Gas Supply Regulator

Abstract

To provide a gas supply regulator for simultaneously and substantially uniformly consuming two or more gas vessels by supplying gas fuels simultaneously from a plurality of gas vessels.SOLUTION: A gas supply regulator includes a plurality of introduction portions to which gas fuels are respectively supplied from at least two or more gas vessels and joined, and a decompression portion for decompressing and supplying the gas fuels joined from the two or more gas vessels is provided, thus the gas fuels from the two or more gas vessels are simultaneously consumed while regulating pressures of the gas fuels, and the gas fuels of the two or more gas vessels are substantially uniformly consumed. As the gas fuels of the two or more gas vessels which are simultaneously used are substantially simultaneously reduced, the two or more gas vessels can be simultaneously replaced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas supply regulator that can adjust the supply of gas fuel in a utilization facility equipped with two or more gas containers filled with propane gas or other gas fuel, so that the remaining amount of gas fuel in the two or more gas containers is approximately the same by consuming the gas fuel in approximately the same amount. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the case of a gas supply facility equipped with two gas containers, in order to prevent running out of gas, one gas container is opened and used, and when the gas fuel in the gas container being used runs low, an automatic switching regulator is used to automatically switch to the other gas container and use the other gas container, and the empty gas container is replaced (Patent Document 1). For this reason, an automatic switching regulator is used that automatically switches to the other gas container when the gas fuel in the gas container being used runs low. With this, when one gas container runs low, the supply line is switched to the other gas container and the empty gas container is replaced, thereby preventing running out of gas. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-159536 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the supply equipment of the prior art, as described above, even in equipment having multiple gas containers, it is assumed that one gas container will be used after another gas container is nearly empty, so two gas containers will never be empty at the same time. Therefore, typically, empty gas containers are replaced one by one, which requires frequent replacement.

[0005] To reduce the frequency of gas cylinder replacement, it is possible to wait until the other gas cylinder is nearly empty and then replace both cylinders at the same time. However, in that case, the concentration of the gas odor substances added to make the gas leak noticeable becomes stronger, so there is a problem that the gas odor can be smelled even when there is no gas leak. Furthermore, from the perspective of efficient delivery and replacement of gas cylinders, if two gas cylinders can be replaced at the same time, the frequency of gas cylinder replacement can be reduced, making it possible to shorten the overall delivery work time and delivery distance.

[0006] However, in the conventional regulators, since it is assumed that gas fuel is supplied by switching between gas containers, there are no regulators that supply combustible gas from two gas containers simultaneously. The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems in the conventional technology, and has an object to provide a gas supply regulator and an adjustment method that supply gas fuel simultaneously from multiple gas containers in a portable gas fuel supply facility equipped with multiple gas containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a gas supply regulator according to a first aspect of the present invention is a gas supply regulator that adjusts a supply of gas fuel in a gas supply facility having at least two gas containers filled with propane gas or other gas fuel so as to simultaneously supply the gas fuel from at least two of the gas containers, At least two gas introduction parts each having an end to which the gas fuel from each of the gas containers is supplied, and the other ends of the gas introduction parts each having an individual supply passage connected to each other so that the gas fuels supplied from the gas containers join together; a pressure reducing section that reduces the pressure of the joined gas fuel and adjusts it to a predetermined pressure; a common supply passage for supplying the decompressed gas fuel from the decompression section; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] In this way, by simultaneously supplying gas fuel from two gas containers, the consumption of gas from both containers becomes almost constant, and the remaining gas in the containers also disappears at almost the same rate. Therefore, it is possible to simultaneously replace two gas containers that have run out of gas fuel or have little gas remaining.

[0009] In the conventional method, one gas container is used only when the other is nearly empty, so in order to replace two containers at the same time, it is necessary to leave the empty gas container alone until the remaining gas in the second container is low. However, in an empty gas container, the odorant, which is a sulfur-based compound mixed in to give the gas a smell, does not vaporize easily, so the odorant becomes more concentrated, and depending on the timing of ignition, the gas smell may drift around and be mistaken for a gas leak, which is not desirable.

[0010] In another aspect of the gas supply regulator of the present invention, each of the gas inlet ports is provided with a check valve that closes one end of the individual supply path on the gas container side when the internal pressure of the gas inlet port is higher than the external pressure on the gas container side and the pressure difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined range, and opens the individual supply path when the pressure difference is outside the predetermined range.

[0011] According to this embodiment, when a certain amount of gas remains in the gas container, it is possible to alternately replace the gas containers while using the gas fuel. That is, when one gas container is removed, the pressure outside the individual supply path from which the gas container was removed becomes atmospheric pressure, and since a certain amount of gas remains in the gas container, the internal pressure of the gas supply regulator is in a relatively high state. Therefore, the check valve operates to close the individual supply path of the gas container to be replaced, so that the gas supply regulator can continue to supply gas fuel from the other individual supply path.

[0012] In addition, the gas supply regulator of the present invention preferably includes a gas shortage indicator that indicates that the remaining amount of gas fuel in all the gas containers connected to the gas inlet is low. It may also include a gas shortage detector that outputs an electric signal to indicate that the remaining amount of gas fuel in all the gas containers connected to the gas inlet is low.

[0013] Furthermore, it is possible to provide a mechanism for indicating an out-of-gas state by the movement of a pressure adjustment rod for adjusting the gas pressure in the pressure reducing section, or a mechanism for outputting an electrical signal to indicate an out-of-gas state by the movement of the pressure adjustment rod.

[0014] This makes it possible to check on the display when the gas level is low. Also, if an electrical signal can be output, it is possible to notify the gas supplier or delivery company that the gas fuel level is low by sending a signal to an NCU (network control unit) or the like via telephone lines. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The present invention is provided with a plurality of introduction parts to which gas fuel is respectively supplied from two or more gas containers and joined together, and a decompression part is provided with a common supply path for decompressing and supplying the joined gas fuel from the two gas containers, and the gas fuel is supplied to the gas container at a reduced pressure, so that the pressure of the gas fuel from the two gas containers can be adjusted while being consumed simultaneously, and therefore the gas fuel in the two gas containers is consumed almost equally. Therefore, the gas fuel in two or more gas containers used simultaneously runs out almost simultaneously, and it becomes possible to replace two or more gas containers at the same time.

[0016] In addition, by providing each introduction part with a check valve that closes the individual supply path of that introduction part when the internal pressure is higher than the external pressure and the pressure difference is equal to or greater than a certain level, and opens the individual supply path otherwise, it is possible to prevent gas fuel from flowing back from one gas container to the other gas container, and it is also possible to replace one gas container while using the gas fuel in the other gas container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection configuration in which two gas containers are supplied via a gas supply regulator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating an outline of the internal structure of one embodiment of a gas supply regulator according to the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which the gas pressure is high, and (b) shows a state in which the gas pressure is low. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of a check valve structure, in which (a) shows the check valve in an open state and (b) shows the check valve in a closed state to plug an individual supply path. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing another embodiment of the gas supply regulator of the present invention having a display function for displaying a state where the gas is nearly out of gas when the remaining amount of gas fuel is low, in which (a) shows a state where the remaining amount of gas fuel is high, and (b) shows a state where the remaining amount is low. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The present invention relates to a gas supply regulator that adjusts the supply of gas fuel so that the gas fuel in all connected gas containers is consumed evenly at the same time by using at least two or more gas containers simultaneously in a gas utilization facility that uses a plurality of gas containers filled with gas fuel such as propane gas. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection form in which two gas containers are supplied via a gas supply regulator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the internal structure of one embodiment of the gas supply regulator according to the present invention, where Fig. 2(a) shows a state in which the gas pressure is high and Fig. 2(b) shows a state in which the gas pressure is low.

[0019] 1 and 2 show an example of a connection configuration and gas supply regulator 10 in which two gas containers 61, 62 are connected, but the gas supply regulator may also be one to which two or more gas containers can be connected. As shown in Fig. 1, the two gas containers 61, 62 are input to the gas supply regulator 10 via valves 61-1, 62-1 and high-pressure hoses 61-2, 62-2, respectively.

[0020] The gas fuel supplied to the gas supply regulator 10 is depressurized by the gas supply regulator 10, output from a high-pressure hose 63, and supplied to a gas appliance (not shown) via a gas meter 64. It is also possible to provide a wireless communication device 65 or the like and transmit data such as the remaining gas amount to a management server or the like by LPWA communication or the like to predict and manage the timing of replacing the gas container.

[0021] In a conventional gas supply facility where two gas containers are connected, the gas containers are used one at a time by switching the gas containers with a switching regulator, such that when one gas container becomes nearly empty, the other gas container is used. Therefore, one gas container is not used until the other gas container becomes nearly empty. Therefore, the two gas containers cannot be replaced simultaneously until the other container becomes nearly empty. In contrast, the gas supply regulator 10 of the present invention adjusts the supply of gas fuel so that the gas fuel in the two gas containers 61 and 62 is consumed almost equally at the same time in a utilization facility using two gas containers 61 and 62 as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

[0022] By using multiple gas containers (assuming two) evenly at the same time in this way, the remaining gas in both gas containers decreases at the same time. Therefore, when the remaining gas in both gas containers is, for example, about 5% to 15%, the two gas containers can be replaced at the same time. By replacing two containers at the same time in this way, the frequency of gas container replacement can be reduced, making it possible to improve the efficiency of gas container replacement and reduce the replacement workload.

[0023] A gas supply regulator 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Ends of high pressure hoses 61-2, 62-2 connected to gas containers 61, 62 are connected to inlet portions 11, 21 of the gas supply regulator 10. Each inlet portion 11, 21 is provided with an individual supply passage 12, 22 that receives gas fuel from each gas container 61, 62, respectively, and a check valve 13, 23 that opens and closes the individual supply passage 12, 22. Each individual supply passage 12, 22 is connected, and the gas fuel supplied from the gas containers 61, 62 joins here.

[0024] The individual supply paths 12, 22 of the introduction parts 11, 21 are connected to a common supply path 32 of the pressure reducing part 30 via a common pressure reducing opening 31 (pressure reducing nozzle part). As a result, the gas fuel supplied from the two gas containers 61, 62 joins through the respective individual supply parts, is depressurized through the common pressure reducing opening 31, and is supplied to the common supply path 32. As shown in Fig. 1, the depressurized gas fuel is supplied from the common supply path 32 through a high pressure hose 63 and a gas meter 64 to a gas appliance (not shown) for consumption.

[0025] In this way, the gas fuel supplied from the two gas containers joins at the individual supply passages 12, 22, is depressurized through the common depressurization opening 31, and is supplied to the common supply passage 32. The gas fuel is supplied from the gas container with the higher internal pressure. When the internal pressure of the gas container is used and drops, the other gas container is used. By repeating this process, the gas fuel in the two gas containers 61, 62 is automatically adjusted so that it is consumed almost evenly at the same time. The depressurization unit 30 is equipped with a center rod 33 and a pressure adjustment rod 34 that adjust the opening and closing amount of the common depressurization opening 31 to adjust the gas pressure to a predetermined value according to the usage mode of the gas appliance.

[0026] The center rod 33 is pressed downward by an upper biasing member 35 such as a compression spring. One end of a pressure adjustment rod 34 that passes through the common pressure reduction opening 31 abuts against the center rod 33, and the other end of the pressure adjustment rod 34 is pressed toward the center rod 33 by a lower biasing member 36 such as a compression spring.

[0027] Since the upper biasing member 35 has a stronger elastic force than the lower biasing member 36, when the gas pressure in the individual supply paths 12, 22 and the common supply path 32 is low, the center rod 33 moves downward due to the elastic force of the upper biasing member 35, and this causes the pressure adjustment rod 34 to also move downward, as shown in Fig. 2(b). When the gas pressure is high, the pressure adjustment rod 34 and center rod 33 move upward to a position where the gas pressure, the pressing force of the lower biasing member 36, and the elastic force of the side biasing member 35 are balanced, as shown in Fig. 2(a).

[0028] The pressure adjustment rod 34 is equipped with a pressure adjustment part 37 that adjusts the opening / closing amount of the common decompression opening 31 according to its vertical movement position, and the vertical position of the pressure adjustment rod 34 changes according to the gas pressure in the individual supply paths 12, 22, thereby adjusting the pressure in the common supply path 32. Note that, although an example in which two introduction parts 11, 21 are provided is shown in the supply regulator 10 of Fig. 2, by adding another introduction part to this, it is possible to connect and adjust three or more gas containers.

[0029] The check valves 13 and 23 of the introduction parts 11 and 21 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the check valve. When the pressure inside the gas supply regulator 10 is high and the pressure on the gas container side is low, and the pressure difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the check valves 13 and 23 close the individual supply paths 12 or 22 to prevent backflow from the gas supply regulator side to the gas container side. The pressure difference that is the operating condition of the check valve is preferably set to operate when the pressure difference is, for example, 60 kPa to 80 kPa or more, and more preferably set to operate to close the individual supply path when the pressure difference is 70 kPa or more.

[0030] An example of the check valves 13, 23 is shown in Fig. 3(a) showing the check valve in an open state, and Fig. 3(b) showing the check valve in a closed state. When there is no pressure difference between the outlet side (inside the gas supply regulator: left side in Fig. 3) and the inlet side (gas container side: right side in Fig. 3) of the individual supply path 22 as described above, the check valves 13, 23 move as shown in Fig. 3(a) with the valve body portion 14 (24) being pressed toward the inside of the gas supply regulator (to the left side in Fig. 3) by the elastic force of the spring 15 (25). In this state, the sealing valve 16 (26) of the valve body portion 14 (24) does not block the individual supply path 12 (22) and is open.

[0031] When the gas pressure inside the gas supply regulator 10 increases and the pressure difference with the outside exceeds the above-mentioned predetermined range, the pressure inside exceeds the elastic force of the spring 15 (25), and the valve body 14 (24) moves to the right. As a result, the sealing valve 16 (26) closes the inlet of the individual supply path 12 (22), as shown in Figure 3(b).

[0032] In this way, when a predetermined pressure difference occurs between the inlet and outlet sides of check valves 13, 23, individual supply paths 12, 22 can be immediately closed. Therefore, even if gas fuel still remains in the gas container and gas fuel is being used, when the gas container to be replaced is removed, the gas pressure at the inlet on the removed side becomes atmospheric pressure, and since the difference between the gas pressure inside the gas supply regulator and atmospheric pressure is equal to or greater than a predetermined range, the check valve operates to immediately close individual supply path 12 or 22 on the side from which the gas container was removed. Therefore, gas containers can be replaced even when gas appliances are in use.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a gas supply regulator 50 according to another embodiment of the present invention having a display function that displays a state where gas is about to run out when the remaining amount of gas fuel is low, so that it can be known from the outside. Fig. 4(a) shows a state where the remaining amount of gas fuel is high, and (b) shows a state where the remaining amount is low. The difference from the gas supply regulator 10 in Fig. 2 is that a recess 51 is provided at the outer end of the center rod 33, and a display member 52 is provided so as to rotate 90 degrees by the movement of this recess 51. In addition, a gas shortage detector 53 that operates in conjunction with the movement of this display member 52 and issues a gas shortage signal can also be provided.

[0034] The center rod 33 moves more as the gas pressure decreases. Therefore, when the gas pressure is high, it is in the state shown in Fig. 4(a), but when the gas pressure falls below a predetermined value, the center rod 33 moves downward as shown in Fig. 4(b). At that time, the recessed portion 51 engages with the edge of the indicator member, causing the indicator member to rotate 90 degrees. By coloring this indicator member 53 red or the like and providing a window of transparent glass or the like at the upper portion of Fig. 4, it becomes possible to know that the gas container is empty from the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4(b).

[0035] Also, by providing a magnet to the display member 52 and magnetizing it, when the display member is activated, the segment can be moved by magnetic force close to the detector 53, and the detector can emit a detection signal. By transmitting the detection signal to an NCU (network control unit), it is possible to notify the gas supplier or delivery company via telephone lines that the remaining amount of gas fuel is low. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Gas supply regulator 11, 21 Introduction 12, 22 Individual supply route 13, 23 Check valve 30 Pressure reduction section 31 Common decompression opening 32 Common supply route 33 Center Rod 34 Pressure adjustment rod 35 Upper biasing member 36 Lower biasing member 37 Pressure adjustment section 50 Gas supply regulator according to another embodiment 61, 62 Gas bottles 64 Gas Meter 65 Wireless communication device

Claims

1. A gas supply regulator for a gas supply facility that delivers a gas container filled with propane gas or other gas fuel to a utilization facility that burns and uses the gas fuel when the gas runs out, and adjusts the supply of gas fuel so that the gas fuel is supplied simultaneously from at least two of the gas containers, two or more gas inlet parts each provided for each of the gas containers, each having a built-in check valve, each connected to the gas container and receiving the gas fuel from the gas container through the check valve; a pressure reducing section which is provided integrally with the gas inlet section at a junction where two or more of the gas inlet sections are connected to each other and the gas fuels join, and which moves a pressure adjusting rod in accordance with the magnitude of the pressure of the joined gas fuel to reduce the pressure of the gas fuel, adjusts it to a predetermined pressure, and outputs the reduced pressure; a common supply passage for outputting the gas fuel decompressed by the decompression unit; Equipped with Two or more of the gas introduction parts and the common supply path are directly connected by one common decompression opening part of one of the decompression parts, a pressure adjusting rod of the pressure reducing section of the pressure reducer that detects that the pressure due to the remaining amount of gas fuel in the gas container connected to the gas inlet section has fallen below a predetermined pressure value at which 5% or more of gas fuel remains, and outputs a detection signal to simultaneously replace all of the gas containers.

2. 2. The gas supply regulator according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value of the gas fuel for outputting the detection signal is a value of 5% to 15% of the remaining amount of the gas fuel when the gas fuel is fully filled.

3. 3. The gas supply regulator according to claim 1, wherein the pressure reduction section comprises: one common pressure reduction opening provided at the junction for passing the gas fuel from two or more of the gas inlets; the pressure adjustment rod penetrating the common pressure reduction opening to be able to advance and retreat and controlling an opening amount of the common pressure reduction opening; and two biasing members having different elastic forces provided at both ends of the pressure adjustment rod for advancing and retreating the pressure adjustment rod within the common pressure reduction opening in accordance with a pressure difference between both ends of the pressure adjustment rod to control the opening amount of the common pressure reduction opening.

4. 4. The gas supply regulator according to claim 1, wherein each of the check valves closes the gas inlet when the internal pressure of the gas inlet is higher than the external pressure of the gas container side and the pressure difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and opens the gas inlet when the pressure difference is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

5. A gas supply regulator as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is provided with a display unit that displays when the pressure due to the remaining amount of gas fuel in all gas containers connected to the gas inlet portion falls below the predetermined pressure value.

6. 4. The gas supply regulator according to claim 3, further comprising a mechanism for outputting the detection signal in response to an advanced or retracted position of the pressure adjusting rod.

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