JP6561746B2 - Gas filling system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas filling system that fills a plurality of tanks mounted on a vehicle from a station.

  In a conventional gas filling system, gas (for example, hydrogen) is filled from a station to a tank mounted on a vehicle while satisfying specifications such as temperature, pressure, and filling rate (hereinafter collectively referred to as “filling specifications”). Is doing. For example, in the gas filling system described in Patent Document 1, the vehicle transmits the temperature (the lowest temperature) of the tank having the best heat dissipation among the plurality of mounted tanks to the station, and the station receives the received temperature. And the filling rate (SOC) of the tank based on the fuel gas supply pressure (also referred to as “filling pressure”) at the station, and the amount of fuel gas filling the tank is determined.

JP 2012-077788 A

  However, since the filling rate is calculated based on the lowest temperature of the tank with the best heat dissipation, if the temperature difference between the tanks is large, the actual filling rate of other tanks is considerably low. The filling is stopped, and there is a possibility that a sufficient filling rate cannot be obtained in the tank after filling. In addition, the filling pressure at the station is measured higher than the actual pressure in the tank due to pressure loss in the piping from the nozzle and the filling port on the vehicle side to the tank. .

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.

(1) According to one form of this invention, the gas filling system from a station to a vehicle is provided. The vehicle of the gas filling system includes a plurality of tanks for storing gas; a plurality of temperature sensors for detecting temperatures of the plurality of tanks; and a filling pressure of gas supplied to the plurality of tanks A vehicle-side pressure sensor; obtaining temperatures of the plurality of tanks and the filling pressure, obtaining an average temperature of the plurality of tanks, and using each of the plurality of tanks using the temperatures of the plurality of tanks and the filling pressure A vehicle-side control unit for obtaining the individual filling rate of the vehicle. The station includes: a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the vehicle; a station-side pressure sensor that detects a gas supply pressure in the gas supply unit; a station-side control unit that controls supply of gas by the gas supply unit; Comprising. The vehicle-side control unit transmits the average temperature to the station-side control unit. The station-side control unit is configured such that an overall filling rate of the plurality of tanks obtained using the average temperature transmitted from the vehicle-side control unit and a supply pressure detected by the station-side pressure sensor is a filling rate specified value. The gas supply is controlled so as not to exceed. The vehicle-side control unit transmits a gas supply stop request to the station-side control unit when the individual filling rate of any of the plurality of tanks reaches the specified filling rate. The station side control unit stops the supply of the gas when the stop request is received from the vehicle side control unit.
According to the gas filling system of this aspect, on the station side, the overall filling rate of the plurality of tanks obtained by using the average temperature of the plurality of tanks and the supply pressure of the gas supply unit does not exceed the specified filling rate. Since the gas supply is controlled, the filling of gas into a plurality of tanks of the vehicle can be managed on the station side. Compared with the prior art, the temperature difference between the temperature used to determine the filling rate on the station side and the temperature of each tank is reduced, so that the filling rate as a whole of multiple tanks after filling is improved. It is possible to make it. Further, the vehicle side obtains the individual filling rate of each of the plurality of tanks, monitors the individual filling rate of each tank, and when any of the individual filling rates reaches the specified filling rate, the vehicle side A stop request is transmitted to the station side, and when the station side receives the stop request, the supply of gas to the vehicle is stopped, so that control can be performed so that each tank is not overfilled. Therefore, the filling rate of the plurality of tanks as a whole can be improved as much as possible as compared with the prior art.

  Note that the present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, in various forms such as a gas filling system from a station to a vehicle, a gas filling method, a station, and a vehicle. is there.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the hydrogen filling system of one Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing shown about the hydrogen filling process in a hydrogen station. It is explanatory drawing shown about the hydrogen filling process in a vehicle.

  Drawing 1 is an explanatory view showing the composition of the hydrogen filling system of one embodiment. In this hydrogen filling system, the hydrogen station 10 supplies hydrogen as a fuel gas to a fuel cell vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “vehicle”) 20 equipped with a fuel cell system, and a fuel tank mounted on the vehicle 20. It is a filling system.

  The hydrogen station 10 includes a storage tank 100, a compressor 110, a delivery valve 120, a delivery nozzle 130, a station side communication device 140, and a station side control unit 150. Further, the delivery pipe connecting the delivery valve 120 and the delivery nozzle 130 is provided with a station-side pressure sensor Pfs that detects the pressure of the gas to be delivered (also referred to as “supply pressure”). The compressor 110, the delivery valve 120, and the delivery nozzle 130 correspond to the “gas supply unit” of the present invention.

  The storage tank 100 of the hydrogen station 10 stores hydrogen to be supplied to the vehicle 20. The delivery valve 120 adjusts the delivery, blocking, and delivery amount of hydrogen delivered from the compressor 110 by changing the degree of opening and closing of the valve. The compressor 110 compresses the hydrogen stored in the storage tank 100 so that the pressure increase speed of the hydrogen supplied to the vehicle 20 becomes the pressure increase speed defined as the gas filling specification. The station-side control unit 150 controls the station-side communication device 140 to acquire tank information including information such as a tank temperature and a filling stop request sent from the vehicle 20. Further, information on the detected hydrogen supply pressure is acquired from the station-side pressure sensor Pfs. Then, the station-side control unit 150 controls the operations of the compressor 110 and the delivery valve 120 so as to deliver hydrogen to the vehicle 20 in accordance with a preset gas filling specification based on the acquired information. .

  The vehicle 20 includes a receptacle 200, a plurality of tanks 210 and 220, a vehicle side communication device 240, and a vehicle side control unit 270. In addition, a filling path 250 is provided between the receptacle 200 and the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 to supply and fill the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 with hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen station 10. The filling path 250 includes a first filling path 252 from the receptacle 200, a second filling path 256 to the first tank, a third filling path 258 to the second tank, and a first filling path. The path 252 includes a branch pipe 254 that branches into a second filling path 256 and a third filling path 258. Further, a supply path 260 for supplying hydrogen stored in the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 to the fuel cell is provided between the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 and a fuel cell (not shown). The plurality of tanks 210 and 220 store hydrogen, which is fuel gas supplied via the receptacle 200 and the filling path 250, and supply the hydrogen to the fuel cell via the supply path 260. Hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell is consumed as fuel gas.

  The plurality of tanks 210 and 220 are provided with temperature sensors TA and TB for detecting the tank internal temperature, respectively. In addition, the branch pipe 254 is provided with a vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv that detects a filling pressure (vehicle-side filling pressure) of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen station 10. The vehicle-side control unit 270 acquires detection values of the vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv and the temperature sensors TA and TB at the time of hydrogen filling described later. Further, the vehicle-side control unit 270 transmits tank information described later to the station-side control unit 150 when the tank is filled with hydrogen. As the station side communication device 140 and the vehicle side communication device 240, for example, an infrared communication device can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be another wireless communication device or a wired communication device.

  In the hydrogen filling system described above, as described below, hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen station 10 to the vehicle 20, and hydrogen is filled into the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 provided in the vehicle 20.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the hydrogen filling process in the hydrogen station 10. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the hydrogen filling process in the vehicle 20. The hydrogen filling process in the hydrogen station 10 and the vehicle 20 is performed by the station side control after the delivery nozzle 130 and the receptacle 200 are connected and communication between the station side communication device 140 and the vehicle side communication device 240 is established. Each of unit 150 and vehicle-side control unit 270 starts.

  Here, the specifications of the tank are defined by the law that the temperature is 85 ° C. or less, the filling rate is 100% or less, and the tank internal pressure is 87.5 MPa or less. In the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) standard, as a specification for filling hydrogen, a pressure increase rate for not exceeding the upper limit temperature (85 ° C.) of the tank is defined. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the station side control unit 150 controls the operations of the compressor 110 and the delivery valve 120 in accordance with this rule. Therefore, the hydrogen filling process described below basically has a filling rate of 100% on the premise that the temperature of the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 of the vehicle 20 does not exceed the upper limit temperature of the tank. It is designed from the standpoint of monitoring so as not to exceed.

  For example, when an operator of the hydrogen station starts a filling operation with a filling start switch (not shown) or the like, the station-side control unit 150 first increases the pressure increase speed according to a preset rule as shown in FIG. In addition, the compressor 110 and the delivery valve 120 are controlled to start delivery of hydrogen to the vehicle 20 through the delivery nozzle 130 and supply hydrogen to the vehicle 20 to fill the plurality of tanks 210 and 220. Is executed (step S100). At this time, the station-side control unit 150 transmits process start information indicating the start of the process to the vehicle-side control unit 270. The vehicle side control unit 270 that has received the process start information starts the process shown in FIG.

The vehicle-side control unit 270 acquires each value detected by the vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv and the temperature sensors TA and TB (step S210). Then, the vehicle-side control unit 270 uses the values of the plurality of temperature sensors TA and TB (hereinafter also referred to as “tank temperature TA” and “tank temperature TB”), and the average tank temperature Tm of the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 = (TA + TB) / 2 is calculated (step S220). Moreover, the vehicle side control part 270 calculates the individual filling rate SOCi of each tank 210,220 based on the calculation formula shown to the following Formula (1) (step S230).
SOC [%] = {(Z ₀ × T ₀ × P ₁ ) / (Z ₁ × T ₁ × P ₀ )} × 100 (1)
In the above equation (1), Z represents the compression coefficient, T represents the tank temperature, P represents the pressure, the subscript “0” represents the reference value, and the subscript “1” represents the acquired value during filling. In this example, it is assumed that Z ₀ = Z ₁ = 0.99, T ₀ = 288 K (= 15 ° C.), and P ₀ = 70 MPa are used as reference values. As the temperatures T ₁ during filling, in the case of the first tank 210 is used is the first tank temperature TA, in the case of the second tank 220 has a second tank temperature TB used. Further, as the pressure P ₁ during filling, a filling pressure detected by a vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv provided in the branch pipe 254 (hereinafter also referred to as “vehicle-side filling pressure Pfv”) is used.

  Then, vehicle-side control unit 270 determines whether or not the individual filling rate SOCi of any tank has reached a specified filling rate (for example, 100%) (step S240). If the individual filling rate SOCi of any tank has not reached 100%, it is determined that filling is still possible, and the average tank temperature Tm is transmitted as tank information to the station-side control unit 150 (step S250). On the other hand, if the individual filling rate SOCi of any tank reaches 100%, it is determined that the tank is fully filled, and in addition to the average tank temperature Tm as tank information to the station side control unit 150, A filling stop request St is transmitted (step S260). Only the filling stop request St may be transmitted.

  The vehicle-side control unit 270 repeatedly executes the above-described processing (steps S210 to S260) until it receives processing end information indicating the end of the filling processing from the station-side control unit 150 (step S270).

  Returning to the processing on the station side in FIG. 2, the station side control unit 150 acquires the average tank temperature Tm and, if necessary, the filling stop request St as the tank information transmitted from the vehicle side control unit 270. At the same time, a supply pressure indicated by the station-side pressure sensor Pfs (hereinafter also referred to as “station-side supply pressure Pfs”) is acquired (step S120).

  Then, the station-side control unit 150 determines whether or not there is a filling stop request St from the vehicle-side control unit 270 (step S140). When there is a filling stop request St, any of the tanks mounted on the vehicle 20 is in a fully filled state, and therefore the station side control unit 150 stops the operation of the compressor 110 and the delivery valve 120 and supplies hydrogen. The supply of hydrogen is completed by stopping the delivery and stopping the supply of hydrogen to the vehicle 20 (step S180). Note that when the filling stop request St is received, the supply of hydrogen may be stopped immediately by interruption processing.

When there is no filling stop request St, the station-side control unit 150 calculates the overall filling rate SOCt of the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 based on the above equation (1) (step S160). In this process as well, Z ₀ = Z ₁ = 0.99, T ₀ = 288K (= 15 ° C.), and P ₀ = 70 MPa are used as the reference values. As the temperatures T ₁ during filling, the average tank temperature Tm obtained from the vehicle 20 is used. As the pressure P ₁ during the filling, the pressure of hydrogen to be delivered from the hydrogen station 10, i.e., the station-side feed pressure Pfs is used. Note that a value obtained by dividing a known pressure loss or the like from the station-side supply pressure Pfs may be used. This is because the vehicle-side filling pressure detected by the vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv of the vehicle 20 is highly dependent on the vehicle, and therefore the highly reliable station-side supply pressure detected by the station-side pressure sensor Pfs of the hydrogen station 10 is used. This is because the filling state is managed on the hydrogen station 10 side by grasping the filling rate of the tank. In this way, even if the vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv fails, if the station-side supply pressure that can be managed on the hydrogen station 10 side reaches the maximum supply pressure corresponding to full filling, It is possible to stop filling at the station 10 side.

  Then, it is determined whether the overall filling rate SOCt calculated from the average tank temperature Tm of the vehicle 20 and the station-side supply pressure Pfs is less than a specified filling rate (for example, 100%) (step S170). If the overall filling rate SOCt is less than 100%, it is determined that there is no problem with the filling rate of any tank, and the above processing (steps S110 to S160) is repeated. On the other hand, when the overall filling rate SOCt reaches 100%, the station-side control unit 150 completes the filling of hydrogen by stopping the supply of hydrogen to the vehicle 20 (step S180).

  When the hydrogen filling is completed (step S180), the station-side control unit 150 ends the hydrogen filling process. At this time, the station side control unit 150 transmits process end information indicating the end of the hydrogen filling process to the vehicle side control unit 270. The vehicle control unit 270 that has received the process end information ends the process as described above.

  As described above, in the hydrogen filling process of the present embodiment, basically, the hydrogen station 10 uses the average tank temperature Tm of the plurality of tanks 210 and 220 of the vehicle 20 and the station side supply pressure Pfs to fill the entire filling rate. While the SOC 20 is calculated and monitored, the vehicle 20 is filled with hydrogen, and the filling is completed when the overall filling rate SOCt reaches a specified filling rate (for example, 100%). Therefore, it is possible to stably fill the vehicle 20 with hydrogen without depending on the vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv provided on the vehicle 20 side. Further, even if the vehicle-side pressure sensor Pfv is out of order, the vehicle 20 can be charged until the pressure reaches the set pressure under the management of the hydrogen station 10 side.

  Here, as can be seen from the above equation (1), the filling rate is determined by the temperature of the tank to be filled and the pressure of the gas to be filled (here, hydrogen), and the higher the tank temperature, the higher the gas pressure. The higher the is, the higher. For this reason, the filling rate of the tank with the best heat dissipation (the tank with the lowest temperature) becomes the highest. Therefore, when monitoring the filling rate calculated from the supply pressure at the station and the temperature of the tank with the best heat dissipation (lowest temperature) as in the prior art, the temperature higher than the tank with the lowest temperature is monitored. There is a margin in the actual filling rate of these tanks, and there is a possibility that the overall filling rate SOCt of the plurality of tanks after filling is lowered.

  Further, since there is a pressure loss in the gas path from the hydrogen station to the vehicle tank, the filling pressure in the vehicle (vehicle-side filling pressure) is lower than the supply pressure at the hydrogen station (station-side supply pressure). Therefore, the individual tank filling rate SOCi is lower than the overall filling rate SOCt calculated using the station-side supply pressure. The actual decrease in the individual filling rate SOCi of the tank increases as the length of the pipes constituting the paths to the plurality of tanks increases, and the difference in the length of the pipes between the tanks increases accordingly. Thus, the temperature difference between the tanks can be large, and in the case of the conventional filling process, the decrease in the overall filling rate SOCt of the plurality of tanks after the completion of filling can be more remarkable.

  On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, in the hydrogen station, the total filling rate SOCt calculated from the supply pressure at the hydrogen station (station-side supply pressure) and the average temperature of a plurality of tanks is monitored. The temperature difference between the temperature used for calculating the filling rate and the temperature of each tank is reduced, and the filling rate as a whole of the plurality of tanks after the completion of filling can be improved.

  Further, in the hydrogen station, when the overall filling rate SOCt is calculated using the average temperature of the plurality of tanks and the supply pressure on the station side as described above, the actual filling rate SOCi of the actual tank depends on the pressure difference due to pressure loss. Lower. In addition, since the overall filling rate SOCt calculated in the hydrogen station uses the average temperature of a plurality of tanks as described above, there is a possibility of overfilling in a tank having a temperature lower than the average temperature. In the case of the present embodiment, as described above, in the course of the filling process, the vehicle side calculates the individual filling rate SOCi of each tank using the tank temperature and the filling pressure in the vehicle (vehicle-side filling pressure). Monitoring is performed, and when the individual filling rate SOCi of any tank reaches 100% of the specified filling rate, a filling stop request is made to the hydrogen station. Thereby, overfilling of each tank can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, under the management on the hydrogen station side, the filling rate is the filling rate while satisfying the upper limit temperature of the tank for the plurality of tanks mounted on the vehicle from the hydrogen station. Hydrogen can be charged so that the specified value is not exceeded. Moreover, it is possible to improve the filling rate of several tanks compared with a prior art.

  If the temperature of any tank exceeds the upper limit temperature for some reason, for example, an ABORT (filling stop) signal is transmitted from the vehicle-side control unit 270 to the hydrogen station 10 side, The side controller 150 may stop filling.

  In the above embodiment, the station-side control unit 150 sets the specified filling rate to 100% (step S170) in the hydrogen filling process (FIG. 2), but is not limited to this and is lower than 100%. It may be a specified filling rate, or may be a value according to the setting of the filling rate margin managed on the station side.

  In the above embodiment, the case where two tanks are filled with hydrogen, which is fuel gas, is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and fuel gas is supplied to two or more tanks. It may be a case of filling with hydrogen.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the hydrogen filling system that fills hydrogen from a hydrogen station to a tank-equipped vehicle equipped with a hydrogen tank like a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a gas filling system that fills fuel gas into another type of vehicle equipped with a fuel gas tank may be used.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments, examples, and modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the above effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Moreover, elements other than the elements described in the independent claims among the constituent elements in the above-described embodiments and modifications are additional elements and can be omitted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Hydrogen station 20 ... Vehicle 100 ... Storage tank 110 ... Compressor 120 ... Delivery valve 130 ... Delivery nozzle 140 ... Station side communication apparatus 150 ... Station side control part 200 ... Receptacle 210, 220 ... Tank 240 ... Vehicle side communication apparatus 250 ... filling path 252 ... first filling path 254 ... branch pipe 256 ... second filling path 258 ... third filling path 260 ... supply path 270 ... vehicle side controller TA, TB ... temperature sensor Pfs ... station side pressure sensor Pfv ... Vehicle side pressure sensor

Claims (1)

A gas filling system from a station to a tank mounted on a vehicle,
The vehicle is
A plurality of tanks for storing gas;
A plurality of temperature sensors for detecting temperatures of the plurality of tanks;
A vehicle-side pressure sensor for detecting a filling pressure of gas supplied to the plurality of tanks;
The temperature of the plurality of tanks and the filling pressure are acquired, the average temperature of the plurality of tanks is obtained, and the individual filling rate of each of the plurality of tanks is obtained using the temperature of the plurality of tanks and the filling pressure. A vehicle-side control unit;
With
The station
A gas supply unit for supplying gas to the vehicle;
A station-side pressure sensor for detecting a gas supply pressure in the gas supply unit;
A station-side control unit for controlling gas supply by the gas supply unit;
With
The vehicle side control unit transmits the average temperature to the station side control unit,
The station-side control unit is configured such that an overall filling rate of the plurality of tanks obtained using the average temperature transmitted from the vehicle-side control unit and a supply pressure detected by the station-side pressure sensor is a filling rate specified value. The gas supply is controlled so as not to exceed
The vehicle-side control unit transmits a gas supply stop request to the station-side control unit when the individual filling rate of any of the plurality of tanks reaches the specified filling rate.
The station side control unit stops supply of the gas when receiving the stop request from the vehicle side control unit.

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