# US 10,480,715 B2 · Gas supply device and method for starting operation of gas supply device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,480,715 B2 - Document ID: US10480715B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/113,983 - Filed: 2018-08-27 - Published: 2019-03-21 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-09-15 - Assignees: Kobe Steel, Ltd. - Applicants: Kobe Steel, Ltd. - Inventors: Akitoshi Fujisawa; Kenji Nagura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480715B2 ## CPC - F17C 5/007: {for individual gas tanks or containers, e.g. in vehicles (filling with liquid fuel not under pressure, B60S5/02, B67D7/00)} - B60K 15/067: Mounting of tanks - B60S 5/02: Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations (apparatus for transferring measured quantities of petrol, oil, or the like from storage space to vehicles B67D) - F17C 5/06: for filling with compressed gases - B60K 2015/03315: {for hydrogen} - F17C 2201/056: Small (<1 m3) - F17C 2221/012: Hydrogen - F17C 2221/013: Carbon dioxide - F17C 2221/033: Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG - F17C 2223/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC - F17C 2223/036: Very high pressure (>80 bar) - F17C 2225/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC - F17C 2225/036: Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars - F17C 2227/0135: Pumps - F17C 2227/0157: Compressors - F17C 2227/0355: in a closed loop - F17C 2265/065: for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks - F17C 2270/0139: Fuel stations - F17C 2270/0178: Cars - F17C 2270/0184: Fuel cells - Y02E 60/32: Hydrogen storage - Y02P 90/45: Hydrogen technologies in production processes - F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25) - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60S: SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A gas supply device for supplying a hydrogen gas to a dispenser of a hydrogen station includes: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling the gas before being discharged from the dispenser flows; a refrigerator that can cool the refrigerant; a cooling device that can cool the refrigerant by latent heat when liquid hydrogen changes to the hydrogen gas; and a control unit that performs control to activate the refrigerator while stopping the cooling device when a condition set in advance is satisfied after performing control to activate the cooling device in activation of the hydrogen station. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gas supply device for supplying a gas to a dispenser of a gas station, the gas supply device comprising: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling all of a gas before being discharged from the dispenser flows; a refrigerator configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path; a cooling device configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path by latent heat of a liquefied gas; and a control unit configured to perform control to activate the cooling device and the refrigerator when the gas station is activated, wherein the control unit performs control to stop the cooling device when a condition set in advance is satisfied. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to first perform control to activate the cooling device, and thereafter to perform control to stop the cooling device and control to activate the refrigerator when the condition set in advance is satisfied, in activating the gas station. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to perform control to activate the cooling device and the refrigerator, and thereafter to perform control to stop the cooling device when the condition set in advance is satisfied, in activating the gas station. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant flow path includes a refrigerant tank that stores the refrigerant, the cooling device includes a liquefied gas flow path through which the liquefied gas flows, and the liquefied gas flow path includes: a heat exchanger portion configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the liquefied gas; and a tank introduction portion connecting the heat exchanger portion and the refrigerant tank such that a gas generated by vaporization of the liquefied gas in the heat exchanger portion flows into the refrigerant tank. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The gas supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a pump connected to the refrigerant flow path, wherein the refrigerant flow path includes a refrigerant tank that stores the refrigerant, the cooling device includes a liquefied gas flow path through which the liquefied gas flows, and the liquefied gas flow path includes: a heat exchanger portion configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the liquefied gas; and a pump introduction portion connecting the heat exchanger portion and the pump such that a gas generated by vaporization of the liquefied gas in the heat exchanger portion flows into a casing of the pump. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The gas supply device according to claim 4, wherein the cooling device includes a flow rate regulating valve disposed in the liquefied gas flow path, and the control unit is configured to perform control to open the flow rate regulating valve in the control to activate the cooling device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The gas supply device according to claim 5, wherein the cooling device includes a flow rate regulating valve disposed in the liquefied gas flow path, and the control unit is configured to perform control to open the flow rate regulating valve in the control to activate the cooling device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The gas supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path, wherein the control unit is configured to perform control to stop the cooling device when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than a temperature set in advance. ### Claim 9 A method for starting an operation of a gas supply device including: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling all of a gas before being discharged from a dispenser of a gas station flows; a refrigerator configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path; and a cooling device configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path by latent heat of a liquefied gas, the method comprising: performing control to activate the cooling device; and performing control to activate the refrigerator while performing control to stop the cooling device when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the cooling device is activated. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9, further comprising: detecting a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path by a temperature sensor; and performing control to stop the cooling device when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than a temperature set in advance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9, further comprising performing control to open a liquefied gas flow path connected to a liquefied gas tank in the control to activate the cooling device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9, further comprising: vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a refrigerant tank which is provided in the refrigerant flow path and in which the refrigerant is stored. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 9, further comprising: vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a casing of a pump provided in the refrigerant flow path. ### Claim 14 A method for starting an operation of a gas supply device including: a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling all of a gas before being discharged from a dispenser of a gas station flows; a refrigerator configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path; and a cooling device configured to cool the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path by latent heat of a liquefied gas, the method comprising: performing control to activate the cooling device and the refrigerator; and performing control to stop the cooling device when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the cooling device and the refrigerator are activated. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14, further comprising: detecting a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path by a temperature sensor; and performing control to stop the cooling device when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or lower than a temperature set in advance. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14, further comprising performing control to open a liquefied gas flow path connected to a liquefied gas tank in the control to activate the cooling device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14, further comprising: vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a refrigerant tank which is provided in the refrigerant flow path and in which the refrigerant is stored. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method for starting an operation of a gas supply device according to claim 14, further comprising: vaporizing the liquefied gas in a heat exchanger portion with the refrigerant in the cooling device to generate a gas; and causing the gas generated in the heat exchanger portion to flow into a casing of a pump provided in the refrigerant flow path.