Noble gas production system and liquefied hydrogen receiving base containing it

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rare gas production system capable of reducing the cost of producing rare gas, and a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal including the same. [Solution] The rare gas production system of the present invention includes an air compressor that compresses air; an vaporizer that exchanges heat between the air compressed by the air compressor and liquefied hydrogen which is vaporized and supplied to a demand destination, cooling the compressed air and vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen; a separation tower that separates the oxygen and nitrogen condensed in the vaporizer; a hard column that condenses and separates hard components from the remaining air remaining after oxygen and nitrogen are separated from the fluid transferred from the upper discharge part of the separation tower; and a heavy column that vaporizes and separates heavy components from the remaining air remaining after oxygen and nitrogen are separated from the fluid transferred from the lower discharge part of the separation tower.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a noble gas production system capable of reducing noble gas production costs and a liquefied hydrogen receiving base including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Xenon (Xe) and krypton (Kr) are noble gases that are essentially used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Xenon and krypton are contained in trace amounts in the air as colorless and odorless monatomic molecules and can be obtained by separating them from the air.

[0003] An air separation unit separates oxygen and nitrogen from air and also generates a crude stream containing noble gases such as neon, xenon, krypton, and helium that are present in extremely small amounts in the air.

[0004] The technology for separating noble gases such as krypton in an air separation unit began in Germany in 1969 and is a technology with a long history. However, noble gases such as krypton are present in extremely small amounts, only about 1 m per 1,000,000 m of air. Nevertheless, to separate these, an extremely low temperature of about -200°C or lower is required, and a huge amount of energy is required for a cryogenic refrigerator. 3 per about 1 m 3 of air, and an extremely low temperature of about -200°C or lower is required to separate them, and a huge amount of energy is required for a cryogenic refrigerator.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the other hand, liquefied hydrogen is transported by ships, etc., loaded into storage tanks provided at the receiving base, stored in a liquid state, and then sent to the demand destination while vaporizing. Since liquefied hydrogen is stored in the storage tank at about -253°C, it is necessary to continuously supply heat above room temperature to vaporize the liquefied hydrogen.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a noble gas production system and a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal including this system, which can supply the energy necessary for noble gas production by utilizing the cryogenic heat of vaporization that is discarded while vaporizing liquefied hydrogen during the process of delivering liquefied hydrogen in a large-scale air separation unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention that achieves the above-mentioned objectives, an air compressor for compressing air; a vaporizer for exchanging heat between the air compressed by the air compressor and liquefied hydrogen to be supplied to the customer while being vaporized, thereby cooling the compressed air and vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen; a separation tower for separating the oxygen and nitrogen condensed in the vaporizer; and from the fluid transferred from the upper discharge section of the separation tower, the residual air remaining after the oxygen and nitrogen have been separated... Light The components are condensed and separated. Light A noble gas production system is provided, which includes a column and a heavy column for vaporizing and separating heavy components from the residual air remaining after oxygen and nitrogen have been separated from the fluid transferred from the lower discharge section of the separation tower.

[0008] Preferably, the vaporizer, separation tower, Light The column and heavy column are provided in a cold box, and the pretreatment device may further include a device that recovers residual cold from the cold box and condenses and separates foreign matter contained in the compressed air supplied from the air compressor to the vaporizer.

[0009] Preferably, the above Light The components include neon and methane, and the heavy components may include xenon and krypton.

[0010] Preferably, the above Light The column may include a primary heat exchange section that cools the residual air using the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen; and a secondary heat exchange section that further cools the residual air cooled in the primary heat exchange section using a heat transfer medium from which the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen has been recovered while vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen.

[0011] Preferably, the heavy column can recover waste heat from exhaust gases discharged while producing electricity using the evaporated gas of liquefied hydrogen, and vaporize heavy components.

[0012] Preferably, the liquid nitrogen produced in the separation tower can be supplied as a refrigerant to maintain the liquid hydrogen in a liquid state.

[0013] Preferably, the turbine-generator may further include a revaporizer for vaporizing the liquid oxygen or nitrogen produced in the separation tower; a turbine for expanding the oxygen or nitrogen vaporized in the revaporizer; and a generator for producing electricity using the driving force of the turbine.

[0014] Preferably, a liquefied hydrogen storage tank for storing the liquefied hydrogen; a heat transfer medium for circulating the liquefied hydrogen storage tank and Light The system may further include a heat transfer fluid circulation unit that recovers thermal energy from one or more of the columns; and a cold energy recovery device that cools the heat transfer fluid by exchanging heat between the oxygen or nitrogen expanded by the turbine and the heat transfer fluid.

[0015] Preferably, a liquefied hydrogen storage tank for storing the liquefied hydrogen; a heat transfer medium for circulating the liquefied hydrogen storage tank and Light The system may further include a heat transfer fluid circulation unit that recovers thermal energy from one or more of the columns, and a fourth heat transfer fluid line that supplies a heat transfer fluid that vaporizes the liquid oxygen or nitrogen from the heat transfer fluid circulation unit to the revaporizer.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives, a liquefied hydrogen receiving base is provided, comprising: a number of liquefied hydrogen storage tanks equipped with a temperature control device for storing liquefied hydrogen and adjusting the internal temperature to maintain the internal pressure at a low pressure; a liquefied hydrogen demand destination that receives liquefied hydrogen from the liquefied hydrogen storage tanks; and a number of pressure tanks that receive and store liquefied hydrogen supplied from the liquefied hydrogen storage tanks to the liquefied hydrogen demand destination, and maintain a high pressure despite having a smaller capacity than the liquefied hydrogen storage tanks; wherein the liquefied hydrogen demand destination includes a vaporizer for vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen to produce gaseous hydrogen and supplying it to a gaseous hydrogen demand destination; and a noble gas production system.

[0017] Preferably, the system may further include a second liquefied hydrogen supply line, which is a channel through which liquefied hydrogen is transferred from the pressure tank to the vaporizer and the noble gas production system.

[0018] Preferably, the temperature control device may include a heat transfer medium circulation unit that recovers the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen or circulates a heat transfer medium that supplies cold energy to the liquefied hydrogen or the noble gas production system.

[0019] Preferably, the system may further include: a compressor that compresses the hydrogen vapor gas generated in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank and supplies it to the pressure tank at a discharge pressure that allows for the supply of liquefied hydrogen to a liquefied hydrogen demand destination from the pressure tank; an energy conversion unit that produces electricity using the vapor gas compressed by the compressor as fuel; and a waste heat recovery line that supplies the waste heat generated while producing electricity in the energy conversion unit to the heavy column. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] The noble gas production system and liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to the present invention recover the cryogenic heat of vaporization that is discarded while vaporizing liquefied hydrogen during the process of delivering liquefied hydrogen, and utilize it in a large-scale air separation unit, thereby enabling the production of not only nitrogen and oxygen, but also noble gases such as neon, xenon, and krypton, which are necessary for the semiconductor industry.

[0021] Also, since the storage temperature of liquefied hydrogen is approximately -253°C, by utilizing the heat of vaporization of liquefied hydrogen as the refrigeration energy of the air separation unit, almost all components contained in air can be separated and produced, except for helium whose liquefaction temperature is lower than the storage temperature of liquefied hydrogen.

[0022] Also, by utilizing the heat of vaporization of liquefied hydrogen in the air separation unit, the power consumption and production costs used in refrigerators and the like can be reduced.

[0023] Also, liquefied nitrogen, liquefied oxygen, etc. produced in the air separation unit can be utilized as an energy source for producing electricity by supplying them to the liquefied air energy storage unit.

[0024] Also, by linking an air separation unit to the liquefied hydrogen receiving base, exchanging the heat source required to send out liquefied hydrogen and the cold heat required to separate air with each other, additional power can be produced, so additional benefits can be created, and there are advantageous effects in terms of energy, production costs, and efficiency.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] It is a diagram briefly showing a liquefied hydrogen receiving base including a rare gas production system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram briefly showing a rare gas production system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram briefly showing a liquefied air energy storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] In order to fully understand the operational advantages of the present invention and the objectives achieved by the implementation of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and the content described in the accompanying drawings.

[0027] The configuration and operation of preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. It should be noted that, in assigning reference numerals to each component in each drawing, the same component is used whenever possible, even if it is shown in other drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments can be modified into many other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0028] The following describes a noble gas production system and a liquefied hydrogen receiving station containing the same according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to Figures 1 and 3.

[0029] In describing this embodiment, a liquefied hydrogen receiving base refers to a base equipped with numerous large-capacity liquefied hydrogen storage tanks on land or at sea, which receive and store liquefied hydrogen from means of transport such as ships, and deliver the liquefied hydrogen stored in the storage tanks by means of transport such as ships or tank trucks, or directly to destinations that require liquefied hydrogen.

[0030] First, referring to Figure 1, a liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a number of liquefied hydrogen storage tanks 102 that store liquefied hydrogen and are equipped with one or more of either a temperature maintenance section 46 or a densification section 45 inside, and which can control the storage temperature; liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 that receive the hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tanks 102; an evaporation gas processing section that processes the evaporated gas generated when the liquefied hydrogen vaporizes; and a heat transfer medium circulation section 40 that recovers the thermal energy of the liquefied hydrogen.

[0031] In this embodiment, the evaporative gas processing unit includes a compressor 41 for discharging evaporative gas from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, a buffer tank 42 for storing the evaporative gas discharged from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, and an energy conversion unit 47 for producing electricity using the evaporative gas discharged from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 may include a vaporizer 52 that supplies gaseous hydrogen to the gaseous hydrogen demand destination after vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen, and a noble gas production system 53 that separates air while recovering thermal energy at the liquefied hydrogen receiving base, such as the cold and heat of the liquefied hydrogen, the cold and heat of the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40, and the waste heat of the energy conversion unit 47, in order to produce nitrogen, oxygen, and one or more noble gases. In addition, the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 may further include a liquefied hydrogen storage base 51 that receives and stores liquefied hydrogen for the purpose of transporting it, such as at land terminals, ships, or land trailers.

[0033] In the vaporizer 52, liquefied hydrogen to be delivered to liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 and air used to generate oxygen and other active ingredients in the noble gas production system 53 are directly or indirectly heat-exchanged. As the liquefied hydrogen is vaporized in the vaporizer 52 while heat exchange is taking place, at least some of the specific components contained in the air are condensed, allowing the condensed components to be separated from the air.

[0034] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the noble gas production system 53 of this embodiment includes an air compressor 62 for compressing air and a pretreatment device 63 for removing impurities contained in the air compressed by the air compressor 62.

[0035] Upstream of the air compressor 62, a knockout drum 61 may be provided to separate the liquid phase contained in the air entering the air compressor 62 and allow only gaseous air to flow into the air compressor 62.

[0036] In the pretreatment device 63, impurities contained in the compressed air, such as water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2), can be removed.

[0037] The pretreatment device 63 may include a condenser (not shown) for condensing each impurity contained in the compressed air in a gaseous state. The condenser of the pretreatment device 63 can utilize the residual cold energy of the cold box 60, which will be described later, and recover the residual cold energy to condense the impurities and then separate them from the compressed air.

[0038] The compressed air from which impurities have been removed in the pretreatment device 63 can exchange heat with liquefied hydrogen while being supplied to the vaporizer 52 described above. While exchanging heat with liquefied hydrogen in the vaporizer 52, some of the compressed air, in particular certain components, may condense.

[0039] The noble gas production system according to this embodiment includes a separation column 54 that produces liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen from compressed air cooled by heat exchange with liquefied hydrogen in a vaporizer 52 through a fractional distillation process, and a separate unit that separates components with low specific gravity from the remaining air after the separation of liquefied nitrogen and liquefied oxygen in the separation column 54. Light The system includes a column 55 and a heavy column 56 for separating components with higher specific gravity from the remaining air after separating liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen in the separation tower 54.

[0040] The liquid nitrogen and oxygen separated in the separation tower 54 are stored in separate storage tanks (not shown). The liquid nitrogen and oxygen stored in the storage tanks can be sold to various customers.

[0041] Furthermore, the noble gas production system according to this embodiment may further include a liquefied air energy storage (LAES) unit LS that produces electricity using the remaining liquid nitrogen or liquid oxygen after it has been sold to customers.

[0042] Referring to Figure 3, this embodiment will be explained using the example that liquid oxygen produced in the vaporizer 52 is supplied to the liquefied air energy storage unit LS via the liquid air line AL, but liquid nitrogen may also be supplied to the liquefied air energy storage unit LS.

[0043] The liquefied air energy storage unit LS of this embodiment includes a liquefied air storage container S for storing liquid oxygen received from a rare gas production system, a pump P for discharging liquid oxygen from the liquefied air storage container S, a revaporizer V for vaporizing the pressurized liquefied oxygen by the pump P, and a turbine-generator T that drives a turbine using the air revaporized by the revaporizer V as a working fluid, and produces electricity with the rotational force of the turbine.

[0044] According to this embodiment, liquid nitrogen or liquid oxygen produced in the noble gas production system 53 can be supplied as the working fluid to the liquefied air energy storage unit LS to produce additional power.

[0045] In this embodiment, the revaporizer V is cooled and the liquid oxygen vaporized by heat exchange between the liquid oxygen supplied to the revaporizer V along the liquid air line AL and the high-temperature heat transfer medium transported from the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40 along the fourth heat transfer medium line ML5. In other words, the heat of vaporization of the liquid oxygen can be used as a refrigerant to cool the heat transfer medium circulating in the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40.

[0046] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a cooling recovery device (not shown) may be included to pre-cool the high-temperature heat transfer medium supplied to the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40 by exchanging heat between the revaporized oxygen that has expanded while driving the turbine-generator T and the high-temperature heat transfer medium supplied to the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40.

[0047] In this way, by recovering the cold energy of the revaporized oxygen, the cooling load on the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40 can be reduced.

[0048] Referring to Figure 2, in this embodiment... Light Column 55 is, Light The line GL connects to the upper discharge section of the separation tower 54. The fluid discharged from the top of the separation tower 54 is Light via Line GL Light It is transferred to column 55.

[0049] Lightvia Line GL Light The fluid transferred to column 55 is a gaseous mixture of residual nitrogen and various lighter substances such as neon (Ne), helium (He), and methane (CH4).

[0050] Light Column 55 contains: Light via Line GL Light A primary heat exchange section (not shown) may be provided to first cool the fluid flowing into column 55 by heat exchange with liquefied hydrogen received from a liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 or a pressure tank 100 (described later) via a second liquefied hydrogen supply line SL2, and a secondary heat exchange section (not shown) may be provided to second cool the fluid that has been first cooled in the primary heat exchange section by heat exchange with a cryogenic heat transfer medium received from a heat transfer medium circulation section 40 via a third heat transfer medium line ML4.

[0051] In the primary heat exchange section, the fluid can be cooled to approximately 20K by the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen transferred via the second liquefied hydrogen supply line SL2. In the secondary heat exchange section, the fluid can be cooled to approximately 10K or below by the cold energy of the cryogenic heat transfer medium transferred via the third heat transfer medium line ML4.

[0052] During this process, neon and methane may be condensed and separated. The separated liquid neon and methane may be stored in separate storage tanks, respectively.

[0053] The heavy column 56 is connected to the lower discharge section of the separation tower 54 by the heavy line HL. The fluid discharged from the lower part of the separation tower 54 is transferred to the heavy column 56 via the heavy line HL.

[0054] The fluid transferred to the heavy column 56 via the heavy line HL is a liquid-phase mixture of residual nitrogen and heavy components such as xenon (Xe) and krypton (kr).

[0055] In the heavy column 56, the fluid flowing into the heavy column 56 via the heavy line HL can be heated using the waste heat of the exhaust gas transferred from the energy conversion unit 47 via the waste heat supply line EL. By vaporizing the residual nitrogen in liquid state with the waste heat of the exhaust gas, liquid-phase xenon and krypton can be obtained.

[0056] Furthermore, the xenon and krypton produced in the heavy column 56 can be stored in separate storage tanks and sold to various customers.

[0057] Since the noble gas production system 53 according to this embodiment is installed at a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal, it is not necessary to separately provide infrastructure to supply the liquid nitrogen, oxygen, neon, xenon, krypton, and other products produced by the noble gas production system 53 to each demand destination.

[0058] In this embodiment, the pretreatment device 63, vaporizer 52, separation tower 54, Light Column 55 and heavy column 56 may be provided inside the cold box 60.

[0059] As described above, the pretreatment device 63 can utilize the residual cold energy in the cold box 60 to condense foreign matter. Therefore, the pretreatment device 63 can condense and remove foreign matter such as moisture and carbon dioxide contained in compressed air by utilizing the residual cold energy of hydrogen that has been vaporized or whose temperature has risen while the fluid is cooled in the vaporizer 52 or separation tower 54.

[0060] Thus, according to the present invention, the heat of vaporization of cryogenic liquefied hydrogen discarded at liquefied hydrogen receiving terminals can be recovered, and nitrogen and oxygen contained in the air can be separated in a liquid state to produce the product.

[0061] Furthermore, the thermal energy generated at the liquefied hydrogen receiving station, specifically the waste heat from the exhaust gas of the energy conversion unit 47 and the cold energy of the cryogenic heat transfer medium cooled in the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40, can be recovered to obtain noble gases such as neon and xenon.

[0062] Furthermore, additional power can be generated by using the produced liquid oxygen or nitrogen to drive the turbine, and this liquid oxygen or nitrogen can also be used as a refrigerant to cool the heat transfer medium in the heat transfer medium circulation section 40.

[0063] Therefore, according to the present invention, since electricity is not required for cooling when separating and generating many gaseous components such as nitrogen, oxygen, and neon from air, production costs can be reduced.

[0064] On the other hand, the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 in this embodiment is 100 m 3 At least two of the above-mentioned large-capacity storage tanks may be provided. The operating pressure of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 may be 0.1 bar to 6 bar, preferably 3 bar or less, more preferably 1 bar or less, or can be maintained at atmospheric pressure.

[0065] Furthermore, the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 can be operated in either a low-temperature mode, which maintains a first temperature, or a high-temperature mode, which maintains a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

[0066] In this embodiment, the first temperature may be a densification temperature that increases the density of the stored liquefied hydrogen, and may be a temperature range in which the liquefied hydrogen exists in a mixed solid and liquid state, i.e., about 14K to 21K. At least a portion of the liquefied hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 in low-temperature mode can exist in a solid state which has a higher density than the liquid state. Therefore, the liquefied hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 can exist in a liquid state, a two-phase mixed state of liquid and solid, or a three-phase mixed state of liquid, solid, and gas, preferably in a slush state.

[0067] In this embodiment, the second temperature may be higher than the triple point temperature of liquefied hydrogen, and when the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 is maintained at the second temperature, the temperature of the hydrogen in the storage tank can be maintained at a temperature slightly higher than 21K or about 21K. When the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 is operated in high-temperature mode, the hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 may exist in a liquid state, a gaseous state, or a two-phase mixture of liquid and gas.

[0068] The temperature maintenance section 46 and the densification section 45 of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 are connected to the heat medium circulation section 40 by a first heat medium line ML2. The cryogenic heat medium cooled in the heat medium circulation section 40 is transferred to the temperature maintenance section 46 and the densification section 45 along the first heat medium line ML2. The heat medium, whose temperature has risen while cooling the liquid hydrogen in the temperature maintenance section 46 and the densification section 45, may be recovered to the heat medium circulation section 40 along the first heat medium line ML2, or it may be recovered to the heat medium circulation section 40 in a state where its temperature has decreased while heating the fluid in the heavy column 56.

[0069] In this embodiment, the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40 supplies cryogenic heat transfer medium to the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 when the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 is operating in low-temperature mode, transfers cold energy to the hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, and then receives high-temperature heat transfer medium.

[0070] Furthermore, when the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 is operated in high-temperature mode, the heat transfer fluid circulation unit 40 supplies a high-temperature heat transfer fluid to the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, recovers the cold energy from the hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, and receives a cryogenic heat transfer fluid.

[0071] In this embodiment, the heat transfer medium circulating in the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40 may be helium or another medium that indirectly transfers thermal energy between helium and the liquefied hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102.

[0072] In this embodiment, the low-temperature mode can be used to suppress the reactivity of liquefied hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, thereby stably maintaining the hydrogen in a liquid state during storage. When a portion of the liquefied hydrogen begins to solidify, the ortho-para conversion reaction of the liquefied hydrogen is suppressed, thereby preventing the liquefied hydrogen from undergoing a phase change to a gas and from diffusing vapor, thus stabilizing it.

[0073] The liquefied hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 by the densification section 45 may exist in a partially slurry state. By partially solidifying the stored liquefied hydrogen, rather than solidifying the entire amount, the hydrogen can be stored in a solid state that partially retains more cold energy, maximizing its latent heat and enabling stable hydrogen storage.

[0074] Furthermore, the presence of a portion of the liquefied hydrogen in a solid state acts as a shield, suppressing the vaporization of the liquefied hydrogen. Through this operation, the internal pressure of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 can be maintained at 1 bar or less.

[0075] The high-temperature mode may be implemented to supply fuel for power generation in the energy conversion unit 47 by vaporizing a portion of the liquefied hydrogen stored in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 and inducing the generation of a certain amount of evaporated gas. Furthermore, using a heat transfer medium, cold energy can be recovered from the liquefied hydrogen in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 operating in high-temperature mode to be supplied to the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 operating in low-temperature mode or to the rare gas production system 53.

[0076] In this embodiment, when a high-temperature heat transfer medium is supplied to the temperature maintenance unit 46 in high-temperature mode, a vaporization reaction begins. When gaseous nitrogen or methane is compressed and then subjected to Joule-Thomson expansion, its temperature decreases and it liquefies. However, gaseous hydrogen and helium have a lower inversion temperature than room temperature, so their temperature actually increases during Joule-Thomson expansion at room temperature. Therefore, when hydrogen is expanded below its inversion temperature, its temperature decreases.

[0077] In this embodiment, the internal temperature of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, operated in high-temperature mode, is maintained at a temperature higher than 20K but lower than the inversion temperature. This creates a vacuum inside the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, promoting conversion to parahydrogen, while simultaneously supplying and exhausting evaporated gas to control the pressure and amount of evaporated gas generated in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102. Through this operation, the internal pressure of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 can be maintained at 3 bar or less.

[0078] Hydrogen has the property that the heat of conversion generated during the ortho-para conversion reaction is greater than the latent heat of vaporization of liquefied hydrogen, causing liquefied hydrogen to evaporate due to the heat of conversion. Due to this property, hydrogen vapor is generated irregularly, sometimes instantaneously in a chain reaction, and then the amount generated decreases sharply when the reaction stops.

[0079] According to this embodiment, the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 can be operated in high-temperature mode and low-temperature mode, and the amount of evaporated gas generated can be adjusted to a constant level.

[0080] In the liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to this embodiment, hydrogen evaporative gas (or vaporized gas) can be used as fuel to produce electricity for use within the system. At least one of the numerous liquefied hydrogen storage tanks 102 continuously generates a certain amount of hydrogen evaporative gas while operating in high-temperature mode, and electricity can be stably produced and supplied by supplying the evaporative gas to the energy conversion unit 47.

[0081] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when it is time to discharge the evaporated gas from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, the compressor 41 is operated while the evaporated gas is discharged. The liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 and the compressor 41 are connected by an evaporated gas supply line BL2, and the evaporated gas generated in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 can flow into the compressor 41 after being discharged via the evaporated gas supply line BL2.

[0082] On the other hand, the compressor 41 in this embodiment can operate to supply and exhaust evaporated gas from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 to create a semi-vacuum state when an explosive generation of evaporated gas occurs in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102.

[0083] When the compressor 41 is operating and the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 is in a semi-vacuum state, an ortho-para conversion reaction occurs within the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102. When the proportion of para hydrogen increases, the operation of the compressor 41 is stopped, and the vacuum in the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 is released, thereby stabilizing the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102.

[0084] The evaporated gas discharged from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 may be transferred to the buffer tank 42 via the first evaporated gas distribution line CL1 and then stored in the buffer tank 42, or it may be transferred to the energy conversion unit 47 via the second evaporated gas distribution line CL2.

[0085] In this embodiment, the energy conversion unit 47 may include one or more of the following: a fuel cell that uses hydrogen as fuel to produce electricity through an electrochemical reaction, and a turbine generator that uses hydrogen as a working fluid to drive a turbine and produces electricity by converting the turbine's driving energy into electricity.

[0086] The electricity generated in the energy conversion unit 47 of this embodiment may be used in the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40 and the noble gas production system 53, or it may be distributed and supplied to power demand sites on board the ship by power distribution means (not shown), such as a switchboard.

[0087] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the system may further include two or more pressure tanks 100 that have a smaller capacity than the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 but are operated at high pressure to store liquefied hydrogen to be supplied to liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53; liquefied hydrogen supply lines SL1 and SL2 that connect the pressure tanks 100 to the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 and transfer liquefied hydrogen from the pressure tanks 100 to the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53; and recovery lines RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4, and RL5 that recover evaporated gas from the pressure tanks 100 and the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53.

[0088] The operating pressure of the pressure tank 100 in this embodiment can be maintained at a higher pressure than the operating pressure of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, which operates at 3 bar or less. For example, the pressure tank 100 in this embodiment may be operated at 6 bar or higher, 8 bar or higher, or 10 bar or higher.

[0089] On the other hand, since the operating pressure of the pressure tank 100 is higher than the operating pressure of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, a supply pump 50 may be provided in the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL connecting the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 and the pressure tank 100 to supply pressurized liquefied hydrogen from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 to the pressure tank 100. In this case, the liquefied hydrogen is pressurized by the supply pump 50 before being transferred to the pressure tank 100.

[0090] In this embodiment, the pressure tank 100 may be positioned lower than the height of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102. Therefore, the supply pump 50 can be optionally omitted, and liquefied hydrogen can be transferred from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 to the pressure tank 100 due to the height difference, even without providing additional power such as the supply pump 50.

[0091] According to this embodiment, before transferring liquefied hydrogen from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 to the pressure tank 100, pre-cooling can be performed using the liquefied hydrogen discharged from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 via the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL connecting the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 and the pressure tank 100. If a supply pump 50 is provided, cavitation of the supply pump 50 can be prevented by pre-cooling both the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL and the supply pump 50.

[0092] As a means for pre-cooling the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL, the system may further include a liquefied hydrogen recovery line LL1 that branches off from the upstream of the header, after being connected to the upstream of the supply pump 50 or the downstream of the header, after being connected to the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL, after being connected to the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102, while pre-cooling the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL, and recirculates the liquefied hydrogen whose temperature has risen to the upstream of the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL.

[0093] In this embodiment, the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100 is maintained at 8 bar or 10 bar or higher, and the operating pressure of the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 can be maintained at a pressure lower than 8 bar or 10 bar, preferably 3 bar or lower.

[0094] The internal pressure of the pressure tank 100 can be maintained by supplying the evaporated gas discharged from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 to the pressure tank 100 after compression. To prevent the pressure in the pressure tank 100 from falling below the operating pressure, high-pressure evaporated gas stored in the buffer tank 42 can be supplied to the pressure tank 100 preferentially over the energy conversion unit 47.

[0095] The supply of liquefied hydrogen from the pressure tank 100 to liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 can be carried out by the pressure of the liquefied hydrogen transferred from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102 to the pressure tank 100 along the liquefied hydrogen discharge line LL, or by the pressure of the high-pressure evaporative gas itself transferred from the buffer tank 42 via the third evaporative gas distribution line CL3, thereby discharging liquefied hydrogen from the pressure tank 100 to the first liquefied hydrogen supply line SL1 and the second liquefied hydrogen supply line SL2.

[0096] The third evaporative gas distribution line CL3 is a means for maintaining the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100, serving as a flow path for high-pressure evaporative gas connecting the buffer tank 42 and the pressure tank 100. High-pressure evaporative gas compressed by the compressor 41, or high-pressure evaporative gas stored in the buffer tank 42 after being compressed by the compressor 41, is transferred to the pressure tank 100 via the third evaporative gas distribution line CL3.

[0097] In this embodiment, if the high-pressure evaporated gas transferred via the third evaporated gas distribution line CL3 is insufficient to maintain the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100, the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100 can be maintained by vaporizing and supplying the liquefied hydrogen stored in the pressure tank 100.

[0098] As means for maintaining the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100, the system may further include a second heat transfer medium line ML3 connecting the pressure tank 100 and the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40, and a fifth recovery line RL5 connecting the pressure tank 100 and the upstream of the compressor 41.

[0099] High-temperature heat transfer fluid is transferred from the heat transfer fluid circulation unit 40 to the pressure tank 100 via the second heat transfer fluid line ML3. The low-temperature heat transfer fluid, which recovers its cooling energy while vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen stored in the pressure tank 100, is then recovered again to the heat transfer fluid circulation unit 40 via the second heat transfer fluid line ML3.

[0100] As the heat transfer medium circulates through the second heat transfer medium line ML3 and evaporated gas is generated in the pressure tank 100, the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100 increases, thereby maintaining the operating pressure of the pressure tank 100.

[0101] Furthermore, the evaporated gas can be discharged via the fifth recovery line RL5 and then supplied upstream of the compressor 41. After the evaporated gas is compressed by the compressor 41, it can be supplied to the pressure tank 100 as high-pressure evaporated gas to maintain the operating pressure of the pressure tank 100.

[0102] The second heat transfer medium line ML3 connecting the pressure tank 100 and the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40, the header which is the part to which the second heat transfer medium line ML3 is connected to the pressure tank 100 and the heat transfer medium circulation unit 40, and various devices such as heat exchangers and valves that may be installed in the second heat transfer medium line ML3 can be installed in a cold box and primary vacuum insulation can be performed.

[0103] The cold box may be equipped with a hydrogen detection device to detect hydrogen leaks. Furthermore, additional insulation can be provided by installing thermal insulation material on the outside of the cold box.

[0104] In this embodiment, the liquefied hydrogen storage base 51 receives liquefied hydrogen via a first liquefied hydrogen supply line SL1 connecting the pressure tank 100 and the liquefied hydrogen storage base 51, and the vaporizer 52 and the rare gas production system 53 can receive liquefied hydrogen via a second liquefied hydrogen supply line SL2 connecting the pressure tank 100 and the vaporizer 52 and the rare gas production system 53.

[0105] On the other hand, before transferring liquefied hydrogen to the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53, the liquefied hydrogen supply lines SL1 and SL2 can be pre-cooled using the liquefied hydrogen stored in the pressure tank 100 or the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 102.

[0106] The evaporated gas, vaporized while pre-cooling the liquefied hydrogen supply lines SL1 and SL2, may be recovered in the pressure tank 100 via a third recovery line RL3 connected to the pressure tank 100, or it may be recovered in the compressor 41 via a fourth recovery line RL4 connected to the compressor 41.

[0107] The evaporated gas vaporized while pre-cooling the first liquefied hydrogen supply line SL1 is recovered via the first recovery line RL1 to the third recovery line RL3 and the fourth recovery line RL4, and the evaporated gas vaporized while pre-cooling the second liquefied hydrogen supply line SL2 is recovered via the second recovery line RL2 to the third recovery line RL3 and the fourth recovery line RL4.

[0108] On the other hand, while supplying liquefied hydrogen to liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53, evaporated gas generated at liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51 and 52 that exceeds the allowable pressure at liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51 and 52 can also be recovered by the compressor 41 via the first to fourth recovery lines RL1 to RL4.

[0109] The evaporated gas recovered upstream of the compressor 41 via the fourth recovery line RL4 and the fifth recovery line RL5 may be stored in the buffer tank 42 after being compressed by the compressor 41, or it may be recovered into the pressure tank 100 and used to maintain the internal pressure of the pressure tank 100.

[0110] Furthermore, the evaporated gas recovered from liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53 via the fourth recovery line RL4 and the fifth recovery line RL5 may be supplied to the energy conversion unit 47 via the second evaporated gas distribution line CL2 connected to the energy conversion unit 47, and then utilized for electricity production.

[0111] On the other hand, the heat of vaporization generated as liquefied hydrogen is vaporized in the vaporizer 52 may be recovered via the noble gas production system 53.

[0112] Furthermore, the waste heat generated while producing electricity in the energy conversion unit 47 can be received via the waste heat supply line EL connecting the energy conversion unit 47 and the rare gas production system 53, and then utilized as thermal energy necessary for separating the air. The temperature of the thermal energy transferred via the waste heat supply line EL may be approximately 500°C to 600°C.

[0113] The liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to this embodiment can maintain the evaporated gas generated during the handling of liquefied hydrogen at the pressure of the pressure tank 100, generate the pressure to send to the liquefied hydrogen demand destinations 51, 52, and 53, and can be used as fuel to produce electricity in the energy conversion unit 47.

[0114] Furthermore, during the handling of liquefied hydrogen, the pressure in the pressure tank 100 can be maintained while effectively and to the maximum extent utilizing the cold and waste heat of the liquefied hydrogen.

[0115] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, liquefied hydrogen can be supplied to a liquefied hydrogen demand destination from any one of the two or more pressure tanks 100, while simultaneously filling another pressure tank 100 with liquefied hydrogen.

[0116] It will be obvious to those with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various ways by modification or alteration without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0117] 100 pressure tanks 102 Liquefied hydrogen storage tank 40 Heat medium circulation section 41 Compressor 42 Buffer Tank 45 High density section 46 Temperature maintenance part 47 Energy Conversion Section 50 supply pumps 51 Liquefied Hydrogen Storage Base 52 Vaporizer 53. Noble Gas Production System 54 Separation tower 55 Rigid Column 56 Heavy Columns 60 Cold Boxes 61 Knockout Drum 62 Air compressor BL2 Evaporation gas supply line LL Liquefied Hydrogen Discharge Line CL1, CL2, CL3 Evaporation gas distribution lines LL1 Liquefied Hydrogen Recovery Line ML2, ML3, ML4, ML5 heat transfer fluid lines EL waste heat supply line RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4, RL5 Recovery Lines GL Hard Line SL1, SL2 Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Line HL Heavy Line LS Liquefied Air Energy Storage Unit AL liquid air line S Liquefied air storage container P Pump V Revaporator T Turbine-Generator

Claims

1. An air compressor that compresses air; A vaporizer that exchanges heat between the air compressed by the aforementioned air compressor and liquefied hydrogen to be supplied to the customer while being vaporized, thereby cooling the compressed air and vaporizing the liquefied hydrogen; A separation tower for separating the oxygen and nitrogen condensed in the aforementioned vaporizer; A light column that cools the residual air discharged in gaseous form from the upper discharge section of the separation tower to condense the light components, including at least one of neon and helium, contained in the residual air, and separates the light components from gaseous nitrogen; and A noble gas production system comprising: a heavy column for heating residual air discharged in liquid form from the lower discharge section of the separation tower to vaporize heavy components, including at least one of xenon and krypton, contained in the residual air, and separating the heavy components from liquid nitrogen;

2. The vaporizer, separation tower, light column, and heavy column are housed in a cold box. A noble gas production system according to claim 1, further comprising: a pretreatment device for recovering residual cold energy from the cold box and condensing and separating foreign matter contained in the compressed air supplied from the air compressor to the vaporizer;

3. The aforementioned light column is A primary heat exchange unit that cools the residual air using the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen; and A noble gas production system according to claim 1, further comprising: a secondary heat exchange unit that further cools the residual air cooled in the primary heat exchange unit using a heat transfer medium from which the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen is recovered while the liquefied hydrogen is vaporized;

4. The aforementioned heavy column is The noble gas production system according to claim 1, wherein the system recovers waste heat from exhaust gases while producing electricity using the evaporated liquefied hydrogen gas, and vaporizes heavy components.

5. The noble gas production system according to claim 1, wherein liquid nitrogen produced in the separation tower is supplied as a refrigerant to maintain the liquid hydrogen in a liquid state.

6. A revaporizer for vaporizing the liquid oxygen or nitrogen produced in the separation tower; and A rare gas production system according to claim 1, further comprising a turbine-generator including a turbine for expanding oxygen or nitrogen vaporized in the revaporizer, and a generator for producing electricity using the driving force of the turbine.

7. A liquefied hydrogen storage tank for storing the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen; A heat transfer medium circulation unit that circulates the heat transfer medium and recovers thermal energy from one or more of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank and the light column; and A noble gas production system according to claim 6, further comprising a cold energy recovery device for exchanging heat between oxygen or nitrogen expanded by the turbine and the heat transfer medium, thereby cooling the heat transfer medium.

8. A liquefied hydrogen storage tank for storing the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen; A heat transfer medium circulation unit that circulates the heat transfer medium and recovers thermal energy from one or more of the liquefied hydrogen storage tank and the light column; and The noble gas production system according to claim 6, further comprising: a fourth heat transfer fluid line that supplies a heat transfer fluid for vaporizing the liquid oxygen or nitrogen from the heat transfer fluid circulation unit to the revaporizer;

9. A number of liquefied hydrogen storage tanks equipped with temperature control devices to regulate the internal temperature in order to store liquefied hydrogen and maintain a low internal pressure; Liquefied hydrogen consumers who receive liquefied hydrogen from the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen storage tank; and Numerous pressure tanks that receive and store liquefied hydrogen to be supplied to liquefied hydrogen consumers from the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen storage tank, and maintain a high pressure despite having a smaller capacity than the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen storage tank; Includes, The aforementioned liquefied hydrogen consumers are: A vaporizer that vaporizes the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen to produce gaseous hydrogen, which is then supplied to a gaseous hydrogen demander; and A liquefied hydrogen receiving station comprising a noble gas production system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to claim 9, further comprising: a second liquefied hydrogen supply line which is a channel through which liquefied hydrogen is transferred from the pressure tank to the vaporizer and the noble gas production system;

11. A liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to claim 9, further comprising: a temperature control device for recovering the cold energy of the liquefied hydrogen, or a heat transfer medium circulation unit for circulating a heat transfer medium that supplies cold energy to the liquefied hydrogen or the noble gas production system;

12. A compressor that compresses the hydrogen vapor gas generated in the aforementioned liquefied hydrogen storage tank and then supplies it to the pressure tank at a pressure that allows for the supply of liquefied hydrogen to a liquefied hydrogen demand destination from the pressure tank; An energy conversion unit that produces electricity using the evaporated gas compressed by the compressor as fuel; and A liquefied hydrogen receiving station according to claim 9, further comprising: a waste heat recovery line that supplies waste heat generated while producing electricity in the energy conversion section to the heavy column;

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