Patent ID: 7921662

Claim:
A hydrogen tank cooling device for a hydrogen fuel automobile, the hydrogen fuel automobile comprising: a hydrogen tank containing a hydrogen storage material and having a heat exchanger inside, the heat exchanger including a heat medium pipe through which a heat medium flows; a drive portion for driving the vehicle using hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen tank as fuel; a heat medium passage through which flows the heat medium which can exchange heat with the drive portion and can be supplied to the heat medium pipe; a radiator for cooling the heat medium which flows through the heat medium passage; and an air cooling apparatus that includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant gas, a condenser for condensing the compressed refrigerant gas using a fan, an evaporator for making expanded refrigerant liquid evaporate thereby cooling air sent by another fan by latent heat of evaporation in the refrigerant, and a refrigerant circuit, wherein the refrigerant circuit is provided with the compressor, condenser, and evaporator, wherein the hydrogen tank cooling device comprising: a bypass passage which branches from the refrigerant circuit such that expanded refrigerant liquid detours the evaporator so as to be drawn into the compressor; a switch portion that can switch between a state where the expanded refrigerant liquid passes through the evaporator so as to be drawn into the compressor and a state where the expanded refrigerant liquid detours the evaporator so as to flow through the bypass passage; and a hydrogen storage material cooling portion for cooling the hydrogen storage material using the expanded refrigerant liquid that flows through the bypass passage, wherein the switch portion is a first switch portion, and the hydrogen tank cooling device further comprises a second switch portion which can switch between a state where the heat medium flows through the heat medium pipe after cooling the drive portion and a state where the heat medium flows through the heat medium pipe without passing through the drive portion.