Gas supply device and method for starting operation of gas supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10480715-B2
Application number	US-201816113983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A gas supply device for supplying a hydrogen gas to a dispenser of a hydrogen station includes: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling the gas before being discharged from the dispenser flows; a refrigerator that can cool the refrigerant; a cooling device that can cool the refrigerant by latent heat when liquid hydrogen changes to the hydrogen gas; and a control unit that performs control to activate the refrigerator while stopping the cooling device when a condition set in advance is satisfied after performing control to activate the cooling device in activation of the hydrogen station.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas supply device for supplying a gas to a dispenser of a gas station, the gas supply device comprising:
a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling all of a gas before being discharged from the dispenser flows;
a refrigerator configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path;
a cooling device configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path by latent heat of a liquefied gas; and
a control unit configured to perform control to activate the cooling device and the refrigerator when the gas station is activated, wherein
the control unit performs control to stop the cooling device when a condition set in advance is satisfied.

2. The gas supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to first perform control to activate the cooling device, and thereafter to perform control to stop the cooling device and control to activate the refrigerator when the condition set in advance is satisfied, in activating the gas station.

3. The gas supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform control to activate the cooling device and the refrigerator, and thereafter to perform control to stop the cooling device when the condition set in advance is satisfied, in activating the gas station.

4. The gas supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant flow path includes a refrigerant tank that stores the refrigerant,
the cooling device includes a liquefied gas flow path through which the liquefied gas flows, and
the liquefied gas flow path includes: a heat exchanger portion configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the liquefied gas; and a tank introduction portion connecting the heat exchanger portion and the refrigerant tank such that a gas generated by vaporization of the liquefied gas in the heat exchanger portion flows into the refrigerant tank.

5. The gas supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising a pump connected to the refrigerant flow path, wherein
the refrigerant flow path includes a refrigerant tank that stores the refrigerant,
the cooling device includes a liquefied gas flow path through which the liquefied gas flows, and
the liquefied gas flow path includes: a heat exchanger portion configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the liquefied gas; and a pump introduction portion connecting the heat exchanger portion and the pump such that a gas generated by vaporization of the liquefied gas in the heat exchanger portion flows into a casing of the pump.

6. The gas supply device according to claim 4 , wherein
the cooling device includes a flow rate regulating valve disposed in the liquefied gas flow path, and
the control unit is configured to perform control to open the flow rate regulating valve in the control to activate the cooling device.

7. The gas supply device according to claim 5 , wherein
the cooling device includes a flow rate regulating valve disposed in the liquefied gas flow path, and
the control unit is configured to perform control to open the flow rate regulating valve in the control to activate the cooling device.

8. The gas supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path, wherein
the control unit is configured to perform control to stop the cooling device when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than a temperature set in advance.

9. A method for starting an operation of a gas supply device including: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling all of a gas before being discharged from a dispenser of a gas station flows; a refrigerator configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path; and a cooling device configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path by latent heat of a liquefied gas, the method comprising:
performing control to activate the cooling device; and
performing control to activate the refrigerator while performing control to stop the cooling device when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the cooling device is activated.

10. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
detecting a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path by a temperature sensor; and
performing control to stop the cooling device when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than a temperature set in advance.

11. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9 , further comprising performing control to open a liquefied gas flow path connected to a liquefied gas tank in the control to activate the cooling device.

12. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and
causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a refrigerant tank which is provided in the refrigerant flow path and in which the refrigerant is stored.

13. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and
causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a casing of a pump provided in the refrigerant flow path.

14. A method for starting an operation of a gas supply device including: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling all of a gas before being discharged from a dispenser of a gas station flows; a refrigerator configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path; and a cooling device configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path by latent heat of a liquefied gas, the method comprising:
performing control to activate the cooling device and the refrigerator; and
performing control to stop the cooling device when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the cooling device and the refrigerator are activated.

15. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
detecting a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path by a temperature sensor; and
performing control to stop the cooling device when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than a temperature set in advance.

16. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14 , further comprising performing control to open a liquefied gas flow path connected to a liquefied gas tank in the control to activate the cooling device.

17. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and
causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a refrigerant tank which is provided in the refrigerant flow path and in which the refrigerant is stored.

18. The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Fujisawa Akitoshi
• Nagura Kenji

Classifications

• F17C2225/036

  Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars · CPC title

• F17C2270/0178

  Cars · CPC title

• F17C2225/0123

  gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC · CPC title

• F17C2270/0184

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F17C2223/036

  Very high pressure (>80 bar) · CPC title