Gas Grid Hydrogen Concentration Visualization for Mixing Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems fail to effectively monitor and control the temporal changes in hydrogen concentration within a gas grid, which is crucial for ensuring safe and efficient hydrogen supply and demand, particularly when mixed with other gases like natural gas.

Innovation Solution

A hydrogen supply and demand system incorporating a visualization system that simulates and visualizes hydrogen concentration changes in a gas grid, considering gas flow, convection, and diffusion, using fluid and pipeline information to manage hydrogen concentration dynamically.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If hydrogen is supplied from production sites to consumption sites, then hydrogen can be utilized where needed, but transportation costs and losses increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehydrogen supply flexibilityVSAvoidhydrogen loss during transportation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the hydrogen supply system into multiple regional hubs instead of direct point-to-point transportation. Each hub serves a specific region, allowing hydrogen to be stored and distributed locally, thereby reducing long-distance transportation losses while maintaining supply flexibility to multiple consumption sites.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces hydrogen hubs as intermediary nodes between production and consumption sites. These hubs act as buffer points where hydrogen is stored, managed, and redistributed, reducing the need for direct long-distance transportation and minimizing energy losses while maintaining system flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If hydrogen is stored in large quantities at production sites, then supply stability is improved, but storage costs and safety risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehydrogen supply stabilityVSAvoidstorage infrastructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides large centralized storage into multiple smaller storage units distributed across regional hubs. This segmentation maintains supply stability through distributed reserves while reducing the complexity and safety risks associated with single large-scale storage facilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from centralized horizontal storage to a distributed network structure across multiple geographic dimensions. This spatial distribution maintains supply stability while reducing the complexity concentration in any single location.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If existing natural gas infrastructure is used for hydrogen distribution, then infrastructure costs are reduced, but hydrogen purity and quality control deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinfrastructure utilization easeVSAvoidhydrogen quality control
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces hydrogen hubs as intermediary facilities that mediate between existing natural gas infrastructure and hydrogen distribution. These hubs provide purification and quality control functions, ensuring hydrogen purity is maintained while utilizing existing infrastructure for cost-effective distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the quality control and purification functions from the distribution infrastructure itself and concentrates them in dedicated hub facilities. This allows existing infrastructure to be utilized for cost savings while specialized hubs maintain hydrogen quality standards.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4332426B1Hydrogen supply and demand system and hydrogen supply and demand method
Publication Date: 2026.05.20 HITACHI LTD
  • EP4332426B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4332426B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4332426B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a hydrogen supply and demand system and a hydrogen supply and demand method capable of visualizing a temporal change in a hydrogen concentration in a gas grid for appropriate monitoring and control of the hydrogen concentration. The hydrogen supply and demand system and the hydrogen supply and demand method, for a gas grid including a gas pipeline filled with hydrogen gas and other gas, output a simulation result in consideration of a gas flow, convection caused by gas extraction or injection under pressure, and a diffusion state, using fluid information in the gas grid, pipeline/gas injection mechanism shape information, and operation schedules of a hydrogen supply site and a gas use site as inputs, and visualize a temporal change in a hydrogen concentration at an arbitrary point in the gas grid.