for storing high-pressure hydrogen gas, for example, at a pressure of about 30 MPa to 70 MPa, as the fuel gas. Here, hydrogen gas is used as the fuel gas, but it is not necessarily limited to this, and methane gas, propane gas, or other substances may also be used.

[0023] The tank housing section 22 comprises a frame structure (not shown) composed of multiple frame members on which the fuel tanks 21 are arranged, a side plate 22a that covers the frame structure and forms an end face in the rail direction, and a side plate 22b that forms an end face in the sleeper direction. In this example, the tank housing section 22 houses three fuel tanks 21, but the number of fuel tanks 21 housed in the tank housing section 22 is not limited to three, and may be one, two, or four or more.

[0024] Here, the fuel tank unit 11 is mounted on the roof panel YK1 of the railway vehicle 1. Therefore, it is desirable that the roof portion 23 of the fuel tank unit 11 has sufficient strength to withstand snow accumulation and to withstand workers standing on it during maintenance.

[0025] Furthermore, in order to increase the strength of the roof section 23, it is conceivable to form the roof section 23 with flat plates whose four corners have been bent to increase strength, flat plates that have sufficient strength by adding reinforcing materials such as ribs or increasing the thickness of the plates, or with arched plates.

[0026] However, if the roof section 23 is formed from a flat plate, the thickness of the plate itself will increase, and the mass of the reinforcing material placed inside will be added, which may increase the weight of the roof section 23 and thus increase the overall weight of the fuel tank unit 11.

[0027] Furthermore, if the roof section 23 is formed from an arched plate, the part of the tank housing section 22 that supports the roof section 23 must be bent to match the arched shape of the roof section 23. This would require extra effort in processing the tank housing section 22 and welding the tank housing section 22 to the roof section 23, potentially increasing manufacturing costs.

[0028] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 6, the roof portion 23 of the fuel tank unit 11 is formed of a corrugated slate plate 31 (i.e., a metal plate) whose cross-section is formed in a corrugated shape so that the irregularities are aligned in the rail direction (i.e., the direction in which the rail RL is formed). Note that the corrugated slate plate 31 is an example of the "corrugated plate" of this disclosure.

[0029] In this way, the roof portion 23 of the fuel tank unit 11 is formed of corrugated slate sheets 31. Here, corrugated slate sheets 31 can be made lighter than flat sheets by reducing the thickness of the sheets, thus reducing the weight. In addition, since corrugated slate sheets 31 are formed in a corrugated shape with a series of bumps and ridges, they can be made stronger than flat sheets, and can withstand the weight of snow and the weight of workers standing on them during maintenance.

[0030] Furthermore, the corrugated slate plate 31 is formed in a corrugated shape so that the protrusions and recesses are aligned in the direction of the rails (more specifically, the cross section is roughly a semicircular arc with concave parts facing downwards and convex parts facing upwards arranged alternately). As shown in Figures 3 and 5, an opening 32 is provided at the end face of the fuel tank unit 11 in the direction of the sleepers, between the side plate 22b of the tank housing section 22 and the roof section 23 (more specifically, the convex parts of the corrugated slate plate 31), allowing communication between the inside and outside of the fuel tank unit 11. In this embodiment, the corrugated protrusions and recesses of the slate plate 31 are formed by arranging roughly semicircular arcs in cross section alternately with changing directions, but the protrusions and recesses do not have to be corrugated. For example, the protrusions and recesses can be formed by arranging U-shaped or L-shaped cross section alternately with changing directions.

[0031] Therefore, even if fuel gas leaks from the fuel tank 21, the fuel gas is discharged from the inside to the outside of the fuel tank unit 11 through the opening 32, thus preventing fuel gas from accumulating inside the fuel tank unit 11. A fuel leak detection sensor (not shown) may also be provided inside the fuel tank unit 11 to detect when fuel gas leaks from the fuel tank 21.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fuel tank unit 11 does not have an opening 32 on only one end face in the direction of the sleepers (i.e., one direction), but rather has openings 32 on both end faces in the direction of the sleepers (i.e., two directions). Therefore, since the fuel gas is discharged from the inside to the outside of the fuel tank unit 11 through both openings 32 in the direction of the sleepers, the accumulation of fuel gas inside the fuel tank unit 11 can be suppressed more effectively.

[0033] Furthermore, since the fuel tank unit 11 has an opening 32 at its end face in the direction of the sleepers, when fuel gas leaks from inside the fuel tank unit 11 to the outside through the opening 32, the fuel gas is less likely to flow towards the overhead wire formed along the approximate center of the fuel tank unit 11 in the direction of the sleepers. Therefore, it is possible to prevent malfunctions caused by the fuel gas coming into contact with the overhead wire (for example, sparks being generated and causing a fire).

[0034] Furthermore, since the roof section 23 is formed from corrugated slate plates 31, the parts of the tank housing section 22 that support the roof section 23 (for example, the joints between the side plates 22a and 22b of the tank housing section 22 and the roof section 23) only need to be formed in a straight shape. This makes it easier to process the tank housing section 22 and to weld the tank housing section 22 to the roof section 23, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0035] Furthermore, since the tank housing section 22 is covered by the roof section 23 of the corrugated slate plate 31, the fuel tank 21 housed in the tank housing section 22 is prevented from becoming hot due to exposure to direct sunlight.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the roof section 23 is formed such that the central section 23a is the highest point in the direction of the sleepers, and it becomes lower towards the ends 23b. Specifically, the central section 23a is formed to be, for example, 10 mm higher than the ends 23b.

[0037] In this way, the roof section 23 is formed in a mountain-like shape (i.e., a "V" shape that protrudes upward) in the direction of the sleepers, so that its strength can be improved more effectively than if it were formed in a flat shape in the direction of the sleepers, and it can be made strong enough to withstand snow accumulation and strong enough to withstand workers standing on it during maintenance.

[0038] Furthermore, a side plate 22a is provided on the end face in the rail direction of the tank housing section 22, which separates the inside and outside of the fuel tank unit 11 and serves as a closing plate to close the opening. That is, although the roof section 23 is formed in a mountain shape in the direction of the sleepers, the upper part of the side plate 22a that forms the end face in the rail direction of the tank housing section 22 is formed in a mountain shape following the shape of the roof section 23, and there is no opening between the side plate 22a of the tank housing section 22 and the roof section 23.

[0039] In this way, there is no opening between the side plate 22a and the roof portion 23 of the tank housing 22, and the inside and outside of the fuel tank unit 11 are sealed. Therefore, even if the overhead wire is cut while the train is running, the side plate 22a can prevent the cut wire from entering the fuel tank unit 11 from the rail-facing end face of the fuel tank unit 11. At the same time, even if fuel leaks from the fuel tank 21, this leaked fuel will not flow out from the rail-facing end face of the fuel tank unit 11, thus preventing fuel from flowing near the overhead wire.

[0040] Furthermore, the fuel tank unit 11 can be compactly formed to, for example, a size of 1560mm x 1900mm x 417mm. Therefore, six fuel tank units 11 can be transported in a single truck.

[0041] It should be noted that the embodiments described above are merely illustrative examples and do not limit this disclosure in any way. Various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Railway vehicles 11 Fuel Tank Unit 13 Fuel Cell 21 Fuel tank 22 Tank housing 22a side plate 22b Side plate 23 Roof section 23a central part 23b End 31. Corrugated slate board 32 openings YK Roof Structure RL Rail

Claims

1. Gas-using equipment and A railway vehicle having a gas container unit provided on a roof structure and equipped with a high-pressure gas container for storing gas used in the gas usage device, The gas container unit comprises a gas container housing section for housing the high-pressure gas container, and a roof section covering the gas container housing section. The aforementioned roof section is formed of corrugated sheets that are shaped in a wave-like manner so that the irregularities are aligned in the direction of the rails. A railway vehicle characterized by [this feature].

2. In the railway vehicle according to claim 1, The aforementioned roof section is formed such that, in the direction of the sleepers, the central part is the highest and the height decreases towards the ends. A railway vehicle characterized by [this feature].

3. In the railway vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, A sealing plate is provided on the end face in the rail direction of the gas container housing section, which seals the inside and outside of the gas container unit. A railway vehicle characterized by [this feature].

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