Installation and method for producing liquefied hydrogen

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation for producing liquefied hydrogen having a gaseous hydrogen generator configured to produce gaseous hydrogen, a liquefier, a supply duct connecting a gaseous hydrogen outlet of the gaseous hydrogen generator to an inlet of the liquefier, the liquefier having a refrigerator having a cycle circuit configured to provide cooling power and cool the gaseous hydrogen from the supply duct with a view to the liquefaction thereof, the installation having at least one compressor for the gaseous hydrogen produced by the gaseous hydrogen generator and a buffer store configured to store the compressed gaseous hydrogen between the gaseous hydrogen generator and the liquefier, the buffer store being connected to the supply duct via a set of bypass duct(s), i.e. the buffer store and the liquefier are connected in parallel to the gaseous hydrogen outlet of the gaseous hydrogen generator.

1 . An installation for producing liquefied hydrogen comprising a gaseous hydrogen generator configured to produce gaseous hydrogen, a liquefier, a supply duct connecting a gaseous hydrogen outlet of the gaseous hydrogen generator to an inlet of the liquefier, the liquefier comprising a refrigerator having a cycle circuit configured to provide cooling power and cool the gaseous hydrogen from the supply duct with a view to the liquefaction thereof, the installation comprising at least one compressor for the gaseous hydrogen produced by the gaseous hydrogen generator and a buffer store configured to store the compressed gaseous hydrogen between the gaseous hydrogen generator and the liquefier, the buffer store being connected to the supply duct via a set of bypass duct(s), the buffer store and the liquefier are connected in parallel to the gaseous hydrogen outlet of the gaseous hydrogen generator, the refrigerator being of the type having a cycle circuit configured to produce cooling power by subjecting a cycle gas to a thermodynamic cycle, the cycle circuit comprising a set of compressor(s) for the cycle gas, at least one member for cooling the compressed cycle gas and at least one member for expanding the compressed cycle gas, wherein the cycle gas is hydrogen and in that the buffer store is connected to the cycle circuit so as to supply the cycle circuit with hydrogen and/or to be supplied with hydrogen by the cycle circuit. 
     
     
         2 . The installation of  claim 1 , further comprising a compressor situated on the set of bypass duct(s). 
     
     
         3 . The installation of  claim 1 , in the set of bypass duct(s) further comprising a return duct configured to transfer gaseous hydrogen from the buffer store to the supply duct. 
     
     
         4 . The installation of  claim 3 , wherein the return duct comprises at least one member for expanding the gaseous hydrogen from among: an expansion valve, a turbine, a turbine coupled to an electric power generator or to a compressor so as to form a turbocompressor. 
     
     
         5 . The installation of  claim 1 , wherein it has at least one compressor for the gaseous hydrogen intended to supply the buffer store that is also a compressor of the set of compressor(s) for the cycle gas. 
     
     
         6 . The installation of  claim 1 , wherein the supply duct has a plurality of compressors disposed in series and/or in parallel, configured to supply the buffer store and/or the cycle circuit with compressed hydrogen. 
     
     
         7 . The installation of  claim 6 , wherein the set of compressor(s) for the cycle gas comprises a plurality of compressors disposed in series and/or in parallel, the installation comprising a provision duct connecting the buffer store to the inlet or to the outlet of at least one of the compressor(s) for the cycle gas and configured to allow pressurized gaseous hydrogen to be provided to the cycle circuit. 
     
     
         8 . The installation of  claim 1 , wherein it has a plurality of liquefiers connected in parallel to the supply duct and also connected in parallel to the buffer store. 
     
     
         9 . The installation of  claim 1 , further comprising a set of liquid hydrogen store(s) connected to an end of the supply duct leaving the liquefier and configured to collect the hydrogen liquefied by the liquefier, the installation further comprising filling circuitry connected to the set of liquid hydrogen store(s) and configured to allow the filling of tank(s), the installation comprising a set of duct(s) for recovery of the vaporization gases generated at the set of liquid hydrogen store(s) and/or at the filling circuitry, the set of duct(s) for recovery of the vaporization gases being connected to the supply circuit. 
     
     
         10 . A method for producing liquefied hydrogen using the installation of  claim 1 , of the method comprising providing compressed gaseous hydrogen to the buffer store when the gaseous hydrogen generator produces a quantity of hydrogen that is above a first threshold and a step of supplying the supply duct with compressed gaseous hydrogen from the buffer store when the gaseous hydrogen generator produces a quantity of hydrogen that is below first a second threshold. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising a step of using compressed hydrogen provided by the supply duct and/or the buffer store to supply a compression portion of a hydrogen cycle circuit of the refrigerator of the liquefier. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising a step of compressing the gaseous hydrogen in the supply duct to a determined target pressure, for example equal to 60 bar, and in that the final compression level of the compression portion of the cycle circuit is equal to this target pressure. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the buffer store is configured to store the gaseous hydrogen as far as a determined maximum storage pressure that is higher than the target pressure, the buffer store being configured to provide gas to the compression portion of the cycle circuit at the target pressure or at a pressure lower than the target pressure. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising storing, in a liquid hydrogen store(s), liquid hydrogen produced by the installation and optionally a step of filling tank(s) with liquid hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen store, the method comprising a step of recovering vaporization gases generated during the storage step and/or during the filling step and a step of recycling the recovered vaporization gas into the supply duct.