Cryogenic Storage Tank Pump Layout to Reduce Heat Ingress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional piston pumps in liquefied gas storage tanks allow heat effusion from the exterior to the interior, leading to increased boil-off gas generation and fuel loss, especially during facility stoppages, which undermines the storage capacity and efficiency of liquefied hydrogen tanks.
Innovation Solution
A transfer system with a non-penetrating pump design, utilizing a sleeve and vacuum vessel structure, combined with a thermal shield and low-conductivity materials, minimizes heat input and vaporization loss by reducing the number of penetrating components and incorporating a refrigeration system to maintain a vacuum environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a piston pump with a driving shaft penetrating the tank is used, then the pump can be installed inside the storage tank, but heat effusion from the exterior to the interior increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump body is extracted from the interior of the storage tank and installed on the exterior surface. This eliminates the need for a driving shaft penetrating the tank wall, thereby removing the heat conduction path from the exterior to the interior through the pump components. The pump remains functional while no longer contributing to heat effusion.
Solution Approach 2:
A suction pipe serves as an intermediary component, extending from the interior of the tank to the exterior where the pump is located. This allows the pump to draw liquid hydrogen from the tank without requiring direct mechanical connection through the tank wall, thus maintaining the vacuum insulation integrity.
2Loss of energy
If materials with low heat conductivity are used for the sleeve and driving shaft, then heat effusion is reduced, but the effect is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The pump components that conduct heat (sleeve and driving shaft) are completely removed from the interior of the tank. By relocating the pump to the exterior, the limited heat reduction achieved by low-conductivity materials is replaced by complete elimination of the heat conduction path, significantly reducing boil-off gas generation.
3Loss of energy
If the number of penetrating members is reduced, then heat input to the tank is reduced, but the pump installation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is extracted from the interior and mounted on the exterior surface of the tank. This simplifies the installation structure by eliminating the need for complex penetrating mechanisms, drive shafts, and seals through the vacuum wall. The only penetration required is the suction pipe for liquid intake, which is simpler than mechanical drive connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The exterior-mounted pump utilizes the tank's own exterior surface as its mounting base, eliminating the need for separate support structures or complex internal mounting mechanisms. The pump serves itself by directly accessing the liquid through the suction pipe without requiring internal installation infrastructure.
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 system effectively reduces heat transfer and boil-off gas generation, maintaining stable storage conditions for liquefied gases, enhancing storage capacity and efficiency while preventing fuel loss.
Implementation Method 1
improved in heat insulation of liquefied gas to be stored therein by keeping the interval space of dual structures in vacuum
Implementation Method 2
combined with a thermal shield and low-conductivity materials, minimizes heat input
Implementation Method 3
incorporating a refrigeration system to maintain a vacuum environment
Implementation Method 4
the liquid hydrogen is sucked and transferred from the storage tank using a pump for pressurizing gas under predetermined pressure
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4(A)~4(B)
AI summary
There is provided a tank configured to reduce heat input to the tank by reducing the number of penetrating components with a superior space-saving property and a suitability for storage of liquid at an extremely low temperature. A storage tank (10) is equipped with a transport pipe (21) configured to be inserted into a first opening (11) formed at a reservoir (16) for a liquid (15), and a pump (30) that is disposed at the distal end of the transport pipe (21) inside of the reservoir (16) and applies flow pressure to the liquid (15) to flow toward an outside of the reservoir (16).