Tank for fluids

Abstract

To disclose a technique for suppressing the deformation of a liner when winding a filament on the liner.SOLUTION: A fluid tank disclosed by this specification includes the liner having a cylindrical part and doom parts located at both ends of the cylindrical part, and a reinforcing layer covering the outer face of the liner and having such a structure that the long-sized filament is wound thereon over a plurality of layers. On the inner face of the liner, at least one protruded strip part is provided at the boundary between the cylindrical part and each doom part. On the outside of the protruded strip part, the first-circuit filament in the reinforcing layer is located.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a tank for fluids.

Background Art

[0002] A fluid tank (for example, a high-pressure tank) in Patent Document 1 includes a liner having a cylindrical portion and a dome portion, and a reinforcing layer covering the outer surface of the liner and having a structure in which long filaments are wound over a plurality of layers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the outer surface of the liner is covered with filaments, the rigidity of the liner is improved. The liner before the filaments are wound is easily deformed. In this specification, a technique capable of suppressing the deformation of the liner when winding filaments around the liner is disclosed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The fluid tank disclosed in this specification includes a liner having a cylindrical portion and dome portions located at both ends of the cylindrical portion, and a reinforcing layer covering the outer surface of the liner, the reinforcing layer having a structure in which long filaments are wound over a plurality of layers. At least one ridge portion is provided on the inner surface of the liner at the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion, and the filaments of the first circuit in the reinforcing layer are located outside the ridge portion.

[0006] When the filament is wound around the outer surface of the liner, the filament is pressed against the outer surface of the liner. Also, in order to shorten the manufacturing time of the fluid tank, the filament may apply a strong pressure to the outer surface of the liner. As a result, when the filament is wound around the outer surface of the liner, the liner may be deformed by the pressure of the filament. In particular, at the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion of the liner, the liner is likely to be deformed so as to be recessed. In particular, for a liner around which no filament is wound at all, the filament of the first circuit (i.e., the first winding) that is first wound is likely to deform the outer surface of the liner. According to the above-described configuration, at least one rib is provided at the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion where the liner is likely to be recessed. Further, the filament of the first circuit that is first wound around the outer surface of the liner is disposed outside the rib. The rib resists the pressure of the filament of the first circuit and suppresses deformation. In this way, the fluid tank disclosed in this specification can suppress the deformation of the liner when the filament is wound around the liner.

[0007] Also, this specification discloses a fluid tank according to another embodiment. The fluid tank of this embodiment includes a liner having a cylindrical portion and dome portions located at both ends of the cylindrical portion, and a reinforcing layer covering the outer surface of the liner, the reinforcing layer having a structure in which a long filament is wound over a plurality of layers, and a base fixed to the dome portion of the liner. The base has a cylindrical portion extending inward of the liner, and the liner covers the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and has a rib extending annularly along the outer peripheral surface on its inner surface.

[0008] According to the above-described configuration, the liner covers the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base and has a rib extending annularly along the outer peripheral surface. The rib improves the rigidity of the liner at the portion covering the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base is firmly fixed to the liner. In this way, the fluid tank disclosed in this specification can suppress the deformation of the liner when the filament is wound around the liner.

[0009] The details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification will be described in the following "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention".

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] In one embodiment of the present technology, the at least one rib may extend across the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion. However, in another embodiment, the rib may extend annularly on the boundary.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present technology, the at least one rib may include a plurality of ribs arranged along the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion. According to such a configuration, the ribs can be arranged corresponding to a plurality of filaments that directly contact the liner.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present technology, the width of the at least one rib may be wider than the width of the filament. According to such a configuration, the rib can reinforce the portion in contact with the filament of the liner over the entire range.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present technology, a base fixed to the dome portion of the liner may be further provided. In that case, the base has a cylindrical portion extending inside the liner, and the liner covers the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and may have a second ridge portion extending annularly along the outer peripheral surface on its inner surface. According to such a configuration, the second ridge portion reinforces the portion of the liner that covers the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base. Thereby, the liner can fix the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base more firmly.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present technology, the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the central axis of the cylindrical portion may become smaller as it moves away from the dome portion. However, in another embodiment, the outer peripheral surface may extend parallel to the central axis.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present technology, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion may have a parallel portion extending along the central axis at the central portion in the direction along the central axis of the outer peripheral surface. In that case, the second ridge portion may cover at least a part of the parallel portion. According to such a configuration, the rigidity of the portion of the liner that covers the outer peripheral surface of the base can be improved. As a result, the liner can fix the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base more firmly.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present technology, the second ridge portion may be a ridge line extending annularly and may have the ridge line located closest to the inside of the liner in the direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface. In that case, the ridge line may be located closer to the dome portion side than the center of the second ridge portion. According to such a configuration, the thickness of the second ridge portion becomes thicker on the dome portion side. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the base can be fixed more firmly.

[0018] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the high-pressure tank 2 of the first embodiment. The high-pressure tank 2 is mounted on, for example, a fuel cell vehicle (not shown). The high-pressure tank 2 stores high-pressure hydrogen gas used for the fuel cell vehicle to generate electricity. That is, the high-pressure tank 2 is a tank for a fluid. The high-pressure tank 2 includes a liner 4, a reinforcing layer 6, a base 8v, and an end boss 8e. Hereinafter, the direction parallel to the central axis CL of the liner 4 (that is, the positive and negative directions of the X-axis in the coordinate axes in the figure) is referred to as the axial direction.

[0019] The base 8v is made of metal and is provided at one axial end of the liner 4 (that is, the right end in FIG. 1). The base 8v has a through hole that communicates the inside and outside of the liner 4. Through the through hole of the base 8v, the hydrogen gas in the high-pressure tank 2 is discharged to the outside, and the hydrogen gas is supplied from the outside into the high-pressure tank. The end boss 8e is made of metal and is provided at the other axial end of the liner 4 (that is, the left end in FIG. 1). Unlike the base 8v, the end boss 8e does not have a through hole.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, the detailed shape of the liner 4 will be described. The liner 4 includes a cylindrical portion 4c, a dome portion 4d, and a plurality of ridge portions 10. The liner 4 is made of resin and forms a space for sealing hydrogen gas. The cylindrical portion 4c has a cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction. The dome portions 4d are located at both ends of the cylindrical portion 4c. The dome portions 4d fix the base 8v and the end boss 8e. The dome portion 4d on the base 8v side is curved spherically (that is, domed) from one end of the cylindrical portion 4c toward the base 8v. Similarly, the dome portion 4d on the end boss 8e side is curved spherically from the other end of the cylindrical portion 4c toward the end boss 8e. Although details will be described later, the plurality of ridge portions 10 are provided on the inner surface of the liner 4. The plurality of ridge portions 10 are arranged at equal intervals along the boundary 4b between the cylindrical portion 4c and the dome portion 4d of the liner 4. In a modified example, the plurality of ridge portions 10 may be arranged at different intervals in the circumferential direction of the liner 4, respectively.

[0021] On the outer surface of the liner 4, the filament F1 is wound by the filament winding method. As shown in FIG. 2, the filament F1 is wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 so as to be inclined with respect to the central axis CL. That is, the filament F1 is wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 in a helical manner. The filament F1 passes through the dome portion 4d from the cylindrical portion 4c of the liner 4 and is wound over a plurality of layers. As a result, a reinforcing layer 6 is formed on the outer surface of the liner 4.

[0022] The filament F1 is composed of, for example, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) (abbreviation for Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics). The filament F1 is composed of a plurality of fibers and has a long strip shape. In a modified example, the reinforcing layer 6 may be composed of, for example, glass fiber reinforced plastic (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, when the filament winding is started, the filament F1 is not wound around the outer surface of the liner 4. As described above, the liner 4 is made of resin and is easily deformed when not covered with the reinforcing layer 6. Further, the filament F1 of the first circuit that is first wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 is wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 while being pressed against the outer surface of the liner 4. Therefore, when winding the filament F1 of the first circuit, there is a possibility that a depression may occur on the outer surface of the liner 4 due to the pressure of the filament F1. In particular, a depression is likely to occur at the boundary 4b between the cylindrical portion 4c having a planar shape and the dome portion 4d having a curved surface shape. As shown in FIG. 2, a ridge portion 10 is provided at the position where the filament F1 of the first circuit passes through the boundary 4b.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the ridge portion 10 extends across the boundary 4b. Due to the ridge portion 10, the plate thickness of the liner 4 at the position where the filament F1 passes through the boundary 4b becomes thicker. As a result, at the portion where the ridge portion 10 is provided, the rigidity of the boundary 4b of the liner 4 is improved. Thereby, the ridge portion 10 can suppress the deformation of the boundary 4b of the liner 4 when the filament F1 of the first circuit is wound around the liner 4.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 4, the positional relationship between the plurality of ridge portions 10 and the plurality of filaments F1 to F4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3, but the paths of the filaments F1 to F4 on the dome portion 4d on the base 8v side are shown by broken lines. After passing through the boundary 4b, the filament F1 of the first circuit is wound around the dome portion 4d while avoiding the base 8v. Next, the filament F1 passes through the opposite side of the boundary 4b and is wound around the cylindrical portion 4c of the liner 4 toward the negative side in the X-axis direction (i.e., the back side of the paper in FIG. 4). Next, the filament F1 passes through the dome portion 4d on the end boss 8e side while avoiding the end boss 8e and passes through the cylindrical portion 4c again. In this way, the filament F1 of the first circuit is wound around the outer surface of the liner 4.

[0026] Subsequent filaments F2 to F4 also pass through the boundary 4b between the cylindrical portion 4c and the dome portion 4d on the base 8v side and are wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 in the same manner as the filament F1 of the first circuit. As a result, the filaments are wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 in a plurality of layers, and the reinforcing layer 6 (see FIG. 1) is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, ridge portions 10 are provided on the inner surface of the liner 4 at the portions where the filaments F2 to F4 contact the outer surface at the boundary 4b. In this way, in addition to the position where the filament F1 of the first circuit passes through the boundary 4b, by providing the ridge portions 10 also at the positions where the filaments F2 to F4 pass through the boundary 4b, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the liner 4 due to the pressure of the filaments F2 to F4.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the width W2 of the rib portion 10 is wider than the width W1 of the filament F1. Thereby, the entire range of the portion where the filament F1 abuts against the outer surface of the liner 4 can be reinforced by the rib portion 10. As a result, deformation of the liner 4 can be suppressed. Also, by making the width W2 of the rib portion 10 wider than the width W1 of the filament F1, even when the actual positions of the filaments F1 to F4 vary, the filaments F1 to F4 can be arranged outside the rib portion 10.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 5, the internal structure of the liner 4 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 1 and shows the structure around the base 8v of the high-pressure tank 2. Note that the high-pressure tank 2 has a shape shown in FIG. 5 and a shape obtained by rotating the shape about the central axis CL around the periphery of the base 8v. The shapes of the liner 4 and the base 8v shown in FIG. 5 extend annularly about the central axis CL.

[0029] The base 8v includes a cylindrical portion 8c. The cylindrical portion 8c has a through-hole and extends in the axial direction. The outer peripheral surface 8s of the cylindrical portion 8c of the base 8v is inclined with respect to the axial direction so as to fall toward the through-hole side. As a result, the distance D1 between the outer peripheral surface 8s and the central axis CL becomes smaller as it moves away from the dome portion 4d. Further, a parallel portion 8p extending in the axial direction is provided at the central portion in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface 8s.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 5, on the inner surface of the liner 4, ribs 14 extending axially in a cylindrical shape are provided. The ribs 14 are formed integrally with the liner 4 and extend annularly along the outer peripheral surface 8s of the base 8v. That is, the ribs 14 cover the outer peripheral surface 8s. The ribs 14 fix the base 8v to the liner 4. The ribs 14 are provided with second protrusions 20 on the inner surface of the liner 4 (that is, the surface facing the internal space of the liner 4). The second protrusions 20 extend annularly along the outer peripheral surface 8s of the base 8v. The second protrusions 20 cover a part of the parallel portion 8p of the outer peripheral surface 8s of the base 8v. As described above, in the state before being covered with the reinforcing layer 6, the liner 4 is easily deformed. Further, in the filament winding process, with pressure applied inside the liner 4 and the liner 4 being inflated, the filaments F1 to F4 are wound around the outer surface of the liner 4.

[0031] Therefore, in the filament winding process, there is a possibility that the position of the base 8v may shift due to the internal pressure of the liner 4. In the liner 4 of the present embodiment, the ribs 14 cover the outer peripheral surface 8s of the base 8v, and further, the ribs 14 are reinforced by the second protrusions 20. Thereby, in the state before the liner is covered with the reinforcing layer 6, the ribs 14 can firmly fix the base 8v.

[0032] Also, by forming the second protrusions 20 on the ribs 14, the plate thickness of the ribs 14 becomes non-uniform. As described above, the liner 4 is made of resin. Therefore, due to the ribs 14 having the second protrusions 20, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 5, the ribs 14 are likely to undergo deformation tending to fall toward the base 8v side. As a result, since the base 8v is firmly fixed by the ribs 14, the deformation of the liner 4 is suppressed.

[0033] (Second Embodiment) Referring to Fig. 6, the high-pressure tank 2 of the second embodiment will be described. The high-pressure tank 2 of the present embodiment has a different peripheral structure of the base 8v compared to the high-pressure tank 2 of the first embodiment described above, but has the same structure for other parts.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface 8s of the base 8v of the second embodiment is formed only of an inclined surface. The rib 16 of the second embodiment covers the outer peripheral surface 8s. Further, the rib 16 has a second ridge portion 22 on the inner surface of the liner 4 (that is, the surface facing the inner space of the liner 4). The second ridge portion 22 has a triangular cross-sectional shape. For this reason, the second ridge portion 22 is located closest to the inside of the liner 4 at the ridge line P1.

[0035] The ridge line P1 is separated from the base-side end (hereinafter simply referred to as the base-side end) of the rib 16 in the second ridge portion 22 by a distance D2. The ridge line P1 is separated from the tip-side end (hereinafter simply referred to as the tip-side end) of the rib 16 in the second ridge portion 22 by a distance D3. The distance D2 is shorter than the distance D3. That is, the ridge line P1 is located closer to the dome portion 4d side than the center of the second ridge portion 22. In other words, in the second ridge portion 22 having a triangular cross-sectional shape, the angle between the bottom surface (see the broken line in FIG. 6) and the surface extending from the ridge line P1 toward the base-side end is larger than the angle between the bottom surface and the surface extending from the ridge line P1 toward the tip-side end. As a result, the plate thickness of the second ridge portion 22 is larger on the dome portion 4d side than on the tip side. From this, as shown by the large and small arrows in FIG. 6, the deformation tending to fall toward the base 8v side of the rib 16 is larger on the base side (that is, the dome portion 4d side) than on the tip side of the rib 16. Thus, by making the plate thickness of the second ridge portion 22 non-uniform in the axial direction, the rib 16 can fix the base 8v more firmly.

[0036] As described above, specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. Modification examples of the above embodiments are listed below.

[0037] (Modification Example 1) The high-pressure tank 2 stores high-pressure hydrogen gas. However, in the modification example, for example, it may store various compressed gases such as helium gas, CNG (compressed natural gas), etc. Further, the high-pressure tank 2 may store various liquefied gases such as LNG (liquefied natural gas), LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), etc., and may also store fuel gases of various other pressurized substances.

[0038] (Modification Example 2) In the above-described embodiment, the liner 4 includes a plurality of ridge portions 10. In this modification example, the liner 4 may include one ridge portion 10 at a position corresponding to the filament F1 of the first circuit.

[0039] (Modification Example 3) Each of the filaments F1 to F4 does not necessarily have to be wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 by a helical winding. For example, each of the filaments F1 to F4 may be wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 by a hoop winding, or may be wound around the outer surface of the liner 4 by both a hoop winding and a helical winding.

[0040] (Modification Example 4) The outer peripheral surface 8s of the cylindrical portion 8c of the base 8v does not have to be inclined with respect to the axial direction. In this modification example, the outer peripheral surface 8s may be composed of only the parallel portion 8p.

[0041] The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Further, the technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of purposes simultaneously, and achieving one of those purposes itself has technical utility.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 2: High-pressure tank 4: Liner 4b: Boundary 4c: Cylindrical portion 4d: Dome portion 6: Reinforcing layer 8c: Cylindrical portion 8e: End boss 8p: Parallel part 8s: Outer peripheral surface 8v: Base 10: Ridge part 14, 16: Rib 20, 22: Second ridge part CL: Central axis F1~F4: Filament P1: Ridge line W1, W2: Width

Claims

1. a liner having a cylindrical portion and dome portions located at both ends of the cylindrical portion; a reinforcing layer covering the outer surface of the liner, the reinforcing layer having a structure in which a plurality of long filaments are wound over a plurality of layers; comprising; at least one rib is provided on the inner surface of the liner at the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion; outside the rib, the filaments of the first circuit in the reinforcing layer are located; the at least one rib includes a plurality of ribs arranged along the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion; a fluid tank.

2. The fluid tank according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rib extends across the boundary between the cylindrical portion and the dome portion.

3. The fluid tank according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the width of the at least one rib is wider than the width of the filament.

4. further comprising a base fixed to the dome portion of the liner, the base having a cylindrical portion extending into the liner, The liner covers the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and has a second rib extending annularly along the outer peripheral surface on its inner surface. The fluid tank according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The fluid tank according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the central axis of the cylindrical portion decreases as it moves away from the dome portion.

6. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion has a parallel portion extending along the central axis at the central portion in the direction along the central axis of the outer peripheral surface, The fluid tank according to claim 5, wherein the second rib covers at least a part of the parallel portion.

7. The second rib is a ridge line extending annularly along the outer peripheral surface, and has the ridge line located closest to the inside of the liner in the direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface, The fluid tank according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the ridge line is located closer to the dome portion side than the center of the second rib.

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