GB2614325A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Fuel cell system Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2614325A
GB2614325A GB2119121.8A GB202119121A GB2614325A GB 2614325 A GB2614325 A GB 2614325A GB 202119121 A GB202119121 A GB 202119121A GB 2614325 A GB2614325 A GB 2614325A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
unit
fuel cell
burner
heat
coolant
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
GB2119121.8A
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GB202119121D0 (en
Inventor
Yi Yong
Lee Kiryong
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ceres Intellectual Property Co Ltd
Doosan Corp
Original Assignee
Ceres Intellectual Property Co Ltd
Doosan Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ceres Intellectual Property Co Ltd, Doosan Corp filed Critical Ceres Intellectual Property Co Ltd
Priority to GB2119121.8A priority Critical patent/GB2614325A/en
Publication of GB202119121D0 publication Critical patent/GB202119121D0/en
Priority to KR1020220023798A priority patent/KR20230104484A/en
Priority to PCT/GB2022/053388 priority patent/WO2023126625A1/en
Priority to TW111149777A priority patent/TW202335341A/en
Publication of GB2614325A publication Critical patent/GB2614325A/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298—Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04694—Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by variables to be controlled
    • H01M8/04701—Temperature
    • H01M8/04738—Temperature of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0662—Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04014—Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants
    • H01M8/04022—Heating by combustion
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04029—Heat exchange using liquids
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04059—Evaporative processes for the cooling of a fuel cell
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/04097—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with recycling of the reactants
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298—Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04313—Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
    • H01M8/0432—Temperature; Ambient temperature
    • H01M8/04373—Temperature; Ambient temperature of auxiliary devices, e.g. reformers, compressors, burners
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298—Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04694—Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by variables to be controlled
    • H01M8/04746—Pressure; Flow
    • H01M8/04768—Pressure; Flow of the coolant
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0606—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/0612—Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues with means for production of gaseous reactants from carbon-containing material
    • H01M8/0618—Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/10—Fuel cells with solid electrolytes
    • H01M8/12—Fuel cells with solid electrolytes operating at high temperature, e.g. with stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/241—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes
    • H01M8/2425—High-temperature cells with solid electrolytes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2465—Details of groupings of fuel cells
    • H01M8/247—Arrangements for tightening a stack, for accommodation of a stack in a tank or for assembling different tanks
    • H01M8/2475—Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/249—Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells comprising two or more groupings of fuel cells, e.g. modular assemblies
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M2250/00—Fuel cells for particular applications; Specific features of fuel cell system
    • H01M2250/10—Fuel cells in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50—Fuel cells

Abstract

A fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell unit 130, a burner unit 190 for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit, a heat recovery unit 140 exchanging heat between a coolant and the anode off-gas, and a burner heat exchange unit 400 connected to the heat recovery unit through the coolant line and exchanging heat between the coolant that has passed through the heat recovery unit and the burner unit. Therefore, the operation temperature of the burner is maintained, while improving the overall thermal efficiency of the fuel cell system by effectively recovering waste heat. Also disclosed is a fuel cell system comprising a module casing 310 housing a fuel cell module which comprises the fuel cell unit and burner unit for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit, and the burner heat exchange unit disposed on the module casing and arranged to exchange heat between coolant and the burner unit. The burner heat exchange unit is disposed on at least one of an outer wall and an inner wall of the module casing, on a portion adjacent to the burner unit in the module casing.

Description

[DESCRIPTION] [Title]
FUEL CELL SYSTEM
[Technical Field]
The present invention relates to a fuel cell system, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system that can maintain a combustion efficiency of a burner by maintaining an ambient temperature of the burner within a predetermined temperature range regardless of an arrangement environment of the fuel cell system through heat exchange between coolant and the ambient temperature of the burner, and at the same time, can improve the overall thermal efficiency of the system through the effective recovery of waste heat.
[Background Art]
A fuel cell is a device for electrochemically generating electricity using a fuel (hydrogen or reformed gas) and an oxidizing agent (oxygen or air) in which the fuel and oxidizing agent continuously supplied from an outside is directly converted into electrical 1 5 energy through an electrochemical reaction.
As an oxidizing agent for a fuel cell, the pure oxygen or air containing a large amount of oxygen is used, and pure hydrogen or a reformed gas containing a large amount of hydrogen generated by reforming hydrocarbon-based fuels (LNG, LPG, CH30H) is used as a fuel.
Since a fuel cell generates electricity and heat at the same time, it is in the spotlight as a high-efficiency energy production device with a total efficiency of over 80%, which is the sum of power generation efficiency and thermal efficiency In addition, fuel cells are installed in real buildings or houses to directly produce electricity and heat that users need and use, increasing user convenience and significantly reducing energy costs.
Recently, a fuel cell system that produces high-efficiency energy by integrating a number of fuel cells has been built and operated.
Such fuel cells may be largely classified into a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), a molten carbonate fuel cell (NICFC), a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), and the like.
Among them, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a low-carbon, high-efficiency renewable energy power generation facility that produces electricity through the electrochemical reaction of oxygen and hydrogen. The operating temperature is the highest among fuel cells, reaching 600 to 1000°C.
The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operates at a high temperature so that expensive precious metal electrode catalysts such as platinum are not required. Also, electrolyte loss or replenishment is not required, there is no battery corrosion problem, and power generation efficiency is high.
In addition, since high-temperature gas is discharged, thermal hybrid generation using waste heat can also be performed The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which is currently evaluated as the most advanced fuel cell technology, is already being used in buildings such as houses in the United States and Japan. Korea, along with the implementation of the government's hydrogen economy revitalization policy, highly evaluates its potential as a distributed power source in the future, and is promoting its technology development and commercialization.
Meanwhile, research on improving overall efficiency of a fuel cell system to completely replace the existing non-environmental power generation such as thermal power and nuclear power is continuing. To this end, not only the power generation efficiency of fuel cells but also a method of recovering and reusing waste heat of the system to improve thermal efficiency is being considered.
In other words, there is a need to further increase the overall efficiency of the fuel cell system for the eco-friendliness of future energy. Thus, research on the effective recovery/reuse of waste heat as well as research on improving power generation efficiency by individual characteristics of fuel cells is a current challenge in the relevant technical field.
For both efficiency and emissions reasons, a fuel cell system typically comprises a burner that burns any remaining fuel in the anode off-gas, usually by combusting with the hot cathode gas, with a portion of the heat generated by the burner then being used in the operation of the fuel cell system. However, in conventional fuel cell systems the ambient temperature of the burner unit will still be relatively high, which thereby poses a potential safety risk, as waste heat is dissipated within the system. Furthermore, maintaining an ambient temperature of the burner within a certain temperature range regardless of environmental factors such as climate, weather change, season change, etc., can improve the combustion efficiency of the burner. [DISCLOSURE] [Technical Problem] The present invention is devised to solve the problems of the related arts as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system that can recover waste heat dissipated from a burner thereby improving both the safety and the overall thermal efficiency of the fuel cell system. In addition, the present invention provides that a combustion efficiency of the burner can be improved by maintaining an ambient temperature of the burner within a predetermined temperature range regardless of an arrangement environment of the fuel cell system.
[Technical Solution] The present invention for achieving the above objects relates to a fuel cell system, and the fuel cell system may comprise a fuel cell unit, a burner unit for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit, a heat recovery unit that is arranged to exchange heat between a coolant and the anode off-gas, and a burner heat exchange unit that is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant that has passed through the heat recovery unit and the burner unit In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell unit may comprise at least one fuel cell. The fuel cell unit may comprise an anode inlet, a cathode inlet, an anode off-gas outlet, and a cathode gas outlet. The fuel cell system may further comprise a fuel supply line from a fuel supply to the anode inlet. The fuel cell system may further comprise an oxidant supply line from an oxidant supply to the cathode inlet. The fuel cell system may further comprise an anode off-gas line from the anode off-gas outlet to the burner unit. The fuel cell system may further comprise a cathode gas line from the cathode gas outlet to the burner unit. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell system may comprise a coolant line from a coolant supply through the heat recovery unit and then through the burner heat exchange unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the heat recovery unit may include a first heat recovery unit that is connected to the coolant line and connected to the fuel cell unit through the anode off-gas line, and exchanges heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the heat recovery unit exchanges heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and flue gas discharged from the burner unit, and may further include a second heat recovery unit that is connected to the first heat recovery unit and that is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant that has passed through the first heat recovery unit and the flue gas supplied discharged from the burner unit. The fuel cell system may comprise a flue gas line from the burner unit to an exhaust of the fuel cell system. The second heat recovery unit may be connected to the flue gas line between the burner unit and the exhaust.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the coolant may flow from the first heat recovery unit to the second heat recovery unit and then may be supplied to the burner heat exchange unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell unit and the burner unit may be connected through the cathode gas line, and cathode gas may be supplied from the fuel cell unit toward the burner unit.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further include a reforming unit that is connected to the fuel cell unit through a reformed fuel line and arranged to supply reformed fuel to the fuel cell unit. The reformer unit may be connected to the oxidant supply line between the oxidant supply and the fuel cell unit and may be arranged to exchange heat between the oxidant and the fuel.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further include an evaporation unit that is connected to a water supply unit and a fuel supply, and evaporates water supplied from the water supply unit and fuel supplied from the fuel supply to a gaseous phase; and a damper unit that is disposed between the evaporation unit and the reforming unit, and uniformly mixes the gaseous water and fuel supplied from the evaporation unit to supply the mixture to the reforming unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first heat recovery unit may be connected to the water supply unit through the anode off-gas line, and the water supply unit may collect moisture contained in the anode off-gas supplied from the first heat recovery unit. In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further include an oxidant preheating unit that is connected to the burner unit through the flue gas line and connected to the reforming unit through the oxidant supply line, and is arranged to exchange heat between the flue gas discharged from the burner unit and the oxidant and supplies preheated oxidant to the reforming unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the air preheating unit may be connected to the second heat recovery unit through the flue gas line, and the flue gas may be supplied from the air preheating unit toward the second heat recovery unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the water supply unit may be connected to the first heat recovery unit through the coolant line, and the coolant may be supplied from the water supply unit to the first heat recovery unit, and the water supply unit may be connected to the burner heat exchange unit through the coolant line, and the coolant may be supplied from the burner heat exchange unit to the water supply unit In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further include an off-gas heat exchange unit that is disposed between the fuel cell unit and the first heat recovery unit on the anode off-gas line and exchanges heat between the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit and the oxidant, and the off-gas heat exchange unit may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit through the air line.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the evaporation unit may be connected between the air preheating unit and the second heat recovery unit on the flue gas line, and the flue gas may be supplied to the evaporation unit from the air preheating unit, and the flue gas may exchange heat with the water and the fuel in the evaporation unit, and then, may be supplied to the second heat recovery unit.
A fuel cell system according to the present invention may comprise a module casing, a fuel cell module disposed in the module casing, the fuel cell module comprising a fuel cell unit and a burner unit for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit; and a burner heat exchange unit that is disposed on the module casing and is arranged to exchange heat between a coolant and the burner unit. The burner heat exchange unit may be disposed on at least one of an outer wall and an inner wall of the module casing, and may be disposed on a portion of the module casing adjacent to the burner unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell unit may comprise at least one fuel cell. The fuel cell unit may comprise an anode inlet, a cathode inlet, an anode off-gas outlet, and a cathode gas outlet. The fuel cell system may further comprise a fuel supply line from a fuel supply to the anode inlet. The fuel cell system may further comprise an oxidant supply line from an oxidant supply to the cathode inlet. The fuel cell system may further comprise an anode off-gas line from the anode off-gas outlet to the burner unit. The fuel cell system may further comprise a cathode gas line from the cathode gas outlet to the burner unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell system may comprise a coolant line that is arranged to supply the coolant to the burner heat exchange unit. The coolant line may connect the burner heat exchange unit to a coolant supply In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further include a heat recovery unit that arranged to exchange heat between the coolant and the anode off-gas. The burner heat exchange unit may be connected to the coolant line downstream of the heat recovery unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the heat recovery unit may include a first heat recovery unit that is connected to the coolant line and is connected to a fuel cell unit through an anode off-gas line, and exchanges heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the heat recovery unit may exchange heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and flue gas discharged from the burner unit, and may further include a second heat recovery unit that is connected to the first heat recovery unit and that is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant that has passed through the first heat recovery unit and the flue gas discharged from the burner unit The fuel cell system may comprise a flue gas line from the burner unit to an exhaust of the fuel cell system. The second heat recovery unit may be connected to the flue gas line between the burner unit and the exhaust The coolant may flow from the first heat recovery unit to the second heat recovery unit and then may be supplied to the burner heat exchange unit.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further comprise a reforming unit that is connected to the fuel cell unit through a reformed fuel line and supplies reformed fuel to the fuel cell unit.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further comprise an evaporation unit that is connected to a water supply unit and the fuel supply, and evaporates water supplied from the water supply unit and fuel supplied from the file] supply to a gaseous phase-a damper unit that is disposed between the evaporation unit and the reforming unit, and uniformly mixes the gaseous water and fuel supplied from the evaporation unit to supply the mixture to the reforming unit.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further comprise an oxidant preheating unit that is connected to the burner unit through the flue gas line and connected to the reforming unit through the oxidant supply line, and is arranged to exchange heat between the flue gas discharged from the burner unit and the oxidant, and supplies preheated oxidant to the reforming unit.
In addition, the reforming unit may be connected to the oxidant supply line between the oxidant supply and the fuel cell unit and may be arranged to exchange heat between the oxidant and the fuel. The first heat recovery unit may be connected to the water supply unit through the anode off-gas line, and the water supply unit may collect moisture contained in the anode off-gas supplied from the first heat recovery unit. The oxidant preheating unit may be connected to the second heat recovery unit through the flue gas line, and the flue gas may be supplied from the oxidant preheating unit toward the second heat recovery unit.
In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the water supply unit may be connected to the first heat recovery unit through the coolant line, and the coolant may be supplied from the water supply unit to the first heat recovery unit, and the water supply unit may be connected to the burner heat exchange unit through the coolant line, and the coolant 1 5 may be supplied from the burner heat exchange unit to the water supply unit.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention may further include an off-gas heat exchange unit that is disposed between the fuel cell unit and the first heat recovery unit on the anode off-gas line and exchanges heat between the oxidant and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit. The off-gas heat exchange unit may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit through the oxidant supply line, the evaporation unit may be connected between the oxidant preheating unit and the second heat recovery unit on the flue gas line, the flue gas may be supplied from the oxidant preheating unit to the evaporation unit, and the flue gas may exchange heat with the water and the fuel in the evaporation unit and then may be supplied to the second heat recovery unit.
[Advantageous Effect] According to the present invention, both the safety and the overall thermal efficiency of the fuel cell system is improved by recovering waste heat dissipated from a burner to its surroundings In addition, the combustion efficiency of the burner can be improved by maintaining an ambient temperature of the burner within a predetermined temperature range regardless of an arrangement environment of the fuel cell system through heat exchange between the coolant and the ambient temperature of the burner.
[Description of Drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the present invention FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the present invention FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an apparatus in which a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented.
FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating an apparatus in which a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented FIG. 6a is a view illustrating a positional relationship between a burner disposed inside a fuel cell module casing and a first burner heat exchange unit disposed on an outer wall of the fuel cell module casing in the present invention.
FIG. 6b is a view illustrating a positional relationship between a burner disposed inside a fuel cell module casing and a second burner heat exchange unit disposed on an outer wall of the fuel cell module casing in the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state in which a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell modules is disposed in an installation space having a predetermined size.
[Mode for Invention] Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various different forms, the present embodiments merely serve to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and are provided to fully inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains to the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.
The shapes, sizes, proportions, angles, numbers, etc. shown in the drawings for explaining the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated matters. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. When including', 'having', 'consisting', etc. mentioned in this specification are used, other parts may be added unless 'only' is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, the case where the plural is included is included unless otherwise explicitly stated.
In interpreting the components, it is interpreted as including an error range even if
there is no separate explicit description.
In the case of a description of a positional relationship, for example, when the positional relationship of two parts is described as 'on', 'upper', 'below', 'beside', etc one or more other parts may be placed between two parts, unless 'right' or 'directly' is used.
Although first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the spirit of the present invention.
Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.
The size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are illustrated for convenience of description, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the size and thickness of the illustrated component.
Each feature of the various embodiments of the present invention may be partially or wholly combined or coupled with each other, and as those skilled in the art will fully understand, technically various interlocking and driving are possible, and each embodiment may be independently implemented with respect to each other, or may be implement together in a related relationship.
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A plurality of embodiments described below may be overlapped as long as they do not conflict with each other. The present invention relates to a fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell unit, a burner unit for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit; and a burner heat exchange unit that is arranged to exchange heat between a coolant and the burner unit. In some embodiments of the present invention, the fuel cell unit and the burner unit are part of a fuel cell module and are both disposed within a module casing, with the burner heat exchange unit then being disposed on either an inner wall or an outer wall of the module casing. In some embodiments of present inventions, the fuel cell system comprises a heat recovery unit that is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant and the anode off-gas, and the burner heat exchange unit is then arranged to exchange heat between the coolant that has passed through the heat recovery unit and the burner unit.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a fuel cell system 100 according to the present invention Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the fuel cell system 100 according to the present invention may include an oxidant preheating unit 110, a reforming unit 120, a fuel cell unit 130, a burner unit 190, a burner heat exchange unit 400, a heat recovery unit 140, an evaporation unit 150, a water supply unit 160, a fuel supply 170, a damper unit 180, a coolant line 210, a flue gas line 220 and an anode off-gas line 230 Here, a fuel cell module F can be constituted by including the oxidant preheating unit 110, the reforming unit 120, the fuel cell unit 130, the burner unit 190, the damper unit 180 and the evaporation unit 150.
The coolant line 210 to be discussed below may comprise one or more lines, pipes, and the like through which coolant flows, and may include first to fourth coolant lines 211 to 214. In addition, the flue gas line 220 may comprise one or more lines, pipes, and the like through which flue gas flows, and may include first to third flue gas lines 221 to 223. Also, the anode off-gas line 230 may comprises one or more lines, pipes, and the like through which anode off-gas flows, and may include first to third anode off-gas lines 231 to 233. In addition, an oxidant supply line 250 may comprise one or more lines, pipes, and the like through which oxidant flows, and may include first to third oxidant lines 251 to 253.
The water supply unit 160 may store water and supply it to the evaporation unit 150. The water supply unit 160 may include a water tank 161 and a reformed water supply unit 165.
The water tank 161 may be a water storage tank for storing water. In addition, the reformed water supply unit 165 is connected to the water tank 161 and is connected to the evaporation unit 150 through a first water supply line 243 so that the water in the water tank 161 can be supplied to the evaporation unit 150. In an embodiment of the present invention, the reformed water supply unit 165 may be a transfer device such as a pump.
The fuel supply unit 170 may be connected to the evaporation unit 150 through a first fuel supply line 241, and may supply hydrocarbon-based fuel such as LNG or LPG supplied from an external fuel source C to the evaporation unit 150. In an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel supply unit 170 may be a transfer device such as a pump.
The evaporation unit 150 may heat the water supplied along the first water supply line 243 by the reformed water supply unit 165 and the fuel supplied along the first fuel supply line 241 by the file] supply unit 170 to convert them into a gaseous phase.
The damper unit 180 may be connected to the evaporation unit 150 through a second water supply line 244 and a second fuel supply line 242, and may perform the function of uniformly mixing the gaseous water and gaseous fuel introduced from the evaporation unit 150. Also, the damper unit 180 may be connected to the reforming unit 120 through a third fuel supply line 245, and may supply the gaseous fuel and water to the reforming unit 120.
The reforming unit 120 may generate reformed fuel (e.g. hydrogen) by chemically reacting the mixed gas supplied from the damper 180 along the third fuel supply line 245. In addition, the reforming unit 120 may be connected to the fuel cell unit 130 through a reformed fuel supply line 246, and may supply the reformed fuel to the fuel cell unit 130 along the reformed fuel supply line 246.
The fuel cell unit 130 may generate electricity by chemically reacting the reformed fuel with the oxidant The burner unit 190 may be connected to the fuel cell unit 130 through a cathode gas line 254, and accordingly, unreacted oxidant may be supplied from the fuel cell unit 130 to the burner unit 190.
The burner unit 190 may be connected to the water tank 161 through a third anode off gas line 233, and accordingly, the anode off-gas containing unreacted fuel from which moisture has been removed may be supplied from the water tank 161 to the burner unit 190.
The burner unit 190 may combust the oxidant supplied from the cathode gas line 254 and the anode off-gas supplied from the third anode off-gas line 233.
In addition, the burner unit 190 may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through a first flue gas line 221. The flue gas generated by the burner unit 190 may be supplied to the oxidant preheating unit 110 along the first flue gas line 22L Here, the oxidant preheating unit 110 may exchange heat between the oxidant supplied from an oxidant supply unit B through the oxidant supply line 251 and the flue gas supplied through the first flue gas line 221 to preheat the oxidant using the waste heat of the flue gas The preheated oxidant may be supplied to the reforming unit 120 along a second oxidant supply line 252 In addition, the reforming unit 120 and the fuel cell unit 130 are connected to each other through a third oxidant supply line 253, and the oxidant may be further heated through heat exchange while passing through the reforming unit 120.
The oxidant may be heated through both the air preheating unit 110 and the reforming unit 120 before being supplied to the fuel cell unit 130. In this case, since the heat generated by the chemical action of the reforming unit 120 is higher than that of the flue gas, the oxidant supply line 250 is arranged in the order that air flows through the oxidant preheating unit 110 to the reforming unit 120 so that the oxidant can be heated in stages.
Finally, the heated oxidant may be supplied to the fuel cell unit 130. In order to maintain high output performance in the fuel cell unit 130, it is preferable to supply the oxidant at a high temperature above a certain temperature. Thus, the arrangement structure of the oxidant supply line 250 for preheating oxidant before supplying the oxidant to the fuel cell unit enables the effect of improving the thermal efficiency of the fuel cell system 100 as a whole.
Thereafter, the oxidant remaining unreacted in the fuel cell unit 130 may be supplied to the burner unit 190 through the cathode gas line 254 to be combusted together with the anode off-gas.
In addition, the flue gas generated by combustion in the burner unit 190 may be supplied to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through the first flue gas line 221, and may be heat exchanged with incoming oxidant to recover waste heat.
Meanwhile, the heat recovery unit 140 may be connected to the coolant line 210 and performs heat exchange between the coolant supplied from the coolant line 210 and one or both of the anode off-gas and the flue gas to recover waste heat of the anode off-gas and/or the flue gas.
The heat recovery unit 140 may include a first heat recovery unit 141 and a second heat recovery unit 142.
The first heat recovery unit 141 may be connected to the coolant line 210 and the fuel cell unit 130. Specifically, the first heat recovery unit 141 may be connected to a coolant supply unit D1 through the first coolant line 211, and may receive coolant through the first coolant line 211. In addition, the first heat recovery unit 141 may be connected to the fuel cell unit 130 through a first anode off-gas line 231, and may be supplied with the anode off-gas from the fuel cell unit 130.
In the first heat recovery unit 141, the coolant and the anode off-gas exchange heat with each other. Since the anode off-gas has a relatively high temperature compared to the coolant, heat is transferred from the anode off-gas to the coolant. Through this, the waste heat of the anode off-gas may be recovered.
The second heat recovery unit 142 may be connected to the first heat recovery unit 141 and the flue gas line 220. Specifically, the second heat recovery unit 142 may be connected to the first heat recovery unit 141 through a second coolant line 212, and may be supplied with the coolant primarily heat-exchanged in the first heat recovery unit 141.
In addition, the second heat recovery unit 142 may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through the second flue gas line 222, and may be supplied with the flue gas that is heat-exchanged with oxidant in the oxidant preheating unit 110.
In the second heat recovery unit 142, the coolant and the flue gas may exchange heat with each other. In this case, since the flue gas has a relatively high temperature compared to the coolant, heat is transferred from the flue gas to the coolant. The coolant exchanges heat with the flue gas to recover waste heat secondarily.
In addition, the waste heat of the flue gas is primarily recovered through heat exchange with oxidant in the oxidant preheating unit 110, and secondarily recovered through heat exchange with coolant in the second heat recovery unit 142, and then may be discharged to an exhaust of the fuel cell system E through a third flue gas line 223.
By maximally recovering the waste heat of the flue gas through the arrangement structure of the flue gas line 220 described above, an effect of improving the thermal efficiency of the entire fuel cell system 100 can be expected.
In a particular embodiment, the average temperature of the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit 130 is in a range of approximately 600-620°C, and the average temperature of the flue gas passing through the oxidant preheating unit 110 is in a range of approximately 750 to 850°C.
Therefore, since the average temperature of the anode off-gas is lower than the average temperature of the flue gas, the recovery of waste heat is configured in stages by temperatures such that the coolant is first heat-exchanged with the anode off-gas to recover waste heat, and then heat-exchanged with the flue gas to recover waste Thus, the improvement of a waste heat recovery rate can be expected.
The average temperature of the coolant discharged from the second heat recovery unit 142 to a third coolant line 213 is in a range of about 40 to 55°C.
The anode off-gas and the flue gas are gaseous and have a small mass, and the coolant has a large mass in a liquid state. Therefore, even if heat exchange occurs between them, the amount of heat transferred from the anode off-gas and the flue gas to the coolant is small, so the temperature rise value of the coolant is not high The burner heat exchange unit 400 exchanges heat between the coolant that has passed through the heat recovery unit 140 and the burner unit 190 so that an ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is maintained within a predetermined temperature range during operation. In this case, the burner heat exchange unit 400 may be disposed downstream of the heat recovery unit 140 on the coolant line 210.
Specifically, the burner heat exchange unit 400 and the second heat recovery unit 142 may be connected to each other through a third coolant line 213.
When the anode off-gas and oxidant are combusted in the burner unit 190, the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 may be up to about 75°C -.
As described above, since the average temperature of the coolant supplied from the second heat recovery unit 142 to the third coolant line 213 is maintained in a range of about 40 to 55°C, the coolant with this temperature range may cool the burner unit 190.
Referring to FIG. 1, a coolant flow rate control valve 215 may be disposed in the third coolant line 213, and the coolant flow rate control valve 215 may be connected to a coolant burner heat exchange unit bypass line 216. The coolant flow rate control valve 215 may adjust the flow rate of the coolant supplied to the burner heat exchange unit 400, thereby maintaining the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 within the above-described range of approximately 40 to 55°C.
For example, when the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is approximately 70°C or higher, in order to reduce the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 to approximately 55°C or less, the coolant flow rate control valve 215 may be controlled to increase the flow rate of coolant supplied to the burner heat exchange unit 400. Since a considerable amount of coolant exchanges heat with the burner unit 190, the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is rapidly cooled and may be changed below a target temperature range.
When the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is approximately 60-65°C, in order to form the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 to approximately 55°C or less, the flow rate of the coolant supplied to the burner heat exchange unit 400 may be reduced compared to the above-described approximately 70°C or higher. Since the deviation to the target temperature range to be cooled is not large, excessive cooling is prevented by reducing the flow rate of the coolant. In this case, some of the coolant may be flow into the coolant burner heat exchange unit bypath line 216.
When the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is maintained within the range of approximately 40 to 55°C, there is no need to cool the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190. In this case, the coolant flow rate control valve 215 is controlled to supply coolant to the coolant burner heat exchange unit bypass line 216. This is to prevent the combustion performance of the burner unit 190 from deteriorating by overcooling the burner unit 190. In this case, most or all of the coolant may directed into the coolant burner heat exchange unit bypass line 216 than in the above-described case (approximately 60-65°C).
That is, by adjusting the flow rate of the coolant in proportion to the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 using the coolant flow rate control valve 215, the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 may be maintained within a predetermined temperature range, for example, approximately 40 to 55°C.
In addition, the coolant may tertiarily recover the waste heat generated in the combustion process through the burner unit 190 That is, in an embodiment of the present invention, through the arrangement structure of the coolant line 210 described above, waste heat may be primarily recovered from the anode off-gas, secondarily recovered from the flue gas, and tertiary recovered from the burner unit 190. Thus, the effect of improving the thermal efficiency of the entire fuel cell system 100 can be ultimately expected.
Here, the burner heat exchange unit 400 may perform a function of maintaining the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 within a predetermined temperature range according to the usage environment of the fuel cell system 100 of the present invention.
For example, a temperature can be below zero in winter, and a temperature can exceed 40°C in summer. The burner heat exchange unit 400 maintains the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 within a range of about 40 to 55°C, prevents the temperature from becoming too high in summer, and prevents the temperature from becoming too low in winter so that combustion efficiency can be maintained constant.
The coolant that has passed through the burner heat exchange unit 400 may be discharged to a coolant discharge unit D2 through a fourth coolant line 214.
Meanwhile, the first heat recovery unit 141 may be connected to the water tank 161 through a second anode off-gas line 232. Accordingly, the anode off-gas may exchange heat with the coolant in the first heat recovery unit 140, and then may be flowed into the water tank 161 The water tank 161 may collect the moisture contained in the anode off-gas.
In addition, the water tank 161 and the burner unit 190 may be connected to each other through a third anode off-gas line 233. The moisture of the anode off-gas is collected in the water tank 161, and then, the anode off-gas having a lower moisture content is supplied to the burner unit 190.
As described above, since oxidant is supplied from the fuel cell unit 130 to the burner unit 190 along the cathode gas line 254, the anode off-gas and oxidant can be combusted in the burner unit 190.
The burner unit 190 may combust and remove unused residual anode off-gas and oxidant to generate thermal energy Meanwhile, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the fuel cell system 100 according to the present invention Referring to FIG 2, in the second embodiment of the fuel cell system 100 of the present invention, compared with the first embodiment, the fourth coolant line 214 may connect the burner heat exchange unit 400 and the water tank 161. In addition, the first coolant line 211 may connect the water tank 161 and the first heat recovery unit 141.
Accordingly, the coolant line 210 may form a coolant circulation line by including the water tank 161.
That is, coolant is supplied from the water tank 161 to the first heat recovery unit 141 through the first coolant line 211 so that the anode off-gas and the coolant can exchange heat in the first heat recovery unit 141.
Next, the coolant is supplied from the first heat recovery unit 141 to the second heat recovery unit 142 through the second coolant line 212, and the flue gas and the coolant can exchange heat in the second heat recovery unit 142.
In addition, the coolant is supplied from the second heat recovery unit 142 to the burner heat exchange unit 400 through the third coolant line 213, and the heat exchange can be performed such that the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is reduced As described above, in order to maintain the combustion efficiency of the burner unit 190 in response to the arrangement environment, the burner heat exchange unit 400 may allow the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 to be reduced.
Thereafter, the coolant may be supplied to and stored in the water tank 161 from the burner heat exchange unit 400 through the fourth coolant line 214.
As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the coolant line 210 may form a coolant circulation line circulating the entire fuel cell system 100.
On the other hand, the water tank 161 may be provided with a separate heat-using device M that can utilize the heat recovered by the coolant for heating, etc. In the second embodiment of the present invention, by implementing the coolant line 210 in a circulating structure, the effect of improving the thermal efficiency and cooling capacity of the entire fuel cell system 100 can be expected.
Meanwhile, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the fuel cell system 100 according to the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 3, the third embodiment of the fuel cell system 100 according to the present invention may further include an off-gas heat exchange unit I IS in the first embodiment of the fuel cell system 100 described above. The off-gas heat exchange unit 115 may be disposed between the fuel cell unit 130 and the first heat recovery unit 141 on the anode off: gas line 230, and may exchange heat between the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit 130 and the oxidant.
Specifically, the off-gas heat exchange unit 115 may be connected to the fuel cell unit 130 through the first anode off-gas line 231, and may be connected to the first heat recovery unit 141 through the fourth anode off-gas line 234 Accordingly, unlike the first embodiment, the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit 130 may be supplied to the off-gas heat exchange unit 115 to exchange heat with oxidant introduced from the oxidant supply line 251. In addition, the heated oxidant may be supplied to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through a fifth oxidant supply line 255.
Thereafter, the anode off-gas may be supplied to the second heat recovery unit 142 along the fourth anode off-gas line 234 Next, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the evaporation unit 150 may be connected between the oxidant preheating unit 110 and the second heat recovery unit 142 on the flue gas line 220.
Specifically, the evaporation unit 150 may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through a second flue gas line 222, and may be connected to the second heat recovery unit 142 through a fourth flue gas line 224.
Accordingly, unlike the first embodiment, the flue gas may be supplied from the oxidant preheating unit 110 to the evaporation unit 150.
In the evaporation unit 150, the flue gas may exchange heat with water and fuel. That is, the waste heat of the flue gas may be transferred and used to vaporize water and fuel. Thus, an effect of improving the thermal efficiency of the entire fuel cell system 100 can be expected.
Thereafter, the flue gas may be supplied to the second heat recovery unit 142 through the fourth flue gas line 224.
In the third embodiment of the present invention, the off-gas heat exchange unit 115 is additionally disposed and the evaporation unit 150 is included on the flue gas line 220, so that an effect of improving the thermal efficiency of the entire fuel cell system 100 can be expected.
Meanwhile, FIGS. 4 to 61) show diagrams in which the fuel cell system 100 described with reference to FIGS. Ito 3 is implemented as an apparatus. Hereinafter, the fuel cell system implemented as an apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6b.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an apparatus in which the fuel cell system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented, FIG. 5 is a front view showing an apparatus in which the fuel cell system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented, FIG. 6a is a view showing the positional relationship between a burner disposed inside a fuel cell module casing and a first burner heat exchange unit disposed on an outer wall of the fuel cell module casing in the present invention, and FIG. 6b is a view showing the positional relationship between a burner disposed inside a fuel cell module casing and a second burner heat exchange unit disposed on an outer wall of the fuel cell module casing in the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6b, the fuel cell system 100 of the present invention implemented as a device may be configured to include a system frame 300, a module casing 310, a fuel cell module F, an inverter 320, a fuel supply unit 170, an oxidant supply unit B, a desulfurization unit 330, a water supply unit 160, a heat recovery unit 140, and a burner heat exchange unit 400.
The system frame 300 may form the overall appearance of the fuel cell system 100 implemented as a device In an embodiment of the present invention, the system frame 300 is implemented in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but may be changed according to the arrangement environment, and thus is not necessarily limited thereto.
The module casing 310 may be disposed on the system frame 300, and the fuel cell module F may be built therein. In an embodiment of the present invention, the module casing 310 is implemented in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but may be changed depending on the shape of the system frame 300 in order to be disposed inside the system frame 300, so the module casing is not limited thereto The fuel cell module F may be configured to include an off-gas heat exchange unit 115, an oxidant preheating unit 110, a reforming unit 120, a fuel cell unit 130, a burner unit 190, a damper unit 180, and an evaporation unit 150. The components constituting the fuel cell module F are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Therefore, the functions of the components are referred to above.
In addition, various fluid flow lines including an oxidant line 250, an anode off-gas line 230, a flue gas line 220, and a coolant line 210 connecting the components illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 may be equally applied to the fuel cell system 100 illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6. The inverter 320 may be disposed inside the system frame 300, and may switch the form of electricity between direct current and alternating current or change an electricity value. The inverter 320 may be electrically connected to the fuel cell unit 130 to convert the electricity generated by the fuel cell unit 130 or may be electrically connected to other electric devices that require electricity, although not shown in the drawings, to change and supply electricity The oxidant supply unit may be disposed inside the system frame 300, and may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through the first oxidant supply line 251 as shown in FIG 1 or to the off-gas heat exchange unit 115 through the first oxidant supply line 251 as shown in FIG. 3, to supply oxidant, respectively. In an embodiment of the present invention, the oxidant supply unit may be a pump device, but is not limited thereto, and may include other devices capable of transporting oxidant.
As described above, in the off-gas heat exchange unit 115, oxidant and anode off-gas exchange heat, and in the oxidant preheating unit 110, oxidant and flue gas exchange heat so that oxidant may be preheated before being supplied to the fuel cell unit 130.
The fuel supply unit 170 may be disposed inside the system frame 300, and may supply hydrocarbon-based fuel such as LNG or LPG to the evaporation unit 150.
The desulfurization unit 330 may be disposed inside the system frame 300, and the desulfurization unit 330 may be connected to the fuel supply unit 170 to remove the sulfur contained in the fuel supplied from the fuel supply unit 170.
The water supply unit 160 may be disposed inside the system frame 300, and may supply water to the evaporation unit 150.
As described above, the evaporation unit 150 may heat and covert the fuel supplied from the fuel supply unit 170 and the water supplied from the water supply unit 160 into a gaseous phase and supply them to the damper unit 180 to uniformly mix them. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, when the evaporation unit 150 is connected to the oxidant preheating unit 110 through the second flue gas line 222 to receive the flue gas, water and fuel exchange heat with the flue gas to recover waste heat of the flue gas, thereby increasing the thermal efficiency.
The heat recovery unit 140 may be disposed inside the system frame 300, and as described above, in an embodiment of the present invention, the heat recovery unit 140 may be configured to include a first heat recovery unit 141 and a second heat recovery unit 142.
The first heat recovery unit 141 may be connected to the fuel cell unit 130 in FIG. 1, and may be connected to the off-gas heat exchange unit 115 in FIG. 3. In both cases, the anode off-gas may be supplied and be exchanged heat with the coolant.
The second heat recovery unit 142 may be connected to the oxidant preheating unit 110 in FIG I, and may be connected to the evaporation unit 150 in FIG. 3 In both cases, the flue gas may be supplied and exchanges heat with the coolant.
As described above, the coolant may recover waste heat of the anode off-gas and the flue gas while passing through the first and second heat recovery units 141, 142, and may be supplied to the burner heat exchange unit 400.
The burner heat exchange unit 400 may be disposed on the module casing 310 and may be connected to the coolant line 210.
The burner heat exchange unit 400 exchanges heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line 210 and the burner unit 190 so that the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is reduced.
To this end, the burner heat exchange unit 400 may be disposed on one or more of an outer wall or an inner wall of the module casing 310, and may be disposed on a portion adjacent and/or closest to the burner unit 190 on the module casing 310.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, in an embodiment of the present invention, it can be seen that the burner heat exchange unit 400 is disposed on the outer wall of the module casing 310.
The burner heat exchange unit 400 may include a first burner heat exchange unit 410 and a second burner heat exchange unit 420. The first burner heat exchange unit 410 may be disposed on the front surface of the module casing 310, and the second burner heat exchange unit 420 may be connected to the first burner heat exchange unit 410 and may be disposed on the side surface of the module casing 310 In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second burner heat exchange units 410, 420 are illustrated as a coolant pipe curved a plurality of times, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be implemented with various types of pipes.
The coolant may be supplied from the coolant supply unit D1 and pass through various components to exchange heat, and then be supplied to the first burner heat exchange unit 410 through the third coolant line 213. The coolant may pass through the first burner heat exchange unit 410 and cool a portion corresponding to the burner unit 190 at the side surface of the module casing 310.
Thereafter, the coolant may be supplied from the first burner heat exchange unit 410 to the second burner heat exchange unit 420 and cool a portion adjacent and/or closest to the burner unit 190 on the front surface of the module casing 310. The coolant that has passed through the second burner heat exchange unit 420 may be discharged to a coolant discharge unit D2 in FIG. 1 and may be supplied to the water tank 161 in FIG. 2.
That is, the first and second burner heat exchange units 410, 420 are respectively disposed on the side and front surfaces of the module casing 310 to exchange heat with the immediate surroundings of the burner unit 190, so that the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 is reduced.
Next, referring to FIGS. 6a and 6b, for exchanging heat with the immediate surroundings of the burner unit 160, the arrangement state of the first and second burner heat exchange units 410, 420, including an arrangement range of the burner unit 190, on the module casing 310, can be seen.
For example, assuming that the burner unit 190 has a front width 01, a side width 02, and a height G3, the first burner heat exchange unit 410 may be disposed in a range of a side width H2 and a height H3 at a portion corresponding to the burner unit 190 in the module casing 310.
In addition, the second burner heat exchange unit 420 may be disposed in a range of a front width HI and a height H3 at a portion corresponding to the burner unit 190 in the module cas ng 310 That is, as the first and second burner heat exchange units 410, 420 are disposed on the outer wall of the module casing 310 including the entire range corresponding to the burner unit 190, the coolant effectively exchanges heat with the burner unit 190, so that the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 can be reduced.
Here, the predetermined temperature range is the same as described above, and therefore the burner heat exchange unit 400 maintains the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 within a range of about 40 to 55°C, thereby preventing the temperature from being excessively high in summer and preventing the temperature from being excessively low in winter Accordingly, it is possible to keep the combustion efficiency of the burner unit 190 constant.
As stated above, by adjusting the flow rate of the coolant in proportion to the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 using the coolant flow rate control valve 215, the ambient temperature of the burner unit 190 may be maintained within a predetermined temperature range.
The present invention can maintain the combustion efficiency of a burner by maintaining the ambient temperature of the burner within a predetermined temperature range regardless of the arrangement environment of the fuel cell system through the above-described structure, and may improve the thermal efficiency of the entire fuel cell system by effectively 1 5 recovering waste heat.
Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 7, a state in which the fuel cell system 100 including a plurality of fuel cell modules (F) is disposed in a specific installation space (R) having a predetermined size can be seen.
A single or a plurality of fuel cell modules may be disposed and operated in one fuel cell system 100 according to the required power generation capacity For example, when one fuel cell module generates the output of 10kW and the output of 30kW or more is required, one fuel cell system 100 may be configured and operated with multiple fuel cell modules as shown in FIG. 7.
Here, when the fuel cell system 100 including a plurality of fuel cell modules (F) is disposed in a specific installation space, the heat generated by each fuel cell module is integrated, so that the overall heat generation and heat loss rate in the space can be maximized as compared to disposing the fuel cell system 100 including a single fuel cell module (F) in a specific installation space Accordingly, the atmospheric temperature of the specific installation space, that is, the ambient temperature increases, which may result in the fuel cell module (F) as well as the entire fuel cell system 100 including the same, operating outside an appropriate operation temperature. This can ultimately reduce system efficiency.
In order to control the amount of heat generation and the heat loss rate, a heat insulating material or a cooling passage is designed in each of the plurality of fuel cell modules to minimize the amount of heat generation and the heat loss rate to the outside.
When the heat insulating material is installed in each fuel cell module, the space area in which the fuel cell module can be arranged in the predetermined specific installation space is reduced due to the thickness of the heat insulating material itself This is because the heat insulating material itself occupies a certain space volume. In addition, although the heat insulating material can reduce the heat loss rate, it does not help to improve the heat recovery rate.
On the other hand, when a water cooling pipe is disposed in a specific portion (corresponding to the burner heat exchange unit 400 of the present invention) of the fuel cell module that mainly generates a lot of heat, such as the burner heat exchange unit 400 of the present invention, the amount of heat generation is reduced. Further, the effect of increasing the heat recovery rate and reducing the heat loss rate can be expected because the heat generated from the burner is recovered in the water cooling pipe. Accordingly, it is possible to limit the increase in the internal ambient temperature of a specific space, which may allow the fuel cell module (F) and other components of the fuel cell system 100 to be operated in a suitable operation temperature environment.
In addition, since the water cooling pipe is limitedly installed in a specific area, the space volume occupied by the water cooling pipe is relatively low, so that more fuel cell modules can be disposed in the same installation space compared to installing the heat insulating material.
In conclusion, in an installation space of the same size, it is advantageous to install the water cooling pipe that occupies a relatively small space volume in each fuel cell module rather than installing the heat insulating material, as more fuel cell modules can be disposed in one fuel cell system.
In addition, if the same thermal efficiency is generated, installing the water cooling pipe as in the present invention can increase the heat recovery rate and reduce the heat loss rate compared to simply installing the heat insulating material In addition, it is much more advantageous in terms of forming an ambient temperature at which the fuel cell module and the fuel cell system maintain an appropriate operation temperature.
The above is merely an illustration of a specific embodiment of a fuel cell system. Therefore, within the limits that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention described in the following claims, it is intended to clarify that a person skilled in the art can easily grasp that the present invention can be substituted and modified in various forms.

Claims (3)

  1. [CLAIMS] A fuel cell system comprising: a fuel cell unit a burner unit for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit; a heat recovery unit that is arranged to exchange heat between coolant and the anode off-gas; and a burner heat exchange unit that is connected to the heat recovery unit through the coolant line and exchanges heat between the coolant that has passed through the heat recovery unit and the burner unit.
  2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising a coolant line from a coolant supply through the heat recovery unit and then through the burner heat exchange unit.
  3. 3. The fuel cell system according to any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the heat recovery unit comprises a first heat recovery unit that is connected to the coolant line and connected to the fuel cell unit through an anode off-gas line, and is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the heat recovery unit is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and flue gas discharged from the burner unit, and further comprises a second heat recovery unit that is connected to the first heat recovery unit and that is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant that has passed through the first heat recovery unit and the flue gas The fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein the coolant flows from the first heat recovery unit to the second heat recovery unit and then is supplied to the burner heat exchange unit.6. The fuel cell system according to any of claims 4 and 5, wherein the fuel cell unit and the burner unit are connected through a cathode gas line, and cathode gas is supplied from the fuel cell unit toward the burner unit.7. The fuel cell system according to claim 6, further comprising a reforming unit that is connected to the fuel cell unit through a reformed fuel line and arranged to supply reformed fuel to the fuel cell unit, and wherein the reforming unit is connected to the oxidant supply line between the oxidant supply and the fuel cell unit and is arranged to exchange heat between the oxidant and the fuel.8, The fuel cell system according to claim 7, further comprising an oxidant preheating unit that is connected to the burner unit through a flue gas line and connected to the reforming unit through the oxidant supply line, and exchanges heat between the flue gas discharged from the burner unit and the oxidant and supplies preheated oxidant to the reforming unit.9, The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the oxidant preheating unit is connected to the second heat recovery unit through the flue gas line, and the flue gas is supplied from the oxidant preheating unit toward the second heat recovery unit.10. The fuel cell system according to any of claims 8 or 9, further comprising an off-gas heat exchange unit that is disposed between the fuel cell unit and the first heat recovery unit on the anode off-gas line and exchanges heat between the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit and the oxidant, wherein the off-gas heat exchange unit is connected to the oxidant preheating unit through the oxidant supply line 11. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising: an evaporation unit that is connected to a water supply unit and a fuel supply unit, and evaporates water supplied from the water supply unit and fuel supplied from the fuel supply unit to a gaseous phase; and a damper unit that is disposed between the evaporation unit and the reforming unit, and uniformly mixes the gaseous water and fuel supplied from the evaporation unit to supply the mixture to the reforming unit.12. The fuel cell system according to claim 11, wherein the first heat recovery unit is connected to the water supply unit through the anode off-gas line, and the water supply unit collects moisture contained in the anode off-gas supplied from the first heat recovery unit.13 The fuel cell system according to claim 12, wherein the water supply unit is connected to the first heat recovery unit through the coolant line, and the coolant is supplied from the water supply unit to the first heat recovery unit, and the water supply unit is connected to the burner heat exchange unit through the coolant line, and the coolant is supplied from the burner heat exchange unit to the water supply unit.14. The fuel cell system according to claim 13, wherein the evaporation unit is connected between the oxidant preheating unit and the second heat recovery unit on the flue gas line, and the flue gas is supplied to the evaporation unit from the oxidant preheating unit, and the flue gas exchanges heat with the water and the fuel in the evaporation unit and then is supplied to the second heat recovery unit.A fuel cell system, comprising--a module casing, a fuel cell module disposed in the module casing, the fuel cell module comprising a fuel cell unit and a burner unit for combusting anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit; and a burner heat exchange unit that is disposed on the module casing and that is arranged to exchange heat between coolant and the burner unit, wherein the burner heat exchange unit is disposed on at least one of an outer wall and an inner wall of the module casing, and is disposed on a portion adjacent to the burner unit in the module casing.16 The fuel cell system according to claim 15, further comprising a coolant line that is arranged to supply the coolant to the burner heat exchange unit.17. The fuel cell system according to claim 16, further comprising a heat recovery unit that is arranged to exchange heat between the coolant and the anode off-gas, wherein the burner heat exchange unit is connected to the coolant line downstream of the heat recovery unit.18. The fuel cell system according to claim 17, wherein the heat recovery unit includes a first heat recovery unit that is connected to the coolant line and is connected to a fuel cell unit 5 through an anode off-gas line, and exchanges heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit.19. The fuel cell system according to claim 18, wherein the heat recovery unit exchanges heat between the coolant supplied from the coolant line and flue gas, and further includes a second heat recovery unit that is connected to the first heat recovery unit and a flue gas line, and exchanges heat between the coolant that has passed through the first heat recovery unit and the flue gas supplied from the flue gas line, the coolant flows from the first heat recovery unit to the second heat recovery unit and then is supplied to the burner heat exchange unit 20. The fuel cell system according to claim 19, wherein the fuel cell module further includes: a reforming unit that is connected to the fuel cell unit through a reformed fuel line and supplies reformed fuel to the fuel cell unit; an evaporation unit that is connected to a water supply unit and a fuel supply unit, and evaporates water supplied from the water supply unit and fuel supplied from the fuel supply unit to a gaseous phase; a damper unit that is disposed between the evaporation unit and the reforming unit, and uniformly mixes the gaseous water and fuel supplied from the evaporation unit to supply the mixture to the reforming unit; and an oxidant preheating unit that is connected to the burner unit through the flue gas line and connected to the reforming unit through an oxidant supply line, exchanges heat between the flue gas discharged from the burner unit and oxidant, and supplies preheated oxidant to the reforming unit, wherein the reforming unit and the fuel cell unit are connected through the oxidant supply line, and the oxidant is supplied from the reforming unit toward the fuel cell unit, the fuel cell unit and the burner unit are connected through a cathode gas line, and cathode gas is supplied from the fuel cell unit toward the burner unit, the first heat recovery unit is connected to the water supply unit through the anode off-gas line, and the water supply unit collects moisture contained in the anode off-gas supplied from the first heat recovery unit, and the oxidant preheating unit is connected to the second heat recovery unit through the flue gas line, and the flue gas is supplied from the oxidant preheating unit toward the second heat recovery unit.21 The fuel cell system according to claim 20, wherein the water supply unit is connected to the first heat recovery unit through the coolant line, and the coolant is supplied from the water supply unit to the first heat recovery unit, and the water supply unit is connected to the burner heat exchange unit through the coolant line, and the coolant is supplied from the burner heat exchange unit to the water supply unit.22. The fuel cell system according to any of claims 20 and 21, further comprising an off-gas heat exchange unit that is disposed between the fuel cell unit and the first heat recovery unit on the anode off-gas line and exchanges heat between the oxidant and the anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell unit, wherein the off-gas heat exchange unit is connected to the oxidant preheating unit through the oxidant supply line, and the evaporation unit is connected between the oxidant preheating unit and the second heat recovery unit on the flue gas line, the flue gas is supplied from the oxidant preheating unit to the evaporation unit, and the flue gas exchanges heat with the water and the fuel in the evaporation unit and then is supplied to the second heat recovery unit.23. A fuel cell system in which the fuel cell system of claim IS including a plurality of the fuel cell modules is disposed in an installation space having a predetermined size, wherein the number of the fuel cell modules that is disposed per unit area of the installation space increases as the burner heat exchange unit is disposed in close contact with the outer wall or inner wall of the module casing and occupies less space, the burner heat exchange unit recovers heat from the burner unit and reduces an amount of heat generation in the installation space.
GB2119121.8A 2021-12-30 2021-12-30 Fuel cell system Pending GB2614325A (en)

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GB2119121.8A GB2614325A (en) 2021-12-30 2021-12-30 Fuel cell system
KR1020220023798A KR20230104484A (en) 2021-12-30 2022-02-23 Fuel cell system
PCT/GB2022/053388 WO2023126625A1 (en) 2021-12-30 2022-12-23 Fuel cell system
TW111149777A TW202335341A (en) 2021-12-30 2022-12-23 Fuel cell system

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Citations (6)

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US6365289B1 (en) * 1999-12-22 2002-04-02 General Motors Corporation Cogeneration system for a fuel cell
EP1734605A1 (en) * 2004-03-31 2006-12-20 Daikin Industries, Ltd. Solid electrolyte type fuel cell
DE102005035743A1 (en) * 2005-07-29 2007-02-01 Siemens Ag Fuel cell system with reduced residual gas output, used in vehicular or domestic power applications, burns off residual gases directly using catalytic combustor
US20160218379A1 (en) * 2015-01-26 2016-07-28 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Fuel cell module
CN113506893A (en) * 2021-09-07 2021-10-15 武汉氢能与燃料电池产业技术研究院有限公司 Fuel cell system and low-temperature starting method thereof
GB2601286A (en) * 2020-08-27 2022-06-01 Miura Company Ltd Fuel cell systems and methods

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6365289B1 (en) * 1999-12-22 2002-04-02 General Motors Corporation Cogeneration system for a fuel cell
EP1734605A1 (en) * 2004-03-31 2006-12-20 Daikin Industries, Ltd. Solid electrolyte type fuel cell
DE102005035743A1 (en) * 2005-07-29 2007-02-01 Siemens Ag Fuel cell system with reduced residual gas output, used in vehicular or domestic power applications, burns off residual gases directly using catalytic combustor
US20160218379A1 (en) * 2015-01-26 2016-07-28 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Fuel cell module
GB2601286A (en) * 2020-08-27 2022-06-01 Miura Company Ltd Fuel cell systems and methods
CN113506893A (en) * 2021-09-07 2021-10-15 武汉氢能与燃料电池产业技术研究院有限公司 Fuel cell system and low-temperature starting method thereof

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