HIGH-PRESSURE GAS STORAGE SYSTEM HAVING ADAPTABLE MORPHOLOGY

Abstract

The invention relates to a device basically consisting of the packaging of matrices of parallel tubes that act as pressurised containers. Both ends of each tube are hermetically connected to collectors located in the vicinity of the ends of the tubes. The collectors have multiple accommodations distributed according to the packing pattern of the tube matrix, there being an accommodation for each tube end. At least one collector has an internal channel that allows the connection of fluids between the tubes forming the tube matrix. This collector has an opening that allows fluid exchange between the inside of the tubes and the outside. The assembly comprising the tube matrix and collectors is surrounded by a structural belt. The collectors have a rounded geometry in the area of contact with the belt. Reinforcement fibres of the belt are mainly arranged parallel to the axis of the tubes. Reinforcement fibres of the tubes are mainly arranged in the circumferential direction of same. Those areas of the assembly comprising the tube matrix and collectors not covered by the belt are covered by casings. A rigid foam occupies the spaces between the outside of the tubes and the rest of the space inside the belts and the casings.

Claims

1. A pressurized gas storage system, said system mainly comprising: a plurality of tubes distributed according to a matrix arrangement with the axes of the tubes parallel to each other, the gas being stored in the interior thereof, collectors configured to be connected at the ends of the tubes in a manifold plug kind, closing the inside volume of all the tubes of the system, and one or more belts which wrap the assembly formed by the tubes connected to the collectors, bear the load that the pressurized gas inside the tubes exerts on the collectors.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: at least one collector has a port that serves as a gas inlet and outlet to the system, one or more collectors have inside an internal conduit which allows fluidic connection between all the tubes of the system, with at least one channel connected to the port, covers are located on the sides of the system that are not enclosed by the belt, a rigid foam occupies the volume comprising the outside of the tubes delimited by the interior volume defined by the belt, the collectors and the covers, the collectors have an accommodation which allows to insert a portion of the length of each tube into the inside of the collectors, between the end of the tubes and the accommodation there is a bonding surface characterized by an over-thickness of welding material, adhesive and/or mechanical adjustment, covers have folded flanges which overlap the belt allowing to have a surface for welding, adhesive and/or mechanical connection between both components, and also have flanges overlapping part of lateral surface of the collector allowing there to carry out a welded joint, adhesive and/or mechanical connection between both components, and in which a coating liner on the inner surface of the tubes decreases the permeability through the walls of the tube of the gas stored inside the tubes.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the internal conduit of the collectors which allows fluidic connection between the tubes, wherein being formed by a main channel, which branches into multiple secondary channels, allowing to transfer the fluid to the rows of tubes which are located at a different level in the stacking sequence referred to the row where the main channel runs, and holes connect each tube with the internal conduit, allowing the plurality of tubes to work in parallel connection and in which the internal channel is connected to the port through a hole.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the tubes are made of continuous unidirectional fiber composite material with the direction of the reinforcement fibers oriented mostly in the circumferential direction of the cross section of the tube, this fiber being intended to bear the circumferential stress exerted by the gas on the tube, and in which the belts are made of continuous unidirectional fiber composite material, with the reinforcing fibers of the belt being oriented mostly in parallel to the direction of the loop described by the belt as it is wrapped to the assembly formed by the matrix of tubes and the collectors, being the reinforcement fibers of the belt intended to bear the axial stresses that the gas exerts on the collectors and are transmitted to the belts.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the collectors have a curved surface that allows the belt to be wrapped smoothly avoiding uneven curves in the changes of direction of the belt when it is wounded around the assembly formed by the tubes and the collectors, and in which a surface in the area of contact between the belt and the collectors allows to carry out a welded joint, adhesive and/or mechanical bonding between both components.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein: the port has an anchoring element located inside the body of the collector which allows to improve the welded joint, adhesive and/or mechanical bonding between both components, and in which, the collectors are made using short fiber composites and thermoplastic polymeric matrix of the same material type as the tubes facilitating the welded joint between both components.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein: an accommodation allows to insert a portion of the length of the pipe into the interior of the collector, said accommodation presents a groove forming the geometric shape of the cross section of the tube and with a similar width as the wall thickness of the tube and a depth that allows the tube to be inserted a portion of the length of the pipe in the collector sufficient to ensure the structural and sealing joint between both components, between the end of the tubes and the accommodation there is a bonding surface comprising the entire area of contact between the collector and the tube as it is inserted one into the other, characterized by an over-thickness of welding material, adhesive and/or mechanical adjustment, and in which a seam of welded or adhesive bonding material is applied between the tube and the collector at the outer surface of the tube and the outer edge of the accommodation at the surface of the collector exposed to the tubes.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the matrix of tubes is arranged in the space where the geometric center of the cross section of the tubes are located in the nodes of a planar square lattice, or in the nodes of a planar triangular lattice, for maximizing the packing factor of the tubes arrangement.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the tubes are in contact with each other, or, between the tubes there is a certain gap, and in which the tubes in contact have some type of welded joint and/or adhesive bonding in the contact area.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein: the tubes have a circular geometry in their cross section, or, the tubes present a hexagonal geometry in the polygonal cross section with rounded corners where the sides of the tubes are in contact with each other forming a planar triangular lattice.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein: the accommodation is formed by a set of groove patterns which allows inserting a group of tubes which are in contact with each other, being each section of the groove pattern meant to accommodate the sides of the walls of one or two tubes in contact.

12. The system according to claim 2, wherein: the array of tubes is made up of tubes of equal length, or the array of tubes is comprised of several subgroups of tubes, each subgroup being characterized by a length of tube equal within the subgroup and different for each subgroup, the subgroups being distributed in several portions along a shared collector which contains the internal conduit that allows fluidic connection between all the tubes of the system and having a different belt and a different collector for each subgroup of tubes opposite to the collector shared by each subgroup of tubes.

13. The system according to claim 2, wherein: the array of tubes is arranged in the form of a matrix with a certain number of rows and columns, or, the array of tubes is comprised by several subgroups of tubes, each subgroup of tubes being characterized by a matrix spatial arrangement with a number of different rows and columns for each subgroup, a different belt being used for each subgroup, and the collectors being shared for all the subgroups.

14. The system according to claim 2, wherein: there is at least one middle collector in-between two or more sets of tubes arrays, in which there is an internal conduit that allows fluidic connection between all the tubes of the system and contains the port for filling and emptying gas to the system, which allows placing the middle collector in the most convenient position to connect the system with the outside, said middle collector has accommodations on opposite sides, in which tubes are inserted having a certain length of tube to each side, and in which the ends of these tubes are plugged with collectors and the whole assembly is wrapped with a belt.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 presents a perspective view of the gas storage system in which several partial cuts are presented, allowing to see all the components that comprises the system according to one embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 2 presents an exploded view of the system of FIG. 1.

[0037] FIG. 3 presents an isometric cross-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 having a cut along a plane perpendicular to the axis of the tubes.

[0038] FIG. 4 presents an isometric cross-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 having a cut along a plane parallel to the axis of the tubes and containing an internal channel of the collector that allows fluidic connection between the sectioned tubes.

[0039] FIG. 5 presents an isometric cross-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 having a cut along a plane parallel to the axis of the tubes and containing an internal channel of the collector that allows fluidic connection between the sectioned tubes and the outside of the storage system through a port.

[0040] FIG. 6 presents an isometric cross-sectional view of the system of FIG. 1 having a cut along a plane that contains the internal conduit of the collector that allows the fluidic connection between all the tubes of the system, having been omitted the representation of the covers, the foam and belt for clarity.

[0041] FIG. 7 presents an isometric view of the system of FIG. 1 cross-sectioned by three orthogonal planes allowing to see details of the connections between components of the system.

[0042] FIG. 8 presents a front view of the tubes of the system of FIG. 1 with a square packing arrangement.

[0043] FIG. 9 presents a front view of the tubes of the system of FIG. 1 with a hexagonal packing arrangement.

[0044] FIG. 10 presents an exploded perspective view of the gas storage system, in which the representation of some components has been omitted to clearly expose the system according to another embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 11 presents a perspective view of the gas storage system, in which a partial cut is presented and the representation of some components has been omitted to clearly expose the system according to another embodiment.

[0046] FIG. 12 presents a perspective view of the gas storage system, in which a partial cut is presented and the representation of some components has been omitted to clearly expose the system according to another embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 13 presents a perspective view of the gas storage system, in which a partial cut is presented and the representation of some components has been omitted to clearly expose the system according to another embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 14 presents a perspective view of the component called the belt of the gas storage system where a surface cut has been made to clearly present the arrangement of reinforcing fibers that comprises the composite material of which it is made. In addition, an imaginary dashed line is represented on the belt that serves as a reference to clearly indicate the arrangement of the reinforcing fibers of this component.

[0049] FIG. 15 presents a perspective view of the component called the tube of the gas storage system where a superficial cut has been made to clearly present the arrangement of reinforcing fibers that comprises the composite material of which it is made. Said figure includes two tube geometries according to two possible embodiments. One of them being characterized by the tube represented on the left of the figure, which has a circular cross section, and the other embodiment, by the tube represented on the right of the figure, which has a polygonal cross section, in particular with a regular hex shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0050] Focusing on FIGS. 1 to 3 where is presented a system 100 according to one embodiment, in which a plurality of tubes 1 of equal length, where the tubes interiors serve as a gas storage space, is distributed in the form of a matrix or array, the ends of the tubes 1 being plugged by collectors 3. The tubes 1 matrix and collectors 3 are wrapped inside a belt 2. The sides not covered by the belt 2 are closed within a cover 7. The remaining space contained between the collectors 3, the belt 2 and the cover 7, and not occupied by the tubes 1, is filled with a rigid foam 5. One of the collectors 3 presents on one side a hole 13 where a port 6 is located in order to fill and to empty the system 100 with gas. The tubes 1 are inserted into accommodations 8 located at the collectors 3 on the face exposed to the tubes 1. A bonding surface 9 welded, adhesively and/or mechanically joined, ensures the system 100 to be sealed at the connection between the tubes 1 and the collector 3. The covers 7 have flanges 21 and 22 to facilitate attachment with other components of the system 100 by overlapping those flanges. Thus, the covers 7 have folded flanges 21 which overlap on the belt 2, allowing a welded, adhesive and/or mechanical connection between the two components. Likewise, the covers 7 have flanges 22 which overlap with lateral surface of the collector 3 allowing the welded, adhesive and/or mechanical connection between both components.

[0051] Attention is paid now on the FIGS. 4 and 6, where is shown a system 100 according to the same embodiment, in which a collector 3 have on its interior a conduit formed by a main channel 10 that branches into secondary channels 11. These channels 11 are connected by holes 12 with the inside of the tubes 1 allowing fluidic connection between the plurality of tubes 1. The main channel 10 connects to a hole 13 enabling entry and egress of gases in the system 100 through the port 6.

[0052] The system 100 according to the same embodiment is shown in FIG. 7 with a detail showed by a three orthogonal cutting planes sections showing the main components of the system 100: the tubes 1, belt 2 and collector 3 and its integration with each other. In addition, there is also shown a detail of the connection of the collector 3 with the port 6. The tube 1 is attached to the collector 3 by a bonding surface 9 with a thickness of weld material, adhesive and/or mechanical adjustment presenting a seam 14 of the same bonding material between both components being located on the outer contour of the tube 1 and the face of the collector 3 exposed to the tubes 1. The collector 3 is made of composites of reinforcement fiber and thermoplastic polymeric matrix as the same type as the tubes 1 facilitating the welded connection between both components. An accommodation 8 allows a portion of the length of the tube 1 to be inserted into the interior of the collector 3. This accommodation 8 presents a groove forming the geometric shape of the cross section of the tube 1 and with a width similar to the wall thickness of the tube 1 and a depth that allows the tube 1 to be inserted a portion of the length of the tube 1 in the collector 3 sufficient to ensure the structural and hermetic joint between both components. The collector 3 has a curvature 15 in the area of contact with the belt 2, avoiding the adjustment of the belt 2 on a surface with corners. The connection between the belt 2 and the collector 3 is carried out by a bonding surface 16 of weld, adhesive and/or mechanical adjustment. The port 6 is inserted into the hole 13 by welding, adhesive means and/or mechanical adjustment. The port 6 has an anchoring element 17 which fits inside the body of the collector 3.

[0053] Focusing the attention in FIGS. 14 and 15 it is shown surface cuts through the belt 2 and the tube 1, allowing to clearly see the reinforcement fibers of both components. Particularly, the reinforcement fibers 19 of the belt 2 are disposed mostly in parallel to the direction of the loop 28 which describes the belt 2 by wrapping it around the assembly formed by the tubes 1 and the collectors 3. The reinforcement fibers 18 of the tubes 1 are disposed in its major part circumferentially to the axial axis of the tube 1, following a path that is wound around the axial axis of the tube 1.

[0054] FIG. 8 shows the tubes 1 according to one embodiment of the system 100 characterized by presenting a spatial arrangement of the tube 1 array in which a square packing arrangement is adopted, the axis of each tube 1 being located at each node of a square flat lattice. In this arrangement the tubes 1 are in contact with each other, or, between the tubes 1 there is a certain gap. The tubes 1 in contact have some type of welded and/or adhesive bonding in the contact area.

[0055] FIG. 9 shows the tubes 1 according to one embodiment of the system 100 characterized by presenting a spatial arrangement of the tube 1 array in which a hexagonal packing arrangement is adopted, the axis of each tube 1 being located at each node of a triangular flat lattice. In this arrangement the tubes 1 are in contact with each other, or, between the tubes 1 there is a certain gap. The tubes 1 in contact have some type of welded and/or adhesive bonding in the contact area.

[0056] FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the system 100 in which the representation of some components has been omitted. In this embodiment the tubes 1 have a hexagonal shape 26 in its cross section, with rounded corners 27. The tubes 1 are arranged together adopting a triangular packing with the side walls 23 of each tube 1 in contact with its consecutive tube, so gaps are decreased outside the tubes. Also, the collector 3 has accommodations 8 for inserting the tubes in a groove pattern 24 whose shape is done according to a similar pattern as the cross section of the array of tubes 1. Additionally, each section 25 of the groove pattern 24 serves to accommodate the walls of one or two tubes 1 in contact.

[0057] FIG. 11 shows the main components of the system 100 according to another embodiment in which there are at least two sets of tubes 1 arrays characterized each of those by a different length of tube 1. Each set is integrated by tubes 1 of the same length. This length is different for each set. This embodiment set allows the system 100 to be configured according to different spaces for example to be accommodated in a vehicle avoiding obstacles from the architecture thereof. The sets share a common collector 3 that allows fluidic connection between all tubes 1 of the system 100. The ends of each set of tubes 1 array opposite to the common collector 3 are inserted into accommodations 8 of an independent collector 3 for each set of tubes 1 array. An independent belt 2 for each tube 1 array is wrapped around each set of tubes 1 array, containing the common collector 3, the tubes 1 array and the independent collectors 3 connected to each tubes 1 array.

[0058] FIG. 12 shows the main components of system 100 according to another embodiment in which there are at least two sets of tubes 1 arrays characterized each of them by presenting a tube packing with a certain number of rows and columns, different for each set. This embodiment also allows the system 100 to be configured depending on space available to accommodate it inside a vehicle. The tubes 1 arrays share a common collector 3 that allows fluidic connection between all of the tubes 1 of the system 100. The common collector 3 presents a geometry in the face exposed to the tubes 1 adapted to the shape of the tubes 1 arrays being inserted therein. An independent belt 2 is wrapped around each tubes 1 array containing the common collector 3, the array of tubes 1 and the collector 3 opposite to the common collector 3.

[0059] FIG. 13 shows the main components of the system 100 according to another embodiment in which there is a collector 3 located between two tubes 1 arrays. This middle collector 3 can be located between more than two tubes 1 arrays. The length of the tube 1 of each tubes 1 array may be different. This collector 3 allows fluidic connection between all the tubes 1 of the system 100 presenting inside conduits of the same type to those discussed above. It also presents accommodations 8 where the tubes 1 are inserted on both faces exposed to the tubes 1. The port 6 can be inserted into this middle collector 3 situated between tubes. This embodiment allows the gas be filled and emptied from the system 100 at an intermediate location, different from the ends of the volume span as in the case of the above disclosed embodiments. Locating the gas inlet/outlet in an intermediate place of the total volume of the gas storage system 100 may be advantageous when integrating the system 100 inside a vehicle. The free ends of the tube arrays 1 are connected to collectors 3 and this assembly is wrapped with a belt 2.