Compressed hydrogen transport system

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a compressed hydrogen conveyance system in which a compressed hydrogen cylinder container can be fixed directly while being mobile, and which fulfills the role of a liquefied hydrogen storage tank, and can be made at a low price.CONSTITUTION: A cylinder container A, in which two front side jacks and two rear side jacks with parts expanded outward by front and rear hydraulic drive of a rectangular parallelepiped frame-shaped container body 1 respectively comprise hydraulic drive, is provided with a hydrogen tank into which liquefied hydrogen can be filled. A compressed hydrogen conveyance system comprises a truck B having a load-carrying platform 6 on which the cylinder container A is loaded. The cylinder container A can be loaded / separated on / from the load-carrying platform 6 from the front side, and after separation, only the cylinder container A is located directly on a ground surface part G1. The cylinder container A is conveyed between a hydrogen storage place C and a simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply place P and arrives at a desired place, and immediately thereafter, the cylinder container A is separated from the load-carrying platform 6 by lifting action of the front and rear jacks and is located directly on the ground surface part G1, and immediately after this direct location, liquefied hydrogen loading or discharging work can be performed in one step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressed hydrogen delivery system, wherein a cylinder container holding compressed hydrogen can be switched from a mobile configuration to a directly placed fixed configuration while also functioning as a liquid hydrogen storage tank; the cylinder container can be separated and loaded through lifting operation, and relevant work can be performed immediately after direct placement; hydrogen stations can also be significantly downsized, and the system can be provided at an extremely low cost while being expected to meet a wide range of demands.

[0002] Specifically, the present invention relates to a compressed hydrogen delivery system, wherein a cylinder container provided with hydrogen cylinders capable of being filled with compressed hydrogen is provided with lifting jacks on the front side and the rear side; the jacks drive the cylinder container to move up and down, so that loading onto and separation from a truck bed can be efficiently performed; the system achieves efficient circulation between a hydrogen storage site and a simple hydrogen station, or between a hydrogen storage site and another simple hydrogen supply site; in particular, the cylinder container can be directly placed, and the loading or discharging work of compressed hydrogen after direct placement can be efficiently performed.

Background Art

[0003] Currently, for the supply of hydrogen fuel from a hydrogen storage site to a general hydrogen station, although not shown in the drawings, most cases involve transportation in a high-pressure gas state by a hydrogen gas tube trailer. As described in Patent Document 1, the amount of hydrogen that can be transported by a hydrogen gas tube trailer is quite small per trailer in the disclosure of said document. At present, since the proportion of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) is quite low, this transportation volume per vehicle is still sufficient to meet demand.

[0004] Furthermore, there are instances where compressed hydrogen is transported by tank trucks. As shown in the conventional technology on the right side of Figure 22, small petroleum tank trucks can carry approximately 2 kl (liters), and medium-sized petroleum tank trucks can carry approximately 4 kl. Large petroleum tank trucks can transport approximately 16 kl to 20 kl. Medium-sized petroleum tank trucks can maneuver to some extent, but they must be left at the hydrogen station along with the vehicle upon arrival, which inevitably reduces transport efficiency. Large compressed hydrogen tank trucks are even more difficult to maneuver and must be left at the hydrogen station for a desired amount of time, making efficient transport challenging.

[0005] Furthermore, in large transportation companies, as shown in Figure 25, due to logistics efficiency considerations and the need to arrange cargo on a platform, it was common practice to place the delivery containers for transport on a frame a with legs b at a predetermined height. In this case, the center of gravity Mc of the delivery container is located at a high position. In such logistics arrangements, even if hydrogen cylinders were transported to a hydrogen station, it is expected that they would be placed on the aforementioned frame a.

[0006] Patent Document 2 describes the transportation (transportation) of industrial gases with cylinder containers loaded onto a dedicated container transport vehicle. In particular, although only Figure 8 shows transportation by truck, the entire specification refers to it as a dedicated container transport vehicle 20. In the drawings, it is depicted as a vehicle towed as an articulated vehicle. Specifically, it is the trailer itself, the cylinder container is the towed vehicle on the trailer side, and the vehicle towing the trailer is called a tractor.

[0007] Figure 8(b) of Patent Document 2 shows a container being unloaded, but there is absolutely no description of the operation that led to the unloading. Multiple wheels are provided on the underside of the trailer, and it is difficult to imagine unloading from below with these wheels attached, except in the case of the claim, but there is absolutely no description of this either. This type of trailer-based transport (transport) of cylinder containers is considered to be a logistics method that takes transport efficiency into consideration.

[0008] Furthermore, as shown in Reference 1, hydrogen trailers filled with compressed hydrogen have become larger and unsuitable for confined spaces. Despite this, hydrogen stations that install multiple such hydrogen trailers inevitably face soaring equipment costs. In particular, stationing multiple hydrogen trailers at a hydrogen station inevitably leads to increased equipment costs, not only in terms of space requirements but also overall costs.

[0009] For these reasons, there is a need for a transportation system that can handle a relatively large volume of hydrogen from storage facilities to hydrogen stations, operates smoothly during transport, allows for the separate installation of hydrogen containers for storage, and is inexpensive. Furthermore, solutions to the high cost of liquefied hydrogen storage tanks (compressed hydrogen storage tanks) at hydrogen stations are also desired.

[0010] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention of a ferry-type cargo house in which a lifting jack or outrigger is attached to a container (cabinet) that can be loaded onto the bed of a truck. Specifically, it is a logistics transport system that allows loading (stacking) and unloading of cargo at platform 17 (train or ship) locations via the lifting drive of the lifting jack.

[0011] The transport system involves 17 platforms, and at each platform, the container is installed with the lifting jacks extending downwards. The container always has a high center of gravity Mc, and for the purpose of improving logistics efficiency, there is no mention of lowering the container to the ground.

[0012] Currently, swap-body containers are becoming increasingly popular as a container transport system that allows for the separation and loading of any container onto any truck bed, and this transport system is attracting considerable attention. However, these containers are fundamentally based on a frame a with legs b (see Figure 25), and for logistical efficiency reasons, the containers are not currently placed directly on the ground. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-155717 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-210476 [Patent Document 3] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 110422499 Specification [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0014] Given these circumstances, the problem (technical problem or objective, etc.) that this invention aims to solve is that tank trucks or trailers capable of being filled with compressed hydrogen (liquid hydrogen) are becoming larger and unsuitable for use in confined spaces, and the inability to separate (unload) the hydrogen cylinder containers is inefficient. Therefore, there is a need for a compressed hydrogen transport system that can separate the hydrogen cylinder containers from the truck bed, transport the hydrogen cylinder containers more efficiently, and eliminate the need for expensive liquefied hydrogen storage tanks (compressed hydrogen storage tanks) at simple hydrogen stations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] Therefore, the inventor diligently conducted research to solve the above problem, and as a result, the invention of claim 1 comprises a cylinder container having a number of hydrogen cylinders that can be filled with compressed hydrogen inside a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped container body, and a truck having a cargo bed on which the entire cylinder container is loaded, wherein the truck has a power unit and the cargo bed on a single vehicle, and the cargo bed is not configured to be towed by a towing vehicle as a coupled vehicle but is fixed to the rear of the driver's cab, and the cylinder container can be separated from the cargo bed on which it is loaded by the hydraulic drive action of jacks attached to the front and rear of the container and placed directly on the ground, and the cylinder container placed directly on the ground can be loaded onto the cargo bed by the front and rear jacks alone. The container body has two front jacks with sliding parts that expand outward in the width direction by hydraulic drive at the front end and can also extend and retract vertically, and two rear jacks positioned on both sides in the width direction at the rear end of the container body that do not expand in the width direction but remain stationary and extend and retract vertically, each of which is hydraulically driven, and both front jacks and both rear jacks, when closed, are set to be at least equal to or not exceeding the width direction of both ends of the driver's cab of the truck, and the loading and unloading ports for the compressed hydrogen are provided at a position equal to or lower than the center of gravity of the cylinder container. The aforementioned problem was solved by providing a compressed hydrogen transport system characterized in that the cylinder container is loaded onto the cargo bed of the truck and transported between a hydrogen storage facility equipped with a hydrogen storage tank and a simple hydrogen station equipped with a compressor and dispenser, or between the hydrogen storage facility and other hydrogen supply stations, and upon arrival at the desired location, the cylinder container is immediately placed directly on the ground using only the front and rear jacks, and the loading or unloading of the compressed hydrogen can be performed in a single step immediately after the direct placement.

[0016] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the compressed hydrogen transport system described in claim 1, a cylinder container filled with compressed hydrogen at the hydrogen storage facility is referred to as a full cylinder container, and a cylinder container with the compressed hydrogen emptied is referred to as an empty cylinder container, and the full cylinder container is transported from the hydrogen storage facility to one of several desired simple hydrogen stations or other hydrogen supply stations on a truck loaded via the aforementioned multiple jacks, at which point the full cylinder container is separated and placed directly on the ground by itself, and the empty cylinder container that was already placed directly on the ground is loaded onto the cargo bed of the truck after the separation and transported to the hydrogen storage facility, thereby solving the above problem.

[0017] The invention of claim 3 solves the above problem by providing a compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the simple hydrogen station is replaced with an existing hydrogen station that has a liquefied hydrogen storage tank. The invention of claim 4 solves the above problem by providing a compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydraulic generators for both front jacks and both rear jacks are provided inside the cylinder container.

[0018] Claim 5's invention relates to the compressed hydrogen transport system described in Claim 1 or 2, wherein both of the preceding The hydraulic generators for one side jack and both rear side jacks are provided on the truck, Only when the hydraulic circuit between the rack and the cylinder container is connected does both of the cylinder containers The front jack and both rear jacks are configured to be drivable. The above problem was solved by adopting a compressed hydrogen transport system. The invention of claim 6 is, In the compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, the tank is placed directly at a desired location. On the cylinder container, the same cylinder container can be stacked on the second floor or above the third floor via stacking auxiliary pieces at four corners The compressed hydrogen transportation system is characterized in that it can be stacked, which solves the aforementioned problems. Effects of the Invention

[0019] In the invention of claim 1, the cylinder container filled with compressed hydrogen is movable, can be placed directly in a fixed manner, functions as a storage tank for compressed hydrogen, and achieves the effect of meeting a wide range of various demands while being low in cost. Specifically, the cylinder container loaded on a truck is transported between a hydrogen storage site and a simple hydrogen station, or between the hydrogen storage site and another hydrogen supply site; at each location, only the cylinder container is directly placed on the ground immediately via the lifting action of both the front jacks and both the rear jacks, so the cylinder container can be stored as it is and functions as a liquid hydrogen storage tank. Furthermore, instead of the cylinder container unloaded at the site, another cylinder container can be immediately loaded onto the truck, which provides an extremely advantageous compressed hydrogen transportation system that allows on-site work to be performed extremely simply and quickly. Furthermore, at a desired location, the cylinder container can be directly placed to lower its center of gravity, enabling stable and reliable installation, thereby providing an effect different from that of conventional logistics methods.

[0020] Further, in the invention of claim 1, particularly, it exerts a great effect that the work of loading and unloading compressed hydrogen into and from the cylinder container can be performed in one step, in which a chair or a step stool can be eliminated immediately after the cylinder container is directly placed. Further, since the two front-side jacks are provided via sliding members that slide outward in the width direction at the front end of the cylinder container, when the cylinder container is loaded onto a truck, the interval between adjacent jacks only at the front position of the cylinder container is widened, which makes the jacks less likely to contact the truck's cargo bed, thereby providing a compressed hydrogen transportation system that is extremely easy for a truck driver to operate. Further, the width-expanding work of the two front-side jacks is performed manually and can be provided at minimal cost. Particularly, compressed hydrogen can be efficiently transported from a hydrogen storage facility to a simple hydrogen station or another hydrogen supply facility.

[0021] As shown in Citation 2, compressed hydrogen cylinders are transported between a hydrogen storage facility and a hydrogen station using a trailer, and the cylinder has been installed together with the vehicle body at the desired location. This was for the purpose of improving efficiency and achieving high operation rate in logistics. When installed at the desired location, the center of gravity of the trailer is high, and the loading or unloading work of compressed hydrogen requires work using a chair or step stool, which causes the inconvenience that efficient work cannot be performed. However, in the invention of claim 1, in a hydrogen storage facility or a simple hydrogen station where the cylinder container is transported, the cylinder container is directly placed via a jack attached to the cylinder container (static configuration), and by lowering the center of gravity, there is a unique advantage that the loading or unloading work of compressed hydrogen can be performed in one step without using a chair or step stool (dynamic configuration). At the same time, lowering the center of gravity by direct placement enables stable installation, and can provide safety and peace of mind even when handling hazardous materials.

[0022] Furthermore, the invention of claim 2 provides an extremely efficient transport system between a hydrogen storage facility and a simple hydrogen station or similar location. In addition, it has the advantage of being able to transport full and empty cylinder containers between a hydrogen storage facility and a simple hydrogen station or a hydrogen storage facility with the highest efficiency. In the invention of claim 3, the simple hydrogen station is configured without a liquefied hydrogen storage tank. Since the main cylinder container of the present invention serves as a substitute for the liquefied hydrogen storage tank, the capital investment required for the simple hydrogen station can be reduced, which can greatly contribute to the widespread adoption of simple hydrogen stations.

[0023] In the invention of claim 4, the hydraulic generators for both the front jacks and both the rear jacks are provided inside the cylinder container, which has the advantage of allowing the cylinder container to be raised and lowered easily and quickly. In the invention of claim 5, the hydraulic generators for both the front jacks and both the rear jacks are provided on the truck, and the front jacks and both the rear jacks of the cylinder container are configured to be drivable only when the hydraulic circuit between the truck and the cylinder container is connected. Therefore, for operators of simple hydrogen stations, etc., it is possible to make relatively inexpensive capital investments by deploying cylinder containers that do not have hydraulic generators. The raising and lowering of the cylinder container is operated by the truck driver, and the person in charge of owning the cylinder container can perform the work easily.

[0024] In the invention of claim 6, the cylinder containers can be stacked on top of each other to create a second, third or higher floor at a desired location such as a hydrogen storage facility or a simple hydrogen station, thereby saving space and allowing them to function as a storage tank for compressed hydrogen gas. In this case, the ground surface should of course be made of concrete, which is hard and has excellent strength.

[0025] In this specification, the term "jack" is a broader concept encompassing both front jacks and rear jacks, both of which are important components. Claim 1 refers to two front jacks and two rear jacks, but hereafter, both front jacks and both rear jacks are referred to as such, and both have the same or equivalent meaning. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0026] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a compressed hydrogen transport system according to the present invention, specifically a transport system between a hydrogen storage facility and a simple hydrogen station (first route) or between a hydrogen storage facility and another hydrogen supply station (second route). [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of a compressed hydrogen transport system between hydrogen storage facilities and simple hydrogen stations in the Kanto region of Japan. [Figure 3] This is a medium-sized cylinder container, where (A) is a perspective view of the cylinder container, (B) is a partial perspective view of the front of the cylinder container, (C) is a rear view of the rear of the cylinder container, (D) is a front view of the front of the cylinder container, and (E) is a side view of the cylinder container lowered by front and rear jacks and placed directly on the ground. [Figure 4] This is a small type of cylinder container, where (A) is a perspective view of the cylinder container, (B) is a rear view of the cylinder container, (C) is a front view of the cylinder container, and (D) is a perspective view of a cylinder container of yet another embodiment. [Figure 5] (A) is a cross-sectional view of the front composite jack with the sliding members closed, (B) is a cross-sectional view of the front composite jack with the sliding members extended, and (C) is a perspective view of (B). [Figure 6] Figure 1 shows the situation of the compressed hydrogen transport system of the present invention, where (A) is a diagram of the separation and loading of cylinder containers at a simple hydrogen station or other hydrogen supply station, and (B) is a diagram of the separation and loading of cylinder containers at a hydrogen storage facility. [Figure 7]In the compressed hydrogen transport system of the present invention, (A)(i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) are diagrams showing the loading operation of a cylinder container of a type in which a hydraulic generator is built into the container, and (B) is an enlarged view of part (S) of (A) in which the cylinder container has been separated and placed directly on the ground. [Figure 8] This is a hydraulic circuit diagram of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of a compressed hydrogen transport system according to another embodiment of the present invention, which transports hydrogen between a hydrogen storage facility and a simple hydrogen station (first route) or between a hydrogen storage facility and another hydrogen supply station (second route). [Figure 10] Figure 9 shows the situation of the compressed hydrogen transport system of the present invention, where (A) is a diagram of the separation and loading of cylinder containers at a simple hydrogen station or other hydrogen supply station, and (B) is a diagram of the separation and loading of cylinder containers at a hydrogen storage facility. [Figure 11] In the compressed hydrogen transport system of the present invention, (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) are diagrams showing the loading operation of a cylinder container of a type that has a hydraulic power generator built into the truck. [Figure 12] (A) is a plan view of the working state in which the truck bed is to be inserted under the cylinder container with the front jacks of the cylinder container extended, and (B) is a front view of location (Q) in (A). [Figure 13] This is a medium-sized cylinder container that can be made into a large type. (A) is a perspective view of the cylinder container, and (B) is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate jack location in (A). [Figure 14] (A) is a side view of the cylinder container with its front and rear jacks shortened and mounted on the truck bed fixed to the rear of the truck, (B) is a side view of the front jack location, (C) is the four corners (W) of the truck bed, (D) is a separate view of the four corners of the lower part of the cylinder container and the four corners of the truck bed, and (E) is a perspective view of the main components of (D). [Figure 15] (A) is a partial perspective view of the cylinder container from the front, and (B) is a side view of a partial cross-section of (A). [Figure 16](A) is a diagram showing the cylinder container loaded from the front of the cargo bed, and (B) is a diagram showing the cylinder container loaded from the front of the cargo bed in another embodiment. [Figure 17] A side view of another embodiment showing the cylinder container placed directly on the ground. [Figure 18] (A) is a perspective view showing two cylinder containers of the same structure stacked on top of each other, and (B) is a side view of (A), with the lower cylinder container placed directly on the ground. [Figure 19] This is a perspective view of another embodiment of the cylinder container. [Figure 20] This is a large-type cylinder container, where (A) is a perspective view of the cylinder container, (B) is a cross-sectional view of (A) taken along the R-R arrow, (C) is a rear view of the cylinder container with the rear jack omitted, (D) is a plan view of the front of the cylinder container, and (E) is a side view of the cylinder container loaded on the bed of a truck with the rear jack protruding from the rear end of the truck bed. [Figure 21] The cylinder containers are stackable, and (A) is a partial perspective view seen from the bottom of the upper cylinder container, (B) is a partial perspective view seen from the top of the lower cylinder container, (C) is a perspective view of the main parts of the cylinder containers on the bottom and top sides of the stacked portion, and (D) is a perspective view of an embodiment different from (C). [Figure 22] This is a simplified comparison diagram of the present invention and the prior art. [Figure 23] The components constituting the cylinder container are shown as follows: (A) is a front view showing the assembled or detached state of the set of four cylinder containers, (B) is a perspective view thereof, (C) is a perspective view of the frame-like part that supports the cylinder container, (D) is a partial perspective view of the reinforcing column that supports the frame-like part of (C), and (E) is a side view of a partial cross-section of the location of (D). [Figure 24] This is a comparison diagram of a truck equipped with a cylinder container according to the present invention (left) and a conventional tank truck (right), where (A) is a simplified diagram of both in a semi-medium (small) size, (B) is a simplified diagram of both in a medium size, and (C) is a simplified diagram of both in a large size, and the main components of the present invention. [Figure 25]This diagram shows the cylinder container according to the present invention placed directly on the ground. [Figure 26] This is a simplified diagram of an existing hydrogen station using conventional technology. [Figure 27] (A) is a perspective view of a known container and a frame with legs, and (B) is a state view of the platform and the known container and frame with legs. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] The embodiments of the compressed hydrogen transport system of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The main components of the present invention consist of a cylinder container A and a truck B (see Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). The cylinder container A has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped container body 1, on which two unique front jacks 2, 2 and two rear jacks 3, 3 are provided. The cylinder container A is equipped with a number of hydrogen cylinders 4 filled with compressed hydrogen. The truck B has a power unit (not shown) and a cargo bed 6 fixed to the rear of the driver's cab 5. The cargo bed is not configured to be towed by a towing vehicle (tractor) as a trailer, but is fixed to the rear of the driver's cab 5 in a state that makes it difficult to attach or detach. The cargo bed 6 is configured so that the cylinder container A can be loaded and detached (see Figures 1, 6, 7, 9 to 11).

[0028] The cylinder container A is configured to be loaded onto and unloaded from the truck bed 6 of the truck B by the lifting and lowering of the hydrogen cylinder 4 inside the container body 1 and the two front jacks 2,2 and the two rear jacks 3,3 (see Figures 6, 7, 9 to 11). The compressed hydrogen transport system involves transporting a truck B loaded with a full or empty cylinder container A filled with compressed hydrogen between a desired hydrogen storage facility C and one of several desired simple hydrogen stations D (Route 1) or between the hydrogen storage facility C and other hydrogen supply stations P (Route 2). The full cylinder container A is placed directly at the desired simple hydrogen station or other hydrogen supply station P, and the empty cylinder container A that was placed directly at that location is loaded onto the truck B. This process is repeated once or multiple times (see Figures 1, 2 and 7). Note that Route 1 and Route 2 are not in any particular order, but are in a parallel relationship.

[0029] Hydrogen supply destinations include the aforementioned simplified hydrogen station D, and other hydrogen supply stations P, such as those of major transportation companies and local governments. As shown in Figure 1, the simplified hydrogen station D does not have a liquefied hydrogen storage tank 91 (also called a liquid hydrogen storage tank), but is equipped with a compressor 93, an accumulator unit 94 (also simply called an accumulator or hydrogen accumulator), and a dispenser 95. A precooler exists but has been omitted. Furthermore, the simplified station D can also be configured without the accumulator unit 94.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 26, existing hydrogen stations, namely the current hydrogen station Dex, are equipped with a predetermined amount of liquefied hydrogen storage tank 91 (generally about 300 kiloliters (kl)). Often this amount is greater or less. The hydrogen storage facility C is equipped with a large-capacity (currently about 10,000 kl) liquefied hydrogen storage tank 91, a vaporizer 92, and a compressor 93. The liquefied hydrogen is then filled into numerous hydrogen cylinders 4 in the cylinder container 1 via the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 91, vaporizer 92, and compressor 93, and delivered to the simple station P, the current hydrogen station Dex, and other hydrogen supply stations P, etc.

[0031] A truck B loaded with the full cylinder container A is transported to a desired or designated simple hydrogen station D, where the cylinder container A is separated from the truck bed 6 and placed directly on the ground G1 (see the dotted line frame on the right side of Figures 1 and 9, and the left side of Figures 6(A) and 10(A)). This direct placement basically means that the bottom surface of the cylinder container A is in direct contact with the ground G1 (see Figure 25). Here, the ground G1 is a concrete base of a predetermined thickness (approximately 30 cm) provided on the ground or ground G, and is formed to be several cm higher than the ground or ground G, but may be at the same height. Other areas such as areas where steel plates or wooden boards are laid are also included in the ground G1.

[0032] Regarding the ground portion G1, even if a small gap (a few centimeters, approximately 5 cm) is provided in the ground portion G1, or if a spacer member 99 such as a base with a height h of a few centimeters is interposed (see Figure 17), it is still included in the category of direct placement. Thus, direct placement and storage (see Figure 25) lowers the center of gravity Mc of the cylinder container A, making it particularly less likely to tip over and thus more stable, and also allows for the safe storage of the cylinder container A containing compressed hydrogen as a hazardous material, providing peace of mind. While direct placement is a basic aspect of cylinder container A, it is especially effective for full cylinder container A1, but the same applies to empty cylinder container A0. In other words, direct placement provides stability and safety regardless of whether the cylinder is full or empty.

[0033] Furthermore, the direct placement of the cylinder container A allows for one-step operation. Specifically, loading compressed hydrogen from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 91 into the cylinder container A, and discharging compressed hydrogen from the cylinder container A to the simple hydrogen station D, and furthermore to equipment and devices within the facilities of other hydrogen supply stations P, can be done without the need for chairs or step stools. The loading and discharging ports for the compressed hydrogen are located at a position equivalent to or lower than the center of gravity Mc of the cylinder container A, and the direct placement allows for one-step operation.

[0034] As shown in Figure 22, the ability to perform this operation in a single step can be described as a "dynamic configuration." As mentioned earlier, the ability to store the compressed hydrogen cylinder container A directly on the ground using the hydraulic drive of the jack (low center of gravity Mc) is a "static configuration" of the device, but it works in conjunction with the single-step operation to create an organic and effective effect. Furthermore, the ability to store the compressed hydrogen cylinder container A directly on the ground is completely different from conventional gasoline storage, which requires installation on the ground G1 (high-pressure gas storage law, etc.). For example, a well-ventilated location on the ground is preferable.

[0035] In this description of the present invention, the X-axis direction is used to indicate the orientation of the cylinder container A, the Y-axis direction is used to indicate the width direction, and the Z-axis direction is used to indicate the vertical direction, as shown in Figures 3(A), (B) and 4(A). Specifically, the X-axis direction in the front-to-back direction refers to the longitudinal direction connecting the front and rear sides of the cylinder container A and the truck B, and the Y-axis direction refers to the width of the cylinder container A and the truck B. The Z-axis direction in the vertical direction refers to the direction indicating the height of the cylinder container A and the truck B. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions in the front-to-back, width, and vertical directions are shown in the main figures.

[0036] [Regarding cylinder container A] The cylinder container A mainly consists of a container body 1 that is roughly rectangular in shape, and inside it, a large number of hydrogen cylinders 4 are stored. The hydrogen cylinders 4 include various types of structures in terms of size and shape, which will be described later. The container body 1 is a roughly rectangular frame that is elongated vertically in the X-axis direction of the container body 1. In terms of size, the cylinder container A exists in large, medium, and small types, as shown on the left side of Figure 24, but the configuration of each is the same.

[0037] Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the medium-sized container body 1 has four front members 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d fixed to the front ends of four horizontal members 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. Furthermore, four rear members 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are fixed to the rear ends of the four horizontal members 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, so that the container body 1 is composed of 12 members forming a vertically elongated, roughly rectangular parallelepiped frame.

[0038] Multiple reinforcing columns 14,... are provided at appropriate locations on both sides of the container body 1. Multiple reinforcing members 15,15... are also provided on the bottom side of the container body 1. The number of reinforcing columns 14,... may increase or decrease from the number shown in the drawings (Figures 3 and 4), and similarly, the number of reinforcing members 15,15 may also increase or decrease. In particular, none are provided on the ceiling. This is to allow for the removal of the hydrogen cylinder 4.

[0039] As shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B), two front jacks 2, 2 are provided at the front end of the container body 1 that extend and retract vertically via sliding members 22, 22 that slide outward in the width direction (manually operated). Specifically, a cylindrical fixing part 23 is fixed to the front member 12d at the front end of the container body 1 [see the right side of Figure 3(A), Figure 3(B), and Figures 15(A) and 15(B)], the sliding members 22, 22 are slidably provided on both sides inside the cylindrical fixing part 23, and hydraulic jacks 21, 21 are fixed to the tips of the sliding members 22, 22. The hydraulic jacks 21, 21 consist of a cylinder part 21a and a piston part 21b.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5, the front composite jack 2 consists of a part of a cylindrical fixing portion 23, a sliding member 22 that can slide inside the cylindrical fixing portion 23, and a hydraulic jack 21 fixed to the tip of the sliding member 22. In Figures 5(A) and (B), the left half and the right half correspond to the respective front composite jacks 2. The sliding member 22 of the front composite jack 2 is configured to slide using hydraulic drive from the hydraulic power generator 7 [see Figure 5(C)].

[0041] In particular, a large force is applied to the cylindrical fixing portion 23, and the front member 12d requires a robust material structure, but this is a known technology and has been omitted from the description and detailed drawings in this embodiment. Also, two rear jacks 3, 3 are fixed to the rear end of the container body 1 (left side in Figure 3(A)) on both sides in the width direction and are fixed in the width direction while extending and retracting vertically. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the hydraulic jacks 31, 31 of the rear jacks 3, 3 are fixed to the rear members 13a, 13c at the rear end of the container body 1, and the hydraulic jacks 31, 31 are provided with cylinder portions 31a, 31a and piston portions 31b, 31b, and the piston portions 31b, 31b are configured to extend and retract downward from the cylinder portions 31a, 31a.

[0042] Both rear jacks 3,3 and both closed front jacks 2,2 are set to be at least equal to or not exceeding the width of both ends of the driver's cab 5 of the truck B (see the dashed lines in Figures 3(C) and 3(D)). Furthermore, when the front jacks 2,2 are retracted, as shown in Figure 3(C), the hydraulic jacks 21,21 and sliding members 22,22 at the tips are set to be at least equal to or not exceeding the width of the driver's cab 5 of the truck B, and are set to be contained within the width. At the same time, the container body 1 is also restricted to a width equal to or not exceeding the width of the driver's cab 5.

[0043] Specifically, when the sliding members 22, 22 are closed, the width is often smaller than the width of the cargo bed 6 [Figure 4(C)], but even if they are formed to be the same width as or slightly larger than the width of the cargo bed 6, they are always set to be the same width as or not exceed the width of the driver's cab 5 [Figure 4(C)]. In other words, when stored, the front jacks 2, 2 are configured so that they do not protrude beyond the width of the driver's cab 5.

[0044] The amount of slide when both front jacks 2,2 slide outward from the width direction of the container body 1 is within several tens of centimeters to about 1 m [Figures 3(D) and 4(C)]. By using this configuration, the distance between the piston portions 21b,21b of the hydraulic jacks 21,21 is widened, as shown in Figures 12(A) and (B), making it significantly less likely for the truck bed 6 of truck B to come into contact with the piston portions 21b,21b, thus enabling easier driving operations, and consequently, enabling safe and rapid separation and loading of the cylinder container A from the truck bed 6. Furthermore, if the amount of slide is to be made longer than this, as shown in Figures 3(A) and (B), it will be necessary to design and manufacture the front member 12d, the cylindrical fixing part 23, and the sliding members 22,22 as stronger materials and components.

[0045] Furthermore, to increase the sliding distance, the cylindrical fixing part 23 is made into a double structure, as shown in Figures 15(A) and (B). That is, the cylindrical fixing parts 23, 23 are fixed in a double configuration to the front member 12d at the front end of the cylinder container A, and each is provided with sliding members 22, 22 that slide outward in opposite directions by hydraulic drive. Hydraulic jacks 21, 21 are attached to the outer ends of the sliding members 22, 22. The presence of these double sliding members 22, 22 allows for a large distance (approximately 1.5 m or more) between the piston parts 21b, 21b of both hydraulic jacks 21, 21 on the front side jacks 2, 2, making it easier to smoothly insert the cargo bed 6 of the truck B into the cylinder container A, resulting in superior maneuverability and efficient transport.

[0046] Regarding the relationship between the cylinder container A and the truck B, when the cylinder container A is loaded (mounted) on the truck bed 6 of the truck B, the cylinder container A is configured to rest on substantially the entire surface of the truck bed 6, and in particular, only the rear jacks 3,3 are attached so as to protrude from the rear end of the truck bed 6 [see Figure 14(A)]. Also, as shown in Figures 7, 11 and 12(A), the cylinder container A is configured to be loaded onto the truck bed 6 of the truck B only from the front side. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 10, the configuration for separating and loading the cylinder container A is described in a way that facilitates this process.

[0047] When the sliding member 22 of the front jack 2 is retracted, there is a gap α of several centimeters between the lower end surface of the piston portion 21b of the hydraulic jack 21 and the upper surface of the cargo bed 6 of the truck B (see Figure 14(B)), and the sliding member 22 is configured to slide freely.

[0048] Furthermore, even when the cylinder container A is placed directly on the ground G1, a gap α of several centimeters exists between the ground G1 and the lower end surface of the piston portion 21b of the hydraulic jack 21 of the front jack 2 [see Figure 3(E)]. Similarly, when the piston portion 31b of the hydraulic jack 31 of the rear jack 3 is retracted, a gap α is formed between the piston portion 31b and its lower end surface [see Figure 3(E)]. In the same figure, the gap α at the front-rear position when the cylinder container A is placed directly on the ground G1 is the same, but it may differ slightly.

[0049] [Regarding hydrogen cylinder 4] The hydrogen cylinders 4 are all sausage-type, and their thickness and length are manufactured to have a roughly constant capacity. They are constructed as high-pressure hydrogen containers (approximately 300 atmospheres or more) and have a roughly cylindrical shape with a layer of carbon fiber or similar material laminated on the outside of a light metal container such as an aluminum alloy. In the case of large types, as shown in Figures 20(A), (E) and 24(C), the collection of hydrogen cylinders 4 facing the longitudinal direction of the container body 1 is arranged in three rows: front, middle, and rear. In terms of size, it corresponds to current large petroleum tank trucks (16kl~20kl) [see the right side of Figure 24(C)], and is a conceptual diagram.

[0050] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3, 18, and 24(B), the medium-sized type consists of two rows of hydrogen cylinders 4 facing the longitudinal direction of the container body 1, one at the front and one at the rear. This corresponds to the current medium-sized tank truck (4kl) [see right side of Figure 24(B)], and in this case as well, since the present invention refers to a cylinder container A with a container body 1, this is also an illustrative diagram. Furthermore, the small type corresponds to the current small tank truck (2kl) [see right side of Figure 24(A)]. In the small type, the hydrogen cylinder 4 assembly is often configured as only one row, as shown in Figures 4(A) and (D). In Figure 4(D), all of the hydrogen cylinders 4 are vertical and the assembly is bundled together at the strip-shaped section 19b.

[0051] The mounting structure for the hydrogen cylinder 4 or the assembly of hydrogen cylinders 4 into the cylinder container A is shown in Figure 23. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 23(C), the front and rear corrugated support parts 16a, 16a are connected via the connecting rod-shaped parts 16b, 16b on both sides to form a frame-shaped part 16 that forms a rectangle when viewed in plan. The hydrogen cylinders 4 are placed on the radial parts at corresponding positions on the front and rear corrugated support plates 16a, 16a, and four of them are stored in parallel [Figure 23(B)].

[0052] With the four hydrogen cylinders 4 stored inside, they are suspended by wires or the like [Figure 23(B)] and housed in the four reinforcing column members 14 inside the container body 1 [Figure 23(A)]. In this mounting structure, the end of the support rod of the corrugated support part 18a is placed on a plurality of protrusions 14a provided at predetermined intervals in the middle of the reinforcing column member 14, and a structure is provided to prevent detachment by screwing the bent piece 14b at this point.

[0053] As described above, various types of hydrogen cylinder 4 assemblies have been developed and manufactured, including large, medium, and small sizes. As shown in Figure 24, compressed hydrogen has a specific gravity of 0.0695 (compared to the specific gravity of air at 1.00), and the cylinders have a roughly cylindrical shape that can withstand high pressure and is suitable for transport. For reference, the specific gravity of gasoline is around 0.75, compared to the specific gravity of water at 1.00. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the assembly consists of a total of 12 hydrogen cylinders 4, the interrelationship of the loading and discharging ports 4d of the individual hydrogen cylinders 4, 4 is not shown, but they are configured to be continuous, allowing for efficient loading and discharging of compressed hydrogen.

[0054] [Regarding the locking mechanism between cylinder container A and cargo bed 6] When the cylinder container A is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of the truck B, a locking device is provided to prevent it from coming loose due to vibrations of the truck B. Specifically, as shown in Figures 14(C), (D), and (E), locking members 61 are provided at the four corners of the cargo bed 6, and corresponding to the locking members 61, lockable members 17 are provided at the four corners on the underside of the cylinder container A. In operation, as soon as the cylinder container A is loaded onto the cargo bed 6, the handle 61b is turned approximately 90 degrees, causing the projection 61a of the locking member 61 to fit into the hole 17a of the lockable member 17, creating a tight, secure lock that prevents it from coming loose. In this state, the cylinder container A is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of the truck B and transported.

[0055] [Regarding the hydraulic control mechanism] The hydraulic control mechanism is a control mechanism for both of the front composite jacks 2,2 and both of the rear jacks 3,3. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, it is the lifting and lowering control mechanism for both of the hydraulic jacks 21,21 and 31,31. It is configured to be driven via the hydraulic circuit 74 by the driving force of the hydraulic power generator 7.

[0056] As shown in Figure 8, the hydraulic generator 7 is equipped with a motor 71 to which a hydraulic pump 72 can be driven, and is connected to both hydraulic jacks 21,21 and 31,31 via a switching valve 73 and a hydraulic circuit 74 so that they can be raised and lowered. In particular, both hydraulic jacks 21,21 (both front composite jacks 2,2) and 31,31 (both rear jacks 3,3) are controlled by known technology so that they can be raised and lowered simultaneously (synchronous raising and lowering). A relief valve 75 is also provided.

[0057] In the hydraulic circuit having the hydraulic power generator 7 shown in Figure 8, specifically, the first switching valve 73A controls the widening of both sliding members 22, 22 of both front-side composite jacks 2, 2, and the second switching valve 73B is configured to allow both hydraulic jacks 21, 21 (both front-side composite jacks 2, 2) and 31, 31 (both rear-side jacks 3, 3) of both front-side composite jacks 2, 2 to be raised and lowered simultaneously (synchronous raising and lowering).

[0058] [Regarding hydraulic generator 7, specifically the type with a built-in cylinder container A] The hydraulic generator 7 is located in a part of the cylinder container A (either at the front or rear end, and in this embodiment, it is located on the left side of Figure 7(A) as shown in Figure 7(B)). The hydraulic circuits 74 are provided in both hydraulic jacks 21, 21 of the front jacks 2, 2 and both hydraulic jacks 31, 31 of the rear jacks 3, 3, and the piston parts 21b and 31b are configured to be extendable and retractable. This built-in design is convenient for loading and unloading the cylinder container A onto the truck bed 6 of the truck B, and allows for faster operation.

[0059] The process of loading the cylinder container A, which has a built-in hydraulic power generator 7 (inside the cylinder container A), onto the cargo bed 6 of the truck B will be described [see Figure 7(A)]. First, the sliding members 22, 22 of the front jacks 2, 2 of the cylinder container A are manually pulled outwards and stopped, and the hydraulic generator 7 inside the cylinder container A is driven to simultaneously extend both piston parts 21b, 21b of the hydraulic jacks 21, 21 of the front jacks 2, 2 and both piston parts 31b, 31b of the rear jacks 3, 3, so that the lower ends of their legs touch the ground G1, and when a gap β is created where the bottom surface of the cylinder container A is slightly higher than the top surface of the cargo bed 6 of the truck B, the extended state of each piston part is maintained so that only the cylinder container A stands upright.

[0060] Therefore, while maintaining the state shown in Figures 12(A) and (B), the truck B is reversed to position the cargo bed 6 directly below the cylinder container A and the truck B is stopped. Immediately afterward, the pistons of the cylinder container A are retracted to complete the loading of the cylinder container A onto the cargo bed 6. This is the cylinder container A built-in type.

[0061] [Work situation inside the simplified hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P] [See left side of Figure 6(A)] Let's explain the separation of cylinder container A from truck B using a cylinder container A as a concrete example. First, when a full cylinder container A1 is transported by truck B to a simple hydrogen station D or another hydrogen supply station P, truck B is stopped at a predetermined location, and the sliding members 22, 22 of the front jacks 2, 2 of cylinder container A are manually pulled outwards and stopped. Then, the hydraulic generator 7 inside cylinder container A is driven to simultaneously extend both piston parts 21b, 21b of the hydraulic jacks 21, 21 of the front jacks 2, 2 and both piston parts 31b, 31b of the rear jacks 3, 3, so that the lower ends of their legs touch the ground G1.

[0062] Furthermore, both piston sections 21b, 21b and both piston sections 31b, 31b of the rear jacks 3, 3 are extended, creating an appropriate gap β [approximately a few centimeters to about 10 centimeters: (iii) in Figure 7(A)] between the bottom surface of the full cylinder container A1 and the top surface of the truck bed 6 of truck B, and the truck bed 6 of truck B is then pulled out. After that, the hydraulic generator 7 is driven again to retract each piston section of the full cylinder container A1, so that only the full cylinder container A1 is placed directly on the ground G1 [see lower left of Figure 6(A)].

[0063] [Work situation inside the simplified hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P] [See the right side of Figure 6(A)] Next, within the same simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P, an empty cylinder container A0, separate from the full cylinder container A1, is placed directly on the ground. First, the sliding members 22, 22 of the front jacks 2, 2 of the empty cylinder container A0 are manually pulled outwards and stopped before it is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of truck B. A detailed explanation of this is the same as that explained in Figure 7(A), so the explanation is omitted here, but it is illustrated in the direction of the arrow on the right side of Figure 6(A).

[0064] [Operational status inside hydrogen storage facility C] [See Figure 6(B)] After the empty cylinder container A0 is transported to the hydrogen storage facility C, it is separated. This separation operation is shown in the left side of Figure 6(B) and is the same as the operation to separate the full cylinder container A1 from the cargo bed 6 of truck B (see the left side of Figure 6(A)). Therefore, a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0065] Furthermore, at hydrogen storage facility C, another full cylinder container A1 is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of the same truck B. This operation is shown in the right-hand diagram of Figure 6(B) and is identical to the operation of loading the empty cylinder container A0 onto the cargo bed 6 of truck B (see the right-hand diagram of Figure 6(A)), and is in the same location, so its explanation is omitted.

[0066] [Regarding the hydraulic generator 7, specifically the type built into truck B] (See Figure 11) The hydraulic generator 7 is located in a part of the truck B (either on the driver's cab 5 side or the rear end of the cargo bed 6 side, and in this embodiment, behind the driver's cab 5 in Figure 11). Let's explain the hydraulic configuration for the truck B-integrated type (see Figure 11). In particular, when the hydraulic generator 7 is integrated into the truck B, couplings 76a and 76b and hydraulic hoses 74a and hose winding section 74b are provided in the hydraulic circuit 74.

[0067] With this built-in design in truck B, as shown in Figure 11, the hydraulic hose 74a in the hydraulic circuit 74 only needs to be the length of "cargo bed 6 + height of cargo bed 6", and this can be done with known technology for the hose winding section 74b that prevents entanglement of the hydraulic hose 74a, so detailed drawings have been omitted. With this built-in design, loading and unloading of cylinder container A at hydrogen storage plant C, simple hydrogen station D, and other hydrogen supply station P takes a little more effort, but the cost of the cylinder container A can be made particularly inexpensive.

[0068] The loading and unloading of the cylinder container A, which is built into the truck B, onto the cargo bed 6 of the truck B, will be explained as a specific example. [Operating status at Simple Hydrogen Station D or other hydrogen supply stations] [See Figure 10(A)] The loading and unloading operations of the cylinder container A onto the truck bed 6 of truck B are the same as those for the cylinder container A with an internal cylinder container, but the difference is that, as shown in Figures 8(A) and (B), the hydraulic circuit is connected to prevent the truck bed 6 of truck B and the cylinder container A from separating.

[0069] To elaborate on this point, in Figure 11, where the hydraulic generator 7 is built into the truck B, it is located on the rear side of the driver's cab 5. The hydraulic hose 74a, which serves as the hydraulic circuit 74, is connected to a hose winding section 74b located in the middle of the cargo bed 6, and has a length equal to the height of the cargo bed 6 and a hydraulic coupling 76b at the end. The hydraulic coupling 76b is configured to enable hydraulic drive by physically connecting with the hydraulic couplings 76a and 76b located at the ends of the hydraulic circuits 74 of the four hydraulic jacks provided on the cylinder container A.

[0070] In other words, as shown in Figures 9 to 11, it is necessary that the cylinder container A and the truck B are always operated while maintaining a physical connection (by hydraulic coupling). Thus, as a transport system that uses a hydraulic generator 7 built into the truck B to circulate a hydrogen storage facility C and a simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P as appropriate using a truck B equipped with a hydrogen cylinder container A (Figures 2 and 9), the operation is substantially the same as the cylinder container A built into the truck (see Figure 7), and is also the same as the compressed hydrogen transport system as described above as a higher-level concept or higher-level concept, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0071] [Regarding the compressed hydrogen transport system as the highest-level concept of this invention] First, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the compressed hydrogen is transported in a cylinder container A, which is an assembly of the hydrogen cylinders 4, regardless of whether the hydrogen cylinders 4 are empty or full. This system is configured to circulate the compressed hydrogen while transporting it between the hydrogen storage facility C and the temporary hydrogen station D, other hydrogen supply facilities P, and the current hydrogen station Dex. Specifically, the cylinder container A loaded on the cargo bed 6 of truck B is separated from the cylinder container A at any of the desired locations of the hydrogen storage facility C, temporary hydrogen station D, current hydrogen station Dex, or other hydrogen supply facilities P by retracting both of the front jacks 2, 2 and both of the rear jacks 3, 3, and the cylinder container A is placed directly on the ground G1.

[0072] This compressed hydrogen transport system involves loading the cylinder container A, which is placed directly on the ground at one of the locations, onto the truck B via the two front jacks 2,2 and the two rear jacks 3,3, and transporting it to one of the locations such as the hydrogen storage facility C, the simple hydrogen station D, or another hydrogen supply facility P, where the lifting action of the two front jacks 2,2 and the two rear jacks 3,3 separates only the cylinder container A and places it directly on the ground G1.

[0073] [Regarding the filling of compressed hydrogen into cylinder container A] First, in the hydrogen storage facility C, the cylinder container A filled with compressed hydrogen 4 will be referred to as full cylinder container A1, and the cylinder container A with the compressed hydrogen emptied will be referred to as empty cylinder container A0. The terms full cylinder container A1 and empty cylinder container A0 are the same for the compressed hydrogen transport systems of the first and second embodiments described below, and their further explanation will be omitted. Furthermore, in the hydrogen cylinder 4, the term "empty" includes both "empty" and "nearly empty with a small amount of contents." include.

[0074] [Regarding the basic compressed hydrogen transport system of the present invention] First, the full cylinder container A1 is loaded onto truck B at hydrogen storage facility A via both front jacks 2,2 and both rear jacks 3,3, and transported to one of several available simple hydrogen stations D or other hydrogen supply stations P (see Figure 1). Then, at the arrived simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P, the full cylinder container A1 is separated from the main body of the container A1 by the lifting action of both front jacks 2 and both rear jacks 3 and placed directly on the ground G1 (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0075] Next, the empty cylinder container A0 that was already placed directly at the simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of the same truck B that was separated earlier, and transported in this state to the hydrogen storage facility C, where the empty cylinder container A0 is separated and placed directly on the ground G1 of the hydrogen storage facility C. This is the compressed hydrogen transport system.

[0076] Figure 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating an example of transportation from a desired hydrogen storage facility C in the Kanto region to one of many desired simple hydrogen stations D. The desired hydrogen storage facility C in Figure 2 is connected to the desired simple hydrogen station D by arrows. Specifically, the hydrogen storage facility C is connected to one of many hydrogen storage facilities C in the Kanto region, and furthermore, the simple hydrogen station D is connected to one of many simple hydrogen stations D in the Kanto region.

[0077] The above explanation assumes a single transport, but this varies depending on the transport distance. In reality, the process may involve several circulations per day. In this case, the hydrogen storage facility C is a single location, and the simplified hydrogen stations D are generally different stations each time. In particular, even with a single truck B, the work involves repeatedly transporting full cylinder container A1 and empty cylinder container A0 to different containers. At the hydrogen storage facility C, the simplified hydrogen station D, or the current hydrogen station Dex, the work only involves the time required for separation and loading, thus enabling extremely efficient transport of compressed hydrogen.

[0078] In the above explanation, the hydrogen is circulated sequentially between the hydrogen storage facility C, the temporary hydrogen station D, or the current hydrogen station Dex. However, in some cases, the same location may be visited multiple times, but this is also included in the concept of circulation. Specifically, even if a full cylinder container A1 is loaded and taken to a desired temporary hydrogen station D N (not shown in the diagram), but then the container is taken to a temporary hydrogen station D M (not shown in the diagram) that has run out of fuel, and the empty cylinder container A0 from the original temporary hydrogen station D is loaded and brought back, this is still a circulation relationship, and various examples exist.

[0079] In this higher-level embodiment, as well as in the hydrogen storage facility C, the simple hydrogen station D, and other hydrogen supply stations P, only full cylinder containers A1 or empty cylinder containers A0 can be placed directly on the ground G1 at that location. By placing the cylinder containers A directly in this manner, the center of gravity Mc is lowered, making it less likely to tip over and ensuring safe and secure storage. In particular, stability can be ensured without tipping over even in strong winds or earthquakes. Furthermore, by placing the cylinder containers A directly in the ground, work can be done in one step.

[0080] Specifically, in this specification, "one step" refers to the ability to load compressed hydrogen into the cylinder container A (from the liquefied hydrogen storage tank 91), which is a main component of the present invention, and to discharge compressed hydrogen from the cylinder container A into equipment and devices within the facilities of the simple hydrogen station D and other hydrogen supply stations P, without the need for chairs or step stools. In particular, the present invention offers the advantage of enabling such work in one step.

[0081] In a specific bird's-eye view diagram like the one shown in Figure 2, there are many desirable hydrogen storage devices. A full tank container A1 is transported from location C (for example, Yokohama) to one of many desired simple hydrogen stations D (for example, somewhere in Tokyo). This is just one example; the full tank container A1 may also be transported from one hydrogen storage facility C in Yokohama to a simple hydrogen station D somewhere in Saitama. In this case as well, the full tank container A1 can be placed directly on the ground.

[0082] From the temporary hydrogen station D where the full cylinder container A1 is placed directly, the empty cylinder container A0 placed directly is retrieved and transported. Specifically, the empty cylinder container A0 is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of truck B via both front jacks 2 and both rear jacks 3 and transported to hydrogen storage facility C, where compressed hydrogen is filled into the empty cylinder container A0 to prepare it as a full cylinder container A1. Figure 2 shows an overview of the transport considering the Keihin Industrial Zone, Keiyo Industrial Zone, Kashima Coastal Industrial Zone, etc. in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Chiba prefectures, and can accommodate a wide range of applications.

[0083] [Regarding the two-story and three-story versions of cylinder container A] If necessary, the full-tank cylinder container A1 is often installed in a two-story configuration at the same simple hydrogen station D location [approximately the central view in Figure 1, Figures 18(A), (B)]. To ensure safe and secure installation in two or three stories, as shown in Figure 21, overlapping support pieces 16a are fixed to the four corners of the upper container body 1 of the cylinder container A by welding or other means.

[0084] As shown in Figure 21, the overlapping auxiliary piece 16a has a shape and structure that is simply a plate bent at approximately 90 degrees when viewed in plan, and the four corners of the container body 1 on the lower side of the cylinder container A, which is the second floor, embrace the overlapping auxiliary pieces 16a at the four corners of the container body 1 on the upper side of the cylinder container A, which is the first floor, so that the cylinder container A on the second floor can be stacked without any misalignment. An example of such a two-story structure is shown in Figure 18. It is also disclosed when the compressed hydrogen transport system in Figure 1 is placed directly on the ground.

[0085] Furthermore, when constructing a three-story structure, the four corners of the lower container body 1 of the cylinder container A on the third floor side can be attached to the upper side of the cylinder container A on the second floor side, so as to embrace the overlapping auxiliary pieces 16a at the four corners of the upper container body 1 of the cylinder container A on the second floor side, allowing the third-floor cylinder container A to be stacked without any misalignment. The drawing of this three-story structure is omitted. The overlapping auxiliary pieces 16a are also shown in the main drawings of the cylinder container A (see Figures 3, 4, 13 to 20). In addition, as shown in Figure 21(D), the upper side of the overlapping auxiliary piece 16a is often formed slightly open, and it is often formed as an improved overlapping auxiliary piece 16b to facilitate stacking on the second floor, etc.

[0086] Thus, to create two-story, three-story, or even higher structures, stacking and unloading are performed using reach stackers, etc., which are used at docks and other locations. By directly placing these full cylinder containers A1 at the simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P, they can also function as existing liquefied hydrogen storage tanks. Furthermore, by creating two-story or three-story structures (including temporary storage) at the locations where they are directly placed, widespread adoption in urban areas can be promoted. In this way, there is also the advantage of providing equipment that can replace the expensive liquefied hydrogen storage tanks currently present at simple hydrogen stations (current hydrogen station Dex).

[0087] [Regarding other embodiments of cylinder container A: Intermediate reinforcement] As shown in Figure 13(A), an intermediate position jack 8 is provided as needed to reinforce the cylinder container A (large type) at approximately the center of its longitudinal direction (X-axis direction). Specifically, the intermediate position jacks 8, 8 are provided at approximately the center of the transverse members 11a, 11d of the container body 1 in the longitudinal direction, so that they can slide slightly outward (widen slightly). The intermediate position jack 8 consists of a sliding member 82, a cylindrical fixing part 83, a hydraulic jack 81, a cylinder part 81a, and a piston part 81b.

[0088] The cylindrical fixing portion 83 of the intermediate position jack 8 is fixed to the reinforcing member 16 of the container body 1, and the sliding member 82 is configured to slide on the cylindrical fixing portion 83, with the hydraulic jack 81 fixed to the tip of the sliding member 82. The hydraulic jack 81 consists of a cylinder portion 81a and a piston portion 81b. The hydraulic jack 81 is normally installed in the large size shown in Figure 20, but it is also installed in the medium size shown in Figure 11 for the reason that it may also be installed in the medium size.

[0089] In the container body 1 of the cylinder container A configured as described above, the intermediate position jacks 8, 8 on both sides when the slide is closed are configured so as not to protrude beyond the width position of the track B or at least to the width position of the track B [see dotted line in Figure 13(B)]. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 18, the section modulus of the horizontal members 11a and 11d of the container body 1 may be made considerably large to reinforce the cylinder container A and to serve as reinforcing members.

[0090] The cylinder container A shown in Figure 17 is a modified version of the container body 1 and is not a rectangular parallelepiped type. Specifically, the frame-like section consisting of the upper horizontal members 11b, 11c and the front member 12b and rear member 13b is removed. Even with this structure, the strength can be increased by increasing the number of reinforcing diagonal members 18 on both sides. This type of cylinder container A has the particular advantage of making it easy to remove and install the hydrogen cylinder 4 from the container body 1.

[0091] [Regarding the compressed hydrogen transport system of the first embodiment of the present invention] As shown in Figures 1, 6, and 7, this first embodiment is a basic compressed hydrogen transport system in which the hydraulic generator 7 is built into the cylinder container A. This makes it convenient to load and unload the cylinder container A onto the truck bed 6 of the truck B. Although the price of the cylinder container A is slightly higher, it has the advantage of allowing for faster operations.

[0092] At the hydrogen storage facility D, the full cylinder container A1 is loaded onto a truck B via two front jacks 2,2 and two rear jacks 3,3 and transported to one of several available simple hydrogen stations D and other hydrogen supply stations P (see the transport state indicated by the large arrow at the top of Figure 1). In particular, the transport system that appropriately circulates between the hydrogen storage facility C and the simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply stations P using a truck B equipped with a full cylinder container A1 or an empty cylinder container A0 is the same as the compressed hydrogen transport system described above as a higher-level concept, and its explanation will be omitted.

[0093] In particular, the loading and unloading of the cylinder container A onto the truck bed 6 of truck B, with the hydraulic generator 7 being built-in (inside the cylinder container A), will be described. [Work situation at or inside a temporary hydrogen station] [See Figure 6(A)] At the temporary hydrogen station D or E, the full cylinder container A1 is separated from the truck bed 6 by the lifting action of the two front jacks 2,2 and the two rear jacks 3,3, and placed directly on the ground G1 [left side of Figure 5(A)]. Then, the empty cylinder container A0 that was already placed directly on the ground at the temporary hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P is loaded onto the truck bed 6 of the truck B from which it was separated earlier [right side of Figure 6(A)]. In this state, it is transported to the hydrogen storage facility D.

[0094] The empty cylinder container A0 is separated from the ground G1 of the hydrogen storage facility C and placed directly on the ground [left side of Figure 6(B)]. Then, another full cylinder container A1 is loaded onto the cargo bed 6 of the truck B that was separated earlier [right side of Figure 6(B)] and transported to the next desired hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P. In this way, a compressed hydrogen transport system is possible that efficiently transports compressed hydrogen by loading and separating full cylinder container A1 and empty cylinder container A0 using a single truck B.

[0095] [Regarding the compressed hydrogen transport system of the second embodiment of the present invention] This second embodiment is a type in which the hydraulic generator 7 is built into the truck B in the basic compressed hydrogen transport system described above, and an outline of the system is shown in Figures 9 to 11. The basic system for separating and loading full cylinder container A1 or empty cylinder container A0 is the same as the compressed hydrogen transport system of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, but in particular, the price of the cylinder container A can be made very inexpensive.

[0096] This second embodiment has the hydraulic generator 7 built into the truck B, and the cylinder container A can be loaded onto and unloaded from the truck bed 6 of the truck B. Above all, it is economically less burdensome and easier to introduce at the simple hydrogen station D. Generally, the operator of a simple hydrogen station D needs at least three cylinder containers: a full cylinder container A1, an empty cylinder container A0, and a cylinder container A in use. By making the hydraulic generator 7 built into the truck B, the hurdle to constructing the simple hydrogen station D has been lowered. In particular, the transport system that appropriately circulates hydrogen between the hydrogen storage facility C and the simple hydrogen station D or other hydrogen supply station P using a truck B equipped with a cylinder container A containing hydrogen cylinders 4 is the same as the compressed hydrogen transport system as a higher-level concept mentioned above, and its explanation will be omitted.

[0097] It may also be referred to as a "cylinder container for transporting compressed hydrogen," as described below. "A cylinder container having a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped container body with numerous hydrogen cylinders that can be filled with compressed hydrogen, the entire cylinder container being configured to be loaded onto the cargo bed at the rear of a truck, the truck being a single vehicle equipped with a power unit and the cargo bed, the cargo bed being fixed to the rear of the driver's cab rather than being towed by a towing vehicle as a connected vehicle." The loading and unloading of the container from the cargo bed can be performed solely by the hydraulic drive of jacks attached to the front and rear of the container body, and the unloading is performed so that the cylinder container loaded on the cargo bed is placed directly on the ground using only the front and rear jacks, and the loading is performed so that the cylinder container A placed directly on the ground can be stacked using only the front and rear jacks. A cylinder container for transporting compressed hydrogen, characterized in that it has two front jacks at the front end of the container body with sliding members that expand outward in the width direction and can also extend and retract vertically, and two rear jacks positioned on both sides in the width direction at the rear end of the container body that do not expand in the width direction but remain stationary and extend and retract vertically only, each of which is hydraulically driven, and both of the closed front jacks and both of the rear jacks are set to a range that is equal to or not exceeds the width of at least both ends of the driver's cab of the truck.

[0098] Furthermore, if autonomous driving or AI driving becomes widespread in the future, the amount of widening of the front jack 2 will likely decrease, resulting in a smaller widening. However, considering the possibility of malfunctions in autonomous driving or AI driving, the widening cannot be reduced to zero. Also, even if, in the current situation, the front and rear ends of the cylinder container A are equipped with rear jacks 3 having the same configuration as the front jack 2, and even if a distinction is made between the front and rear of the cylinder container A, and the rear side is widened only slightly, the rear jack 3 is judged to be a small widening and is therefore included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0099] The compressed hydrogen transport system is a system that transports and circulates compressed hydrogen between hydrogen storage facility C, simple hydrogen station D, other hydrogen supply station P, and the current hydrogen station Dex, while also discharging and loading the hydrogen. In some cases, dedicated transport systems may be configured between hydrogen storage facility C and simple hydrogen station D, between hydrogen storage facility C and other hydrogen supply station P, and between hydrogen storage facility C and the current hydrogen station Dex.

[0100] In the present invention as described above, the main configuration is that a cylinder container A can be transported while loaded on a cargo bed 6 fixed to the rear of the driver's cab 5 of a truck B, and the loading and unloading of the cylinder container A and the cargo bed 6 can be done solely by hydraulic drive of jacks (both front jacks 2,2 and both rear jacks 3,3), and the separation can be performed by placing the cylinder container A directly on the cargo bed 6 using only the aforementioned jacks, and the loading or unloading of compressed hydrogen can be performed in one step immediately after placing it directly, and the loading can be performed by stacking the cylinder container A onto the cargo bed 6 using only the jacks from the direct placement.

[0101] Furthermore, although the structures of the jacks attached to the front and rear of the cylinder container A as a compressed hydrogen transport system were different at the front and rear, the same structure as the front jacks, i.e., the two front jacks 2, 2 with sliding members 22, 22 that expand outward in the width direction at the front end of the container body 1 and can also extend and retract vertically, may also be provided at the rear end of the container body 1. In this case, although the component material will be more expensive, it will have the same effect as the present invention.

[0102] Finally, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-158835, filed on the same day, the sliding members 22, 22 that expand outward in the width direction of the two front jacks are operated manually. However, in the present patent application, the two front composite jacks 2, 2 have a configuration in which the sliding members 22, 22 operate hydraulically in the width direction outward. This hydraulic control is described in detail in the explanatory text as well as in Figures 6 and 8 in the present application, and the other components or materials are almost identical. [Industrial applicability]

[0103] While this invention primarily focuses on a compressed hydrogen transport system, it can also be widely used for transporting various liquefied gases (such as LPG). In other words, it can be used as an LPG transport system. Furthermore, the cylinder container A of this invention is designed with a safe and pollution-free tank structure tailored to the characteristics of the loaded material, such as water, alcohol, benzene, and hydrochloric acid. This allows for the storage, transport, and delivery of not only special liquids but also powders and granules such as magnesium hydrogen (MgH2). Thus, its industrial applicability is exceptionally high. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0104] A... Cylinder container, A1... Full cylinder container, A0... Empty cylinder container 1...Container body, 22...Sliding member, 2...Front jack, 3...Rear jack 4...Hydrogen cylinder, B...Truck, 5...Driver's cab, 6...Cargo bed, C...Hydrogen storage facility D...Simple hydrogen station, P...Other hydrogen supply station, Mc...Center of gravity Dex...Current hydrogen station, 7...Hydraulic generator, 91...Liquefied hydrogen storage tank.

Claims

1. The system comprises a cylinder container having a rectangular frame-shaped container body containing numerous hydrogen cylinders that can be filled with compressed hydrogen, and a truck having a cargo bed on which the entire cylinder container is loaded. The truck has a power unit and the cargo bed on a single vehicle, and the cargo bed is not configured to be towed by a towing vehicle as a connected vehicle, but is fixed to the rear of the driver's cab. Furthermore, the system is configured so that the cylinder container can be separated from the cargo bed on which it is loaded and placed directly on the ground solely by the hydraulic action of jacks attached to the front and rear of the container, and that the cylinder container placed directly on the ground can be loaded onto the cargo bed solely by the front and rear jacks. The container body has two front jacks with sliding parts that expand outward in the width direction by hydraulic drive at the front end and can also extend and retract vertically, and two rear jacks positioned on both sides in the width direction at the rear end of the container body that do not expand in the width direction but remain stationary and extend and retract vertically, each of which is hydraulically driven, and both front jacks and both rear jacks, when closed, are set to be at least equal to or not exceeding the width direction of both ends of the driver's cab of the truck, and the loading and unloading ports for the compressed hydrogen are provided at a position equal to or lower than the center of gravity of the cylinder container. A compressed hydrogen transport system characterized by transporting the cylinder container on the truck bed between a hydrogen storage facility equipped with a hydrogen storage tank and a simple hydrogen station equipped with a compressor and dispenser, or between the hydrogen storage facility and other hydrogen supply stations, and immediately after arriving at the desired location, placing the cylinder container directly on the truck bed using only the front and rear jacks, and immediately after placing it directly, enabling the loading or unloading of the compressed hydrogen in a single step.

2. In the compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1, a cylinder container in which compressed hydrogen has been fully filled with compressed hydrogen in the hydrogen storage facility is referred to as a full cylinder container, and a cylinder container in which the compressed hydrogen has been emptied is referred to as an empty cylinder container. A compressed hydrogen transport system characterized in that, at the hydrogen storage facility, the full cylinder container is transported by the truck loaded with the full cylinder container via the aforementioned multiple jacks to one of several preferred simple hydrogen stations or other hydrogen supply stations, at that location the full cylinder container is separated and placed directly on the ground by itself, and the empty cylinder container that was already placed directly on the ground at that location is loaded onto the cargo bed of the truck after the separation and transported to the hydrogen storage facility.

3. The compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the simple hydrogen station is replaced with an existing hydrogen station having a liquefied hydrogen storage tank.

4. A compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hydraulic generators for both front jacks and both rear jacks are provided inside the cylinder container.

5. A compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hydraulic generators for both front jacks and both rear jacks are provided on the truck, and the front jacks and both rear jacks of the cylinder container are configured to be drivable only when the hydraulic circuit between the truck and the cylinder container is connected.

6. A compressed hydrogen transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cylinder containers placed directly on a desired location can be stacked on the second or third floor or higher via overlapping auxiliary pieces at the four corners.

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