JP2000149976A - Fuel cell module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell module capable of making a capacity of a fuel cell large, and having high performance, high durability and high reliability. SOLUTION: This module comprises an insulative module main body 12 with an inside partitioned into upper and lower chambers by a partitioning wall 12a arranged in a horizontal direction, a fuel cell stack 13 which is provided inside the lower chamber of the module main body 12, and where power generating films arranged with air electrodes and fuel electrodes in their both faces are plurally arranged in an upright condition, a fuel chamber 16 and an air chamber 17 arranged in a periphery of the fuel cell stack 13 to supply fuel 14 from a lower side (ground side) of the stack 13 and to supply air 15 from its left and right sides, a preheater 18 provided inside the upper chamber of the module main body 12 to heat the air 15 supplied to the air chamber 17 upto a power generating temperature (about 1000 deg.C) of the fuel cell, and a preheater 19 provided in a lower side of the module main body 12 to heat the fuel 14 supplied to the fuel chamber 16 upto the power generating temperature.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cell module having a high capacity, a high performance, a high durability and a high reliability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional solid electrolyte fuel cell (SOFC:
An outline of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 shows a state where the module body is omitted. As shown in FIG. 14, in the conventional flat solid electrolyte fuel cell, a plurality of power generation membranes 01 each having an air electrode and a fuel electrode arranged on both sides are vertically stacked via an interconnector (not shown). And a gas supply manifold 03 for supplying air and fuel to each power generation membrane of the fuel cell stack 02.
a, 03b and exhaust manifold 04 for exhaust gas
a, 04b, and a current collector plate 06 provided at the upper and lower ends of the fuel cell stack 02 and provided with current collector rods 05 for collecting electricity.
It consists of: The inside of the battery module having the above configuration is maintained at a high temperature (around 800 ° C. to 1000 ° C.), and power is generated by supplying air to the air electrode of the power generation film and fuel to the fuel electrode.

[0003]

However, in the conventional fuel cell module, in order to cope with an increase in the size of the fuel cell stack, it is necessary to form a high-stack type stack in which the number of stacked power generation films 01 is increased. At this time, for example, 40
In the case where the number of stacked power generation films in the step is set to 100 times, which is 2.5 times or more, there are the following problems. As a result of the increase in the number of stacked power generation films 01, the failure probability of the fuel cell increases, and the reliability decreases. As a result of the increase in the number of stacked power generation films 01, the gas flow distribution may not be uniform, battery performance may be reduced, local heat generation may increase, and the power generation film may be cracked. Due to the stacking of the power generation films 01, the weight of the stack is applied to the lower part of the stack, and the probability of occurrence of cracks in the power generation films located on the lower layer side increases. In a multi-stage large stack, it is necessary to increase the size of the gas supply and discharge manifolds, and there is a problem that the seal portion increases and the sealing performance decreases. Further, since the gas manifold is generally made of ceramics, there is a problem in increasing the size.

[0004] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell module having high performance, high durability and high reliability even when the capacity of the fuel cell is increased.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a module main body having a partition wall, the inside of which is divided into two upper and lower chambers, and a lower main body of the module main body. A fuel cell stack in which a plurality of rows of power generation membranes each having an air electrode and a fuel electrode provided on both sides thereof are arranged in an upright state, and the fuel cell stack is disposed around the fuel cell stack. And a fuel chamber and an air chamber for supplying air, and a preheater provided in the upper chamber of the module for heating the air to be supplied to the air chamber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the power generation film of the fuel cell stack is divided into a predetermined number of sheets to form sub-stacks, and the sub-stacks are connected to each other by a current collecting member. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the power generation film of the fuel cell stack is divided into a predetermined number of sheets to form sub-stacks, and a gas supply chamber is provided for each of the sub-stacks. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the sub-stack is housed in a ceramic canister.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the sub-stacks are housed in the canister while being pressed by a conductive elastic member.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, each of the current collecting members for connecting the sub-stacks is provided with a lead wire.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, a gas pipe to be supplied to the substack housed in the canister is connected by using a ceramic joint.

The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in claim 4, a gas supply chamber for supplying gas to each of the sub-stacks is shared.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the fuel cell module according to the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell module,
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a canister disposed in the module,
3 is a cross-sectional view in the horizontal direction of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stack body accommodated in the canister, and FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view in the vertical direction of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell module according to this embodiment includes a base 1 provided on a gantry 10.
1, a heat-insulating module body 12 having an interior divided into two upper and lower chambers by a partition wall 12a disposed in a horizontal direction, and an air electrode and a fuel electrode provided in a lower chamber of the module body 12. And a fuel cell stack 13 in which a plurality of power generation membranes are arranged on both sides thereof in an upright state, and are arranged around the fuel cell stack 13. ) From fuel 1
4 and a fuel chamber 16 and an air chamber 17 for supplying air 15 from the left and right directions, and an upper chamber of the module main body 12. The air 15 to be supplied to the air chamber 17 is supplied to the power generation temperature (800 ° C. to 1000 And a preheater 19 provided at the lower side of the module main body 12 for heating the fuel 14 supplied to the fuel chamber 16 to the power generation temperature. Here, in the present embodiment, the upper chamber divided by the module main body 12 is an air preheating chamber 20 for preheating the air 15 supplied from the outside, and the lower chamber is the fuel cell stack 1.
3 is a stack chamber 21 for housing the stack 3.

In the present embodiment, the air preheating chamber 20 of the module main body 12 is provided with a temperature increasing burner 23 which is burned by a separately supplied burner fuel 22 and efficiently raises the temperature inside the module. At the start of the start, the inside of the module main body 12 is heated to the power generation temperature.

Inside the stack chamber 21, a box canister 24 made of ceramics having high heat resistance and containing the fuel cell stack 13 as shown in FIG. 2 is arranged. As shown in FIG. 3, a groove 25 is formed on the bottom 24a side of the canister 24, and the fuel 14 is supplied from below (ground side) to the fuel electrode side of the power generation film constituting the fuel cell stack 13. A supply fuel chamber 16 is formed. Fuel 14 preheated by the preheater 19 is supplied to the fuel chamber 16, the preheated fuel 14 is supplied to the power generation membrane, and the fuel exhaust gas 26 after the cell reaction is performed from above the stack 13. Is discharged.

Since the discharged fuel exhaust gas 26 has a high temperature, it plays a role of self-heating the interior of the module main body 12 and also has a function of the stack chamber 21 and the air preheating chamber 20.
Is set in a reducing atmosphere.

Here, in the present embodiment, the preheater 1
Reference numeral 9 denotes a fuel heat exchanger 19a using a fuel exhaust gas 26 provided inside the base 11, and a combustion type preheater 19b for introducing air from outside and preheating by partial combustion of the fuel. The fuel from the supply source and the recycled fuel 14 are efficiently preheated to the power generation temperature of the fuel cell.

In this embodiment, a condenser 27 is provided outside the module main body to remove the water vapor in the recovered exhaust fuel gas 26 and to supply the water vapor contained in the fuel 14 when supplying again. The amount is reduced to improve the battery reaction efficiency.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the air 15 preheated to a high temperature is provided in the air chambers 17 provided on both sides of the stack 13 accommodated in the canister 24. The air exhaust gas 29 after the battery reaction is sent to the air preheating chamber 20 via the air exhaust pipe 30 and then heat-exchanged with air introduced from an external air supply source. Thereafter, the gas is discharged to the outside as exhaust gas 31. Here, in the present embodiment, the preheater 18 for preheating the air supplied from the outside is provided with a heat exchanger for air 18a using the air exhaust gas 29 and a preheat by partial combustion by separately introducing fuel from the outside. And a combustion type preheater 18b that preheats air efficiently to the power generation temperature of the fuel cell.

Also, the ceramic canister 2
As shown in FIG. 1, the side walls 24b and 24c of the 4 also serve as ribs for supporting the partition wall 12a that divides the inside of the module main body 12 into two parts.

In the present invention, the fuel cell stack 13 disposed inside the stack chamber 21 is not particularly limited. May be arranged in a plurality of rows to form a stack in a horizontal state.

In the present invention, more preferably, as shown in FIG.
However, a sub-stack 32 in which a small number (for example, 5 stages) of rows are arranged alternately with interconnectors in a state where the power generation film is standing up
And a plurality of rows (for example, 10 rows: 32-1`3) are formed by using current collecting members (not shown) for connecting the sub-stacks 32 to each other.
2-10) A wagon-shaped horizontal stack 34 alternately connected can be used. In the case of the wagon-shaped horizontal stack 34, the air supply manifold 35a and the air discharge manifold 35b for supplying air to each sub-stack 32 can be formed in each sub-stack, so that a plurality of rows are multi-tiered. In comparison with the case where the air conditioner is provided, it is not necessary to increase the size of a member such as a manifold such as an air chamber. In addition, current collecting plates 37 having current collecting rods 36 are provided in the sub-stacks 32-1 and 32-10 located at both ends of the wagon-shaped horizontal stack 34, respectively, and current is collected by these. . In this embodiment, the fuel chamber 16 provided on the lower side is provided with the groove 2 provided in the longitudinal direction.
5, the common gas supply chamber is used to share the members and reduce the number of components, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the fuel gas is supplied to each sub-stack. Is also good.

As described above, by connecting a plurality of sub-stacks 32 as a unit in a wagon shape, it is possible to lower the failure probability and to reduce the imbalance in distribution as compared with a multi-stage series. Can be. In this embodiment, the number of connections is ten. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of connections can be easily increased.
In other words, the number of connection stages can be increased as needed until high reliability can be secured, and the size of the fuel cell module can be increased. Further, even in the case of multi-stage, it is possible to appropriately supply a desired amount of power through the lead wires 50 provided on each current collecting member. Further, it is not necessary to manufacture a gas manifold having a conventional size, and it is sufficient to manufacture a gas manifold for five stages of the power generation film, thereby reducing the manufacturing efficiency and the manufacturing cost and avoiding a decrease in the sealing performance. Can be. In addition, by adopting the horizontal stack, the capacity can be increased without being restricted by its own weight as in a stack in which power generation films are stacked in multiple stages as in the prior art. In this embodiment, the sub stack 3
Although 2 is a unit of five power generation membranes, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number can be increased as needed. Also, the number of sub-stacks to be connected is not limited, and can be increased as needed.

Next, a case where the wagon-shaped horizontal stack 34 is housed inside the canister 24 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the sub-stacks 32 of the wagon-shaped horizontal stack 34 housed inside the canister 24 has a power generation film 41 which is arranged in five rows via an interconnector 40 in an upright state. The manifolds 42a and 42b, which are ceramic frames, are integrally held in the vertical direction, and the lower manifold 42b is fixed to the canister bottom 24a side by sealing with a seal material such as zirconia paste 43 or the like.

The interconnectors 40 at both ends of the sub-stack 32 are joined to an intermediate current collector 46 using a Ni mesh 44 and a nickel paste 45.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the intermediate collector plates 46 are connected to each other by an elastic member having elasticity such as a ceramic spring 47, and a collector band 48 in which a nickel element wire is woven. Are connected. This allows
When the wagon-shaped stack 34 is accommodated in the canister 24 while being regulated, even if the distance between the unit stacks is increased due to the thermal expansion in the canister 24 at the battery operating temperature (about 1000 ° C.), the ceramic spring 47 Due to the elastic force, a force for suppressing the current collecting component can always be applied. A groove 49 for accommodating the ceramic spring 47 is formed inside both end walls 24d of the canister 24, and a predetermined pressure is applied to the current collector 37. As a result, in the canister 24, the sub-stack 32 is accommodated in the canister 24 while applying a predetermined pressing force by the elastic ceramic spring 47.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Even if there is a bias in the arrangement of the two, the sub-stack 32 and the intermediate current collector 46 can be brought into close contact with each other by the elastic member such as the ceramic spring 47. As a result, the sub-stacks 32, 32 are connected by a current collecting member via the ceramic spring 47 and are housed in the canister 24, so that the expansion of thermal expansion is absorbed and the sub-stacks are connected to each other with a constant load. Can be connected. The elastic member is not limited to the ceramic spring 47, but may be, for example, a stretchable nickel fiber.

As a method of pressing the end current collector plate with a predetermined pressure, a predetermined pressure may be applied from the outside to align the inside of the canister.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a lead wire 50 for current bypass.
The lead wire 50 may be, for example, a braided nickel wire or a rod-shaped wire. Since the stack chamber 21 is in a reducing atmosphere due to the discharged fuel exhaust gas 26, there is no possibility of oxidation. This lead wire 50 is drawn out of the canister 24 as shown in FIG. Then, by always measuring the potential of the sub-stack using these lead wires 50, even if one unit of the sub-stack fails, the failed sub-stack is disconnected by immediately forming a bypass circuit. It is possible to improve the reliability of operation.

When this bypass circuit is formed, in order to prevent the sub-stack from being destroyed, first, the location of the sub-stack to be bypassed is detected, the bypass circuit is formed, and the sub-stack is immediately connected to the sub-stack. Shut off air supply. As a result, when the resistance value of the sub-stack increases and reaches a predetermined resistance value, the sub-stack is switched to the bypass circuit. This prevents self-destruction of the sub-stack, and does not affect the stack body that is held at a predetermined pressing force in the canister 24.

The power generation film used in the fuel cell module of the present invention may be a known flat plate such as one formed with an air supply groove or a fuel supply groove, or one having a structure (dimple) with irregularities formed on the power generation film. A type power generation membrane can be used and is not limited at all.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the power generation film according to the present embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of sub-stacks 32 arranged in a row, and FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. ,
FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 8, as the power generation film 40, the convex dimple portions 40
a and a solid electrolyte formed with a plurality of concave dimple portions 40b were used, and an air electrode was formed on one side of the solid electrolyte and a fuel electrode was formed on the other side. FIG. 8 (A)
The air supply port is opened only in the lower half of the half length of the fuel supply side, and air is supplied from the opening. However, in the present invention, the opening is not limited to ２, and may have an optimal length as appropriate. On the other hand, FIG. 8B shows the fuel 1 supplied from the fuel chamber 16 provided on the lower side (ground side).
After the reaction, the entire amount of
Exhaust fuel 26 is discharged from the

FIG. 9 shows the air flow on the air electrode side, and FIG. 9A shows the air flow of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth sub-stacks in FIG. (B) shows the air flow of the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth sub-stacks in FIG. In FIG. 9, the dimple shape is omitted. In the case shown in FIG. 9A, air 15 is introduced into the inside from an air inlet 71 provided at the lower right in the figure, and the air exhaust gas 2 is supplied from an air outlet 72 provided at the upper left in the figure.
9 have been discharged. On the other hand, in the case shown in FIG.
The air 15 is introduced into the inside from an air inlet 73 provided at the lower left in the figure, and the air exhaust gas 29 is discharged from an air outlet 74 provided at the upper right in the figure. In the present embodiment, since the air flow is reversed for each sub-stack, the temperature distribution is made uniform throughout the stack body, and the battery reaction is activated.

In this embodiment, the direction of air supply is reversed for each sub-stack. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and air is supplied alternately to each air electrode even in sub-stack units. You may do so.

Next, a method of connecting the air supply pipe of the fuel cell module of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, the stack body is housed inside the canister, and the stack body is provided with an air chamber. Air from the air preheating chamber 20 is supplied to the air chamber.
The pipe No. 0 is made of metal, and the pipe on the canister 24 side of one of the stack chambers 21 is made of ceramics, so that different materials are connected. In the past, different types of pipes were connected by shrink fitting, but if there was a temperature change,
There was a direct effect on the air pipe on the canister 24 side, which was a problem. Also, since the canister 24 is made of ceramics, it is difficult to align the canister when the air pipe on the canister side is inclined.

Therefore, in the present invention, the pipes of different materials are connected well by combining the ceramic joints. FIG. 10 schematically illustrates a piping structure of a different material using the ceramic joint according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the connection between the metal pipe 81 and the ceramic pipe 82 is made by connecting a first ceramic joint 83 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ceramic pipe 82 to an opening of the ceramic joint 83. Second ceramic joint 84 fitted into formed inner groove 83a
And a third ceramic joint 85 fitted to the inner cylinder side of the second ceramic joint 84 and having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the metal pipe 81. The joint 83, the first joint 83 and the second joint 84, and the second joint 84 and the third joint 85 are respectively joined at predetermined joint portions with a zirconia paste 86. The metal pipe 81 is inserted, and both are connected by shrink fitting using the coefficient of thermal expansion.

The material of the joint is not particularly limited as long as it is made of ceramics. For example, zirconia can be exemplified.

This connection method of the joint is not limited to the piping of the fuel cell, but can be applied to a case where another metal and a different material other than the metal are connected.

As a result, since the metal pipe 81 and the ceramic pipe 82 are not directly connected, a load due to thermal expansion of the pipe at a high temperature is not applied to the stack. Further, even when the ceramic pipe 82 is inclined, connection is possible, and the allowable coefficient of the manufacturing accuracy of the ceramic pipe, the canister, and the like can be increased.
In addition, the ceramic joint can be easily separated only by cutting the vicinity of the connection paste 86 portion, thereby facilitating installation and removal. Further, by making the thermal expansion coefficients of the ceramic joints 83, 84, 85 equal,
Generation of thermal stress between the joints at a high temperature can be prevented.

Next, since the fuel cell operates at a high temperature, a description will be given of a structure for absorbing a pipe by thermal expansion of the fuel cell module of the present invention. FIG. 11 schematically shows a thermal expansion absorbing mechanism of a metal pipe. As shown in FIG. 11, for example, the fuel 14 to be supplied to the fuel chamber is supplied through a fuel supply pipe 91. However, as shown in FIG.
Is fixed to a predetermined position in the canister 24. Therefore, the fuel manifold 42b of the sub stack 32
Is fixed, a metal bellows 93 is disposed at a predetermined portion of the fuel supply pipe 91 or a pipe 92 branched from the fuel supply pipe 91 at a connection portion with the header 90 for storing fuel, and heat is applied. Absorbs growth.

In the fuel cell module of the present invention, since the sub-stacks are connected, the following operations and effects can be obtained in addition to the above. FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a frame for integrally forming the sub-stack. By forming the power generation film 100 in an upright state and forming a sub-stack 101 for each predetermined number as in this embodiment, and connecting the sub-stacks 101 via a current collecting member 102 to form a connection stack 103, FIG. As shown in A), the size of the gas manifold 104 for supplying supply gas can be reduced. As a result, there is no need to increase the size of the large-sized manifold 111 for a multi-stage stack as in the case shown in FIG. 13B in which the stack 110 in which the power generation films 100 are simply provided in multiple stages. Further, since the substacks are sealed by the manifold 104, even if the end portions of the power generation film are not uniform, the gap between the manifold and the small-sized manifold 104 is reduced, and the sealing performance is improved. On the other hand, when a large number of power generation films are sealed at one time by the large manifold 111, the gap 112 becomes large when the ends of the power generation film 100 are not uniform, resulting in a decrease in sealing performance and reliability. descend.

FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the supply gas flow rates when the sub-stack is used and when the sub-stack is not used. As shown in FIG. 13A, the power generation film 10 according to the present invention is used.
By setting 0 to the standing state, the sub-stack 101 is formed for each predetermined number of sheets, and this sub-stack 101 is connected via a current collecting member 102 to form a wagon-shaped connection stack 103, so that the flow rate of the supply gas 105 is partially increased. In this case, the battery performance can be made flat by adjusting the gas supply flow rate at the increased location. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, when the supply gas 105 is introduced into the stack 110 at once using a large-sized manifold, if there is a portion having a high pressure loss, the battery performance is reduced. Therefore, the distribution imbalance can be controlled by using a sub-stack as in the present invention.

As described above, the use of the sub-stack as one unit provides functions and effects that cannot be obtained by the conventional solid electrolyte fuel cell of the stack type. Incorporation into the device is simplified. Further, in the case of a large capacity, it is possible to handle each block of the canister.

[0045]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a module main body in which a partition is disposed and the inside of the module main body is divided into upper and lower chambers, and the module main body is provided in a lower chamber of the module main body. A fuel cell stack in which a plurality of rows of power generating membranes each having an air electrode and a fuel electrode provided on both sides thereof are arranged in an upright state, and the fuel cell stack is disposed around the fuel cell stack. And a preheater provided in the upper chamber of the module and heating the air supplied to the air chamber, so that the number of stacked power generation films increases. The gas flow distribution becomes uniform, and the battery performance can be favorably maintained. Further, the stacking of the power generation films as in the related art does not apply the weight of the stack to the lower portion of the stack, and the probability of occurrence of cracks in the power generation films is eliminated. As a result, even if the number of power generation membranes is increased, power generation can be favorably maintained without failure of the fuel cell, and the reliability of power generation is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the power generation film of the fuel cell stack is divided into a predetermined number of sheets to form a sub-stack, and the sub-stacks are connected to each other by a current collecting member. Therefore, for example, it is possible to reduce the size of members such as a manifold, and even if the fuel cell is increased in size, there is no increase in manufacturing cost and the number of sealing portions is small, so that there is no problem that sealing performance is reduced. . Furthermore, since the handling is easy, the transportation and the incorporation in the power generation device are simplified. Further, it is easy to increase the number of stages indefinitely, and it is possible to cope with an increase in the size of the fuel cell.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the power generation film of the fuel cell stack is divided into a predetermined number of sheets to form sub-stacks, and a gas supply chamber is provided for each sub-stack. Therefore, abnormality can be dealt with by monitoring the supply state, and even if there is a partial pressure fluctuation, it can be dealt with immediately and the reliability of power generation is improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, since the sub-stack is housed in a ceramic canister, the periphery of the stack can be protected and the role of the rib of the module body can be achieved. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the module body can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the sub-stacks are housed in the canister while being pressed by a conductive elastic member. Even when the distance between the stacks is increased, a force for suppressing the current collecting component can always be applied by the elastic force of the conductive elastic member.

According to the invention of claim 6, according to claim 1, the current collecting member for connecting the sub-stacks is provided with a lead wire, respectively, so that even if one unit of the sub-stack fails. By forming the bypass circuit immediately, it is possible to prevent the failed sub-stack from deteriorating, and to improve the operation reliability.

According to the invention of claim 7, in claim 4, the gas pipe for supplying to the substack housed in the canister is connected by using a ceramic joint, so that, for example, a metal pipe and a ceramic pipe are connected. Are not directly connected to each other, so that no load is applied to the stack due to thermal expansion of the piping at high temperatures. Also, even if the ceramic pipe is inclined, connection becomes possible,
The tolerance coefficient of manufacturing accuracy can be increased.

According to the invention of claim 8, in claim 4, the gas supply chamber for supplying gas to each of the sub-stacks is made common, so that the number of components of the fuel cell module can be reduced. In addition, the manufacturing cost of the fuel cell can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell module according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a canister disposed in the fuel cell module.

FIG. 3 is a lateral sectional view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stack body accommodated in a canister.

FIG. 5 is a vertical partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an intermediate current collecting member.

FIG. 7 is a connection state diagram of sub-stacks.

FIG. 8 is an example of a power generation film according to the present embodiment,
(A) is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 9, and (B) is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state of air flow on the air electrode side.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a ceramic joint.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a piping structure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a bonding state of a power generation film.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a supply state of a supply gas to a power generation film.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a conventional fuel cell having a laminated structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 base 11 base 12a partition 12 module main body 13 fuel cell stack 14 fuel 15 air 16 fuel chamber 17 air chamber 18 preheater 19 preheater 20 air preheat chamber 21 stack chamber 32 substack 34 wagon-shaped horizontal stack 35a air supply manifold 35b Air discharge manifold 36 Current collecting rod 37 Current collecting plate 40 Interconnector 41 Power generation film 42a, 42b Manifold 43 Zirconia paste 44 Ni mesh 45 Nickel paste 46 Intermediate current collecting plate 47 Ceramic spring 48 Current collecting band 49 Groove 50 Lead wire 81 Metal pipe 82 Ceramic pipe 83 First ceramic joint 84 Second ceramic joint 85 Third ceramic joint 86 Zirconia paste 90 Header 91 Fuel supply pipe 92 Branch pipe 93 Metal tongue 'S 100 generation film 101 sub-stack 102 collecting member 103 connecting the stack 104 gas manifold 105 supplying gas 110 stack 111 large manifold 112 gap

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshimi Ezaki 1 at Kita-Kanzan, Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., 20-20 Kita-Sekiyama, Midori-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture (72) Inventor Masatoshi Hattori Aichi Prefecture Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. Technology Development Headquarters Power Technology Research Center (72) Inventor Yoshinori Sakaki 20-29 Kitakanyama, Midori-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture (72) Fusayuki Nanjo, 1-1-1 Wadazakicho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Kobe Shipyard (72) Inventor Koichi Takenobu, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 1-1-1 Wadazakicho, Hyogo-ku Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Kobe Shipyard (72) Inventor Masanori Nishiura Hyogo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 1-1-1 Sakicho Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Kobe Shipyard (72) Inventor Hitoshi Miyamoto 2-1-1, Shinhama, Araimachi, Takasago-shi, Hyogo Pref.Mitsuo Heavy Industries, Ltd. 2-1-1 Shinhama, Araimachi, Takasago-shi Chugai Technos Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5H026 AA06 CC03 CC04 CX06 CX08 CX09 CX10 EE11 5H027 AA06

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A module main body having a partition wall and the inside divided into two upper and lower chambers, and a power generation membrane provided in a lower chamber of the module main body and provided with an air electrode and a fuel electrode on both sides thereof are erected. A fuel cell stack arranged in a plurality of rows in a state, a fuel chamber and an air chamber arranged around the fuel cell stack and supplying fuel and air to the fuel cell stack, and provided in an upper chamber of the module. And a preheater for heating air supplied to the air chamber. 2. The fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein the power generation film of the fuel cell stack is divided into a predetermined number of sheets to form sub-stacks, and the sub-stacks are connected to each other by a current collecting member. . 3. The fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein the power generation film of the fuel cell stack is divided into predetermined numbers to form sub-stacks, and a gas supply chamber is provided for each of the sub-stacks. . 4. The fuel cell module according to claim 2, wherein the substack is housed inside a ceramic canister. 5. The fuel cell module according to claim 4, wherein the sub-stacks are housed inside the canister while being pressed by a conductive elastic member. 6. The fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein a lead wire is provided on each of the current collecting members connecting the sub-stacks. 7. The fuel cell module according to claim 4, wherein a gas pipe to be supplied to the substack housed in the canister is connected using a ceramic joint. 8. The fuel cell module according to claim 4, wherein a gas supply chamber for supplying gas to each of the sub-stacks is shared.