pressure vessel

Abstract

To provide a pressure vessel that can enhance reliability of sealing performance between a drum part and dome parts.SOLUTION: A pressure vessel 10 comprises a liner 20 comprising a cylindrical drum part 40, and a pair of dome parts 50 arranged so as to sandwich the drum part 40 in an axial direction. In the pressure vessel 10, elastic bodies 70 are provided between the drum part 40 and the dome parts 50. The elastic bodies 70 are sandwiched while being elastically contracted in the axial direction by end surfaces 44 of the drum part 40 and end surfaces 54 of the dome parts 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure vessel. [Background technology]

[0002] The pressure vessel liner disclosed in Patent Document 1 is composed of a first liner component and a second liner component. The first liner component is a straight cylindrical body with both ends open. The second liner component is roughly bowl-shaped and is joined to both ends of the first liner component. The end of the first liner component and the end of the second liner component are joined to form the pressure vessel liner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-239966 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a pressure vessel liner is made up of multiple components divided in the axial direction, as in the pressure vessel liner of Patent Document 1, there is a risk that adjacent components may separate in the axial direction when the internal pressure of the pressure vessel increases or when the pressure vessel undergoes thermal contraction, etc. This may cause the internal fluid to leak to the outside through gaps at the boundaries between the components.

[0005] The present invention was completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel that can improve the reliability of the seal between the body portion and the dome portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pressure vessel of the present invention comprises: A pressure vessel comprising a liner having a cylindrical body portion and a pair of dome portions arranged to sandwich the body portion in the axial direction, an elastic body is provided between the trunk portion and the dome portion; The elastic body is sandwiched between the end face of the body portion and the end face of the dome portion in an axially elastically contracted state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even if the barrel portion and the dome portion separate in the axial direction when the internal pressure of the pressure vessel increases or when the pressure vessel undergoes thermal contraction, a crushing margin for the elastic body is easily left, making it easier for the elastic body to maintain its elastic contracted state. This ensures a restoring force (reaction force) of the elastic body against the end faces of the barrel portion and the dome portion. This improves the reliability of the seal between the barrel portion and the dome portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a pressure vessel of Example 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure vessel. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the pressure vessel near the boundary between the body portion and the dome portion. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4, illustrating a state in which a gap occurs at the boundary. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the vicinity of the boundary between the body portion and the dome portion in the pressure vessel of Example 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the vicinity of the boundary between the body portion and the dome portion in the pressure vessel of Example 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The elastic body of the present invention preferably has an inner covering portion that covers the boundary between the barrel portion and the dome portion from the inside. With this configuration, the inner covering portion interferes with the barrel portion and the dome portion from the inside in the radial direction, thereby preventing the elastic body from slipping out of the boundary portion. Furthermore, the inner covering portion tightly contacts the barrel portion and the dome portion from the inside, thereby further improving the reliability of the seal between the barrel portion and the dome portion.

[0010] The inner peripheral surface of the inner covering portion of the present invention is preferably curved to be convex inward. This configuration makes it easier to direct the resultant force of the internal pressure applied to the inner covering portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (toward the boundary portion), thereby improving the adhesion between the elastomer and the liner.

[0011] The pressure vessel of the present invention preferably includes a covering member that covers the boundary between the barrel portion and the dome portion from the outside. With this configuration, the covering member contacts the elastic body from outside the boundary, thereby suppressing outward movement of the elastic body.

[0012] The covering member of the present invention preferably has a barrier property, which makes it possible to prevent the fluid inside the pressure vessel from permeating the covering member and leaking to the outside.

[0013] The elastic body of the present invention preferably contains a material with barrier properties, which makes it possible to prevent the internal fluid from permeating the elastic body and leaking to the outside.

[0014] Example 1 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0015] (Configuration of pressure vessel) The pressure vessel 10 of this embodiment has a cylindrical capsule shape, as shown in Figure 1. The pressure vessel 10 is mounted on a vehicle, for example, and used as a container filled with high-pressure hydrogen gas. Note that in the pressure vessel 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5, the diameter, axial length, thickness of each layer, etc. are exaggerated, and the configuration shown in Figures 1 to 5 is merely an example.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the pressure vessel 10 comprises a liner 20, an outer reinforcing layer 30, a nozzle 11 (see Figure 1), a ring (covering member) 60, and an elastic body 70. Note that Figure 2 shows the pressure vessel 10 before the nozzle 11 is attached. The pressure vessel 10 has barrier properties. In this Example 1, barrier properties are defined as the property of preventing or inhibiting a fluid (such as hydrogen gas) filled inside the pressure vessel 10 from permeating the pressure vessel 10 and leaking to the outside of the pressure vessel 10.

[0017] 3, the liner 20 includes a body portion 40 and a pair of dome portions 50. The liner 20 is configured by combining the body portion 40 and the pair of dome portions 50.

[0018] The body 40 has a cylindrical shape that is long in the axial direction (direction along the axis L). The inner diameter of the body 40 is constant over the entire length. The outer diameter of the body 40 is constant over the entire length, except for a recess 43, which will be described later. The body 40 is made of fiber-reinforced resin, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) or glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). The body 40 is formed by hoop-winding, for example, a fiber bundle (not shown) impregnated with a liquid thermosetting resin, or a fiber bundle impregnated with a thermosetting resin that has been brought to a semi-cured state (prepreg fiber) using a filament winding method. The fiber bundle is made of thread-like fibers, such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, or Kepler fiber, which are bundled together.

[0019] The dome portion 50 is a hemispherical portion connected to the longitudinal end of the body portion 40. The diameter of the dome portion 50 decreases with increasing distance from the body portion 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the thickness L1 of the dome portion 50 is smaller than the thickness L2 of the body portion 40. The dome portion 50 is made of a fiber-reinforced resin such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) or glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). The dome portion 50 is formed by laminating, for example, fiber bundles (not shown) impregnated with liquid thermosetting resin or fiber bundles impregnated with thermosetting resin in a semi-cured state (prepreg fiber) by hand layup, forming a spherical shell, and dividing the resulting molded product in half. The fiber bundles are bundles of filamentous fibers made of carbon fiber, glass fiber, Kepler fiber, etc. A nozzle 11 is provided at the top of the dome portion 50, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, an inner barrier layer 21 having barrier properties is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the liner 20. The inner barrier layer 21 is formed, for example, by adding an ultraviolet illuminant as a masterbatch to a base material that allows the transmission of ultraviolet and visible light. The inner barrier layer 21 is used for the purpose of blocking or suppressing the transmission of fluid stored in the liner 20 to the outside of the liner 20. The inner barrier layer 21 is composed of a barrel-side barrier layer 42 (see Fig. 3) provided on the inner peripheral surface 41 of the barrel 40, and a dome-side barrier layer 52 (see Fig. 3) provided on the inner peripheral surface 51 of the dome 50.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, recesses 43 recessed radially inward are provided at both axial ends of the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 40. The recesses 43 are provided around the entire axial circumference of the body portion 40. The portion of the body portion 40 where the recesses 43 are provided is thinner than the other portion of the body portion 40 (the portion toward the center in the axial direction). The outer diameter dimension of the recesses 43 is constant along the axial direction. The cross-sectional shape of the outer peripheral surface of the recesses 43 is a circle concentric with the body portion 40.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the end of the outer peripheral surface of the dome portion 50 (the end on the trunk portion 40 side) is provided with a recess 53 that is recessed radially inward. The recess 53 is provided around the entire circumference of the dome portion 50 around the axis. The portion of the dome portion 50 where the recess 53 is provided is thinner than the other portion of the dome portion 50 (the portion toward the top). The outer diameter dimension of the recess 53 is constant along the axial direction. The cross-sectional shape of the outer peripheral surface of the recess 53 is a circle that is concentric with the dome portion 50.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, groove portion 22 is formed by recesses 43 and 53 with a pair of dome portions 50 arranged to sandwich body portion 40 in the axial direction. End face 44 of body portion 40 and end face 54 of dome portion 50 face each other in the axial direction. The outer diameter of recess 53 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of recess 43, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4, a ring 60 is disposed within the groove portion 22. The ring 60 has barrier properties. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fluid inside the pressure vessel 10 from passing through the ring 60 and leaking to the outside. Examples of materials that can be used to form the ring 60 include stainless steel (SUS316) and aluminum alloy (A6061), which have barrier properties. The inner and outer diameters of the ring 60 are constant over the entire axial length.

[0025] 4, an end surface barrier layer 45 is provided around the entire periphery of the end surface 44 of the body portion 40. The end surface barrier layer 45 has a configuration similar to that of, for example, the inner barrier layer 21. The end surface barrier layer 45 is continuous with the body portion-side barrier layer 42 around the entire periphery.

[0026] 4, an end surface barrier layer 55 is provided around the entire periphery of the end surface 54 of the dome section 50. The end surface barrier layer 55 has a structure similar to that of the inner barrier layer 21. The end surface barrier layer 55 is continuous with the dome section-side barrier layer 52 around the entire periphery.

[0027] 4, the ring 60 covers the boundary 23 between the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50 from the outside. The boundary 23 is formed by the end face 44 of the trunk portion 40 and the end face 54 of the dome portion 50 (more specifically, the end face barrier layer 45 of the trunk portion 40 and the end face barrier layer 55 of the dome portion 50). The inner peripheral surface of the ring 60 contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the recesses 43 and 53.

[0028] The external reinforcing layer 30 surrounds the liner 20. The external reinforcing layer 30 is made of fiber-reinforced resin, such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) or glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). The external reinforcing layer 30 is formed so as to cover the entire outer periphery of the liner 20. The external reinforcing layer 30 is formed by low helical winding, for example, by a filament winding method. Low helical winding is a winding method in which the winding is performed at an inclination angle of 40° relative to the axial direction. The external reinforcing layer 30 is formed by winding, for example, fiber bundles (not shown) impregnated with liquid thermosetting resin, or fiber bundles impregnated with thermosetting resin in a semi-cured state (prepreg fiber), around the outer surface of the liner 20, which rotates around the axis. The fiber bundles are made by bundling thread-like fibers made of carbon fiber, glass fiber, Kepler fiber, etc.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic body 70 is provided between the body portion 40 and the dome portion 50. The elastic body 70 is an elastic member, such as rubber. The elastic body 70 may contain a material with barrier properties. This prevents the fluid inside the pressure vessel 10 from passing through the elastic body 70 and leaking to the outside. The elastic body 70 is ring-shaped. The elastic body 70 is disposed at the boundary portion 23. The elastic body 70 includes a clamped portion 71 and an inner covering portion 72.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the clamped portion 71 is a radially outer portion of the elastic body 70. The clamped portion 71 is clamped between the end face 44 (more specifically, the end face barrier layer 45) of the barrel portion 40 and the end face 54 (more specifically, the end face barrier layer 55) of the dome portion 50 in a state in which it is elastically contracted in the axial direction around its entire circumference. As a result, the end face 44 of the barrel portion 40 and the end face 54 of the dome portion 50 receive a reaction force (restoring force) in the axial direction from the clamped portion 71. Therefore, even if the barrel portion 40 and the dome portion 50 move apart in the axial direction when the internal pressure of the pressure vessel 10 increases or when the pressure vessel 10 undergoes thermal contraction, the elastically contracted state of the clamped portion 71 is more likely to be maintained (a crushing margin is more likely to be left), and the restoring force (reaction force) can be ensured. 5, even if the body portion 40 and the dome portion 50 are spaced apart by a certain distance in the axial direction, the end surface 44 (more specifically, the end surface barrier layer 45) of the body portion 40 and the end surface 54 (more specifically, the end surface barrier layer 55) of the dome portion 50 maintain the state of elastic contraction in the axial direction of the sandwiched portion 71. This improves the reliability of the seal between the body portion 40 and the dome portion 50.

[0031] For example, the pressure vessel 10 is manufactured by adjusting the elastic contraction state of the clamped portion 71 so that the elastic contraction state of the clamped portion 71 is maintained even if the body portion 40 and the dome portion 50 separate when the internal pressure of the pressure vessel 10 increases or when the pressure vessel 10 undergoes thermal contraction.

[0032] As described above, the boundary portion 23 is covered from the outside by the ring (covering member) 60. Therefore, the ring 60 comes into contact with the elastic body 70 from outside the boundary portion 23, thereby suppressing the elastic body 70 from moving outward.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 , the inner covering portion 72 is a radially inner portion of the elastic body 70. The inner covering portion 72 is axially wider than the clamped portion 71. The inner covering portion 72 covers the boundary portion 23 from the inside. The inner covering portion 72 covers the edge portion of the inner circumferential surface 41 (more specifically, the barrel-side barrier layer 42) adjacent to the end face 44 of the barrel portion 40 from the inside. The inner covering portion 72 covers the edge portion of the inner circumferential surface 51 (more specifically, the dome-side barrier layer 52) adjacent to the end face 54 of the dome portion 50 from the inside. The inner covering portion 72 interferes with the barrel portion 40 and the dome portion 50 from the radially inside, thereby preventing the elastic body 70 (more specifically, the clamped portion 71) from slipping out of the boundary portion 23 to the outside. Furthermore, since the inner covering portion 72 is in close contact with the body portion 40 and the dome portion 50 from the inside, the reliability of the sealing performance between the body portion 40 and the dome portion 50 can be further improved.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, the thickness of the inner covering portion 72 decreases toward the outside in the axial direction. The inner circumferential surface 73 of the inner covering portion 72 has a curved shape that convexly faces inward. This makes it easier to direct the resultant force of the internal pressure that the inner covering portion 72 receives in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (toward the boundary portion 23). This improves the adhesion between the elastic body 70 and the liner 20.

[0035] Unlike the pressure vessel 10 of Example 1, for example, in a configuration in which the liner is integrally formed, the external reinforcing layer, which is helically wound to ensure the strength of both ends of the liner (portions corresponding to the dome portions), becomes wasted and does not contribute to the strength of the central portion of the liner (portion corresponding to the barrel portion). In particular, the larger the diameter or length of the liner, the greater the amount of wasted fiber-reinforced resin, resulting in increased costs. Therefore, by forming the liner 20 separately into the barrel portion 40 and the pair of dome portions 50, as in the pressure vessel 10 of Example 1, the amount of fiber-reinforced resin required can be reduced. Specifically, when the fiber-reinforced resin is layered in a spherical shell shape by hand layup to form the dome portion 50, the amount of fiber-reinforced resin can be adjusted to achieve the required strength. This reduces the amount of fiber-reinforced resin to be helically wound when forming the external reinforcing layer 30, and consequently reduces the amount of fiber-reinforced resin used in the external reinforcing layer 30.

[0036] (Effects of this embodiment) The effects of this embodiment 1 will be described below. In this embodiment 1, even if the barrel portion 40 and the dome portion 50 move apart in the axial direction when the internal pressure of the pressure vessel 10 increases or when the pressure vessel 10 undergoes thermal contraction, it is easy to leave a crushing margin in the elastic body 70, and it is easy to maintain the elastic contracted state of the elastic body 70. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the restoring force (reaction force) of the elastic body 70 against the end face 44 of the barrel portion 40 and the end face 54 of the dome portion 50. This makes it possible to improve the reliability of the seal between the barrel portion 40 and the dome portion 50.

[0037] The elastic body 70 of the first embodiment has an inner covering portion 72 that covers the boundary portion 23 between the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50 from the inside. With this, the inner covering portion 72 interferes with the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50 from the inside in the radial direction, thereby preventing the elastic body 70 from slipping out of the boundary portion 23. Furthermore, the inner covering portion 72 comes into close contact with the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50 from the inside, thereby further improving the reliability of the seal between the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50.

[0038] The inner circumferential surface 73 of the inner covering portion 72 in this Example 1 has a curved shape that is convex inward. This makes it easier to direct the resultant force of the internal pressure that the inner covering portion 72 receives in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction (toward the boundary portion 23). This improves the adhesion between the elastic body 70 and the liner 20.

[0039] The pressure vessel 10 of the present embodiment 1 is provided with a ring 60 (covering member) that covers from the outside the boundary portion 23 between the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50. With this, the ring 60 comes into contact with the elastic body 70 from the outside of the boundary portion 23, thereby suppressing the outward movement of the elastic body 70.

[0040] The ring 60 (covering member) of the present embodiment 1 has a barrier property, which can prevent the fluid inside the pressure vessel 10 from passing through the ring 60 and leaking to the outside.

[0041] The elastic body 70 of the present embodiment 1 preferably contains a material with barrier properties, which can prevent the internal fluid from permeating the elastic body 70 and leaking to the outside.

[0042] <Example 2> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. The pressure vessel 210 of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the location of the ring (covering member), but the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] In the pressure vessel 210 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the liner 20 is not provided with grooves 22 (recesses 43 and 53). The ring 260 is arranged outside the boundary portion 23 so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the liner 20 (body portion 40 and dome portion 50). The ring 260 is covered by the outer reinforcing layer 30. Even with this configuration, the ring 260 comes into contact with the elastic body 70 from outside the boundary portion 23, thereby suppressing outward movement of the elastic body 70.

[0044] Example 3 A third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figure 7. A pressure vessel 310 of the third embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the shapes of the end face 44 of the barrel portion 40 and the end face 54 of the dome portion 50, but the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0045] In the pressure vessel 310 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the end face 344 of the barrel portion 40 and the end face 354 of the dome portion 50 are inclined with respect to the axial direction. Specifically, the end face 344 of the barrel portion 40 and the end face 354 of the dome portion 50 are inclined so that the distance between them becomes smaller toward the inside. An end face barrier layer 345 is provided on the end face 344 of the barrel portion 40. An end face barrier layer 355 is provided on the end face 354 of the dome portion 50.

[0046] The side surface (the surface facing the axial direction) of the clamped portion 371 of the elastic body 70 is inclined, for example, along the end surface 344 and the end surface 354. As in the first embodiment, the clamped portion 371 is clamped in an axially elastically contracted state between the end surface 344 (more specifically, the end surface barrier layer 345) of the trunk portion 40 and the end surface 354 (more specifically, the end surface barrier layer 355) of the dome portion 50. With this configuration, the elastic body 370 is stably assembled to the trunk portion 40 and the dome portion 50.

[0047] <Other Examples> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) In the above-described first to third embodiments, the elastic body 70 may not have the inner covering portion 72 . (2) In the above first to third embodiments, the ring 60 is made of a metal material, but it may be made of a resin material having a barrier layer on the inside. (3) In the above Examples 1 to 3, the thickness L1 of the dome portion 50 was smaller than the thickness L2 of the body portion 40. However, the thickness L1 of the dome portion 50 and the thickness L2 of the body portion 40 may be approximately the same, or the thickness L1 of the dome portion 50 may be larger than the thickness L2 of the body portion 40. (4) In the above-described first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, a configuration in which the crushed margin of the elastic body 70 occurs on the end face 54 side of the dome portion 50 is exemplified, but a configuration in which the crushed margin of the elastic body 70 occurs on the end face 44 side of the trunk portion 40, or a configuration in which the crushed margin occurs on both the end face 44 side of the trunk portion 40 and the end face 54 side of the dome portion 50, is also possible. A similar configuration can also be used in the second and third embodiments. (5) In the above-described first embodiment, the clamped portion 71 may be fixed to at least one of the end surface 44 of the body portion 40 (more specifically, the end surface barrier layer 45) and the end surface 54 of the dome portion 50 (more specifically, the end surface barrier layer 55) with an adhesive, etc. A similar configuration may be adopted in the second and third embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10...Pressure vessel 20...liner 23...Boundary 30...External reinforcement layer 40...Torso 50...Dome section 60...Ring (covering member) 70...Elastic body 71...Pinched part 72...Inner covering part 73…Inner peripheral surface 210...Pressure vessels 260...Ring (covering member) 310...Pressure vessels 370...Elastic body 371...Pinched part

Claims

1. A pressure vessel comprising a liner having a cylindrical body portion and a pair of dome portions arranged to sandwich the body portion in the axial direction, an end face of the body portion and an end face of the dome portion face each other in the axial direction; an elastic body is provided between the trunk portion and the dome portion; the elastic body is sandwiched between the end surface of the trunk portion and the end surface of the dome portion, the elastic body is sandwiched between the end surface of the trunk portion and the end surface of the dome portion in an axially elastically contracted state, the elastic body has an inner covering portion that covers the boundary portion between the trunk portion and the dome portion from the inside, a pressure vessel having a pressure vessel body and a dome portion, the pressure vessel body being provided with a pressure vessel inner covering ...

2. 2. The pressure vessel according to claim 1, wherein the inner circumferential surface of the inner covering portion has an inwardly convex curved shape.

3. A pressure vessel comprising a liner having a cylindrical body portion and a pair of dome portions arranged to sandwich the body portion in the axial direction, an elastic body is provided between the trunk portion and the dome portion; the elastic body is sandwiched between the end surface of the trunk portion and the end surface of the dome portion in an axially elastically contracted state, A pressure vessel comprising a covering member that covers from the outside a boundary between the body portion and the dome portion.

4. 4. The pressure vessel according to claim 3, wherein the covering member has a barrier property.

5. The pressure vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the elastic body contains a material having a barrier property.

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