US-12626936-B2 - Pressure container system for a motor vehicle, motor vehicle and method for interrupting a fluid connection

US12626936B2US 12626936 B2US12626936 B2US 12626936B2US-12626936-B2

Abstract

A pressurized container system for a motor vehicle includes a pressurized container configured to store a fuel, wherein the pressurized container system has a shut-off valve which is configured to interrupt, in a currentless state, a fluid connection between the pressurized container and at least one fuel gas consumer. A safety switch is configured to interrupt a power supply to the shut-off valve, where the safety switch is not an ignition switch of the motor vehicle.

Inventors

Ulrich Heidenreich
Richard Krueger
Leander KOEGL

Assignees

BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20180322
Priority Date: 20150923

Claims (3)

1 . A pressurized container system of a motor vehicle, comprising: a pressurized container configured to store a fuel, wherein the pressurized container system has a shut-off valve which is configured to interrupt, in a currentless state, a fluid connection between the pressurized container and at least one fuel gas consumer; and a safety switch configured to interrupt a power supply to the shut-off valve for performing a servicing operation on the motor vehicle, wherein the safety switch is an electrical switch which is connected to electrical terminals of the shut-off valve, wherein the safety switch and an ignition switch of the motor vehicle are configured to independently interrupt the power supply to the shut-off valve, and wherein the safety switch interrupts only the power supply to the shut-off valve for performing the servicing operation; wherein a lock is integrated into the safety switch, wherein after an interruption of the power supply by the safety switch the safety switch is lockable by locking the lock with a key, and wherein the safety switch permits the power supply again only after the lock is unlocked by the key.
2 . The pressurized container system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the safety switch is accessible without removing further operating components.
3 . A motor vehicle, comprising: a pressurized container system, wherein the pressurized container system has a pressurized container configured to store a fuel, wherein the pressurized container system has a shut-off valve which is configured to interrupt, in a currentless state, a fluid connection between the pressurized container and at least one fuel gas consumer; and at least one fuel cell system which is fluidically connected to the pressurized container system, wherein the shut-off valve is designed to interrupt the fluid connection; wherein the pressurized container system has a safety switch configured to interrupt a power supply to the shut-off valve, wherein the safety switch is an electrical switch which is connected to electrical terminals of the shut-off valve, wherein the safety switch and an ignition switch of the motor vehicle are configured to independently interrupt the power supply to the shut-off valve, wherein the safety switch interrupts only the power supply to the shut-off valve, wherein the safety switch interrupts the power supply to the shut-off valve before an intervention into an anode subsystem of the at least one fuel cell system, wherein a lock is integrated into the safety switch, wherein after an interruption of the power supply by the safety switch the safety switch is lockable by locking the lock with a key, and wherein the safety switch permits the power supply again only after the lock is unlocked by the key.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2016/069139, filed Aug. 11, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from German Patent Application No. 10 2015 218 233.9, filed Sep. 23, 2015, the entire disclosures of which are herein expressly incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The technology disclosed here relates to a motor vehicle having a fuel cell system and having a pressurized container system, a pressurized container system for a motor vehicle and a method for interrupting a fluid connection. Motor vehicles having a fuel cell system as such are known and are also referred to as fuel cell electrical vehicles (FCEVs). In such systems, fuel gases, e.g. hydrogen, are used which can easily be ignited. At present, there is no possible way of closing the fuel cell system in the trade organization (i.e. the workshops, logistics, display facilities, etc.). In previously known solutions, the fuel-gas-conducting anode subsystem is disconnected only if the ignition of the motor vehicle is switched off. For example, in the proposed standard ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/78 “Proposal for a new Regulation on hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles (HFCV)” of 2014 it is stated that in the currentless state the shut-off valves are intended to interrupt the fluid connection between the pressurized container and any supply lines (i.e. “normally closed valve”). Documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,075 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,762 A and EP 1 664 617 A2 present previously known prior art. If, for example during a repair, the anode subsystem is removed, there can theoretically be the risk of a fitter or a further employee (inadvertently) switching on the ignition and therefore opening the shut-off valve. If no further protective measures such as, for example, an overflow valve (also referred to as an “excess flow valve”) are provided, the fuel gas which is stored with very high pressure could very quickly escape and cause serious damage. Following an accident there can also be situations in which the rescue forces would like to cap the fluid connection to the pressurized tank. An object of the technology disclosed here is to reduce or overcome the disadvantages of the previously known solutions. Further objects arise from the advantageous effects of the technology disclosed here. The technology disclosed here relates to a pressurized container system for a motor vehicle. This can be a high-pressure gas container system or a cryogenic pressurized container system. High-pressure gas container systems are designed to store fuel at ambient temperatures permanently at a pressure above approximately 350 bar, also preferably above approximately 500 bar and particularly preferably above approximately 700 bar. Cryogenic pressurized container systems comprise a cryogenic pressurized container. The pressurized container can be used in a motor vehicle which is operated, for example, with compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). The cryogenic pressurized container can store fuel in the liquid or supercritical aggregate state. The fuel can be, for example, hydrogen which is stored at temperatures of approximately 30 K to 360 K in the cryogenic pressurized container. The cryogenic pressurized container can comprise, in particular, an internal container which is configured for storage pressures up to approximately 1200 bar, preferably up to approximately 875 bar and particularly preferably up to approximately 350 bar. The cryogenic pressurized container preferably comprises a vacuum with an absolute pressure in the range from 10−9 mbar to 10−1 mbar, also preferably from 10−7 mbar to 10−3 mbar and particularly preferably of approximately 10−5 mbar. The pressurized container has a shut-off valve. This shut-off valve is preferably arranged directly on the opening of the pressurized container or directly adjacent to the opening. The shut-off valve is designed to interrupt, in the currentless state, the fluid connection between the pressurized container and a fuel gas consumer, preferably all the fuel gas consumers. The shut-off valve is therefore a valve which assumes a closed position as a default position when the shut-off valve is not connected to a power supply. The technology disclosed here also comprises at least one safety valve, wherein the safety valve is designed to interrupt the power supply to the shut-off valve. In other words, the safety switch is a switch which can interrupt the power supply of the shut-off valve. The safety switch is expediently an electrical switch which is as a rule connected to the electrical terminals of the shut-off valve. However, this switch is not the ignition switch which is activated, for example, in order to put the motor vehicle into operation or shut it down. The safety switch can be provided in addition to the ignition switch. The safety isolator switch advantageously does not have any othe