JP7790733B2 - Plate heat exchanger and hydrogen gas cooling system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger configured to cool hydrogen gas by heat exchange with a cooling fluid, and a hydrogen gas cooling system configured with such a plate heat exchanger.

For example, the following patent document discloses a hydrogen station that can fill hydrogen vehicles (vehicles that use hydrogen gas as fuel) with hydrogen gas.

This hydrogen station is equipped with a storage tank that stores hydrogen gas produced by a hydrogen production device, a compressor that compresses and pressurizes the hydrogen gas supplied from the storage tank, a pressure accumulator that stores the hydrogen gas pressurized by the compressor, and a hydrogen filling device (fuel filling device) that extracts the high-pressure hydrogen gas stored in the pressure accumulator and fills it into the fuel tank (gas tank) of a hydrogen vehicle.The hydrogen filling device also has a plate-type heat exchanger that cools the hydrogen gas being transferred from the pressure accumulator to the fuel tank by heat exchange with brine.This heat exchanger is equipped with multiple metal plates, such as metal plates with grooves that form brine flow paths and metal plates with grooves that form hydrogen gas flow paths, and is configured as a laminated body in which these metal plates are stacked in a predetermined order to form an integrated structure.

At this hydrogen station, hydrogen gas produced in a hydrogen production system and stored in a storage tank is compressed by a compressor and stored in an accumulator. Furthermore, when supplying hydrogen gas to a hydrogen vehicle, the hydrogen gas stored in the accumulator is forced through a hydrogen filling device using the pressure applied by the compressor and filled into the fuel tank. In this case, the hydrogen gas moving from the accumulator toward the hydrogen vehicle (fuel tank) increases in temperature due to the Joule-Thomson effect caused by the reduced pressure. However, at this hydrogen station, the hydrogen gas is cooled by heat exchange with brine as it passes through a heat exchanger installed in the hydrogen filling device. This prevents excessively hot hydrogen gas from being supplied to hydrogen vehicles.

JP 2015-105760 A (pages 7-12, Figures 1-12)

At hydrogen stations such as those disclosed in the above patent documents, the equipment is sometimes shut down at the end of business hours or during equipment maintenance. At such times, the cooling of the brine and the supply of brine to the heat exchanger are stopped, causing the heat exchanger temperature to rise above a temperature suitable for cooling hydrogen gas. Furthermore, the hydrogen filling device that fills hydrogen gas into hydrogen vehicles must be installed near the air supply location, while the cooling device that cools the brine supplied to the hydrogen filling device (heat exchanger) must be installed away from the air supply location so as not to interfere with the movement of the hydrogen vehicle. Therefore, the cooling device and the heat exchanger are installed at a distance from each other, and it takes some time for the low-temperature brine cooled in the cooling device to reach the heat exchanger.

As a result, at this type of hydrogen station, it is difficult to cool the hydrogen gas to an appropriate temperature in the heat exchanger within the hydrogen filling device immediately after the facility starts operating (immediately after brine cooling and supply to the heat exchanger begin). For this reason, some hydrogen stations of this type are equipped with a temperature sensor in the heat exchanger, and the hydrogen filling device is configured to limit the filling of hydrogen gas into hydrogen vehicles, etc., until the heat exchanger temperature, determined based on the sensor signal from the temperature sensor, has sufficiently dropped.

However, many of the heat exchangers used in this type of hydrogen station (such as the heat exchangers disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents) do not have a mounting portion for attaching a temperature sensor. Therefore, to detect the temperature of such heat exchangers, a temperature sensor is attached to the surface of the heat exchanger to detect the surface temperature. However, in this type of heat exchanger, the rigidity of the laminate (the portion where metal plates are stacked and integrated) must be sufficiently high to reliably prevent leakage of highly flammable high-pressure hydrogen gas. For this reason, the flow paths for the brine and hydrogen gas are formed inside the laminate (i.e., at a position away from the surface of the heat exchanger), and when low-temperature brine is supplied, it takes some time for the surface temperature of the heat exchanger to drop to the same temperature as the brine.

Therefore, even if the low-temperature brine from the cooling device reaches the hydrogen filling device and the temperature near the brine flow path in the heat exchanger drops sufficiently to allow the hydrogen gas to be cooled appropriately, hydrogen gas filling is not permitted until the surface temperature of the heat exchanger (stack) drops to that temperature. As a result, at this type of hydrogen gas station, it is currently difficult to quickly start supplying hydrogen gas immediately after the equipment starts operating.

In addition, at this type of hydrogen station, even if brine of the same temperature is supplied from the cooling device to the hydrogen filling device in the summer when the outside temperature is high and in the winter when the outside temperature is low, the temperature of the brine that reaches the heat exchanger may differ. Furthermore, for example, when large amounts of hydrogen gas are continuously supplied, the temperature of the heat exchanger may rise excessively, making it difficult to properly cool the hydrogen gas. Furthermore, when hydrogen gas is not supplied, i.e., when the hydrogen gas is not cooled, for an extended period of time, the continuous supply of brine from the cooling device may overcool the heat exchanger, potentially leading to condensation or frost.

Therefore, in order to maintain a state in which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled without being affected by the ambient temperature or operating conditions, the applicant attempted to adopt a configuration in which the amount of brine supplied from the cooling device to the hydrogen filling device (heat exchanger) and the temperature of the brine being supplied are adjusted according to the temperature of the heat exchanger. However, as mentioned above, when a configuration similar to the heat exchanger in the hydrogen station disclosed in the above patent document is adopted, it takes time for the temperature of the brine being supplied to become approximately the same as the surface temperature of the heat exchanger. Therefore, even if the amount of brine supplied and the temperature are adjusted according to the temperature detected by a temperature sensor located on the surface, it is not possible to sufficiently avoid overcooling or insufficient cooling, and it has been found that it is difficult to maintain a state in which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2017-067437 discloses a microchannel heat exchanger (plate-type heat exchanger; hereinafter simply referred to as "heat exchanger") equipped with a channel layer stack (hereinafter simply referred to as "stack") formed by alternately stacking multiple high-temperature channel layers with channels for high-temperature fluids and multiple low-temperature channel layers with channels for low-temperature fluids. In this heat exchanger, a temperature sensor is attached to the stack so that its sensing point is in contact with either the high-temperature fluid or the low-temperature fluid. Therefore, in the hydrogen station disclosed in the aforementioned patent document, by installing this heat exchanger in the hydrogen filling device and directly detecting the brine temperature, it is possible to immediately determine whether the brine temperature has reached a temperature sufficient to cool the hydrogen gas appropriately.

However, the heat exchanger described above employs a configuration in which the temperature sensor is inserted into the stack of plates constituting the high-temperature and low-temperature flow path layers in the stacking direction, with the sensing point protruding into the flow path. In this case, although the above document does not specifically disclose this, it is presumed that a sealant is disposed between the temperature sensor and the stack to prevent leakage of brine passing through the flow path. The plates constituting the stack and the temperature sensor have different thermal expansion coefficients due to differences in their constituent materials and shapes. Therefore, the sealant must be made of an elastic material, taking into account fluctuations in the gap between the temperature sensor and the stack. Therefore, when the heat exchanger described above is used over a long period of time, the elasticity of the sealant may decrease, potentially leading to brine leakage. To prevent this, the sealant must be replaced periodically, which increases the operating costs of hydrogen stations.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its main objective is to provide a plate heat exchanger that can quickly detect whether the temperature at which hydrogen gas can be cooled is suitable without causing brine leakage, and a hydrogen gas cooling system equipped with such a plate heat exchanger.

In order to achieve the above object, the plate-type heat exchanger according to claim 1 comprises a stack of a plurality of plates, the plurality of plates including at least a first plate having a first groove-formed region in which first fluid passage grooves, through which hydrogen gas can pass, are formed, and a second plate having a second groove-formed region in which second fluid passage grooves, through which a cooling fluid can pass, are formed, stacked in a predetermined stacking order to be integrated, and the plate-type heat exchanger is configured to be able to cool the hydrogen gas by heat exchange between the hydrogen gas passing through the first fluid passage grooves and the cooling fluid passing through the second fluid passage grooves , and the stack of the plate-type heat exchanger comprises a plurality of front plates, the front plates including at least the first plate and the second plate, stacked in a predetermined stacking order to be integrated, the plurality of ... The plate bodies are stacked and integrated, and an insertion recess is formed in the stacking direction of each of the plate bodies constituting the stack, recessed from the surface of one of the pair of base plates to a depth that does not penetrate either of the base plates , so that a temperature detector capable of detecting the temperature of the stack can be inserted , and the pair of base plates are made of plates that are thicker than the first plate body and the second plate body, and the insertion recess is formed at a portion where the first groove formation area of the first plate body and the second groove formation area of the second plate body overlap in the stacking direction so as not to communicate with the first fluid passage groove and the second fluid passage groove .

The plate-type heat exchanger according to claim 2 comprises a stack of plates, which are stacked in a predetermined stacking order and integrated together, and which include at least a first plate having a first groove-formed region in which first fluid-passing grooves, through which hydrogen gas can pass, are formed, and a second plate having a second groove-formed region in which second fluid-passing grooves, through which a cooling fluid can pass, are formed, and which is configured to be able to cool the hydrogen gas by heat exchange between the hydrogen gas passing through the first fluid-passing grooves and the cooling fluid passing through the second fluid-passing grooves, and the stack of plates ... A plurality of plates including at least the first plate and the second plate are stacked and integrated, and an insertion recess is formed in the plate surface direction of each plate constituting the stack, recessed from the surface of the stack to a depth that does not reach the first fluid passage groove and the second fluid passage groove , so that a temperature detector capable of detecting the temperature of the stack can be inserted into the insertion recess.The insertion recess is configured so that notches formed on the outer edge of each plate stacked between the pair of base plates are connected in the stacking direction, and is formed so as not to communicate with the first fluid passage groove and the second fluid passage groove .

A third aspect of the present invention provides a plate heat exchanger according to the first or second aspect, wherein the temperature detector is inserted into the insertion recess and is integrated with the laminate.

Furthermore, a hydrogen gas cooling system according to claim 4 comprises the plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2 , and a low-temperature fluid supply device that performs a cooling process to cool the cooling fluid and a supply process to supply the cooled cooling fluid to the plate heat exchanger, and the low-temperature fluid supply device comprises a processing unit that detects the temperature of the plate heat exchanger via the temperature detector and, based on the detected temperature, performs at least one of a first process to change the cooling temperature of the cooling fluid in the cooling process and a second process to change the supply amount of the cooling fluid in the supply process.

Furthermore, a hydrogen gas cooling system according to claim 5 comprises the plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2 , and a low-temperature fluid supply device that performs a cooling process to cool the cooling fluid and a supply process to supply the cooled cooling fluid to the plate heat exchanger, and the low-temperature fluid supply device comprises a processing unit that detects the temperature of the plate heat exchanger via the temperature detector and performs a temperature notification process to notify at least one of the hydrogen gas supply source and the air supply device that supplies the hydrogen gas from the supply source to the air supply target of the detected temperature.

The plate-type heat exchanger described in claim 1 comprises a stack configured to cool hydrogen gas by heat exchange between hydrogen gas passing through first fluid passage grooves formed in a first groove-forming region of a first plate and a cooling fluid passing through second fluid passage grooves formed in a first groove-forming region of a second plate, and each plate constituting the stack has an insertion recess recessed from the surface of the stack in the stacking direction, configured to allow the insertion of a temperature detector capable of detecting the temperature of the stack.

Therefore, according to the plate heat exchanger of claim 1, when a low-temperature cooling fluid supplied from a low-temperature fluid supply device is passed through the flow path in the second groove formation region, a temperature drop in the plate heat exchanger can be detected quickly via the temperature detector in the insertion recess because the insertion recess is closer to the cooling fluid flow path than the surface of the plate heat exchanger. This allows for quick detection of a drop in the temperature of the plate heat exchanger to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled through heat exchange with the cooling fluid. Furthermore, when a configuration is adopted in which the operating state of the low-temperature fluid supply device is changed depending on the temperature of the plate heat exchanger, it is possible to avoid situations in which the plate heat exchanger becomes overcooled due to overcooling or excessive supply of the cooling fluid, or where the temperature of the plate heat exchanger rises to a temperature at which it is difficult to suitably cool hydrogen gas due to insufficient cooling or supply of the cooling fluid. Furthermore, by arranging the temperature detector in an insertion recess that does not penetrate the cooling fluid flow path, rather than having the temperature detector come into direct contact with the cooling fluid in the flow path, it is possible to prevent the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid flow path from leaking out from the temperature detector attachment point due to thermal expansion, thermal contraction, etc.

In the plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , the insertion recess is formed in a position where the first grooved region of the first plate and the second grooved region of the second plate overlap in the stacking direction. Therefore, with the plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , the temperature detector can be placed near the position where heat exchange between the cooling fluid and the hydrogen gas takes place, making it possible to accurately detect whether the plate heat exchanger has reached a temperature at which it can suitably cool the hydrogen gas.

In addition, the plate-type heat exchanger described in claim 2 is provided with a stack configured to be able to cool hydrogen gas by heat exchange between hydrogen gas passing through first fluid passage grooves formed in the first groove formation region of the first plate and a cooling fluid passing through second fluid passage grooves formed in the first groove formation region of the second plate, and each plate constituting the stack is formed with an insertion recess recessed from the surface of the stack in the plate surface direction, so that a temperature detector capable of detecting the temperature of the stack can be inserted.

Therefore, according to the plate heat exchanger of claim 2 , when a low-temperature cooling fluid supplied from a low-temperature fluid supply device is passed through the flow path in the second groove-formed region, a temperature drop in the plate heat exchanger can be detected quickly via the temperature detector in the insertion recess because the insertion recess is closer to the flow path of the cooling fluid than the surface of the plate heat exchanger. This makes it possible to quickly detect when the temperature of the plate heat exchanger has dropped to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled by heat exchange with the cooling fluid. Furthermore, when a configuration is adopted in which the operating state of the low-temperature fluid supply device is changed depending on the temperature of the plate heat exchanger, it is possible to suitably avoid situations in which the plate heat exchanger becomes overcooled due to overcooling or excessive supply of the cooling fluid, or the temperature of the plate heat exchanger rises to a temperature at which it is difficult to suitably cool hydrogen gas due to insufficient cooling or supply of the cooling fluid. Furthermore, by arranging the temperature detector in an insertion recess that does not penetrate the cooling fluid flow path rather than having the temperature detector come into direct contact with the cooling fluid in the flow path, it is possible to avoid the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid flow path leaking out from the attachment point of the temperature detector due to thermal expansion, thermal contraction, etc.

In the plate heat exchanger of claim 2 , the insertion recesses are formed by notches formed on the outer edges of the plates stacked at least in the center of the stacking direction, and the notches are connected in the stacking direction. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the insertion recesses are formed by grinding after the plates are stacked and integrated to form a stack, the notches are pre-formed during the manufacture of the first and second plates. This prevents chips and cutting oil from adhering to the stack, eliminating the need for a process for removing chips and cutting oil, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of the plate heat exchanger. Furthermore, by stacking the first and second plates so that the notches are connected in the stacking direction, it is possible to avoid stacking the plates in the wrong orientation, thereby preventing the production of defective products.

In the plate heat exchanger of claim 3 , a temperature detector is inserted into the insertion recess and integrated with the laminate. Therefore, according to the plate heat exchanger of claim 3 , it is possible to provide a plate heat exchanger that can detect temperature changes caused by the supply of cooling fluid via the temperature detector in a short time.

In addition, in the hydrogen gas cooling system described in claim 4 , the low-temperature fluid supply device that performs a cooling process to cool the cooling fluid and a supply process to supply the cooled cooling fluid to the plate-type heat exchanger is equipped with a processing unit that detects the temperature of the plate-type heat exchanger via a temperature detector and, based on the detected temperature, performs at least one of a first process to change the cooling temperature of the cooling fluid in the cooling process and a second process to change the supply amount of the cooling fluid in the supply process.

Therefore, according to the hydrogen gas cooling system of claim 4 , it is possible to prevent the plate heat exchanger from becoming overcooled due to an excessively low temperature or an excessively large amount of cooling fluid being supplied from the low-temperature fluid supply device to the plate heat exchanger when the temperature in the vicinity of the cooling fluid flow path in the plate heat exchanger has dropped to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled, thereby making it possible to significantly reduce the operating costs of the hydrogen gas cooling system.

In addition, in the hydrogen gas cooling system described in claim 5 , the low-temperature fluid supply device that performs a cooling process to cool the cooling fluid and a supply process to supply the cooled cooling fluid to the plate-type heat exchanger is equipped with a processing unit that performs a temperature notification process that detects the temperature of the plate-type heat exchanger via a temperature detector and notifies the detected temperature to at least one of the hydrogen gas supply source and the air supply device that supplies hydrogen gas from the supply source to the air supply target.

Therefore, according to the hydrogen gas cooling system described in claim 5 , it is possible to detect in a short time that the temperature near the flow path of the cooling fluid in the plate heat exchanger has dropped to a temperature at which the hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled.Therefore, when a configuration is adopted in which the supply of hydrogen gas is restricted until the temperature of the plate heat exchanger drops to a temperature at which the hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled, the supply of hydrogen gas can be started quickly after the cooling and supply of the cooling fluid has begun.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hydrogen gas supply system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external perspective view of a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 disposed in a dispenser 1 in a hydrogen gas supply system 100. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a brine plate 42 in the heat exchanger 20 for cooling hydrogen gas. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a hydrogen gas plate 43 in a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the stacking state of a base plate 41, a brine plate 42, a hydrogen gas plate 43 and a base plate 44 in a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. FIG. FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A according to another embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a brine plate 42a in a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a hydrogen gas plate 43a in a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the stacking state of a base plate 41, a brine plate 42a, a hydrogen gas plate 43a, and a base plate 44a in a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A. FIG.

Embodiments of a plate heat exchanger and a hydrogen gas cooling system will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The hydrogen gas supply system 100 shown in Figure 1 corresponds to the hydrogen station (hydrogen station equipment) in the aforementioned patent document, and is configured to supply hydrogen gas as fuel to a supply target Xb, such as a hydrogen gas fuel cell vehicle.

As an example, this hydrogen gas supply system 100 includes a dispenser 1 that supplies hydrogen gas supplied from a hydrogen gas supply source Xa to a supply target Xb, and a brine supply device 2 that supplies low-temperature brine (an example of a "cooling fluid") to the dispenser 1 to cool the hydrogen gas to be supplied to the supply target Xb. In this case, the hydrogen gas supply source Xa is an example of a "supply source" and includes a hydrogen gas generator that produces hydrogen gas by reforming natural gas, or a storage tank that can store hydrogen gas produced at a separate location and transported to the installation site of the hydrogen gas supply system 100 (neither is shown).

On the other hand, dispenser 1 is an example of an "air supply device" and is configured with a control valve 11, an operating unit 12, a processing unit 13, and a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. Under the control of the processing unit 13, control valve 11 adjusts the flow rate of hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa when supplying air to the air supply target Xb. The operating unit 12 has an operating switch that instructs the start/stop of air supply, etc., and outputs an operating signal to the processing unit 13 in response to switch operation. The processing unit 13 determines the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 based on the switch operation of the operating unit 12 and temperature data Dt output from the processing unit 33 of the brine supply device 2, as described below, and controls the control valve 11 to start/stop the supply of hydrogen gas and adjust the supply amount (flow rate) according to the determined temperature.

The hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is an example of a "plate-type heat exchanger" and is configured to cool hydrogen gas by heat exchange with low-temperature brine supplied from the brine supply device 2. In this case, in the hydrogen gas supply system 100 of this example, the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is installed within the dispenser 1 as one of the components of the hydrogen gas cooling device. However, instead of this configuration, the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 can be disposed as a component separate from the "dispenser" to be able to cool the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa to the dispenser 1, or the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 can be disposed as a component separate from the "dispenser" to be able to cool the hydrogen gas that passes through the dispenser 1 and is supplied to the supply target Xb.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is configured with a stack 40, a thermocouple 45, and a filler 46. Note that this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is also equipped with connectors for connecting brine piping and hydrogen gas piping to the stack 40, but illustrations and detailed descriptions of these components are omitted to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20.

The stack 40 is an example of a "stack," in which brine plates 42, which form a flow path through which brine supplied from the brine supply device 2 can pass, and hydrogen gas plates 43, which form a flow path through which hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa can pass, are alternately stacked between a pair of base plates 41, 44 (an example of a "predetermined stacking order"), and the joining surfaces of each plate 41-44 are diffusion-bonded to form an integrated unit. In this case, in the stack 40 of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 of this example, as an example, each of the plates 41-44 corresponds to a "plate," and each is formed into a rectangular shape in a plan view so that their outer shapes and sizes are identical. Note that in an actual hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, the stack 40 is covered with insulating material or housed in an insulating casing to prevent heat radiation and absorption; however, illustration and description of these insulating materials, casings, etc. are omitted.

The base plates 41 are each formed from a metal plate such as stainless steel and have a rectangular shape in a plan view. In this case, the base plates 41 are thicker than the brine plates 42 and hydrogen gas plates 43, and are formed to a thickness similar to that of the base plates 44. Note that in Figures 2, 3, and 7 referenced in this specification, the thicknesses of the plates 42 and 43 are shown thicker than their actual thicknesses to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the "plate heat exchanger."

The brine plates 42 are an example of a "second plate" and are formed from metal plates such as stainless steel in a rectangular shape in plan view. As shown in FIG. 4, the brine plate 42 defines a groove formation area A2 (an example of a "second groove formation area": the area shaded diagonally downward to the right in the figure) and forms a "second fluid passage groove" through which brine can pass. The brine plate 42 also has a through-hole H2i for allowing brine supplied from the brine supply device 2 to flow into the "second fluid passage groove," a through-hole H2o for discharging brine that has passed through the "second fluid passage groove," and through-holes H2p and H2p that communicate with the through-holes H3i and H3o provided in the hydrogen gas plate 43, as described below.

The hydrogen gas plate 43 is an example of a "first plate" and, like the brine plate 42, is formed of a metal plate such as stainless steel and has a rectangular shape in plan view. As shown in FIG. 5, the hydrogen gas plate 43 has a groove formation area A3 (an example of a "first groove formation area": the area shaded diagonally downward to the left in the figure) defined therein, forming a "first fluid passage groove" through which hydrogen gas can pass. The hydrogen gas plate 43 also has a through-hole H3i for allowing hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa to flow into the "first fluid passage groove," a through-hole H3o for discharging hydrogen gas that has passed through the "first fluid passage groove," and through-holes H3p, H3p that communicate with the through-holes H2i, H2o of the brine plate 42.

The base plate 44 is made of metal and has a rectangular shape in plan view, with the same external shape, size, and thickness as the base plate 41. As a result, the base plates 41, 44 located at the ends of each plate 41-44 in the stacking direction are formed with sufficient thickness in the stack 40 of this example, providing sufficiently high physical strength (ability to withstand deformation when subjected to internal pressure from hydrogen gas or brine, or when subjected to external forces).

As shown in Figures 2 and 6, this base plate 44 is formed with a through hole H4ai that communicates with the through hole H2i of the brine plate 42 and one of the through holes H3p of the hydrogen gas plate 43, a through hole H4ao that communicates with the through hole H2o of the brine plate 42 and the other through hole H3p of the hydrogen gas plate 43, a through hole H4bi that communicates with one of the through holes H2p of the brine plate 42 and the through hole H3i of the hydrogen gas plate 43, and a through hole H4bo that communicates with the other through hole H2p of the brine plate 42 and the through hole H3o of the hydrogen gas plate 43.

In this case, in the hydrogen gas supply system 100 (dispenser 1) of this example, the through-hole H4ai formed in the base plate 44 of the laminate 40 functions as a brine inlet, and a pipe for supplying brine cooled in the brine supply device 2 to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is connected to the through-hole H4ai. Furthermore, the through-hole H4ao functions as a brine outlet, and a pipe for delivering brine whose temperature has increased due to heat exchange with hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 to the brine supply device 2 is connected to the through-hole H4ao. Furthermore, the through-hole H4bi functions as a hydrogen gas inlet, and a pipe for introducing hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa into the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is connected to the through-hole H4bi. Furthermore, through-hole H4bo functions as a hydrogen gas outlet, and a pipe is connected to through-hole H4bo for supplying hydrogen gas cooled by heat exchange with brine in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 to the gas supply target Xb.

As shown in FIG. 3, a recess M (a hole that does not penetrate in the thickness direction) is formed in the center of one side of the base plate 44 that constitutes the surface of the stack 40 (the back side on which the brine plate 42 and hydrogen gas plate 43 are located). In this case, the recess M is an example of an "insertion recess configured to allow the insertion of a temperature detector" and is recessed from the surface of the stack 40 (the surface of the base plate 44) in the stacking direction of the plates 41 to 44 that constitute the stack 40. As shown in FIG. 6, this recess M is formed in the center of area A23 where groove formation area A2 of the brine plate 42 and groove formation area A3 of the hydrogen gas plate 43 overlap when the stack 40 is viewed along the stacking direction of the plates 41 to 44.

In this case, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 of this example, the plates 41 to 44 are stacked so that the direction in which brine passes from the through hole H2i to the through hole H2o within the "second fluid passage groove" formed in the groove formation area A2 of the brine plate 42 (brine flow direction: direction indicated by the open arrow in Figure 4) is opposite to the direction in which hydrogen gas passes from the through hole H3i to the through hole H3o within the "first fluid passage groove" formed in the groove formation area A3 of the hydrogen gas plate 43 (hydrogen gas flow direction: direction indicated by the open arrow in Figure 5) (a configuration is adopted in which brine and hydrogen gas flow in countercurrent directions). Furthermore, the recess M is formed in a location where the center of the "second fluid passage groove" (brine passage) in the groove formation region A2, in the flow path length direction, and the center of the "first fluid passage groove" (hydrogen gas passage) in the groove formation region A3, in the flow path length direction, overlap in the stacking direction of each plate 41-44.

The thermocouple 45 is an example of a "temperature detector capable of detecting the temperature of the stack." As shown in FIG. 3, it is inserted into the recess M of the stack 40 and secured to the stack 40 by a filler 46 so that it can detect the temperature of the stack 40. The thermocouple 45 is connected to the processing unit 33 (described below) in the brine supply device 2 via a signal line 45a (see FIGS. 1-3). This example describes an example in which the thermocouple 45 and the filler 46 for securing it to the stack 40 are included as components of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 (an example in which a "plate-type heat exchanger" is configured with a "temperature detector" and a "fixing member" for securing it to the "stack"). However, the "temperature detector" and "fixing member" may not be components of the "plate-type heat exchanger." Instead, a separately prepared "temperature detector" can be inserted and secured in the "insertion recess" of the "stack" by an optional "fixing member."

In this case, in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 of this example, the positions of the through holes H4ai, H4ao, H4bi, and H4bo are specified so that, when the stack 40 is viewed along the stacking direction of the plates 41-44, the brine flowing from the through hole H4ai (inlet) toward the through hole H4ao (outlet) and the hydrogen gas flowing from the through hole H4bi (inlet) toward the through hole H4bo (outlet) form countercurrent flows. Furthermore, in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 of this example, when the stack 40 is viewed along the stacking direction of the plates 41-44, a recess M is formed where the center of the brine flow path in the flow path length direction overlaps with the center of the hydrogen gas flow path in the flow path length direction. A thermocouple 45 is disposed in the recess M. Therefore, as described below, in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, when the supply of brine from the brine supply device 2 begins and the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is gradually lowered, or when the hydrogen gas is cooled by heat exchange with the brine, the average temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 can be detected by the thermocouple 45.

The brine supply device 2 is an example of a "low-temperature fluid supply device" and, as shown in FIG. 1, is equipped with a brine cooling unit 31, a brine pump 32, and a processing unit 33. The brine supply device 2 also includes a brine tank for temporarily storing the brine recovered from the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, but these are not shown or described in detail to facilitate understanding of the configuration of the hydrogen gas supply system 100.

The brine cooling unit 31 includes a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator (not shown), and cools the brine by heat exchange with chlorofluorocarbon (refrigerant) under the control of the processing unit 33. The brine pump 32 liquid-transports the brine cooled by the brine cooling unit 31 toward the dispenser 1 (hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20) under the control of the processing unit 33. In this case, in the hydrogen gas supply system 100 of this example, a brine circulation path is formed so that the brine is liquid-transported from the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 to the brine cooling unit 31 by the brine pump 32 liquid-transporting the brine from the brine cooling unit 31 to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20.

The processing unit 33 is an example of a "processing unit" and controls the brine supply device 2 overall. Specifically, when the brine cooling unit 31 (evaporator) is performing the process of cooling the brine (an example of a "cooling process"), the processing unit 33 controls the compressor to compress the amount of refrigerant necessary and sufficient for cooling the brine, and controls the expansion valve to supply the amount of refrigerant necessary and sufficient for cooling the brine to the evaporator. In addition, in parallel with the brine cooling process by the brine cooling unit 31, the processing unit 33 controls the brine pump 32 to perform the process of supplying brine from the brine supply device 2 to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 (the process of circulating brine between the brine cooling unit 31 and the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20; an example of a "supply process").

The processing unit 33 also detects the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 via the thermocouple 45, and, based on the detected temperature, performs a process of changing the cooling temperature of the brine in the above-mentioned "cooling process" (an example of a "first process") and a process of changing the amount of brine supplied in the above-mentioned "supply process" (an example of a "second process"). Furthermore, the processing unit 33 generates temperature data Dt that can identify the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 detected via the thermocouple 45, and performs a process of reporting the generated temperature data Dt to the processing unit 13 of the dispenser 1 (an example of a "temperature reporting process").

In this example of the hydrogen gas supply system 100, the above-mentioned brine supply device 2, the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 disposed in the dispenser 1, and the piping connecting these together constitute a "hydrogen gas cooling system."

Next, we will explain an example of the operation of each part when supplying hydrogen gas to the supply target Xb using the hydrogen gas supply system 100.

In this hydrogen gas supply system 100, when the equipment is in operation, the "cooling process" and "supply process" are performed in the brine supply device 2, and the brine temperature in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 and brine circulation path is kept low. However, as mentioned above, when the equipment is shut down, such as at the end of business hours or during equipment maintenance, the "cooling process" and "supply process" are not performed, and the temperature of the brine in the brine supply device 2, hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, and brine circulation path gradually rises. Therefore, immediately after the equipment is restarted at the start of business hours or after maintenance, or during the first operation after installation is completed, the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is higher than the temperature at which hydrogen gas can be cooled to an appropriate temperature.

In the hydrogen gas supply system 100 of this example, as described above, the processing unit 33 of the brine supply device 2 determines the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 via the thermocouple 45 fixed to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, and, depending on the determined temperature, adjusts the brine cooling temperature in the "cooling process" (the target brine cooling temperature set by the brine cooling unit 31) and the brine supply amount in the "supply process" (the amount of brine delivered by the brine pump 32), and also generates temperature data Dt and transmits it to the processing unit 13 of the dispenser 1 (reporting the determined temperature).

Specifically, when this hydrogen gas supply system 100 is transitioned from a stopped state to an operating state, the processing unit 33 controls the brine cooling unit 31 to start the "cooling process" and controls the brine pump 32 to start the "supply process." The processing unit 33 also identifies the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 via the thermocouple 45 to generate temperature data Dt, and outputs the generated temperature data Dt to the processing unit 13 of the dispenser 1 (an example of a "temperature notification process").

At this time, the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 determined via the thermocouple 45 is higher than the temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled. Therefore, even if the operating unit 12 is operated to supply air to the air supply target Xb at this time (immediately after operation begins), the processing unit 13 of the dispenser 1 controls the control valve 11 to restrict the supply of air from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa to the air supply target Xb until the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 determined based on the temperature data Dt output from the dispenser 1 (processing unit 33) drops to a predetermined temperature (a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled). This reliably prevents hydrogen gas from passing through the dispenser 1 (hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20) in a state where it is difficult to suitably cool the hydrogen gas, resulting in excessively hot hydrogen gas being supplied to the hydrogen gas supply source Xa.

In addition, the processing unit 33 of the brine supply device 2 continuously and repeatedly executes the process of outputting temperature data Dt to the dispenser 1 (processing unit 13), and controls the operating rate of the brine cooling unit 31 (compressor rotation speed and expansion valve opening) (an example of "first processing") and the operating rate of the brine pump 32 (motor rotation speed) (an example of "second processing") based on the difference between the identified temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 and the target temperature of the brine to be supplied to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 (the brine temperature that can suitably cool the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20).

Specifically, when the difference between the identified temperature and the target temperature is large (i.e., when the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is high), the processing unit 33 increases the operating rates of the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine pump 32 to shorten the time required for the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 to be able to adequately cool the hydrogen gas. This allows the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 to be reduced in a shorter time than in a configuration in which the operating rates of the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine supply device 2 are not changed.

Furthermore, when the difference between the identified temperature and the target temperature is small (i.e., when the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is relatively low), the processing unit 33 reduces the operating rates of the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine pump 32. This prevents the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 from dropping excessively (leading to a supercooled state that is unnecessary for cooling the hydrogen gas), compared to a configuration in which the operating rates of the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine supply device 2 are not changed, and also enables sufficient reduction in the amount of power consumed by the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine pump 32.

Here, when the hydrogen gas supply system 100 is stopped and the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is elevated, and low-temperature brine is supplied to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 from the brine supply device 2 as described above, the temperature of the area near the "second fluid passage groove" (brine flow path) on the brine plate 42 is reduced in a relatively short time through heat exchange with the supplied brine. However, for the "surface portion of the stack 40" that is far from the "second fluid passage groove," the cold heat of the brine is gradually transferred from the "second fluid passage groove" to the "surface portion," reducing the temperature, and it takes a long time for the temperature to decrease to a temperature suitable for cooling hydrogen gas. Therefore, when a configuration is adopted in which the temperature of the surface portion of the stack 40 is detected and the operation of each portion is controlled, even if the temperature of the "first fluid passage groove" (hydrogen gas flow path) located near the "second fluid passage groove" has dropped sufficiently to allow the hydrogen gas to be suitably cooled, the brine cooling unit 31 and brine pump 32 will remain in an improved state of operation, and the supply of hydrogen gas will remain restricted, until the temperature of the surface portion has dropped sufficiently.

In contrast, in the hydrogen gas supply system 100 (hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20) of this example, the thermocouple 45 is fixed within a recess M formed in the base plate 41. Therefore, because the interior of the recess M is closer to the "second fluid passage groove" than the surface portion of the stack 40, the time required from the start of the supply of low-temperature brine until it is determined that the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 detected via the thermocouple 45 has dropped to a "temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled" is shortened. This makes it possible to maintain an improved state of operation of the brine cooling unit 31 and brine pump 32, and to shorten the time required to maintain a regulated state of hydrogen gas supply.

In the dispenser 1, when the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, determined based on the temperature data Dt sequentially output from the brine supply device 2 (processing unit 33), drops to the predetermined temperature, the processing unit 13 determines that the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 is in a state where it can suitably cool hydrogen gas, and releases the restriction on the supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa to the supply target Xb. Therefore, when an instruction to start supplying hydrogen gas to the supply target Xb is issued by operating the operation unit 12, the processing unit 13 controls the control valve 11 to allow hydrogen gas to flow from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa toward the supply target Xb. At this time, the hydrogen gas that passes through the control valve 11 is cooled by heat exchange with the brine in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 before being supplied to the supply target Xb. This reliably prevents excessively high-temperature hydrogen gas from being supplied to the supply target Xb.

Here, when hydrogen gas is continuously supplied to the supply target Xb for a long period of time (for example, when the fuel tank (gas tank) of the supply target Xb is large), the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 gradually rises as the hydrogen gas is continuously cooled in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. Therefore, when the supply of hydrogen gas (i.e., the cooling of hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20) continues, it may become difficult to cool the hydrogen gas to an appropriate temperature. Therefore, when the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 determined via the thermocouple 45 rises above a predetermined temperature, the processing unit 33 increases the operating rate of the brine pump 32, for example, to increase the amount of brine supplied from the brine supply device 2 to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. This maintains a state in which the hydrogen gas can be appropriately cooled in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20.

After this, when the supply of air to the air supply target Xb is completed, the processing unit 13 controls the control valve 11 to stop the movement of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa to the air supply target Xb. At this time, low-temperature brine is supplied from the brine supply device 2 while heat exchange with hydrogen gas is not taking place in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, gradually lowering the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. Therefore, the processing unit 33 reduces the operating rates of the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine pump 32 to the operating rates associated with standby operation (an operational state in which air is not being supplied to the air supply target Xb), and sequentially changes the operating rates of the brine cooling unit 31 and the brine pump 32 so that the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, as determined via the thermocouple 45, does not exceed a temperature at which hydrogen gas cooling can immediately begin. As a result, when the supply of hydrogen gas to the supply target Xb is resumed, the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 will be maintained in a state where it can be appropriately cooled, so the supply can be resumed immediately.

In this way, this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 includes a stack 40 configured to cool hydrogen gas through heat exchange between hydrogen gas passing through the "first fluid passage grooves" formed in groove formation area A3 of the hydrogen gas plate 43 and brine passing through the "second fluid passage grooves" formed in groove formation area A2 of the brine plate 42. Furthermore, the stack 40 is formed with recesses M recessed from the surface of the stack 40 in the stacking direction of each of the plates 41 to 44 that make up the stack 40, allowing the insertion of a thermocouple 45 capable of detecting the temperature of the stack 40.

Therefore, with this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, when low-temperature brine supplied from the brine supply device 2 is passed through the brine flow path in the groove formation area A2, a temperature drop in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 can be detected in a short time via the thermocouple 45 in the recess M, since the recess M is closer to the brine flow path than the surface of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20. This allows for quick detection of a drop in the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled through heat exchange with the brine. Furthermore, when a configuration is adopted in which the operating state of the brine supply device 2 is changed depending on the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, it is possible to avoid situations in which the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 becomes supercooled due to overcooling or excessive supply of brine, or the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 rises to a temperature at which it is difficult to suitably cool hydrogen gas due to insufficient cooling or supply of brine. Furthermore, by arranging the thermocouple 45 in a recess M that does not penetrate the brine flow path, rather than having the thermocouple 45 come into direct contact with the brine in the brine flow path, it is possible to prevent the brine in the brine flow path from leaking out from the attachment point of the thermocouple 45 due to thermal expansion, thermal contraction, etc.

Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, the recess M is formed in the area (area A23) where the groove formation area A3 of the hydrogen gas plate 43 and the groove formation area A2 of the brine plate 42 overlap in the stacking direction. Therefore, with this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, the thermocouple 45 can be placed near the area where heat exchange between the brine and hydrogen gas takes place, making it possible to accurately detect whether the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 has reached a temperature at which it can suitably cool the hydrogen gas.

Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, a thermocouple 45 is inserted into the recess M and is integrated with the laminate 40 by a filler 46. Therefore, this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 can provide a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 that can quickly detect temperature changes due to the supply of brine via the thermocouple 45.

In addition, in this "hydrogen gas cooling system," the brine supply device 2, which performs a "cooling process" to cool the brine and a "supply process" to supply the cooled brine to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, is equipped with a processing unit 33 that detects the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 via a thermocouple 45 and, based on the detected temperature, performs at least one of a "first process" to change the cooling temperature of the brine in the "cooling process" and a "second process" to change the amount of brine supplied in the "supply process."

Therefore, this "hydrogen gas cooling system" can prevent the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 from becoming supercooled due to excessively low-temperature brine or an excessively large amount of brine being supplied from the brine supply device 2 to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 when the temperature near the brine flow path in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 has dropped to a temperature that allows for appropriate cooling of the hydrogen gas. This can significantly reduce the operating costs of the hydrogen gas supply system 100.

In addition, in this "hydrogen gas cooling system," the brine supply device 2, which performs a "cooling process" to cool the brine and a "supply process" to supply the cooled brine to the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, is equipped with a processing unit 33 that performs a "temperature notification process" to detect the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 via a thermocouple 45 and notify at least one of the hydrogen gas supply source Xa and the dispenser 1 (in this example, only the dispenser 1) that supplies hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa to the supply target Xb of the detected temperature.

Therefore, with this "hydrogen gas cooling system," it is possible to quickly detect when the temperature near the brine flow path in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 has dropped to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled. Therefore, when a configuration is adopted in which the supply of hydrogen gas is restricted until the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 has dropped to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled, the supply of hydrogen gas can be started quickly after the start of brine cooling and supply.

Next, other embodiments of the "plate heat exchanger" will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

Note that components with similar functions to those of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 described above are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, detailed explanations of the components of the hydrogen gas supply system 100 other than the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 are omitted, as they are the same as those in the above example configured with the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20.

The hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A shown in Figure 7 is another example of a "plate-type heat exchanger" and is configured to cool hydrogen gas by heat exchange with low-temperature brine supplied from the brine supply device 2. This hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A is configured with a stack 40a instead of the stack 40 in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20.

The stack 40a is another example of a "stack," in which brine plates 42a, which form a flow path through which brine supplied from the brine supply device 2 can pass, and hydrogen gas plates 43a, which form a flow path through which hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source Xa can pass, are alternately stacked between a pair of base plates 41, 44a (another example of a "predetermined stacking order"), and the joining surfaces of each plate 41, 42a, 43a, 44a are bonded together by diffusion bonding to form an integrated unit. In this case, in the stack 40a of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A of this example, as an example, each of the plates 41, 42a, 43a, 44a corresponds to a "plate," and are each formed into a rectangular shape in plan view so that their outer shapes and sizes are identical to each other.

The brine plate 42a is another example of a "second plate" and is configured similarly to the brine plate 42 that constitutes the stack 40 in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, except that it has a notch N2, which is an example of a "notch," as shown in FIG. 8. The hydrogen gas plate 43a is another example of a "first plate" and is configured similarly to the hydrogen gas plate 43 that constitutes the stack 40 in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, except that it has a notch N3, which is another example of a "notch," as shown in FIG. 9. The base plate 44a is configured similarly to the base plate 44 that constitutes the stack 40 in the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, except that it does not have a recess M.

In this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A (stack 40a), as shown in Figures 7 and 10, notches N2 formed on the outer edge of each brine plate 42a stacked in the center of the stacking direction of each plate 41, 42a, 43a, and 44a, and notches N3 formed on the outer edge of the hydrogen gas plate 43a are connected in the stacking direction to form a recess N, which is another example of an "insertion recess configured to allow the insertion of a temperature detector." Also, as shown in Figure 10, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A (stack 40a), a thermocouple 45 is inserted into the recess N formed in the stack 40a and is integrated with the stack 40a by a filler 46.

Therefore, in the hydrogen gas supply system 100 equipped with this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, the time required from the start of the supply of low-temperature brine until it is determined that the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 detected via the thermocouple 45 has dropped to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled is reduced because the interior of the recess N is closer to the "second fluid passage groove" than the surface portion of the laminate 40a. Therefore, similar to the configuration equipped with the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 described above, it is possible to maintain an improved state of operation of the brine cooling unit 31 and brine pump 32, and to shorten the time required to maintain a regulated state of hydrogen gas supply.

In this case, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, when the stack 40 is viewed along the stacking direction of the plates 41, 42a to 44a, the notches N2, N3 in the plates 42a, 43a are formed on a side closer to the through holes H2o, H3o that communicate with the through holes H4ao, H4bo (outlets) of the base plate 44 than the through holes H2i, H3i that communicate with the through holes H4ai, H4bi (inlets) of the base plate 44. Therefore, the recess N formed by connecting the notches N2, N3 in the stacking direction of the plates 42a, 43a is located closer to the through holes H4ao, H4bo (outlets) than to the through holes H4ai, H4bi (inlets).

Therefore, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A of this example, in which a thermocouple 45 is disposed within this recess N, when the supply of brine from the brine supply device 2 begins and the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A is gradually reduced, it is possible to reliably determine, based on the temperature detected via the thermocouple 45, whether the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A has reduced to a temperature that can sufficiently cool the hydrogen gas even downstream in the brine and hydrogen gas flow paths. Furthermore, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, when hydrogen gas is cooled by heat exchange with brine, it is possible to reliably determine, based on the temperature detected via the thermocouple 45, whether the hydrogen gas discharged from the through-hole H4bo (discharge port) has been sufficiently cooled.

In this way, this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A is equipped with a stack 40a configured to cool hydrogen gas through heat exchange between hydrogen gas passing through the "first fluid passage grooves" formed in groove formation area A3 of the hydrogen gas plate 43a and brine passing through the "second fluid passage grooves" formed in groove formation area A2 of the brine plate 42a. Furthermore, the stack 40a is formed with recesses N recessed from the surface of the stack 40a in the plate surface direction of each of the plates 41, 42a, 43a, and 44a that make up the stack 40a, allowing the insertion of a thermocouple 45 that can detect the temperature of the stack 40a.

Therefore, with this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, when low-temperature brine supplied from the brine supply device 2 is passed through the brine flow path in the groove formation area A2, the temperature drop of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A can be detected quickly via the thermocouple 45 in the recess N because the recess N is closer to the brine flow path than the surface of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A. This allows for quick detection of the temperature drop of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A to a temperature at which hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled through heat exchange with the brine. Furthermore, when a configuration is adopted in which the operating state of the brine supply device 2 is changed depending on the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, it is possible to suitably avoid situations in which the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A becomes supercooled due to overcooling or excessive supply of brine, or the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A rises to a temperature at which it is difficult to suitably cool hydrogen gas due to insufficient cooling or supply of brine. Furthermore, by arranging the thermocouple 45 in a recess M that does not penetrate the brine flow path, rather than having the thermocouple 45 come into direct contact with the brine in the brine flow path, it is possible to prevent the brine in the brine flow path from leaking out from the attachment point of the thermocouple 45 due to thermal expansion, thermal contraction, etc.

In addition, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, the recess N is configured by connecting notches N2 and N3 formed on the outer edge of each plate 42a, 43a stacked at least in the center of the stacking direction of each plate 41, 42a, 43a, 44a in the stacking direction. Therefore, with this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, compared to a configuration in which an "insertion recess" is formed by grinding after the plates 41, 42a, 43a, 44a are stacked and integrated (in this example, diffusion bonding) to form the laminate 40a, by pre-forming the notches N2 and N3 during the manufacture of the plates 42a, 43a, the recess N is formed by stacking the plates 42, 43. This prevents cutting chips and cutting oil from adhering to the laminate 40a, eliminating the need for a process for removing cutting chips and cutting oil, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A. Furthermore, when stacking the plates 41, 42a, 43a, and 44a, stacking the plates 42a and 43a so that the notches N2 and N3 are connected in the stacking direction prevents the plates 42a and 43a from being stacked in the wrong orientation, thereby preventing the production of defective products.

In addition, in this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A, a thermocouple 45 is inserted into the recess N and integrated with the stack 40a. Therefore, this hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A can provide a hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A that can quickly detect temperature changes due to the supply of brine via the thermocouple 45.

Note that the configuration of the "plate heat exchanger" and "hydrogen gas cooling system" is not limited to the example configuration of the hydrogen gas supply system 100 described above.

For example, the above description uses an example of a configuration in which a recess M is formed in the base plate 44 that forms the surface of the stack 40 in the stacking direction, and does not penetrate the base plate 44 in the thickness direction, and a thermocouple 45 is inserted through the recess. However, it is also possible to form an "insertion recess" deep enough to reach the "first plate" or "second plate" in the stacking direction of each "plate" and insert a "temperature detector" (not shown). When using such a configuration, the "first fluid passage groove" formed in the "first plate" and the "second fluid passage groove" formed in the "second plate" are formed to avoid the formation of the "holes" that form the "insertion recess." This prevents hydrogen gas or cooling fluid from leaking from the "insertion recess."

Furthermore, with regard to the "insertion recesses recessed from the surface of each plate constituting the stack in the plate surface direction to allow insertion of a temperature detection device," it is also possible to form "notches" in the "plates" that reach the center in the plate surface direction, and insert the "temperature detection device" into the "insertion recesses" formed by connecting such "notches" in the stacking direction (not shown). Even when adopting such a configuration, the "first fluid passage groove" formed in the "first plate" and the "second fluid passage groove" formed in the "second plate" can be formed to avoid the formation position of these "notches" so that they do not communicate with the "notches" constituting the "insertion recesses," thereby preventing leakage of "hydrogen gas" or "cooling fluid" from the "insertion recesses."

Furthermore, while the example has been described in which the brine inlet through-hole H4ai, the brine outlet through-hole H4ao, the hydrogen gas inlet through-hole H4bi, and the hydrogen gas outlet through-hole H4bo are all formed in one of the pair of base plates 41, 44 (base plate 44 in this example), it is also possible to form the brine inlet in one of the pair of base plates and the brine outlet in the other of the pair of base plates, or to form the hydrogen gas inlet in one of the pair of base plates and the hydrogen gas outlet in the other of the pair of base plates (not shown). In this case, by forming the brine inlet and hydrogen gas outlet in the same base plate and the hydrogen gas inlet and brine outlet in the same base plate, the brine and hydrogen gas can pass through in counterflow in the stacking direction of each "plate," thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the hydrogen gas through heat exchange with the brine.

Furthermore, while the configurations of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20 in which a recess M is formed in the center of the brine flow path and the hydrogen gas flow path and a thermocouple 45 is disposed therein, and the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20A in which a recess N is formed downstream of the brine flow path and the hydrogen gas flow path and a thermocouple 45 is disposed therein have been described as examples, the formation position of the "insertion recess" (the position where the "temperature detector" is disposed) is not limited to these examples.

For example, by forming an "insertion recess" on the upstream side of the "cooling fluid" flow path (near the inlet of the "cooling fluid") and disposing a "temperature detector," it is possible to determine the temperature of the "cooling fluid" supplied from the "low-temperature fluid supply device" and reaching the "plate-type heat exchanger" based on the temperature detected by the "temperature detector." This makes it possible to reliably determine whether the temperature is sufficient to cool the "hydrogen gas." Furthermore, by forming an "insertion recess" on the downstream side of the "cooling fluid" flow path (near the outlet of the "cooling fluid") and disposing a "temperature detector," it is possible to determine the temperature of the "low-temperature fluid" that has completed heat exchange with the "hydrogen gas" based on the temperature detected by the "temperature detector." This makes it possible to reliably determine whether the "hydrogen gas" has been sufficiently cooled to an appropriate temperature.

Furthermore, by forming an "insertion recess" on the upstream side of the hydrogen gas flow path (near the hydrogen gas inlet) and disposing a "temperature detector," the temperature of the hydrogen gas to be cooled can be determined based on the temperature detected by the "temperature detector." This makes it possible to reliably determine whether the hydrogen gas can be suitably cooled by heat exchange with the cooling fluid supplied from the "low-temperature fluid supply device." Furthermore, by forming an "insertion recess" on the downstream side of the hydrogen gas flow path (near the hydrogen gas outlet) and disposing a "temperature detector," the temperature of the cooled hydrogen gas can be determined based on the temperature detected by the "temperature detector." This makes it possible to reliably determine whether the hydrogen gas has been sufficiently cooled to a suitable temperature.

In addition, while the configuration has been described as an example in which the processing unit 33 of the brine supply device 2 notifies the processing unit 13 of the dispenser 1 of the temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, 20A determined via the thermocouple 45 (outputting temperature data Dt to the processing unit 13), a configuration can also be adopted in which, instead of (or in addition to) the processing unit 13 of the dispenser 1, the processing of notifying the hydrogen gas supply source Xa of the determined temperature of the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 20, 20A (outputting temperature data Dt to the hydrogen gas supply source Xa) is performed as a "temperature notification process." It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the "temperature notification process" is not performed.

Although the processing unit 33 has been described as performing both the "first process" and the "second process" as an example, it may alternatively be configured to perform only one of the "first process" and the "second process," or to perform neither the "first process" nor the "second process." In addition, the hydrogen gas cooling heat exchangers 20, 20A have been described as having stacks 40, 40a formed by stacking the "first plate" and the "second plate" so that they are in direct contact with each other. However, the stacks may also be formed by sandwiching a "plate with any function," such as a "partition plate," between the "first plate" and the "second plate" (not shown).

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Hydrogen gas supply system 1 Dispenser 2 Brine supply device 11 Control valve 12 Operation unit 13, 33 Processing unit 20, 20A Hydrogen gas cooling heat exchanger 31 Brine cooling unit 32 Brine pump 40, 40a Laminated body 41, 44, 44a Base plate 42, 42a Brine plate 43, 43a Hydrogen gas plate 45 Thermocouple 45a Signal line 46 Filler A2, A3 Groove formation region A23 Region Dt Temperature data H2i, H2o, H2p, H3i, H3o, H3p Through hole H4ai, H4bi Inlet port H4ao, H4bo Discharge port M, N Recess N2, N3 Notch Xa Hydrogen gas supply source Xb Gas supply target

Claims (5)

A plate-type heat exchanger comprising a stack of plates, the stack including at least a first plate having a first groove-forming region in which first fluid passage grooves, through which hydrogen gas can pass, are formed, and a second plate having a second groove-forming region in which second fluid passage grooves, through which a cooling fluid can pass, are stacked in a predetermined stacking order to form an integrated body, the plate being configured to be capable of cooling hydrogen gas by heat exchange between the hydrogen gas passing through the first fluid passage grooves and the cooling fluid passing through the second fluid passage grooves,
The stack is formed by stacking and integrating a plurality of plate bodies including at least the first plate body and the second plate body between a pair of base plates as the plate bodies, and by forming an insertion recess that is recessed from the surface of one of the pair of base plates in the stacking direction of the plate bodies constituting the stack to a depth that does not penetrate the one of the base plates , and is configured to allow insertion of a temperature detector that can detect the temperature of the stack ,
the pair of base plates are formed of plates that are thicker than the first plate body and the second plate body,
the insertion recess is formed at a location where the first groove formation region of the first plate and the second groove formation region of the second plate overlap in the stacking direction so as not to communicate with the first fluid passage groove and the second fluid passage groove . A plate-type heat exchanger comprising a stack of plates, the stack including at least a first plate having a first groove-forming region in which first fluid passage grooves, through which hydrogen gas can pass, are formed, and a second plate having a second groove-forming region in which second fluid passage grooves, through which a cooling fluid can pass, are stacked in a predetermined stacking order to form an integrated body, the plate being configured to be capable of cooling hydrogen gas by heat exchange between the hydrogen gas passing through the first fluid passage grooves and the cooling fluid passing through the second fluid passage grooves,
The stack is formed by stacking and integrating a plurality of plate bodies including at least the first plate body and the second plate body between a pair of base plates serving as the plate bodies, and by forming an insertion recess that is recessed in the plate surface direction of each of the plate bodies constituting the stack body from the surface of the stack body to a depth that does not reach the first fluid passage groove and the second fluid passage groove , and is configured so that a temperature detector that can detect the temperature of the stack body can be inserted into the insertion recess ;
The plate-type heat exchanger is configured such that notches formed on the outer edge of each of the plates stacked between the pair of base plates are connected in the stacking direction, and the insertion recesses are formed so as not to communicate with the first fluid passage grooves and the second fluid passage grooves . 3. The plate heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the temperature detector is inserted into the insertion recess and is integrated with the laminate. The plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2 ;
a low-temperature fluid supply device that performs a cooling process of cooling the cooling fluid and a supply process of supplying the cooled cooling fluid to the plate-type heat exchanger,
The low-temperature fluid supply device detects the temperature of the plate-type heat exchanger via the temperature detector, and based on the detected temperature, is equipped with a processing unit that performs at least one of a first process of changing the cooling temperature of the cooling fluid in the cooling process and a second process of changing the supply amount of the cooling fluid in the supply process. This hydrogen gas cooling system is equipped with a processing unit. The plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2 ;
a low-temperature fluid supply device that performs a cooling process of cooling the cooling fluid and a supply process of supplying the cooled cooling fluid to the plate-type heat exchanger,
The low-temperature fluid supply device is a hydrogen gas cooling system that is equipped with a processing unit that detects the temperature of the plate-type heat exchanger via the temperature detector and performs temperature notification processing to notify at least one of the hydrogen gas supply source and the air supply device that supplies the hydrogen gas from the supply source to the supply target of the detected temperature.