Fuel Supply System Valve Control for Hydrogen Discharge Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel supply systems for hydrogen gas in fuel cell systems discharge excessive hydrogen when all on-off valves open simultaneously, leading to inefficiency and increased variation in fuel tank usage.
Innovation Solution
A fuel supply system with a control unit that dynamically adjusts the number of on-off valves opened based on the situation, allowing for reduced fuel discharge and minimizing backflow, particularly by opening all valves during normal operation and reducing the number of open valves during failures or maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If all on-off valves are opened simultaneously to supply fuel from multiple tanks, then the fuel can be supplied efficiently and variation in tank usage is reduced, but excessive fuel is discharged during leakage checks and maintenance operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the number of on-off valves opened based on operational requirements. During normal fuel supply operations, all valves are opened to maximize efficiency and balance tank usage. During leakage checks or maintenance, the control unit limits the number of open valves to minimize fuel discharge, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and substance loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes the operational parameter (number of open valves) according to the situation. By varying this parameter between maximum (all valves open) and minimum (fewer valves open), the system optimizes fuel supply efficiency while preventing excessive fuel discharge during different operational phases.
2Reliability
If all on-off valves are opened simultaneously during leakage checks, then the hydrogen pipe can be checked for leakage, but a large quantity of hydrogen gas is discharged
Solution Approach 1:
During leakage checks, the system applies partial action by opening only the necessary number of valves rather than all valves. This provides sufficient hydrogen flow to detect leaks in the piping system while avoiding the excessive discharge that would occur if all valves were opened simultaneously.
3Loss of substance
If the number of open valves is reduced during maintenance or failure detection, then fuel discharge is minimized, but the system must dynamically adjust valve configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit incorporates feedback mechanisms to detect failures and determine when maintenance or leakage checks are required. Based on this feedback, the system automatically adjusts the number of open valves, eliminating the need for manual intervention while minimizing fuel discharge during maintenance operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The object of this invention is to provide a fuel supply system capable of reducing the quantity of a fuel to be discharged from a plurality of fuel tanks connected in parallel is provided. The fuel supply system includes a plurality of the fuel tanks for storing a fuel, on-off valves provided individually for the fuel tanks, and a control unit which controls the opening and closing of the on-off valves. The control unit changes the number of the on-off valves to be simultaneously opened according to a situation. The control unit may reduce the number of the on-off valves to be simultaneously opened after a failure is detected or at the time of maintenance of the fuel supply system.