High-pressure gas filling system

Abstract

The present invention provides a high-pressure gas filling system that does not affect the filling speed when filling gas at a gas station equipped with communication capabilities, and can suppress the filling speed when filling gas at a gas station without communication capabilities. [Solution] The high-pressure gas filling system 3 for filling a hydrogen tank 4 mounted on a vehicle 1 with high-pressure gas comprises a first branch filling pipe 323 without an overflow prevention valve 6, a second branch filling pipe 324 equipped with an overflow prevention valve 6 and having the same inner diameter as the first branch filling pipe 323, and a solenoid valve 322 for switching between the first branch filling pipe 323 and the second branch filling pipe 324. The overflow prevention valve 6 has a throttling passage 625a that restricts the flow rate of the high-pressure gas. The diameter of the throttling passage 625a is changeable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a high-pressure gas filling system, and particularly to a high-pressure gas filling system for filling a high-pressure gas into a gas tank mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in such a technical field, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1, a system for filling hydrogen gas from a gas station into an in-vehicle hydrogen tank is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Normally, when filling hydrogen gas from a gas station into an in-vehicle hydrogen tank, the gas station performs filling control while receiving information such as the tank temperature and tank pressure from the vehicle, and keeps the tank temperature at 85°C or lower. However, when receiving hydrogen gas filling at a gas station without a communication function, filling control based on information such as the tank temperature and tank pressure cannot be performed, so an event exceeding 85°C occurs.

[0005] In order to prevent such an event, for example, measures to suppress the filling rate of hydrogen gas by reducing the pipe diameter on the vehicle side are considered. However, when the pipe diameter is reduced in this way, it affects filling at a gas station equipped with a communication function, that is, filling for which there is no need to suppress the filling rate, and a problem of causing a decrease in the filling amount of hydrogen gas occurs.

[0006] The present invention was made to solve these technical problems, and aims to provide a high-pressure gas filling system that does not affect the filling speed when filling gas at a gas station equipped with a communication function, and can suppress the filling speed when filling gas at a gas station not equipped with a communication function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The high-pressure gas filling system according to the present invention is a high-pressure gas filling system for filling a gas tank mounted on a vehicle with high-pressure gas, comprising: a first filling path without an overflow prevention valve; a second filling path having an overflow prevention valve and having the same inner diameter as the first filling path; and a solenoid valve for switching between the first and second filling paths, wherein the overflow prevention valve has a throttling passage for restricting the flow rate of high-pressure gas, and the diameter of the throttling passage is changeable.

[0008] The high-pressure gas filling system according to the present invention comprises a first filling path without an overflow prevention valve, a second filling path equipped with an overflow prevention valve and having the same inner diameter as the first filling path, and a solenoid valve for switching between the first and second filling paths. This allows the normal filling speed to be maintained when filling gas at a gas station equipped with communication capabilities (hereinafter referred to as a "communication gas station") by performing the filling through the first filling path without the overflow prevention valve. In other words, the filling speed is not affected. On the other hand, when filling gas at a gas station without communication capabilities (hereinafter referred to as a "non-communication gas station"), the filling is performed through the second filling path equipped with the overflow prevention valve. Since the overflow prevention valve has a throttling passage that restricts the flow rate of the high-pressure gas, the filling speed of the high-pressure gas can be suppressed by utilizing the throttling passage. As a result, the filling speed is not affected when filling gas at a communication gas station, and the filling speed can be suppressed when filling gas at a non-communication gas station. Furthermore, since the diameter of the throttling passage of the overflow prevention valve is changeable, it can be applied to various vehicle systems by adjusting the diameter of the throttling passage according to the vehicle system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when filling gas at a gas station equipped with a communication function, the filling speed is not affected, and when filling gas at a gas station without a communication function, the filling speed can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a system diagram of a vehicle to which the high-pressure gas filling system according to the embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the structure and function of an overflow prevention valve. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the structure and function of an overflow prevention valve. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the high-pressure gas filling system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, hydrogen gas will be used as an example of the high-pressure gas, that is, an example of hydrogen gas filling at a hydrogen station (gas station), but the high-pressure gas is not limited to hydrogen gas and may be various gases such as CNG (compressed natural gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas), LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), etc.

[0012] Figure 1 is a system diagram of a vehicle to which the high-pressure gas filling system according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in Figure 1, the high-pressure gas filling system 3 of this embodiment is installed, for example, in a vehicle (fuel cell vehicle (FCEV)) 1 and fills hydrogen gas into hydrogen tanks 4 mounted on the vehicle 1. In addition to the high-pressure gas filling system 3 and the multiple hydrogen tanks 4, the vehicle 1 further includes a receptacle 2 configured as a hydrogen gas filling port and a gas supply system 5 that supplies hydrogen gas stored in each hydrogen tank 4 to the onboard fuel cell.

[0013] The receptacle 2 is shaped to connect to a refueling nozzle located on the hydrogen station side. The receptacle 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape from, for example, a metal material and is fixed to the vehicle body via a connecting member. The receptacle 2 also includes a filter 22 and a check valve 21 to prevent hydrogen gas from flowing back from the vehicle 1 side to the hydrogen station side.

[0014] The high-pressure gas filling system 3 includes a filling system manifold 31, an upstream filling line 32 connecting the receptacle 2 and the filling system manifold 31, and a downstream filling line 33 connecting the filling system manifold 31 and the valve 41 of the hydrogen tank 4.

[0015] A pump 311 is installed in the filling system manifold 31. The upstream filling line 32 has, in order from the receptacle 2 side toward the filling system manifold 31 side, a main filling pipe 321, a solenoid valve 322, a first branch filling pipe 323, and a second branch filling pipe 324.

[0016] The main filling pipe 321 is connected at one end to the receptacle 2 and at the other end to the solenoid valve 322. The solenoid valve 322 is located at the branching point between the first branch filling pipe 323 and the second branch filling pipe 324, and switches whether the hydrogen gas flowing through the receptacle 2 and the main filling pipe 321 flows into the first branch filling pipe 323 or into the second branch filling pipe 324. This solenoid valve 322 is operated by the operation of a switch (e.g., a physical switch) provided in the vehicle 1, and performs the above switching. For example, normally the solenoid valve 322 is in a first state in which the hydrogen gas flowing through the receptacle 2 and the main filling pipe 321 flows into the first branch filling pipe 323, and when the switch is operated, it switches to a second state in which the hydrogen gas flows into the second branch filling pipe 324.

[0017] The first branch filling pipe 323 corresponds to the "first filling path" described in the claims. One end of this first branch filling pipe 323 is connected to the solenoid valve 322, and the other end is connected to the filling system manifold 31. A check valve 325 for preventing the backflow of hydrogen gas from the filling system manifold 31 to the solenoid valve 322 side is attached to the first branch filling pipe 323. Different from the second branch filling pipe 324, the first branch filling pipe 323 is not provided with an overcurrent prevention valve 6.

[0018] The second branch filling pipe 324 corresponds to the "second filling path" described in the claims. One end of the second branch filling pipe 324 is connected to the solenoid valve 322, and the other end is connected to the filling system manifold 31. A check valve 326 for preventing the backflow of hydrogen gas from the filling system manifold 31 to the solenoid valve 322 side is attached to the second branch filling pipe 324. And the second branch filling pipe 324 is formed of the same material so as to have the same inner diameter as the first branch filling pipe 323. Further, an overcurrent prevention valve 6 is provided in the second branch filling pipe 324. The structure and the like of the overcurrent prevention valve 6 will be described later.

[0019] The downstream filling line 33 is provided one-to-one for a plurality of hydrogen tanks 4. One end of each downstream filling line 33 is connected to the filling system manifold 31, and the other end is connected to the valve 41 of the hydrogen tank 4.

[0020] The hydrogen tank 4 is filled with hydrogen gas supplied from a hydrogen station through a high-pressure gas filling system 3. A valve 41 is attached to the hydrogen tank 4. The valve 41 has an on-off valve, a check valve, a switching valve, a safety valve, and the like.

[0021] The gas supply system 5 reduces the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 4 and supplies the depressurized hydrogen gas to the in-vehicle fuel cell. The gas supply system 5 includes a supply system manifold 51, an upstream supply line 52 that communicates the hydrogen tank 4 with the supply system manifold 51, a downstream supply line 53 that communicates the supply system manifold 51 with the fuel cell, and a pressure reducing valve 54 provided in the downstream supply line 53.

[0022] The supply system manifold 51 is equipped with a pump 511. The upstream supply line 52 is provided one-to-one for a plurality of hydrogen tanks 4. Each upstream supply line 52 has one end connected to the valve 41 of the hydrogen tank 4 and the other end connected to the supply system manifold 51.

[0023] The downstream supply line 53 has one end connected to the supply system manifold 51 and the other end connected to the fuel cell. The pressure reducing valve 54 reduces the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen tank 4.

[0024] Hereinafter, the structure and operation of the check valve 6 will be described based on FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the check valve (Excess Flow Valve) 6 includes a cylindrical valve housing 61, a valve body 62 inserted into the valve housing 61 and slidable along the axial direction of the valve housing 61, a coil spring 63 that biases the valve body 62 in a direction opposite to the insertion direction of the valve body 62, and a valve seat 64 that can contact the tip of the valve body 62.

[0025] The valve body 62 has a hollow truncated cone shape with a central through hole 625 formed inside, and includes a flange portion 621, a large diameter portion 622 connected to the flange portion 621, a small diameter portion 623 connected to the large diameter portion 622, and a reduced diameter portion 624 connected to the small diameter portion 623. The flange portion 621, the large diameter portion 622, the small diameter portion 623, and the reduced diameter portion 624 are integrally formed.

[0026] The central through-hole 625 is formed to penetrate the flange portion 621, the large-diameter portion 622, the small-diameter portion 623, and the reduced-diameter portion 624, but its diameter changes. Specifically, the diameter of the central through-hole 625 is the same from the flange portion 621 to the small-diameter portion 623, but gradually decreases in the reduced-diameter portion 624, becoming smallest (in other words, narrowest) at the tip of the reduced-diameter portion 624. This narrowest portion constitutes the throttling channel 625a.

[0027] In the portion of the valve body 62 where the large-diameter portion 622 and the small-diameter portion 623 are connected, multiple lateral holes 626 are formed that penetrate the wall of the small-diameter portion 623. In this embodiment, two of the lateral holes 626 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the small-diameter portion 623.

[0028] The valve body 62 having this structure is inserted into the valve housing 61 with its large-diameter portion 622 in close contact with the inner wall of the valve housing 61. The coil spring 63 is positioned between the flange portion 621 of the valve body 62 and the stepped portion 611 provided on the inner wall of the valve housing 61. Furthermore, a gap S is created between the small-diameter portion 623 and the inner wall of the valve housing 61 due to the difference in outer diameter between the large-diameter portion 622 and the small-diameter portion 623. This gap S communicates with the central through-hole 625 via the lateral hole 626 described above.

[0029] On the other hand, the valve seat 64 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape using a sealing material, with a through hole 641 in the center. The valve seat 64 is inserted into the end of the valve housing 61 opposite to the insertion end of the valve body 62 and is fixed to the inner wall of the valve housing 61 by adhesive or the like. Furthermore, the upper surface of the valve seat 64 facing the valve body 62 has a tapered concave surface 642 in cross-section that can contact the outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion 624 of the valve body 62.

[0030] In the overflow prevention valve 6 configured as described above, if the flow rate of the hydrogen gas does not exceed a preset threshold, the pressing force of the hydrogen gas on the valve body 62 is less than the biasing force of the coil spring 63, and the reduced diameter portion 624 of the valve body 62 is separated from the concave surface 642 of the valve seat 64 by the biasing force of the coil spring 63 (see Figure 2). At this time, as shown by the white arrows in Figure 2, the hydrogen gas flows through the central through hole 625, and also through the lateral hole 626, the gap S, and the gap between the reduced diameter portion 624 and the concave surface 642, before flowing into the through hole 641 of the valve seat 64.

[0031] As the flow rate of the hydrogen gas gradually increases, the pressing force of the hydrogen gas increases. Accordingly, the valve body 62 approaches the valve seat 64 while resisting the biasing force of the coil spring 63. Furthermore, when the flow rate of the hydrogen gas exceeds the aforementioned threshold (in other words, when the pressing force of the hydrogen gas received by the valve body 62 exceeds the biasing force of the coil spring 63), the reduced diameter portion 624 of the valve body 62 comes into contact with the concave surface 642 of the valve seat 64 and sits down (see Figure 3). As a result, the hydrogen gas flowing through the lateral hole 626 and the gap S is blocked. Therefore, the hydrogen gas flows only through the central through hole 625, from the throttling passage 625a to the through hole 641 of the valve seat 64. That is, the flow of hydrogen gas is throttled, and the velocity of the hydrogen gas flow is suppressed. It is preferable that the diameter of the throttling passage 625a be changeable.

[0032] The high-pressure gas filling system 3 according to this embodiment includes a first branch filling pipe 323 without an overcurrent prevention valve 6, a second branch filling pipe 324 equipped with an overcurrent prevention valve 6 and having the same inner diameter as the first branch filling pipe 323, and a solenoid valve 322 for switching between the first branch filling pipe 323 and the second branch filling pipe 324. As a result, when filling hydrogen at a communication hydrogen station, the normal filling speed can be maintained by performing the filling through the first branch filling pipe 323 without an overcurrent prevention valve 6. In other words, it does not affect the hydrogen gas filling speed.

[0033] On the other hand, when refueling with hydrogen at a non-communication hydrogen station, refueling is performed via a second branch refueling pipe 324 equipped with an overflow prevention valve 6. Since the overflow prevention valve 6 has a throttling passage 625a that restricts the flow rate of hydrogen gas, the refueling speed of hydrogen gas can be suppressed by utilizing the throttling passage 625a. As a result, the refueling speed is not affected when refueling with hydrogen at a communication hydrogen station, and the refueling speed can be suppressed when refueling with hydrogen at a non-communication hydrogen station. In this way, one high-pressure gas refueling system 3 can be used to handle both communication hydrogen stations and non-communication hydrogen stations. Furthermore, since the diameter of the throttling passage 625a is changeable, it can be applied to various vehicle systems by adjusting the diameter of the throttling passage 625a according to the vehicle system.

[0034] The following describes how to use the high-pressure gas filling system according to this embodiment.

[0035] As described above, normally, the solenoid valve 322 is in a first state in which hydrogen gas flowing through the receptacle 2 and the main filling pipe 321 flows into the first branch filling pipe 323, which is not equipped with an overflow prevention valve 6. In other words, it is normally fixed in the first state. Therefore, for example, when using a communication hydrogen station, the driver opens the filling lid installed on the vehicle 1 and connects the filling nozzle on the hydrogen station side to the receptacle 2. This starts the hydrogen filling process. At this time, hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas station is filled into the hydrogen tank 4 via the receptacle 2, the main filling pipe 321, the first branch filling pipe 323, the filling system manifold 31, and the downstream filling line 33.

[0036] On the other hand, when using a non-communication hydrogen station, the driver first turns on a switch installed inside the vehicle. When the switch is turned on, the solenoid valve 322 operates, switching the first state described above to the second state in which hydrogen gas flows into the second branch filling pipe 324. After that, the driver opens the filling lid and connects the filling nozzle on the hydrogen station side to the receptacle 2. This starts the hydrogen filling process. At this time, the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas station is filled into the hydrogen tank 4 via the receptacle 2, the main filling pipe 321, the second branch filling pipe 324 equipped with an overflow prevention valve 6, the filling system manifold 31, and the downstream filling line 33. As described above, when the flow rate of hydrogen gas exceeds a threshold, its flow rate is suppressed by the overflow prevention valve 6. In other words, the hydrogen gas filling rate is suppressed.

[0037] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1: Vehicle, 2: Receptacle, 3: High-pressure gas filling system, 4: Hydrogen tank, 5: Gas supply system, 6: Overflow prevention valve, 31: Filling system manifold, 32: Upstream filling line, 33: Downstream filling line, 61: Valve housing, 62: Valve body, 63: Coil spring, 64: Valve seat, 321: Main filling piping, 322: Solenoid valve, 323: First branch filling piping (first filling route), 324: Second branch filling piping (second filling route), 621: Flange section, 622: Large diameter section, 623: Small diameter section, 624: Reduced diameter section, 625: Central through hole, 625a: Throttle passage, 626: Side hole, 642: Concave surface

Claims

[Claim 1] A high-pressure gas filling system for filling a gas tank mounted on a vehicle with high-pressure gas, A first filling path that is not equipped with an overflow prevention valve, A second filling path is provided, which has an overflow prevention valve and the same inner diameter as the first filling path, A solenoid valve for switching between the first filling path and the second filling path, Equipped with, The overflow prevention valve has a throttling passage that restricts the flow rate of the high-pressure gas, A high-pressure gas filling system characterized in that the diameter of the aforementioned throttling channel is changeable.

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