Booster pump and low-temperature-fluid storage tank having the same

Abstract

A low-temperature-fluid storage tank capable of efficiently increasing the pressure of fluid without heating the fluid is provided. There is provided a booster pump which includes a piston having a piston head and a piston rod and a cylinder having a compression chamber that accommodates the piston head so that a fluid is compressed by one end surface of the piston head. The piston head is provided with a bellows for separating a space adjacent to the piston rod from a space adjacent to the cylinder in the compression chamber.

1 . A booster pump comprising:
 a piston having a piston head and a piston rod; and   a cylinder having a compression chamber that accommodates the piston head so that a fluid is compressed by one end surface of the piston head,   wherein the piston head is provided with a bellows for separating a space adjacent to the piston rod from a space adjacent to the cylinder in the compression chamber.   
   
   
       2 . The booster pump according to  claim 1 , wherein a filler filling a space between an outer surface of the bellows and an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder is provided. 
   
   
       3 . The booster pump according to  claim 1 , wherein a ring-shaped sealing member is provided at one end portion, adjacent to the piston head, of the bellows. 
   
   
       4 . The booster pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the piston rod has a heat-insulating vacuum structure that is hollow and vacuumed. 
   
   
       5 . A booster comprising at least two of the booster pumps according to  claim 1 , wherein
 multistage compression is performed with the booster pumps.   
   
   
       6 . A low-temperature-fluid storage tank for storing a low-temperature fluid in a low-temperature state, comprising:
 the booster pump according to  claim 1 ;   a low-temperature-fluid reservoir reserving the low-temperature fluid; and   a low-temperature container for accommodating the booster pump or the booster and the low-temperature-fluid reservoir.   
   
   
       7 . The low-temperature-fluid storage tank according to  claim 6 , wherein the booster pump or the booster is disposed downstream of the low-temperature-fluid reservoir and outside the low-temperature-fluid reservoir. 
   
   
       8 . The low-temperature-fluid storage tank according to  claim 6 , wherein a low-temperature slush fluid in a solid/liquid two-phase state is reserved in the low-temperature-fluid reservoir. 
   
   
       9 . The low-temperature-fluid storage tank according to  claim 8 , wherein a mesh is provided at an outlet of the low-temperature-fluid reservoir. 
   
   
       10 . The low-temperature-fluid storage tank according to  claim 9 , wherein a heater is provided in the low-temperature-fluid reservoir. 
   
   
       11 . The low-temperature-fluid storage tank according to  claim 6 , wherein a heat exchanger is disposed downstream of the booster pump or the booster. 
   
   
       12 . The low-temperature-fluid storage tank according to  claim 6 , wherein a radiation shield plate is provided on an inner surface of the low-temperature container. 
   
   
       13 . A low-temperature-fluid boosting pump comprising a cylinder block having therein a compression chamber; and a piston head that is accommodated in the compression chamber and reciprocates in the compression chamber so that a low-temperature fluid is compressed by one end surface of the piston head,
 wherein a flexible partition for separating a space adjacent to an inner circumferential side from a space adjacent to an outer circumferential side of the piston head is provided between the one end surface of the piston head and an inner surface of the compression chamber which faces the one end surface.   
   
   
       14 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 13 , wherein a pressure-boosted fluid resides on an outer side of the partition. 
   
   
       15 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 13 , wherein an outer side of the partition is vacuumed. 
   
   
       16 . A low-temperature-fluid boosting pump comprising:
 a piston rod driven by a drive unit connected to a driving source;   a piston head that is connected to the piston rod and reciprocates with the piston rod; and   a cylinder having a compression chamber that accommodates the piston head so that a low-temperature fluid is compressed by one end surface of the piston head,   wherein the drive unit is disposed adjacent to the one end surface of the piston head, and a shank of the piston rod is subjected to a tensile force in a direction substantially equal to a direction in which the shank extends when the low-temperature fluid is to be compressed.   
   
   
       17 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein the piston head is divided into at least two concentric subsections to achieve a multistage compression structure where the low-temperature fluid is gradually increased to a desired pressure by sequentially passing through the one end surface of the divided piston head. 
   
   
       18 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein a flexible partition for separating a space adjacent to the piston rod from a space adjacent to the cylinder in the compression chamber is provided adjacent to the one end surface and adjacent to the other end surface of the piston head. 
   
   
       19 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein a flexible partition for separating a space adjacent to the piston rod from a space adjacent to the cylinder in the compression chamber is provided adjacent to the other end surface of the piston head. 
   
   
       20 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein a precooling layer is formed in the cylinder. 
   
   
       21 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein the drive unit is linked to the piston rod via a heat-insulating connection section. 
   
   
       22 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein the piston head is linked to the piston rod via a heat insulator. 
   
   
       23 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein a guiding member for guiding the shank of the piston rod is provided between a cylinder block and the piston rod. 
   
   
       24 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein a space between a cylinder block and the shank of the piston rod is a vacuum. 
   
   
       25 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein the cylinder is immersed in low-temperature fluid stored in a low-temperature-fluid storage tank and is attachable to and detachable from the low-temperature-fluid storage tank. 
   
   
       26 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein the drive unit and the cylinder are immersed in low-temperature fluid stored in a low-temperature-fluid storage tank and are attachable to and detachable from the low-temperature-fluid storage tank. 
   
   
       27 . A low-temperature-fluid feeder comprising:
 the low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 ;   a chamber for reserving a low-temperature fluid whose pressure has been increased by the low-temperature-fluid boosting pump; and   a fuel injector supplied with the low-temperature fluid from the chamber.   
   
   
       28 . The low-temperature-fluid feeder according to  claim 27 , wherein a booster-fluid feeding unit for liquefying or vaporizing the low-temperature fluid in the chamber and supplying the low-temperature fluid into the cylinder disposed adjacent to the other end surface of the piston head of the low-temperature-fluid boosting pump is provided. 
   
   
       29 . The low-temperature-fluid feeder according to  claim 27 , wherein a heat exchanger for vaporizing liquid hydrogen is provided between the chamber and the fuel injector, and a booster-fluid feeding unit for adjusting the pressure of the vaporized hydrogen and supplying the hydrogen into the cylinder disposed adjacent to the other end surface of the piston head of the low-temperature-fluid boosting pump is provided. 
   
   
       30 . The low-temperature-fluid feeder according to  claim 27 , wherein the chamber is provided with a relief valve. 
   
   
       31 . A low-temperature-fluid boosting pump comprising a cylinder block having therein a compression chamber; and a piston head that is accommodated in the compression chamber and reciprocates in the compression chamber so that a low-temperature fluid is compressed by one end surface of the piston head,
 wherein a flexible partition for separating a space adjacent to an inner circumferential side from a space adjacent to an outer circumferential side in the compression chamber is provided adjacent to the other end surface of the piston head.   
   
   
       32 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 31 , wherein a pressure-boosted fluid resides on an inner side of the partition. 
   
   
       33 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 31 , wherein an inner side of the partition is vacuumed. 
   
   
       34 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 16 , wherein a guiding member for guiding the piston head is provided between the cylinder block and the piston head. 
   
   
       35 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 13 , wherein the cylinder block is immersed in low-temperature fluid stored in a low-temperature-fluid storage tank and is attachable to and detachable from the low-temperature-fluid storage tank. 
   
   
       36 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 31 , wherein a guiding member for guiding the piston head is provided between the cylinder block and the piston head. 
   
   
       37 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 31 , wherein the cylinder block is immersed in low-temperature fluid stored in a low-temperature-fluid storage tank and is attachable to and detachable from the low-temperature-fluid storage tank. 
   
   
       38 . The low-temperature-fluid boosting pump according to  claim 34 , wherein the cylinder block is immersed in low-temperature fluid stored in a low-temperature-fluid storage tank and is attachable to and detachable from the low-temperature-fluid storage tank.