Apparatus and method for filling fuel

Abstract

A fuel filling apparatus is provided. The fuel filling apparatus comprises an overfilling protective valve arranged in a fuel gas supply path for supplying a fuel gas to an automobile. The overfilling protective valve further comprises a fuel gas path, a valve unit for opening and closing the fuel gas path by a valve body, a valve body displacement means for displacing the valve body according to a filling pressure of the fuel gas, and a temperature modulating unit for modulating a temperature of the valve body displacement means. Even though a difference between the temperature of the fuel gas and the operation temperature of the overfilling protective valve is large, the temperature of the valve body displacement means can be maintained within the preset temperature range by the temperature modulating unit and the overfilling protective valve can be exactly operated under the preset pressure.

1 . A fuel filling apparatus for filling hydrogen gas into a fuel tank of an automobile that uses the hydrogen gas as a fuel, comprising:
 a hydrogen gas supply path,   a heat exchanger using a liquid inert gas as a refrigerant for cooling the hydrogen gas, the heat exchanger being including a hydrogen gas flow path connected to the hydrogen gas supply path and a container in which the hydrogen gas flow path is arranged,   a casing in which the hydrogen gas supply path and the heat exchanger are arranged,   a liquid inert gas supply path supplying a liquid inert gas to the container, and   an inert gas discharging path discharging an inert gas from the container, wherein   the liquid inert gas does not mix with the hydrogen gas, and   the interior of the casing is an inert gas environment.   
   
   
       2 . The fuel filling apparatus for filling hydrogen gas into a fuel tank of an automobile that uses the hydrogen gas as a fuel according to  claim 1 , wherein the inert gas discharging path leads the inert gas that the liquid inert gas was vaporized to the casing, so as to make the interior of the casing an inert gas environment. 
   
   
       3 . The fuel filling apparatus for filling hydrogen gas into a fuel tank of an automobile that uses the hydrogen gas as a fuel according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pipe branched from the inert gas discharging path, and   a evaporator connected to the pipe, wherein   the pipe leads the inert gas that the liquid inert gas was vaporized by the evaporator to the casing, so as to make the interior of the casing an inert gas environment.   
   
   
       4 . A fuel filling method using a fuel filling apparatus to fill hydrogen gas into a fuel tank of an automobile that uses the hydrogen gas as a fuel, comprising:
 cooling the hydrogen gas using a heat exchanger, which is supplied with a liquid inert gas,   discharging an inert gas, part of which being the liquid inert gas having been gasified, to the casing of the fuel filling apparatus, so as to make the interior of the casing an inert gas environment.   
   
   
       5 . The fuel filling method using a fuel filling apparatus to fill a hydrogen gas into a fuel tank of an automobile that uses the hydrogen gas as a fuel according to  claim 4 , wherein the part of the liquid inert gas is gasified by an evaporator.