JP2001229929A - Hot water reservoir integrated fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot water reservoir integrated fuel cell system, allowing the installation of a fuel cell in a building, without having to interrupt daily life activities and the effective use of electric power and heat, while saving space. SOLUTION: The fuel cell system comprises the fuel cell 13, a hot water reservoir 15, a fuel cell side heat exchanger 17 for recovering exhaust heat from the fuel cell 13 and a reservoir side heat exchanger 18 for releasing the recovered exhaust heat to a water in the hot water reservoir 15, and the fuel cell 13 and the hot water reservoir 15 are installed in the same case frame 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water tank integrated fuel cell suitable for buildings such as houses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8
No. 2,287,932. However, in the above fuel cell system, since the fuel cell and the hot water tank are separate bodies, there is a problem that a considerably large installation space is required to introduce the fuel cell system into a building such as a house. there were.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and enables a fuel cell to be installed in a building so as not to disturb daily life, thereby effectively utilizing power and heat and saving power. The object of the present invention is to provide a space-saving hot water tank integrated fuel cell.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell, a hot water tank, a fuel cell-side heat exchanger for recovering exhaust heat from the fuel cell, and the recovered exhaust heat. A hot water tank integrated fuel cell comprising a hot water tank side heat exchanger that radiates heat to water in the hot water tank, and wherein the fuel cell and the hot water tank are installed in the same housing. .

As the fuel cell, there are a phosphoric acid type, a solid polymer type, an alkaline type, a molten carbonate type and the like, and any of them may be used. In addition, devices other than the fuel cell constituting the fuel cell and the fuel cell system may be housed under the floor of the building fuel, but relatively small devices such as an inverter may be used like a distribution board in a house. It may be attached to a place (wall surface, etc.) out of the way.

[0006]

The fuel cell system integrated with a hot water tank according to the present invention comprises a fuel cell, a hot water tank, a heat exchanger on the fuel cell side for recovering exhaust heat from the fuel cell, and the recovered exhaust heat in the hot water tank. And a hot water tank side heat exchanger that radiates heat to the water, supplies hydrogen to the fuel cell to generate electricity, and makes it possible to use power and heat obtained from the fuel cell in a building. The battery and a hot water storage tank for storing heat generated from the fuel cell and using it for hot water supply are connected by piping or the like,
And since the fuel cell and the hot water storage tank are installed in the same housing, the fuel cell and the hot water storage tank can be installed in the installation space of the hot water storage tank, and the fuel cell and the hot water storage tank can be installed without any special installation space. Hot water storage tanks can be installed so as not to disturb daily life.

[0007]

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a hot water tank integrated fuel cell system of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a fuel cell system integrated with a hot water tank, showing an example of the arrangement of the devices.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 includes a gas pipe 1 for supplying city gas,
A reformer 12 connected to the gas pipe 1, a fuel cell 13 to which hydrogen purified by the reformer 12 is supplied, and an inverter 14 for converting and outputting DC power generated by the fuel cell 13 to AC power A hot-water storage tank 15, a fuel-cell-side heat exchanger 17 for recovering exhaust heat from the fuel cell 13, a hot-water-tank-side heat exchanger 18 for radiating the recovered exhaust heat to water in the hot-water storage tank 15, Consists of Here, the fuel cell side heat exchanger 1
7 and the hot water tank side heat exchanger 18 are connected by a pipe 16, and the inside is filled with a heat medium such as water or antifreeze so as to be circulated. The reformer 12, the fuel cell 13, the inverter 14, and the hot water tank 15 are installed in the same housing 20.

The reforming device 12 uses a reforming reaction or has a hydrogen separation and permeable membrane, and converts supplied gas into high-purity hydrogen and outputs it to a fuel cell. Fuel cell 13
Reacts the supplied high-purity hydrogen and oxygen to generate heat and electricity. The generated electricity is converted from DC power into AC power by the inverter 14, and is supplied to loads such as home electric appliances via an electrical outlet in the house via a switchboard 5 provided on a wall of the house. Here, the switchboard 5 includes a system connection device and a breaker for linking the commercial power and the power from the fuel cell.

Exhaust heat generated in the fuel cell 13 is recovered on the fuel cell side and stored in a heat medium such as water or antifreeze. The heat medium enters the adjacent hot water tank 15 through the pipe 16 and radiates the heat stored in the hot water tank side heat exchanger 18 in the hot water tank 15. Thereby, the water temperature in the hot water tank 15 is maintained at a constant temperature (about 50 ° C.).

As shown in FIG. 2, hot water heated to a constant temperature (about 50 ° C.) in a hot water storage tank 15 passes through a hot water pipe 32 passing through a pod in a wall or the like to supply hot water to a bath or kitchen. Used.

The gas pipe 1 desirably passes through a gas meter 22 laid in a general house. A check valve 7 may be provided in the middle of the gas pipe 1 when the hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 is not used.

The hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 is arranged under a dead space or a floor having a relatively low utility value. Therefore, it is possible to install the hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 in a house without providing a special installation space and without disturbing daily life. By being housed in the same casing 20, the piping 16 connecting the fuel cell side heat exchanger 17 and the hot water tank side heat exchanger 18 and the like can be shortened, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, the number of steps required to install the hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 can be reduced. In addition, since the hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 is installed under the floor, the provision of the inspection port 10 makes it easy to enter and exit under the floor and is excellent in maintainability.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a ventilation fan 8 and an exhaust port 9 are provided on a foundation 21 under the floor A,
An air passage B is formed under the floor A. Also, a hydrogen sensor 6 is provided under the floor A, and when the inside of the floor becomes a specified amount of hydrogen (about 1%), the ventilation fan 8 operates and discharges from the exhaust port 9. Thereby, the exhaust hydrogen generated at the time of power generation of the fuel cell 13 can be efficiently discharged to the outside. Further, the fuel cell 13 can be effectively cooled, and there is an effect of preventing accumulation of dust harmful to the fuel cell 13.

It is desirable to install the hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 2 close to a location where hot water is used, such as a bath or a sink, because there is an advantage that the length of the hot water pipe 32 is shortened.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell system integrated with a hot water storage tank, a fuel cell, a hot water storage tank, a heat exchanger on the fuel cell side for recovering exhaust heat from the fuel cell, and the recovered exhaust heat stored in the hot water storage tank. A hot water tank side heat exchanger that radiates heat to the water in the tank, supplies hydrogen to the fuel cell, generates electricity, and makes available the power and heat obtained from the fuel cell in the building, The fuel cell and a hot water storage tank for storing heat generated from the fuel cell and using it for hot water supply are connected by piping or the like, and the fuel cell and the hot water storage tank are installed in the same housing. Thereby, the fuel cell and the hot water tank can be installed in the installation space of the hot water tank, and the fuel cell and the hot water tank can be installed without disturbing daily life without providing a special installation space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a hot water tank integrated fuel cell system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view of a main part showing an example of the arrangement of the devices in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a hot water tank integrated type fuel cell system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gas piping 2 Hot water tank integrated fuel cell system 31 Water piping 32 Hot water piping 4 Electric wiring 5 Switchboard 6 Sensor 7 Check valve 8 Ventilation fan 9 Exhaust port 10 Inspection port 12 Reformer 13 Fuel cell 14 Inverter 15 Hot water tank 16 Heat Medium pipe 17 Fuel cell side heat exchanger 18 Hot water tank side heat exchanger 20 Housing 21 Foundation 22 Gas meter A Under floor B Ventilation path C Exhaust path

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fuel cell, a hot water tank, a heat exchanger on the fuel cell side for recovering exhaust heat from the fuel cell, and a heat exchanger on the hot water tank side for radiating the recovered exhaust heat to water in the hot water tank. Wherein the fuel cell and the hot water tank are installed in the same housing.