JP7259658B2 - high pressure tank - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to high pressure tanks.

2. Description of the Related Art Some high-pressure tanks for storing fuel gas used in natural gas vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, etc. include a liner that forms a space for sealing the gas and a mouthpiece attached to the liner. It is known to use thermocompression bonding to fix the liner and mouthpiece in such a high-pressure tank (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-145959 A

High pressure tank caps are relatively expensive. Therefore, it is conceivable to separate the mouthpiece from the discarded high-pressure tank and recycle it. However, in the high-pressure tank as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the liner and the mouthpiece are bonded together, so there is a high possibility that the work of separating the mouthpiece from the high-pressure tank at the time of recycling will be complicated. In addition, depending on the amount of liner components or adhesives adhering to the separated nozzles, there is a possibility that the separated nozzles cannot be recycled. In order to solve such problems, there is a demand for a technique that can easily separate the mouthpiece from the liner and easily separate the mouthpiece that is highly reusable in the high-pressure tank.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and can be implemented as the following modes.
a high pressure tank,
a liner forming a space for sealing gas;
a mouthpiece attached to a through-hole formed in a longitudinal end of the liner;
a fitting member formed of a material different from that of the mouthpiece, disposed between the liner and the mouthpiece, and sealing between the liner and the mouthpiece;
The exposed portion of the mouthpiece that is exposed to the outside from the liner is included inside the region obtained by projecting the smallest portion of the through-hole in which the size of the through-hole is the smallest in the longitudinal direction,
The liner is
an insert ring formed with the through hole on the inner wall of the top side of the dome portion at the longitudinal end and with which the fitting member is in airtight contact;
The insert ring
A cylindrical through-hole forming portion for forming the through-hole, and an expanded shape extending continuously from the through-hole forming portion. A high-pressure tank having an extended pressure-receiving portion for receiving pressure.

(1) According to one aspect of the present invention, a high pressure tank is provided. The high-pressure tank includes a liner that forms a space for sealing gas, a mouthpiece that is attached to a through-hole formed at a longitudinal end of the liner, and a material different from the mouthpiece. a fitting member arranged between the liner and the mouthpiece for sealing between the liner and the fitting member, wherein the exposed portion of the mouthpiece exposed outside from the liner is A minimum portion of the through hole where the size of the through hole is the smallest is included inside the area projected in the longitudinal direction. With such a configuration, the mouthpiece can be separated from the liner by pushing the mouthpiece toward the inside of the high pressure tank when the mouthpiece is separated from the high pressure tank. In addition, since the liner and the mouthpiece are fixed by the fitting member, it is possible to prevent the components of the liner or the adhesive from adhering to the separate mouthpiece. Therefore, in the high-pressure tank, the mouthpiece can be easily separated from the liner, and the mouthpiece, which is highly reusable, can be easily separated.

(2) In the high-pressure tank of the above aspect, the liner has an insert ring formed with the through-hole in the top-side inner wall of the dome portion at the longitudinal end and with which the fitting member is in airtight contact. The insert ring has a cylindrical through-hole forming portion that forms the through-hole, and an expanded shape extending continuously from the through-hole forming portion, and is recessed in the top-side inner wall of the dome portion along the longitudinal direction. and an expanded pressure receiving portion that receives the applied tank internal pressure. In this way, since the expanded pressure-receiving portion of the insert ring is immersed in the top-side inner wall of the dome portion, the expanded pressure-receiving portion is not immersed even if tank internal pressure is applied to the expanded pressure-receiving portion along the longitudinal direction. It is supported by the dome portion of the liner where it is located. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the insert ring from slipping along the through hole or falling off the liner.

The present invention is not limited to high-pressure tanks, and can be applied to various forms such as, for example, high-pressure tank manufacturing methods and high-pressure tank manufacturing apparatuses. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, and can of course be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is an explanatory view showing a schematic structure of a high pressure tank of a 1st embodiment. It is an enlarged view near a mouthpiece. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing how the mouthpiece is attached to the liner; FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing how the liner is molded with the insert ring attached. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing how a mouthpiece is attached to a liner that constitutes the high-pressure tank of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing how a liner that constitutes the high-pressure tank of the second embodiment is molded. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing how a mouthpiece is attached to a liner that constitutes a high-pressure tank according to a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing how a liner that constitutes the high-pressure tank of the third embodiment is molded. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing how a mouthpiece 34 is attached to a liner that constitutes a high-pressure tank according to a fourth embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing how a liner that constitutes the high-pressure tank of the fourth embodiment is molded.

A. First embodiment:
A1. Device configuration:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a high-pressure tank 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 shows XYZ axes that are orthogonal to each other. The XYZ axes in FIG. 1 correspond to the XYZ axes in the other figures. On the XYZ axes, the direction indicated by the arrow is the + side, and the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow is the - side. The high-pressure tank 10 stores, for example, high-pressure hydrogen gas of about 70 MPa. The high-pressure tank 10 includes a liner 20, mouthpieces 34 and 35, and a reinforcing layer 40. - 特許庁

The liner 20 is a resin hollow liner that forms a space for sealing hydrogen gas. The liner 20 is made of thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, nylon, polypropylene, and polyester. The liner 20 has a cylinder portion 21 and dome portions 22 and 23 .

The cylinder portion 21 has a cylindrical shape extending along the X-axis direction. The dome portion 22 is provided at the end portion of the cylinder portion 21 on the negative side in the X-axis direction. The dome portion 23 is provided at the end of the cylinder portion 21 on the + side in the X-axis direction. The dome portions 22 and 23 are formed in a curved surface shape that protrudes toward the outside of the liner 20 .

Bases 34 and 35 made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel are provided at the tops of the dome portions 22 and 23, respectively. In other words, the mouthpieces 34 and 35 are attached to the through holes 24 and 25 formed at the ends of the liner 20 in the X-axis direction, which is the longitudinal direction. In this state, it can be said that the bases 34 and 35 are in contact with the liner 20 only on the inner surfaces of the dome portions 22 and 23 . The mouthpiece 34 is used for taking gas out of the high-pressure tank 10 or refilling the high-pressure tank 10 with gas. The spinneret 35 is used to reinforce the liner 20 or rotate the liner when forming the reinforcing layer 30 . The base 35 can also be omitted.

The reinforcing layer 40 is a layer that covers the liner 20 and serves to reinforce the liner 20 . The reinforcing layer 40 is composed of a hoop layer and a helical layer (not shown).

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the base 34 and its vicinity. The fitting member 54 is arranged between the liner 20 and the mouthpiece 34 to seal between the liner 20 and the mouthpiece 34 . The base 34 is fixed to the through hole 24 by fitting the fitting member 54 between the liner 20 and the base 34 . The fitting member 54 is made of a material different from that of the base 34 . In this embodiment, the fitting member 54 is an O-ring made of EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber). The fitting member 54 may be made of NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber), or may be made of other synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or synthetic resin. The base 35 is fixed to the through hole 25 by a fitting member 55 ( FIG. 1 ) corresponding to the base 35 , similarly to the fitting member 54 corresponding to the base 34 .

An exposed portion EX of the mouthpiece 34 exposed from the liner 20 to the outside is included inside a region R obtained by projecting the smallest portion MN of the through holes 24 where the size of the through holes 24 is the smallest in the X-axis direction. . The minimum portion MN referred to here is the portion where the cross section of the through hole 24 cut along the YZ plane is the smallest. In FIG. 2 the minimum portion MN is indicated by a dashed line. As with the region R corresponding to the exposed portion EX of the mouthpiece 34, the exposed portion of the mouthpiece 35 exposed outside from the liner 20 projects the minimum portion where the size of the through hole 25 is the smallest in the X-axis direction. is contained inside the region

Equipping the high-pressure tank 10 with the structure described with reference to FIG. 2 provides the following effects. That is, when the mouthpieces 34 and 35 are separated from the high-pressure tank 10 in order to recycle the mouthpieces 34 and 35, the mouthpieces 34 and 35 are removed from the liner 20 by pushing the mouthpieces 34 and 35 toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10. can be separated. More specifically, when the mouthpiece 34 is separated from the high-pressure tank 10, the exposed portion EX is included inside the region R. The part EX can move inside the high-pressure tank 10 through the through hole 24 . At this time, the fitting member 54 moves inside the high-pressure tank 10 along with the mouthpiece 34 to release the seal between the liner 20 and the mouthpiece 34 . Then, the mouthpiece 34 is removed from the through hole 24 toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10 . The mouthpiece 34 detached toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10 can be removed by cutting the high-pressure tank 10 at a portion near the center in the X-axis direction either before or after separating the mouthpiece 34 from the high-pressure tank 10. can be recovered. In order to avoid cutting the detached mouthpiece 34 towards the inside of the high pressure tank 10, it is preferable to cut the high pressure tank 10 before the mouthpiece 34 is separated.

In the above description, the case of separating the mouthpiece 34 from the high-pressure tank 10 has been described, but the same applies to the case of separating the mouthpiece 35 from the high-pressure tank 10 . That is, when the mouthpiece 35 is separated from the high-pressure tank 10, the exposed portion of the mouthpiece 35 that is exposed to the outside from the liner 20 is a region obtained by projecting the smallest portion of the through hole 25 in the X-axis direction. Therefore, by pushing the mouthpiece 35 from the outside of the high-pressure tank 10 in the +X-axis direction, the exposed portion of the mouthpiece 35 exposed from the liner 20 to the outside passes through the through-hole 25 and into the high-pressure tank 10 can be moved inside. As a result, the mouthpiece 35 is also removed from the through hole 25 toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10 in the same manner as the mouthpiece 34 .

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing how the mouthpiece 34 is attached to the liner 20. As shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3 and subsequent figures, each member is illustrated with hatching for the purpose of clarifying the member configuration.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the base 34 is inserted from the inside of the liner 20 into the through hole 24 on the top of the dome portion 22 of the liner 20 . This mouthpiece is inserted into a liner part obtained by dividing the liner 20 shown in FIG. That is, the liner part divided into two has an opening at the split end of the cylinder part 21 , so the fitting member 54 is conveyed into the liner through the opening at the split end and inserted into the through hole 24 . By inserting the mouthpiece 34 in this way, the mouthpiece 34 is assembled to the liner 20. In this assembled state, a bolt hole 28 for inserting a fixing bolt (not shown) of the liner 20 and a female screw hole 37 formed in the mouthpiece 34 are formed. made to match. The female screw hole 37 is a tapered female screw hole that exhibits a sealing function by using a seal tape together. The bolt holes 28 and the female screw holes 37 are formed at equal pitches around the through-axis of the liner 20 . The base assembly described above is also performed for the base 35 on the opposite side of the base 34 in the same manner.

The liner 20 to which the mouthpiece 34 is to be assembled has an insert ring 42 on the top inner wall 22a of the dome portion 22 at the longitudinal end. The insert ring 42 is a molded article made of stainless steel, and has a tubular body portion 42a and an expanded portion 42b that gradually expands continuously from the tubular body portion 42a. The tubular body portion 42a corresponds to the through-hole forming portion in the present invention, and in the through-hole region 24b including the region with which the fitting member 54 described above is in airtight contact, of the through-hole 24 that penetrates the liner 20 in the axial direction. , forming a through-hole 24 . The through-hole 24 is divided into a through-hole region 24b and an opening side region 24a on the distal end side of this region. The expanded portion 42b corresponds to the expanded pressure receiving portion of the present invention, and is submerged in the top-side inner wall 22a of the dome portion 22 to receive the tank internal pressure applied along the longitudinal direction of the liner. The tubular body portion 42a of the insert ring 42 forms a through-hole region 24b in a state of being sunk in the annular top portion of the dome portion 22. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing how the liner 20 is molded with the insert ring 42 already attached. As illustrated, an inner mold 100 and an outer mold 110 are used for molding the liner 20 . The inner mold 100 has a mold surface that forms the inner wall surface of the liner 20, the outer mold 110 has a mold surface that forms the outer wall surface of the liner 20, and both molds are attached to each other. The mold faces are facing each other. Before the two molds are set, the insert ring 42 is attached to the inner mold 100, and the inner wall surface of the insert ring 42, more specifically, the inner wall surface of the tubular body portion 42a and the extension portion 42b connected thereto is , closely adheres to the mold surface of the inner mold 100 . When the inner mold 100 with the insert ring 42 attached is set in the outer mold 110, a cavity 120 is formed in the area where both mold surfaces face each other. After the mold is set, molten resin is poured into the cavity 120 from the gate position shown in the figure, and when the resin hardens, the liner 20 with the insert ring 42 attached is obtained.

According to the first embodiment described above, when the mouthpieces 34 and 35 are separated from the high pressure tank 10, the mouthpieces 34 and 35 are separated from the liner 20 by pushing the mouthpieces 34 and 35 toward the inside of the high pressure tank 10. can do. In addition, since the liner 20 and the mouthpieces 34 and 35 are fixed by the fitting members 54 and 55, the liner 20 is more flexible than the form in which the liner and the mouthpiece are fixed by thermocompression bonding or adhesive bonding. It is possible to avoid adhesion of the components of the adhesive or the like to the separate mouthpieces 34 and 35 . Therefore, in the high-pressure tank 10, the mouthpieces 34, 35 can be simply separated from the liner 20, and the mouthpieces 34, 35 with high reusability can be easily separated.

The high-pressure tank 10 of the first embodiment includes an insert ring 42 on top of the domed portion 22 at the longitudinal end of the liner 20 . A through-hole region 24b of the through-hole 24 is formed by the tubular body portion 42a of the insert ring 42, and the insert ring 42 is an extended portion 42b that is continuous with the tubular body portion 42a and sunk into the top-side inner wall 22a of the dome portion 22, Receives tank internal pressure applied along the liner longitudinal direction. Therefore, according to the high-pressure tank 10 of the first embodiment, since the expanded portion 42b of the insert ring 42 is submerged in the top-side inner wall 22a of the dome portion 22, the expanded portion 42b extends along the longitudinal direction of the liner. Even if the internal pressure is applied, the expansion part 42b is supported by the dome part 22 of the liner 20 that sinks the expansion part 42b. Therefore, according to the high-pressure tank 10 of the first embodiment, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the insert ring 42 slips along the through hole 24 or falls out of the liner 20 .

In order to obtain the liner 20 constituting the high-pressure tank 10 of the first embodiment, the insert ring 42 is attached to the inner mold 100 in advance, and the inner wall surfaces of the tubular body portion 42a of the insert ring 42 and the extended portion 42b connected thereto are formed. is brought into close contact with the mold surface of the inner mold 100 . Therefore, when the insert ring 42 is poured into the cavity 120 from the gate position into the cavity 120, the insert ring 42 is supported by the inner mold 100 at the expanded portion 42b. can.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing how the mouthpiece 34 is attached to the liner 20 that constitutes the high-pressure tank 10A of the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing how the liner 20 constituting the high-pressure tank 10A of the second embodiment is molded. In the following description, members that perform the same function will be given the same member names with different symbols.

The high-pressure tank 10A of the second embodiment has an inner wall concave portion 26 on the widest end side of the extended portion 42b of the insert ring 42. As shown in FIG. The inner wall concave portion 26 is formed so that the inner peripheral wall of the liner 20 is depressed. As shown in FIG. 6, the outer mold 110 has a convex portion 101 against which the widest end of the installed insert ring 42 abuts due to the depression formation of the inner wall concave portion 26 . When the outer mold 110 having the protrusion 101 is set in the outer mold 110 with the most expanded end of the insert ring 42 in contact with the protrusion 101, the protrusion 101 protrudes into the cavity 120. Therefore, the dome portion 22 of the liner 20 is recessed to form an inner wall recess portion 26 . The inner wall recesses 26 may be either annular recessed grooves or recessed recesses scattered about the liner axis at predetermined intervals.

The high-pressure tank 10A of the second embodiment can also produce the same effects as the first embodiment. According to the high-pressure tank 10A of the second embodiment, by supporting the insert ring 42 with the convex portion 101 of the inner mold 100, displacement of the insert ring 42 during resin molding of the liner 20 can be more reliably avoided. can.

C. Third embodiment:
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing how the mouthpiece 34 is attached to the liner 20 that constitutes the high-pressure tank 10B of the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing how the liner 20 constituting the high-pressure tank 10B of the third embodiment is molded.

The high-pressure tank 10B of the third embodiment includes an insert ring 42A having an expanded portion 42b expanded substantially perpendicularly to the tubular body portion 42a. Also in this insert ring 42A, the expanded portion 42b is submerged in the top-side inner wall 22a of the dome portion 22 and receives the tank internal pressure applied along the longitudinal direction of the liner. As shown in FIG. 8, an outer mold 110 for obtaining the liner 20 fitted with the insert ring 42A is provided so that the extended portion 42b of the insert ring 42A is separated from the mold surface for forming the dome portion 22. , the insert ring 42A is mounted. Then, when the outer mold 110 is set in the outer mold 110, in the cavity 120 for forming the liner 20, the expanded portion 42b separates from the mold surface. It is surrounded by the resin poured from the bottom and then buried in the top-side inner wall 22a by the hardened resin.

The high-pressure tank 10B of the third embodiment can also produce effects similar to those of the above-described embodiments. According to the high-pressure tank 10B of the third embodiment, since the expanded portion 42b is embedded in the hardened resin that constitutes the liner 20, the insert ring 42A is displaced along the through-hole 24, and the liner A situation such as falling out of 20 can be more reliably avoided.

D. Fourth embodiment:
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing how the mouthpiece 34 is attached to the liner 20 that constitutes the high-pressure tank 10C of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing how the liner 20 constituting the high-pressure tank 10C of the fourth embodiment is molded.

In the high-pressure tank 10C of the fourth embodiment, the expanded portion 42b of the insert ring 42B is expanded substantially perpendicularly to the tubular body portion 42a, and the annular portion 42c is protruded from the expanded portion 42b in the axial direction of the liner. there is In this insert ring 42B, the expanded portion 42b and the annular portion 42c are buried in the top inner wall 22a of the dome portion 22, and the expanded portion 42b receives the tank internal pressure applied along the longitudinal direction of the liner. In addition to this, the high-pressure tank 10C of the fourth embodiment has an inner wall concave portion 26 at the bent portion of the extended portion 42b of the insert ring 42B, as in the second embodiment. The inner wall concave portion 26 is formed so that the inner peripheral wall of the liner 20 is depressed. As shown in FIG. 10, the outer mold 110 has a convex portion 101 with which the bent portion of the extended portion 42b of the installed insert ring 42B abuts in order to form the recessed portion 26 on the inner wall. When the outer mold 110 having the convex portion 101 is set in the outer mold 110 with the bent portion of the extended portion 42b of the insert ring 42B in contact with the convex portion 101, the convex portion 101 is formed in the cavity 120. In order to protrude, the dome portion 22 of the liner 20 is recessed with an inner wall recess 26 . The inner wall recesses 26 may be either annular recessed grooves or recessed recesses scattered about the liner axis at predetermined intervals. In the fourth embodiment, the expansion portion 42b and the annular portion 42c are surrounded by the hardened resin and buried in the top-side inner wall 22a by pouring the resin from the gate position after setting the mold and hardening it. .

The high-pressure tank 10C of the fourth embodiment can also produce the same effects as the above-described embodiments. According to the high-pressure tank 10C of the fourth embodiment, since the expanded portion 42b and the annular portion 42c are embedded in the cured resin forming the liner 20, the insert ring 42A may be displaced along the through hole 24. It is possible to more reliably avoid a situation such as a situation where the liner falls off from the liner 20.例文帳に追加

E. Other embodiments:
In the first embodiment described above, the fitting member 54 was an O-ring made of EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fitting member 54 may be made of a material that is more easily destroyed than the mouthpiece 34 . In such a case, when the mouthpiece 34 is pushed toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10 , the fitting member 54 is destroyed as the mouthpiece 34 moves, so that the mouthpiece 34 comes off toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10 . Also, the fitting member 54 may be made of a material having a melting point lower than that of the base 34 . In such a case, the mouthpiece 34 is disengaged toward the inside of the high-pressure tank 10 by heating the vicinity of the mouthpiece 34 and the fitting member 54 to a high temperature to melt the fitting member 54 .

In the form having the insert ring 42, the insert ring 42A, and the insert ring 42B, the mouthpiece 34 is airtightly attached to the through hole 24 by the fitting member 54, and then the mouthpiece 34 exposed to the outside from the liner 20 is removed. It can be applied to a form other than the form in which the exposed portion has a diameter smaller than that of the through hole 24 . For example, a configuration in which the insert ring 42, the insert ring 42A, or the insert ring 42B is applied to a high-pressure tank in which a cylindrical insert ring is attached to the through hole 24 of the liner 20 may be applied.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in the respective modes described in the Summary of the Invention are used to solve some or all of the above problems, or Substitutions and combinations may be made as appropriate to achieve part or all. Also, if the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate.

10, 10A to 10C... high-pressure tank, 20... liner, 21... cylinder part, 22, 23... dome part, 22a... top side inner wall, 24, 25... through hole, 24a... opening side area, 24b... through hole area, 26... Inner wall concave part 28... Bolt hole 34, 35... Mouthpiece 37... Female screw hole 40... Reinforcement layer 42, 42A, Insert ring, 42a... Tubular part, 42b... Extended part, 42c... Annular part, 54, 55... Fitting member 100... Inner mold 101... Convex part 110... Outer mold 120... Cavity EX... Exposed part MN... Minimum part R... Area

Claims (1)

a high pressure tank,
a liner forming a space for sealing gas;
a mouthpiece attached to a through-hole formed in a longitudinal end of the liner;
a fitting member formed of a material different from that of the mouthpiece, disposed between the liner and the mouthpiece, and sealing between the liner and the mouthpiece;
The exposed portion of the mouthpiece that is exposed to the outside from the liner is included inside the region obtained by projecting the smallest portion of the through-hole in which the size of the through-hole is the smallest in the longitudinal direction ,
The liner is
an insert ring formed with the through hole on the inner wall of the top side of the dome portion at the longitudinal end and with which the fitting member is in airtight contact;
The insert ring
A cylindrical through-hole forming portion for forming the through-hole, and an expanded shape extending continuously from the through-hole forming portion. A high-pressure tank having an extended pressure-receiving portion for receiving pressure.

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