Hydrogen station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9435488-B2
Application number	US-201214111681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2012
Priority date	Apr 26, 2011
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a hydrogen station that supplies hydrogen to an external hydrogen tank, the hydrogen station including: a reciprocating compressor that is driven by a driver of which revolution is controllable; a cooling device that is capable of cooling hydrogen supplied from the reciprocating compressor to the hydrogen tank; a temperature sensor that detects an internal temperature of the hydrogen tank or a temperature of the hydrogen supplied to the hydrogen tank; and a control unit that controls the revolution of the driver based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydrogen station for supplying hydrogen to an external hydrogen tank, the hydrogen station comprising:
a reciprocating compressor driven by a driver;
a cooling device for cooling the hydrogen supplied from the reciprocating compressor to the external hydrogen tank;
a return passage comprising an adjustment valve and causing a discharge side of the reciprocating compressor at an upstream side of the cooling device to communicate with a suction side of the reciprocating compressor;
a temperature sensor for detecting an internal temperature of the external hydrogen tank or a temperature of the hydrogen supplied to the external hydrogen tank; and
a control unit for adjusting an opening degree of the adjustment valve based on the temperature.

2. The hydrogen station according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit increases an opening degree of the adjustment valve when the temperature is higher than a reference temperature set based on an upper-limit temperature allowed in the external hydrogen tank, and
the control unit decreases the opening degree of the adjustment valve when the temperature is lower than the reference temperature.

3. A hydrogen station for supplying hydrogen to an external hydrogen tank, the hydrogen station comprising:
a first reciprocating compressor driven by a driver of which revolution is controllable;
an intermediate passage through which hydrogen compressed by the first reciprocating compressor flows;
a second reciprocating compressor connected to the first reciprocating compressor through the intermediate passage;
a cooling device for cooling the hydrogen supplied from the second reciprocating compressor to the external hydrogen tank;
a pressure sensor for detecting an internal pressure of the intermediate passage; and
a control unit for controlling the revolution of the driver driving the first reciprocating compressor based on the internal pressure.

4. The hydrogen station according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an intermediate pressure accumulator provided in a course of the intermediate passage and for storing the hydrogen flowing through the intermediate passage,
wherein the pressure sensor detects an internal pressure of the intermediate pressure accumulator as an internal pressure of the intermediate passage.

5. The hydrogen station according to claim 3 ,
wherein the control unit increases the revolution of the driver when the internal pressure is lower than a lower-limit threshold pressure in a pressure range set based on an allowable range of a suction pressure in the second reciprocating compressor, and
the control unit decreases the revolution of the driver when the internal pressure is higher than an upper-limit threshold pressure in the pressure range.

6. The hydrogen station according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a bypass passage comprising an adjustment valve and causing a suction side of the first reciprocating compressor to communicate with an upstream portion relative to an intermediate pressure accumulator in the intermediate passage,
wherein when the internal pressure is continuously higher than the upper-limit threshold pressure and the revolution of the driver reaches a predetermined lower limit value, the control unit opens the adjustment valve while maintaining the revolution at the predetermined lower limit value.

7. The hydrogen station according to claim 6 ,
wherein the adjustment valve is able to adjust an opening degree thereof, and
wherein when the internal pressure is continuously higher than the upper-limit threshold pressure even when the adjustment valve is opened so that the opening degree thereof becomes a predetermined opening degree, the control unit increases the opening degree of the adjustment valve as an elapse time from the opening of the adjustment valve becomes longer or a difference between the internal pressure and the upper-limit threshold pressure becomes larger.

Assignees

• Nagura Kenji
• Takagi Hitoshi
• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Nagura Kenji
• Takagi Hitoshi

Classifications

• F17C2270/0139

  Fuel stations · CPC title

• F17C2227/0185

  comprising several pumps or compressors · CPC title

• Y02E60/321

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F17C2227/0337

  by cooling · CPC title

• F17C5/06 Primary

  for filling with compressed gases · CPC title