Shaped Absorbent Media Installed in a High Pressure Tank
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorKiyoshi Handa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Absorbent media for gas or heat is provided in a predetermined length of a polygon or curvilinear, and preferably honeycomb (hexagonal) cross sectioned shape with gas absorbent media packed therein. The hexagonal tubes may be installed along the radial or longitudinal axis of a fuel tank. The media and/or media tubes are installed during tank manufacture and include defined physical and gas circulation relationships for maintaining extending tubes having a gas absorbent media therein in a predetermined interrelationship with adjacent spaces (which may be tubes) of similar shape that are either open, or filled with a heat absorbent media.
Claims12
A vehicle tank for the storage of high pressure gas including:
- a) a plurality of longitudinally extending tubes with gas absorbent media packed therein, the tubes being in an ordered arrangement extending along an axis of the high pressure tank;
- b) a plurality of spaces for gas flow adjacent the longitudinally extending tubes with the gas absorbent media packed therein;
- c) an internal heat exchanger centrally located within the high pressure tank, the heat exchanger being disposed within the tank such that the heat exchanger is surrounded by the tubes;
- d) a conduit circuit defining a gas flow pattern whereby gas is circulated in either of the following patterns, depending on the operational mode of the vehicle on which the tank is installed:
- i) in a refill mode, gas from a refuel depot is introduced into the internal heat exchanger for circulation therein and exits into an external heat exchanger where the gas is cooled before the gas enters the tank for storage;
- or ii) in a driving mode, gas is exhausted from the tank through the conduit circuit into the external heat exchanger where gas is warmed and is then introduced into the internal heat exchanger to warm the absorbent media and the gas otherwise stored in the tank before the gas is conveyed in the circuit to the vehicle operation system.
A vehicle tank for the storage of high pressure gas including:
- a) a plurality of donut shaped laminated disks, the disks comprising an upper and a lower gas permeable support between which an arrangement of extending tubes having a gas absorbent media packed therein is disposed, the tubes being in an ordered arrangement with respect to gas flow spaces between the upper and the lower support for the disk, the plurality of disks being spaced apart within the tank along the lengthwise axis thereof;
- b) an internal heat exchanger centrally located within the center opening of the donut shaped disk, the heat exchanger extending along the lengthwise axis of the tank and being disposed within the tank such that the heat exchanger is surrounded by the disks;
- c) a conduit circuit defining a gas flow pattern whereby gas is circulated in either of the following patterns, depending on the operational mode of the vehicle on which the tank is installed:
- i) in a refill mode, gas from a refuel depot is introduced into the internal heat exchanger for circulation therein and exits into an external heat exchanger where the gas is cooled before the gas enters the tank for storage;
- or ii) in a driving mode, gas is exhausted from the tank through the conduit circuit into the external heat exchanger where gas is warmed and is then introduced into the internal heat exchanger to warm the absorbent media and the gas otherwise stored in the tank before the gas is conveyed in the circuit to the vehicle operation system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.