Method of recycling composite container for high-pressure gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016159649-A1
Application number	US-201514922119-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 24, 2015
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of recycling a composite container for a high-pressure gas is carried out so as to recover carbon fibers in a long fiber state, using a recovering apparatus that can separate the inner and outer containers of a composite container for a high-pressure gas such as a hydrogen tank and take carbon fibers out of the outer container without cutting it in order to recycle the composite container, in order to increase the degree of recovery of carbon fibers and improve the efficiency of recycling.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of recycling a composite container for a high-pressure gas, the method comprising the steps of:
separating a waste composite container for a high-pressure gas, which is composed of an inner container and an outer container, from a facility to which the composite container is attached; cutting the separated composite container; separating the inner container and the outer container from the separated composite container; melting the separated inner container thermally and reprocessing it to recycle; separating and recovering only carbon fibers in the separated outer container using thermal decomposition, with the separated outer container held on a recovery bar of an apparatus for recovering carbon fibers, the apparatus comprising the recovery bar where the separated outer container is held and a pair of supports for supporting the recovery bar; and recycling the recovered carbon fibers.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in the composite container, the inner container is a metal liner or a plastic liner and the outer container is made of carbon fiber-reinforced resin containing carbon fibers.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in the step of cutting the separated composite container, cutting is carried out according to any one manner of cutting the composite container into two sections, four section, and six sections.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus for recovering carbon fibers has a structure that a recovery bar is transversely fitted in recovery bard fixing rings formed at tops of a pair of supports for supporting the recovery bar, the recovery bar has screw type grooves for adjusting the gap between the supports and a plurality of fitting holes formed with regular intervals at the upper portion, a fiber separator that is fitted on the recovery bar is disposed over the recovery bar, and a plurality of needles is formed with regular intervals on the bottom of the fiber separator and inserted into the fitting holes of the recovery bar,
wherein a plurality of fixing holes for inserting insertions vertically extending up from the fixing rings of the supports and having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the inserts is formed at both end portions of the fiber separator.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the separated outer container is held on the recovery bar between the supports to be stable by adjusting the gap between the supports, the fiber separator is fixed on the outer container by fitting the inserts of the supports into appropriate ones of the fixing holes of the fiber separator, epoxy resin in the outer container is melted down and recovered downwardly by heating the outer container for thermal decomposition, and carbon fibers in the outer container remain while the epoxy resin is thermally decomposed, so that only the carbon fibers are naturally hung down on the recovery bar.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein a height of the recovery bar is adjusted by height adjustment portions of the supports so that the carbon fibers are maintained at a predetermined distance from a floor.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite container for a high-pressure gas is a hydrogen tank.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen tank is for a vehicle.

9 . An apparatus for recovering carbon fibers from a waste composite container for a high-pressure gas, which includes an outer container having carbon fibers, the apparatus comprising:
a recovery bar for holding the outer container cut off the composite container; and a pair of supports for supporting the recovery bar.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the apparatus for recovering carbon fibers has a structure that a recovery bar is transversely fitted in recovery bard fixing rings formed at tops of a pair of supports for supporting the recovery bar, the recovery bar has screw type grooves for adjusting the gap between the supports and a plurality of fitting holes formed with regular intervals at the upper portion, a fiber separator that is fitted on the recovery bar is disposed over the recovery bar, and a plurality of needles is formed with regular intervals on the bottom of the fiber separator and inserted into the fitting holes of the recovery bar,
wherein a plurality of fixing holes for inserting inserts vertically extending up from the fixing rings of the supports and having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the inserts is formed at both end portions of the fiber separator.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein gaps between the fitting holes of the recovery bar and gaps between the needles on the bottom of the fiber separator are the same such that the fitting holes and the needles can be fitted to each other in any cases.

12 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the fixing holes at both end portions of the fiber separator are configured to adjust the gap between the supports using the screw shape grooves to adjust the allowable width of the recovery bar and are formed in several numbers with a regular interval maintained so that they can be fitted into the inserts on the supports in the same width.

13 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the supports have bases formed at a bottom to be stably supported on a floor and height adjustment portions formed at the middle portion for allowing vertical height to be adjusted, so the supports are adjustable in height such that the circular surface of an outer container held on the recovery bar can maintain a sufficient gap from the ground, supporting the recovery bar and the fiber separator.

14 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the composite container is a hydrogen tank.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the hydrogen tank is for a vehicle.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• An Boo Youn
• Lee Dong Jun
• Jeong Kie Youn
• Koo Hong Mo
• Park Bong Hyun
• Hong Sung Joon

Classifications

• B60K15/03006

  Gas tanks (B60K15/07 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2015/03315

  for hydrogen · CPC title

• C01B32/05 Primary

  Preparation or purification of carbon not covered by groups C01B32/15, C01B32/20, C01B32/25, C01B32/30 · CPC title

• F23G5/027

  pyrolising or gasifying stage (pyrolisation of sludge C02F11/00; destructive distillation of carbonaceous materials C10B53/00) · CPC title

• C08J11/12 Primary

  by dry-heat treatment only · CPC title