# US 11,079,071 B2 · Hydrogen station operation method and hydrogen station

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,079,071 B2
- Document ID: US11079071B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/586,055
- Filed: 2019-09-27
- Published: 2020-06-11
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-07
- Assignees: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
- Applicants: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
- Inventors: Kenji Nagura; Tomohiro Ootsuka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079071B2

## CPC

- F17C 7/04: with change of state, e.g. vaporisation
- B67D 7/048: {Vapour flow control means, e.g. valves, pumps}
- B67D 7/0492: {Vapour storing means, e.g. dedicated ullage spaces, separate tanks}
- B67D 7/78: Arrangements of storage tanks, reservoirs or pipe-lines
- B67D 7/80: Arrangements of heating or cooling devices for liquids to be transferred
- F17C 9/02: with change of state, e.g. vaporisation
- F17C 13/028: {having the volume as the parameter}
- F17C 13/04: Arrangement or mounting of valves (valves per se F16K {; snap-coupling of nipples F16L37/00})
- F17C 2201/032: with substantially vertical main axis
- F17C 2201/054: medium (>1 m3)
- F17C 2205/0326: electrically actuated
- F17C 2205/0332: Safety valves or pressure relief valves
- F17C 2221/012: Hydrogen
- F17C 2223/0161: cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
- F17C 2223/033: Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
- F17C 2223/035: High pressure (>10 bar)
- F17C 2223/046: in the liquid
- F17C 2225/0123: gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
- F17C 2225/036: Very high pressure, i.e. above 80 bars
- F17C 2227/0107: by pressurising the ullage
- F17C 2227/0135: Pumps
- F17C 2227/0157: Compressors
- F17C 2227/0393: using a vaporiser
- F17C 2250/01: Intermediate tanks
- F17C 2250/032: using computers
- F17C 2250/0408: Level of content in the vessel
- F17C 2250/0426: Volume
- F17C 2250/0491: Parameters measured at or inside the vessel
- F17C 2250/0621: Volume
- F17C 2265/065: for refuelling vehicle fuel tanks
- F17C 2270/0139: Fuel stations
- F17C 2270/0168: by vehicles
- 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)
- B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F)
- 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 hydrogen station operation method capable of adjusting pressure in a reservoir to the pressure suitable for liquid hydrogen replenishment while cutting hydrogen waste is for replenishing liquid hydrogen into the reservoir in a hydrogen station including: a gasification path partially gasifying liquid hydrogen out of the reservoir and returning it; and a gas delivery path delivering gasified hydrogen in the reservoir into a path between a vaporizer and a compressor or the vaporizer, when the remainder of liquid hydrogen in the reservoir becomes a first threshold or less, by reducing the liquid hydrogen amount flowing through the gasification path by a valve therein, reducing the gasification amount of liquid hydrogen in the reservoir, and increasing the hydrogen gas amount delivered through the gas delivery path from the reservoir by a valve therein, pressure in the reservoir is reduced, thereby performing operation where suction pressure of the compressor is reduced.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A hydrogen station operation method for replenishing liquid hydrogen into a storage tank, the method comprising:
providing a hydrogen station which includes the storage tank which stores the liquid hydrogen; a vaporizer which gasifies the liquid hydrogen supplied from the storage tank; a compressor which increases the pressure of the hydrogen gasified in the vaporizer to a predetermined pressure; a gasification path which gasifies at least a part of the liquid hydrogen flowed out of the storage tank and returns it to the storage tank; a gas delivery path for delivering the gasified hydrogen in the storage tank to a path between the vaporizer and the compressor, or into the vaporizer; and an accumulator which stores the hydrogen gas increased in pressure in the compressor, for filling a tank loading device with the hydrogen gas stored in the accumulator via a dispenser;
determining that the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank is equal to or less than a first threshold; and
after determining that the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank is equal to or less than the first threshold, reducing the pressure in the storage tank to a pressure suitable for replenishing the liquid hydrogen into the storage tank and reducing a suction pressure of the compressor, by:
reducing the amount of the liquid hydrogen flowing through the gasification path by a valve arranged in the gasification path,
reducing the gasification amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank, and
further increasing the amount of hydrogen gas delivered through the gas delivery path from the storage tank by a valve arranged in the gas delivery path.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The hydrogen station operation method according to claim 1, wherein
until the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank reaches a second threshold smaller than the first threshold from the first threshold, the pressure in the storage tank is gradually reduced, and
based on the fact that the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank reached the second threshold, replenishment of the liquid hydrogen into the storage tank is started.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The hydrogen station operation method according to claim 1, wherein the tank loading device is a fuel cell forklift or a fuel cell vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The hydrogen station operation method according to claim 3, wherein in the hydrogen station, a plurality of the dispensers are provided so as to be able to fill each of the fuel cell forklift and the fuel cell vehicle with hydrogen gas.

### Claim 5

A hydrogen station comprising:
a storage tank which stores liquid hydrogen;
a vaporizer which gasifies the liquid hydrogen supplied from the storage tank;
a compressor which increases the pressure of the hydrogen gasified in the vaporizer to a predetermined pressure;
a gasification path which gasifies at least a part of the liquid hydrogen flowed out of the storage tank and returns it to the storage tank;
a gasification valve which is arranged in the gasification path and adjusts the amount of the liquid hydrogen flowing through the gasification path;
a gas delivery path for delivering the gasified hydrogen in the storage tank to a path between the vaporizer and the compressor, or into the vaporizer;
an accumulator which stores the hydrogen gas increased in pressure in the compressor;
a level sensor which detects the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank; and
a control unit which, when the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank detected by the liquid amount detection unit becomes equal to or less than a first threshold, reduces the pressure in the storage tank to a pressure suitable for replenishing the liquid hydrogen into the storage tank by controlling the gasification valve so as to reduce the amount of the liquid hydrogen flowing through the gasification path and reduce the gasification amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank, and further controlling a valve arranged in the gas delivery path so as to increase the amount of hydrogen gas delivered through the gas delivery path from the storage tank.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The hydrogen station according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the gasification valve in such a manner that the pressure in the storage tank is gradually reduced until the remaining amount of the liquid hydrogen in the storage tank detected by the liquid amount detection unit reaches a second threshold which is a value smaller than the first threshold and which requires replenishment of the liquid hydrogen from the first threshold.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The hydrogen station according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of dispensers for filling tank loading devices with hydrogen gas stored in the accumulator, provided so as to be able to fill each of a fuel cell forklift and a fuel cell vehicle which are the tank loading devices with hydrogen gas.