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JP-2026514274-A - Storage containers and methods

JP2026514274AJP 2026514274 AJP2026514274 AJP 2026514274AJP-2026514274-A

Abstract

A storage container (1) for storing a cryogenic agent (H2) comprises an inner container (3) for containing the cryogenic agent (H2), a latent heat reservoir (19) for containing a phase change material (N2), and an extraction pipe (22) for extracting the cryogenic agent (H2) from the inner container (3). The extraction pipe (22) is coupled to the latent heat reservoir (19) so that the liquid cryogenic agent (H2) contained in the extraction pipe (22) exchanges heat with the phase change material (N2). The latent heat reservoir (19) is fluidly connected to the surrounding area (23) of the storage container (1) only by a blowpipe (24).

Inventors

  • ホフマイスター、トーマス
  • ポッセルト、ハインツ
  • ゼンツ、ハラルド

Assignees

  • リンデ ゲゼルシャフト ミット ベシュレンクテル ハフツング

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20231026
Priority Date
20221028

Claims (15)

  1. A storage container (1) for storing a cryogenic agent (H2) comprises an inner container (3) for containing the cryogenic agent (H2), a latent heat reservoir (19) for containing a phase change material (N2), and an extraction pipe (22) for extracting only the liquid phase of the cryogenic agent (H2) from the inner container (3). The extraction pipe (22) is coupled to the latent heat reservoir (19) so that the liquid cryogenic agent (H2) contained in the extraction pipe (22) exchanges heat with the phase change material (N2), and the latent heat reservoir (19) is fluidly connected to the surrounding area (23) of the storage container (1) only by a blowpipe (24).
  2. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the extraction pipe (22) is guided to pass through the latent heat storage device (19).
  3. The storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a heat exchanger (21) located inside the latent heat storage device (19) is attached to the aforementioned outlet piping (22).
  4. The storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the latent heat storage container (19) is filled at least partially with a thermally conductive and fluid-permeable material structure, particularly with a knitted material (27).
  5. The storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the discharge pipe (24) has a discharge valve (25) for discharging the phase change material (N2) to the surrounding area (23).
  6. A storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a shield (15) surrounding the inner container (3) and the latent heat storage container (19), wherein the latent heat storage container (19) is coupled to the shield (15) to conduct heat.
  7. The storage container according to claim 6, wherein the latent heat storage device (19) is positioned between the cover area (6) of the inner container (3) and the cover area (18) of the shield (15).
  8. The storage container according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the discharge pipe (24) is coupled to the shield (15) to conduct heat.
  9. The storage container according to claim 8, wherein the discharge pipe (24) spirals around the shield (15) either on the inside or outside.
  10. A storage container according to any one of claims 6 to 9, further comprising an outer container (10) surrounding the shield (15).
  11. The storage container according to claim 10, further comprising a multilayer insulating member (28) that at least partially fills the gap (14) between the inner container (3) and the outer container (10).
  12. The storage container according to claim 11, wherein the shield (15) is embedded in the heat insulating member (28).
  13. A method for operating a storage container (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 for storing a cryogenic agent (H2), comprising the following steps: a) A step (S1) in which the liquid cryogenic agent (H2) is removed from the storage container (1), wherein during step a), the phase change material (N2) contained in the latent heat storage container (19) of the storage container (1) undergoes a phase transition from liquid to solid by the transfer of heat (Q) from the phase change material (N2) to the liquid cryogenic agent (H2), or the phase change material (N2) remains solid during step a), b) A step (S2) to complete step a), in which the phase change material (N2) undergoes a phase transition from solid to liquid, c) A method comprising step (S3) in which the latent heat storage device (19) is fluidly separated from the surrounding area (23) of the storage container (1) during steps a) and b).
  14. The method according to claim 13, wherein during step b), the heat (Q) necessary for the phase transition is removed from the shield (15) surrounding the inner container (3) of the storage container (1).
  15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein steps a) to c) are performed during the normal operation of the storage container (1), and only in the event of a malfunction of the storage container (1) the blow-off valve (25) of the storage container (1) is opened, thereby blowing the gaseous phase-change material (N2) into the surrounding area (23).

Description

This invention relates to a storage container for storing cryogenic materials, and to a method for operating such a storage container. A double-walled storage container for liquid hydrogen, comprising an outer container and an inner container positioned inside the outer container to hold liquid hydrogen, is known to the applicants within their facilities. A vacuum is applied to the gap between the inner and outer containers; this gap may be filled, at least partially, with insulating material. For this type of storage container to be used in a marine environment, it may be necessary for the container to have a 15-day lifespan in the event of a failure, assuming maximum operating pressure under maximum fill. That is, during this period, the maximum permissible pressure inside the inner container must not be exceeded, and hydrogen must not escape from the storage container. Currently, due to the limitations imposed by the heat incidence and the thermodynamic equilibrium temperature of the stored liquid hydrogen, and the resulting requirement for a certain lifespan, storage containers can only be filled to a limited extent with liquid hydrogen. Under typical conditions, often only 70% to 80% of the container's geometric volume can be utilized for liquid hydrogen storage. This needs improvement. Based on this background, the objective of the present invention is to provide an improved storage container. Accordingly, a storage container for storing cryogenic materials is proposed. The storage container includes an inner container for containing the cryogenic material, a latent heat reservoir for containing the phase change material, and an extraction pipe for removing the cryogenic material from the inner container. The extraction pipe is coupled to the latent heat reservoir so that the cryogenic material contained within the extraction pipe exchanges heat with the phase change material, and the latent heat reservoir is fluidly connected to the surroundings of the storage container only by a blowpipe. By incorporating a latent heat storage device, the enthalpy of the phase change of the phase-change material during the solid-to-liquid phase transition can be utilized for cooling, for example, the shield surrounding the inner container or other components of the storage container. This extends the lifespan of the cryogenic storage container. In particular, it enables emergency cooling. Furthermore, it allows for a higher degree of filling of the inner container with the cryogenic material. This storage container is particularly suitable for transporting refrigerants. Therefore, it can also be called a transport container. Preferably, the storage container has at least a double wall, including an inner container and an outer container surrounding the inner container. Therefore, it can also be called a double-walled storage container. The storage container may be part of a vehicle, especially a water vehicle. In this case, the storage container is suitable for mobile applications. However, the storage container can also be used in a stationary manner, for example, in construction technology. The extraction piping leads from the storage container to a consumption unit, such as a fuel cell. For example, the consumption unit can be energized to power an electric motor, such as a ship's propeller. The liquid cryogenic agent can be vaporized before reaching the consumption unit, thereby supplying the gaseous cryogenic agent to the consumption unit at the appropriate supply pressure and temperature. The cryogenic agent may be liquid hydrogen. Since this storage container is particularly suitable for containing liquid hydrogen, it can also be called a hydrogen storage container or hydrogen storage tank. In this context, the concept of "cryogenic agent" can be interchanged with the concept of "hydrogen," and vice versa. However, the cryogenic agent may also be liquid helium, liquid neon, etc. The cryogenic agent is contained within an inner container. Within the inner container, there may be a gaseous zone where the cryogenic agent is vaporized and a liquid zone where the cryogenic agent is liquid, as long as the cryogenic agent is in a two-phase region. In other words, after being injected into the inner container, the cryogenic agent has two phases with different condensation states: liquid and gas. That is, there is a phase boundary between the liquid cryogenic agent and the gaseous cryogenic agent within the inner container. Only the liquid cryogenic agent is extracted from the inner container via an extraction pipe. The end of the extraction pipe, located on the surface or inside of the inner container, is positioned inside or on the lower portion of the inner container when viewed in the direction of gravity. This end is preferably located inside or on the lower one-third of the inner container, and particularly preferably inside or on the lower one-sixth. This end of the extraction pipe is particularly preferably lo