DEVICE FOR STORING COMPRESSED GAS, VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for storing compressed gas, for example hydrogen or natural gas, comprising a storage line (1) to which at least one compressed gas container (2) is connected via a valve (3). According to the invention, the storage line (1) has at least one connection port (4) for the gas-tight connection of the at least one compressed gas container (2), and a safety element (5), which has a filter function and a shutoff function, is integrated in the connection port (4). The invention further relates to a vehicle having a device according to the invention for storing compressed gas.

Claims

1. A device for storing compressed gas, the device comprising a storage line (1), to which at least one compressed gas container (2) is connected via a valve (3), wherein the storage line (1) has at least one connection piece (4) for a gastight connection of the at least one compressed gas container (2), and wherein a safety element (5), which has a filter function and a shutoff function, is integrated into the connection piece (4).

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shutoff function of the safety element (5) is thermally activatable.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the safety element (5) comprises a filter unit (6), which is accommodated in the connection piece (4) in a manner such that it can be moved back and forth, is supported at its end facing away from the compressed gas container (2) via a fusible ring (7) and is held at an axial distance from a sealing seat (8) integrated into the connection piece (4).

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fusible ring (7) is produced from a metallic material.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve (3) via which the compressed gas container (2) is connected to the storage line (1) is a flow limiting valve, wherein the valve (3) and the safety element (5) are connected in series and together form a shutoff valve as a further safety element.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressed gas container (2) is screwed onto the connection piece (4) directly or indirectly.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressed gas container (2) has, in a region of a further end section (2.2), a closure body into which at least one further safety element is integrated.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one further safety element is a vent valve (10) with an integrated rupture disk (11) and/or a temperature limiting valve (12).

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one shutoff element (13) is integrated into the storage line (1), and wherein the number of shutoff elements (13) corresponds to the number of compressed gas containers (2).

10. A vehicle having a device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressed gas is hydrogen or natural gas.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressed gas is hydrogen or natural gas.

12. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the metallic material is a metallic alloy.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the metallic alloy is based on bismuth.

14. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein a melting point of the metallic material is below 300° C.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the melting point of the metallic material is below 250° C.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the melting point of the metallic material is below 200° C.

17. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the compressed gas container (2) is screwed onto the connection piece (4) directly or indirectly via a neck-shaped end section (2.1) and a union nut.

18. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the closure body (9) is a closure screw.

19. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the further end section (2.2) is neck-shaped.

20. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one shutoff element (13) is actuated manually and is in the form of a shutoff screw.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the appended drawings. More specifically:

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a device according to the invention for storing compressed gas,

[0030] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 1 in the region of a first end section of a compressed gas container, and

[0031] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 1 in the region of a second end section of a compressed gas container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The device for storing compressed gas illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a plurality of compressed gas containers 2 connected to a common storage line 1. FIG. 1 illustrates only two compressed gas containers 2 since the figure shows only part of the device. The device continues to the right in an analogous manner. The common storage line 1, which can also be referred to as a “rail”, comprises a main line 21 and a plurality of branches 22. Via the branches 22, the contents of each compressed gas container 2 pass into the main line 21. The number of branches 22 therefore corresponds to the number of compressed gas containers 2. The branches 22 pass through connection pieces 4, onto which the compressed gas containers 2 are placed in a gastight manner, being screwed or pressed on, for example. For this purpose, each compressed gas container 2 has a neck-shaped end section 2.1, which can be connected nonpositively and/or positively to the respective connection piece 4, ensuring that the connection is high-pressure-tight. At the other end, each compressed gas container 2 has a further neck-shaped end section 2.2, into which a closure body 9, for example a closure screw, is inserted or screwed.

[0033] A solenoid safety valve 20 is integrated into the common storage line 1 or rail, more specifically in such a way that it can be used to shut off the main line 21. It is thus unnecessary to integrate a solenoid safety valve 20 into each of the compressed gas containers 2. Furthermore, manually actuable shutoff elements 13 for shutting off individual branches 22 are provided. Upon actuation, they shut off only the respective branch 22 but not the main line 21, and therefore functioning is otherwise maintained. This is advantageous, for example, if a single compressed gas container is to be exchanged.

[0034] To explain the connection region of a compressed gas container 2 to the storage line 1, reference is made to FIG. 2, which shows this region in an enlarged illustration. It illustrates a section of the storage line 1 with a connection piece 4, onto which a compressed gas container 2 is screwed. In the present case, a safety element 5 and a valve 3, which in the present case interact to form a shutoff valve, are integrated into the connection piece 4 and the branch 22.

[0035] The safety element 5 comprises a filter unit 6, which is supported axially and held at a distance from a sealing seat 8 by means of a metallic fusible ring 7. The sealing seat 8 is formed by a shoulder of the connection piece 4. The filter unit 6 comprises a hollow-cylindrical filter 6.1, which is arranged between two filter receptacles 6.2, 6.3. The filter receptacle 6.2 facing the main line 21 forms a closure body, ensuring that compressed gas from the compressed gas container 2 is guided radially outward into an annular space 17 via the filter 6.1. In this case, any particles contained in the compressed gas are deposited on the inside of the filter. The filtrate passes via the annular space 17 to the shoulder of the connection piece 4 forming the sealing seat 8. Here, the gas flow is deflected and guided into the branch 22 via radial bores 6.4 formed in filter receptacle 6.2. The filter unit 6 thus performs a filtering or protective function. Owing to its support on the metallic fusible ring 7, it furthermore forms a thermally activatable safety element 5. This is because, when the temperature rises above a critical value, the fusible ring melts and the differential pressure acting on the filter unit 6 presses the latter into the sealing seat 8. During this process, a sealing surface 6.5 formed on filter receptacle 6.2 comes into contact with the shoulder of the connection piece 4 forming the sealing seat 8, ensuring that compressed gas can no longer escape from the compressed gas container 2 into the branch 22. The safety element 5 thus performs a filtering function and a shutoff function.

[0036] The valve 3, which is likewise integrated into the connection piece 4 and the branch 22, is connected upstream of the safety element 5 and is designed as a flow limiting valve. It has a movable valve element 23, which is held in an open position by the spring force of a spring 16, thus ensuring that compressed gas emerging from the compressed gas container 2 when the valve 3 is open flows around the valve element 23. If the flow rate rises above a critical value, the valve element 23 is moved counter to the spring force of the spring 16 in the direction of a sealing seat 6.7, which in the present case is formed by the filter receptacle 6.3 of the downstream filter unit 6. If a sealing surface 18 of the valve element 23 comes into contact with the sealing seat 6.7, the valve element 23 closes an inlet opening 6.6 of the filter receptacle 6.3, with the result that compressed gas no longer reaches the branch 22. Thus, the valve 3 and the filter unit 6 of the safety element 5 together form a shutoff valve or a further safety element 5.

[0037] In order to fix the position of the safety element 5 and of the valve 3 within the connection piece 4, a locking screw 14 with a central throughflow opening 19 is screwed into the end of said connection piece.

[0038] Each compressed gas container 2 of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 has further safety elements at its end facing away from the storage line 1. These are integrated into the closure body 9 or into the closure screw and are explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0039] As can be seen from FIG. 3, a vent valve 10 with a rupture disk 11 is integrated into the closure body 9 as a further safety element. The rupture disk breaks and thus opens the vent valve 10 when the pressure in the compressed gas container 2 rises above a critical value. Compressed gas can then be discharged via the vent valve 10 and pressure can thus be reduced. In order to allow controlled discharge of compressed gas, a restrictor 15 is connected upstream of the vent valve 10.

[0040] In addition to or in parallel with the vent valve 10, a temperature limiting valve 12 is integrated into the closure body 9 as a further safety element. When a critical temperature is exceeded, this opens and exposes a relief bore 24, via which compressed gas can be discharged, thus ensuring that the pressure in the compressed gas container 2 falls.