JP2002134140A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To conduct stable burning by replenishing oxygen in a cathode exhaust gas. SOLUTION: An ejector 36, for introducing the outside air and mixing it to the cathode exhaust gas, is installed in a cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11 for supplying the cathode exhaust gas exhausted from a fuel cell 10 to anode gas supply part 20, 50. A flow control valve 34 for controlling the flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas is installed in the upstream position of the ejector 36 in the cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11. By introducing the outside air, the oxygen concentration in a mixed gas flowing through the cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11 is increased to the extent of being capable of conducting stable burning, in the anode gas supply part 20, 50.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell which generates electric energy by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and is applied to a moving body such as a vehicle, a ship and a portable generator. It is valid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a fuel cell, an anode gas containing hydrogen is supplied to an anode side, a cathode gas containing oxygen is supplied to a cathode side, and the anode gas and the cathode gas are consumed in the fuel cell. And is discharged as exhaust gas containing unreacted gas.

For the purpose of improving the efficiency of the fuel cell system, various systems for reusing anode exhaust gas and cathode exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell have been studied. For example, as in a fuel cell system described in JP-A-8-241722, an anode exhaust gas containing hydrogen and a cathode exhaust gas containing oxygen are supplied to a catalytic combustor of a reformer and burned, and a reforming reaction (endothermic reaction) is performed. There is known a configuration for reuse as an auxiliary heat source.

[0004]

Here, when attention is paid to the cathode exhaust gas, since the oxygen concentration in the cathode exhaust gas is low, it is inconvenient for a consuming apparatus that consumes oxygen in the cathode exhaust gas for a certain purpose. For example, in a fuel cell system, when the cathode exhaust gas is subjected to partial oxidation of the reformed material for hydrogen generation, if the oxygen concentration in the cathode exhaust gas is low, the reformed material cannot be partially oxidized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to introduce an oxygen source into a cathode exhaust gas, thereby improving the convenience of reusing the cathode exhaust gas.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an anode gas containing hydrogen and a cathode gas containing oxygen are supplied, and electric energy is produced by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. , A cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) through which the cathode exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell (10) passes, and a cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) provided in the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11). The cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) is connected to an ejector (36) for introducing an oxygen source into the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) by the flow of the cathode exhaust gas flowing through the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11), and introduced into the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11). A consumption device for consuming cathode exhaust gas containing an oxygen source.

Thus, the cathode exhaust gas supply path (11)
The oxygen source can be mixed with the cathode exhaust gas by providing the ejector (36). For this reason, the cathode exhaust gas with the increased oxygen amount is supplied to the consuming device, so that the convenience of the reuse of the cathode exhaust gas in the consuming device can be improved.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve (34) provided on the cathode exhaust gas supply path (11) upstream of the ejector (36) and controlling the flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas. Features.

Thus, the amount of the oxygen source mixed with the cathode exhaust gas supplied to the consuming device, that is, the amount of oxygen, can be controlled by controlling the flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas flowing through the ejector (36). Can respond to adjustments in demand.

[0010] In the invention according to claim 3, the consuming device burns and consumes the cathode exhaust gas containing the oxygen source, and the consuming device stores the temperature related to the combustion temperature of the cathode exhaust gas containing the oxygen source. Temperature detecting means (24,
55) and a control unit (40) for controlling the opening of the flow control valve (34) based on the heating temperature detected by the temperature detecting means (24, 55). Thereby, the combustion temperature in the consuming device can be adjusted.

Further, since the cathode exhaust gas is compressed air as a starting source, a small amount of heat is lost by passing through the ejector (36), which may be disadvantageous in terms of heat.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 4, a bypass passage (31) through which the cathode exhaust gas is directly supplied to the consuming device by bypassing the ejector (36), and a flow of the cathode exhaust gas to the ejector (36) side or And a flow path switching valve (32) for switching to a bypass passage (31) side.

[0013] Thus, in the case of starting the fuel cell (10) and temporarily stopping power generation, the cathode exhaust gas passes through the bypass passage (31), so that the cathode exhaust gas passes through the ejector (36). Heat loss due to passing can be avoided. In such a case, since the fuel cell (10) does not generate power, the oxygen concentration in the cathode exhaust gas is not low, so that the temperature is high for the consuming device and the oxygen concentration is high. Cathode exhaust gas can be supplied.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the opening and closing of the flow path switching valve (32) is controlled by the combustion temperature of the cathode exhaust gas containing the oxygen source in the consuming device. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the combustion temperature in the consuming device.

Further, as in the invention as set forth in claim 6, the consuming device can generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen by a reforming reaction. In this case, the cathode exhaust gas whose oxygen concentration has been increased by the oxygen source introduced by the ejector can be used as a heat energy source required for the reforming reaction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the consuming device includes a hydrogen storage container (51) for storing hydrogen as an anode gas, and transfers heat energy from combustion of a cathode exhaust gas containing an oxygen source to the hydrogen. It can be applied to a storage container to extract hydrogen as anode gas from the hydrogen storage container.

In the invention according to the eighth aspect, since air is used as the oxygen source introduced into the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11), a special oxygen source is not required and the method is simple.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the compressor (30b) for supplying air as the cathode gas to the fuel cell (10) is provided, by using the compression force of the compressor, the oxygen generated by the ejector can be increased. The supply capacity of the source is improved, so that the amount of the oxygen source can be sufficiently secured.

Note that the reference numerals in parentheses of the above means indicate the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment comprises a fuel cell 10, an anode gas supply section 2
0, a cathode gas supply unit 30, a flow control valve 34, an ejector 36, a control unit 40, and the like are main components.

The fuel cell 10 has a cathode electrode supplied with a cathode gas containing oxygen and an anode electrode supplied with an anode gas containing hydrogen. The fuel cell 10 is configured to generate electric power by a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen and supply electric power to a load such as an electric motor (not shown). The anode gas and the cathode gas supplied to the fuel cell 10 are consumed in the fuel cell 10, and the gas not used for the chemical reaction is discharged from the fuel cell 10 as exhaust gas.

The cathode exhaust gas discharged from the cathode of the fuel cell 10 is supplied to an evaporator 22 of an anode gas supply section 20 described later via a cathode exhaust gas supply path 11. A part of the anode exhaust gas discharged from the anode is discharged into the atmosphere via the anode exhaust passage 12, and a part of the exhaust gas is resupplied to the anode of the fuel cell 10.

In the fuel cell system, an anode gas supply unit (consumer) for supplying anode gas to the fuel cell 10
20 are provided. In the first embodiment, a reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich gas (anode gas) by steam reforming a reforming raw material containing a hydrocarbon compound such as methanol is used as the anode gas supply unit 20. This reformer reforms a reforming raw material into a reformed gas containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide by a catalytic reaction (reforming reaction) at a high temperature, and removes carbon monoxide in the reformed gas. It is configured to be. The anode gas generated in the anode gas supply unit 20 is supplied to the fuel cell 1 through the anode gas passage 29.
0 is supplied to the anode electrode.

The anode gas supply section 20 includes a fuel vaporization section 21 for vaporizing the fuel for combustion, an evaporator (catalyst combustor) 22 for evaporating and vaporizing the reforming material, and converting the reforming material vaporized by the evaporator 22 to hydrogen. Reformer for reforming to rich gas (reforming unit)
23.

The fuel vaporizer 21 vaporizes the fuel for combustion and supplies it to the evaporator 22. The fuel vaporizer 21 is supplied with high-pressure air from an air supply device 25 and supplied with combustion fuel from a combustion fuel supply device 26. The vaporizing air supply device 25 includes an air filter 25a and an air supply pump 25b. The combustion fuel supply device 26 includes a fuel filter 26a and a combustion fuel supply pump 26b.

The evaporator 22 evaporates and vaporizes the reforming raw material supplied from the reforming raw material supply device 27 and supplies it to the reformer 23. The reforming material supply device 27 includes a fuel filter 27a.
And a reforming material supply pump 27b. In the first embodiment, a mixed solution of methanol and water is used as a reforming raw material.

The evaporator 22 has a reforming material passage (not shown) through which the reforming material passes, and a cathode exhaust gas passage (not shown) through which the cathode exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 passes. ing. The evaporator 22 is configured as a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the cathode exhaust gas passage and the reforming material passage.

A catalyst for catalytic combustion is provided in the cathode exhaust gas passage of the evaporator 22. In the cathode exhaust gas passage, fuel for combustion is supplied from the fuel vaporization unit 21,
When the cathode exhaust gas is supplied from the fuel cell 10, catalytic combustion occurs. Heat generated by catalytic combustion in the cathode exhaust gas passage is transmitted to the reforming material passing through the reforming material passage, and evaporates and vaporizes the reforming material. The exhaust gas after the catalytic combustion is discharged from the exhaust gas passage 28. Evaporator 22
The reformed fuel vaporized in is supplied to the reformer 23.

The evaporator 22 is provided with a temperature sensor (temperature detecting means) 24 for detecting a heating temperature (evaporator temperature) T by catalytic combustion using cathode exhaust gas. Further, the evaporator 22 has a minimum allowable temperature T1 and a maximum allowable temperature T2 determined in advance. Maximum allowable temperature T2
Is the highest temperature in a range where the catalyst provided in the evaporator 22 does not cause performance degradation at high temperature, and can be arbitrarily set according to the type of the catalyst and the like. The minimum allowable temperature T1 is a minimum temperature at which a catalytic reaction can be efficiently performed. For example, the minimum allowable temperature T1 =
The maximum allowable temperature T2 can be set to 50 ° C, and when the maximum allowable temperature T2 is 600 ° C, the minimum allowable temperature T1
To 550 ° C.

The reformer 23 is provided with a reforming catalyst. The reformer 23 chemically reacts the vaporized reforming raw material with steam to reform into a reformed gas containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and a small amount of carbon monoxide. The reformed gas is CO (not shown).
The carbon monoxide is removed in the removing section to become a hydrogen-rich gas (anode gas), which is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell 10 through the anode gas passage 29.

The cathode electrode of the fuel cell 10 is supplied with cathode gas (air) from a cathode gas supply unit 30. The cathode gas supply unit 30 includes an air filter 30a,
It comprises a compressor 30b for supplying high-pressure air and a humidifier 30c for humidifying the air.

As described above, the cathode exhaust gas discharged from the cathode of the fuel cell 10 is supplied to the evaporator 22 of the anode gas supply unit 20 through the cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11.
Supplied to The cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11 is provided with a bypass passage 31 for directly supplying the cathode exhaust gas to the evaporator 22 by bypassing a flow control valve 34 and an ejector 36 described later. Whether the cathode exhaust gas flows to the ejector 36 side or the bypass passage 31 side is controlled by the flow path switching valve 32.

The cathode exhaust gas supply path 11 is provided with a condenser 33 for removing moisture from the humidified cathode exhaust gas. Further, in the fuel cell system of the first embodiment, a flow control valve 34 for controlling the exhaust gas flow rate, a differential pressure gauge 35 for measuring the exhaust gas flow rate, and an ejector 36 for sucking outside air are provided downstream of the condenser 33. I have. Further, between the flow control valve 34 and the ejector 36,
A discharge path 37 for discharging extra cathode exhaust gas to the atmosphere is provided.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the ejector 36.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ejector 36 is connected to the working fluid inflow section 3.
6a, a suction fluid inflow portion 36b, a nozzle portion 36c, a mixing portion 36d, and a discharge portion 36e. The cathode exhaust gas serving as the working fluid flows into the ejector 36 from the working fluid inflow portion 36a, and is injected into the mixing portion 36c through the nozzle portion 36c. At this time, the outside air as the suction fluid is sucked into the ejector 36 from the suction fluid inflow portion 36b by the energy of the cathode exhaust gas injected from the nozzle portion 36c. The cathode exhaust gas and the outside air are mixed in the mixing section 36d and discharged from the discharge section 36e.

The fuel cell system according to the first embodiment includes:
A control unit (ECU) 40 for performing various controls is provided. The temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor 24 is input to the control unit 40, and based on the temperature signal, the flow control valve 34
It is configured to control the opening degree. The control unit 40 also controls the flow path switching valve 32.

Next, the operation of the fuel cell system having the above configuration will be described.

In the fuel cell 10, power is generated by supplying a cathode gas and an anode gas.
Then, the exhaust gas containing the unreacted gas is discharged from the fuel cell 10. The cathode exhaust gas discharged from the cathode has a low oxygen concentration because the fuel cell 10 consumes oxygen.

After water is removed by the condenser 33, the cathode exhaust gas flows to the ejector 36 via the flow control valve 34. In the ejector 36, outside air is sucked in with the flow of the cathode exhaust gas, and the outside air is mixed with the cathode exhaust gas. This increases the oxygen concentration of the mixture of the cathode exhaust gas and the outside air.

The cathode exhaust gas and the sucked outside air are supplied to the evaporator 22 of the anode gas supply unit 20. In the cathode exhaust gas passage of the evaporator 22, the vaporized fuel obtained in the vaporization section 21 and the above-mentioned mixture in the cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11 catalytically combust, and the combustion heat causes the reforming to pass through the reforming material passage of the evaporator 22. The raw material is vaporized. The vaporized reforming raw material is supplied to the reformer 23 and reformed into a hydrogen-rich gas. The anode gas generated by the anode gas supply unit 20 is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell 10. As described above, the cathode exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 and the mixture of the outside air introduced through the ejector 36 with the flow of the cathode exhaust gas are supplied to the anode gas supply unit 2.
0 is used as combustion air of a heat source necessary for the reforming reaction.

Next, control of the flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas of the fuel cell system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the evaporator 22 detected by the temperature sensor 24, that is, the temperature T related to catalytic combustion is higher than a preset minimum allowable temperature T1 of the evaporator 22 (step S10). If T is lower than T1,
For example, the opening degree of the flow control valve 34 is reduced by an angle corresponding to a 1% reduction in the flow rate (step S11). On the other hand, T is T1
If it is higher, it is determined whether the evaporator temperature T is higher than the maximum allowable temperature T2 of the evaporator 22 (step S1).
2). If T is higher than T2, the opening of the flow control valve 34 is opened by an angle corresponding to, for example, a 3% increase in the flow (step S13). On the other hand, when T is lower than T2, the opening of the flow control valve 34 is not changed.

By executing the control routine shown in FIG. 3 at regular intervals during normal operation of the fuel cell system,
The temperature of the evaporator 22 can be maintained between the minimum allowable temperature T1 and the maximum allowable temperature T2, which is a temperature range suitable for the cathode gas supply of the cathode gas supply device 20.

By the way, the cathode exhaust gas, which is compressed air, passes through the ejector 36 and loses some of its heat, so that it is thermally disadvantageous when starting the fuel cell system or temporarily stopping power generation. Therefore, in the fuel cell system of the first embodiment, the bypass passage 31 that bypasses the ejector 36 is provided so that the exhaust gas of the cathode exhaust gas is not deprived by the ejector 36 at the time of start-up and temporary stop of power generation. I have.

The operation start processing when the fuel cell system is started and when power generation is temporarily stopped will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the flow path switching valve 32
This causes the cathode exhaust gas to flow toward the bypass passage 31 (step S20). As a result, the cathode exhaust gas is directly supplied to the anode gas supply unit 20 without passing through the flow control valve 34 and the ejector 36.

Next, it is determined whether or not the evaporator temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 24 is lower than the combustion startable temperature T3 (step S21). The combustion startable temperature T3 is a minimum temperature at which catalytic combustion can be started in the evaporator 22, and can be set to, for example, about 300 ° C. When the evaporator temperature T is lower than the combustion startable temperature T3, the bypass passage 31 is kept open. On the other hand, when the evaporator temperature T is higher than the combustion startable temperature T3, the bypass passage 31 is closed by switching the flow path switching valve 32 (Step S).
22). This allows the cathode exhaust gas to flow through the flow control valve 34.
And the anode gas supply unit 20 through the ejector 36.
Supplied to

According to the routine shown in FIG. 4, when the fuel cell system is started or when power generation is temporarily stopped, the flow control valve 3
4 and the heat loss when passing through the ejector 36 can be eliminated. At the time of start-up and at the time of temporary stop of power generation, the fuel cell 10 does not generate power, so that the oxygen concentration in the cathode exhaust gas is not low, and the ejector 3
At 6, the oxygen concentration is secured without inhaling outside air.

As described above, according to the fuel cell system of the first embodiment, oxygen is supplied to the evaporator 22 which performs catalytic combustion only by providing the ejector 36 for sucking outside air in the cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11 of the fuel cell 10. The amount can be increased. Thereby, stable combustion in the evaporator 22 can be secured.

Further, by providing the ejector 36, the supply amount of oxygen to the evaporator 22 can be increased by utilizing the energy of the cathode exhaust gas itself, so that a pump or the like for increasing the supply amount of oxygen is not required. Become. Accordingly, the power consumption of the auxiliary equipment can be reduced with a simple configuration in which only the ejector 36 is provided.

Further, by providing a flow control valve 34 for controlling the flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas upstream of the ejector 36, the flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas flowing to the ejector 36 is controlled to control the amount of oxygen supplied to the evaporator 22. be able to. Thereby, the temperature control of the evaporator 22 can be easily performed.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the anode gas supply unit. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of a fuel cell system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG.
In the embodiment, the anode gas supply unit 50 includes a storage-type hydrogen storage container 51. The hydrogen storage container 51 is filled with a hydrogen storage alloy (hydrogen storage material) not shown. Hydrogen is taken out of the hydrogen storage container 51 and the fuel cell 1
To supply hydrogen to zero, the hydrogen storage container 51 needs to be heated.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, a combustor 52 is provided in the anode gas supply unit (consumer) 50 to serve as a heat source necessary for extracting hydrogen from the hydrogen storage container 51. The hydrogen storage container 51 and the combustor 52 are thermally connected by a heat medium passage 53 through which a heat medium such as cooling water circulates.

An anode exhaust gas and a cathode exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 are supplied to the combustor 52.
An anode exhaust gas containing residual hydrogen (off gas) is used as a combustible component, and a cathode exhaust gas containing oxygen is used as combustion air. The exhaust gas after burning in the combustor 52 is discharged from an exhaust gas passage 54. With such a configuration, the cathode exhaust gas is stored in the storage-type anode gas supply unit 5.
0 can be used as a heat source for heating necessary for supplying hydrogen.

The combustor 52 is provided with a temperature sensor 55 for detecting a combustor temperature T. Further, the fuel cell system according to the second embodiment includes an anode gas supply unit 50.
A pressure sensor 57 for detecting an anode gas pressure P and an anode gas supply flow rate control valve 58 are provided in an anode gas supply path 56 for supplying the anode gas generated in the above to the fuel cell 10.

The temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor 55 and the pressure signal detected by the pressure sensor 57 are
Is input to The control unit 40 controls the flow path switching valve 32, the flow control valve 34, and the anode gas supply flow control valve 58.

Next, the operation start processing executed at the time of starting the fuel cell system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the cathode exhaust gas is caused to flow toward the bypass passage 31 by the flow path switching valve 32 (step S30). As a result, the cathode exhaust gas is directly supplied to the anode gas supply unit 50 without passing through the flow control valve 34 and the ejector 36.

Next, it is determined whether or not the evaporator temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 24 is lower than the combustion startable temperature T3 (step S31). When the evaporator temperature T is lower than the combustion startable temperature T3, the flow path switching valve 32 is maintained open to the bypass passage 31 side. On the other hand, if the evaporator temperature T is higher than the combustion startable temperature T3, it is determined whether the anode gas pressure P is lower than the hydrogen supply pressure P1 (step S32). The hydrogen supply pressure P is a minimum pressure at which the anode gas supply unit 50 can supply the anode gas to the fuel cell 10.

When the anode gas pressure P is lower than the hydrogen supply pressure P1, the flow path switching valve 32 is kept open to the bypass passage 31 side. On the other hand, when the anode gas pressure P is higher than the hydrogen supply pressure P1, the anode gas supply control valve 58 is opened to open the anode gas supply section 50.
Then, the supply of the anode gas to the fuel cell 10 is started (step S33). Next, the bypass passage 31 is closed by switching the flow path switching valve 32 (step S3).
4). As a result, the cathode exhaust gas is supplied to the anode gas supply unit 50 through the flow control valve 34 and the ejector 36.

As described above, even with the configuration using the hydrogen storage type anode gas supply section (50) as in the second embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Other Embodiments) In the fuel cell system of the first embodiment, a part of the anode exhaust gas is discharged to the outside and a part is recirculated to the fuel cell 10. The present invention is not limited to this, and the anode exhaust gas may be supplied to the catalytic combustor 22 and used for catalytic combustion.

In the first embodiment, as a part of the air supply source of the vaporization air / air supply unit 25 for supplying air to the fuel vaporization unit 21, mixing of the cathode exhaust gas and the air flowing through the cathode exhaust gas supply passage 11 is performed. It is also possible to use care. Also, for example, a mixture of cathode exhaust gas and air can be used as a part of the combustion air supply source of the combustion heater. Further, the air-fuel mixture can also be used for partial oxidation of the reforming raw material in the reforming section.

As described above, the present invention can be applied to any fuel cell system including a fuel cell system including a consuming device that consumes a mixture of cathode exhaust gas and air. The fuel cell system according to the second embodiment is not limited to the fuel cell system including the anode exhaust gas supply path for supplying the anode gas.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an ejector.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control of a flow rate of cathode exhaust gas according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation start process of the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a fuel cell system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation start process of the fuel cell system according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: fuel cell, 11: cathode exhaust gas supply path, 20:
Anode gas supply unit, 21: fuel vaporization unit, 22: evaporator (catalyst combustor), 23: reformer, 30: cathode gas supply unit, 31: bypass passage, 34: flow control valve, 36 ...
Ejector, 40: control unit, 50: anode gas supply unit,
51: hydrogen storage container, 52: combustor.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5H027 AA02 BA01 BA09 BA10 BA13 BA17 BA19 BC06 BC14 BC19 CC06 KK05 KK11 KK23 KK41 KK42 KK44 MM03 MM09 MM13

Claims (9)

[Claims] An anode gas containing hydrogen and a cathode gas containing oxygen are supplied, and a fuel cell (10) that generates electric energy by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen; and a fuel cell (10) discharged from the fuel cell (10). A cathode exhaust gas supply passage through which a cathode exhaust gas passes; and a cathode exhaust gas supply passage provided in the cathode exhaust gas supply passage, the cathode exhaust gas supply passage being provided by the flow of the cathode exhaust gas flowing through the cathode exhaust gas supply passage. An ejector (36) for introducing an oxygen source therein; and a consuming device connected to the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) and consuming the cathode exhaust gas containing the oxygen source introduced into the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11). A fuel cell system comprising: 2. A flow control valve (34) provided on the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) upstream of the ejector (36) and controlling a flow rate of the cathode exhaust gas. 3. The fuel cell system according to item 1. 3. The consumption device burns and consumes the cathode exhaust gas including the oxygen source. The consumption device includes a temperature detecting a temperature related to a combustion temperature of the cathode exhaust gas including the oxygen source. A detection unit (24, 55); and a control unit (40) that controls the opening of the flow control valve (34) based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit (24, 55). The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A bypass passage (31) for supplying the cathode exhaust gas directly to the consuming device by bypassing the ejector (36), and a flow of the cathode exhaust gas to the ejector (36) side or the bypass passage ( The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a flow path switching valve (32) for switching to a side (31). 5. A bypass passage (31) for supplying the cathode exhaust gas directly to the consuming device by bypassing the ejector (36), and a flow of the cathode exhaust gas to the ejector (36) side or the bypass passage ( 31) a flow path switching valve (32) for switching to the side;
Based on the temperature detected by 5), the flow path switching valve (3
The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the switching control of (2) is performed. 6. The consuming device includes a reforming section (23) for supplying the anode gas to the fuel cell (10), and the thermal energy generated by combustion of the cathode exhaust gas including the oxygen source is supplied to the consuming apparatus. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material is added to the reforming raw material reaching the reforming section (23).
The fuel cell system according to any one of the above. 7. The consuming device includes a hydrogen storage container (51) for storing hydrogen as the anode gas, and transfers heat energy generated by combustion of the cathode exhaust gas including the oxygen source to the hydrogen storage container (51). The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein hydrogen is extracted from the hydrogen storage container (51) as the anode gas. 8. The oxygen source introduced into the cathode exhaust gas supply passage (11) by the ejector (36) is air.
The fuel cell system according to any one of the above. 9. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising a compressor (30b) for supplying air as the cathode gas to the fuel cell (10). .