Method for filling a high pressure gas accumulator

Abstract

A method for filling a high-pressure gas accumulator from a reservoir is provided, comprising: removing the gas from the reservoir, transporting the gas through a gas line to a jet pump coupled to the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator, and generating a ring flow guided along the inside of the wall of the high-pressure gas accumulator. A high-pressure gas accumulator that is suitable for carrying out the method and has a casing having a heat-sensitive layer on the inside, and has an inlet opening that traverses the casing and the layer, wherein a jet pump coupled to the inlet opening is arranged within the casing, and wherein the jet pump is oriented to generate a guided flow to the wall of the casing opposite the jet pump with deflection therein into a ring flow flowing along the heat-sensitive layer.

Claims

1. A method for filling a high-pressure gas accumulator from a reservoir, comprising: removing a gas from the reservoir; transporting the gas from the reservoir through a gas line to a jet pump coupled to a first end of an interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator; and allowing the gas to enter the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator such that the gas travels from the first end of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator to a second end of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator, wherein the second end of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator is opposite to the first end of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator along a central longitudinal axis of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator; and allowing the gas to be redirected at the second end of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator such that the gas flows radially outward with respect to the central longitudinal axis and then in a ring encircling the central longitudinal axis along an inside of a wall of the high-pressure gas accumulator toward the first end of the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wall includes a cone-shaped deflector surface located opposite an orifice of the jet pump, wherein gas flowing out of the orifice is deflected by the cone-shaped deflector to generate the ring encircling the central longitudinal axis.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the jet pump has a Laval or Coanda nozzle, with which the gas is accelerated and directed parallel to an axis of the nozzle through a jet guide onto the wall opposite the Laval or Coanda nozzle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gas is transported through the gas line without pre-cooling.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gas is transported through the gas line using pre-cooling with a pressure increase corresponding to the extent of the pre-cooling.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein allowing the gas to enter the interior of the high-pressure gas accumulator includes providing a strongly-cooled gas jet that actively cools a heat-sensitive layer of the high-pressure gas accumulator.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wall of the high-pressure gas accumulator is shielded from hot areas inside the high-pressure gas accumulator by the ring encircling the central longitudinal axis.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the wall of the high-pressure gas accumulator is protected against excessive heating to over 85 degrees Celsius by the ring encircling the central longitudinal axis.

9. A high-pressure gas accumulator, comprising: a casing having an internal heat-sensitive layer; an inlet opening that traverses the casing and the heat-sensitive layer, wherein a gas line can be permanently or reversibly connected to the inlet opening; and a jet pump coupled to the inlet opening, wherein the jet pump is located at least partially within the casing, wherein the jet pump is oriented to generate a guided flow to a wall of the casing opposite the jet pump along a central longitudinal axis of the casing, wherein the guided flow is deflected at the wall into a ring flow encircling the central longitudinal axis and flowing toward the jet pump along the heat-sensitive layer.

10. The high-pressure gas accumulator according to claim 9, wherein the jet pump has a Laval or Coanda nozzle and a mixing chamber designed as a jet guide for a directed discharge of gas.

11. The high-pressure gas accumulator according to claim 10, wherein the jet pump and the mixing chamber are aligned parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the casing and a length of the mixing chamber is between 25% and 35% of a longitudinal length of the casing.

12. The high-pressure gas accumulator according to claim 9, wherein the casing is a fiber-reinforced plastic casing, the internal heat-sensitive layer is a liner, and the casing has a cone-shaped deflector surface on a plug formed in the wall opposite the jet pump.

13. A vehicle, comprising: a fuel cell; and a high-pressure gas accumulator including: a casing having an internal heat-sensitive layer; an inlet opening that traverses the casing and the heat-sensitive layer, wherein a gas line can be permanently or reversibly connected to the inlet opening; and a jet pump coupled to the inlet opening, wherein the jet pump is located at least partially within the casing, wherein the jet pump is oriented to generate a guided flow to a wall of the casing opposite the jet pump along a central longitudinal axis of the casing, wherein the guided flow is deflected at the wall into a ring flow encircling the central longitudinal axis and flowing toward the jet pump along the heat-sensitive layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Additional advantages, features and details result from the claims, the following description of advantageous embodiments, and using the drawing. The following is shown:

(2) FIG. 1 the schematic representation of the longitudinal section through a high-pressure gas accumulator in the plane containing a jet pump.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a high-pressure gas accumulator consisting of a casing 5 formed by fiber-reinforced plastic (“FRP”). A liner 4 is arranged on the inside of the wall of the FRP casing 5; this forms a heat-sensitive layer, the heating of which above 85° Celsius must be avoided. On the left side of the drawing, an inlet opening 1 is formed in the high-pressure gas accumulator; this can be permanently or reversibly connected to a gas line. A jet pump formed by a nozzle in the form of a Laval or Coanda nozzle 2 and a mixing chamber 3 designed as a jet guide is allocated to this inlet opening 1, wherein the nozzle 2 and the mixing chamber 3 are aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the casing 5, and the length of the mixing chamber 3 corresponds approximately to one-third of the longitudinal extension of the casing 5. In the area of the wall opposite the nozzle 2, a cone-shaped deflector surface is arranged on a plug 6.

(4) This high-pressure gas accumulator can be filled by feeding gas, in particular hydrogen as the propellant medium, through the gas line to nozzle 2, which gas leaves the Laval or Coanda nozzle in the direction of mixing chamber 3, by means of which gas already in the high-pressure gas accumulator is drawn in.

(5) A strongly accelerated and cooled gas jet leaves the mixing chamber 3 in a guided flow directed parallel to the longitudinal axis, which is deflected when hitting the cone-shaped deflector surface, forming a ring flow symbolized by the arrows, which flows along the wall at least sectionally. The wall is thus shielded from hot areas 7 inside the high-pressure gas accumulator and is effectively protected against excessive heating to over 85° Celsius.

(6) A vehicle equipped with a fuel cell and possessing such a high-pressure gas accumulator can be refueled without the need for strong pre-cooling of the hydrogen, such that the complexity of the filling station can be minimized, and the energy requirement for the filling process is significantly reduced. Alternatively, more rapid refueling is possible while maintaining pre-cooling.

(7) Aspects of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.