Gas bottles

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of improving storing / discharging performance of filled gas in a gan container.SOLUTION: A gas container includes: a container body 10 that has a housing member 60 having an inner space 18 and forming a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub spaces 62 partitioned by partitioning walls 61 made of a heat conductive material is aligned, and two liner divided bodies 13 and 14 that form a resinous cylinder shape and respectively coupled one end portion and the other end portion in an axial direction of the housing member 60; mouth pieces 20 and 30 that are installed to at least one of the liner divided bodies 13 and 14 and communicate the inner space 18 and the outside of the container body 10; and a storage material 50 that is housed and held in the sub space 62 and occludes and discharges filled gas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas container for storing and releasing a gas, such as hydrogen gas. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technologies have been proposed that use hydrogen gas, natural gas, and the like as fuel for vehicles and various devices. Gas containers for storing and releasing these gases have also been actively studied (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The gas container introduced in Patent Document 1 contains a hydrogen storage alloy, which is a type of storage material, in its internal space. The storage material physically or chemically absorbs and releases the gas to be stored (hereinafter, referred to as the filled gas, as necessary). These storage materials can increase the amount of gas that can be stored in the internal space.

[0004] On the other hand, the storage material undergoes a temperature change when absorbing and releasing the fill gas.

[0005] For example, if the storage material is a hydrogen storage alloy, a change in temperature will cause a change in the volume of the storage material, as described in Patent Document 1. In such a case, if the amount and speed of temperature change of the storage material, i.e., the amount and speed of volume change of the storage material, become excessive, there is a risk that the mechanical strength of the gas container will decrease, such as deformation.

[0006] Furthermore, since the absorption and release of the filled gas by the storage material is closely related to the temperature of the atmosphere, it is considered essential to make the temperature of the storage material uniform throughout the entire internal space in order to smoothly absorb the filled gas into the storage material and release the filled gas from the storage material.

[0007] In the internal space of the gas container disclosed in Patent Document 1, a heat transfer pipe, which is a passage for a heat exchange medium, and fin portions extending from the heat transfer pipe are arranged. According to this gas container, the temperature of the gas storage material in the internal space is controlled by circulating a heat exchange medium through the heat medium pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-281097 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] As described above, in the gas container introduced in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the temperature of the gas storage material in the internal space is controlled by circulating a heat exchange medium through a heat medium pipe. However, even this type of gas container cannot be said to be excellent in terms of the storage and release performance of the filled gas.

[0010] In order to improve the storage and release performance of the filled gas in a gas container, the inventors of the present invention have investigated the reason why sufficient storage and release performance of the filled gas cannot be obtained in a conventional gas container such as that introduced in Patent Document 1. As a result of intensive research, the inventors have come up with the idea that in the conventional gas container, temperature unevenness still occurs in the internal space, and this causes the amount and speed of the occlusion and release of the filled gas to reach a plateau.

[0011] The inventors of the present invention have further conducted extensive research and have arrived at the idea of ​​arranging a honeycomb-shaped storage member in the internal space in order to eliminate or reduce the temperature unevenness in the internal space. The storage member has a number of sub-spaces defined by partition walls made of a thermally conductive material, and the storage material is stored and held in the sub-spaces.

[0012] The partition walls of the storage member are made of a thermally conductive material and function as a heat exchanger. The storage member is thermally homogenized by the partition walls, and the storage material contained and held in the sub-spaces defined by the partition walls is also thermally homogenized. It is believed that a gas container having a honeycomb-shaped storage member can thereby achieve improved performance in storing and releasing the filled gas.

[0013] However, the inventors of the present invention were not satisfied with the gas container having the honeycomb-shaped containing member, and aimed to further improve the performance of storing and releasing the filled gas.

[0014] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a technology that can further improve the storage and release performance of the filled gas in a gas container having a honeycomb-shaped storage member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The gas container of the present invention which solves the above problems is a container body having an internal space and a honeycomb-shaped storage member in which a plurality of sub-spaces are arranged, the sub-spaces being partitioned by partition walls made of a thermally conductive material; and two liner segments each made of resin and having a cylindrical shape, the liner segments being respectively connected to one end and the other end in the axial direction of the storage member; a cap attached to at least one of the liner sections and connecting the internal space to the outside of the container body; a storage material that is accommodated and held in the sub-space and that absorbs and releases the fill gas, The outer circumferential surface of each of the liner segments is continuous with the outer circumferential surface of the storage member, forming a gas container. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to further improve the performance of storing and releasing the filled gas in a gas container having a honeycomb-shaped storage member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gas container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic axial cross section of the gas container according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic exploded view of a main part of the gas container according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a typical example of a housing member in the gas container according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is an explanatory view illustrating a connecting portion between a storage member and a liner section in the gas container according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The gas container of the present invention has a storage material for absorbing and releasing a fill gas. The internal space of the container body that contains the storage material is partitioned into a plurality of sub-spaces by partition walls of a honeycomb-shaped container member, and the storage material is contained and held in each of the sub-spaces. Therefore, the internal space of the gas container of the present invention is thermally uniformized by the partition wall functioning as a heat exchanger.

[0019] Here, the inventor of the present invention came up with the idea of ​​rapidly heating or cooling the storage material in the gas container and improving the amount and speed of absorption and release of the filled gas by improving not only the heat exchange performance of the internal space in the gas container but also the heat exchange performance between the internal space in the gas container and the outside.

[0020] That is, in a typical gas container, the above-mentioned internal space is formed inside a long, cylindrical resin liner. The resin liner has gas barrier properties and is lightweight, making it very useful when the gas container is used as a fuel tank for a vehicle, for example. However, because the liner is made of resin with poor thermal conductivity, it thermally insulates the internal space from the outside, making it difficult to heat or cool the internal space at a sufficient speed in a typical gas container.

[0021] As a result of extensive research, the inventors of the present invention came up with the idea of ​​using two cylindrical resin liner segments instead of the long cylindrical resin liner described above, and connecting the liner segments to one end and the other end in the axial direction of the containing member so that the outer peripheral surface of each liner segment is continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the containing member, and completed the gas container of the present invention.

[0022] In other words, in the gas container of the present invention, the container body composed of the two liner segments and the honeycomb-shaped storage member corresponds to the liner in a general gas container. Since a cap is attached to at least one of the two liner segments, the interior of each liner segment and the sub-space of the storage member form an internal space.

[0023] According to the gas container of the present invention described above, the container member itself functions as a part of the liner that separates the internal space from the outside. Since the container member is made of a thermally conductive material, it also functions as a heat exchanger that thermally connects the internal space to the outside. As a result, according to the gas container of the present invention, the efficiency of heating and cooling the internal space in the gas container can be improved, and the efficiency of heating and cooling the storage material stored and held in the internal space can also be improved. As a result, according to the gas container of the present invention, it is possible to rapidly heat or cool the storage material in the gas container and improve the amount and speed of absorbing and releasing the filled gas.

[0024] Furthermore, in the gas container of the present invention, the container itself is used as a part of the liner, so that a portion of the liner that covers the container from the radially outer side is not necessary. This allows the gas container of the present invention to have a simplified structure and a lighter weight. For this reason, the gas container of the present invention is particularly suitable as a fuel tank for vehicles, etc.

[0025] The gas container of the present invention will be described below with respect to each of its constituent elements. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical range "x to y" described in this specification includes the lower limit x and the upper limit y. These upper and lower limit values, as well as the numerical values ​​listed in the examples, can be arbitrarily combined to form a new numerical range. Furthermore, any numerical value selected from any of the above numerical ranges can be used as the upper and lower limit numerical values ​​of the new numerical range.

[0026] There are no particular limitations on the type of fill gas contained in the gas container of the present invention, and no particular limitations on the pressure of the fill gas within the gas container, but the gas container of the present invention is particularly suitable for realizing a so-called pressure-resistant container in which a fuel gas such as hydrogen gas or natural gas is filled at high pressure.

[0027] The gas container of the present invention comprises a container body, a mouthpiece, and a storage material.

[0028] Of these, the container body has, as described above, the containing member and the two liner portions, and has an internal space therein for containing the target fill gas.

[0029] The container member has a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub-spaces are arranged, each of which is partitioned by a partition wall. The shape of each sub-space is not particularly limited, but for the convenience of storing and holding the storage material in the sub-space, it is preferable that the sub-space has a columnar shape extending in the direction of the gas flow path provided in the nozzle, i.e., in the flow direction of the filled gas.

[0030] Each sub-space may have the same shape or different shapes, but taking into consideration the rigidity of the partition walls that define the sub-spaces, it is preferable that the flow path cross-section of each sub-space be a regular polygonal shape such as a regular hexagon or a regular octagon. The flow passage cross section of each sub-space may or may not be constant over the entire axial length of the sub-space, but taking into account pressure loss of the fill gas, it is preferably constant over at least 50% of the axial length of the sub-space, more preferably constant over at least 75% of the axial length, and especially preferred over the entire axial length of the sub-space.

[0031] The partition walls that partition the subspaces may have any shape that corresponds to the shape of the subspaces. As described above, the partition wall is made of a heat-conductive material and functions as a heat exchanger. In this specification, the heat-conductive material means a material having a higher thermal conductivity than air at a normal temperature of 25° C., and specifically includes various metals, alloys, ceramics, etc., such as stainless steel, aluminum, alumina, silicon carbide, etc., and is particularly preferably a material having a so-called gas barrier property that is difficult for the filled gas to be stored to pass through.

[0032] The partition wall may be manufactured by integrating plate-shaped materials by welding or bonding, or may be manufactured by extruding and firing a ceramic raw material slurry.

[0033] The inside of the two liner bodies also functions as a part of the storage space. Therefore, it is preferable to select a material having gas barrier properties as the material for such liner bodies. The material for the two liner bodies may be appropriately selected depending on the type of filled gas, the environment in which the gas container is installed, etc.

[0034] For example, if the filled gas is hydrogen gas, it is preferable to use polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, etc. as the material for the liner section. It is also preferable to coat the inside of the liner section with a material with excellent gas barrier properties, such as ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH). In cases where the gas container of the present invention is intended to be installed in a house or the like and the mass of the gas container can be somewhat large, a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel may be selected as the material of the liner body.

[0035] The liner portion may have a tubular shape, and the shape is not particularly limited. For example, a cylindrical shape or a regular polygonal cylindrical shape is preferable, which allows the internal pressure caused by the filled gas to be uniformly dispersed.

[0036] A nozzle is attached to at least one of the liner segments. The liner segments may be integrally formed with the nozzle or may be formed separately from the nozzle. For example, a liner segment with a nozzle attached thereto may be manufactured by insert molding the liner segment using a preformed nozzle as an insert, or the nozzle may be attached to a preformed liner segment by inserting the nozzle into the liner segment. When inserting the nozzle into the preformed liner section, it is preferable to interpose a sealing member such as an O-ring between the nozzle and the liner section to prevent leakage of the filled gas to the outside of the liner section.

[0037] The material of the base is not particularly limited, but since the base is required to have a certain degree of rigidity, it is preferable to select a metal material such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or stainless steel as the material for the base.

[0038] The mouthpiece is attached to the liner section, connects the outside of the container body with the internal space provided in the container body, and functions as an inlet / outlet for the filled gas.

[0039] At least one nozzle is required for one container body, but multiple nozzles may be provided for one container body. For example, a nozzle may be attached to each of the two liner parts, so that the nozzles are integrated at both axial ends of the container body. In this case, both of the two nozzles may be used as an inlet / outlet for the filler gas, or one of the nozzles may be plugged.Also, as in the embodiment described later, one of the nozzles may be used as an inlet / outlet for the filler gas, and the other may be used as a heat exchanger through which a heat exchange medium flows. Of course, the gas container of the present invention may have a heat exchanger separate from the base.

[0040] In the gas container of the present invention, the liner segments are connected to one end and the other end of the container in the axial direction. In the gas container of the present invention, the shape of the connecting portion between the liner segments and the container is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the shape of the connecting portion disperses the internal pressure caused by the filled gas uniformly, and it is particularly preferable that the outer peripheral surface of each liner segment is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the container.

[0041] The method for connecting the liner section and the storage member is not particularly limited, but in order to stably connect the liner section and the storage member, it is preferable to fix them to each other in some manner.

[0042] For example, the liner section and the storage member are preferably engaged with each other. In this case, the liner section and the storage member are each provided with an engagement portion. In order to prevent leakage of the filled gas from the internal space to the outside, the liner section and the storage member are preferably connected airtightly, and for example, a seal member such as an O-ring is preferably attached in the gap between the liner section and the storage member near the engagement portion.

[0043] Also, for example, the liner portion may be preferably molded integrally with the housing member by insert molding. In this case, it is easy to integrate the liner section and the housing member in an airtight manner.

[0044] When the gas container of the present invention is used as a pressure-resistant container, it is preferable that the outside of the container body is covered with a reinforcing layer.

[0045] The reinforcing layer may be made of high-strength fibers impregnated with resin (so-called FRP), similar to general pressure-resistant containers. Examples of the high-strength fibers include carbon fibers, glass fibers, and aramid fibers, and examples of the resin impregnated in the high-strength fibers include thermosetting resins such as epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, and vinyl ester resins.

[0046] The reinforcing layer may be formed by a general method, for example, by winding high-strength fibers impregnated with a resin material around the container body to form a helical layer or a hoop layer, and then heating and curing the resin material. Alternatively, the helical layer or the hoop layer made of resin and high-strength fibers may be formed into a sheet shape, which is attached to the container body, and then the resin material may be heated and cured.

[0047] The storage material is contained and held in a sub-space defined by a partition wall in the container body. The storage material absorbs and releases the fill gas. Such a storage material may be appropriately selected according to the type of fill gas to be stored in the gas container of the present invention.

[0048] For example, when the filling gas is hydrogen, examples of the storage material include porous carbon materials such as carbon nanotubes, porous metal complexes (so-called MOFs), zeolites, hydrogen storage alloys, metal hydrides, and the like.

[0049] Each storage material can have various shapes. In order to fully utilize the storage material's ability to absorb and release the charged gas, it is preferable to increase the contact area of ​​the storage material with the charged gas, and it is preferable to use a storage material with primary particles and / or secondary particles having a large specific surface area. In addition, in consideration of the handling of the storage material and thus the gas container of the present invention, it is preferable to crosslink the primary particles and / or secondary particles of the storage material with a crosslinking agent or bind them with a binder to form them into pellets. In this specification, the pellet-shaped storage material is referred to as storage material pellets as necessary. It is particularly preferable that the shape of the storage material pellets is a shape that roughly matches the shape of the sub-space that contains and holds the storage material pellets.

[0050] The gas container of the present invention may have a communication port in at least one of the partition walls that communicates two adjacent sub-spaces. In this case, the two adjacent sub-spaces communicate with each other through the communication port, and the fill gas can flow through the communication port in the two sub-spaces. In this case, each sub-space is thermally uniformized, and the storage material contained and held in the sub-space is also thermally uniform. As a result, in the gas container of this embodiment, the storage material can be heated or cooled more rapidly, and the amount and speed of the fill gas absorption and release can be further improved.

[0051] In the gas container of the present invention, all of the partition walls may have connecting ports, or only some of the partition walls may have connecting ports, but in order to homogenize the concentration of the filled gas throughout the entire internal space, it is preferable that most of the partition walls have connecting ports.

[0052] Specifically, it is preferable that 30% or more, 50% or more, or 75% or more of the partition walls have a communication opening, and it is particularly preferable that all of the partition walls have a communication opening.

[0053] The shape and number of each communication port are not particularly limited. The size of the communication port may be set appropriately depending on the size of the storage material, etc., as long as it is large enough to prevent the movement of the storage material contained and held in the sub-space.

[0054] Specifically, when the storage material is a primary particle or a secondary particle formed by agglomeration of the primary particles, the communication port is preferably a small opening with an opening diameter of about 50 to 500 μm. When the storage material is in the form of a pellet formed by crosslinking or bonding the primary particles or secondary particles, the communication port is preferably a relatively large opening with an opening diameter of 1 mm or more. The large opening may be covered with a ventilation material such as a mesh.

[0055] In the gas container of the present invention, all of the sub-spaces may store and hold the storage material, or some of the sub-spaces may not store and hold the storage material, and the remaining sub-spaces may store and hold the storage material. Hereinafter, as necessary, the sub-space that stores and holds the storage material may be referred to as the storage section, and the sub-space that does not store and hold the storage material may be referred to as the hollow section.

[0056] In order to make the concentration of the filled gas uniform throughout the entire internal space, it is preferable that the gas container of the present invention has a sub-space, i.e., a hollow portion, in which no storage material is contained and which functions as a flow path for the filled gas.

[0057] There are no particular limitations on the ratio of the hollow portion to the storage portion, the ratio of the cross-sectional areas of the flow paths, etc., but there is an optimal range for these ratios in order to store and release a sufficient amount of the fill gas and to ensure a sufficient flow path for the fill gas.

[0058] Specifically, when the average cross-sectional area of ​​the flow passage of the storage portion is taken as 100%, the average cross-sectional area of ​​the flow passage of the cavity portion is preferably within a range of 10 to 500%, a range of 20 to 200%, or a range of 50 to 150%.

[0059] The ratio (number ratio) of the cavities to the storage portions is preferably within a range of 1:50 to 1:1, 1:15 to 1:2, or 1:7 to 1:3.

[0060] In addition, when the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the storage portions is taken as 100%, the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the hollow portions is preferably within a range of 2 to 50%, 7 to 30%, or 15 to 23%.

[0061] The gas container of the present invention will now be described with reference to specific examples.

[0062] (Example) The gas container of the embodiment is a pressure-resistant container that is mounted on a vehicle and is used to store and release hydrogen gas, which is a type of fill gas. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a gas container of an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an axial cross section of a main part of the gas container of an embodiment. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an exploded view of a main part of the gas container of an embodiment. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a storage member of the gas container of an embodiment. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a connecting portion between the storage member and a liner section of the gas container of an embodiment. In the following description, the axial direction and the radial direction refer to the directions shown in the respective drawings.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a gas container 1 of the embodiment includes a container body 10, a cap 20, a cap 30, a reinforcing layer 40, storage material pellets 50, and a connecting portion .

[0064] The container body 10 is formed by integrating a storage member 60 and two liner sections (a first section 13 and a second section 14). As shown in FIG. 2, an internal space 18 is formed inside the container body 10 which is substantially cylindrical.

[0065] 2 and 3, the first divided body 13 and the second divided body 14 are dome-shaped, i.e., short cylindrical with a reduced diameter at one end in the axial direction. The first divided body 13 and the second divided body 14 are made of polyethylene resin and have approximately the same shape.

[0066] The reduced diameter portion of the first split body 13 is referred to as a first opening 15. The reduced diameter portion of the second split body 14 is referred to as a second opening 16.

[0067] The first divided body 13 is connected to one axial end of the storage member 60, and the second divided body 13 is connected to the other axial end of the storage member 60. That is, they are lined up in the order of the first divided body 13, the storage member 60, and the second divided body 14. The first divided body 13 has a first opening 15 facing outward in the axial direction, and the second divided body 14 has a second opening 16 facing outward in the axial direction. In other words, in the container body 10 having the first divided body 13, the storage member 60, and the second divided body 14, both axial ends are open.

[0068] Metallic bases (base 20, base 30) are attached via O-rings to the first opening 15 and the second opening 16. The base 20 and the base 30 will be described in detail later.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the storage member 60 has a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub-spaces 62 defined by partition walls 61 are arranged. 4, the subspaces 62 extend in the axial direction and are arranged in the radial direction, i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The subspaces 62 are of the same shape, and the radial cross section of each subspace 62 is a regular hexagon, and the radial cross section is constant in the axial direction.

[0070] 5, the partition wall 61 is made of SUS316L, a type of stainless steel, and has a plate shape. The thickness of the partition wall 61 is 0.1 mm.

[0071] 2 and 3, the center of the containing member 60 is hollow, and a cylindrical connecting part 70 is integrated with the center. The connecting part 70 is made of the same material as the partition wall 61, and extends in the axial direction toward the base 20.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 4, the secondary space 62 contains storage pellets 50 . The storage material pellet 50 is in the form of a pellet in which a storage material made of a porous carbon-based material is cross-linked with a cross-linking agent. The shape of the storage material pellet 50 is approximately the same as the shape of the internal space 18.

[0073] The base 20 has an integral heat exchange passage 21 through which a heat exchange medium circulates. The base 30 is fitted with a valve and a gas supply pipe (not shown). The cap 30 functions as a filler gas inlet / outlet through which hydrogen gas, which is the filler gas, flows in and out via the gas supply pipe and the valve. Note that the cap 20 is substantially plugged and does not function as a filler gas inlet / outlet, but functions as a heat exchanger.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface of the container body 10 is covered with a reinforcing layer 40 made of FPR.

[0075] A method for manufacturing the gas container 1 of the embodiment will be described below.

[0076] First, the first divided body 13 and the second divided body 14 were each injection molded. As shown in FIG. Of these, a base 20 was attached to the first opening 15 of the first split body 13 (see FIG. 3) together with an O-ring. Also, a base 20 was attached to the second opening 16 of the second split body 14 together with an O-ring.

[0077] The plate-like partition walls 61 were formed into a honeycomb structure to obtain the storage member 60. The storage material pellets 50 were inserted into the sub-spaces 62 of the storage member 60, and the storage material pellets 50 were bonded to the partition walls 61.

[0078] The second split body 14 was inserted into one axial end of the containing member 60, and the containing member 60 was fixed to the nozzle 30. Furthermore, while the connecting portion 70 integrated with the containing member 60 was brought into contact with the nozzle 20, the first split body 13 was inserted into the other axial end of the containing member 60, and the containing member 60 was fixed to the nozzle 20. In this way, a container body 10 in which the first split body 13, the containing member 60, and the second split body 14 were connected was obtained.

[0079] As shown in Fig. 5, the accommodating member 60 is provided with a concave-convex accommodating member first engaging portion 63, and the first split body 13 is provided with a split body first engaging portion 11 that engages with the accommodating member first engaging portion 63. The accommodating member 60 and the first split body 13 are stably integrated with each other by the accommodating member first engaging portion 63 engaging with the split body first engaging portion 11. An O-ring 75 is fitted in the gap between the accommodating member first engaging portion 63 and the split body first engaging portion 11 to seal the gap. This allows the accommodating member 60 and the first split body 13 to be integrated in an airtight manner.

[0080] Although not shown, the accommodating member 60 is further provided with a concave-convex accommodating member second engaging portion, and the second split body 14 is provided with a split body second engaging portion that engages with the accommodating member second engaging portion. The accommodating member second engaging portion and the split body second engaging portion engage with each other, and a gap between them is sealed with an O-ring (not shown), so that the accommodating member 60 and the second split body 14 are also integrated stably and airtightly.

[0081] An FRP reinforcing layer 40 was formed on the surface of the container body 10 thus obtained, to obtain the gas container 1 of the embodiment.

[0082] The operation of the gas container 1 of the embodiment will be described below.

[0083] In the gas container 1 of the embodiment, a storage member 60 for storing and holding the storage material pellets 50 is disposed in the internal space 18 of the container body 10 .

[0084] The storage member 60 has a honeycomb structure with partition walls 61 running throughout, and the storage material pellets 50 are stored in sub-spaces 62 formed between the partition walls 61. The partition walls 61 are made of a heat conductive material and function as a heat exchanger. Due to the presence of such partition walls 61, the internal space 18 is thermally uniform throughout, and the temperature of the storage material pellets 50 stored in the internal space 18 is also uniform.

[0085] Furthermore, the partition wall 61 is in contact with the base 20 via the connecting portion 70 and is thermally connected to the base 20. Since the base 20 is integrally provided with the heat exchange flow path 21 through which the heat exchange medium circulates, the partition wall 61 indirectly exchanges heat with the heat exchange medium.

[0086] Furthermore, in the gas container of the embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the containing member 60 constitutes a part of the outer peripheral surface of the container body 10. The partition wall 61 constituting the containing member 60 is made of a heat conductive material and exchanges heat between the outside of the container body 10 and the inside of the container body 10, i.e., the internal space 18.

[0087] This allows the temperature of the internal space 18 to be efficiently and quickly regulated, and also allows the temperature of the storage material pellets 50 in the internal space 18 to be efficiently and quickly regulated. Therefore, in the gas container 1 of the embodiment, the storage material constituting the storage material pellets 50 smoothly stores the fill gas in the internal space 18, and the fill gas smoothly releases the fill gas from the storage material.

[0088] In the gas container 1, when the filler gas is supplied to the internal space 18 of the container body 10 through the valve and nozzle 30 (not shown), the filler gas flows into each sub-space 62 of the container member 60 through the axial end face 69 (see Figure 2) of the container member 60 arranged in the internal space 18.

[0089] The filler gas that has flowed into the sub-space 62 flows from the nozzle 30 side to the nozzle 20 side while being gradually occluded by the storage material contained and held in the sub-space 62. As a result, the filler gas that has flowed into the sub-space 62 flows from the nozzle 30 side to the nozzle 20 side while being gradually occluded by the storage material pellets 50. In this way, the gas container 1 of the embodiment stores the filler gas.

[0090] As described above, according to the gas container 1 of the embodiment, the occlusion and release performance of the storage material can be fully brought out, and the performance of the gas container 1 in storing and releasing the filled gas is improved.

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1: Gas container 10: Container body 13: 1st division (liner division) 14: 2nd division (liner division) 18: Internal space 20: Base 30: Cap 50: Storage material 60: Storage member 61: Partition wall 62: Subspace 65: Access

Claims

1. A container body having a honeycomb-shaped storage member in which a plurality of sub-spaces partitioned by partition walls made of a thermally conductive material are arranged, two liner sections each formed of a resin cylinder and connected to one end and the other end of the storage member in the axial direction, and an internal space formed by the interior of the liner sections and the sub-spaces of the storage member for storing a filler gas therein; a nozzle attached to at least one of the liner portions and connecting the internal space to the outside of the container body; a storage material that is accommodated and held in the sub-space and that absorbs and releases the fill gas, The outer circumferential surface of each of the liner sections is continuous with the outer circumferential surface of the storage member.

2. 2. The gas container according to claim 1, wherein said liner section and said storage member are engaged and integrated with each other.

3. 2. The gas container according to claim 1, wherein the liner section and the container member are integrally formed by insert molding.

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