A hydrogen gas station arrangement

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of hydrogen gas station safety, and more specifically a hydrogen gas station arrangement where a material formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together and having fibers oriented in different directions is used in a partial enclosure (10) for hydrogen gas station components.

Description

[0001] A HYDROGEN GAS STATION ARRANGEMENT

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a hydrogen gas station arrangement, and more specifically to a partial enclosure for components of a hydrogen gas station.

[0004] Background

[0005] Hydrogen gas is a renewable energy source with applications in several sectors. One of the many applications of hydrogen gas as an energy source is within the transportation sector where it serves as a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels or other fuels emitting greenhouse gases when used.

[0006] Vehicles running on hydrogen gas need to be refueled when their tank is empty, in the same way a vehicle running on fossil fuel would. This problem is most commonly solved by petrol stations for vehicles running on fossil fuels. The design of petrol stations is a result of safety regulations, logistical efficiency and other strategic factors. This is also the case with hydrogen gas stations, however, inherent differences in the nature of hydrogen gas and fossil fuels lead to different safety standards that need to be met and different logistical problems that need to be solved.

[0007] Hydrogen has a very low boiling point at around -253°C compared to other fuel sources such as petrol and diesel. This very low boiling point makes it inconvenient to deal with hydrogen in liquid form, which is a reason why hydrogen is mainly stored, transported and delivered as a gas when it is used as a fuel source for the transportation sector.

[0008] Hydrogen gas is also a very volatile gas which makes it more difficult to contain compared to other, less volatile gases. This increases the risk of leakage.

[0009] Further, hydrogen gas is lighter than air, meaning that it will dissipate to a higher elevation when released in the atmosphere.

[0010] These properties of hydrogen gas combined with the fact that said gas is explosive lie at the core of safety regulations as well as logistical challenges of hydrogen gas stations.

[0011] Furthermore, it lies in the interest of society to construct hydrogen gas stations in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Summary

[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved solution that alleviates the mentioned drawbacks with present state of the art. Furthermore, it is an object to provide safe hydrogen gas stations constructed in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

[0013] The invention is defined by the appended independent claims, with embodiments being set forth in the appended dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

[0014] According to a first aspect of the inventive concept, there is provided a hydrogen gas station arrangement comprising: a foundation, a partial enclosure for hydrogen gas station components configured to confine said hydrogen gas station components and restrict access to said hydrogen gas station components, said partial enclosure configured to be mounted on said foundation, said partial enclosure comprising: at least one protective wall section configured to protect said hydrogen gas station components inside said partial enclosure, and I or an area located outside of said partial enclosure, wherein said protective wall section is formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together, said at least two layers of wooden fiber material are oriented such that the wooden fibers of one layer of said at least two layers extend in a different direction than the wooden fibers of an adjacent layer of said at least two layers of wooden fiber material.

[0015] The key concept of this invention is the use of a material formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together, said at least two layers of wooden fiber material are oriented such that the wooden fibers of one layer of said at least two layers extend in a different direction than the wooden fibers of an adjacent layer of said at least two layers of wooden fiber material, such as crosslaminated timber, to construct a partial enclosure for hydrogen gas station components. From this point onwards cross-laminated timber, CLT, should be understood as a material formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together, where said at least two layers of wooden fiber material are oriented such that the wooden fibers of one layer of said at least two layers extend in a different direction than the wooden fibers of an adjacent layer of said at least two layers of wooden fiber material. It should be understood that this definition of crosslaminated timber allows for variation of one or more of the following parameters which include but are not limited to: the number of layers of wooden fiber material, the type of wood used, the type of joining agent used, treatment of the material for improved weather resistance and treatment of the material for improved fire resistance.

[0016] Hydrogen gas stations have the potential of causing serious accidents if appropriate precautions are not taken. Enclosing hydrogen gas station components such as hydrogen gas reservoirs, compressors, valves, etc. within an enclosing structure prevents unauthorized persons from accessing, damaging or tampering with the enclosed hydrogen gas station components which reduces the risk of leaks, fires and explosions. In the event of a fire, said partial enclosure may be constructed out of a fire resistant material in order to prevent the fire from spreading; crosslaminated timber possesses such qualities. In the event of an explosion, a protective wall may reduce the impact of the explosion if said wall is located between the explosion and an area that needs protection. This protective wall needs to be robust and to be securely mounted on a foundation in order to prevent it from becoming a dangerous projectile in the event of an explosion, further, any loose components of the wall may become dangerous projectiles in the event of an explosion. Crosslaminated timber is a suitable material for this purpose since it is robust and may easily be made into a desired shape, thickness, height or length with little to no need for external joining agents that could come loose. Another advantage of the protective wall is that it may protect the hydrogen gas station components located inside said partial enclosure from risks originating from outside of said partial enclosure such as falling trees or traffic accidents. Further, the use of crosslaminated timber as an alternative to other building materials such as iron or concrete for the construction of hydrogen gas stations may reduce the carbon footprint for said construction. In one embodiment, the partial enclosure may further comprise a permeable wall section configured to improve ventilation of an area inside said partial enclosure in connection with said permeable wall section.

[0017] The permeable wall section may have the advantage of ventilating the area enclosed by the partial enclosure while at the same time restricting the access to said gas station components enclosed by said partial enclosure. This ventilation may prevent the build-up of gas in the event of a gas-leak.

[0018] For clarification purpouses, the reason why the term “partial enclosure” is used is because it encloses an area for hydrogen gas station components such that unauthorized persons can’t enter in an easy manner; however it does not enclose said area in a sealing sense, firstly, there may be a permeable wall section for increased ventilation, secondly the partial enclosure has an open top section. The fact that the top section is open allows hydrogen gas to ascend freely to the atmosphere, thereby preventing the formation of hydrogen gas pockets in the event of a gas leak.

[0019] In one embodiment, the partial enclosure may further comprise an internal delimiting wall made of cross-laminated timber configured to delimit one or more of said hydrogen gas station components from other areas inside said partial enclosure. Delimiting one or more hydrogen gas station components from other areas within the partial enclosure may prevent fires from spreading from the hydrogen gas station components delimited by said internal wall to other areas within the partial enclosure. If an accident causes a component of the hydrogen gas station to emit a jet flame of hydrogen gas, an internal delimiting wall may withstand this jet flame long enough for it to subside, thereby preventing said jet flame from damaging other gas station components.

[0020] In one embodiment, the internal wall comprises a first and a second end, said internal wall is arranged to extend between different locations of the partial enclosure and said first and I or second end are connected to the partial enclosure such that the space within the partial enclosure is divided into smaller areas.

[0021] Attaching the internal wall to the partial enclosure may improve the stability of said internal wall. By dividing the partial enclosure into smaller areas, an area may be designated for a specific hydrogen gas station component and I or designated to serve a specific function. The hydrogen gas station may be subjected to requirements on noise, a wall made of cross-laminated timber may be used to delimit a noisy hydrogen gas station component, whereby noise pollution may be reduced.

[0022] In one embodiment, each of the smaller areas formed within said partial enclosure by said internal delimiting walls may share a protective wall section and I or a permeable wall section with said partial enclosure. One advantage of having the smaller areas share a permeable wall section and / or a protective wall section is that this shared wall section may transfer its effects such as protection or ventilation to said smaller area without the need of building an additional permeable wall section and I or protective wall section.

[0023] In one embodiment, the partial enclosure may further comprise a framework made out of cross-laminated timber configured to support the partial enclosure. This framework may improve the stability of the partial enclosure and facilitate the mounting of components of said partial enclosure.

[0024] In one embodiment, said framework made out of cross-laminated timber may provide a fire resistant and robust structure to which a permeable and I or protective wall section can be attached, which may improve the stability of said permeable and I or protective wall section.

[0025] In one embodiment, the framework made of cross-laminated timber may be configured to facilitate the installation of doors and / or loading ports. Advantages of constructing the framework in such a way that it may serve both as support for a permeable and I or protective wall section as well as a doorframe and / or frame for loading ports is that it may save material and I or improve the efficiency of installing said door and I or loading port.

[0026] In one embodiment, the partial enclosure may be constructed in such a way that it forms a perimeter of an essentially rectangular area. Having the partial enclosure built according to this way may facilitate its construction and / or facilitate defining various measurements between for example hydrogen gas station components and protective walls, which in turn may make it easier to prove that the hydrogen gas station complies with any safety regulations that may apply.

[0027] In one embodiment, said foundation may be essentially horizontal, and said protective wall section is arranged at a distance above the foundation, said distance is at least 40mm. Raising this wall made of cross-laminated timber above the foundation may reduce the exposure to water of said wall thereby improving its lifespan and I or durability.

[0028] In one embodiment, the protective wall section is formed of at least three layers of said wooden fiber material. Having the wall be made of at least three layers of wooden fiber material compared to at least two layers of wooden fiber material may improve the robustness, and I or the durability, and I or the fire resistant properties of said wall.

[0029] In one embodiment, the permeable wall section is formed of the same wooden material as the protective wall section and passages covering at least 50% of the permeable wall section formed in the wooden material.

[0030] Having the permeable wall section built in the same wooden material as the protective wall section may reduce the carbon footprint of said hydrogen gas station compared to building the permeable wall section using iron fenceposts and an iron fence mesh.

[0031] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032] The invention will in the following be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

[0033] Fig. 1 a shows the hydrogen gas station arrangement as seen from above from a point of view where the front side and the left side are closer to the viewer than the right side and the back side.

[0034] Fig. 1 b shows the same hydrogen gas station arrangement as seen from above from a point of view where the back side and the right side are closer to the viewer than the front side and the left side. It should be noted that Fig 1a and Fig 1 b show several hydrogen gas station components inside the partial enclosure that are not part of the invention, but are included for context and illustrative purposes.

[0035] The hydrogen gas dispenser outside the partial enclosure does not form part of the invention but is included in order to exemplify an area outside the partial enclosure that may need protection.

[0036] Description of Embodiments

[0037] The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

[0038] A hydrogen gas station arrangement will now be described with reference to figure 1 a and 1 b.

[0039] The hydrogen gas station arrangement comprises a foundation 90 and a partial enclosure 10 for hydrogen gas station components.

[0040] The partial enclosure 10 has a protective wall section 21 ;23;24. The protective wall section 21 ;23;24 is made out of cross-laminated timber.

[0041] The cross-laminated timber is formed by layers of wooden fiber material. A layer is formed by a plurality of boards of uniform thickness, aligned such that their fibers run in essentially the same direction. Boards that are shorter than the length of the layer that they are part of are extended by individually joining them to additional planks with their fibers along the direction of the layer. The joining is done by cutting out a zig-zag pattern on a short end of a first board as well as a matching zig-zag pattern on a short end of a second board, such that the short ends of the plank fit together tightly. The areas of the cut-out zigzag patterns in the plank are essentially flush against each other when the planks are fitted together meaning that the contact area between the boards is significantly higher compared to two similar sized boards with flat short ends. A strong adhesive agent is then applied in the zig-zag joints. The boards are pushed together under force to ensure a strong bond. Boards are laid next to each other, with their fibers running in the direction of the layer, such that a side of a board corresponding to the boards length and the boards thickness lies flush against a corresponding side of a neighbouring board in the same layer. This is repeated until the layer reaches a desired width. An adhesive agent is applied to the boards of this layer. An adjacent layer is formed in a similar manner, wherein the fibers run in a different direction than the previously mentioned layer. This adjacent layer is stacked on top of the previously mentioned layer and an adhesive agent is applied to the adjacent layer. This stacking process is repeated until the desired number of layers is reached, each layer having their fibers run along a different direction than the fibers of a layer adjacent to it.

[0042] The stack of layers is then pressed under high pressure in such a way that the adhesive agent can reach further in between the fibers of the wooden boards and thus creating an even stronger bond between boards and between layers. Coatings for improved weather resistance and fire resistance are applied. The profile of the finished wall panel made of cross-laminated timber can be customized by laying out the boards of the layers in a corresponding manner. For example leaving an open space where a door is to be installed. Other predetermined features can be arranged before installation of the wall panel on site, such as holes for electrical cables and cut-outs for joinery and more.

[0043] The protective wall section 21 ;23;24 is mounted on, and secured to said foundation 90. In this embodiment said foundation is made out of concrete, it is rectangular and extends past the footprint of said partial enclosure. In other embodiments, the shape of the foundation 90 and the material the foundation is made of can vary. For example an alternative foundation could be built only where there are components of the arrangement that need to be mounted on it thus saving material. Examples of alternative materials for an alternative foundation could be cut stone blocks, bricks and mortar or compact gravel structures. The protective wall section 21 ;23;24 is installed in such a way that it protects an area outside of the partial enclosure 80 from hydrogen gas station components located in an area inside 81 the partial enclosure 10. The protective wall section 21 ;23;24 is installed in such a way that it protects hydrogen gas station components located in an area inside 81 the partial enclosure 10 from threats originating from an area outside 80 of the enclosure. The partial enclosure 10 has a permeable wall section 32. The permeable wall section 32 is mounted on the foundation 90. The permeable wall section 32 allows for improved ventilation of the inside 81 of the partial enclosure. The permeable wall section 32 together with the protective wall section 21 ;23;24 surround an area for hydrogen gas station components, thereby restricting access to said hydrogen gas station components. This area for hydrogen gas station components is essentially rectangular and the partial enclosure 10 forms the perimeter of this essentially rectangular area for hydrogen gas station components.

[0044] In this embodiment, one side of this partial enclosure constitutes a permeable wall section 32, from here on referred to as the back side. The permeable wall section 32 comprises a permeable iron mesh mounted on iron fenceposts. It should be noted that variations regarding the mesh material, mesh size and fence post are possible provided that the resulting permeable wall ventilates an area inside the partial enclosure 81 and remains robust enough to restrict access to said hydrogen gas station components. In other embodiments , the protective wall section could for example comprise a series of tightly spaced fenceposts, made of for example concrete. The fenceposts may be distributed along the same perimeter as the permeable wall section in the previous embodiment. The spacing between the fenceposts may be less than 10 cm, preferably less than 5 cm. In yet another embodiment, the permeable wall section 32 may be constructed out of crosslaminated timber, CLT, and comprise passages that allow ventilation of an area inside said partial enclosure 81 . The passages may be drilled or cut out of a large panel of cross-laminated timber, CLT. The passages may also be formed during a construction stage of the CLT panel by omitting certain areas during the layering process of the wooden fiber material (similarly to the panel customization described above). The passages must cover an area large enough to provide sufficient ventilation, preferably 50% of the area of the permeable wall section 32. The passages must be small enough to prevent unauthorized persons to enter the partial enclosure, preferably with less than 100cm2. The side opposite said back side constitutes a protective wall section 24, from here on referred to as the front side.

[0045] The hydrogen gas station arrangement has five internal walls 71 ;72;73;74;75 made out of cross-laminated timber. These walls are mounted in such a way that they delimit one or more hydrogen gas station components from other areas inside the partial enclosure. The hydrogen gas station arrangement has a frame structure 41 ;42;43;44 made of cross-laminated timber. The frame structure can be constructed as one custom made piece during a CLT production phase, or as a kit of CLT pieces to be assembled on site. A part of this frame structure 42 provides support for the permeable wall section 32. This frame structure provides support for the protective wall section 21 ;23;24. This frame structure 41 ;42;43 has three sections serving as doorframes in each of which a door 51 ;52;53 is installed. This frame structure 41 has two sections serving as frames for loading ports in each which a loading port 61 ;62 is installed. In this embodiment, these two loading ports 61 ;62 are located on the left side of the partial enclosure 10. In this embodiment the left side of the partial enclosure comprises a protective wall section 21 . Both loading ports 61 ; 62 lead to an area inside the enclosure designated for mobile hydrogen gas reservoirs. These mobile hydrogen gas reservoirs are configured to be exchanged and / or replaced by moving them through the loading ports 61 ;62 using trucks or other machinery. The area behind the loading port is split in two by an internal delimiting wall 71 made out of cross-laminated timber. This internal wall 71 starts from a part of the frame structure 41 which is located between the two loading ports 61 ;62 and stretches in a direction perpendicular the left side of the enclosure.

[0046] The length of this internal delimiting wall is such that it delimits the area inside the partial enclosure into two parts, each of which associated with a corresponding loading port and a corresponding area for placement of a hydrogen gas reservoir. This internal delimiting wall 71 has a length and height which allows it to block any line of sight between one hydrogen gas tank reservoir placed in one of said two areas for a hydrogen gas tank reservoir and a hydrogen gas tank placed in another of said two areas for a hydrogen gas tank reservoir.

[0047] This configuration of this internal delimiting wall 71 made out of crosslaminated timber acts as a barrier between said two hydrogen gas reservoirs, protecting them from each other.

[0048] Further, there is a second internal delimiting wall 72 made of cross-laminated timber extending in a direction parallel to the previously mentioned internal delimiting wall 71 , starting from a part of the frame structure located on the left side of the partial enclosure. This second internal delimiting wall 72 made of cross-laminated timber is located between the front side of the partial enclosure and both areas for placement of a hydrogen gas reservoir. A third internal delimiting wall 73 made of cross-laminated timber extends from a part of the frame structure 44 on the front side of the partial enclosure to a part of the frame structure 42 on the back side of the partial enclosure in a parallel direction to the left side of the partial enclosure. The second internal delimiting wall 72 extends all the way to this third internal delimiting wall 73 forming an area for hydrogen gas station components between this second delimiting wall 72 and the protective wall section 24 of the partial enclosure, said area for gas station components is accessible from a door 51 installed in a frame section 41 on the left side of the partial enclosure.

[0049] The third internal wall 73 separates the area inside the partial enclosure into two main parts, a left part comprising two areas for the placement of hydrogen gas reservoirs and an area for hydrogen gas station components between the second internal delimiting wall 72 and the protective wall section 24 of the front side, and a right part.

[0050] The third internal delimiting wall 73 made of cross-laminated timber has a door allowing access to the right part of the partial enclosure from said area for hydrogen gas station components, said door is located between the second internal delimiting wall 72 and the protective wall section 24 of the front side.

[0051] The right side of the partial enclosure comprises a protective wall section 23 made of cross-laminated timber extending from the protective wall 24 of the front side to the permeable wall section 32 of the back side, in a direction essentially parallel to the left side of the partial enclosure.

[0052] The right part of the inside of the partial enclosure 10 for hydrogen gas station components comprises three areas for hydrogen gas station components. These three areas are delimited by a fourth 74 and fifth 75 internal delimiting wall made of cross-laminated timber. The fourth internal delimiting wall 74 extends from a part of the frame structure 43 located on the right side of the partial enclosure in a direction parallel to the permeable wall section 32 on the back side of the partial enclosure 10, forming an area for hydrogen gas station components between said fourth internal delimiting wall 74 and the permeable wall section 32 of the back side of the partial enclosure. This fourth delimiting wall is closer to the permeable wall section 32 of the back side than the protective wall section 24 of the front side.

[0053] A fifth internal delimiting wall 75 made of cross-laminated timber extends from a part of the frame structure 43 located on the right side of the partial enclosure in a direction essentially parallel to the protective wall section 24 of the front side of the partial enclosure, forming two areas for hydrogen gas station components; one between said fourth internal delimiting wall 74 and itself 75, and one between itself 75 and the protective wall section 24 of the front side of the partial enclosure.

[0054] The fourth 74 and fifth 75 internal delimiting walls do not extend all the way to the third internal delimiting wall 73, thereby allowing access between said three areas for hydrogen gas station components.

[0055] The frame structure 43 on the right side of the partial enclosure located between the fourth and fifth internal delimiting wall has a part serving as a doorframe in which a door 53 is installed.

[0056] The frame structure 42 on the back side of the partial enclosure has a part serving as a doorframe in which a door 52 is installed, located between the protective wall section 23 of the right side of the partial enclosure and the third internal delimiting wall 73.

[0057] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed preferred embodiments and examples of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . An hydrogen gas station arrangement comprising: a foundation (90), and a partial enclosure (10) for hydrogen gas station components, configured to confine said hydrogen gas station components and restrict access to said hydrogen gas station components, said partial enclosure (10) is configured to be mounted on said foundation (90), said partial enclosure (10) having an open top section, said partial enclosure (10) comprising: at least one protective wall section (21 ; 23; 24) configured to protect said hydrogen gas station components inside said partial enclosure (10), and I or an area located outside (80) of said partial enclosure (10), wherein said protective wall section (21 ; 22; 24) is formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together, said at least two layers of wooden fiber material are oriented such that the wooden fibers of one layer of said at least two layers extend in a different direction than the wooden fibers of an adjacent layer of said at least two layers of wooden fiber material.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1 comprising a permeable wall section (32) configured to improve ventilation of an area inside said partial enclosure (10) in connection with said permeable wall section (32).

3. The arrangement according any one of the previous claims further comprising an internal wall (71 ; 72; 73; 74; 75), wherein said internal wall (71 ; 72; 73; 74; 75) is formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together, said at least two layers of wooden fiber material oriented such that the wooden fibers of one layer of said at least two layers extend in a different direction than the wooden fibers of an adjacent layer of said at least two layers of wooden fiber material, said internal wall (71 ; 72; 73; 74; 75) isconfigured to delimit one or more of said hydrogen gas station components from other areas inside said partial enclosure (10).

4. The arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the internal wall (71 ; 72; 73; 74; 75) comprises a first and a second end, said internal wall (71 ; 72; 73; 74; 75) is arranged to extend between different locations of the partial enclosure (10) and said first and I or second end are connected to the partial enclosure (10) such that the space within the partial enclosure (81 ) is divided into smaller areas.

5. The arrangement according to claim 4, wherein each of the smaller areas formed within said partial enclosure (10) share a protective wall section (21 ; 23; 24) and / or a permeable wall section (32) with said partial enclosure (10).

6. The arrangement according to any one of the previous claims further comprising a framework (41 ; 42; 43; 44) formed by at least two layers of wooden fiber material permanently joined together, said at least two layers of wooden fiber material oriented such that the wooden fibers of one layer of said at least two layers extend in a different direction than the wooden fibers of an adjacent layer of said at least two layers of wooden fiber material, said framework (41 ; 42; 43; 44) is configured to support the partial enclosure (10).

7. The arrangement according to claim 6, comprising a permeable wall section (32) as described in claim 2, wherein said framework (41 ; 42; 43; 44) is supported by the foundation (90) and arranged to support a protective wall section (21 ; 23; 24) and / or a permeable wall section (32).

8. The arrangement according to claim 6 or 7 wherein a section of said frame structure (41 ; 42; 43; 44) is adapted for the installation of a door (51 ; 52; 53).

9. The arrangement according to claims 6, 7 or 8 wherein a section of said frame structure (41 ; 42; 42; 44) is adapted for the installation of a loading port (61 ; 62).

10. The arrangement according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the partial enclosure (10) forms a perimeter of an essentially rectangular area.11 .The arrangement according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the foundation (90) is substantially horizontal, and the protective wall section (21 ; 23; 24) is arranged at a distance above the foundation (90), said distance is at least 40mm.

12. The arrangement according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the protective wall section (21 ; 23; 24) is formed of at least three layers of said wooden fiber material.

13. The arrangement according to any one of the previous claims comprising a permeable wall (32) section as described in claim 2, wherein the permeable section (32) is formed of the same wooden material as the protective wall section (21 ; 23; 24) and passages covering at least 50% of the area of the permeable wall section (32) formed in the wooden material.

Images