TRANSFER COMPRESSOR AND HIGH-PRESSURE GAS STATION USING THE SAME

Abstract

The present invention provides a piston type compressor and a high-pressure gas station having the compressor. The compressor includes a piston that divides a cylinder into a compression chamber and an intake chamber, and a check valve is installed in a bearing wall thereof, so that the output pressure is allowed to be compressed to a high pressure even when the intake pressure significantly decreases.

Claims

1. A compressor comprising a piston that divides a cylinder into a compression chamber and an intake chamber, wherein the piston includes a check valve allowed to open unidirectionally from the intake chamber to the compression chamber, the compression chamber has an outlet provided with a check valve allowed to open only in an exit direction, the intake chamber has an inlet provided with a check valve allowed to open only to the inside of the chamber, and the piston is connected to an actuator capable of changing internal volumes of both the chambers.

2. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein intake and compression processes are performed simultaneously in a single cycle of the piston, and a compression ratio of the compression chamber is allowed to increase multiple times by continuously performing the intake process a plurality of times.

3. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein high pressure gaseous matter is allowed to be filled in an output tank continuously even when a gaseous matter pressure of a supply tank supplied to the intake chamber decreases.

4. A high-pressure gas station comprising a compressor comprising a piston that divides a cylinder into a compression chamber and an intake chamber, wherein the piston includes a check valve allowed to open unidirectionally from the intake chamber to the compression chamber, the compression chamber has an outlet provided with a check valve allowed to open only in an exit direction, the intake chamber has an inlet provided with a check valve allowed to open only to the inside of the chamber, and the piston is connected to an actuator capable of changing internal volumes of both the chambers.

5. The high-pressure gas station according to claim 4, wherein the high-pressure gas station allows continuously transferring high pressure gaseous matter to a storage tank even when a gaseous matter pressure of a transportable tank decreases.

6. A high-pressure gas station comprising the compressor according to claim 4, wherein the high-pressure gas station allows continuously transferring high pressure gaseous matter to a fueling tank for fueling a gas vehicle even when a gaseous matter pressure of the storage tank decreases.

7. A high-pressure gas station comprising a compressor arranged on a path connecting one or more high-pressure tanks, wherein the compressor includes a piston that divides a cylinder into a compression chamber and an intake chamber, the piston includes a check valve allowed to open unidirectionally from the intake chamber to the compression chamber, the compression chamber has an outlet provided with a check valve allowed to open only in an exit direction, the intake chamber has an inlet provided with a check valve allowed to open only to the inside of the chamber, the piston is connected to an actuator capable of changing internal volumes of both the chambers, the inlet of the compressor is connected to one of the high-pressure tanks, and the outlet of the compressor is connected to the other high-pressure tank.

8. The high-pressure gas station according to claim 4, wherein intake and compression processes are performed simultaneously in a single cycle of the piston, and a compression ratio of the compression chamber is allowed to increase multiple times by continuously performing the intake process a plurality of times.

9. The high-pressure gas station according to claim 4, wherein high pressure gaseous matter is allowed to be filled in an output tank continuously even when a gaseous matter pressure of a supply tank supplied to the intake chamber decreases.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conceptual configuration of a compressor.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a process diagram of Intake-1 of the compressor.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a process diagram of Intake-2 of the compressor.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a process diagram of Transfer-1 of the compressor.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a process diagram of Transfer-2 of the compressor.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a process diagram of Compression-1 of the compressor.

[0059] FIG. 7 is a process diagram of Compression-2 of the compressor.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a process diagram of Transfer-3 of the compressor.

[0061] FIG. 9 is a process diagram of Transfer-4 of the compressor.

[0062] FIG. 10 is a process diagram of Compression-3 of the compressor.

[0063] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a high-pressure gas station according to the present invention.

[0064] FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conventional high-pressure gas station.

MODES FOR EMBODYING THE INVENTION

[0065] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in connection with the drawings described above. Specific embodiments of a transfer compressor according to the invention and an ultrahigh-pressure gas station using the same will be described below with reference to the drawings. This compressor implements the function of a multi-stage piston with only a single piston.

[0066] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a multi-function compressor 1. The multi-function compressor 1 includes a cylinder 2, a piston 3, a piston rod 4, a linear actuator 5, an inlet pipe 6, an outlet pipe 7, an inlet valve 8, an outlet valve 9, an intermediate valve 10, an intake chamber 11, a compression chamber 12, a supply tank 13, and an output tank 14.

[0067] The cylinder 2 is a cylinder of a single piston type compressor. The cylinder 2 can contain high pressure gas. The piston 3 is a piston of a single piston type compressor. The piston 3 can pressurize high pressure gas. The piston rod 4 is a piston rod for driving the piston 3. The piston rod 4 performs only a rectilinear motion. The linear actuator 5 is an actuating device that drives the piston rod 4 only in a rectilinear direction. The linear actuator 5 is a device driven by an electrically driven ball-screw or linear motor.

[0068] The supply tank 13 is a high-pressure gas tank for transportation. It is assumed that the initial pressure of the supply tank 13 is 60 MPa. The output tank 14 is a high-pressure gas tank for fueling a gas vehicle. It is assumed that the internal pressure of the output tank 14 is kept at 80 MPa. The gas vehicle is not shown in FIG. 1. It is assumed that the compression ratio of the multi-function compressor 1 is 20:1.

[0069] The inlet pipe 6 is a high-pressure pipe that connects the supply tank 13 and the multi-function compressor 1. The outlet pipe 7 is a high-pressure pipeline that connects the multi-function compressor 1 and the output tank 14. The inlet valve 8 is a check valve. The inlet valve 8 is placed at the inlet of the multi-function compressor 1. Since the inlet valve 8 is a one-way check valve, the high pressure gas in the supply tank 13 flows unidirectionally from the supply tank 13 to the multi-function compressor 1. The outlet valve 9 is a check valve. The outlet valve 9 is placed at the outlet of the multi-function compressor 1. Since the outlet valve 9 is a one-way check valve, the compressed gas of the multi-function compressor 1 flows unidirectionally from the multi-function compressor 1 to the output tank 14.

[0070] The cylinder 2 of the multi-function compressor 1 is divided into two chambers by the piston 3. One is the intake chamber 11 and the other is the compression chamber 12. The intake chamber 11 and the compression chamber 12 are connected through the intermediate valve 10. The intermediate valve 10 is a one-way check valve. The intermediate valve 10 is placed on the bearing wall of the piston 3. A plurality of intermediate valves 10 is desirable. Since the intermediate valve 10 is a one-way check valve, the compressed gas in the intake chamber 11 flows unidirectionally from the intake chamber 11 to the compression chamber 12.

[0071] The principle of the present invention is the same as a two-stroke engine. That is, intake and compression processes occur simultaneously in a single piston cycle. However, it becomes too complicated to simultaneously describe the intake and compression processes. This paragraph describes the intake process. The intake process is as follows.

[0072] FIG. 2 shows a process chart of Intake-1. The process chart of Intake-1 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, intake gas 15, and piston action 16.

[0073] The intake gas 15 is gas supplied from the supply tank 13. The initial pressure of the supply tank 13 is assumed to be 60 MPa. The piston action 16 refers to movement directions of the piston 3 and the piston rod 4. The direction of the piston action 16 is indicated by arrows.

[0074] The process of Intake-1 shown in FIG. 2 is as follows.

[0075] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16. [0076] (a) The volume of the intake chamber 11 increases. [0077] (b) The volume of the compression chamber 12 decreases.

[0078] (2) As the volume of the intake chamber 11 increases, the following events occur in the inlet valve 8, the intake chamber 11, and the supply tank 13. [0079] (a) The internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 becomes lower than that of the supply tank 13. [0080] (b) The inlet valve 8 is opened. [0081] (c) The intake chamber 11 is filled with the gas flowing from the supply tank 13 through the inlet pipe 6 to the intake chamber 11.

[0082] (3) As the volume of the compression chamber 12 decreases, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, and the compression chamber 12. [0083] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes higher than that of the intake chamber 11. [0084] (b) The intermediate valve 10 is closed. [0085] (c) The gas in the compression chamber 12 is compressed by the piston 3. [0086] (d) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 increases.

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a process chart of Intake-2. The process chart of Intake-2 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, the intake gas 15, and the piston action 16.

[0088] The intake gas 15 is gas supplied from the supply tank 13. As the amount of the intake gas 15 increases, the internal pressure of the supply tank 13 gradually decreases. The piston action 16 refers to movement directions of the piston 3 and the piston rod 4. The direction of the piston action 16 is indicated by the arrows, and the piston action 16 in FIG. 3 stops at the left end of the linear actuator 5.

[0089] The process of Intake-2 shown in FIG. 3 is as follows.

[0090] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the left end of the linear actuator 5. [0091] (a) The compression chamber 12 has the smallest volume. [0092] (b) The intake chamber 11 has the largest volume.

[0093] (2) When the volume of the compression chamber 12 becomes the smallest, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, and the compression chamber 12. [0094] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes higher than that of the intake chamber 11. [0095] (b) The intermediate valve 10 remains closed. [0096] (c) The gas in the compression chamber 12 is fully compressed by the piston 3. [0097] (d) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 is maximized.

[0098] (3) When the volume of the intake chamber 11 becomes the largest, the following events occur in the inlet valve 8, the intake chamber 11, and the supply tank 13. [0099] (a) The inlet valve 8 is opened. [0100] (b) When the intake chamber 11 is fully filled with the gas flowing from the supply tank 13 through the inlet valve 8 to the intake chamber 11, the internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 becomes equal to that of the supply tank 13, and the inlet valve 8 is closed.

[0101] (4) The intake gas 15 is the gas extracted from the supply tank 13. As the amount of the intake gas 15 increases, the internal pressure of the supply tank 13 gradually decreases.

[0102] FIG. 4 shows a process chart of Transfer-1. The process chart of Transfer-1 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, the intake gas 15, transfer gas 17, and the piston action 16.

[0103] The intake gas 15 is gas left in the intake chamber 11 from the previous process shown in FIG. 3. The transfer gas 17 is gas transferred from the intake chamber 11 to the compression chamber 12 by the action of the piston 3 and the intermediate valve 10.

[0104] The process of Transfer-1 shown in FIG. 4 is as follows.

[0105] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16. [0106] (a) The volume of the intake chamber 11 decreases. [0107] (b) The volume of the compression chamber 12 increases.

[0108] (2) As the volume of the intake chamber 11 decreases, the following events occur in the inlet valve 8, the intake chamber 12, and the supply tank 13. [0109] (a) The gas filled in the intake chamber 11 is compressed by the piston 3. [0110] (b) The internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 becomes higher than that of the supply tank 13. [0111] (c) The inlet valve 8 is closed.

[0112] (3) As the volume of the compression chamber 12 increases, and the volume of the intake chamber 11 decreases, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, and the compression chamber 12. [0113] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes lower than that of the intake chamber 11. [0114] (b) The intermediate valve 10 is opened. [0115] (c) The intake gas 15 in the intake chamber 11 flows through the intermediate valve 10 to the compression chamber 12 and becomes the transfer gas 17.

[0116] (4) As the volume of the compression chamber 12 increases, the following events occur at the outlet valve 9, the compression chamber 12, and the output tank 14. [0117] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes lower than that of the output tank 14. [0118] (b) The outlet valve 9 is closed.

[0119] FIG. 5 shows a process chart of Transfer-2. The process chart of Transfer-2 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, the transfer gas 17, and the piston action 16.

[0120] The transfer gas 17 is gas transferred from the intake chamber 11 to the compression chamber 12.

[0121] The process of Transfer-2 shown in FIG. 5 is as follows.

[0122] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the right end of the linear actuator 5. [0123] (a) The compression chamber 12 has the largest volume. [0124] (b) The intake chamber 11 has the smallest volume.

[0125] (2) When the compression chamber 12 has the largest volume, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, and the compression chamber 12. [0126] (a) The intermediate valve 10 is opened until the piston 3 and the piston rod 4 stop at the right end of the linear actuator 5. [0127] (b) The transfer gas 17 is transferred from the intake chamber 11 to the compression chamber 12 until the piston 3 and the piston rod 4 stop at the right end of the linear actuator 5.

[0128] (3) When the intake chamber 11 has the smallest volume, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, and the compression chamber 12. [0129] (a) The intake chamber 11 has the smallest volume. [0130] (b) The internal pressures of the intake chamber 11 and the compression chamber 12 become equal, and thus, the intermediate valve 10 is closed.

[0131] (4) The transfer gas 17 transferred from the intake chamber 11 is the gas extracted from the supply tank 13 in FIG. 3.

[0132] The principle of the present invention is the same as the two-stroke engine. That is, intake and compression processes occur simultaneously in a single piston cycle. However, it is an object of the present invention to obtain the function of the multi-stage piston with only a single piston. This paragraph describes the compression process. The compression process has the following two cases.

[0133] (1) Case (1) is a case where the internal pressure of the compression chamber is higher than that of the output tank.

[0134] (2) Case (2) is a case where the internal pressure of the compression chamber is not higher than that of the output tank.

[0135] First, Case (1) will be described. FIG. 6 shows a process chart of Compression-1.

[0136] The process chart of Compression-1 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, compressed gas 18, the piston action 16, and the intake gas 15.

[0137] The compressed gas 18 is gas that has been transferred from the intake chamber 11 to the compression chamber 12 and remains in the compression chamber 12. Since the internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes higher than that of the intake chamber 11, the intermediate valve 10 is closed. The compressed gas 18 is gradually compressed by the piston 3. The intake gas 15 is the gas extracted from the supply tank 13. As the amount of the intake gas 15 increases, the internal pressure of the supply tank 13 gradually decreases.

[0138] The process of Compression-1 shown in FIG. 6 is as follows.

[0139] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16. [0140] (a) The volume of the compression chamber 12 decreases. [0141] (b) The volume of the intake chamber 11 increases.

[0142] (2) As the volume of the compression chamber 12 decreases, and the volume of the intake chamber 11 increases, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the compressed gas 18, and the output tank 14. [0143] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes higher than that of the intake chamber 11. [0144] (b) The intermediate valve 10 is closed. [0145] (c) The gas in the compression chamber 12 is compressed by the piston 3. [0146] (d) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 increases more and more. [0147] (e) When the internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 is lower than that of the output tank 14, the outlet valve 9 is not opened. [0148] (f) When the internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes higher than that of the output tank 14, the outlet valve 9 is gradually opened, and the compressed gas 18 is discharged to the output tank 14.

[0149] (3) As the volume of the intake chamber 11 increases, the following events occur in the inlet valve 8, the intake chamber 11, the intake gas 15, and the supply tank 13. [0150] (a) The internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 becomes lower than that of the supply tank 13. [0151] (b) The inlet valve 8 is opened. [0152] (c) The intake chamber 11 is filled with the intake gas 15 flowing from the supply tank 13 through the inlet valve 8 to the intake chamber 11. [0153] (d) The pressure in the supply tank 13 gradually decreases.

[0154] In Case (1), the multi-function compressor can transfer the intake gas from the supply tank to the output tank by repeating Intake-1, Intake-2, Transfer-1, Transfer-2, and Compression-1. That is, the novel multi-function compressor can transfer the intake gas from the supply tank to the output tank without any obstacle on the way until the internal pressure of the compression chamber becomes lower than that of the output tank.

[0155] Next, Case (2) will be described. FIG. 7 shows a process chart of Compression-2. The process chart of Compression-2 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, the compressed gas 18, the piston action 16, and the intake gas 15.

[0156] The compressed gas 18 is gas that has been transferred from the intake chamber 11 to the compression chamber 12 and remains in the compression chamber 12. Since the internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 is higher than that of the intake chamber 11, the intermediate valve 10 is closed. The compressed gas 18 is fully compressed by the piston 3 when the piston action 16 stops at the left end of the linear actuator 5.

[0157] Case (2) is more complicated than Case (1). For the sake of clarity, the description will be made using specific numerical values. First, it is assumed that the compression ratio of the multi-function compressor is 20:1, the internal pressure of the output tank is 80 MPa, and the internal pressure of the supply tank is 4.0 MPa. The process of Compression-2 shown in FIG. 7 is as follows.

[0158] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the left end of the linear actuator 5. [0159] (a) The compression chamber 12 has the smallest volume. [0160] (b) The intake chamber 11 has the largest volume.

[0161] (2) When the compression chamber 12 has the smallest volume, and the intake chamber 11 has the largest volume, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the outlet valve 9, and the output tank 14. [0162] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 is higher than that of the intake chamber 11. [0163] (b) The intermediate valve 10 remains closed. [0164] (c) The compressed gas 18 in the compression chamber 12 is fully compressed by the piston 3. [0165] (d) The compression ratio of the multi-function compressor 1 is assumed to be 20:1. [0166] (e) The compressed gas 18 is nearly 80 MPa. However, it is not higher than the pressure of the output tank 14 which is 80 MPa. [0167] (f) The outlet valve 9 is not opened.

[0168] (3) When the intake chamber 11 has the largest volume, the following events occur in the inlet valve 8, the intake chamber 11, and the supply tank 13. [0169] (a) When the volume of the intake chamber 11 increases, the internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 decreases, and the inlet valve 8 is opened. [0170] (b) The intake chamber 11 is fully filled with the intake gas 15 from the supply tank 13. [0171] (c) Since the internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 is nearly equal to that of the supply tank 13, the pressure of the intake gas 15 in the intake chamber 11 is nearly 4.0 MPa. [0172] (d) The intake gas 15 is the gas extracted from the supply tank 13. As the amount of the intake gas 15 increases, the internal pressure of the supply tank 13 gradually decreases.

[0173] (4) As a result, the compressed gas 18 remains in the compression chamber 12, and the intake chamber 11 is filled with the intake gas 15. [0174] (a) The compressed gas 18 is nearly 80 MPa, but this pressure is not high enough to be discharged to the output tank 14. [0175] (b) The intake gas 15 is nearly 4.0 MPa.

[0176] Case (2) will be further described. FIG. 8 shows a process chart of Transfer-3. The process chart of Transfer-3 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, the compressed gas 18, the piston action 16, and the intake gas 15.

[0177] The compressed gas 18 is the gas remaining in the compression chamber 12. The initial pressure of the compressed gas 18 is 80 MPa, but decreases to approximately 4.0 MPa as the compression chamber 12 expands. The intake gas 15 is the gas left in the intake chamber 11. The initial pressure of the intake gas 15 is 4.0 MPa, but increases to approximately 80 MPa as the intake chamber 11 contracts. The piston action 16 refers to movement directions of the piston 3 and the piston rod 4. As the piston action 16 moves to the right, the compression chamber 12 expands, and the intake chamber 11 contracts.

[0178] The process of Transfer-3 shown in FIG. 8 is as follows. FIG. 8 shows a moment at which the pressure of the intake gas 15 becomes higher than that of the compressed gas 18.

[0179] (1) The piston rod 4 is moving in the arrow direction of the piston action 16. [0180] (a) The volume of the compression chamber 12 increases. [0181] (b) The volume of the intake chamber 11 decreases.

[0182] (2) When the volume of the compression chamber 12 is larger than that of the intake chamber 11, the following events occur in the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, and the compression chamber 12. [0183] (a) The internal pressure of the compression chamber 12 becomes lower than that of the intake chamber 11. [0184] (b) The intermediate valve 10 is opened. [0185] (c) The intake gas 15 in the intake chamber 11 enters the compression chamber 12 and is mixed with the compressed gas 18.

[0186] Further, the case (2) will be described. FIG. 9 shows a process chart of Transfer-4. The process chart of Transfer-4 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, mixed gas 19, the intake gas 15, and the piston action 16.

[0187] FIG. 9 shows a moment at which the piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the right end of the linear actuator 5. The mixed gas 19 is a mixture of the gas remaining in the compression chamber 12 and the intake gas 15 from the intake chamber 11.

[0188] The process of Transfer-4 shown in FIG. 9 is as follows.

[0189] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the right end of the linear actuator 5. [0190] (a) The compression chamber 12 has the largest volume. [0191] (b) The intake chamber 11 has the smallest volume.

[0192] (2) When the intake chamber 11 has the smallest volume, the following phenomenon occurs. [0193] (a) The internal pressure of the intake chamber 11 becomes higher than that of the compression chamber 12. [0194] (b) The intake gas 15 in the intake chamber 11 flows into the compression chamber 12 and becomes the mixed gas 19. [0195] (c) When the pressure of the intake gas 15 becomes equal to the pressure of the mixed gas 19, the intermediate valve 10 is closed.

[0196] (3) It is not easy to accurately calculate the pressure of the mixed gas 19. However, rough calculation is possible. [0197] (a) The initial pressure of the mixed gas 19 is 4.0 MPa. [0198] (b) Since the internal pressure of the supply tank 13 is assumed to be 4.0 MPa, the initial pressure of the intake gas 15 is nearly 4.0 MPa. [0199] (c) Therefore, the pressure of the mixed gas 19 in FIG. 9 is estimated to be nearly 8.0 MPa.

[0200] FIG. 10 shows a process chart of Compression-3. The process chart of Compression-3 includes the multi-function compressor 1, the cylinder 2, the piston 3, the piston rod 4, the linear actuator 5, the inlet pipe 6, the outlet pipe 7, the inlet valve 8, the outlet valve 9, the intermediate valve 10, the intake chamber 11, the compression chamber 12, the supply tank 13, the output tank 14, the compressed gas 18, the piston action 16, and the intake gas 15.

[0201] FIG. 10 shows a moment at which the piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the left end of the linear actuator 5. The compressed gas 18 is the gas obtained by compressing the mixed gas 19 shown in FIG. 9 using the piston 3. The intake gas 15 is gas newly supplied from the supply tank 13.

[0202] The process of Compression-3 is as follows.

[0203] (1) The piston rod 4 moves in the arrow direction of the piston action 16 and stops at the left end of the linear actuator 5. [0204] (a) The compression chamber 12 has the smallest volume. [0205] (b) The intake chamber 11 has the largest volume.

[0206] (2) When the compression chamber 12 has the smallest volume, the following events occur in the compression chamber 12, the outlet valve 9, and the output tank 14. [0207] (a) The initial compressed gas 18 is estimated to be 8.0 MPa. [0208] (b) The compressed gas 18 of the compression chamber 12 is fully compressed by the piston 3. [0209] (c) The compression ratio of the multi-function compressor 1 is assumed to be 20:1. Therefore, the compressed gas 18 is compressed to 160 MPa. [0210] (d) When the pressure of the compressed gas 18 is higher than 80 MPa, which is the pressure of the output tank 14, it flows into the output tank 14 through the outlet valve 9.

[0211] (3) The compressor according to the novel invention can double the output pressure by taking the intake twice. There is no limit to the number of intake.

[0212] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a high-pressure gas station according to an embodiment. The high-pressure gas station includes a transportable tank 20, a coupling valve 21, a transfer line 22, a three-way valve 23, a bypass line 24, a transfer compressor 25, a storage gas high-pressure line 26, a storage tank 27, a pressurization compressor 28, a pressurization line 29, a fueling tank 30, a fueling high-pressure line 31, a fueling valve 32, a gas vehicle 33, a management building 34, and a site 35.

[0213] The transfer compressor 25 and the pressurization compressor 28 are the same as the multi-function compressor 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0214] The concept of the high-pressure gas station of FIG. 11 is as follows.

[0215] (1) It is assumed that the initial internal pressure of the transportable tank 20 is 60 MPa. It is assumed that the internal pressure of the storage tank 27 is 60 MPa. It is assumed that the internal pressure of the fuel tank 30 is 80 MPa. It is assumed that the transfer compressor 25 has a compression ratio of 20:1. It is assumed that the pressurization compressor 28 has a compression ratio of 20:1.

[0216] (2) In the high-pressure gas station of FIG. 11, there are two lines for transferring the high pressure gas of 60 MPa from the transportable tank 20 to the storage tank 27. It is assumed that high pressure gas of 60 MPa is delivered from the gas supply base. [0217] (a) One of the lines includes the transportable tank 20, the coupling valve 21, the transfer line 22, the three-way valve 23, the bypass line 24, the storage gas high-pressure line 26, and the storage tank 27. [0218] (b) The other line includes the transportable tank 20, the coupling valve 21, the transfer line 22, the three-way valve 23, the transfer compressor 25, the storage gas high-pressure line 26, and the storage tank 27.

[0219] (3) The transfer compressor 25 pressurizes the gas of the transportable tank 20 and transfers it to the storage tank 27. The pressure of the storage tank 27 is 60 MPa.

[0220] (4) The transfer line 22, the three-way valve 23, the bypass line 24, the transfer compressor 25, the storage gas high-pressure line 26, and the storage tank 27 are installed underground.

[0221] (5) The gas of 60 MPa stored in the storage tank 27 is pressurized by the pressurization compressor 28 and is transferred to the fueling tank 30 of 80 MPa via the pressurization line 29.

[0222] (6) The pressurization compressor 28, the pressurization line 29, and the fueling tank 30 are installed underground.

[0223] (7) The high pressure gas of 80 MPa stored in the fueling tank 30 is fed from the fueling valve 32 to the gas vehicle 33 via the fueling high-pressure line 31.

[0224] The transportable tank 20 is a transportation gas tank from the gas supply base to the high-pressure gas station. The transportable tank 20 is made as a honeycomb structure high-pressure gas tank envisaged from Japanese Patent No. 6160876.

[0225] The coupling valve 21 is an open/close valve to the transfer line 22. The transfer line 22 is connected to the three-way valve 23. The three-way valve 23 is a switching valve to the bypass line 24 and the transfer compressor 25. The bypass line 24 and the transfer compressor 25 are connected to the storage gas high-pressure line 26. The bypass line 24 from the three-way valve 23 is connected in the middle of the storage gas high-pressure line 26. When the three-way valve 23 is opened to the storage gas high-pressure line 26, the gas in the transportable tank 20 flows directly to the storage gas high-pressure line 26. The transfer compressor 25 is connected to the storage gas high-pressure line 26. The storage gas high-pressure line 26 is connected to the storage tank 27. The transfer compressor 25 transfers the gas in the transportable tank 20 to the storage tank 27.

[0226] The storage tank 27 is a high-pressure gas tank for storing the high pressure gas delivered from the gas supply base by the transportable tank 20. The storage tank 27 is made as a honeycomb structure high-pressure gas tank envisaged from Japanese Patent No. 6160876. The pressurization compressor 28 is connected to the storage tank 27 by a pipeline. The pressurization compressor 28 pressurizes the gas in the storage tank 27 to 80 MPa. The gas pressurized to 80 MPa is fed to the fueling tank 30 via the pressurization line 29. The pressurization line 29 is a pipeline that can withstand high pressure of 80 MPa or higher.

[0227] The fueling tank 30 is an ultrahigh pressure gas tank assumed to have an operation pressure of 80 MPa. The fueling tank 30 stores gas for fueling the gas vehicle 33. The fueling tank 30 is made as a honeycomb structure high-pressure gas tank envisaged from Japanese Patent No. 6160876. The fueling high-pressure line 31 is connected to the fueling tank 30. The fueling high-pressure line 31 is an ultrahigh pressure gas pipeline that distributes the high pressure gas accumulated in the fueling tank 30 to the fueling valves 32. The fueling valve 32 is a valve for fueling the gas vehicle 33 with high pressure gas. The gas vehicle 33 is a vehicle that stores natural gas or hydrogen gas in a vehicle-mounted tank. It is assumed that the vehicle-mounted gas tank of the gas vehicle 33 has a pressure of 60 MPa. The management building 34 and the site 35 are bordered as the gas station management building and the gas station.

[0228] The system of the high-pressure gas station shown in FIG. 11 is a specific example that implements the function for fueling a gas vehicle with high pressure gas. The compressor according to the present invention has an ability to maintain a constant discharge pressure of the compressed gaseous matter even under a condition of gradual decrease in the intake pressure to the compressor supplied from the storage tank. The process of continuously fueling the gas vehicle with the high pressure gas is as follows.

[0229] (1) In order to supply the high pressure gas of 60 MPa to the vehicle-mounted gas tank of the gas vehicle 33, it is desirable to maintain the internal pressure of the fuel tank 30 at 80 MPa.

[0230] (2) The gas in the fueling tank 30 is supplied from the storage tank 27 by the pressurization compressor 28. The pressurization compressor 28 is the multi-function compressor 1 of FIG. 1. The multi-function compressor 1 according to the present invention is a piston type compressor. Its compression ratio is assumed to be 20:1.

[0231] (3) When the internal pressure of the storage tank 27 is 60 MPa, the pressurization compressor 28 can easily produce ultrahigh pressure gas of 80 MPa from high pressure gas of 60 MPa. Therefore, it is easy to supply gas of 80 MPa to the fueling tank 30.

[0232] (4) The high pressure gas of 1000 cc and 60 MPa becomes ultrahigh pressure gas of 750 cc and 80 MPa. The compression ratio in this case is just 1.33:1.

[0233] (5) As the gas from the storage tank 27 is continuously supplied to the fueling tank 30, the internal pressure of the storage tank 27 gradually decreases.

[0234] (6) In the prior art, when the pressure of the storage tank 27 becomes 4.0 MPa or lower, it is impossible to supply ultrahigh pressure gas of 80 MPa to the fuel tank 30 with a single piston type compressor. That is, the high pressure gas of 4.0 MPa or lower remaining in the storage tank 27 becomes completely dead stock.

[0235] (7) In the prior art, there is a multi-stage piston type compressor having a compression ratio of 40:1. When the multi-stage piston type compressor is used in the gas fueling system, the compressor can compress the gas in the storage tank 27 to 80 MPa until the pressure in the storage tank 27 is reduced to 2.0 MPa. However, the multi-stage piston is a combination of two pistons. When the pressure in the storage tank 27 is 2.0 MPa or higher, the second piston of the multi-stage piston becomes a completely useless obstacle.

[0236] (8) According to the present invention, the transfer compressor 25 and the pressurization compressor 28 correspond to the multi-function compressor 1 shown in FIG. 1. The multi-function compressor 1 can double the output pressure by taking the intake twice. There is no limit to the number of intake. Therefore, even when the pressure in the storage tank 27 becomes 4.0 MPa or lower, the pressurization compressor 28 can continuously supply gas of 80 MPa to the fueling tank 30. The multi-function compressor 1 can compress the pressure of 2.0 MPa to 80 MPa by actuating the piston 3 twice. Furthermore, the multi-function compressor 1 can pressurize the pressure of 1.3 MPa to 80 MPa by actuating the piston 3 three times. Since the multi-function compressor 1 is not a combination of two pistons, there is no obstacle in the gas fueling system.

[0237] The relationship between the transportable tank 20 and the storage tank 27 is also similar. For simplicity of calculation, it is assumed that the internal pressure of the transportable tank 20 is 60 MPa. It is assumed that the internal pressure of the storage tank 27 is zero. In addition, it is assumed that the transportable tank 20 has a volume of 3000 liters. Furthermore, the volume of the storage tank 27 is similarly set to 3000 liters. Briefly, consider that high pressure gas of 60 MPa and 3000 liters is transferred from the transportable tank to an empty underground tank. This task is performed as follows with the compressor according to the novel invention.

[0238] (1) The transportable tank 20 is delivered from the gas supply base to the gas station.

[0239] (2) The transportable tank 20 is connected to the transfer line 22, the three-way valve 23, the bypass line 24, the transfer compressor 25, the storage gas high-pressure line 26, and the storage tank 27 by the coupling valve 21.

[0240] (3) When the coupling valve 21 is opened, the high pressure gas of 60 MPa moves to the three-way valve 23 via the transfer line 22.

[0241] (4) When the three-way valve 23 is opened to the bypass line 24, the high pressure gas of 60 MPa flows to the storage tank 27 via the bypass line 24 and the storage gas high-pressure line 26.

[0242] (5) Since it is assumed that the transportable tank 20 and the storage tank 27 have the same volume, the high pressure gas in the transportable tank 20 stops flowing when the internal pressure of the storage tank 27 reaches 30 MPa.

[0243] (6) The high pressure gas of 30 MPa remains in the transportable tank 20 as dead stock. The internal pressure of the storage tank 27 stops at 30 MPa and does not reach 60 MPa. That is, it is impossible to transfer all the high pressure gas in the transportable tank to the underground tank simply by opening the bypass valve.

[0244] It has been described in the previous section that it is impossible to transfer the high pressure gas from the transportable tank to the underground tank simply by using the bypass valve. The compressor according to the present invention tries to address this problem.

[0245] (1) It is assumed that the transfer compressor 25 is the multi-function compressor 1 of FIG. 1. In addition, the compression ratio is assumed to be 20:1.

[0246] (2) When the internal pressure of the transportable tank 20 is 30 MPa, the transfer compressor 25 can easily generate high pressure gas of 60 MPa from high pressure gas of 30 MPa. Therefore, it is easy to transfer the gas of 30 MPa to the storage tank 27. High pressure gas of 1000 cc and 30 MPa becomes high pressure gas of 500 cc and 60 MPa. The compression ratio is 2:1.

[0247] (3) As the gas is continuously transferred from the transportable tank 20 to the storage tank 27, the pressure of the transportable tank 20 gradually decreases. However, even when the pressure of the transportable tank 20 becomes 3.0 MPa or lower, the transfer compressor 25 can transfer the gas of 3.0 MPa or lower to the storage tank 27.

[0248] (4) The multi-function compressor 1 in FIG. 1 can compress gas of 1.5 MPa to 60 MPa by actuating the piston 3 twice. In addition, gas of 1.0 MPa can be compressed to 60 MPa by actuating the piston 3 three times.

[0249] (5) Since the multi-function compressor 1 is not a combination of two pistons, it does not serve as an obstacle in the gas fueling system. In addition, the compressor according to the present invention is effective even when the inlet pressure of the compressor fluctuates significantly.

[0250] Various changes in the shape or purpose of the compressor according to the present invention are conceivable. The spirit of the present invention is a compressor that achieves the function of the multi-stage piston type compressor with a single piston-and-cylinder module. In addition, the compressor according to the present invention can be applied when the inlet pressure fluctuates widely, and highly compressed gaseous matter is required for the outlet pressure. While the present invention has been fully described in terms of embodiments with reference to accompanying drawings, it should be noted that various changes or modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes or modifications are to be defined by the appended claims and are construed within the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0251] 1 multi-function compressor (compressor), [0252] 2 cylinder, [0253] 3 piston, [0254] 4 piston rod, [0255] 5 linear actuator, [0256] 6 inlet pipe, [0257] 7 outlet pipe, [0258] 8 inlet valve (check valve), [0259] 9 outlet valve (check valve), [0260] 10 intermediate valve, [0261] 11 intake chamber, [0262] 12 compression chamber, [0263] 13 supply tank (high-pressure tank), [0264] 14 output tank (high-pressure tank), [0265] 15 intake gas, [0266] 16 piston action, [0267] 17 transfer gas, [0268] 18 compressed gas, [0269] 19 mixed gas, [0270] 20 transportable tank, [0271] 21 coupling valve, [0272] 22 transfer line, [0273] 23 three-way valve, [0274] 24 bypass line, [0275] 25 transfer compressor, [0276] 26 storage gas high-pressure line, [0277] 27 storage tank, [0278] 28 pressurization compressor, [0279] 29 pressurization line, [0280] 30 fueling tank, [0281] 31 fueling high-pressure line, [0282] 32 fueling valve, [0283] 33 gas vehicle, [0284] 34 management building, [0285] 35 site.