Tank module
The tank module design addresses durability issues by using a holding device with recesses and elastic support members to secure tanks vertically, reducing nozzle load and enhancing durability through vibration absorption.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2023-01-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
When tanks are placed vertically, there is a risk of decreased durability due to the burden on the end, such as the base, from vibrations or movement, which can compromise the tank's structural integrity.
A tank module design featuring a holding device with a frame and support members that support the tank without the nozzle contacting the frame, using recesses and holes to secure the tank, and optionally elastic materials to absorb vibrations.
This design reduces the load on the tank's nozzles, enhancing durability by preventing direct contact with the frame and absorbing vibrations, thus maintaining structural integrity even when placed vertically.
Smart Images
Figure 0007859331000001 
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Figure 0007859331000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tank module having a tank and means for holding the tank.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a mounting structure of a tank that holds the tank with a frame and a band.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] Although it is mainstream for the tank to be placed horizontally, it is conceivable to place the tank vertically from the viewpoint of the installation space situation and efficiently increasing the hydrogen storage amount per unit floor area. On the other hand, when the tank is placed vertically, there is a risk that the durability will decrease due to the burden on the end (lower end) of the tank such as the base arranged below due to vibration or the like on the tank during movement or use.
[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a tank module that can suppress the burden on the tank and suppress the decrease in durability even when the tank is placed vertically.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] The present invention discloses a tank module comprising a tank and a holding device for holding the tank, wherein the tank has a nozzle at each end thereof, with one nozzle facing downwards and the other nozzle facing upwards, and the holding device comprises a frame and a support member positioned below the frame to support the tank, the support member having a hole into which the nozzle facing downwards of the tank is inserted, and a recess around the hole that supports a part of the tank body, and the tank is supported by the support member without the nozzle positioned in the hole of the support member contacting the frame.
[0007] In a tank module, the recess of the support member may have a curved surface that conforms to the dome-shaped side end of the tank, and the recess may be configured to support the side end.
[0008] In the tank module, the holes in the support members may be configured to have a shape that catches on the nozzle to prevent the tank from rotating around its axis.
[0009] In the tank module, the support members may be made of elastic material.
[0010] In a tank module, the frame may be configured to have an opening in the portion facing the nozzle located on the support member. [Effects of the Invention]
[0011] According to this disclosure, even when the tank is arranged vertically, the weight of the tank does not rest on the tank's nozzle, thus reducing the load on the nozzle and improving durability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the tank module 10. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the configuration of tank 20. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a portion of the cross-section of the tank module 10. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the support member 13. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates another example of a tank module configuration. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0013] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the tank module 10 of this disclosure. Figure 1(a) is a plan view of the tank module 10, Figure 1(b) is a front view of the tank module, and Figure 1(c) is a bottom view of the tank module. In the front view of Figure 1(b), the top and bottom of the paper are vertical directions, with the bottom of the paper being the ground and the top of the paper being the top. As can be seen from Figures 1(a), 1(b), and 1(c), the tank module 10 has a holding device 11 and a high-pressure tank 20 arranged in the holding device 11.
[0014] 1. Structure of a high-pressure tank Figure 2 schematically shows the external appearance of a high-pressure tank 20 in one configuration. The configuration of the high-pressure tank is not particularly limited and known configurations can be used, but in this configuration, the high-pressure tank 20 has a tank body 21, a nozzle 22, and a valve 23.
[0015] 1.1. Tank body The tank body 21 is the part that forms the area for storing the fluid to be stored (storage medium, e.g., hydrogen), and is cylindrical (axis O) with a cavity. The storage medium is stored inside this cavity. The tank body 21 has a body section 21a with a diameter that is approximately constant, and the openings at both ends of the body section 21a are narrowed by dome-shaped side ends 21b, and a nozzle 22 is placed in the narrowed opening. The tank body 21 has a laminated structure consisting of a liner, a reinforcing layer, and a protective layer from the inside out.
[0016] The liner is a hollow member that forms the inner wall of the tank body 21 and partitions the internal space. The liner only needs to be made of a material that can hold the storage medium without leakage in its internal space, and known materials can be used, such as materials made of nylon resin, polyethylene-based resin, metals such as stainless steel and aluminum, etc. The thickness of the liner is not particularly limited, but it is preferably 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. Among them, from the viewpoint of more significantly exerting the effects of the present disclosure, the liner is preferably made of resin.
[0017] The reinforcing layer has fibers laminated over a plurality of layers and has a resin impregnated and cured in the fibers. The layer formed by the fibers is configured by winding fiber bundles around the outer surface of the liner to a predetermined thickness over several layers. The thickness of the reinforcing layer is not particularly limited as it is determined by the required strength, but it is about 10 mm to 30 mm. Carbon fibers are used in the fiber bundles of the reinforcing layer, and the fiber bundles are in a band shape with carbon fibers bundled together and having a predetermined cross-sectional shape (for example, a rectangular cross-section). Specifically, it is not particularly limited, but an example is a rectangle with a width of 6 mm to 10 mm and a thickness of about 0.1 mm to 0.15 mm. The amount of carbon fibers contained in the fiber bundles is not particularly limited either, but for example, it can be composed of about 36000 carbon fibers. The resin impregnated and cured in the fibers in the reinforcing layer is not particularly limited as long as it can enhance the strength of the fibers. For example, thermosetting resins that cure by heat can be mentioned, such as epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, etc. that contain amine-based or anhydride-based curing accelerators and rubber-based reinforcing agents. In addition, resin compositions that cure by mixing a curing agent with an epoxy resin as the main component can also be mentioned. According to this, by reaching and penetrating the fiber layer with this resin composition, which is a mixture, between mixing the main component and the curing agent and before curing, it cures automatically. With the reinforcing layer as described above, the strength of the high-pressure tank 20 can be maintained while reducing the weight.
[0018] The protective layer is a layer arranged on the outer periphery of the reinforcing layer as needed. When provided, for example, glass fibers are wound around it and resin is impregnated therein. The resin to be impregnated can be considered in the same way as the reinforcing layer 12. Thereby, impact resistance can be imparted to the high-pressure tank 20. The thickness of the protective layer is not particularly limited, but can be about 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm.
[0019] 1.2. Fitting The fitting 22 is a member attached to two open ends formed at the side end portion 21b of the cylindrical tank body 21 respectively. One of the two fittings 22 functions as an opening for communicating the inside and outside of the high-pressure tank 20 and also functions as an attachment portion for attaching a pipe or a valve 23 (valve) to the high-pressure tank 20. The other fitting 22 is sealed so that the communication between the tank body 21 and the outside is restricted. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the fitting 22 is arranged such that one end thereof protrudes from the tank body 21. In this embodiment, the central axis of the two fittings 22 provided on the tank body 21 of the high-pressure tank 20 coincides with the axis O of the tank body 21 in the direction connecting the central axes.
[0020] 1.3. Valve The valve 23 is arranged on one of the two fittings 22 and switches between allowing and restricting the entry and exit of the storage medium with respect to the tank body 21. The specific form of the valve 23 is not particularly limited and known ones can be used.
[0021] 2. Structure of the holding device The holding device 11 is a device for holding the high-pressure tank 20 and is composed of a frame 12, a support member 13, and an auxiliary member 14.
[0022] 2.1. Frame The frame 12 is a component that forms the outer shell of the holding device 11. Multiple frame members 12a are arranged to form a rectangular frame, and the high-pressure tank 20 is placed inside this frame. Therefore, the frame members 12a are placed in the parts that make up the sides of the rectangular frame, and the parts corresponding to the faces of the rectangular frame are open. In this embodiment, one part of the rectangular frame formed by the frame members 12a is positioned to face the ground, and the part corresponding to the opposite face is positioned to face the sky.
[0023] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the frame 12 has a surface material 12b positioned on a part corresponding to the surface that is positioned facing the ground of the rectangular parallelepiped. That is, in that part, the surface material 12b is placed within a frame enclosed by the frame material 12a, forming the bottom plate.
[0024] 2.2. Support Members The support member 13 is a member positioned at the bottom of the inside (inside the rectangular parallelepiped) formed by the frame 12, and as will be described later, it is a member that supports the lower part of the high-pressure tank 20 from below. Figure 3(a) is a view focusing on the lower part of the holding device 11, cut along the line indicated by AA in Figure 1 (the high-pressure tank 20 is not shown in this figure as a cross-section). Figure 3(b) is the same viewpoint as Figure 3(a), but for clarity the holding device 11 and the high-pressure tank 20 are shown separately. Figure 4(a) is a plan view of the support member 13, and Figure 4(b) is a bottom view of the support member 13. The end faces of the support member 13 shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are cross-sections along the line BB in Figure 4(a). As can be seen from these figures, the support member 13 is a block-shaped member.
[0025] The support member 13 has a recess 13a on one of its surfaces. As will be described later, the side end portion 21b of the tank body 21 of the high-pressure tank 20 is inserted into and supported by this recess 13a. Therefore, although not limited, it is preferable that the shape is such that a gap is less likely to form when the side end portion 21b of the tank body 21 makes contact. In plan view, it is preferable to have a shape that follows the shape of the tank body 21 (a circular shape with a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the tank body 21), and in the depth direction, it is preferable to have a curved surface that follows the dome shape of the side end portion 21b of the tank body 21. The depth of the recess 13a is not particularly limited and should be sufficient to support at least a portion of the side end 21b of the tank body 21b, but it is preferable that it be deep enough to contact and support the entire side end 21b on the lower side of the tank body 21.
[0026] The support member 13 further has a hole 13b at the deepest part of the recess 13a that penetrates to the opposite side of the support member 13. In other words, the recess 13a is formed around the hole 13b. As will be described later, one of the nozzles 22 of the high-pressure tank 20 (the lower one) is inserted into hole 13b. It is preferable that the nozzle 22 inserted into hole 13b is on the side where the valve 23 is not located. In this embodiment of the support member 13, the depth of the hole 13a is configured to be deeper than the amount by which the nozzle 22 protrudes from the tank body 21. This allows the entire nozzle 22 that protrudes from the tank body 21 to be housed inside the hole 13a.
[0027] The plan view shape of the hole 13a is preferably a non-circular shape, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b). However, the reason for this non-circular shape is that it is shaped to catch on the nozzle 22 in order to restrict the rotation of the high-pressure tank 20 around the axis O. Therefore, the plan view shape of the hole 13a can be appropriately set in accordance with the shape of the nozzle 22 so as to achieve this purpose. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), a part of the circle is cut out, and parallel straight lines are formed opposite each other, with the center of the circle in between. The size of the hole 13a in plan view can be determined from the viewpoint of ease of insertion of the nozzle 22 into the hole 13a and restriction of rotation of the nozzle 22 around the axis O described above, and is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it be formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the nozzle 22.
[0028] The material constituting the support member 13 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it be an elastic material from the viewpoint that the support member 13 can absorb vibrations applied to the high-pressure tank 20. More specifically, examples of elastic materials include natural rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, and ethylene propylene rubber.
[0029] In this embodiment, since four high-pressure tanks 20 are held, one support member 13 is provided with four recesses 13a and holes 13b, but the number can be adjusted to match the number of high-pressure tanks 20 to be installed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, one support member 13 is provided with multiple recesses 13a and holes 13b, but this is not limited to this configuration; one support member may be provided with one recess 13a and hole 13b, and multiple such support members may be arranged in one holding device.
[0030] 2.3. Auxiliary Members The auxiliary member 14 is a member that is provided as needed, fixed to the frame 12, and assists in holding the high-pressure tank 20. In this embodiment, the auxiliary member 14 is a plate-shaped member positioned to obstruct the axis O of the high-pressure tank 20, and has a hole through which the body portion 21a of the tank body 21 of the high-pressure tank 20 passes. In this way, in this embodiment, the auxiliary member 14 assists in supporting the body portion 21a of the tank body 21. This makes it possible to suppress lateral swaying of the high-pressure tank 20. The auxiliary member 14 may be provided as needed, and is not necessarily required if the support member 13 alone can adequately hold the high-pressure tank. There are no particular limitations, but for example, the effect of the auxiliary member 14 may become particularly noticeable when the axial length of the high-pressure tank 20 is considerably larger than the outer diameter of the high-pressure tank 20 (for example, 10 times or more).
[0031] 3. Placement and effects of high-pressure tanks, etc. As described above, the high-pressure tank 20 is held by the holding device 11. In this embodiment, the four high-pressure tanks 20 are arranged inside the rectangular frame of the frame 12 of the holding device 11 so that their axes O are approximately parallel to the vertical direction, so that the high-pressure tanks 20 are positioned vertically. At this time, the nozzle 22 on the side of the high-pressure tank 20 where the valve 23 is not located is inserted into the hole 13b of the support member 13. The side end 21b on the nozzle 22 side is then held in close contact with the inner surface of the recess 13a. As a result, the high-pressure tank 20 is supported by the support member 13, and vibrations are absorbed. In this configuration, the depth of the hole 13b in the support member 13 is greater than the protrusion amount of the nozzle 22. As a result, the nozzle 22 is enclosed within the hole 13b without protruding from the support member 13, and the nozzle 22 does not come into contact with the surface material 12b of the frame 12. Therefore, even when the high-pressure tank 20 is placed vertically, no weight is placed on the nozzle 22, significantly reducing the load, and since excessive force is less likely to be applied to the nozzle, durability can be increased.
[0032] In this embodiment, the nozzle 22 is configured not to touch the surface material 12b. However, to protect against contact due to vibration or other reasons, or when the nozzle is to be in constant contact, a protective member made of elastic material may be placed between the surface material 12b and the nozzle 22. The material of the protective member can be considered in the same way as that of the support member described above.
[0033] Furthermore, by pre-positioning the support member 13 on the holding device 11, it is not necessary to place a protector on the lower end of the high-pressure tank 20, which is advantageous in terms of workability and cost.
[0034] 4. Other examples of forms Figure 5 shows a diagram illustrating another embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram from the same viewpoint as Figure 3(a). In this other embodiment, the depth of the hole 13b' in the support member 13 is smaller than the protrusion amount of the mouthpiece 22, and the face material 12b of the frame 12 is provided with an opening 12c. This opening 12c is provided at a position corresponding to the area where the mouthpiece 22 is placed. In other configurations, as clearly shown in Figure 5, the mouthpiece 22 is positioned to protrude from the lower surface of the support member 13, with the protruding portion positioned in the opening 12c of the face material 12b. This prevents the mouthpiece 22 from touching the frame 12, thus achieving the same effect as the configuration described above. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0035] 10...Tank module, 11...Holding device, 12...Frame, 13...Support member, 14...Auxiliary member, 14a...Recess, 14b...Hole, 20...High-pressure tank, 21...Tank body, 21a...Body section, 21b...Side end, 22...Nozzle
Claims
1. A tank module comprising a tank and a holding device for holding the tank, The tank comprises a cylindrical body and nozzles provided at both ends of the cylindrical body in the direction in which the axis of the cylinder extends, with one nozzle facing downwards and the other nozzle facing upwards. The holding device comprises a frame and a support member positioned below the frame to support the tank, The support member has a hole into which the nozzle, which is located below the tank, is inserted, and a recess around the hole that supports a part of the tank body. The tank is supported by the support member such that the nozzle, which is positioned in a hole in the support member, does not come into contact with the frame. The frame has an opening in a portion facing the mouthpiece that is placed on the support member. Tank module.
2. The tank module according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the support member has a curved surface that conforms to the dome-shaped side end of the tank, and the recess supports the side end.
3. The tank module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hole in the support member is shaped to catch on the nozzle so that the tank does not rotate around the axis of the axis.
4. The tank module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support member is made of an elastic material.