Cryogenic hydrogen transfer process and system
AssigneeF2M
InventorEric Michalski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for transferring hydrogen from a first tank wherein the hydrogen is in an initial liquid state at a pressure of the order of 10 bar to a second tank wherein the hydrogen is in a final state at a pressure greater than or equal to 500 bar. The process includes: a first pumping step of the hydrogen from the initial state thereof to an intermediate state wherein the hydrogen has a pressure greater than that of the initial state thereof; and a second pumping step of the hydrogen from the intermediate state thereof to bring it to the final state thereof. The first pumping step and the second pumping step are carried out respectively by mutually separate first compression and second compression elements.
Claims10
Process for transferring hydrogen from a first tank (10) wherein the hydrogen is in an initial liquid state at a pressure of the order of 10 bar to a second tank (30) wherein the hydrogen is in a final state at a pressure greater than or equal to 500 bar, the process comprising:
- a first pumping step (P1) of the hydrogen from the initial state thereof to an intermediate state wherein the hydrogen has a pressure greater than that of the initial state thereof;
- a second pumping step (P2) of the hydrogen from the intermediate state thereof to bring it to the final state thereof,
- the first pumping step (P1) and the second pumping step (P2) being carried out respectively by mutually separate first compression means (21) and second compression means (22),
- characterised in that the first compression means (21) and the second compression means (22) each operate at an operating frequency, the operating frequencies being independent from one another, the operating frequency of the first compression means (21) being controlled according to the hydrogen pressure at the end of the first pumping step (P1) to keep it within a pressure range at the end of the first pumping step (P1) corresponding to supercritical conditions.
Process according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the operating frequency of the first compression means (21) is also controlled according to the temperature of the hydrogen at the end of the first pump step (P1) to keep it in a temperature range at the end of the first pumping step (P1) corresponding to supercritical conditions.
Process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the operating frequency of the first compression means (21) is also controlled according to the pressure of the hydrogen in the first tank (10), to compress the hydrogen to a variable target pressure within the pressure range at the end of the first pumping step (P1), the variable target pressure being dependent on the pressure of the hydrogen in the first tank (10).
Process according to the preceding claim, characterised in that it comprises a prior determination step (E) of a correspondence table of the hydrogen pressures in the first tank (10) with the target pressures at the end of the first pumping step (P1), wherein, for a hydrogen pressure in the first tank (10):
- a variation of a partial vaporisation value of the hydrogen arising between the first tank (10) and the second compression means (22) during a variation of the pressure within the pressure range at the end of the first pumping step (P1) is calculated;
- the pressure, within the pressure range at the end of the first pumping step (P1), which generates the lowest partial vaporisation value of the hydrogen, is selected, this pressure forming the target pressure within the pressure range at the end of the first pumping step (P1).
Process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the seconds compression means (22) are started up and kept in operation if the hydrogen is under supercritical conditions at the end of the first pumping step (P1).
Process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a recovery (R1) of the gaseous hydrogen losses during the first pumping step (P1) and the second pumping step (P2), and a reinjection (R2) of these gaseous hydrogen losses in the first tank (10).
Process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the intermediate state thereof, the hydrogen has a pressure between 50 bar and 90 bar.
System for transferring hydrogen comprising:
- a first tank (10) wherein the hydrogen is in an initial liquid state at a pressure of the order of 10 bar;
- a second tank (30) wherein the hydrogen is in a final state at a pressure greater than or equal to 500 bar;
- first compression means (21) coupled with the first tank (10) to extract hydrogen, compress it and send it into an intermediate volume (4);
- second compression means (22) separate from the first compression means (21), the second compression means (22) being coupled with the intermediate volume (4) and with the second tank (22) to extract hydrogen from the intermediate volume (4), compress it and send it into the second tank (30),
- characterised in that it also comprises:
- at least one intermediate sensor (41), of which a pressure sensor (411) intended to record the pressure in the intermediate volume (4);
- first automatic control means (51) to control the operating frequency of the first compression means (21) according to the pressure recorded by the pressure sensor (411) of the intermediate sensor(s) (41), with a view to keeping the hydrogen of the intermediate volume (4) in a supercritical state.
Transfer system according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the intermediate sensors (41) also comprise a temperature sensor (412).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.