Gas container

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of improving storing / discharging performance of filled gas in a gan container.SOLUTION: A gas container 1 includes a container body 10 that has an inner space 18, mouth pieces 20 and 30 that communicate the outside of the container body 10 and the inner space 18, a housing member 60 that is disposed in the inner space 18 and forms 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 a storage material 50 that is housed and held in the sub space 62 and occludes and discharges filled gas. The housing member 60 is made by axially aligning and coupling a plurality of divided bodies 66 forming a cylindrical shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, technologies using hydrogen gas, natural gas, etc. as fuels for vehicles and various devices have been proposed. Regarding gas containers for storing and releasing these gases, active studies have also been conducted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The gas container introduced in Patent Document 1 accommodates a hydrogen storage alloy, which is a kind 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 filling gas as necessary). According to these storage materials, the amount of gas that can be stored in the internal space can be increased.

[0004] On the other hand, the storage material is accompanied by a temperature change when absorbing and releasing the filling gas.

[0005] For example, as introduced in Patent Document 1, if the storage material is a hydrogen storage alloy, a volume change of the storage material occurs due to a temperature change. In such a case, if the amount of temperature change of the storage material and its rate, that is, the amount of volume change of the storage material and its rate become excessive, there is a risk of a decrease in mechanical strength such as deformation of the gas container.

[0006] Furthermore, since the temperature of the atmosphere is deeply related to the absorption and release of the filling gas by the storage material, in order to smoothly perform the absorption of the filling gas into the storage material and the release of the filling gas from the storage material, it is considered important to equalize the temperature of the storage material throughout the internal space.

[0007] In the internal space of the gas container introduced in Patent Document 1, a heat medium pipe, which is a passage for a heat exchange medium, and a fin portion extending from the heat medium pipe are arranged. According to the 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

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] Here, as described above, in the gas container introduced in the above Patent Document 1, the temperature of the gas storage material in the internal space is controlled by circulating a heat exchange medium through the heat medium pipe. However, even with this type of gas container, it is difficult to say that it has excellent storage and release performance of the filling gas.

[0010] The inventor of the present invention studied the reason why sufficient storage and release performance of the filling gas cannot be obtained with a conventional gas container as introduced in the above Patent Document 1 in order to improve the storage and release performance of the filling gas in the gas container. As a result of intensive research, it was found that in the conventional gas container, there is still uneven temperature in the internal space, and thus, in the conventional gas container, the absorption and release amount and speed of the filling gas have reached a plateau.

[0011] The inventor of the present invention conducted further intensive research and reached the conclusion that in order to eliminate or alleviate the uneven temperature in the above-described internal space, a honeycomb-shaped accommodating member is arranged in the internal space. The accommodating member has a plurality of sub-spaces partitioned by partition walls made of a heat conductive material, and the storage material is accommodated and held in the sub-spaces.

[0012] Since the partition wall in the housing member is made of a heat conductive material, it functions as a heat exchanger. And the housing member is thermally homogenized by the partition wall being stretched around, and the storage material stored and held in the sub-space partitioned by the partition wall is also thermally homogenized. Accordingly, it is considered that the gas container having the honeycomb-shaped housing member can achieve an improvement in the storage and release performance of the filling gas.

[0013] Here, the inventor of the present invention was not satisfied with the gas container having the honeycomb-shaped housing member and aimed to further improve the storage and release performance of the filling gas.

[0014] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of further improving the storage and release performance of a filling gas in a gas container having a honeycomb-shaped housing member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0015] The gas container of the present invention for solving the above problems is a container body having an internal space, a base that communicates between the outside of the container body and the internal space, a housing member having a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub-spaces partitioned by partition walls made of a heat conductive material are arranged in the internal space, and a storage material that is stored and held in the sub-space and absorbs and releases a filling gas, and the housing member is a gas container formed by arranging a plurality of cylindrical split bodies in the axial direction and connecting them to each other.

Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to further improve the storage and release performance of the filling gas in a gas container having a honeycomb-shaped housing member.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

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

[0019] However, the process of manufacturing this type of gas container is very complicated, and it has also been difficult to store and hold a sufficient amount of the storage material in each sub-space of the storage member in this type of gas container.

[0020] That is, the honeycomb-shaped storage member has a large number of sub-spaces, and each sub-space is relatively small in diameter and long. For this reason, for example, when using powder composed of primary particles or secondary particles in which the primary particles are aggregated as the storage material, it is necessary to directly fill the powder of the storage material into each of the large number of sub-spaces that are relatively small in diameter and long. However, the process of filling the powder of the storage material into the sub-space is very complicated, and it is very difficult to fill the sub-space with a sufficient amount of the powder of the storage material itself. Further, according to such a manufacturing method, a problem that the filling amount of the storage material into each sub-space varies easily occurs. Furthermore, there is also a problem that the powdery storage material is inferior in handleability.

[0021] Instead of using the powder of the storage material described above, if a storage material pellet obtained by solidifying the powder of the storage material into the same shape as the sub-space is prepared in advance and the storage material pellet is inserted into each sub-space, the handleability of the storage material is improved. Therefore, in this case, compared with the case of directly filling the powder of the storage material, the manufacturing process of the gas container can be simplified, the filling amount of the storage material for each sub-space can be increased, and the variation in the filling amount can be reduced.

[0022] However, when actually manufacturing this type of gas container, when inserting the storage material pellet into the sub-space, the storage material pellet and the partition wall rub against each other, so that the surface of the storage material pellet is scraped, and the total amount of the storage material accommodated and held in the internal space of the gas container becomes less than the predetermined amount, resulting in a problem.

[0023] Therefore, simply using the storage material pellet alone makes it difficult to accommodate and hold a sufficient amount of the storage material in the internal space of the gas container. Also in this case, it has been difficult to improve the storage and release performance of the filling gas in the gas container.

[0024] Here, the inventor of the present invention came up with the idea of improving the fillability of the storage material for each sub-space by making each sub-space short. Then, the honeycomb-shaped accommodating member described above was made into a split structure in which a plurality of cylindrical split bodies are arranged in the axial direction and connected to each other, and the gas container of the present invention was completed.

[0025] That is, according to the gas container of the present invention, the accommodating member is composed of a plurality of split bodies axially divided into a plurality. Therefore, the axial length of each split body is significantly shorter than the axial length of the entire accommodating member, and the axial length of the sub-space formed in the split body is also sufficiently short. Therefore, the operation of directly filling the powder of the storage material or inserting the storage material pellet into each of such sub-spaces is relatively easy, and problems such as the difficulty of accommodating and holding a sufficient amount of the storage material in each sub-space as described above and the variation in the filling amount of the storage material into each sub-space are less likely to occur.

[0026] Accordingly, according to the gas container of the present invention, it is possible to further improve the storage and release performance of the filling gas in the gas container having the honeycomb-shaped accommodating member. In addition, since the gas container of the present invention can be easily manufactured, it naturally has the advantage of reducing the manufacturing cost of the gas container.

[0027] Hereinafter, the gas container of the present invention will be described for each of its components. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical range "x to y" described in this specification includes the lower limit x and the upper limit y within the range. And, by arbitrarily combining these upper limit values, lower limit values, and the numerical values listed in the examples, a new numerical range can be constituted. Furthermore, a numerical value arbitrarily selected from within any of the above numerical ranges can be used as the upper limit and lower limit numerical values of a new numerical range.

[0028] The type of the filling gas accommodated in the gas container of the present invention is not particularly limited, and the pressure of the filling gas in the gas container is also not particularly limited. However, the gas container of the present invention is particularly preferably embodied as a so-called pressure-resistant container that fills a fuel gas such as hydrogen gas or natural gas at a high pressure.

[0029] The gas container of the present invention has a container body, a base, an accommodating member, and a storage material.

[0030] Among these, the container body has an internal space for accommodating the target filling gas. As such a material of the container body, it is preferable to select a material having a so-called gas barrier property that is difficult to permeate the filling gas.

[0031] Specifically, the material of the container body may be appropriately selected according to the type of the filling gas, the environment where the gas container is installed, and the like.

[0032] For example, if the filling gas is hydrogen gas, it is preferable to use a material such as polyethylene resin or polypropylene resin as the material of the container body. It is also preferable to coat the inside of the container body with a material having excellent gas barrier properties such as ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH). When the mass of the gas container may be somewhat large, such as when the gas container of the present invention is installed in a house or the like, a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel may be selected as the material of the container body.

[0033] The shape of the container body is not particularly limited, but for example, it preferably has a shape such as a cylindrical shape or a regular polygonal cylindrical shape in which the internal pressure due to the filling gas is uniformly dispersed.

[0034] The container body may be integrally formed with the base, or may be formed separately from the base. For example, the container body may be insert-molded using a pre-formed base as an insert. Or, the two may be integrated by inserting the base into the pre-formed container body. In order to suppress the leakage of the filling gas to the outside of the container body, it is preferable to interpose a sealing member such as an O-ring between the base and the container body.

[0035] The material of the base is also not particularly limited, but since a certain degree of rigidity is required for the base, it is preferable to select a metal material such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, or stainless steel as the material for the base.

[0036] The base communicates between the outside of the container body and the internal space provided in the container body, and functions as an inlet / outlet for the filling gas.

[0037] At least one base is sufficient for one container body, but a plurality of bases may be provided for one container body. For example, when the container body is cylindrical, the bases may be integrated at both axial ends of the container body. In this case, both of the two caps may be used as the inlets and outlets for the filling gas, or one of the caps may be plugged. Also, as in the embodiments described later, one of the caps may be used as the inlet and outlet for the filling gas, and the other may be used as a heat exchanger through which the heat exchange medium flows. Of course, the gas container of the present invention may have a heat exchanger separate from the cap.

[0038] When the gas container of the present invention is used as a pressure-resistant container, it is preferable to cover the outside of the container body with a reinforcing layer.

[0039] The reinforcing layer may be composed of high-strength fibers (so-called FRP) impregnated with resin, similar to general pressure-resistant containers. As the high-strength fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, aramid fibers, etc. may be adopted, and as the resin impregnated in the high-strength fibers, thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin, and vinyl ester resin may be adopted.

[0040] As a method for forming the reinforcing layer, a general method may be adopted. For example, high-strength fibers impregnated with a resin material may be wound around the container body to form a helical layer or a hoop layer, and further, a method of heating and curing the resin material may be adopted. Alternatively, it is also possible to adopt a method in which a sheet-like helical layer or hoop layer made of a resin and high-strength fibers is formed and attached to the container body, and then the resin material is heated and cured.

[0041] The accommodating member is disposed in the internal space of the container body. Also, the accommodating member has a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub-spaces partitioned by partition walls are arranged.

[0042] The accommodating member may have a honeycomb shape as a whole. For example, the accommodating member may have a general honeycomb structure in which adjacent sub-spaces share the same partition wall and the entire partition wall is integrated. Alternatively, the accommodating member may have a honeycomb structure as a whole, in which a plurality of accommodating cylinders having a long rectangular tubular shape or a cylindrical shape are arranged in parallel with each other. In any case, since the space is partitioned by the partition wall, the space can be regarded as a sub-space.

[0043] Here, the accommodating member in the gas container of the present invention is formed by arranging a plurality of cylindrical split bodies in the axial direction and connecting them to each other. Therefore, it can also be said that each split body is constituted by a part of the partition wall and the sub-space that constitute the accommodating member.

[0044] When the accommodating member is composed of a plurality of accommodating cylinders as described above, each accommodating cylinder may be composed of a plurality of split bodies. That is, each split body may be honeycomb-shaped or cylindrical.

[0045] Each split body may have the same shape as each other or different shapes, but since they are arranged in the axial direction, it is preferable that their radial cross-sections have the same shape.

[0046] The method of connecting each split body is not particularly limited. For example, engaging portions that form pairs may be provided at the axial ends of adjacent split bodies, and the adjacent split bodies may be connected by engaging the engaging portions. The engaging portion functions as a positioning portion for connecting adjacent split bodies in an appropriate positional relationship.

[0047] The number of engaging portions provided on each split body is not particularly limited, but in consideration of the function as a positioning portion, it is preferable that there are two or more or three or more engaging portions for each split body. As a method of connecting adjacent split bodies other than the engagement by the engaging portion, adhesion, welding, etc. may be adopted. In this case, it is preferable to use a jig for positioning or the like. Furthermore, after adjacent split bodies are engaged by the engaging portion, they may be adhered or welded.

[0048] Here, a storage material is accommodated and held in the sub-space of each divided body. In order to efficiently occlude and release the filling gas by the storage material accommodated and held in each divided body, it is preferable that the storage material comes into contact with as much filling gas as possible. In order to bring the storage material into contact with as much filling gas as possible, it is preferable to connect the sub-spaces of adjacent divided bodies in a state where the flow path cross-sectional area thereof is sufficiently large. That is, an opening end of the sub-space exists at an axial end portion of each divided body, that is, a connecting portion of each divided body with an adjacent divided body, and the opening end of the sub-space preferably faces the opening end of the sub-space in the adjacent divided body.

[0049] Further, in order to increase the amount of filling gas exchanged between the sub-spaces of adjacent divided bodies, it is preferable to provide an axial gap between the divided bodies. Specifically, at a boundary portion between two adjacent divided bodies, it is preferable that a partition wall in one divided body and a partition wall in the other divided body are separated in the axial direction.

[0050] By doing so, the filling gas flowing out from the divided body located on the upstream side in the filling gas flow direction spreads once in the gap and is supplied to the end face of the divided body located on the downstream side in the filling gas flow direction. Therefore, for example, even when clogging occurs in any of the sub-spaces, a sufficient amount of filling gas can be supplied to the sub-space located on the downstream side of the sub-space. Accordingly, according to the gas container of the present invention in this aspect, it is possible to further improve the storage and release performance of the filling gas in the gas container.

[0051] In the gas container of the present invention, the shape of each sub-space is not particularly limited, but for the convenience of accommodating and holding the storage material in the sub-space, it preferably forms a columnar shape extending along the direction in which the flow path of the filling gas in the base extends, that is, the flow direction of the filling gas.

[0052] Each sub-space may have the same shape or different shapes, but considering the rigidity of the partition wall that partitions and forms the sub-space, the flow path cross-section of the sub-space is preferably a regular polygonal shape such as a regular hexagon or a regular octagon, or a circular shape such as a perfect circle or an ellipse.

[0053] The flow path cross-section of each sub-space may or may not be constant throughout the axial direction of the sub-space. However, considering the pressure loss of the filling gas, it is preferably constant over 50% or more of the axial length of the sub-space, more preferably constant over 75% or more of the axial length, and particularly preferably constant over the entire axial length of the sub-space.

[0054] The partition wall that partitions the sub-space may have any shape according to the shape of the sub-space. 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. Specifically, various metals, alloys, ceramics, etc. represented by stainless steel, aluminum, alumina, silicon carbide, etc. can be cited.

[0055] The partition wall may be manufactured by integrating plate-like materials by welding or adhesion, etc., or may be manufactured by extrusion molding and firing a raw material slurry of ceramics, etc.

[0056] In the sub-space of the gas container of the present invention, a storage material is accommodated and held. The storage material is accommodated and held in the sub-space and occludes and releases the filling gas. As such a storage material, one appropriate for the type of filling gas to be stored in the gas container of the present invention may be appropriately selected.

[0057] 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, etc.

[0058] Each storage material can have various shapes. In order to fully exhibit the filling gas occlusion and release performance of the storage material, it is preferable to increase the contact area of the storage material with respect to the filling gas, and it is suitable to use a storage material of primary particles and / or secondary particles having a large specific surface area. Further, considering the handling properties of the storage material and thus the gas container of the present invention, it is preferable to crosslink the storage material of the primary particles and / or secondary particles with a crosslinking agent or bind them with a binder to form pellets. As the shape of the pellets, a shape that substantially matches the secondary space for accommodating and holding the pellets is particularly preferable.

[0059] The gas container of the present invention may have a communication port for connecting two adjacent secondary spaces in at least one of the partition walls. In this case, the two adjacent secondary spaces communicate through the communication port, and the filling gas can flow through the communication port in the two secondary spaces. Therefore, in this case, each secondary space is thermally homogenized, and the storage material accommodated and held in the secondary space is also thermally homogenized. Thereby, in the gas container of this aspect, it is possible to heat or cool the storage material more rapidly, and it is possible to further improve the absorption and release amount and rate of the filling gas.

[0060] In the gas container of the present invention, all the partition walls may have communication ports, or only some of the partition walls may have communication ports. However, in order to make the concentration of the filling gas uniform throughout the internal space, it is preferable that many of the partition walls have communication ports.

[0061] Specifically, it is preferable that 30% or more, 50% or more, or 75% or more of the partition walls have communication ports. It is particularly preferable that all the partition walls have communication ports.

[0062] The shape and number of each communication port are not particularly limited. The size of the communication port may be such that it can suppress the movement of the storage material accommodated and held in the secondary space, and may be appropriately set according to the size of the storage material and the like.

[0063] Specifically, when the storage material is primary particles or secondary particles formed by aggregation of the primary particles, the communication port is preferably an opening with a small diameter having an opening diameter of about 50 to 500 μm. When the storage material forms a pellet shape in which the storage materials of the primary particles and secondary particles are crosslinked or bound, the communication port is preferably an opening with a relatively large diameter having an opening diameter of 1 mm or more. Note that the large-diameter opening may be covered with a ventilation material such as a mesh.

[0064] In the gas container of the present invention, all of the plurality of sub-spaces may contain and hold the storage material, or a part of the plurality of sub-spaces may not contain and hold the storage material, and the remaining part may contain and hold the storage material. Hereinafter, depending on the need, the sub-space that contains and holds the storage material may be referred to as a storage part, and the sub-space that does not contain and hold the storage material may be referred to as a cavity part.

[0065] In order to make the concentration of the filling gas uniform throughout the internal space, it is preferable that the gas container of the present invention has a sub-space that does not contain and hold the storage material and functions as a flow path for the filling gas, that is, a cavity part.

[0066] The existence ratio of the cavity part and the storage part, the ratio of the flow path cross-sectional area, etc. are not particularly limited, but in order to store and release a sufficient amount of filling gas and to sufficiently secure the flow path of the filling gas, there is an optimal range for these ratios.

[0067] Specifically, when the average value of the flow path cross-sectional area of the storage part is 100%, the average value of the flow path cross-sectional area of the cavity part is preferably within the range of 10 to 500%, within the range of 20 to 200%, or within the range of 50 to 150%.

[0068] Also, the existence ratio (number ratio) of the cavity part and the storage part is preferably within the range of 1:50 to 1:1, within the range of 1:15 to 1:2, or within the range of 1:7 to 1:3.

[0069] Also, when the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the storage part is 100%, the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the cavity part is preferably within the range of 2 to 50%, within the range of 7 to 30%, or within the range of 15 to 23%.

[0070] Hereinafter, the gas container of the present invention will be described with specific examples.

[0071] (Example) The gas container of the example is a pressure-resistant container mounted on a vehicle for storing and discharging hydrogen gas, which is a kind of filling gas. An explanatory diagram schematically explaining the gas container of the example is shown in FIG. 1. An explanatory diagram schematically showing an axial cross section of the main part in the gas container of the example is shown in FIG. 2. An explanatory diagram schematically explaining the state in which the main part of the gas container of the example is disassembled is shown in FIG. 3. An explanatory diagram schematically explaining the housing member in the gas container of the example is shown in FIG. 4. An explanatory diagram explaining the state in which the housing member in the gas container of the example is disassembled is shown in FIG. 5. Hereinafter, the axial direction and the radial direction shall refer to the directions shown in each figure.

[0072] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the gas container 1 of the example includes a container body 10, a base 20, a base 30, a reinforcing layer 40, a storage material 50, a housing member 60, and a connecting portion 70.

[0073] The container body 10 is made of a polyethylene resin and is a so-called resin liner having a substantially cylindrical shape with both axial ends reduced in diameter. As shown in FIG. 2, an internal space 18 is formed inside the container body 10 having a substantially cylindrical shape.

[0074] The container body 10 is formed by welding and integrating four liner segments (the first liner segment 11, the second liner segment 12, the third liner segment 13, and the fourth liner segment 14). The four liner segments can be said to be those obtained by dividing the container body 10 into four in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0075] The first liner segment 11 and the second liner segment 12 have the same cylindrical shape, and the third liner segment 13 and the fourth liner segment 14 have the same dome shape. Each segment is arranged in the order of the third liner segment 13, the first liner segment 11, the second liner segment 12, and the fourth liner segment 14 along the axial direction.

[0076] Both axial ends of the container body 10 are open. One of the openings is referred to as the first opening 15, and the other is referred to as the second opening 16. The first opening 15 is provided in the third liner segment 13, and the second opening 16 is provided in the fourth liner segment 14. Metal caps (cap 20, cap 30) are attached to the first opening 15 and the second opening 16 via O-rings, respectively.

[0077] The cap 20 integrally has a heat exchange flow path 21 through which a heat exchange medium circulates. A valve (not shown) and a gas supply pipe are attached to the cap 30. The cap 30 functions as a filling gas inlet / outlet through which hydrogen gas, which is a filling gas, enters and exits via the gas supply pipe and the valve. Note that the cap 20 is substantially plugged and does not function as a filling gas inlet / outlet, but functions as a heat exchanger.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface of the container body 10 is covered with a reinforcing layer 40 made of FPR.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 2, a housing member 60 is disposed in the internal space 18 of the container body 10.

[0080] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing member 60 has a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub-spaces 62 partitioned by partition walls 61 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, each sub-space 62 extends in the axial direction and is arranged in the radial direction, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. Each sub-space 62 has the same shape, the radial cross-section of each sub-space 62 is a regular hexagon, and the radial cross-section is constant in the axial direction.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing member 60 is formed by integrating a plurality of long housing cylinders 65 having a rectangular tube shape with a regular hexagonal cross-section in parallel with each other, and has a honeycomb structure as a whole. The peripheral wall of each housing cylinder 65 is the partition wall 61, and the sub-space 62 is partitioned and formed inside the housing cylinder 65.

[0082] Each housing cylinder body 65 is formed by arranging four split bodies 66 having substantially the same shape in the axial direction and connecting them to each other. As shown in FIG. 5, each split body 66 has a short hexagonal prism shape with a regular hexagonal cross-section obtained by axially dividing the housing cylinder body 65 into four parts.

[0083] On one end face in the axial direction of each split body 66, a convex first engaging portion 67 extending in the axial direction is provided. Further, on the other end face in the axial direction of each split body 66, a concave second engaging portion 68 complementary to the first engaging portion 67 is provided.

[0084] Each split body 66 has three first engaging portions 67 and three second engaging portions 68. Each first engaging portion 67 is arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the split body 66. Each second engaging portion 68 is also arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the split body 66.

[0085] When the split bodies 66 are arranged in the axial direction, the first engaging portion 67 of the split body 66u located on the upstream side of the filling gas flow and the second engaging portion 68 of the split body 66d located on the downstream side of the filling gas flow face each other and engage with each other. The first engaging portion 67 and the second engaging portion 68 function as positioning portions for connecting adjacent split bodies 66 in an appropriate positional relationship.

[0086] The adjacent split bodies 66 are further adhered to be firmly and stably integrated. The split bodies 66 are adhered at a plurality of locations, and the adhered locations (not shown) are separated from each other in the radial direction or the circumferential direction. Furthermore, at this time, the partition wall 61 in one split body 66 and the partition wall 61 in the other split body 66 are separated in the axial direction. For this reason, a gas reservoir (not shown) for temporarily storing the filling gas is formed between adjacent split bodies 66.

[0087] The filling gas flowing out from the separated body 66u located on the upstream side in the filling gas flow direction spreads radially in the gas reservoir once. Then, the filling gas is supplied to the end face of the separated body 66d located on the downstream side in the filling gas flow direction with substantially uniform concentration and amount over the entire radial direction. Therefore, in the gas container of the embodiment, a sufficient amount of filling gas can also be supplied to the auxiliary space of the separated body 66d located on the downstream side.

[0088] The partition wall 61 is made of SUS316L, which is a kind of stainless steel, and the thickness of the partition wall 61 is 0.1 mm.

[0089] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the central portion of the housing member 60 is hollow, and a cylindrical connecting portion 70 is integrated into the central portion. The connecting portion 70 is made of the same material as the partition wall 61 and extends in the axial direction toward the base 20.

[0090] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the gas container 1 of the embodiment will be described.

[0091] First, the four liner separated bodies (the first liner separated body 11, the second liner separated body 12, the third liner separated body 13, the fourth liner separated body 14) constituting the container body 10 were injection-molded respectively. Among these, the base 20 was attached to the first opening 15 of the third liner separated body 13 (see FIG. 3) together with an O-ring. Also, the base 20 was attached to the second opening 16 of the fourth liner separated body 14 together with an O-ring.

[0092] Pellet-shaped storage materials 50 were inserted into the auxiliary spaces 62 of the respective separated bodies 66, and the storage materials 50 were adhered to the partition wall 61. The respective separated bodies 66 containing the storage materials 50 were arranged in the axial direction and connected to each other to form a housing cylinder 65. The housing cylinders 65 arranged to be parallel to each other were bundled, adhered, and integrated to obtain a housing member 60 having a honeycomb shape and in which the storage materials 50 were accommodated and held in the auxiliary spaces 62.

[0093] The housing member 60 fixed to the base 30 was inserted into the second liner part 12 and the first liner part 11, and the first liner part 11, the second liner part 12, and the fourth liner part 14 were welded and integrated. Furthermore, while bringing the connecting part 70 integrated with the housing member 60 into contact with the base 20, the housing member 60 was fixed to the base 20. Then, the integrated product of the first liner part 11, the second liner part 12, and the fourth liner part 14 and the third liner part 13 were welded to obtain the container body 10.

[0094] A reinforcing layer made of FRP was formed on the surface of the container body 10 thus obtained to obtain the gas container 1 of the example.

[0095] The operation of the gas container 1 of the example will be described below.

[0096] In the gas container 1 of the example, a housing member 60 for housing and holding the storage material 50 is disposed in the internal space 18 of the container body 10.

[0097] The housing member 60 has a honeycomb structure in which partition walls 61 are stretched, and the storage material 50 is stored in the 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 homogenized throughout, and the temperature of the storage material 50 stored in the internal space 18 is also homogenized.

[0098] Furthermore, the partition walls 61 are in contact with the base 20 via the connecting part 70 and are thermally connected to the base 20. Since a heat exchange flow path 21 through which a heat exchange medium circulates is integrally provided in the base 20, the partition walls 61 indirectly exchange heat with the heat exchange medium.

[0099] As a result, the internal space 18 is efficiently and rapidly temperature-controlled, and the storage material 50 in the internal space 18 is also efficiently and rapidly temperature-controlled. Therefore, in the gas container 1 of the embodiment, in the internal space 18, the occlusion of the filling gas in the storage material 50 and the release of the filling gas from the storage material 50 are smoothly performed.

[0100] In the gas container 1, when the filling gas is supplied to the internal space 18 of the container body 10 through a valve and a base 30 (not shown), the filling gas flows into each sub-space 62 of the accommodating member 60 through the axial end face 69 (see FIG. 2) of the accommodating member 60 disposed in the internal space 18.

[0101] The filling gas that has flowed into the sub-space 62 is gradually occluded by the storage material 50 accommodated and held in the sub-space 62, and circulates from the base 30 side to the base 20 side.

[0102] As described above, since a gas reservoir is formed between adjacent divided bodies 66, the filling gas that has flowed into the sub-space 62 of the accommodating member 60 smoothly flows from the upstream side to the downstream side of the sub-space 62. Therefore, a sufficient amount of the filling gas is supplied to the entire storage material 50 accommodated and held in the sub-space 62 of the accommodating member 60.

[0103] As described above, according to the gas container 1 of the embodiment, the occlusion and release performance of the storage material 50 can be fully exhibited, and the storage and release performance of the filling gas as the gas container 1 is improved. In addition, by dividing the accommodating member 60 into a plurality of divided bodies 66, the operation of filling the sub-space 62 with the storage material 50 is very easy. Therefore, according to the gas container of the embodiment, there is also an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0104] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the like, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0105] 1: Gas container 10: Container body 18: Inner space 20: Base 30: Base 50: Storage material 60: Housing member 61: Partition wall 62: Subspace 65: Connection port 66: Separation

Claims

1. A container body having an internal space, A base that communicates between the outside of the container body and the internal space, A housing member having a honeycomb shape in which a plurality of sub-spaces partitioned by partition walls made of a heat conductive material are arranged in the internal space, A storage material that stores and releases a filling gas and is stored and held in the sub-space, The housing member is a gas container formed by arranging a plurality of divided bodies in the axial direction and connecting them to each other.

2. At the boundary portion between two adjacent divided bodies, The partition wall in one of the divided bodies and the partition wall in the other divided body are separated from each other in the axial direction. The gas container according to claim 1.

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