Shut-off valve and hydrogen tank system equipped with shut-off valve

Abstract

The invention relates to a shutoff valve (1) for a hydrogen tank system comprising: a main valve (2) having a reciprocable valve member (3) formed in one piece or in a multi-piece configuration, which cooperates with a valve seat (4) at one end and defines a control chamber (5) at the other end, a control valve (6) having a reciprocable control valve piston (7) for opening and closing a control valve seat (8) on the housing side, the control valve (6) being capable of connecting the control chamber (5) to at least one reduced pressure control area (9, 10) via the control valve piston, and an electromagnetic coil (11) for acting on a first electromagnetic armature (12) connected to or forming the control valve piston (7) and on a second electromagnetic armature (22) connected to the valve member (3) of the main valve (2).Furthermore, the invention relates to a hydrogen tank system comprising a shutoff valve (1) according to the invention.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a shut-off valve for a hydrogen tank system. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a hydrogen tank system provided with the shut-off valve according to the present invention.

Background Art

[0002] Automotive hydrogen tank systems or mobile hydrogen tank systems used to supply hydrogen to fuel cells or internal combustion engines are known. For example, in the case of a failure or accident such as a pipe break, each individual container of the hydrogen tank system must be closed by a shut-off valve to prevent uncontrollable hydrogen outflow. Therefore, the shut-off valve used needs to be formed as a valve that automatically closes when de-energized.

[0003] A non-energized automatic shut-off valve having a main valve indirectly controlled via a control valve is known from the prior art. The control valve usually has a control valve seat located on the pressing surface of the main valve that acts to close, and a control valve piston that can be lifted from the control valve seat by magnetic force. In this case, the pressing surface of the main valve that forms and closes the control valve seat defines a so-called control chamber. At the end located on the opposite side, the pressing surface of the main valve that acts to open protrudes into a so-called valve chamber, and this valve chamber is fluid-connected to an accumulator. The control chamber and the valve chamber are pneumatically separated from each other by a throttle point. By opening the control valve, the pressure in the control chamber is relieved. Along with this, the pressure of the valve member of the main valve is also relieved. Then, the main valve can be opened by the resilient force of a spring or the magnetic force of an electromagnetic actuator (Magnetaktor). The closing of the main valve is usually brought about by a resilient force that acts to close. However, the disadvantage of this shut-off valve is that a large valve opening amount (Huebe) needs to be realized, and this large valve opening amount also requires a large and / or multiple electromagnetic actuators, thereby increasing the required installation space and cost, so generally the required installation space becomes large.

[0004] However, mobile hydrogen tank systems have limited available locations. This is especially true for hydrogen tank systems with compressed gas containers that have a cylinder neck where a shut-off valve should be incorporated. The cylinder neck is the most stable and therefore safest mounting location, but the shut-off valve must require minimal installation space.

[0005] Injectors for internal combustion engines, indirectly controlled via a control valve, are more widely known from the prior art. The control valve and the main valve can have different opening amounts, allowing the control valve's electromagnetic actuator to be sized smaller, thus requiring relatively less installation space for the injection valve. Opening the control valve results in a pressure drop in the control chamber, which ultimately leads to the opening of the main valve. In the fully open state, high pressure surrounds the valve member of the main valve and the control valve piston, so that only the resilient force of a spring acting in the closing direction is required for automatic closing. However, the main valve can only be opened again after the pressure in the piping system drops due to a decrease in load, because only then will a lower pressure level become available again in the control chamber. This subsequent opening and closing leads to increased wear on plastic or elastomer sheets, which are common in the hydrogen sector. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Therefore, the present invention is based on the objective of providing a shut-off valve for a hydrogen tank system that can be incorporated into the cylinder neck of a compressed gas container in a hydrogen tank system, and at the same time is miniaturized to minimize wear as much as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a shut-off valve having the features of claim 1 is provided. Advantageous developments of the present invention can be read from the dependent claims. Furthermore, a hydrogen tank system comprising at least one shut-off valve according to the present invention is provided.

[0008] The proposed shut-off valve for the hydrogen tank system is: - A main valve having a reciprocating valve member formed as an integral or multiple unit (ein-oder mehrteilig) that cooperates with a valve seat at one end and defines a control chamber at the other end, - A control valve having a reciprocating control valve piston for opening and closing the control valve seat on the housing side, and capable of connecting the control chamber to at least one pressure reduction control region via the control valve piston, - It comprises an electromagnetic coil for acting on a first electromagnetic movable element connected to or forming a control valve piston, and a second electromagnetic movable element connected to a valve member of the main valve.

[0009] In the proposed shut-off valve, the opening of the control valve leads to the opening of the main valve. The opening of the control valve creates a connection between the control chamber and a pressure reduction control region (Absteuerbereich) that results in a pressure drop in the control chamber. The pressure drop in the control chamber leads to the opening of the main valve, thereby causing the hydrogen under high pressure to flow out of the storage volume (Speichervolumen) of the hydrogen tank system through the valve seat of the main valve. In this case, the magnetic force of the electromagnetic coil assists in opening the main valve. When the main valve is fully open, the magnetic force provides a holding force that reliably keeps the main valve open against the resilient force that would close the valve member if the pressure in the valve member of the main valve were fully compensated. In this way, the continuous opening and closing of the main valve can be effectively avoided, as explained at the beginning in relation to the prior art.

[0010] Therefore, the opening of the main valve is essentially controlled by pressure. In this case, the magnetic force of the electromagnetic coil acts only as a supplement. However, if the pressure is fully compensated, the main valve can also be opened by the magnetic force of the electromagnetic coil alone.

[0011] However, the magnetic force of the electromagnetic coil is used preferentially to open the control valve, and is used only proportionally to assist the opening movement of the main valve. If the valve seat diameter of the control valve seat is reasonably small, and based on the pneumatic opening force acting on the valve member of the main valve, the electromagnetic coil can be designed to be relatively small. This also enables the miniaturization of the proposed shut-off valve.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control chamber is connected to the valve chamber of the main valve via a fluid throttling connection. When the electromagnetic coil is de-energized to close the shut-off valve, the control valve closes first. This disconnects the control chamber from the pressure reduction control region, and the control chamber is filled with gas from the valve chamber via the fluid throttling connection. This leads to a pressure increase in the control chamber, and this pressure increase ensures the reliable closing of the main valve.

[0013] In one advantageous embodiment of the proposed shut-off valve, a sealing element is provided between the control chamber and the valve chamber in the guide region of the valve member of the main valve. In this case, the fluid throttling connection is preferably formed through a defined throttling point, for example, through a throttling hole connecting the control chamber to the valve chamber. The inflow of gas into the control chamber can be optimally controlled through the defined throttling point. In embodiments without a sealing element, the guide region itself can be formed as a throttling gap.

[0014] It is preferable that the pressure reduction control region of the control valve is connected to the pressure reduction control region of the main valve, so that at least approximately the same pressure prevails in both pressure reduction control regions. When the control valve opens, i.e., when the pressure in the control chamber decreases and the pressure in the pressure reduction control region increases, pressure compensation is achieved in the valve member of the main valve, thereby allowing the main valve to open with the assistance of the magnetic force of the electromagnetic coil.

[0015] It is preferable that the control valve piston of the control valve is biased toward the control valve seat by the elastic force of a spring. The elastic force of the spring can be used to bring the control valve piston back to its original position or to close the control valve. The spring can be supported at the other end by a valve member formed as an integral part of the main valve or as a plurality of parts, thereby biasing the valve member toward the valve seat of the main valve. Therefore, automatic closing of the shut-off valve in the event of failure and / or accident can be ensured with a single spring.

[0016] Furthermore, it is proposed that the valve members, formed as an integrated or multi-part configuration of the main valve, be biased in the opening direction by the elastic force of a spring. This is particularly advantageous when the valve members are formed as a multi-part configuration, as the elastic force of another spring can be used to ensure that the multiple valve member portions act as if they were a single valve member. In addition, the opening pressure difference in the main valve can be adjusted by the opening elastic force and the valve seat diameter of the main valve. If the actual pressure difference is greater than the opening pressure difference, the main valve remains closed. This means that when the valve members of the main valve are formed as a multi-part configuration, especially a two-part configuration, the opening elastic force in the main valve limits the pressure impact on the system, thereby reducing the load on components in the system, which leads to cost reductions in the overall system.

[0017] Preferably, the valve member of the main valve has a first valve member portion that cooperates with the valve seat and another valve member portion that defines the control chamber. This means that the valve member is formed in a multi-part configuration. Forming it in a multi-part configuration has the advantage of easily compensating for axial misalignment problems caused by manufacturing tolerances and / or assembly tolerances, compared to forming it in a single unit. For example, the valve member can be guided axially, and a guide can be formed on the other part that serves as the valve seat. If the guide and the valve seat are not precisely coaxially positioned, tilting may occur in a valve member formed in a single unit, which would prevent the shut-off valve from closing tightly. In contrast, by forming it in a multi-part configuration, both valve member portions can be radially displaced relative to each other to compensate for the lack of coaxiality.

[0018] The valve member that defines the control chamber is guided to reciprocate, particularly over the guide region already mentioned. Therefore, the guide of the valve member is realized by the valve member portion furthest from the valve seat, thereby demonstrating the particularly clear advantages of forming it in a multi-component configuration.

[0019] Alternatively or supplementarily, it is proposed that the valve component defining the control chamber have a ring-shaped flange (Ringbund) that cooperates with the stopper. This measure allows for limiting the opening amount of the main valve.

[0020] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, a second electromagnetic movable element, i.e., the electromagnetic movable element of the main valve, forms a valve member portion and / or valve opening stopper (Hubanschlag) that defines the control chamber.

[0021] Furthermore, it is proposed that the control valve piston and / or the first electromagnetic movable element, i.e., the electromagnetic movable element of the control valve, define the control chamber, and a connection between the control chamber and the control valve chamber is formed through at least one through-opening formed in the control valve piston and / or electromagnetic movable element. Through at least one through-opening, a permanent connection between the control chamber and the control valve chamber can be ensured, strictly speaking, regardless of the current position of the control valve piston or electromagnetic movable element.

[0022] It is advantageous that the first electromagnetic movable element, i.e., the electromagnetic movable element of the control valve, is formed as a flat movable element or has a portion formed as a flat movable element. In the embodiment with a flat movable element, the control valve, and therefore the shut-off valve, can also be formed in a particularly space-saving or space-saving manner.

[0023] It is even more preferable that the second electromagnetic movable element, i.e., the electromagnetic movable element of the main valve, is formed as a plunger movable element or has a portion formed as a plunger movable element. In this embodiment, the electromagnetic movable elements are guided simultaneously.

[0024] To further reduce the required installation space, it is proposed that the main valve and the control valve be arranged coaxially. This means that the longitudinal axes of the control valve piston and the valve member overlap each other. In that case, the opening movements of the control valve piston and the valve member are in opposite directions to each other.

[0025] Alternatively or additionally, it is proposed that the main valve and the control valve be accommodated in a common housing. By this measure, the required installation space of the shut-off valve can also be further reduced. In addition, since the shut-off valve can be incorporated as a pre-assembled unit into the cylinder head of a compressed gas container, particularly that of a hydrogen tank system, the assembly of the shut-off valve becomes easier.

[0026] It is further preferable that a gas line leads to the valve chamber of the main valve and the valve chamber can be connected via this gas line to the storage volume of the compressed gas container of the hydrogen tank system. Thus, when the main valve is open, a connection between the pressure control region and the storage volume of the compressed gas container can be formed.

[0027] The hydrogen tank system proposed to solve the problems described at the beginning further comprises at least one compressed gas container and the shut-off valve according to the invention. The small required installation space of the shut-off valve according to the invention enables the incorporation of the shut-off valve into the compressed gas container, whereby the container can be shut off individually.

[0028] Therefore, the shut-off valve is preferably incorporated into the compressed gas container, more preferably into the cylinder head of the compressed gas container. Since the cylinder head is the most stable part of the compressed gas container, the shut-off valve is stored particularly safely at the cylinder head. It is also possible that the shut-off valve is only partially incorporated into the cylinder head.

[0029] The proposed hydrogen tank system can be used particularly in fuel cell vehicles or hydrogen combustion vehicles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] [Figure 1]This is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shut-off valve according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] The shut-off valve 1 according to the present invention, as shown in the figure, comprises a main valve 2 and a control valve 6 arranged coaxially in a common housing 19.

[0033] The main valve 2 has a multi-part valve member 3, which includes a first valve member portion 3.1 that cooperates with the valve seat 4 and a second valve member portion 3.2 that defines the control chamber 5. The second valve member portion 3.2 is guided to reciprocate across a guide region 23 and has a ring-shaped flange portion 16 outside the guide region 23 that cooperates with a stopper 15 to limit the amount of valve opening. The ring-shaped flange portion 16 is formed to be used as an electromagnetic movable element 22 that magnetically assists the opening of the main valve 2 and ensures that the fully opened main valve 2 is held in an open state. The end of the second valve member portion 3.2 facing the first valve member portion 3.1 is spherically shaped so that an articulated connection with the first valve member portion 3.1 can be formed through this end to compensate for any manufacturing tolerances and / or assembly tolerances that may exist. The first valve member portion 3.1 is biased toward the second valve member portion 3.2 by the elastic force of a spring 14.

[0034] The control valve 6 comprises a reciprocating control valve piston 7 that cooperates with the control valve seat 8 at one end and is connected at the other end to an electromagnetic movable element 12 formed as a flat movable element. An electromagnetic coil 11 is provided to act on the electromagnetic movable element 12. When the electromagnetic coil 11 is energized, a magnetic field is formed, and the magnetic force of this field pulls the electromagnetic movable element 12, including the control valve piston 7, in the direction of the electromagnetic coil 11. In this case, the control valve seat 8 opens, thereby forming a connection between the control chamber 5 and the pressure reduction control region 9 via the control valve chamber 18. The control chamber 18 is permanently connected to the control valve chamber 18 via at least one through-opening 17 formed in the electromagnetic movable element 12. The opening of the control valve 6 results in a pressure drop in the control chamber 5, thereby relieving the load on the valve member 3 of the main valve 2 and opening the main valve 2. In this case, especially when the control valve 6 opens, an opening force is generated on the electromagnetic movable element 22 of the main valve 2, and a magnetic circuit is formed so that this force assists in the opening of the main valve 2. When the main valve 2 is open, a connection is formed between the valve chamber 20 through which the gas line 21 passes and the pressure reduction control region 10 of the main valve 2. The gas line 21 connects the valve chamber 20 to the storage volume of a compressed gas container (not shown), thereby allowing hydrogen under high pressure to reach the pressure reduction control region 10 from the compressed gas container. This fills the system, and pressure compensation is performed between the pressure reduction control regions 9 and 10 and the valve chamber 20 and the control chamber 5. This pressure compensation is performed via a fluid throttling connection between the control chamber 5 and the valve chamber 20, which is formed here via a guide region 23. Meanwhile, pressure compensation is also performed via the control valve seat 8 of the control valve 6. In this case, the magnetic holding force of the electromagnetic movable element 22 of the main valve 2 ensures that the main valve 2 is reliably held open against the resilient force of the closing spring 13.

[0035] To close the shut-off valve 1, the electromagnetic coil 11 is de-energized, thereby causing the spring 13 supported by the control valve piston 7 to push the control valve piston 7 back to the control valve seat 8. Simultaneously, air pressure acts on the control valve piston 7 in the closing direction, and this air pressure is brought about by a pressure increase in the control chamber 5. This pressure increase is brought about by the control chamber 5 being filled with gas via a fluid throttling connection to the valve chamber 20. The pressure increase in the control chamber 5 ensures that the main valve 2 can be reliably closed using the elastic force of the spring 13. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1. Shut-off valve 2. Main valve 3 Valve member 3.1 First valve member 3.2 Second valve member 4 valve seats 5. Control Room 6. Control valve 7 Control valve piston 8 Control valve seat 9. Pressure reduction control area 10. Pressure reduction control region 11 Electromagnetic coil 12 First electromagnetic movable element 13 Spring 14 Springs 15 Stopper 16 Ring-shaped flange 17 Through-flow opening 18 Control valve chamber 19 Housing 20 valve chambers 21 Gas lines 22 Second electromagnetic movable element 23 Guide Area

Claims

1. A shut-off valve (1) for a hydrogen tank system, - A housing (19) that forms the outer shell, - The main valve (2) has a reciprocating valve member (3) which is arranged within the housing (19), cooperates with a valve seat (4) at one end, and defines a control chamber (5) at the other end, and is formed as an integrated or multiple unit. - A control valve (6) having a reciprocating control valve piston (7) for opening and closing a control valve seat (8) formed in the housing (19), and the control chamber (5) connected to a first pressure reduction control region (9) via the control valve piston (7), - A first electromagnetic movable element (12) connected to or forming the control valve piston (7), and an electromagnetic coil (11) for acting on a second electromagnetic movable element (22) connected to the valve member (3) of the main valve (2), The second electromagnetic movable element (22) is connected to the valve member (3) so as to extend in a direction intersecting the direction of the reciprocating motion of the main valve (2), The first electromagnetic movable element (12) faces one of the two end faces of the electromagnetic coil housing portion that houses the electromagnetic coil (11), which are oriented in the direction of the reciprocating motion of the main valve (2). The second electromagnetic movable element (12) faces the other of the two end faces in the electromagnetic coil housing. Shut-off valve.

2. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control chamber (5) is connected to the valve chamber (20) of the main valve (2) as a fluid throttle, and a sealing element is provided between the control chamber (5) and the valve chamber (20) in the guide region (23) of the valve member (3) of the main valve (2).

3. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first pressure reduction control region (9) of the control valve (6) is connected to the second pressure reduction control region (10) of the main valve (2).

4. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control valve piston (7) is biased toward the control valve seat (8) by the elastic force of a spring (13), and the spring (13) is supported at its other end by a valve member (3) formed as an integral or multiple unit of the main valve (2).

5. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the valve member (3) formed as an integral or multiple unit of the main valve (2) is biased in the opening direction by the elastic force of the spring (14).

6. The valve member (3) of the main valve (2) has a first valve member portion (3.1) that cooperates with the valve seat (4) and another valve member portion (3.2) that defines the control chamber (5), wherein the other valve member portion (3.2) is guided to reciprocate across a guide region (23) of the valve member (3) and / or has a ring-shaped flange portion (16) that extends outside the guide region (23) and functions as the second electromagnetic movable element (22), The electromagnetic coil housing section defines the guide region (23), The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ring-shaped flange portion (16) cooperates with a stopper (15) which includes the other of the two end faces in the electromagnetic coil housing portion to limit the amount of opening of the main valve (2).

7. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control valve piston (7) and / or the first electromagnetic movable element (12) define the control chamber (5), and a connection is formed between the control chamber (5) and the control valve chamber (18) via at least one through-opening (17) formed in the control valve piston (7) and / or the first electromagnetic movable element (12).

8. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first electromagnetic movable element (12) is formed as a flat movable element or has a portion formed as a flat movable element.

9. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second electromagnetic movable element (22) is formed as a plunger movable element or has a portion formed as a plunger movable element.

10. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the main valve (2) and the control valve (6) are arranged coaxially.

11. The shut-off valve (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that a gas line (21) is passed through the valve chamber (20) of the main valve (2), and the valve chamber (20) can be connected to the storage volume of the compressed gas container of the hydrogen tank system via the gas line.

12. A hydrogen tank system comprising at least one compressed gas container and a shut-off valve (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shut-off valve (1) is incorporated into the compressed gas container.

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