Station and method for filling one or more tank(s)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11530781-B2
Application number	US-202117153812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2021
Priority date	Jan 20, 2020
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

Station for filling one or more tank(s) with pressurized gas, in particular pressurized hydrogen, comprising at least two pressurized gas source stores, a transfer pipe having an upstream end connected parallel to the source stores and a downstream end intended to be connected to a tank to be filled, the station comprising a valve assembly for controlling the transfer of gas between the sources and the tank to be filled and an electronic controller connected to the valve assembly and configured to control the valve assembly, the electronic controller being configured to implement successive transfers of gas between the source stores and the tank to be filled via successive pressure balancing sequences, the electronic controller being configured to determine the temperature attained by the gas in the source stores or by the source stores during transfers of gas and, when said attained temperature is below a determined threshold, to prevent or to interrupt this transfer of gas or to reduce the flow of gas transferred during said transfer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A station for filling one or more tank(s) with pressurized hydrogen gas, comprising at least two pressurized gas source stores, a transfer pipe having an upstream end connected parallel to the source stores and a downstream end intended to be connected to a tank to be filled, a valve assembly for controlling the transfer of gas between the sources and the tank to be filled, and an electronic controller connected to the valve assembly and configured to control the valve assembly, the electronic controller being configured to implement successive transfers of the pressurized hydrogen gas between the source stores and the tank to be filled via successive pressure balancing sequences, wherein the electronic controller is configured to:
use a predictive module for computing a predicted temperature that is predicted to be attained by the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores or from the source stores during transfers of the pressurized hydrogen gas and,
when the predicted temperature is below a determined threshold corresponding to a minimum safety temperature allowed by the source stores, to prevent or to interrupt this transfer of the pressurized hydrogen gas or to reduce a flow of the pressurized hydrogen gas transferred during said transfer.

2. The station of claim 1 , further comprising a set of sensors for measuring the temperature of the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores, and in that the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of the values measured by the temperature measurement sensors, the temperature attained by the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores or by the source stores during transfers.

3. The station of claim 1 , further comprising a set of sensors for measuring the pressure of the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores, and in that the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of the values measured by the pressure measurement sensors.

4. The station of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor for measuring the ambient temperature, wherein the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of the value measured by the ambient temperature measurement sensor, the temperature attained by the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores or in the source stores during transfers.

5. The station of claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to determine the flow of the pressurized hydrogen gas transferred during transfers and the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of said flow value, the temperature attained by the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores or by the source stores during transfers.

6. The station of claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller comprises a memory storing a set of reference table(s) or charts of gas transfer conditions and the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of the reference table(s) or the charts of transfer conditions, the temperature attained by the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores or by the source stores during transfers.

7. The station of claim 1 , wherein before and/or during a transfer of the pressurized hydrogen gas, the electronic controller is further configured to compute a mass and enthalpy balance applied to the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source store and an energy exchange balance in the wall of the source store with the equation of the state of the pressurized hydrogen gas: equation of the ideal or real gases, and a balance of the thermal exchanges between the wall of the source store and the outside of the source store.

8. A method for filling one or more tank(s) with pressurized hydrogen gas with a station comprising at least two pressurized gas source stores, a transfer pipe having an upstream end connected parallel to the source stores and a downstream end intended to be connected to a tank to be filled, the method comprising the steps of:
performing successive transfers of the pressurized hydrogen gas between the source stores and the tank by pressure balancing sequences;
using a predictive module of an electronic controller to compute a predicted temperature that is predicted to be attained by the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores or by the source stores during transfers of the pressurized hydrogen gas;
comparing this predicted temperature with a determined threshold that corresponds to a minimum safety temperature allowed by the source stores; and
performing a computation of the predicted temperature that is lower than the determined threshold and preventing or interrupting this transfer or a step of reducing the flow of the transferred pressurized hydrogen gas when said predicted temperature is below said determined threshold.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of
measuring the temperature and/or a pressure of the pressurized hydrogen gas in the source stores before and/or during the transfer of the pressurized hydrogen gas,
wherein the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of the measured value of the temperature.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
measuring an ambient temperature before the transfer of the pressurized hydrogen gas,
wherein the predicted temperature is computed on the basis of the measured value of the ambient temperature.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of computing is performed before or at the start of the transfer of the pressurized hydrogen gas.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of determining the temperature is performed before the pressurized hydrogen gas is transferred from a first source store, and in that, after the step of determining the temperature, said method further comprises a step of determining the first amount of the pressurized hydrogen gas transferred by the first source store to the tank to be filled, until the time when the determined temperature attains the threshold, and in that, when this first amount of transferred pressurized hydrogen gas is below a determined amount, the method comprises a step of changing the source store in order to transfer the pressurized hydrogen gas via a second source store, i.e. without using the first source store to transfer the pressurized hydrogen gas.

Assignees

• Air Liquide

Inventors

• Allidieres Laurent
• Weber Mathilde
• Werlen Etienne

Classifications

• F17C2250/032

  using computers · CPC title

• F17C2260/026

  by calculation · CPC title

• F17C2260/025

  Reducing transfer time · CPC title

• F17C2250/0636

  Flow or movement of content · CPC title

• F17C13/025

  having the pressure as the parameter · CPC title