Tank filling device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784409-B2
Application number	US-201314386515-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Mar 27, 2012
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A device for filling a tank with a pressurized gas, in particular with pressurized hydrogen, comprising a pressurized-gas source and a circuit for transferring gas from the source to the tank, the transfer circuit including a member for expanding and cooling the gas in order to lower the pressure and temperature of the gas from the source to respective values determined with a view to filling the tank, characterized in that the gas-expansion and cooling member includes a refrigerator that expands the gas by means of a Stirling or Ericsson thermodynamic cycle, the refrigerator being selectively supplied with gas from the source, and in that at least a portion of the cooled and expanded gas supplied to the tank is extracted from the refrigerator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for filling a tank with pressurized hydrogen, comprising a pressurized-gas source and a circuit for transferring gas from the source to the tank, the transfer circuit including a member for expanding and cooling the gas in order to lower a pressure and temperature of the gas from the source to respective values determined with a view towards filling the tank, wherein:
the gas expansion and cooling member includes at least one refrigerator that expands the gas by means of a Stirling or Ericsson thermodynamic cycle;
the refrigerator is selectively supplied with gas from the source; and
at least a portion of the cooled and expanded gas supplied to the tank is extracted from the refrigerator.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator is a thermoacoustic expansion valve.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator is a “pulse tube” expansion valve.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the gas expansion and cooling member includes at least one refrigerator comprising a cold end at least a portion of the gas supplied to the tank is taken from a gas outlet at the cold end.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the gas expansion and cooling member includes at least one refrigerator comprising a cold end;
at least a portion of the gas supplied to the tank is taken from a zone of the refrigerator other than the cold end; and
the gas that is taken from a zone of the refrigerator other than the cold end is cooled by heat exchange with said cold end.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one refrigerator comprises a first refrigerator and a second refrigerator each of which expands and cools the gas using a Stirling or Ericsson thermodynamic cycle;
each refrigerator has a respective cold end;
at least a portion of the gas supplied to the tank is taken from a zone of the first refrigerator other than the cold end thereof and supplies gas to the second refrigerator; and
at least a portion of the gas supplied to the tank is taken from the cold end of the second refrigerator.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the cold end of the first refrigerator is in heat exchange relationship with the second refrigerator in a zone of the second refrigerator other than the cold end thereof.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the gas expansion and cooling member includes at least one pulse-tube refrigerator including a regenerator supplied selectively with gas from the source, a pulse tube linked to the regenerator, and a phase-shift mechanism linked to the pulse tube, the pulse-tube refrigerator having a cold end and a hot end.

9. A method for filling a tank with pressurized hydrogen, comprising transferring the pressurized gas from a source of pressurized gas to the tank via a gas transfer circuit, the pressurized gas from the source is expanded and cooled before it enters the tank to be filled via at least one refrigerator expanding the gas using a Stirling or Ericsson thermodynamic cycle.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the at least one refrigerator is supplied selectively with gas from the source and in that the expanded; and
cooled gas supplied to the tank has passed through the at least one refrigerator.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the source of pressurized gas includes a recipient containing the gas at a pressure of between 200 and 1200 bar.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein before supplying the at least one refrigerator, the pressure of the gas coming from the source is adjusted to a first specific pressure below a pressure of the source.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first specific pressure is 20 to 100 bar less than the pressure of the source.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one refrigerator expands the gas to a second specific pressure between 100 bar and 300 bar.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a flow rate and/or a temperature of the gas supplied to the tank is controlled by adjusting values of the first and second specific pressures.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the source of pressurized gas includes a compressor supplying the gas at a pressure of between 200 and 1200 bar.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein before supplying the at least one refrigerator, the pressure of the gas coming from the source is adjusted to a first specific pressure below a pressure of the source.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first specific pressure is 20 to 100 bar less than the pressure of the source.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the at least one refrigerator expands the gas to a second specific pressure between 100 bar and 300 bar.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein a flow rate and/or a temperature of the gas supplied to the tank is controlled by adjusting values of the first and second specific pressures.

21. The method of claim 10 , wherein the source of pressurized gas includes a recipient containing the gas at a pressure of between 200 and 1200 bar and a compressor supplying the gas at a pressure of between 200 and 1200 bar.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein before supplying the at least one refrigerator, the pressure of the gas coming from the source is adjusted to a first specific pressure below a pressure of the source.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the first specific pressure is 20 to 100 bar less than the pressure of the source.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the at least one refrigerator expands the gas to a second specific pressure between 100 bar and 300 bar.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein a flow rate and/or a temperature of the gas supplied to the tank is controlled by adjusting the first and second pressure values.

26. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gas at high pressure from the source is cooled to a temperature of between −50° C. and −30° C. by the at least one refrigerator.

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• L'Air Liquide Société Anonyme Pour L'Étude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude

Inventors

• Aigouy Gerald
• Butterworth James

Classifications

• F17C2260/023

  Avoiding overheating · CPC title

• F17C2270/0184

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F17C2270/01

  for fluid transport or storage · CPC title

• F17C2225/036

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

• F17C2227/047

  by repeating a process cycle · CPC title