Pumping device, plant and method for supplying liquid hydrogen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12473899-B2
Application number	US-201917415685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Device for pumping liquid hydrogen including, arranged in series between an inlet for fluid to be compressed and an outlet for compressed fluid, a first compression member with a piston forming a first compression stage and a second compression member with a piston forming a second compression stage. The first compression member compresses the liquid hydrogen to a supercritical state. The second compression member compresses the supercritical hydrogen from the first compression member to an increased pressure, in particular, between 200 and 1000 bar.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device for pumping liquid hydrogen comprising, arranged in series:
an inlet for the liquid hydrogen to be compressed; a first compression component, forming a first compression stage, comprising at least one assembly that comprises a piston that is translationally movable in a sleeve; a second compression component, forming a second compression stage, comprising at least one assembly that comprises a piston that is translationally movable in a sleeve; and an outlet for supercritical hydrogen, further comprising a thermalization circuit comprising a first upstream end connected to a liquid hydrogen source, and at least one downstream end ensuring a thermal exchange between the liquid hydrogen and a shell, wherein: the first compression component is configured for compressing the liquid hydrogen into a supercritical state, wherein the second compression component is configured for compressing the supercritical hydrogen supplied by the first compression component to a pressure ranging between 200 and 1000 bar, wherein the piston of the at least one assembly of the first compression component is translationally movable in the respective sleeve at a determined movement speed, wherein the piston of the at least one assembly of the second compression component is translationally movable in the respective sleeve at a determined movement speed, wherein the determined movement speed of the piston of the at least one assembly of the first compression component is independent of the determined movement speed of the piston of the at least one assembly of the second compression component, wherein the first compression component and/or the second compression component is arranged in the shell forming a heat shield that is thermalized by a cooling fluid, and wherein the thermalization circuit comprises a portion connecting the shell to a compression chamber of the first or second compression components and configured to transfer at least some of the liquid hydrogen that has thermally exchanged with the shell to the compression chamber of the first compression component.

2 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a first motor moving the piston of the at least one assembly of the first compression stage and a second motor moving the piston of the at least one assembly of the second compression stage.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first compression component is suitable for and configured for compressing the liquid hydrogen to a pressure ranging between 13 and 200 bar.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first compression component is suitable for and configured for compressing the liquid hydrogen to a pressure ranging between 14 and 100 bar.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the determined movement speed of the piston of the at least one assembly of the first compression stage ranges between 0.02 m/s and 0.5 m/s and the determined movement speed of the piston of the at least one assembly of the second compression stage is below 2 m/s.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the determined movement speed of the piston of the at least one assembly of the first compression stage ranges between 0.02 m/s and 0.5 m/s and the determined movement speed of the piston of the at least one assembly of the second compression stage is below 1 m/s.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the piston of the at least one assembly of the first compression component and/or the piston of the at least one assembly of the second compression component is moved via a linear actuator drive mechanism ensuring axial guidance of the respective first compression component or second compression component piston in the respective first compression component or second compression component sleeve.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first compression component and/or the second compression component is thermally isolated in a vacuum.

9 . An installation for supplying pressurized liquid hydrogen comprising the device of claim 1 , the installation comprising the liquid hydrogen source and a transfer circuit that comprises a duct connecting the source to the inlet of the device suitable for and configured for supplying the liquid hydrogen to the device for compression thereof and delivery thereof to the outlet.

10 . The installation of claim 9 , further comprising at least one return duct having an upstream end connected to the device and a downstream end connected to the source and suitable for and configured for discharging gas vaporized inside the device to the source.

Assignees

• Air Liquide

Inventors

• Crispel Simon
• Thieu Anh Thao
• Coleiro Gaetan
• Durand Fabien
• Michalski Eric

Classifications

• F04B53/162

  Adaptations of cylinders · CPC title

• F04B53/06

  Venting · CPC title

• F04B23/06

  the pumps being all of reciprocating positive-displacement type · CPC title

• F04B2201/0202

  Linear speed of the piston · CPC title

• F04B2015/0822

  Hydrogen · CPC title