Hydrogen Pressure Regulator With Control-Piston Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure regulators for gaseous fuels, particularly hydrogen, face limitations in high mass throughputs, reliability, and responsiveness to varying fuel consumption and driving behavior, with mechanical regulators achieving control quality of less than 90% and electronic regulators being complex and limited to lower tank pressures.
Innovation Solution
A pressure regulator design featuring an electronically controllable valve and a control piston with a passage to reduce control pressure, allowing independent operation from input pressure and enabling precise control of fuel flow, with a single-stage design capable of handling high mass flows and variable pressure ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a mechanical pressure regulator with fixed spring-to-area ratio is used, then the device complexity is low, but the control accuracy deteriorates to less than 90% due to inability to compensate for decreasing tank pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the effective area of the control piston variable through a passage that reduces control pressure. This allows the regulator to adapt to changing tank pressure conditions, enabling control accuracy of over 99% while maintaining a relatively simple mechanical structure with an electronically controllable valve.
2Measurement precision
If additional sealing elements are added to create a pressure-balanced regulator, then the control accuracy improves to 95%, but the reliability deteriorates due to increased internal leakage and premature failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pressure balancing function from separate sealing elements and integrates it into the control piston design with a passage. This eliminates the need for additional sealing elements between high- and low-pressure sections, maintaining control accuracy of over 99% while improving reliability by reducing internal leakage paths.
3Productivity
If very large areas and very strong spring elements are used to handle high mass flow rates, then the productivity increases, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of control pressure by using a passage to reduce it, enabling the regulator to handle high mass flow rates (up to 16 g/s in heavy duty applications) without requiring very large valve areas or extremely strong spring elements. This maintains productivity while reducing device complexity and manufacturing effort.
4Measurement precision
If an electronically controlled valve is used for fine-tuning, then the control precision improves, but the device complexity increases and the gas mass flow rate is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses control pressure as an intermediary between the electronically controllable valve and the main valve. The electronic valve modulates control pressure, which then acts on the control piston to regulate the main fuel flow. This achieves precise pressure control with over 99% accuracy while handling high gas mass flow rates and maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
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 achieves control quality of over 99% with inlet pressures up to 860 bar and variable output pressures, supporting high mass flows and maintaining constant output pressure despite varying fuel consumption, with quick response to load changes and reduced pressure oscillations.
Implementation Method 1
a passage for the gaseous fuel which is configured to reduce the control pressure
Implementation Method 2
based at least on a pressure sensor signal indicating the pressure of the gaseous fuel at the outlet of the pressure regulator
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The present application relates to a pressure regulator for a gaseous fuel, in particular hydrogen gas, comprising an inlet for the gaseous fuel at an inlet pressure, an outlet for the gaseous fuel, a main valve comprising a main valve inlet, a main valve outlet, a main valve plane inlet, and a control piston in a housing that regulates the fuel flow from the inlet through the main valve to the outlet;and an electronically controllable valve, in particular a proportional valve, which is configured to deliver the inlet pressure via the main valve plane inlet to the control piston of the main valve as control pressure and thereby regulate the fuel flow, based at least on a pressure sensor signal indicating the pressure of the gaseous fuel at the outlet of the pressure regulator, wherein the main valve further comprises a passage for the gaseous fuel which is configured to relieve the control pressure acting on the control piston and is preferably arranged in the control piston and/or the housing.