JP7649336B2 - Protective barrier device and hydrogen station - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a protective wall device that surrounds a dispenser that supplies hydrogen at a hydrogen station that supplies hydrogen to fuel cell vehicles and the like, and to a hydrogen station having the same.

Fuel cell vehicles, which use hydrogen as fuel, do not emit carbon dioxide while driving, nor do they emit substances such as NOx that cause air pollution. In addition, they can travel several hundred kilometers on a few minutes of fuel supply, making them more convenient than electric vehicles, which take time to charge. For this reason, technological development is being carried out for fuel cell vehicles in anticipation of their future widespread use.

Fuel is supplied to fuel cell vehicles at hydrogen stations. Hydrogen stations are equipped with fire prevention equipment because there is a possibility of a large-scale explosion if hydrogen leaks and ignites. An example of a hydrogen station equipped with fire prevention equipment is shown in Patent Document 1.

JP 2012-66086 A

To prevent fires at hydrogen stations, fire walls are installed around them. In addition, laws and regulations require that hydrogen dispensers be located at a certain distance from public roads. This distance is determined taking into consideration factors such as the risk of leakage and diffusion in the event of a fire at the dispenser, blast pressure, flame length, and radiant heat.

Hydrogen stations are very expensive to build, which is one of the factors preventing their widespread use. Hydrogen stations require a large amount of land area because the dispensers must be located a certain distance away from the road. It is difficult to secure a large plot of land in urban areas, and even if a plot of land can be secured, the price of the land is high. This is one of the factors that makes the construction costs of hydrogen stations even higher.

Regarding this, it is possible to meet the standards set by law by taking measures equivalent to placing the dispenser at a certain distance from the public road. Measures equivalent to placing the dispenser at a certain distance from the public road include, for example, surrounding the road side of the dispenser with a reinforced concrete barrier, a concrete block barrier, or a steel plate barrier. By taking this measure, the distance between the dispenser and the road can be reduced, which reduces the required land area and reduces the construction costs of the hydrogen station.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a protective wall device that surrounds a dispenser at a hydrogen station with a wall, and a hydrogen station having the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the protective barrier device according to the present invention is a protective barrier device provided at a hydrogen station that is installed on the ground facing a road and has a dispenser that supplies hydrogen,
a barrier that is erected upward from the ground on the side of the dispenser facing the road, thereby partitioning the space between the dispenser and the road with its own wall, and that has an upper end that is located closer to the road than the end face of the dispenser opposite to the road side, thereby closing off at least a part of the space above the dispenser;
and a water sprinkler head that sprinkles water onto at least the surface of the barrier facing the dispenser to form a water film.

The protective wall device according to the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the surface of the barrier on which the water film is formed has at least a portion of an uneven surface.

The protective barrier device according to the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that the barrier is optically transparent.

A hydrogen station according to the present invention further comprises: a dispenser that is installed on the ground facing a road and supplies hydrogen;
a barrier that is erected upward from the ground on the side of the dispenser facing the road, partitioning the space between the dispenser and the road with its own wall surface and that has an upper end that is located closer to the road than the end face of the dispenser opposite the road side, thereby closing off at least a portion of the space above the dispenser; and a protective barrier device having a water sprinkling head that sprinkles water on at least the surface of the barrier that faces the dispenser to form a water film;
The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with:

The protective wall device of the present invention can increase the heat resistance of the barrier by spraying water onto it, ensuring fire prevention in the event of a fire.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a hydrogen station equipped with a protective wall device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the protective barrier device. FIG. 2 is a front view of the protective wall device, with the surface side facing the dispenser as the front. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a protective barrier device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a protective barrier device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a barrier in a protective barrier device of a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a protective barrier device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a protective barrier device according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a protective barrier device according to a seventh embodiment. A vertical cross-sectional view of the protective barrier device of the seventh embodiment when spraying water.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a hydrogen station equipped with a protective wall device 5 of this embodiment. The hydrogen station shown in this figure is configured as an on-site type that can produce hydrogen within the station by reforming fuel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen station of this embodiment is installed facing a road 1 and is provided in an area surrounded by a specific partition wall 2 as stipulated by laws and regulations. Within the area surrounded by the partition wall 2, the area where hydrogen is produced (reformed) and stored is further surrounded by a partition wall 3 that is 2 m or more in height.

The fuel that is the raw material for hydrogen is stored in a fuel tank 10 located underground at the hydrogen station. The fuel from the fuel tank 10 is sent to a hydrogen production device 11, where the fuel is reformed to produce hydrogen. The produced hydrogen is in a gaseous state, which is sent to a compressor 12 where it is compressed, and is stored in the form of compressed hydrogen in a storage tank 13.

Dispensers 4 are placed inside the hydrogen station to supply hydrogen to automobiles. Protective wall devices 5 are placed around the dispensers 4. The protective wall devices 5 have barriers 20 that are roughly U-shaped in plan view. The barriers 20 are placed on both sides of the periphery of the dispenser 4, on the side facing the road 1 of the dispenser 4 and on the other side of the dispenser 4 that faces the road 1, and surround the periphery of the dispenser 4.

Figure 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the protective wall device 5. As shown in this figure, the barrier 20 rises vertically from the ground. The barrier 20 is made of a transparent material. A reinforced transparent resin such as acrylic can be used as the transparent material for forming the barrier 20. Reinforced glass can also be used as the transparent material. Therefore, from the road 1 side, the dispenser 4 and the store facilities 6 in the hydrogen station can be seen through the barrier 20.

The upper end of the barrier 20 is provided with a fixed member 20a that protrudes toward the dispenser 4, and a watering head 21 is attached to the lower surface of the fixed member 20a. Therefore, the watering head 21 is disposed on the dispenser 4 side of the barrier 20. The watering head 21 can receive water and spray water toward the barrier 20. The watering head 21 is disposed at the upper end of the barrier 20 so as to face diagonally downward so that it can spray water on the side of the barrier 20 that faces the dispenser 4. Water is sprayed from the watering head 21 toward the barrier 20, forming a water film 23 on the side of the barrier 20 that faces the dispenser 4. The barrier 20 with the water film 23 formed on its surface can also transmit light, so that the dispenser 4 and the store facilities 6 in the hydrogen station can be seen through the barrier 20 from the road 1 side.

The sprayed water is collected at the bottom of the barrier 20, and is supplied again to the spray head 21 by the recirculation pump 22. In other words, the water sprayed by the spray head 21 is circulated, which saves water.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the protective wall device 5 with the surface facing the dispenser 4 facing the front. As shown in this figure, multiple sprinkler heads 21 are arranged horizontally, and each sprinkler head 21 is connected to a water supply pipe 25. The water supply pipe 25 supplies water to the sprinkler head 21. In this embodiment, the water supply pipe 25 supplies water to the sprinkler head 21 regardless of whether there is an abnormality in the hydrogen station. For this reason, the sprinkler head 21 constantly sprays water onto the barrier 20. Because the sprinkler head 21 constantly sprays water, a water film 23 is constantly formed on the surface of the barrier 20, improving the design.

Each sprinkler head 21 can spray water in a roughly fan-shaped pattern. The water sprayed from each sprinkler head 21 spreads downward and merges with the water sprayed from the adjacent sprinkler head 21. This forms a uniform water film over the entire surface of the barrier 20.

The amount of water sprayed onto the barrier 20 is in the range of 5×10 ⁻⁵ m ³ /(sec·m ² ) to 1×10 ⁻³ m ³ /(sec·m ² ) as the flow rate on the surface of the barrier 20. As a result, if a fire breaks out at the hydrogen station and the energy of the fire is 100 kW/m ² , the energy can be blocked by the water film.

In this way, by forming the barrier 20 from a translucent material and spraying water from the water spray head 21 onto the surface of the barrier 20 from the upper end of the barrier 20 to form a water film, the barrier 20 can be protected in the event of a fire, blocking the flames and providing heat resistance to radiant heat. This makes it possible to create a protective wall device 5 that has fire prevention capabilities while ensuring translucency that allows the dispensers 4 and store facilities 6, etc. to pass through from the road 1 side. This allows the dispensers 4 to be located close to the road 1, and the site area of the hydrogen station can be prevented from becoming large, thereby suppressing increases in the construction costs of the hydrogen station.

Figure 4 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a protective barrier device of the second embodiment. As shown in this figure, the fixing members 20a may be protruded on both the dispenser 4 side and the opposite side of the barrier 20, and a water spray head 21 may be provided on each side to spray water on both sides of the barrier 20. This covers both sides of the barrier 20 with a water film 23, making it possible to improve heat insulation in the event of a fire.

5 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a protective wall device of the third embodiment. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, a slanted folded portion 20b is formed at the upper end of the barrier 20 toward the dispenser 4 side. A fixing member 20a is provided on the folded portion 20b , and a sprinkling head 21 is attached to the folded portion 20b. The sprinkling head 21 sprinkles water diagonally downward toward the surface of the barrier 20 on the dispenser 4 side, and the water forms a water film 23 from the folded portion 20b to a vertical surface. In this way, by forming the folded portion 20b on the barrier 20 and providing the sprinkling head 21 on the folded portion 20b, the dispenser 4 can be surrounded not only on the sides but also above by the barrier 20 covered with the water film 23, and in the event of a fire, the barrier 20 can better block flames and radiant heat.

In the embodiment described so far, the surface of the barrier 20 is a smooth surface, but as shown in FIG. 6, the barrier 20 may have an uneven portion 20c on the side on which the water film 23 is formed. By having the uneven portion 20c on the surface of the barrier 20, an uneven pattern is also formed on the surface of the water film 23, improving the design. In addition, the uneven portion 20c can be formed in various shapes, such as a wavy shape in the horizontal direction.

Figure 7 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a protective barrier device of the fifth embodiment. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, the sprinkler head 21 is disposed on the side of the dispenser 4 facing the barrier 20. The sprinkler head 21 is installed so that it can spray water toward the barrier 20, and as shown in Figure 7, a water film 23 is formed on the surface of the barrier 20 by spraying water from the sprinkler head 21 toward the barrier 20. In this way, the sprinkler head 21 does not necessarily have to be provided on the top of the barrier 20. By providing the sprinkler head 21 on the dispenser 4 side, the configuration on the barrier 20 side can be simplified. Also, in this embodiment, the sprinkler head 21 may spray water toward the barrier 20 at all times, or may spray water only when an abnormality is detected in the hydrogen station.

8 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a protective wall device of the sixth embodiment. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, pillars 26 are provided at predetermined intervals in addition to the barrier 20 and the dispenser 4, and the sprinkler heads 21 are arranged on the supports 27 supported by the pillars 26. The sprinkler heads 21 are installed so that they can sprinkle water on the surface of the barrier 20, and a water film 23 can be formed on the surface of the barrier 20. In this way, by providing the sprinkler heads 21 on the supports 27, which are installations installed separately from the barrier 20 and the dispenser 4, the configuration of the barrier 20 and the dispenser 4 can be simplified. In addition, the installation on which the sprinkler heads 21 are provided may be anything located above the barrier 20, such as the roof or lighting equipment of a hydrogen station. In this case, a dedicated support 26 as in this embodiment can be eliminated. Furthermore, when the sprinkler head 21 is provided on an installation other than the barrier 20 and the dispenser 4, the sprinkler head 21 can be positioned so as to sprinkle water toward either or both of the side of the barrier 20 facing the dispenser 4 and the side of the barrier 20 facing the road. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sprinkler head 21 may constantly sprinkle water toward the barrier 20, or may only sprinkle water when an abnormality is detected in the hydrogen station.

Figure 9 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a protective barrier device of the seventh embodiment. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, a box-shaped storage section 28 is provided on the top of the barrier 20. The storage section 28 stores a sheet 29 that is rolled up inside. The sheet 29 is made of a water-absorbent fireproof cloth or the like, and is normally stored in the storage section 28 as shown in Figure 9. When an abnormality is detected in the hydrogen station, the sheet 29 can descend from the storage section 28 to cover the surface of the barrier 20. In addition, a water sprinkler head 21 is arranged in the storage section 28 so that water can be sprayed toward the barrier 20.

Figure 10 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the seventh form of protective barrier device when an abnormality is detected. As shown in this figure, when an abnormality is detected, the sheet 29 descends from the storage section 28 to cover the surface of the dispenser 4 of the barrier 20. Then, water is sprayed from the water spray head 21 toward the barrier 20, forming a water film 23 on the surface of the sheet 29 covering the surface of the barrier 20. As a result, the surface of the barrier 20 is protected by the sheet 29 and the water film 23, and fire resistance can be improved. In addition, since the sheet 29 is water absorbent, the amount of water present on the surface of the barrier 20 is greater than when water is sprayed directly on the surface of the barrier 20, and fire resistance can be improved.

The sheet 29 may be plain, or may have letters or symbols indicating that an abnormality is occurring. This allows the sheet 29 to be lowered from the storage section 28 when an abnormality is detected, making it easier for passersby on the road to recognize that an abnormality has occurred. In this embodiment, the sheet 29 covers the surface of the barrier 20 facing the dispenser 4 before water is sprayed, but it may also cover the surface facing the road before water is sprayed, or it may cover both sides of the barrier 20 before water is sprayed.

In this embodiment, the sheet 29 is water absorbent, but any sheet material that is water-retentive and can contain water may be used. For example, a sheet material with coarse stitches may be used, and the sprayed water may be retained in the gaps between the stitches by surface tension. Alternatively, a hydrophilic sheet material may be used. In this case, the sprayed water spreads easily over the surface of the sheet, forming a uniform water film over the entire sheet.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the application of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be applied in various ways within the scope of its technical concept.

In the above embodiment, the sprinkler head 21 is always sprayed, but it may not be sprayed under normal circumstances, and may be sprayed from the sprinkler head 21 only when an abnormality such as a hydrogen leak, fire, or temperature rise in the equipment is detected at the hydrogen station. An abnormality at the hydrogen station can be detected by disposing a hydrogen leak sensor near the dispenser 4 and using this hydrogen leak sensor to detect a hydrogen leak. When the hydrogen leak sensor detects a hydrogen leak, the sprinkler head 21 sprays water. An abnormality at the hydrogen station can also be detected by a fire detector or the like. Furthermore, when an abnormality is detected at a store facility, office, or hydrogen-related facility, for example, when a transmitter installed therein is operated, when a hydrogen leak is detected, or when a sensor outputs a fire or the like, it may be determined that an abnormality has been detected and the sprinkler head 21 sprays water.

In the above embodiment, the barrier 20 is made of a transparent material, but it does not have to be transparent as long as the material is translucent. The barrier 20 may also be surface-treated to scatter light, such as frosted glass. In addition, when water is sprayed from the watering head 21 onto one side of the barrier 20, in the above embodiment, water is sprayed onto the side of the barrier 20 facing the dispenser 4, but the watering head 21 may be positioned so that water can be sprayed onto the side of the barrier 20 facing the road.

In addition, a portion of the watering head 21 may be positioned to face the dispenser 4, so that when an abnormality is detected, the watering head 21 may spray water on the barrier 20 as well as the dispenser 4.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Road 2 Partition 3 Partition 4 Dispenser 5 Protective barrier device 6 Store facility 10 Fuel tank 11 Hydrogen production device 12 Compressor 13 Storage tank 20 Barrier 21 Sprinkler head 22 Recirculation pump 23 Water film 25 Water supply pipe

Claims (4)

A protective barrier device to be installed at a hydrogen station having a dispenser that is installed on the ground facing a road and supplies hydrogen,
a barrier that is erected upward from the ground on the side of the dispenser facing the road, thereby partitioning the space between the dispenser and the road with its own wall, and that has an upper end that is located closer to the road than the end face of the dispenser opposite to the road side, thereby closing off at least a part of the space above the dispenser;
A protective barrier device comprising: a water sprinkler head that sprinkles water onto at least the surface of the barrier facing the dispenser to form a water film. The protective wall device according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface of the barrier on which the water film is formed has at least a portion of an uneven surface. The protective barrier device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the barrier is light-transmitting. A hydrogen dispenser is installed on the ground facing the road to supply hydrogen.
a barrier that is erected upward from the ground on the side of the dispenser facing the road, partitioning the space between the dispenser and the road with its own wall surface and that has an upper end that is located closer to the road than the end face of the dispenser opposite the road side, thereby closing off at least a portion of the space above the dispenser; and a protective barrier device having a water sprinkling head that sprinkles water on at least the surface of the barrier that faces the dispenser to form a water film;
A hydrogen station comprising:

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