Pressure vessel

Abstract

The present invention is characterized by being provided with: a liner (2) that has a cylindrical protruding part (12) that protrudes outward; a mouthpiece (4) that is fitted to the protruding part (12) and allows a valve (insertion member) (5) to be inserted thereinto; and a seal member (17) that is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the protruding part (12) on the tip side and the inner peripheral surface of the mouthpiece (4), a projecting section (20) or a thick section being formed on the inner peripheral surface of the protruding part (12) at a position corresponding to the seal member (17).

Description

pressure vessel

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

[0002] A pressure vessel is known that includes a container portion that contains a gas or liquid, a liner that has a cylindrical protrusion that protrudes outward from the container portion, a metal nozzle that has a disk-shaped contact surface portion that is provided on the outer periphery of the protrusion and comes into contact with the outer surface of the container portion, and a fiber-reinforced resin layer that covers the outer surfaces of the container portion of the liner and the contact surface portion of the nozzle (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In such pressure vessels, a seal is sometimes used between the liner and the nozzle. However, the internal pressure of the fluid (pressure inside the vessel) can cause the protruding portion to deform in a direction away from the seal. In Patent Document 1, a collar member is attached to the inner circumferential surface of the protruding portion to prevent the protruding portion from deforming in a direction away from the seal.

[0004] JP 2017-166535 A

[0005] However, because a separate collar member must be attached to the protrusion, there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts and assembly steps, which increases manufacturing costs, and there are also problems with the ease of assembling the collar member.

[0006] The present invention has been devised from this perspective, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pressure vessel that has a simple structure and can be easily assembled and has improved sealing properties.

[0007] The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a liner having a cylindrical protrusion that protrudes outward, a nozzle that fits with the protrusion and into which an insertion member is inserted, and a sealing member that is sandwiched between the outer surface of the tip side of the protrusion and the inner surface of the nozzle, and a convex portion or thick portion is formed on the inner surface of the protrusion at a position corresponding to the sealing member.

[0008] According to the present invention, a convex portion or a thick portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the protrusion at a position corresponding to the seal member, thereby eliminating or significantly reducing the gap around the seal member. Furthermore, the provision of the convex portion or the thick portion increases the rigidity of the protrusion, thereby improving sealing performance with a simple configuration. Even if internal pressure acts on the protrusion in a direction away from the seal member, the convex portion or the thick portion abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the insertion member. This prevents the protrusion from deforming in a direction away from the seal member, thereby improving sealing performance with a simple configuration. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a separate component such as a collar member as in conventional designs, the number of parts and assembly steps can be reduced, improving assembly ease.

[0009] According to the pressure vessel of the present invention, it is possible to improve assembly efficiency and sealing performance with a simple structure.

[0010] It is a side cross-sectional view showing a pressure vessel according to an embodiment of the present invention.It is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a joining structure between a liner and a mouthpiece.It is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a protrusion.

[0011] <Pressure vessel according to embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the pressure vessel 1 according to this embodiment is used as a vessel for storing low-pressure gas such as LPG, high-pressure gas such as hydrogen gas, or other fluids. As shown in Fig. 1, the pressure vessel 1 according to this embodiment includes a liner 2, a fiber-reinforced resin layer 3, and a mouthpiece 4.

[0013] The liner 2 includes a hollow cylindrical body 11 and a cylindrical protrusion 12 formed continuously with the body 11 so as to protrude outward from the body 11. In this embodiment, the liner 2 has a single-layer structure. The liner 2 is made of a resin material such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide, polyketone, or polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and is formed by injection molding, blow molding, or the like.

[0014] The fiber reinforced resin layer 3 is made of, for example, FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) and serves to reinforce the pressure resistance strength of the liner 2. The fiber reinforced resin layer 3 is formed on the outer surfaces of the liner 2 and the mouthpiece 4 by, for example, using a filament winding method in which a fiber bundle impregnated with resin is wound and then the resin is cured.

[0015] The nozzle 4 has a cylindrical nozzle portion 13 that is fitted onto the protruding portion 12 of the liner 2, and an annular flange portion 14 that protrudes radially outward at the base end of the nozzle portion 13 on the liner 2 side. The nozzle portion 13 and the flange portion 14 are integrally formed and continuous with each other. The flange portion 14 is disposed in a recess 19 formed in the liner 2. The outer surface of the flange portion 14 and the outer surface of the liner 2 are flush with each other. An insert member is attached to the nozzle 4. In the illustrated example, a valve 5 for injecting or discharging high-pressure gas or liquid is attached so as to be inserted into the nozzle 4 as the insert member.

[0016] 2, for example, a male thread S1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 12, and a female thread S2 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base 4. The protrusion 12 and the base 4 are screwed together to form a fastening structure 31. Note that the fastening structure 31 may have a configuration other than this.

[0017] The nozzle tube portion 13 includes a nozzle large-diameter portion 15 having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the protruding portion 12, and a nozzle small-diameter portion 16 located on the tip side (upper side in the drawing) and protruding further in the direction of the central axis O than the inner diameter of the protruding portion 12. The nozzle large-diameter portion 15 is formed with an annular seal groove 18 that receives a seal member 17 interposed between the liner 2 and the nozzle 4. The seal member 17 is, for example, an O-ring, and is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the tip side of the protruding portion 12 and the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 4. A backup ring may be received in the seal groove 18 adjacent to the seal member 17.

[0018] A convex portion 20 is integrally formed along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 12a of the protruding portion 12 of the liner 2 at a position corresponding to the seal member 17 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 12. The convex portion 20 is ring-shaped, protrudes toward the central axis O, and is continuously formed along the circumferential direction. The convex portion 20 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The convex portion 20 protrudes toward the central axis O to an extent that does not interfere with the insertion of the valve 5. In other words, the inner diameter of the convex portion 20 is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the valve 5. For example, when injection molding the liner 2, the convex portion 20 can be formed by cutting out a portion of the gate through which resin flows during injection molding. In other words, the convex portion 20 can be formed by flowing resin into the cavity from the central axis O side during injection molding, and then cutting out excess resin at the end surface 20a.

[0019] According to the pressure vessel 1 of this embodiment described above, the convex portion 20 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 12a of the protruding portion 12 at a position corresponding to (facing) the seal member 17, thereby eliminating or significantly reducing any gaps around the seal member 17. Furthermore, the provision of the convex portion 20, coupled with the increased rigidity of the protruding portion 12, improves sealing performance with a simple configuration. Even if internal pressure acts on the protruding portion 12 in a direction away from the seal member 17 (toward the central axis O), the convex portion 20 contacts the outer circumferential surface of the valve 5. This prevents deformation of the protruding portion 12 in a direction away from the seal member 17, thereby improving the sealing performance of the pressure vessel 1 with a simple configuration. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a separate component such as a collar, as in the conventional configuration, the number of parts and assembly steps can be reduced, improving assembly. Furthermore, since the convex portion 20 can be integrally formed with the liner 2, manufacturing is simplified. These factors contribute to reduced manufacturing costs.

[0020] (Modification) A modification of this embodiment will be described below. This modification differs from the above-described embodiment in that a thick portion 20A is provided instead of the protruding portion 20. As shown in FIG. 3 , the thick portion 20A protrudes toward the central axis O from the inner circumferential surface 12a of the protruding portion 12 and has a thick shape with a rectangular cross section extending circumferentially. The thick portion 20A is formed at a position corresponding to (facing) the seal member 17, with a predetermined length (height) from the tip of the protruding portion 12. The inner diameter of the thick portion 20A is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the valve 5. The thick portion 20A can be easily formed by previously setting a molding die so that the corresponding portion of the protruding portion 12 is thick.

[0021] This modification can also achieve substantially the same effects as the above-described embodiment. In addition, the thick portion 20A can increase the rigidity compared to the above-described embodiment, thereby further improving the sealing performance.

[0022] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, appropriate design modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the protrusion 20 and the thick portion 20A are ring-shaped and rectangular in cross section, but they may protrude in the direction of the central axis O at a position corresponding to the seal member 17. Other shapes, such as a semicircular shape in cross section, may also be used. Furthermore, the protrusion 20 and the thick portion 20A may be formed discontinuously along the circumferential direction. For example, the protruding portions may be arranged at equal intervals on the inner circumferential surface of the protrusion 12.

[0023] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Pressure vessel 2 Liner 3 Fiber reinforced resin layer 4 Mouthpiece 5 Valve 11 Body 12 Protrusion 13 Mouthpiece cylinder 14 Flange 17 Seal member 18 Seal groove 20 Convex portion 20A Thick portion

Claims

[Claim 1] A liner having a cylindrical projection that protrudes outward, The male screw formed on the outer circumferential surface of the aforementioned protrusion engages with the mouthpiece into which the insertion member is inserted, The sealing member is sandwiched between the outer circumferential surface of the tip of the protrusion and the inner circumferential surface of the mouthpiece, A protrusion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the protrusion at a position corresponding to the sealing member. The pressure vessel is characterized in that the aforementioned protrusion is projecting in the direction of the central axis.