Pulsed Gas Filling Control for High-Pressure Tank Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rapid filling of high-pressure gas containers, such as those on vehicles, poses challenges due to quasi-adiabatic gas compression, which causes temperature increases that can damage the tank structure, requiring precise control of filling processes to prevent overheating without the need for expensive high-pressure control valves.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that control the filling of pressurized gas containers by creating a fluidic passage between a high-pressure source and the container, with opening and closing sequences during predetermined time sub-intervals to maintain an instantaneous pressure curve that closely follows a theoretical straight line connecting initial and final pressures, using a valve with 'all or nothing' operation, eliminating the need for flow or temperature control valves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the filling flow rate is increased to reduce filling time, then productivity is improved, but the temperature of the gas rises rapidly causing harmful thermal effects on the tank structure
Solution Approach 1:
The filling process uses periodic opening and closing sequences of the fluidic passage during predetermined time sub-intervals. This pulsed filling approach allows the system to achieve high overall filling rates while providing thermal relief periods, preventing excessive temperature rise in the tank during the closing intervals.
2Temperature
If a high pressure control valve is used to control filling flow rate and temperature, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the temperature control function from the traditional high-pressure control valve system. By using periodic opening/closing sequences of a simple valve rather than continuous modulation, the system achieves temperature control without requiring expensive high-pressure control valves with flow modulation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling process is segmented into multiple predetermined time sub-intervals with opening and closing sequences. This temporal segmentation replaces the need for continuous flow control, achieving temperature management through discrete timing control rather than continuous valve modulation.
3Temperature
If the filling process is interrupted to control temperature, then temperature control is improved, but filling time increases reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of interrupting the filling process, the invention uses periodic opening and closing sequences that maintain continuous connection between source and container. The closing intervals provide thermal control while the opening intervals continue filling, achieving both temperature control and high productivity without process interruption.
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
This approach allows for efficient filling while maintaining the tank's temperature within safe limits, avoiding overheating and reducing the need for expensive control valves, ensuring the final pressure and temperature are within operational limits, thus ensuring the safety and efficiency of the filling process.
Implementation Method 1
Due to the quasi-adiabatic nature of the gas compression in the tanks and the high final pressures, the temperature of the gas inside the tanks rises rapidly
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The inventive method for filling a pressure gas container (1) from a gas source (2) pressure with a high pressure (Phs) for a predetermined filling time (Dab) selected or calculated prior to filling and at a determined temperature (T) consists in forming a connection in the form of a fluid passage (3) between the source (2) and container (1), in carrying out a plurality of the passage opening (O)-closing (F) sequences during predetermined sub-intervals (dti) of the predetermined filling time (Dab), wherein the curve (C1, C2) of a current pressure (Pci) in the container (1) follows, according to a time (t), a theoretical straight line (AB) linking the pressure measured prior to filling (Pci) and after (Psf) thereof during the filling time (Dab), the predetermined filling time (Dab) is subdivided into a number of the time sub-intervals (dti) ranging from two to several hundreds and having respective determined duration, preferably ranging from 5 and 20 seconds.