KR-20260063729-A - Jacket for preventing icing of hydrogen charging nozzle using phase transition material

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide a jacket that effectively prevents icing on a valve nozzle during hydrogen refueling without the input of an external energy source or physicochemical operation, by utilizing the ability of a phase transition material to store and release energy during the phase transition process. The interior of the jacket is filled with a liquid mixture in which phase transition materials are uniformly mixed in a lower temperature range (-40°C to -33°C), an intermediate temperature range (near 0°C), and an ambient temperature range (15°C to 25°C). Each phase transition material absorbs and releases heat within a specific temperature range to maintain the nozzle temperature and prevent condensation and freezing of moisture in the atmosphere. The mixture inside the jacket absorbs and releases heat across various temperature ranges, while the external insulation provides stable thermal management and anti-icing effects. This fundamentally blocks freezing phenomena that may occur during hydrogen refueling and enables the nozzle temperature to be maintained stably.

Inventors

• 최근형

Assignees

• 최근형

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241031

Claims (8)

1. A jacket for preventing icing of a hydrogen charging nozzle using a phase transition material, wherein the phase transition material is filled in the form of a homogeneous liquid mixture formed by uniformly mixing phase transition materials in a lower temperature range, an intermediate temperature range, and an ambient temperature range, wherein the lower temperature range corresponds to a hydrogen charging temperature range of -40℃ to -33℃, the intermediate temperature range corresponds to a temperature near 0℃, which is the freezing temperature of water, and the ambient temperature range corresponds to 15℃ to 25℃.
2. A jacket according to claim 1, wherein the phase transition material of the lower temperature range comprises a paraffin-based PCM, uses 50 to 99% of C16 (palmitic acid) or C18 (stearic acid), comprises 5 to 50% of one or a mixture thereof of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, and dibutylene glycol, may comprise 1 to 10% of one or a mixture thereof of triethylene glycol or tripropylene glycol, which are super cooling materials, and may comprise 0.01 to 1% of carbon nanotubes or graphene.
3. A jacket according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate temperature range phase transition material is a phase transition material formed by mixing water and salt, wherein the phase transition temperature is set to 0°C by mixing one or two materials selected from NaCl (sodium chloride), KCl (potassium chloride), and calcium chloride (CaCl2), and comprises 50 to 95% water, 5 to 20% of one or two materials selected from NaCl or KCl and calcium chloride, and 20 to 50% polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and butylene glycol.
4. A jacket according to claim 1, characterized in that the phase transition material in the room temperature range comprises 30 to 60% water, 40 to 90% of one or more of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and butylene glycol among polyhydric alcohols, and 1 to 10% super cooling material.
5. A jacket according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer surface of the jacket is made of stainless steel, high-temperature polymer, composite material, or aluminum alloy.
6. A jacket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a temperature sensor is installed inside the jacket to monitor the temperature of the PSM, and the sensor data is transmitted to an external device.
7. A jacket according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a rubber packing or sealing structure is provided so that the jacket can be easily attached to a hydrogen charging valve nozzle.
8. A jacket according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the PSM mixture inside the jacket absorbs and releases heat through phase transitions over various temperature ranges, thereby stably maintaining the temperature of the nozzle and preventing condensation and ice formation of moisture in the atmosphere.

Description

Jacket for preventing icing of hydrogen charging nozzle using phase transition material The present invention relates to a hydrogen refueling system, and more specifically, to a technology concerning a jacket utilizing a Phase Change Material (PCM) to prevent icing of a hydrogen refueling nozzle. Icing can occur at the nozzle due to low temperatures generated during the hydrogen refueling process, which can lead to reduced refueling efficiency and safety issues. Therefore, the present invention relates to a technology that effectively prevents icing by controlling the temperature around the nozzle using a Phase Change Material to solve these problems, thereby improving the stability and efficiency of the hydrogen refueling system. In particular, this technology can be applied to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and other hydrogen-based energy systems and can contribute to providing a safe and reliable hydrogen refueling environment. Various gases are used as fuel for automobiles. Among these gases, some are stored and supplied at low temperatures. In particular, the hydrogen used in recently commercialized hydrogen vehicles is supplied frozen at -33°C or below. Nozzle icing occurs due to the characteristic of hydrogen, where the pressure and temperature of the vehicle's hydrogen tank rise during rapid charging. Considering this characteristic, the international charging standard SAE J2601 (Hydrogen Charging Protocol) specifies that charging temperatures must be lowered to between -40°C and -33°C as a measure to ensure safety. Consequently, moisture in the atmosphere adheres to the nozzle and freezes, preventing the charging nozzle from being removed and requiring 5 to 10 minutes just to thaw it. To address this problem, regional hydrogen charging stations are employing various methods, such as forcefully removing the nozzle, using hot and cold packs, or applying hot water and dry air; however, these methods are not currently serving as a fundamental solution. Removing the charging nozzle by force carries the risk of damaging the hydrogen vehicle's nozzle, and if a driver is on board, there is a high likelihood of complaints arising from the vehicle's shaking. The most commonly used method involves injecting high-temperature air directly into the hydrogen charging nozzle. While this method is simple and effective, there is a risk of explosion if the three elements of combustion—ignition source (spark), combustible material (hydrogen), and oxygen (air)—are present simultaneously in the same location. To reduce this risk, methods using nitrogen instead of air are also being applied, but this presents issues regarding the frequent replacement and maintenance costs of the nitrogen tank. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically illustrating a hydrogen charging nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that, as described below, the various embodiments of the present invention differ from one another but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not intended to be taken in a limiting sense. The present invention includes the following embodiments: [ 1st Example ] Phase transition material in the lower temperature range The jacket of the present invention has the following composition as a phase transition material in the lower temperature range: - C16 (Palmitic acid): 70% - Ethylene glycol: 15% - Propylene Glycol: 5% - Triethylene glycol: 5% - Carbon nanotubes: 0.5% This combination works effectively at hydrogen charging temperatures of -40℃ to -33℃ and prevents icing by absorbing cold air around the nozzle. [ 2nd Example ] Phase transition material in an intermediate temperature range The intermediate temperature range includes the following composition: - Water: 70% - NaCl (Sodium Chloride): 10% - Ethylene glycol: 20% This composition sets the phase transition temperature to 0°C, preventing freezing around the nozzle and buffering the transfer of cold air generated during the charging process. [ 3rd Example ] Phase transition material in the room temperature range The following composition is used in the room temperature range: - Water: 50% - Ethylene glycol: 40% - Tripropylene Glycol: 5% This combination works effectively at room temperature of 15°C to 25°C to improve heat transfer and maximize the anti-icing effect. [ Total composition of the mixture ] The jacket of the present invention is composed of a lower, intermediate, and room temperature range phase transition material mixed in the following proportions: - Lower temperature range phase transition materi