Apparatus for evaluating safety valves for liquid hydrogen

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus for evaluating a safety valve for liquid hydrogen, the apparatus including: a hydrogen liquefaction unit configured to liquefy hydrogen gas and store the liquid hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber; and a hydrogen vaporization unit configured to vaporize the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber. By delivering high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen, which is generated by accumulation of vaporized hydrogen filling an internal space of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber, to a liquid hydrogen safety valve for a test, performance of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen can be evaluated under actual operating environmental conditions. Accordingly, reliability of performance evaluation data for the safety valve for liquid hydrogen can be ensured.

Description

Evaluation device for safety valves for liquefied hydrogen

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, comprising a hydrogen liquefaction unit for liquefying hydrogen gas and storing it in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber, and a hydrogen vaporization unit for vaporizing the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber; wherein the device delivers high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen, generated by the accumulation of vaporized hydrogen filling the internal space of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber, to a test liquid hydrogen safety valve, thereby enabling the safe and stable evaluation of the performance of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen under actual usage environmental conditions, and thereby ensuring the reliability of the performance evaluation data of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen.

[0002] Recently, research on hydrogen liquefaction devices using cryogenic coolers has been actively conducted. The hydrogen liquefaction device is a device that primarily pre-cools ambient temperature hydrogen gas to a temperature of 80K or lower through a pre-cooler, and secondarily cools the pre-cooled hydrogen gas to a temperature of 20K or lower through a cryogenic heat exchanger connected to a cryogenic cooler that is maintained at a temperature lower than that of liquid hydrogen, thereby generating liquid hydrogen.

[0003] The cryogenic liquid hydrogen generated by such a hydrogen liquefaction device can be stored in a storage tank. As some of the liquid hydrogen inside the storage tank vaporizes into cryogenic gas, filling the internal space of the storage tank, the pressure inside the storage tank rises. Since accidents such as frostbite, fire, and explosion may occur if the cryogenic gaseous hydrogen is exposed to the outside, the pressure inside the storage tank is maintained below a certain pressure through a safety valve to prevent deformation and damage to the storage tank.

[0004]

[0005] Meanwhile, safety valves for liquid hydrogen may be installed in storage tanks or in areas where pressure rise is a concern. It is necessary to check whether the valve operates properly under the external discharge pressure of the cryogenic vaporized hydrogen released through it. If the safety valve operates at a low pressure where the flow path should not open, it can be determined that the durability of the safety valve has not been ensured.

[0006] Therefore, a device is required to evaluate whether cryogenic gas is discharged in accordance with the gas discharge pressure set in the safety valve for liquid hydrogen. However, conventional performance evaluation devices for liquid hydrogen safety valves rely on external liquid hydrogen supply or other refrigerants for evaluation; since they do not use liquid hydrogen directly, there were limitations in the reliability and accuracy of the evaluation results. In particular, as it is difficult to safely and accurately evaluate the performance of liquid hydrogen safety valves in cryogenic and high-pressure environments, there was a need to develop a device capable of conducting performance evaluations under actual operating conditions of high pressure and cryogenics.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a new type of safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen that improves upon the problems of such conventional technology and enables safe and efficient safety valve evaluation without the need to separately supply hydrogen from an external source by directly producing liquid hydrogen through a hydrogen liquefaction unit that liquefies hydrogen gas and stores it in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber.

[0008]

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a new type of safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen that can increase the efficiency of safety valve evaluation work and enable the performance of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen to be evaluated under actual usage environmental conditions by rapidly generating high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen through a hydrogen vaporization unit that vaporizes liquid hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber and delivering it to a test liquid hydrogen safety valve, thereby ensuring the reliability of the performance evaluation data of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen.

[0010]

[0011] In particular, the present invention aims to provide a new type of safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen that enables the maximization of vaporization efficiency and precise control of the rate of pressure rise of vaporized hydrogen by inducing the vaporization of liquefied hydrogen through high-temperature hydrogen gas heated by a heater, and controlling a flow controller (MFC) that regulates the supply flow rate of the heater and the room-temperature hydrogen gas while detecting the temperature of the high-temperature hydrogen gas and the pressure and temperature of the liquefied hydrogen storage chamber, thereby ensuring increased efficiency of safety valve evaluation work and the stability and safety of the safety valve evaluation work.

[0012]

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a new type of evaluation device for a safety valve for liquid hydrogen that enables performance evaluation of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen to be conducted under safe and stable environmental conditions by providing a structure in which room temperature hydrogen gas or high-temperature hydrogen gas heated from room temperature hydrogen gas is delivered to a liquid hydrogen storage chamber at a supply flow rate precisely controlled through a flow controller (MFC), a high-pressure storage tank made of a cryogenic insulating material with minimized heat intrusion is used as the liquid hydrogen storage chamber, and high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen is delivered to a test liquid hydrogen safety valve through a vaporized hydrogen connection line having a bayonet-type vacuum double-pipe structure.

[0014]

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a new type of safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen that can operate safely under high pressure conditions by equipping it with an emergency safety device that automatically monitors the state of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber in real time and discharges the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the liquid hydrogen storage chamber or stops the operation of the hydrogen vaporization unit that vaporizes the liquid hydrogen when the chamber pressure or chamber temperature exhibits abnormal behavior.

[0016]

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a new type of safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen that enables simple and convenient safety valve performance evaluation in various locations without limitations on the experimental environment, by providing a structure in which components are mounted on a movable frame and an integrated distribution panel supplying power to each component is installed on the movable frame, unlike conventional fixed-type safety valve evaluation devices.

[0018] According to the features of the present invention for achieving the above-described purpose, the present invention comprises: a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) that generates liquid hydrogen and stores the liquid hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110); a hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that induces the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110); a vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) that is connected to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and discharges and moves high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen generated by the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110); and an evaluation sensor unit (400) composed of one or more measurement sensors that measure the state information of a test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) connected to the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

[0019] A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen is provided, characterized by performing an evaluation on the above test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) through which high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen passes.

[0020]

[0021] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is,

[0022] 1) In the process of heating the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) by the heat of room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to a heat exchanger (210) for vaporization inducing that surrounds the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) may be induced, and

[0023] 2) Vaporization of liquid hydrogen may be induced by heat directly transferred from room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), and

[0024] 3) In the process of heating the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) by the heat of the room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is heated, the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is induced to vaporize, while the liquid hydrogen may also be induced to vaporize by the heat directly transferred from the room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

[0025]

[0026] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) includes a flow controller (230) that precisely controls the supply flow rate of room temperature hydrogen gas, and

[0027] The pressure rise rate of the cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) can be controlled by the flow controller (230).

[0028]

[0029] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) may include a control module (240) that controls the vaporization of liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) by dividing it into multiple stages, provided that the hydrogen vaporization stage multi-stage control algorithm (241) is provided.

[0030]

[0031] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention is installed in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and comprises a plurality of measurement sensors that detect chamber state information including chamber pressure and chamber temperature, wherein the measurement sensors are configured to be suitable for a cryogenic environment and include a sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber.

[0032] The control module (240) of the above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) can precisely control the supply flow rate of the flow controller (230) according to the chamber pressure and chamber temperature transmitted in real time from the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber, and thereby control the pressure and temperature of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen discharged to the above vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) in real time.

[0033]

[0034] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) comprises: a heater (280) that heats room temperature hydrogen gas to generate high temperature hydrogen gas at a temperature higher than room temperature; and a temperature sensor (270) that detects the temperature of the high temperature hydrogen gas generated by the heater (280).

[0035] The control module (240) of the above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) can precisely control the supply flow rate of the flow controller (230) and the heating control of the heater (280) according to the chamber pressure and chamber temperature transmitted in real time from the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber and the high temperature hydrogen gas temperature transmitted in real time from the temperature sensor (270), thereby controlling the pressure and temperature of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen discharged to the above vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) in real time.

[0036]

[0037] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) includes a hydrogen gas storage tank (250) in which a set amount of room temperature hydrogen gas is stored, thereby enabling stable supply of room temperature hydrogen gas and control of the supply amount.

[0038]

[0039] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) includes a heater (280) for heating room temperature hydrogen gas, so that high temperature hydrogen gas at a temperature higher than room temperature can 1) heat the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) or 2) be supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) to maximize the vaporization of liquid hydrogen.

[0040] Here, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) includes a temperature control module (260) that controls the temperature of the high-temperature hydrogen gas passing through the heater (280).

[0041] High-temperature hydrogen gas, which can be temperature-controlled while passing through the temperature control module (260), can 1) heat the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) or 2) be supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) to maximize the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen.

[0042]

[0043] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) comprises: a pre-cooling device (130) that generates pre-cooled hydrogen gas by pre-cooling room temperature hydrogen gas to a temperature of 80K or lower; a main cooling device (140) that generates liquid hydrogen by cooling the pre-cooled hydrogen gas to a temperature of 20K or lower through a cryogenic heat exchanger (142) connected to a cryogenic cooler (141); and a gas line opening / closing valve (150) that is installed in a gas line (120) connecting the pre-cooling device (130) and the main cooling device (140) to open and close the gas line (120) and is structured to be suitable for a cryogenic environment.

[0044] The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) may supply room temperature hydrogen gas to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) while the gas line (120) is closed by the gas line shut-off valve (150) and the supply of pre-cooled hydrogen gas to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is blocked.

[0045]

[0046] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention comprises: a sensor unit (112) for a storage chamber that is installed in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and is composed of a plurality of measurement sensors that detect chamber state information including chamber pressure and chamber temperature, wherein the measurement sensors are structured to be suitable for a cryogenic environment; and an emergency safety device (500) that, when the chamber pressure or chamber temperature monitored in real time by the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber shows abnormal behavior, 1) discharges high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), or 2) stops the operation of the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that vaporizes the liquid hydrogen.

[0047] The above emergency safety device (500) is,

[0048] It may be provided with a discharge line (510) connected to a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and separated and arranged independently from the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

[0049]

[0050] In the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) is formed with a bayonet-type vacuum double pipe structure, thereby minimizing heat intrusion through the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

[0051]

[0052] In the evaluation device for a safety valve for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention, the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) may be a high-pressure storage tank made of a material that is resistant to hydrogen embrittlement and capable of withstanding the pressure target value range of the cryogenic vaporized hydrogen according to the test requirements of the test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10).

[0053]

[0054] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention may include: a movable frame (700) equipped with wheels (710) and fixedly installed thereon, wherein the hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), hydrogen vaporization unit (200), vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), and evaluation sensor unit (400); and an integrated distribution panel (800) fixedly installed on the movable frame (700), connected to an external power supply, and supplying power to the hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), hydrogen vaporization unit (200), and evaluation sensor unit (400).

[0055] According to the present invention, 1) liquid hydrogen can be produced directly and vaporized to efficiently evaluate the performance of safety valves, and since an external supply of liquid hydrogen is not required, safety valve evaluation can be conducted safely and efficiently. In addition, 2) safety and reliability of the evaluation process can be ensured by safely generating and storing high-pressure vaporized hydrogen in a cryogenic environment. Furthermore, 3) the efficiency of liquid hydrogen production is increased through a pre-cooling device that pre-cools room-temperature hydrogen gas to a temperature of 80K or lower and a cryogenic cooler that cools the pre-cooled hydrogen gas to a temperature of 20K or lower, thereby enabling smooth performance evaluation of various liquid hydrogen systems, including safety valves for liquid hydrogen, in various environments. In addition, 4) a high-pressure storage tank made of cryogenic insulating material is used as a liquid hydrogen storage chamber, and high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen is delivered to a test liquid hydrogen safety valve through a vaporized hydrogen connection line with a bayonet-type vacuum double-pipe structure. This structure minimizes heat intrusion, maintaining the vaporized hydrogen in a stable state, and allows the performance evaluation of the liquid hydrogen safety valve to be conducted under safe and stable environmental conditions. 5) It can be easily moved via a movable frame, and power is supplied to each component through an integrated distribution panel that allows for easy connection to external power. This reduces limitations on the experimental environment, increases flexibility and efficiency, and enables the safety valve performance evaluation to be conducted simply and conveniently in various locations.

[0056] FIG. 1 is a basic configuration block diagram of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the present invention;

[0057] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the basic principle of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the present invention;

[0058] FIGS. 3(a) to (c) are conceptual diagrams for showing the liquid hydrogen vaporization induction configuration of a safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention;

[0059] FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a heat exchanger for inducing vaporization of a hydrogen vaporization unit according to the present invention;

[0060] FIG. 5 is a drawing for showing a configuration in which a room temperature vaporized hydrogen connection line of a hydrogen vaporization unit according to the present invention is inserted into a liquid hydrogen storage chamber;

[0061] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the flow rate control configuration of a hydrogen vaporization unit according to the present invention;

[0062] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a room temperature hydrogen gas temperature control of a hydrogen vaporization unit according to the present invention;

[0063] FIG. 8 is a block diagram for showing the gas line opening and closing configuration of a hydrogen liquefaction unit according to the present invention;

[0064] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the connection configuration of an emergency safety device of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the present invention;

[0065] FIG. 10 is a drawing for showing a movable frame and an integrated distribution panel of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the present invention;

[0066] FIG. 11 is a drawing for showing the connection relationships between the main components of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] FIG. 12 is a drawing for showing the connection relationships between the main components of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] FIG. 13 is a drawing for showing the connection relationships between the main components of a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] FIG. 14 is an example diagram of the detailed configuration of a hydrogen liquefaction unit, a hydrogen vaporization unit, and a vaporized hydrogen connection line constituting a safety valve evaluation device for liquefied hydrogen according to the present invention;

[0070] FIG. 15 is a graph of experimental results obtained through the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention.

[0071] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Meanwhile, in the drawings and detailed description, the illustration and mention of configurations and operations that are easily understood by those skilled in the art have been simplified or omitted. In particular, in the drawings and detailed description, detailed descriptions and illustrations of specific technical configurations and operations of elements not directly related to the technical features of the present invention have been omitted, and only the technical configurations related to the present invention have been briefly illustrated or described.

[0072]

[0073] The evaluation device for a safety valve for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention is configured to include a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), a hydrogen vaporization unit (200), a vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), and an evaluation sensor unit (400) as shown in FIG. 1, and performs a performance evaluation of a test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) through which high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen passes. High-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen can be delivered to the test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) at a pressure of 12 bar, but the pressure value of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen is not limited to this.

[0074]

[0075] The hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) is a unit that generates liquid hydrogen and stores liquid hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110). Here, a high-pressure storage tank made of a material resistant to hydrogen embrittlement and capable of withstanding the pressure target value range of cryogenic vaporized hydrogen according to the test requirements of the test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) can be used as the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110). The liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is arranged to be wrapped in multiple layers of insulating material (vacuum insulating layer and liquid nitrogen insulating layer, etc.) as shown in FIG. 14 to minimize heat intrusion, and can be placed inside a cryostat.

[0076] The hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) can be implemented in various configurations and can be configured to include a pre-cooling device (130) and a main cooling device (140).

[0077] The pre-cooling device (130) is a device that generates pre-cooled hydrogen gas by pre-cooling hydrogen gas to a temperature of 80K or lower. The pre-cooling device (130) may pre-cool hydrogen gas using liquid nitrogen or may pre-cool hydrogen gas using a cryogenic cooler, and a copper pipe wound in a circular shape may be used for heat exchange.

[0078] The main cooling device (140) is a device that generates liquid hydrogen by cooling pre-cooled hydrogen gas to a temperature of 20K or lower through a cryogenic heat exchanger (142) connected to a cryogenic cooler (141). The cryogenic heat exchanger (142) may be made of copper and may be attached to the cold head of the cryogenic cooler (141). An indium sheet may be inserted between the cold head of the cryogenic cooler (141) and the cryogenic heat exchanger (142) for the purpose of increasing contact efficiency. Additionally, the cryogenic heat exchanger (142) may be manufactured in a fin shape to maximize heat exchange efficiency.

[0079] Such a preliminary cooling device (130) and a main cooling device (140) can be implemented based on the configuration disclosed in Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2469622 "Condensed hydrogen liquefaction device" filed by the applicant.

[0080]

[0081] The hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is a unit that induces the vaporization of liquid hydrogen stored in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110). The hydrogen vaporization unit (200) according to an embodiment of the present invention vaporizes the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) using room temperature hydrogen gas or high temperature hydrogen gas heated from room temperature hydrogen gas.

[0082]

[0083] The vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) is connected to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), and is a line that discharges high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen, which is generated as vaporized hydrogen accumulates in the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) due to the continuous vaporization of liquid hydrogen as shown in FIG. 2, from the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and moves it to the test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10). Here, the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed with a bayonet-type vacuum double-pipe structure to minimize heat intrusion through the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

[0084]

[0085] The evaluation sensor unit (400) is composed of one or more measurement sensors that measure the status information of the test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) connected to the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), thereby enabling real-time monitoring and evaluation of the behavior of the test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) under high pressure and cryogenic conditions.

[0086]

[0087] Here, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) can induce vaporization of the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) by the heat of the room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the vaporization-inducing heat exchanger (210) surrounding the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) as in FIG. 3 (a). The vaporization-inducing heat exchanger (210) may be composed of a coil-type heat exchanger (210a) surrounding the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) as in FIG. 4, and the coil-type heat exchanger (210a) may be formed by winding a copper pipe into a coil shape and attaching it to the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110). And the room temperature hydrogen gas connection line (220) of the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) may be equipped with a heat exchanger connection pipe (221) connected to a heat exchanger (210) for inducing vaporization.

[0088] In contrast, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) can induce the vaporization of liquid hydrogen by heat directly transferred from room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) as in FIG. 3 (b). To this end, the room temperature hydrogen gas connection line (220) may be equipped with a chamber insertion tube (222) that is inserted into the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) as in FIG. 5.

[0089] In addition, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) may maximize the vaporization of liquid hydrogen by combining the two liquid hydrogen vaporization induction configurations described above. That is, 3) as shown in (c) of FIG. 3, the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is heated by the heat of the room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the vaporization induction heat exchanger (210) surrounding the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), thereby inducing the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), while also inducing the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen by the heat directly transferred from the room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

[0090]

[0091] Meanwhile, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention may be equipped with a sensor unit (112) for a storage chamber installed in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber is composed of a plurality of measurement sensors that detect chamber state information including chamber pressure, chamber temperature, and liquid hydrogen level, and the measurement sensors are structured to be suitable for a cryogenic environment.

[0092] And the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) may be equipped with a flow controller (230), a control module (240), and a hydrogen gas storage tank (250) as shown in FIG. 6.

[0093] The flow controller (230) precisely controls the supply flow rate of room temperature hydrogen gas, and the pressure rise rate of the cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) can be controlled by the flow controller (230).

[0094] The control module (240) precisely controls the supply flow rate of the flow controller (230) according to the chamber pressure and chamber temperature transmitted in real time from the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber, thereby controlling the pressure and temperature of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen discharged to the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) in real time. Additionally, the control module (240) may be equipped with a hydrogen vaporization stage multi-stage control algorithm (241), through which, when necessary, the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is controlled by dividing it into multiple stages.

[0095] The hydrogen gas storage tank (250) stores a set amount of room temperature hydrogen gas, and by providing the hydrogen gas storage tank (250), it becomes possible to stably supply room temperature hydrogen gas and control the supply amount.

[0096]

[0097] In addition, the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) according to the present invention may be equipped with a heater (280), a temperature sensor (270), and a temperature control module (260) as shown in FIG. 7.

[0098] The heater (280) heats room temperature hydrogen gas to generate high temperature hydrogen gas at a temperature higher than room temperature, and the vaporization of liquid hydrogen can be maximized by the high temperature hydrogen gas at a temperature higher than room temperature. The temperature sensor (270) detects the temperature of the high temperature hydrogen gas generated by the heater (280). The temperature control module (260) controls the temperature of the high temperature hydrogen gas that has passed through the heater (280), and the temperature of the high temperature hydrogen gas is controlled as it passes through the temperature control module (260) when necessary.

[0099] Here, the control module (240) precisely controls the supply flow rate of the flow controller (230), the heating control of the heater (280), and the temperature control of the temperature control module (260) according to the chamber pressure and chamber temperature transmitted in real time from the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber and the high temperature hydrogen gas temperature transmitted in real time from the temperature sensor (270), thereby controlling the pressure and temperature of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen discharged through the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) in real time.

[0100]

[0101] Meanwhile, the hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) of the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention may be equipped with a pre-cooling device (130) that generates pre-cooled hydrogen gas by pre-cooling room temperature hydrogen gas to a temperature of 80K or lower as shown in FIG. 8, a main cooling device (140) that generates liquid hydrogen by cooling the pre-cooled hydrogen gas to a temperature of 20K or lower through a cryogenic heat exchanger (142) connected to a cryogenic cooler (141), and a gas line opening / closing valve (150) installed in a gas line (120) connecting the pre-cooling device (130) and the main cooling device (140) to open / close the gas line (120). In a state where the supply of pre-cooled hydrogen gas to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is blocked by closing the gas line (120) by the gas line opening / closing valve (150), room temperature hydrogen gas is supplied to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

[0102]

[0103] In addition, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention may be equipped with an emergency safety device (500) as shown in FIG. 9. When the chamber pressure or chamber temperature, which is monitored in real time by the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber, shows abnormal behavior, the emergency safety device (500) 1) urgently discharges the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), or 2) suppresses the generation of vaporized hydrogen by stopping the operation of the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that vaporizes the liquid hydrogen. Such an emergency safety device (500) discharges the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen through a discharge line (510) connected to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110). The discharge line (510) is separated and arranged independently from the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

[0104]

[0105] In addition, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention may be equipped with a movable frame (700) and an integrated distribution board (800) as shown in FIG. 10.

[0106] The movable frame (700) is fixedly installed with a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), a hydrogen vaporization unit (200), a vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), and an evaluation sensor unit (400), and wheels (710) are mounted on the bottom surface of the movable frame (700) so that it can move.

[0107] The integrated distribution board (800) is fixedly installed on a movable frame (700) and is connected to an external power supply unit, and supplies power to a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), a hydrogen vaporization unit (200), and an evaluation sensor unit (400).

[0108]

[0109] Meanwhile, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention comprises 1) a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), a hydrogen vaporization unit (200), a vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), and an evaluation sensor unit (400) as essential components, and 2) optional additional components such as a gas line opening / closing valve (150), a flow controller (160)(230), a hydrogen gas storage tank (190)(250), a control module (240), a temperature control module (260), a temperature sensor (270), an emergency safety device (500), an emergency safety device (500), and an integrated distribution panel (800), wherein the optional additional components can be selected and combined in various ways. Through this, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention can be implemented in various embodiments as described below. Of course, it is obvious that the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments below and can be implemented in various other embodiments.

[0110]

[0111] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 11 comprises a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), a hydrogen vaporization unit (200), a vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), an evaluation sensor unit (400), an emergency safety device (500), and a room temperature hydrogen gas discharge line (600).

[0112] 1) A hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a hydrogen gas storage tank (190), a flow controller (160), a check valve (170), a pressure sensor (180), a pre-cooling device (130), a gas line (120), and a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) are arranged in sequence. Of course, the arrangement order of some components may vary. In addition, a main cooling device (140) connected to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is composed of a cryogenic cooler (141) and a cryogenic heat exchanger (142).

[0113] 2) The hydrogen vaporization unit (200) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a hydrogen gas storage tank (250), a flow controller (23), a check valve (290), a pressure sensor (290'), and a room temperature hydrogen gas connection line (220) are arranged in sequence. Of course, the arrangement order of some components may vary. The room temperature hydrogen gas connection line (220) induces heating of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) through a heat exchanger connection pipe (221) and a chamber insertion pipe (222), while simultaneously supplying room temperature hydrogen gas to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

[0114] 3) In the first embodiment of the present invention, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor (320), a needle valve (330), a vacuum gauge (340), a vacuum valve (350), and a vacuum pump (360) are sequentially arranged in the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), and in the first embodiment of the present invention, a needle valve (520) and a check valve (530) are sequentially arranged in the discharge line (510). Of course, the order of arrangement of some components may vary.

[0115] 4) The room temperature hydrogen gas discharge line (600) according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a pipe through which room temperature hydrogen gas is discharged from a heat exchanger (210) for vaporization induction on the outer surface of a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) through a heat exchanger connecting pipe (221) of a room temperature hydrogen gas connection line (220), and is connected to a discharge line (510), and a check valve (610) is also installed in the room temperature hydrogen gas discharge line (600).

[0116]

[0117] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the second embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 12 is configured such that a heater (280) is additionally disposed in the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and a gas line opening / closing valve (150) is additionally disposed in the hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Of course, it is obvious that components other than the heater (280) and the gas line opening / closing valve (150) may be added.

[0118]

[0119] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the third embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 13 illustrates that a hydrogen gas storage tank (190) (250) in which a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) and a hydrogen vaporization unit (200) are used can be implemented as a single tank.

[0120]

[0121] The safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can safely and efficiently conduct safety valve evaluation without the need to separately supply hydrogen from the outside by directly producing liquid hydrogen through a hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) that liquefies hydrogen gas and stores it in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110). Furthermore, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the embodiment of the present invention can increase the efficiency of safety valve evaluation work by rapidly generating high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen through a hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that vaporizes the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and delivering it to a test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10), thereby enabling the performance of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen to be evaluated under actual usage environmental conditions, and thereby ensuring the reliability of the performance evaluation data for the safety valve for liquid hydrogen. FIG. 15 shows a graph of the results of a test on pressure change according to pressure rise inside a liquid hydrogen storage chamber and operation of the safety valve, in which a safety valve for a liquid hydrogen transport tank manufactured by MTH Control Valve Co., Ltd. with a standard of 12 bar is connected as a sample to a safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to an embodiment of the present invention, and under conditions of a temperature range (20±15)℃ and a humidity range (65±20)%, it is confirmed that it operates well within the error range. The present invention can guarantee the reliability of such test results.

[0122] In particular, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to the embodiment of the present invention induces the vaporization of liquid hydrogen through high-temperature hydrogen gas heated by a heater (280) to room-temperature hydrogen gas, and by controlling a flow controller (230) that controls the supply flow rate of the heater (280) and room-temperature hydrogen gas while detecting the temperature of the high-temperature hydrogen gas and the pressure and temperature of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), it becomes possible to maximize the vaporization efficiency and precisely control the rate of increase in the pressure of the vaporized hydrogen, thereby increasing the efficiency of the safety valve evaluation work and ensuring the stability and safety of the safety valve evaluation work. In addition, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a structure in which room temperature hydrogen gas or high temperature hydrogen gas heated from room temperature hydrogen gas is delivered to a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) at a supply flow rate precisely controlled through a flow controller (230), a high-pressure storage tank made of a cryogenic insulating material with minimized heat intrusion is used as the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), and high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen is delivered to a test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) through a vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) having a bayonet-type vacuum double-pipe structure, thereby enabling the performance evaluation of the safety valve for liquid hydrogen to be conducted under safe and stable environmental conditions. In addition, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to an embodiment of the present invention is equipped with an emergency safety device (500) that automatically monitors the condition of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) in real time and discharges the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) or stops the operation of the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that vaporizes the liquid hydrogen when the chamber pressure or chamber temperature shows abnormal behavior, thereby enabling safe operation in high-pressure situations.In addition, unlike conventional fixed-type safety valve evaluation devices, the safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a structure in which components are mounted on a movable frame (700) and an integrated distribution panel (800) that supplies power to each component is installed on the movable frame (700), thereby enabling the safety valve performance evaluation to be performed simply and conveniently in various locations without limitations on the experimental environment.

[0123]

[0124] Although a safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above has been illustrated in accordance with the above description and drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that this is merely an example and that various changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) that generates liquid hydrogen and stores the liquid hydrogen in a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110); A hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that induces the vaporization of liquid hydrogen stored in the above liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110); A vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) connected to the above liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and for discharging and transporting high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen generated by the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen from the above liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110); The configuration comprises an evaluation sensor unit (400) consisting of one or more measurement sensors that measure the status information of a test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) connected to the above-mentioned vaporized hydrogen connection line (300). A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen characterized by performing an evaluation of the above test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10) through which high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen passes.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen characterized by inducing vaporization of liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) during the process in which the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is heated by the heat of room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to a heat exchanger (210) for vaporization inducing that surrounds the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

3. In Paragraph 1, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen characterized by inducing vaporization of liquid hydrogen by heat directly transferred from room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

4. In Paragraph 1, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen characterized by 1) inducing vaporization of liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) by the heat of room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to a heat exchanger (210) for vaporization inducing that surrounds the outer surface of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), while 2) inducing vaporization of liquid hydrogen by heat directly transferred from the room temperature hydrogen gas supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

5. In any one of paragraphs 2 through 4, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, It includes a flow controller (230) that precisely controls the supply flow rate of room temperature hydrogen gas, and A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen characterized in that the pressure rise rate of cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is controlled by the flow controller (230).

6. In Paragraph 5, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including a control module (240) that controls the vaporization of liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) in multiple stages when necessary, and a multi-stage control algorithm (241) for the hydrogen vaporization stage.

7. In Paragraph 6, A sensor unit (112) for a storage chamber is installed in the above-mentioned liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and comprises a plurality of measurement sensors that detect chamber state information including chamber pressure and chamber temperature, wherein the measurement sensors are structured to be suitable for a cryogenic environment. The control module (240) of the above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by precisely controlling the supply flow rate of the flow controller (230) according to the chamber pressure and chamber temperature transmitted in real time from the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber, and thereby controlling the pressure and temperature of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen discharged to the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) in real time.

8. In Paragraph 7, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A heater (280) that heats room temperature hydrogen gas to generate high temperature hydrogen gas at a temperature higher than room temperature; and a temperature sensor (270) that detects the temperature of the high temperature hydrogen gas generated by the heater (280). The control module (240) of the above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen characterized by precisely controlling the supply flow rate of the flow controller (230) and the heating control of the heater (280) according to the chamber pressure and chamber temperature transmitted in real time from the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber and the high temperature hydrogen gas temperature transmitted in real time from the temperature sensor (270), thereby controlling the pressure and temperature of the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen discharged to the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) in real time.

9. In any one of paragraphs 2 through 4, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including a hydrogen gas storage tank (250) in which a set amount of room temperature hydrogen gas is stored, thereby enabling stable supply of room temperature hydrogen gas and control of the supply amount.

10. In any one of paragraphs 2 through 4, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including a heater (280) for heating room temperature hydrogen gas, wherein high-temperature hydrogen gas at a temperature higher than room temperature 1) heats the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) or 2) is supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) to maximize the vaporization of liquid hydrogen.

11. In Paragraph 10, The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, It includes a temperature control module (260) for controlling the temperature of high-temperature hydrogen gas that has passed through the heater (280); A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized in that high-temperature hydrogen gas, which can be temperature-controlled while passing through the temperature control module (260), 1) heats the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), or 2) is supplied to the internal space (111) of the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) to maximize the vaporization of the liquid hydrogen.

12. In any one of paragraphs 2 through 4, The above hydrogen liquefaction unit (100) is, A pre-cooling device (130) that generates pre-cooled hydrogen gas by pre-cooling room temperature hydrogen gas to a temperature of 80K or lower; a main cooling device (140) that generates liquid hydrogen by cooling the pre-cooled hydrogen gas to a temperature of 20K or lower through a cryogenic heat exchanger (142) connected to a cryogenic cooler (141); and a gas line opening / closing valve (150) installed in a gas line (120) connecting the pre-cooling device (130) and the main cooling device (140) to open and close the gas line (120) and having a structure designed to be suitable for a cryogenic environment. The above hydrogen vaporization unit (200) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized in that the gas line (120) is closed by the gas line shut-off valve (150) and the supply of pre-cooled hydrogen gas to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is cut off, and then room temperature hydrogen gas is supplied to the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110).

13. In Paragraph 1, A sensor unit (112) for a storage chamber, which is installed in the above-mentioned liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and comprises a plurality of measurement sensors that detect chamber state information including chamber pressure and chamber temperature, wherein the measurement sensors are structured to be suitable for a cryogenic environment; A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including: an emergency safety device (500) that, when the chamber pressure or chamber temperature monitored in real time by the sensor unit (112) for the storage chamber shows abnormal behavior, 1) discharges the high-pressure cryogenic vaporized hydrogen filling the liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110), or 2) stops the operation of the hydrogen vaporization unit (200) that vaporizes the liquid hydrogen.

14. In Paragraph 1, The above emergency safety device (500) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including: a discharge line (510) connected to a liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) and disposed separately from the vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

15. In Paragraph 1, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized in that the above-mentioned vaporized hydrogen connection line (300) is formed with a bayonet-type vacuum double-pipe structure to minimize heat intrusion through the above-mentioned vaporized hydrogen connection line (300).

16. In Paragraph 1, The above liquid hydrogen storage chamber (110) is, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by being a high-pressure storage tank made of a material that is resistant to hydrogen embrittlement and capable of withstanding the pressure target value range of the cryogenic vaporized hydrogen according to the test requirements of the above test liquid hydrogen safety valve (10).

17. In Paragraph 1, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including a movable frame (700) equipped with wheels (710), wherein the above-mentioned hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), hydrogen vaporization unit (200), vaporized hydrogen connection line (300), and evaluation sensor unit (400) are fixedly installed.

18. In Paragraph 18, A safety valve evaluation device for liquid hydrogen, characterized by including an integrated distribution board (800) that is fixedly installed on the above-mentioned movable frame (700), connected to an external power supply, and supplies power to the above-mentioned hydrogen liquefaction unit (100), hydrogen vaporization unit (200), and evaluation sensor unit (400).

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