Abstract: A second protective member (62) is provided to cover a thin wall portion and its periphery of a second tank head section (92), so as to protect the thin wall portion. The thin wall portion is a region of the second tank head section (92) in which a reinforcing layer (20) has a smaller wall thickness. The second protective member (62) has a double layer structure including an inner layer made of polyurethane and an outer layer made of a material mixture of polyurethane and expanded graphite. This structure suppresses the mass and the volume of a pressure vessel from being increased by the presence of a protective layer.

Abstract: A valve device includes: a body including a gas passage through which gas flows and an accommodation recess that communicates with the gas passage; a valve mechanism that controls flow of the gas flowing through the gas passage; and a cover fixed to the body such that the cover covers the accommodation recess. In the valve device, the cover includes a cover recess that opens toward the accommodation recess, and the valve mechanism is assembled to the body such that the valve mechanism is accommodated in the accommodation recess with a portion of the valve mechanism protruding from the accommodation recess and the portion of the valve mechanism is accommodated in the cover recess.

Abstract: The valve unit includes: a body having a charging passage; a supply-side joint that connects a supply pipe; and a check valve that is disposed in the gas passage, and that inhibits gas from being discharged from the gas tank to the outside of the body. The check valve includes a check valve seat, a check valve element that comes into contact with or moves away from the check valve seat, and a positioning member that fixes the position of the check valve seat in the charging passage. The body has a fitting hole which is communicated with the charging passage and in which the supply-side joint and the positioning member are fitted. The positioning member is fitted in a second fitting hole so as to fix the position of the check valve seat even when the supply-side joint has not been fitted in a first fitting hole.

Abstract: A seal body that is used for gas seal includes a seal main body in which a recessed groove is formed by arranging a pair of lips so that the lips face each other; an elastic body that is inserted in the recessed groove and expands the lips; and a rigid body that is installed in the elastic body, and restricts deformation of the elastic body, due to narrowing of the recessed groove, within an elastic deformation range.

Abstract: The objective is to enable the formation of an outer circumferential layer by a filament winding process to be performed appropriately, and to achieve the weight reduction of a gas tank by reducing the weight of a mouthpiece. The gas tank comprises a mouthpiece attached to an end of a tank main body in its axis direction, and an outer circumferential layer formed over an outer circumferential surface of the tank main body and an outer circumferential surface of the mouthpiece by a filament winding process. On the end of the tank main body in the axis direction, a recess section, in which an outside end surface of the mouthpiece is embedded in the inner side from an outside end surface of the outer circumferential layer, is formed.

Abstract: A tank holding mechanism holds a gas tank that has a cylindrical portion and hemispherical-shaped domical portions formed on respective sides of the cylindrical portion. The tank holding mechanism includes: a tank accommodating portion that contacts a peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion of the gas tank; tank end-side members provided near respective ends of the gas tank; a tank band that pushes the gas tank against the tank accommodating portion; and band securing portions that secure end portions of the tank band to the respective tank end-side members. The tank band is routed from one of the domical portions through the cylindrical portion to the other domical portion. The tank band extends along a diagonal line of the gas tank over an outer face of the cylindrical portion, conforms to the outer face of the cylindrical portion, and conforms to hemispherical outer faces of both of the domical portions.

Abstract: A gas charging apparatus includes a gas supply source; a fuel gas charging line L connected to the gas supply source, to charge a fuel gas into gas tanks, respectively; a temperature information acquiring section which acquires temperature information in the gas tanks; a pressure information acquiring section which acquires pressure information in the gas tanks; a relation data acquiring section which acquires correspondence relation data indicating a correspondence relation between a temperature and a pressure in the corresponding gas tank; a temperature difference calculating section which calculates a temperature difference between the gas tank having the highest internal temperature and the gas tank having the lowest internal temperature among the plurality of gas tanks; and a control section which performs control so as to stop the charging of the fuel gas.

Abstract: A fuel cell system (10) includes a pressure decrease valve (121) and a flow control valve (122) provided in a hydrogen supply line (120P) that extends from a high pressure gas tank (110) to a fuel cell (100). A low temperature environment may cause the function of these devices to decrease. Therefore, if the gas temperature inside the high pressure gas tank (110) is higher than the temperature of this low temperature environment and is a temperature at which the decreased function can be recovered, high pressure gas inside the tank is made to flow through the hydrogen supply line (120P) to expose the pressure decrease valve (121) and the like to the relatively high temperature gas before a start signal that starts the system is received.

Abstract: There is disclosed a gas charging apparatus including a gas supply source 10; a fuel gas charging line L connected to the gas supply source 10, to charge a fuel gas into gas tanks, respectively; a temperature information acquiring section 48 which acquires temperature information in the gas tanks; a pressure information acquiring section 49 which acquires pressure information in the gas tanks; a relation data acquiring section 47 which acquires correspondence relation data indicating a correspondence relation between a temperature and a pressure in the corresponding gas tank, in a case where a beforehand acquired state of charge of the gas tank becomes a target state of charge; a temperature difference calculating section 52 which calculates, in accordance with the temperature information, a temperature difference between the gas tank having the highest internal temperature and the gas tank having the lowest internal temperature among the plurality of gas tanks; and a control section 55 which performs control

Abstract: A gas filling apparatus in the gas filling system includes a precooler for cooling hydrogen gas supplied from the gas supply source (11) and discharges the hydrogen gas cooled by the precooler to fill the hydrogen gas into the gas tank. The temperature of the hydrogen gas cooled by the precooler is detected by a gas temperature sensor that detects, upstream of the gas tank, a temperature of the hydrogen gas cooled by the precooler. A flow rate controller controls a filling flow rate of the hydrogen gas to be filled into the gas tank, based on the detected temperature of the hydrogen gas. For example, when the detected temperature of the hydrogen gas is high, the filling flow rate is reduced as compared to that when the detected temperature of the hydrogen gas is lower.

Abstract: The objective is to enable the formation of an outer circumferential layer by a filament winding process to be performed appropriately, and to achieve the weight reduction of a gas tank by reducing the weight of a mouthpiece. The gas tank comprises a mouthpiece attached to an end of a tank main body in its axis direction, and an outer circumferential layer formed over an outer circumferential surface of the tank main body and an outer circumferential surface of the mouthpiece by a filament winding process. On the end of the tank main body in the axis direction, a recess section, in which an outside end surface of the mouthpiece is embedded in the inner side from an outside end surface of the outer circumferential layer, is formed.

Abstract: A tank holding mechanism holds a gas tank that has a cylindrical portion and hemispherical-shaped domical portions formed on respective sides of the cylindrical portion. The tank holding mechanism includes: a tank accommodating portion that contacts a peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion of the gas tank; tank end-side members provided near respective ends of the gas tank; a tank band that pushes the gas tank against the tank accommodating portion; and band securing portions that secure end portions of the tank band to the respective tank end-side members. The tank band is routed from one of the domical portions through the cylindrical portion to the other domical portion. The tank band extends along a diagonal line of the gas tank over an outer face of the cylindrical portion, conforms to the outer face of the cylindrical portion, and conforms to hemispherical outer faces of both of the domical portions.