Hydrogen Gas Delivery System

Abstract

A hydrogen gas transfer system (S) comprises: a gas compressor (15) which compresses the hydrogen gas (HG), and in which sealing gas (SG) for sealing the hydrogen gas (HG) is enclosed; a gas supply path (11) which supplies the hydrogen gas (HG) to the gas compressor (15); and a heater (13) which is disposed on the gas supply path (11) and which heats the hydrogen gas (HG) to a predetermined temperature that is equal to or higher than the boiling point of the sealing gas (SG).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to hydrogen gas delivery systems. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in an effort to realize a so-called low-carbon society, technologies have been proposed that utilize hydrogen as fuel for various devices, and there is an increasing need for systems that store and transport hydrogen (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] It is known that hydrogen is stored as liquefied hydrogen. The temperature of liquefied hydrogen is as low as about -253°C, and while it is stored, low-temperature vaporized gas is generated by heat input from the outside. This vaporized gas can also be used as fuel; for example, in a liquefied hydrogen carrier, the vaporized gas can be used as fuel for the propulsion system of the liquefied gas carrier. However, in that case, the vaporized gas needs to be pressurized to the pressure required to power the propulsion system, and a gas compressor is required to do this. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-004382 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the gas compressor, a seal gas is generally used to prevent hydrogen from leaking from around the sliding elements. However, the temperature of the vaporized gas of liquefied hydrogen is low as described above, and is lower than the boiling point of the type of gas generally used as a seal gas. Therefore, there is a possibility that the seal gas will be cooled and liquefied by the low-temperature hydrogen gas, and will no longer be able to function as a seal gas.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to enable the use of low-temperature hydrogen gas in hydrogen transport systems without impairing the functionality of the seal gas that is commonly used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the hydrogen gas transport system according to the present disclosure comprises: 1. A system for transporting hydrogen gas, comprising: a gas compressor for compressing the hydrogen gas, the gas compressor being filled with a seal gas for sealing the hydrogen gas; a gas supply line for supplying the hydrogen gas to the gas compressor; a heater provided in the gas supply passage for heating the hydrogen gas to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of the seal gas; Equipped with.

[0008] Any combination of at least two features disclosed in the claims and / or the specification and / or the drawings is included in the present disclosure. In particular, any combination of two or more of the claims in the claims is included in the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] The present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments and drawings are merely for illustration and explanation, and should not be used to determine the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is determined by the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals in multiple drawings indicate the same or corresponding parts. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hydrogen gas transport system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the hydrogen gas transport system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a gas compressor used in the hydrogen gas transport system of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic diagram of another example of a gas compressor used in the hydrogen gas transport system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a modified example of the hydrogen gas transport system of FIG. 5. [Figure 6] 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of another modified example of the hydrogen gas transport system of FIG. [Figure 7] 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of another modified example of the hydrogen gas transport system of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a liquefied hydrogen carrier 1, which is a facility in which a hydrogen gas transfer system S according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is installed. In this embodiment, a liquefied hydrogen carrier 1 will be described as an example of the hydrogen gas transfer system S. The liquefied hydrogen carrier 1 includes, for example, a liquefied hydrogen storage tank 3 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "storage tank") for storing liquefied hydrogen, and a transfer pipe 5 for transferring the liquefied hydrogen from the storage tank 3 or to the storage tank 3. The liquefied hydrogen carrier 1 further includes a power unit 7 that outputs propulsion power for the liquefied hydrogen carrier 1 by utilizing hydrogen gas generated by vaporization of the liquefied hydrogen inside the liquefied hydrogen carrier 1.

[0011] In this specification, the term "hydrogen gas transfer system" refers to a system for transferring hydrogen gas from a hydrogen storage device such as the storage tank 3 exemplified above to a hydrogen gas consuming device such as the power unit 7. Furthermore, facilities to which the hydrogen gas transfer system is applied are not limited to the exemplified liquefied hydrogen carrier 1, but include, for example, transportation equipment such as ships, vehicles, and aircraft for transporting liquefied hydrogen such as the above-mentioned liquefied hydrogen carrier 1, as well as various other facilities such as transportation equipment powered by hydrogen as fuel and plants for storing hydrogen.

[0012] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the hydrogen gas transport system S includes a gas supply line 11, a heater 13, and a gas compressor 15.

[0013] The gas supply path 11 is a passage that supplies hydrogen gas HG to the gas compressor 15. Specifically, in this embodiment, as the gas supply path 11, a naturally vaporized gas supply path 17 and a forced vaporized gas supply path 19 are provided.

[0014] The naturally vaporized gas supply path 17 is a passage that supplies hydrogen gas HG generated by the natural evaporation of liquefied hydrogen in the storage tank 3 to the gas compressor 15. In the illustrated example, the naturally vaporized gas supply path 17 is connected to the storage tank 3. Specifically, for example, an upstream end of a pipe that forms the naturally vaporized gas supply path 17 is extended to an upper space in the storage tank 3.

[0015] A vaporizer 21 that forcibly vaporizes liquefied hydrogen is provided in the forced vaporization gas supply path 19. The vaporized gas generated by the vaporizer 21 is supplied to the gas compressor 15 through the forced vaporization gas supply path 19. In the illustrated example, the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 is connected to the storage tank 3. Specifically, the upstream end of the piping that forms the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 is extended to the vicinity of the bottom wall inside the storage tank 3.

[0016] In this embodiment, the portion of the gas supply path 11 connected to the gas compressor 15 is configured as a common gas supply path 23 that serves both the natural vaporization gas supply path 17 and the forced vaporization gas supply path 19. In other words, the natural vaporization gas supply path 17 and the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 are each configured as an independent gas supply path 11 in their upstream portions, and are connected to merge with each other midway to configure the single common gas supply path 23. This common gas supply path 23 is connected to the gas compressor 15. In the following description, when it is necessary to particularly distinguish between them, the independent gas supply path portions of the natural vaporization gas supply path 17 and the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 on the upstream side of the common gas supply path 23 may be referred to as the "independent natural vaporization gas path portion 17a" and the "independent forced vaporization gas path portion 19a," respectively.

[0017] The heater 13 is provided in the gas supply passage 11 and heats the hydrogen gas HG passing through the gas supply passage 11 to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of a seal gas SG (FIG. 3) described later. For example, a shell-and-tube type heater, a plate type heater, an extended type heater, a fin tube type heater, a pin tube type heater, or a heat trace type heater can be used as the heater 13. The heater 13 may be used as a heat exchanger that uses a high-temperature fluid discharged from another component in the hydrogen gas transfer system S as a heating medium and hydrogen gas HG as a cooling medium.

[0018] The vaporizer 21 heats and vaporizes the liquefied hydrogen passing through the forced vaporization gas supply path 19. In the illustrated example, the vaporizer 21 is provided in the independent forced vaporization gas path section 19a. As the vaporizer 21, the various heating devices used as the heater 13 described above can be used.

[0019] The gas compressor 15 compresses the hydrogen gas HG supplied from the gas supply line 11. Specifically, in this example, the gas compressor 15 compresses the hydrogen gas HG to a pressure required by the power plant 7 that uses the hydrogen gas HG as fuel.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, in this example, an impeller-type gas compressor 15 is used. A seal gas SG for sealing hydrogen gas HG is sealed in the gas compressor 15. That is, in the gas compressor 15, a gap exists around a sliding element for compressing gas (impeller 25 in this example), and thus the compressed hydrogen gas HG may leak from the compression chamber 27 through this gap. By sealing the seal gas SG in the gas compressor 15, such leakage is prevented. In the illustrated example, the seal gas SG is sealed inside a rotary shaft housing 31 that covers a rotary shaft 29 that rotates the impeller 25. This seal gas SG prevents the hydrogen gas HG from leaking from the back surface of the impeller 25 to the rotary shaft 29 side, as shown by the broken line.

[0021] It should be noted that the gas compressor 15 is not limited to this example, and any type of gas compressor 15 can be used as long as it is capable of compressing the gas to the pressure required for the power unit 7 (FIG. 2) described above. For example, the gas compressor 15 may be a piston-type gas compressor 15 as shown in FIG. 4 as a modified example. In this case, the seal gas SG is sealed inside the rod housing 37 that covers the piston rod 35 that reciprocates the piston 33. This seal gas SG prevents the hydrogen gas HG from leaking from the circumferential surface of the piston 33 to the piston rod 35 side, as shown by the dashed line.

[0022] In this example, nitrogen gas (boiling point: about -196°C, melting point: about -210°C) is used as the seal gas SG. In addition to nitrogen gas, an inert gas such as argon can also be used as the seal gas SG.

[0023] Although not described or illustrated in the above embodiment, various valves for controlling the flow of the hydrogen gas HG may be provided at appropriate positions in the gas supply path 11. In addition, a temperature measuring device for measuring the temperature of the hydrogen gas HG may be provided in the heater 13 and / or around the heater 13 as appropriate.

[0024] The specific configuration of the hydrogen gas transfer system S is not limited to the above example. Below, a modified example in which the configuration of the gas supply passage 11 and the arrangement of the heater 13 are changed will be described.

[0025] It is not necessary to provide a forced vaporized gas supply path 19 in the hydrogen gas transport system S; as shown in FIG. 5, only a natural vaporized gas supply path 17 may be provided, and a heater 13 may be provided in this natural vaporized gas supply path 17.

[0026] In the hydrogen gas transfer system S, when a forced vaporization gas supply path 19 is provided and the portion connecting the gas supply path 11 to the gas compressor 15 is configured as a common gas supply path 23 as in the example of Fig. 2, heaters 13 (first heater 13A and second heater 13B) may be provided in each of the independent natural vaporization gas path section 17a and the independent forced vaporization gas path section 19a, which are the upstream portions of the common gas supply path 23, as shown in Fig. 6. In this example, the second heater 13B provided in the independent forced vaporization gas path section 19a also serves as the vaporizer 21. However, the vaporizer 21 and the heater 13 may be provided separately on the independent forced vaporization gas path section 19a.

[0027] In the case where the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 is provided in the hydrogen gas transfer system S, it is not essential to configure a common gas supply path 23 as shown in Fig. 2, and each of the natural vaporization gas supply path 17 and the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 may be independently connected to the gas compressor 15 as shown in Fig. 7. In this case, the natural vaporization gas supply path 17 and the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 are each provided with a heater 13 (first heater 13A and second heater 13B). In this case, the second heater 13B provided in the forced vaporization gas supply path 19 may also function as the vaporizer 21 as in the example of Fig. 2, or may be provided as a heater 13 separate from the vaporizer 21.

[0028] In any of the above-described examples, unlike the illustrated examples, a plurality of heaters 13 may be arranged in series.

[0029] In addition, in each of the above-mentioned examples, the hydrogen gas transfer system S includes a storage tank 3 for liquefied hydrogen and at least a naturally vaporized gas supply line 17 as the gas supply line 11, and the hydrogen gas HG generated by vaporization of the liquefied hydrogen stored in the storage tank 3 is compressed by the gas compressor 15. This configuration makes it possible to efficiently use the hydrogen gas HG generated by the naturally vaporized liquefied hydrogen in a system capable of storing liquefied hydrogen. However, the hydrogen gas HG may be stored in the hydrogen gas transfer system S from the beginning as hydrogen gas HG having a lower temperature than the boiling point or melting point of the seal gas SG.

[0030] According to the hydrogen gas transfer system S according to the present embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 2, a heater 13 is provided in the gas supply path 11 to the gas compressor 15, and the hydrogen gas HG is supplied to the gas compressor 15 after heating the gas to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of the seal gas SG in FIG. 3. This prevents the seal gas from being cooled and liquefied by the low-temperature hydrogen gas. As a result, the hydrogen gas HG can be used for purposes such as fuel without impairing the sealing function of the seal gas SG sealed in the gas compressor 15. In addition, it is possible to prevent the function of the gas compressor from being impaired by liquefaction of the seal gas.

[0031] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the drawings, but various additions, modifications, and deletions are possible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Therefore, such additions, modifications, and deletions are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 3. Liquefied hydrogen storage tank 11 Gas supply line 15 Gas Compressor 17 Natural vapor gas supply line 19 Forced vaporization gas supply line 21 Carburetor HG Hydrogen Gas S Hydrogen Gas Delivery System SG Seal gas

Claims

1. 1. A system for transporting hydrogen gas, comprising: a gas compressor for compressing the hydrogen gas, the gas compressor being filled with a seal gas for sealing the hydrogen gas; a gas supply line for supplying the hydrogen gas to the gas compressor; a heater provided in the gas supply passage for heating the hydrogen gas to a predetermined temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of the seal gas; A hydrogen gas transfer system comprising:

2. 2. The hydrogen gas transport system of claim 1, a liquefied hydrogen storage tank for storing liquefied hydrogen; Equipped with the gas supply line includes a natural vaporization gas supply line that supplies the hydrogen gas naturally vaporized from the liquefied hydrogen to the gas compressor, The heater is provided in the natural vaporized gas supply path. Hydrogen gas transfer system.

3. 3. The hydrogen gas transport system of claim 2, The gas supply path includes a vaporizer that forcibly vaporizes the liquefied hydrogen, and a forced vaporization gas supply path that supplies the hydrogen gas vaporized by the vaporizer to the gas compressor. Hydrogen gas transfer system.

4. 4. The hydrogen gas transport system of claim 3, a portion of the gas supply line connected to the gas compressor is a common gas supply line serving as both the natural vaporization gas supply line and the forced vaporization gas supply line; The heater is provided in the common gas supply path. Hydrogen gas transfer system.

5. 4. The hydrogen gas transport system of claim 3, a portion of the gas supply line connected to the gas compressor is a common gas supply line serving as both the natural vaporization gas supply line and the forced vaporization gas supply line; The heater includes a first heater provided in a portion of the natural vaporization gas supply path upstream of the common gas supply path, and a second heater also serving as the vaporizer provided in a portion of the forced vaporization gas supply path upstream of the common gas supply path. Hydrogen gas transfer system.

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