Hydrogen Manifold Sealing With Dye-Based Leak Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manifolds for high-pressure hydrogen gas distribution in fuel cell electric vehicles lack a stable structure to sense hydrogen gas leakage, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A manifold design featuring a manifold body with a fluid passage and port, a pipe inserted into the manifold body, a nut member coupled to the manifold body to support the pipe, and a sealing member with a sensing dye that discharges when fluid leaks, allowing for fluid leakage detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a manifold is designed with a simple structure for high-pressure fluid distribution, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to sense fluid leakage is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a sensing dye within the sealing member that changes color or becomes visible when exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas. This allows the manifold to detect fluid leakage through color change without adding complex sensing systems, thus maintaining structural simplicity while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If a sealing member is added to improve gas sealing, then the sealing performance is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sealing function and the sensing function into a single integrated sealing member. The sensing dye is embedded within the sealing member itself, so that one component performs both sealing and leakage detection, avoiding the need for separate sealing elements and sensing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing member is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides gas sealing between the nut member and manifold body, and simultaneously serves as a sensing element through the embedded dye that indicates leakage. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components.
3Ease of manufacture
If the sealing member is placed outside the pipe for easier installation, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to detect leakage at the pipe-manifold interface is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member acts as an intermediary element positioned between the nut member and the manifold body, outside the pipe. It provides a sealing interface while the sensing dye within it can detect leakage from both the pipe-manifold interface and the sealing interface itself, maintaining both ease of installation and detection capability.
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 manifold design enhances the stability of high-pressure fluid distribution, improves gas sealing, and enables real-time sensing of fluid leaks, thereby preventing safety accidents.
Implementation Method 1
the sealing member is configured to discharge the sensing dye out of the port along with the fluid flowing out of the port from the manifold fluid passage or the pipe fluid passage
Data Source
AI summary
A manifold can include a manifold body including a fluid passage allowing a fluid to flow and a port provided to discharge the fluid from the fluid passage, a pipe inserted into the port of the manifold body, and including a pipe fluid passage connected to the fluid passage when the pipe is inserted into the port, a nut member inserted into the port and coupled to the manifold body while supporting the pipe, and a sealing member provided to receive a sensing dye inside the sealing member and to discharge the sensing dye out of the port through the fluid flowing of the port from the fluid passage or the pipe fluid passage.