KR102603025B1 - Multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction includes a housing having a plurality of channels formed by a plurality of channel partition walls, an upper header fastened to the top of the housing and having an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced, and the plurality of It includes a catalyst particle guide member disposed on the channel partition wall and serving to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels.

Description

{Multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction}

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for liquefying hydrogen at cryogenic conditions, and more specifically, to a multi-channel heat exchanger for liquefying hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures in which a catalyst for ortho-para hydrogen conversion is charged.

Hydrogen can be easily converted to other forms of energy, and its main by-products are heat and water, and it does not emit carbon dioxide, so it is attracting attention as a sustainable clean fuel. In order to utilize hydrogen, a hydrogen storage and transportation system is required.

Hydrogen can be stored in gas, liquid, solid, and material conversion forms. Among these, storage in liquid form has the highest energy density and can reduce the volume of hydrogen to 1/800, making large-capacity hydrogen storage possible. do. A hydrogen liquefaction plant requires equipment such as a cryogenic expander, a cryogenic heat exchanger, a cold box for hydrogen liquefaction, and a cryogenic valve. Of these, the cryogenic heat exchanger for hydrogen liquefaction has more considerations than the existing heat exchanger used at cryogenic temperatures. Hydrogen, which is composed of two atoms, exists as ortho-hydrogen in which the two nuclei spin in the same direction, and as para-hydrogen in a different spin direction, depending on the spin direction of each atomic nucleus. Depending on the temperature, hydrogen exists as ortho-hydrogen in the same spin direction. The ratio of hydrogen and para-hydrogen changes. In room temperature and high temperature areas, ortho-hydrogen and para-hydrogen exist in a 3:1 ratio, and around 20K, the liquefaction temperature of hydrogen, the ratio of para-hydrogen increases to over 99%.

Since the ortho-para conversion reaction is naturally a very slow reaction, simply lowering the temperature quickly through heat exchange barely changes the ratio of para-hydrogen. In cryogenic equilibrium, ortho-hydrogen is converted to para-hydrogen, but there is a problem in that the conversion heat released during the conversion process is greater than the latent heat of evaporation, so the liquefied hydrogen evaporates. To solve this problem, the process of ortho-para conversion using a catalyst is necessary during the process of lowering the hydrogen temperature. Since the conversion and cooling process must be repeated several times by installing a converter for ortho-para conversion and a heat exchanger for heat exchange, a stable ortho-para conversion can be achieved while efficiently using a low-temperature heat source for cooling. A system is required. In particular, when powdered catalyst is charged into a heat exchanger with a multi-channel structure, uneven distribution of the catalyst charge between channels may occur, resulting in the problem that stable ortho-para conversion is not achieved.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2272105 (2021.06.28.) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-17787 (2015.01.29.) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2252170 (2021.05.10.)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction loaded with a catalyst for ortho-para conversion so that stable ortho-para conversion can be achieved. In particular, another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction in which catalyst is uniformly charged between each channel in a heat exchanger with a multi-channel structure.

A multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing having a plurality of channels formed by a plurality of channel partition walls, a housing fastened to the top of the housing, and an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced. It includes an upper header, and a catalyst particle guide member disposed on the plurality of channel partition walls to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels.

The catalyst particle guide member may be a mesh member having a plurality of holes through which the catalyst particles can pass.

The mesh members may be provided in plurality, and the plurality of mesh members may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction on the plurality of channel partition walls.

The housing may be configured to be vibrable so as to vibrate the mesh member.

The mesh member may be configured such that the number of through holes per unit area in the central portion is smaller than the number of through holes per unit area in the peripheral portion.

The rotation guide member may be a mesh member having a plurality of holes through which the catalyst particles can pass. The multi-channel heat exchanger may further include a vibration member configured to vibrate the mesh member.

The vibration member may include an inverse piezoelectric element that vibrates when power is applied.

The catalyst particle guide member has a plurality of catalyst guide holes through which the catalyst particles can pass and may be movably installed on the plurality of channel partition walls.

The catalyst particle guide member may be configured to change its relative position with respect to the channel partition wall and the channel by movement to restrict or allow the catalyst particles to fall into the channel.

The catalyst particle guide member may be configured to be movable by magnetic force applied by a magnet moving outside the housing.

The catalyst particle guide member may be connected to an upper end of the channel partition wall and may have a partition shape that guides the introduced catalyst particles into the channel.

The catalyst particle guide member may be a rotation guide member configured to provide rotational motion to the catalyst particles.

The rotation guide member may include a helicoil-type rotation guide for providing rotational motion to the catalyst particles.

The rotation guide member may be a tubular member having a rotation guide on its inner circumferential surface for providing rotational movement to the catalyst particles. Furthermore, the lower end of the tubular member may include a protrusion that protrudes relatively more downward and a depression that protrudes relatively less than the protrusion.

The protrusions and the depressions may each be provided in plurality, and the protrusions and the depressions may be alternately arranged along the circumferential direction of the tubular member.

A multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a lower header coupled to the bottom of the housing, and a mesh support member disposed on the top of the lower header.

According to the present invention, catalyst particles can be uniformly charged into a plurality of channels by disposing a catalyst particle guide member that guides the inflow of the catalyst on the channel partition wall of the heat exchanger.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing the process of charging a catalyst into the heat exchanger of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the catalyst guide member of the multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction of FIG. 3.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the catalyst guide member has been moved to the catalyst loading position in the multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction of Figure 3.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the catalyst guide member of the multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction of FIG. 5.
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the described embodiments.

The heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used as a cryogenic heat exchanger in a plant for hydrogen liquefaction, and is configured to perform heat exchange for hydrogen cooling and ortho-para hydrogen conversion through a catalyst for hydrogen liquefaction. The multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to an embodiment of the present invention corresponds to an integrated heat exchanger and a catalytic converter.

Referring to FIG. 1, the multi-channel heat exchanger for hydrogen liquefaction according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 11, and an upper header 13 and a lower header 15 respectively coupled to the upper and lower ends of the housing 11. Includes.

The housing 11 has a plurality of channels 17 therein, and the plurality of channels 17 are each partitioned by channel partition walls 19 disposed within the housing 11.

The upper header 13 is coupled to the top of the housing 11 and has an inlet 21 through which hydrogen flows. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the inlet 21 is formed to have a smaller cross-sectional size than the housing 11, and may have a shape whose cross-sectional area increases downward. The lower header 15 is coupled to the bottom of the housing 11 and has an outlet 23 through which hydrogen is discharged. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, the outlet 23 is formed to have a smaller cross-sectional size than the housing 11, and may have a shape where the cross-sectional area decreases downward. Additionally, as shown in Figure 1, the inlet 21 and outlet 23 may be arranged to be located in the center of the housing 11.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 2, each channel 17 is filled with catalyst particles 25 for ortho-para hydrogen conversion. For example, a catalyst having a magnetic material such as chromium oxide or iron oxide may be used as a catalyst that promotes ortho-para hydrogen conversion. A mesh support member 27 such as a porous mesh member for supporting the catalyst particles 25 filled in the channel 17 is provided at the bottom of the channel 17. As shown in the figure, the mesh support member 27 can be placed directly below the channel partition wall 19, i.e. at the upper entrance of the lower header 15, thereby allowing catalyst to enter the lower header 15. This can prevent unnecessary pressure loss.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a catalyst particle guide member 29 is provided to guide the movement of the catalyst flowing into the plurality of channels 17. The catalyst particle guide member 29 may have a partition shape, and is provided in one or more pieces so that the catalyst particles 25 introduced into the inlet 21 are divided by the catalyst particle guide member 29 into different channels 17. It can be guided to flow in. In FIG. 1, one may be provided for each channel partition wall 19 to create an independent catalyst movement passage for each channel 17, or it may be provided in a number smaller than the number of channel partition walls 19 to form an independent catalyst movement passage for each channel 17. It may be configured to form a commonly connected catalyst movement passage.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the process of charging catalyst particles 25 into the multi-channel heat exchanger for hydrogen liquefaction of FIG. 1. As shown in (a) of FIG. 2, the catalyst particles 25 introduced into the inlet 21 are divided by the catalyst introduction guide member 29 and guided to move to a plurality of channels 17, and accordingly, FIG. 2 As shown in (b), a substantially uniform amount of catalyst particles 25 may be charged into each channel 17. Thereby, stable and efficient ortho-para hydrogen conversion can be achieved along with heat exchange.

Hereinafter, a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. The same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the embodiment described above, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

A catalyst particle guide member 31 is disposed on the top of the channel partition wall 19. The catalyst particle guide member 31 has a plurality of catalyst guide holes 32 formed to allow the catalyst particles 25 to pass through. Meanwhile, the catalyst particle guide member 31 is configured to be movable, and has a position that blocks the falling of the catalyst particles 25 (position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) and a position that allows the falling of the catalyst particles 25. It is configured to move between positions (positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6). For example, the catalyst particle guide member 31 may be configured to move within the housing 11 by an external force, for example, a magnetic force, so that it can move between the two positions described above. Specifically, a magnet 33 is fixed to the catalyst particle guide member 31, and a magnet 34 is placed outside the housing 11 close to the magnet 33 fixed to the catalyst particle guide member 31 to generate an attractive or repulsive force. By causing this action, the catalyst particle guide member 31 can be moved. 3 and 4 show a state in which the catalyst particle guide member 31 is moved to the right in the drawing due to an attractive force acting between the external magnet 34 and the magnet 33 installed on the catalyst particle guide member 31. It is done. On the other hand, in Figures 5 and 6, a repulsive force is applied between the external magnet 34 and the magnet 33 installed on the catalyst particle guide member 31, so that the catalyst particle guide member 31 is moved to the left in the drawing. is shown. When the catalyst particle guide member 31 is in the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the catalyst guide hole 32 of the catalyst particle guide member 31 is positioned on the channel partition wall 19 to allow catalyst particles ( By reducing the size of the space in which 25) moves, the falling of the catalyst particles 25 is blocked or restricted. On the other hand, when the catalyst particle guide member 31 is in the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the catalyst guide hole 32 of the catalyst particle guide member 31 is positioned in the channel 17 between the channel partition walls 19. Located on the top, the catalyst particles 25 fall.

When catalyst particles 25 are injected through the inlet 21 of the upper head 13 with the catalyst particle guide member 31 positioned as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the catalyst particles 25 are As shown in 3, the catalyst particles are piled up in the space above the guide member 31. In this state, when the catalyst particle guide member 31 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 4, the catalyst particles 25 fall through the catalyst guide hole 32 of the catalyst particle guide member 31. As a result, the catalyst particles 25 can be uniformly charged into each channel 17.

Hereinafter, a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the embodiment described above, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

Referring to Figure 7, a mesh member 41 having a plurality of apertures through which catalyst particles 25 can pass is disposed on the channel partition wall 19. One mesh member 41 may be provided, or a plurality of mesh members 41 may be arranged to be spaced apart in the vertical direction. FIG. 7 exemplarily shows a case where three mesh members 41 are arranged up and down, but the number and position of the mesh members 41 are not limited to this and may be changed in various ways. The catalyst particles 25 can be spread evenly and evenly charged into the plurality of channels 17 by the mesh member 41 having a plurality of through holes.

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawing, the housing 11 may be configured to vibrate. By causing the housing 11 to vibrate while the catalyst particles 25 are placed on the mesh member 41, the spread of the catalyst particles 25 and the penetration of the mesh member 41 can be promoted.

In order to ensure that the introduced catalyst is more uniformly charged into the plurality of channels 17 throughout the entire area, the mesh member 41 is formed so that the central part is denser than the peripheral part located outside the radial direction, that is, the number of through holes per unit area is small. can be formed. As a result, when catalysts are injected all at once through the inlet 21 and piled on the mesh member 41, and then vibrated to cause the catalyst to flow into each channel 17, the number of holes in the center where more catalysts are piled is reduced by the peripheral area. The catalyst can pass through the mesh member 41 more uniformly through the center and peripheral portions due to the structure having fewer through holes.

Hereinafter, a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the embodiment described above, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

The rotation guide member 51 is fastened to the inlet 21 of the upper header 13. The rotation guide member 51 generates rotational energy in the catalyst particles 25 and acts to uniformly distribute the catalyst particles 25 to each channel 17 . The rotation guide member 51 is configured to provide rotational motion to the falling catalyst particles 25 through the heli-coil-shaped rotation guide 54. For example, the rotation guide member 51 has an inlet 52 into which the catalyst particles 25 are introduced and an insertion part 53 that extends from the inlet 52 and is inserted into the inlet 21 of the upper header 13. ) may be provided, and the rotation guide 54 may be a helicoil-shaped protrusion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion portion 53. As the introduced catalyst particles 25 fall through the inside of the insertion portion 54, they are given rotational motion by the helicoil-shaped rotation guide 54.

Furthermore, as shown in the dotted rectangle in FIG. 8, the lower end of the tubular insertion portion 53 has a protrusion 56 extending downward relatively longer and a depression extending relatively shorter than the protrusion 56. (57) can be provided. The protrusions 56 and recesses 57 are exposed to the internal space of the upper header 13, and a plurality of protrusions 56 and a plurality of recesses 57 may be alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. Catalyst particles 25 discharged into the protrusion 56 are discharged relatively farther, and catalyst particles 25 discharged into the depression 57 are discharged relatively shorter. The catalyst particles 25 are discharged at different discharge distances by the alternately arranged protrusions 56 and depressions 57, so that the catalyst particles 25 are more uniformly distributed and evenly charged into the plurality of channels 17. It can be.

Hereinafter, a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as those in the embodiment described above, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

A mesh member 61 having a plurality of apertures through which the catalyst particles 25 can pass is disposed on the channel partition wall 19, and a vibrating member 63 is provided for vibrating the mesh member 61. The vibrating member 63 may be a member capable of vibrating in an arbitrary manner. For example, the vibrating member 63 may be an inverse piezoelectric element capable of piezoelectric vibration upon application of power, as shown in FIG. 9 As described above, the inverse piezoelectric element may be attached to the upper surface of the mesh member 61. When power is applied to the electrode of the inverse piezoelectric element, the vibration member 63 vibrates, and as a result, the mesh member 61 vibrates, and the catalyst particles 25 on the mesh member 61 spread evenly on the mesh member 61. It passes through the mesh member 61 and falls downward. As a result, the catalyst particles 25 can be more uniformly charged into the plurality of channels 17.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also included in the scope of the present invention. It belongs.

11: Housing
13: upper header
15: Lower header
17: channel
19: Channel compartment wall
21: entrance
23: exit
25: catalyst particles
27: Support member
31: Catalyst particle guide member
32: catalyst guide hole
33, 34: Magnet
41: Mesh member
51: Rotation guide member
54: rotation guide
56: protrusion
57: depression
61: Mesh member
63: Vibration member

Claims (16)

A housing having a plurality of channels defined by a plurality of channel partition walls,
An upper header that is fastened to the top of the housing and has an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced, and
A catalyst particle guide member disposed on the plurality of channel partition walls and serving to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels,
The catalyst particle guide member is a mesh member having a plurality of holes through which the catalyst particles can pass,
The housing is a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction configured to vibrate so as to vibrate the mesh member. delete According to paragraph 1,
The mesh member is provided in plural,
The plurality of mesh members are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction on the plurality of channel partition walls.
Multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction. delete According to paragraph 1,
The mesh member is a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction where the number of holes per unit area in the center is smaller than the number of holes per unit area in the peripheral portion. A housing having a plurality of channels defined by a plurality of channel partition walls,
An upper header that is fastened to the top of the housing and has an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced, and
A catalyst particle guide member disposed on the plurality of channel partition walls and serving to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels,
The catalyst particle guide member is a mesh member having a plurality of through holes through which the catalyst particles can pass,
Further comprising a vibration member configured to vibrate the mesh member.
Multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction. According to clause 6,
The vibrating member is a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction including an inverse piezoelectric element that vibrates by applying power. A housing having a plurality of channels defined by a plurality of channel partition walls,
An upper header that is fastened to the top of the housing and has an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced, and
A catalyst particle guide member disposed on the plurality of channel partition walls and serving to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels,
The catalyst particle guide member has a plurality of catalyst guide holes through which the catalyst particles can pass, and is movably installed on the plurality of channel partition walls. A multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction. According to clause 8,
The catalyst particle guide member is configured to change the relative position with respect to the channel partition wall and the channel by movement to limit or allow the catalyst particles to fall into the channel. According to clause 8,
The catalyst particle guide member is a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction configured to be movable by magnetic force applied by a magnet moving outside the housing. A housing having a plurality of channels defined by a plurality of channel partition walls,
An upper header that is fastened to the top of the housing and has an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced, and
A catalyst particle guide member disposed on the plurality of channel partition walls and serving to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels,
The catalyst particle guide member is connected to the top of the channel partition wall and has a partition shape to guide the introduced catalyst particles into the channel. A housing having a plurality of channels defined by a plurality of channel partition walls,
An upper header that is fastened to the top of the housing and has an inlet through which hydrogen and catalyst particles are introduced, and
A catalyst particle guide member disposed on the plurality of channel partition walls and serving to disperse the introduced catalyst particles and charge them into the plurality of channels,
The catalyst particle guide member is a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction, which is a rotation guide member configured to provide rotational movement to the catalyst particles. According to clause 12,
The rotation guide member is a multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction including a helicoil-type rotation guide for providing rotation movement to the catalyst particles. According to clause 12,
The rotation guide member is a tubular member provided on an inner peripheral surface with a rotation guide for providing rotational movement to the catalyst particles,
The lower end of the tubular member includes a protrusion that protrudes relatively more downwardly and a depression that protrudes relatively less than the protrusion.
Multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction. According to clause 14,
Each of the protrusions and the depressions is provided in plural numbers,
The protrusions and the depressions are arranged alternately along the circumferential direction of the tubular member.
Multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction. According to any one of claims 1, 3, and 5 to 15,
A multi-channel heat exchanger for cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction, further comprising a lower header coupled to the bottom of the housing, and a mesh support member disposed on the upper end of the lower header.

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