Compressed Gas Tank With Insulated Wall Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressed gas tanks in road vehicles face issues with overheating due to high-pressure gas, leading to weight and size increases when trying to manage heat resistance, and result in slow filling and energy losses from heat exchangers.
Innovation Solution
A tank design featuring a cylindrical or spherical wall made of high-strength, lightweight materials like titanium, with an inner and outer panel separated by a gap containing connection elements and a cooling fluid pathway to manage temperature without prior cooling or slow gas introduction, allowing efficient heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the tank wall is made of light materials like carbon fibre to reduce weight, then the tank weight is reduced, but the tank becomes susceptible to overheating from high-temperature compressed gas
Solution Approach 1:
The tank wall is divided into multiple layers: an inner panel in direct contact with the compressed gas, an outer panel providing structural support, and intermediate insulation layers. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function - the inner panel resists thermal exposure while the outer panel maintains structural integrity, solving the contradiction between lightweight materials and heat resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank employs composite material construction with multiple layers including metallic or composite panels separated by insulation materials. This composite structure combines materials with different properties - some layers provide thermal insulation while others provide mechanical strength, enabling the tank to withstand high temperatures without requiring excessive wall thickness.
2Temperature
If the tank wall thickness is increased to resist heat from compressed gas, then the tank can withstand high temperatures, but the tank weight and size increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing overall wall thickness uniformly, the wall is segmented into functional layers with thin insulation materials between panels. This provides thermal protection without significantly increasing weight, as the insulation layers are much thinner than traditional thick-walled designs would require.
Solution Approach 2:
Thin insulation materials are introduced as intermediary layers between the inner and outer panels. These intermediary layers provide thermal resistance without adding significant weight or volume, allowing the tank to withstand high temperatures while maintaining a lightweight structure.
3Temperature
If heat exchangers are arranged upstream of the tank to cool the compressed gas, then the tank can be protected from overheating, but the system complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is extracted from external heat exchangers and integrated directly into the tank wall structure through insulation layers. This eliminates the need for separate upstream cooling devices, reducing system complexity while still providing effective thermal management of the compressed gas.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal protection function is merged into the tank wall itself through the multi-layer insulated structure. Instead of having separate cooling systems, the wall structure combines structural support and thermal insulation functions, simplifying the overall system design and reducing manufacturing complexity.
4Temperature
If the compressed gas is introduced very slowly to attenuate heating of the tank, then the tank overheating is reduced, but the filling time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation layers are pre-installed within the tank wall structure before gas filling operations. This preliminary preparation of thermal protection allows rapid gas filling to proceed without causing excessive heating, as the cooling effect is already in place rather than requiring slow filling rates.
Solution Approach 2:
Insulation materials act as intermediary elements within the wall structure that mediate between the hot compressed gas and the tank structure. This intermediary layer allows rapid gas introduction while still protecting the tank from excessive heating, eliminating the need for slow filling rates.
5Temperature
If upstream heat exchangers are used to cool compressed gas, then tank overheating is prevented, but energy losses occur due to gas flowing through heat exchangers
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management function is extracted from external heat exchangers and implemented through passive insulation within the tank wall. This eliminates energy losses associated with gas flow through external heat exchangers, as the insulation provides thermal protection without requiring gas to pass through additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank wall structure provides its own thermal management through integrated insulation layers, without requiring external cooling systems. The insulation material passively reduces heat transfer from the compressed gas to the tank structure, eliminating energy losses associated with active cooling systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces tank weight while maintaining structural integrity, enables rapid filling, and prevents deformations or perforations from high temperatures, making the tank lightweight, efficient, and cost-effective.
Implementation Method 1
The gap is configured to contain a cooling fluid and is in communication with said containing chamber so as to cool the compressed gas when said compressed gas is introduced into said containing chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A road vehicle having: a frame; four wheels, which are mounted on the frame in a rotary manner; a body, which covers the frame; a compressor, which produces a compressed gas; and at least one tank, which receives the compressed gas from the compressor and has a containing chamber, which is delimited by a wall. The wall of the tank includes: an inner panel, which directly delimits the containing chamber and is in contact with the compressed gas; and an outer panel, which completely surrounds the inner panel and is arranged parallel to the inner panel and at a constant distance from the inner panel.