Hydrogen Filling Method And Station

• US 20100212772A1
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: Allidieres, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 8,291,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/1
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/021 having the height as the parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/025 having the pressure as the parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/033 Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/046 in the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/035 High pressure, i.e. between 10 and 80 bars
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/046 in the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0135 Pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0408 Level of content in the vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/043 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2260/046 Enhancing energy recovery
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/031 by discharge
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/036 with heating
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0139 Fuel stations
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0184 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/007 for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 5/02 for filling with liquefied gases
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 9/00 Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied or solidified gases from vessels not under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 : Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2931 : Diverse fluid containing pressure systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6416 : With heating or cooling of the system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85978 : With pump
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86027 : Electric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86574 : Supply and exhaust

Abstract

Hydrogen filling station, in particular, for refilling vehicle tanks with hydrogen gas, comprising a source reservoir designed to hold liquid hydrogen (LH2), a pipe for withdrawing liquid hydrogen from the source reservoir to at least one user station, an electric cryogenic pump arranged within the withdrawing pipe and an electric power supply connected to the cryogenic pump to supply the same with electricity, characterized in that the electric energy supply comprises at least one fuel cell.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A hydrogen filling station, comprising a source tank intended to contain liquefied hydrogen (LH2), a withdrawing pipe for withdrawing the liquefied hydrogen from the source tank to at least one user station, an electric cryogenic pump positioned in the withdrawing pipe, an electric power source connected to the cryogenic pump to supply the latter with electricity, the electric power source comprising at least one fuel cell, and a degassing tank fluidically connected to the cryogenic pump via a degassing line in order to recover at least some of the hydrogen gas that evaporates within the pump.

15. The filling station of claim 14, wherein the degassing tank comprises a gas withdrawal outlet connected via a supply pipe to a fuel supply inlet of the fuel cell.

16. The filling station of claim 15, wherein the supply pipe comprises a heat exchanger intended to heat the gas from the degassing tank, and a control valve for controlling the gas admitted to the fuel supply inlet of the fuel cell.

17. The filling station claim of 15, wherein the supply pipe comprises a dump valve that discharges the gas to the atmosphere in the event of a set overpressure in the supply pipe.

18. The filling station of claim 15, wherein the withdrawing pipe for withdrawing liquid hydrogen from the source tank comprises, positioned downstream of the pump, a heat exchanger intended to heat up the withdrawn hydrogen, and a regulating valve.

19. The filling station of claim 14, wherein the filling station further comprises a switching and regulating member for switching and regulating the electric supply power delivered to the pump, this member being connected, on the one hand, to an electric power output of the fuel cell and, on the other hand, to the electric supply input of the pump, the electric power source also comprising an electricity distributing network connected to the switching and regulating member, said switching and regulating member being designed selectively to allow the pump to be electrically powered by the network and/or the fuel cell or electrical power delivered by the fuel cell to be transferred to the network.

20. The filling station of claim 14, wherein the filling station further comprises a measurement and control member for measuring and controlling the pressure within the source tank and capable of increasing or decreasing the pressure within this tank.

21. The filling station of claim 14, wherein the filling station comprises a measurement and control member for measuring and controlling the pressure within the source tank and capable of increasing or decreasing the pressure within this tank and the supply pipe of the filling station comprises a dump valve that discharges the gas to the atmosphere in the event of a set overpressure in the supply pipe.

22. The filling station of claim 21, wherein the filling station further comprises a device for measuring the level of liquid in the degassing tank, this device being connected to the member that measures and controls the pressure within the source tank, said member for measuring and controlling the pressure within the source tank also being connected to the valve that controls the gas admitted to the fuel cell, so as to control the opening/closure of this valve according to the measured level of liquid in the degassing tank.

23. The filling station of claim 15, wherein the filling station further comprises a switching and regulating member for switching and regulating the electric supply power delivered to the pump, this member being connected, on the one hand, to an electric power output of the fuel cell and, on the other hand, to the electric supply input of the pump, the electric power source also comprising an electricity distributing network connected to the switching and regulating member, said switching and regulating member being designed selectively to allow the pump to be electrically powered by the network and/or the fuel cell or electrical power delivered by the fuel cell to be transferred to the network;

a measurement and control member for measuring and controlling the pressure within the source tank and capable of increasing or decreasing the pressure within this tank;

the supply pipe that connects the withdrawal outlet and the fuel supply inlet of the fuel cell further comprises a dump valve that discharges the gas to the atmosphere in the event of a set overpressure in the supply pipe; and

the withdrawing pipe for withdrawing liquid hydrogen from the source tank of the filling station comprises, positioned downstream of the pump, a heat exchanger intended to heat up the withdrawn hydrogen, and a regulating valve.

24. A hydrogen refueling method, particularly for refueling vehicle tanks with hydrogen gas, using a filling station comprising a source tank intended to contain liquefied hydrogen (LH2), a withdrawing pipe for withdrawing liquefied hydrogen from the source tank to at least one user station, an electric cryogenic pump positioned in the withdrawing pipe, wherein the method comprises a step in which the cryogenic pump is electrically powered via a fuel cell and a step in which hydrogen gas vaporized by the pump is recirculated to supply the fuel cell with fuel.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the hydrogen gas vaporized by the pump passes through and is stored in a buffer degassing tank situated between the pump and the fuel cell, and in that the method further compromises the steps of

measuring the level of liquid in the degassing tank, and

controlling the amount of gas admitted to supply the fuel cell according to the level of liquid measured in the degassing tank.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the liquid level measured in the degassing tank is above a first threshold level, the amount of gas admitted to supply the fuel cell is decreased, and when the liquid level measured in the degassing tank is below a second threshold level, the amount of gas admitted to supply the fuel cell is increased.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises the steps of measuring the liquid level in the degassing tank and controlling the intake pressure of the cryogenic pump so as to maintain a set level of liquid in the degassing tank.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises the steps of increasing the intake pressure of the pump when the liquid level measured in the degassing tank is below a first set datum level and decreasing the intake pressure of the pump when the liquid level measured in the degassing tank is below a second set datum level different from or equal to the first datum level.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises the steps of measuring the liquid level in the degassing tank and controlling the intake pressure of the cryogenic pump so as to maintain a set level of liquid in the degassing tank.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises the steps of increasing the intake pressure of the pump when the liquid level measured in the degassing tank is below a first set datum level and a step of decreasing the intake pressure of the pump when the liquid level measured in the degassing tank is below a second set datum level different from or equal to the first datum level.