Investigation of Seal-Rings for High-Pressure Hydrogen Compressors
Details
We carried out basic investigations of seal-rings for high-pressure hydrogen reciprocating compressors used in hydrogen fueling stations, that supply high-pressure gas for fuel cell automobiles. In the first step of this investigation, we compared the characteristics of copper alloys, engineering plastic materials (polyether ether ketone), and diamond-like carbon films on SUS304, in load carrying tests and wear tests with mock-up reciprocating equipment. We discovered that copper alloy has a low friction coefficient and low wear rate. Secondary, we set four seal-rings, made from this copper alloy, in series and measured the equipment sealing characteristics in mock-up seal-ring. In one of the results, a steep pressure drop in a specific seal-ring, instead of a gradual drop in each seal-ring. This phenomenon occurred because of a leak through the space between the seal-ring and the reciprocating rod.
