Hydrogen fueling station

• US 6,810,925 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2003
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Hydrogen Corporation (Plug Power Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Hydrogen Corporation (Plug Power Inc.)
• Inventors: Graham, John David Trevor, Harper, Matthew Albert MacLennan, Ko, James, Mulvenna, Alan John, Borck, Joachim George, Mufford, William Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacyna, J. Casimer
• Application Number:
  US10/340,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 141/18, 141/98
• US Class Current: 141/98
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 5/02 Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 13/12 Arrangements or mounting of devices for preventing or minimising the effect of explosion flame traps A62C4/00 ; Other safety measures
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0111 Boxes
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0364 flexible or articulated, e.g. a hose
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0157 Compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/043 by pressure cascade
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/032 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0443 Flow or movement of content
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2250/0447 Composition; Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/065 for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0139 Fuel stations
• 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 5/06 for filling with compressed gases
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 7/00 Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases from pressure vessels, not covered by another subclass
• 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

Abstract

A hydrogen fueling station and system for hydrogen fueled vehicles that can transfer any gaseous fuel to any vehicle and can be located in any place where a vehicle can park and where environmental, safety and other regulatory requirements permit gaseous fuel to be transferred. The hydrogen fueling station is vertically elongate and includes an enclosure that has a plurality of housings to house groups of like components. The housings are configured and positively ventilated with external air to prevent the accumulation of leaked hydrogen.

Claims

1. A hydrogen fueling station comprising:

an enclosure having an external air inlet and a ventilation air outlet;

a plurality of hydrogen storage tanks located within the enclosure;

process components located within the enclosure and in fluid communication with the tanks, for supplying and dispensing pressurized hydrogen gas to and from the tanks;

an electrical component housing located within the enclosure, and comprising a pressurization air inlet;

a controller housed within the electrical component housing and communicative with the process components, for controlling the supplying and dispensing of hydrogen gas to and from the tanks; and

a ventilation assembly comprising

a ventilation air flow path extending from the external air inlet to the ventilation air outlet, the tanks and process components being located within the ventilation air flow path; and

a fan located in the air flow path near the external air inlet and upstream of the tanks and process components, and operable to direct air through the air flow path at a rate that maintains the leaked hydrogen concentration in the air flow path_below a selected threshold, and to direct air through the pressurization air inlet such that an above-ambient air pressure is maintained inside the electrical component housing.

2. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the enclosure is substantially vertically elongate.

3. The fueling station of claim 2 wherein the external air inlet is near the base of the enclosure.

4. The fueling station of claim 2 wherein the ventilation air outlet is at the top of the enclosure.

5. The fueling station of claim 4 wherein the tanks are elongated and are positioned on end inside the enclosure.

6. The fueling station of claim 1 further comprising a tank housing mounted within the enclosure and housing the tanks, the tank housing comprising a ventilation inlet and outlet in fluid communication with the ventilation air flow path.

7. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the process components are located substantially beneath the tanks.

8. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the process components include pneumatic valves in communication with the controller, coupled to the tanks and located in the ventilation air flow path, and a compressor pneumatically connected to the pneumatic valves.

9. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the process components include an electrolyzer in electrical communication with the controller and having a hydrogen product outlet in hydrogen communication with the tanks, an oxygen product outlet, and a water supply inlet communicable with a water supply.

10. The fueling station of claim 9 wherein the oxygen product outlet is in air communication with the air flow path.

11. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the process components include a charge port capable of coupling to a hydrogen supply source, and supply piping in hydrogen communication with the charge port and at least one tank.

12. The fueling station of claim 11 wherein the process components include a hydrogen charge compressor in electrical communication with the controller and in hydrogen communication with the supply piping upstream of the tank and downstream of the charge port.

13. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the process components include a cascade compressor in electrical communication with the controller and cascade piping in hydrogen communication with the cascade compressor and the tanks.

14. The fueling station of claim 1 further comprising a process component housing located within the enclosure below the tanks, and housing the process components, the process component housing comprising a ventilation air inlet and outlet in fluid communication with the ventilation flow path.

15. The fueling station of claim 1 wherein the electrical component housing is located beneath the tanks and further comprises an air outlet and the ventilation assembly further comprises an exhaust duct extending from the electrical component housing air outlet to the enclosure ventilation air outlet.

17. The fueling station of claim 1 further comprising a hydrogen dispenser system mounted to the enclosure and couplable to said tanks.

16. A hydrogen fueling station comprising:

(a) an enclosure having an external air inlet and a ventilation air outlet;

(b) a plurality of hydrogen storage tanks located within the enclosure;

(c) process components located within the enclosure and in fluid communication with the tanks, for supplying and dispensing pressurized hydrogen gas to and from the tanks;

(d) electrical components including a controller communicative with the process components, for controlling the supplying and dispensing of hydrogen gas to and from the tanks; and

(e) a ventilation assembly comprising

(i) a ventilation air flow path extending from the external air inlet to the ventilation air outlet, the tanks, electrical components and process components being located within the ventilation air flow path; and

(ii) a fan located in the air flow path near the external air inlet and upstream of the tanks, electrical components and process components, and operable to direct air through the air flow path at a rate that maintains the leaked hydrogen concentration in the air flow path below a selected threshold.

18. The fueling station of claim 16 further comprising an electrical component housing within the enclosure and housing the electrical components, the electrical component housing comprising a pressurization air inlet in air communication with the fan such that the air pressure inside the electrical component housing can be maintained at above-ambient pressure.

19. The fueling station of claim 16 further comprising a tank housing mounted within the enclosure and housing the tanks, the tank housing comprising a ventilation inlet and outlet in fluid communication with the ventilation air flow path.

20. The fueling station of claim 16 wherein the process components are located substantially beneath the tanks.

21. The fueling station of claim 16 wherein the process components include pneumatic valves in communication with the controller, coupled to the tanks and located in the ventilation air flow path, and a compressor pneumatically connected to the pneumatic valves.

22. The fueling station of claim 16 wherein the process components include an electrolyzer in electrical communication with the controller and having a hydrogen product outlet in hydrogen communication with the tanks, an oxygen product outlet, and a water supply inlet communicable with a water supply.

23. The fueling station of claim 22 wherein the oxygen product outlet is in air communication with the air flow path.

24. The fueling station of claim 16 wherein the process components include a charge port capable of coupling to a hydrogen supply source, and supply piping in hydrogen communication with the charge port and at least one tank.

25. The fueling station of claim 24 wherein the process components include a hydrogen charge compressor in electrical communication with the controller and in hydrogen communication with the supply piping upstream of the tank and downstream of the charge port.

26. The fueling station of claim 16 wherein the process components include a cascade compressor in electrical communication with the controller and cascade piping in hydrogen communication with the cascade compressor and the tanks.

27. The fueling station of claim 16 further comprising a process component housing located within the enclosure below the tanks, and housing the process components, the process component housing comprising a ventilation air inlet and outlet in fluid communication with the ventilation flow path.

28. The fueling station of claim 16 wherein the electrical component housing is located beneath the tanks and further comprises an air outlet and the ventilation assembly further comprises an exhaust duct extending from the electrical component housing air outlet to the enclosure ventilation air outlet.

29. The fueling station of claim 16 further comprising a hydrogen dispenser system mounted to the enclosure and couplable to said tanks.

30. The fuel station of claim 16 wherein the enclosure is substantially vertically elongate.

31. The fueling station of claim 30 wheein the external air inlet is near the base of the enclosure.

32. The fueling station of claim 30 wherein the ventilation air outlet is at the top of the enclosure.

33. The fueling station of claim 32 wherein the tanks are elongated and are positioned on end inside the enclosure.