Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – With material treatment – Heating or cooling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2001-02-06
Recla, Henry J. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
With material treatment
Heating or cooling
C141S002000, C141S004000, C141S018000, C141S098000, C062S046200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182717
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for filling hydrogen into a hydrogen storage tank in an automobile having a hydrogen engine or a fuel cell mounted thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When hydrogen is filled into an automobile hydrogen storage tank having a metal hydride in a hydrogen station. The hydrogen station has a hydrogen supply tank having a metal hydride with hydrogen absorbed therein. The metal hydride is heated with exothermic reaction of hydrogen absorption in the hydrogen storage tank. In a prior art process, cooling water is circulated into the hydrogen storage tank to cool the metal hydride, thereby providing an increase in the amount of hydrogen absorbed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-108909).
With the prior art process, however, the heated metal hydride is merely cooled and for this reason, the effective utilization of the generated quantity of heat is not controlled, which is not preferred for energy saving demand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrogen filling process of the above-described type of hydrogen tank, wherein the heat generated by the metal hydride in the hydrogen storage tank in the automobile can be effectively utilized in the hydrogen station for the heating of the metal hydride which is required to release hydrogen, thereby meeting the energy saving demand.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a process for filling hydrogen into a hydrogen storage tank in an automobile, the hydrogen storage tank having a metal hydride. The hydrogen is supplied from a hydrogen station provided with a hydrogen supply tank having a metal hydride with hydrogen absorbed therein. The process comprises the steps of circulating a heat transfer medium between the hydrogen supply tank and the hydrogen storage tank. In the hydrogen storage tank, the metal hydride which is heated by exothermic reaction of hydrogen absorption, is cooled by the heat transfer medium. The heat transfer medium which has been raised in temperature by such cooling is then discharged into the hydrogen supply tank. In the hydrogen supply tank, the metal hydride is heated by the heat transfer medium to release hydrogen, and the heat transfer medium which is lowered in temperature by an exothermic reaction of the metal hydride, then flows toward the hydrogen storage tank.
If a technique as described above is employed, a predetermined heating source may be used to heat the metal hydride to release hydrogen only at the start of the filling in the hydrogen station. In the subsequent steady state, the quantity of heat generated by the heating of the metal hydride in the hydrogen storage tank can be utilized effectively to release hydrogen in the hydrogen station. On the other hand, the heat transfer medium which is lowered in temperature by the heat exchange in the hydrogen supply tank, is used for cooling of the metal hydride in the hydrogen storage tank and hence, any special cooling means for the heat transfer medium is not required.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4995235 (1991-02-01), Halene
patent: 5771946 (1998-06-01), Kooy et al.
patent: 7-108909 (1995-04-01), None
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
deVore Peter
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Recla Henry J.
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