Hydrogen Filling Trap Tank for Water Separation During Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Water mixing with hydrogen during filling into hydrogen tanks is difficult to prevent due to the structure of the tanks, which can lead to water accumulation and potential apparatus damage.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen filling apparatus with a trap tank that includes a container portion with a spiral flow path and a porous wall to separate water from hydrogen before it reaches the tank, using a hydrogen supply unit, main pipe, and hydrogen supply branch pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hydrogen is filled into multiple tanks via a manifold, then filling efficiency is improved, but water accumulation in tanks becomes more severe
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the hydrogen supply path into separate lines for each tank, with individual flow control valves and water discharge ports. This segmentation allows water to be discharged from each tank independently while maintaining efficient parallel filling operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Water discharge ports are pre-configured in each tank before filling begins. The system performs preliminary water removal during the filling process, preventing water accumulation before it can cause damage to the hydrogen storage system.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a discharge port is added to each tank to remove water, then water removal capability is improved, but tank structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge ports serve multiple functions: they remove water during filling operations, provide a drainage path for condensate, and can be used for maintenance procedures. This multi-functionality justifies the structural modification without proportionally increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A water separation manifold is introduced as an intermediary component that collects water from multiple tanks through individual discharge ports and consolidates it for centralized disposal. This reduces the complexity of managing multiple separate drainage systems.
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 apparatus effectively excludes water from the hydrogen supply, preventing its entry into the tank and ensuring reliable hydrogen filling.
Implementation Method 1
a flow path extending spirally from the inlet toward the outlet
Implementation Method 2
A porous wall may be provided on an outer periphery of the spiral extending channel
Data Source
AI summary
A hydrogen filling device capable of suppressing mixing of water when filling a hydrogen tank with hydrogen. A hydrogen supply unit, a trap tank through which hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen supply unit, a main pipe which is a pipe extending from the trap tank, and a hydrogen supply branch pipe which is a pipe extending from the main pipe to the hydrogen tank, the trap tank includes a container portion, an inlet for flowing hydrogen into the container portion from the hydrogen supply unit, provided vertically above the inlet, and an outlet for flowing out the hydrogen from the container portion to the main pipe.