JP2001313060A - Solid electrolytic fuel battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solid electrolytic fuel battery which simplifies positioning when cylindrical cells are assembled, and has good productivity, in the solid electrolytic fuel battery in which a plurality of cylindrical cells are electrically connected by conductive members. SOLUTION: The solid electrolytic fuel battery has a positioning means of cylindrical cells.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell, and more particularly, to a solid oxide fuel cell in which a plurality of cylindrical cells are arranged and electrically connected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of a main part of a conventional solid oxide fuel cell. The solid oxide fuel cell is used by connecting tens to thousands of cells 1 electrically in order to obtain practically sufficient power generation. Therefore, by connecting the required number of cells 71 electrically via the conductive members 77, sufficient generated power is obtained.

The cell 71 is a ceramic tube having an open upper end and a closed lower end (a cylindrical shape with a bottom). The cross section of the cell 71 has a multilayer cylindrical shape, and includes an air electrode 75, a solid electrolyte layer 74,
Each layer such as the fuel electrode 72 is stacked.

The thickness of each layer of the cell 71 is several μm to 2.5 m.
m, each of which is formed of a ceramic material mainly composed of an oxide having necessary functions (such as conductivity, air permeability, solid electrolyte, and electrochemical catalytic property). When an oxidizing agent (air, oxygen-rich gas or the like, hereinafter referred to as air) flows through the inner surface of the cell 71 and a fuel gas such as H ₂ , CO, or CH ₄ flows through the outer surface, O ²⁻ ions move within the cell. As a result, an electrochemical reaction occurs, and a potential difference is generated between the air electrode 75 and the fuel electrode 72 to generate power.

[0005] In the cell 71, an elongated air introduction pipe 76 for passing air is inserted. The air introduction pipe 76 is
Air distributor on top of solid oxide fuel cell (not shown)
From below into the cell 71, the lower end of which reaches near the bottom of the cell 71. From the lower end of the air introduction pipe 76, air is supplied to the bottom of the cell 71. The air supplied to the cell bottom travels upward in the tube while contributing to the above-described power generation reaction, exits the cell 71 from the upper end of the cell 71, and reaches the exhaust combustion chamber (not shown). In this exhaust combustion chamber, fuel gas exhaust and air exhaust described later are mixed,
Unreacted oxygen and fuel in the exhaust gas burn.

[0006] On the outer surface of the cell 71, a fuel supply chamber (not shown) below the solid oxide fuel cell is directed upward.
Fuel gas is supplied. The fuel gas flows upward outside the cell 71 while contributing to the above-described power generation reaction, and the fuel gas in the unreacted portion and the electrochemical combustion reaction product (CO
₂ , H ₂ O, etc.) enter the exhaust combustion chamber described above. The sensible heat after combustion in the exhaust combustion chamber is used for residual heat of air and fuel gas supplied to the fuel cell, or sent to a power generation system using a normal steam boiler turbine for power generation. .

Next, the electrical connection of the cells 71 in the solid oxide fuel cell will be described. The cells 71 are electrically connected by a conductive member 77. Nickel felt is used as the conductive member 77.
The connection in the series direction is performed by the interconnector 7 of one cell 71.
3 and the fuel electrode 72 of the other cell 71 are connected by a conductive member 77. In the connection in the parallel direction, the fuel electrode 72 of one cell 71 and the fuel electrode 72 of the other cell 71 are connected by a conductive member 77.

[0008]

In order to manufacture a solid oxide fuel cell to be put to practical use, dozens to thousands of cells 71 and conductive members 77 should be used so that the polarity of the cells is not mistaken. Need to be carefully assembled. It is necessary to connect the interconnector 73 of one cell 71 and the fuel electrode 72 of the other cell 71 via a conductive member 77 to form a series circuit. Also, the fuel electrode 7 of one cell 71
2 and the fuel electrode 72 of the other cell 71 need to be connected via the conductive member 77 to form a parallel circuit.

Usually, the interconnector 73 is formed to be elongated in the cell axis direction. In order to maximize the power generation effective area per cell, that is, the surface area of the fuel electrode 72,
It is desirable that the width be as small as possible. On the other hand, the conductive member 77 is desirably formed as wide as possible in order to reduce the contact resistance with the cell 71 and the electrical resistance in the conductive member.

The cylindrical cell 71 having such features
It takes a great deal of skilled labor and assembling time to assemble the fuel cell by connecting them. That is, it is necessary to assemble a large number of cells 71 required for power generation by aligning the axis of each cell in the vertical and horizontal directions via the conductive member 77 so that the directions of the interconnector 73 and the fuel electrode 72 coincide. There is. As described above, the interconnector 73 and the fuel electrode 72 of each cell 71 need to be electrically connected in series, and the fuel electrode 72 and the fuel electrode 72 need to be connected electrically in parallel. If the electrical connection of the cell becomes defective, the electrical connection state of the entire fuel cell may become unstable, may be electrically short-circuited, or in the worst case, power generation may not be possible. . In addition, since the fuel gas flows through the space formed by the outer surfaces of the adjacent cells, if the cell arrangement becomes uneven, the cross-sectional area of this space varies,
Uneven fuel gas flow occurs. As a result, some cells may not be supplied with sufficient fuel, and some cells may have a locally low output, thereby reducing the power generation of the entire apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of assembly errors in the process of assembling a cylindrical cell, to improve the productivity, and to improve the positioning accuracy of the cell arrangement. To provide a solid oxide fuel cell of good quality.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a solid oxide fuel cell in which a plurality of cylindrical cells are electrically connected to each other by a conductive member, wherein the fuel cell has positioning means for the cylindrical cells. It is a solid oxide fuel cell.

According to the present invention, it is possible to assemble a large number of cells 1 very simply and without errors without requiring a lot of skilled labor and a lot of time. Become. Therefore, in the assembly process of the cylindrical cell, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an assembly error and to provide a high quality solid oxide fuel cell with excellent productivity.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the positioning means has a concave portion and / or a convex portion in the cell, and a concave portion or a convex portion formed in any one cell and a convex portion or a convex portion formed in another cell. The solid electrolyte fuel cell according to the first invention, wherein the fuel cell is fitted with a recess.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a solid electrolyte fuel cell according to the present invention has a concave portion 9 and a convex portion 8 in each cell 1.
Are provided, and the concave portion 9 and the convex portion 8 are fitted to each other.

Although FIG. 1 shows one recess 9 and one protrusion 8 in each cell 1, the solid oxide fuel cell according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, FIG. A concave portion and a convex portion may be further provided so as to be connectable in the vertical direction. Further, when these concave and convex portions are made of a conductive material, each cell is electrically short-circuited. Therefore, the concave and convex portions are made of an insulating material, or the concave and convex portions to be fitted. It is necessary to form an insulating layer between them.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the positioning device, the cell is provided with a concave portion and / or a convex portion, and the concave portion or the convex portion formed in the cell and the convex portion or the concave portion formed in a portion other than the cell. It is a solid oxide fuel cell according to the above inventions, which is to be fitted.

In the solid oxide fuel cell according to the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG.
To be fitted with the concave portion 12 or the convex portion 15 provided in the above.

As another preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 or 6, for example, the convex portion 16 or the concave portion 19 provided in the cell 1 is fitted to the concave portion 18 or the convex portion 21 provided in the member 17 or 20. Something to match.

The positioning guides and members may be provided separately, or may be formed integrally with a housing for storing cells. When the positioning guides 11 and 14 and the members 17 and 20 are made of a conductive material, each cell is electrically short-circuited. Therefore, the positioning guides 11 and 14 are made of an insulating material. It is necessary to form an insulating layer on the surface of the projection.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below more specifically with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state in which three cells 1 are connected in series. A convex portion (projection) 8 and a concave portion (notch) 9
Is formed. In a normal cylindrical cell, the fuel electrode 2, the interconnector 3, and the like are not stacked in a range of several tens of mm from the upper end and are portions that do not contribute to the power generation reaction. It is possible to form a recess (notch) 9. The protruding portion (projection) 8 is formed at a portion located on an extension of the interconnector 3 formed to be elongated on the side surface of the cell 1. Also, a recess (notch) 9
Are formed at positions opposed to the projections (projections) 8 about the axis of the cell 1.

At the time of assembling the fuel cell, in order to connect the cells 1 in series, it is necessary to connect the interconnector 3 of one cell 1 and the fuel electrode 2 of the other cell 1 via the conductive member 7. When the cell 1 configured as described above is used, the protrusion (projection) 8 of one cell 1 is fitted into the recess (notch) 9 of the other cell 1, and in that state, the conductive member 7
May be inserted between the interconnector 3 of one cell 1 and the fuel electrode 2 of the other cell 1. Connections can be made sequentially in a similar manner. FIG. 2 shows a state viewed from the side of FIG.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an example in which a convex portion (projection) 8 and a concave portion (notch) 9 are formed on the edge of the cell 1 on the upper end open side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, it can be formed at the lower end or another portion. Further, the projections (projections) 8 and the depressions (notches) 9 have no problem even if the formation positions are reversed, and can be arbitrarily selected without departing from the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell schematically showing another embodiment of the present invention.
Are connected in series. A convex portion (projection) 10 is formed at the edge of the upper end opening side of each cell 1.
The protrusions (protrusions) 10 are formed in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the cells 1 are connected in series (horizontal direction in the drawing). The positioning guides 11 are juxtaposed in the direction in which the cells 1 are connected in series (horizontal direction in the drawing), and a concave portion (notch) 12 is provided at a mounting position of each cell 1. Usually, the mounting pitch of each cell 1 is often set to a fixed length, so that the concave portions (notches) 12 are provided on the positioning guide 11 at equal intervals. When assembling the fuel cell configured as described above,
The protrusions (projections) 10 of each cell 1 may be fitted and positioned in the corresponding recesses (notches) 12, and the conductive member 7 may be inserted between the cells 1. It becomes possible to assemble the fuel cell by connecting the cells 1 in a similar manner. Therefore, the fuel cell can be assembled very simply and accurately.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a solid oxide fuel cell schematically showing another embodiment of the present invention.
Are connected in series. In this embodiment, a concave portion (notch) 13 is provided in the cell 1 and a positioning guide 14 is provided.
This is an example in which a convex portion (projection) 15 is provided on the substrate.

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view schematically showing a solid oxide fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Are connected in series. A convex portion (projection) 16 is formed on the bottom of the lower end on the closed side of each cell 1.
It is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the projection (projection) 16 be a triangle, a pentagon, a trapezoid, or the like so that the direction of the interconnector 3 is uniquely determined. In the member 17 located at the lower part of the cell 1, a concave portion (notch) is provided at a mounting position of each cell 1.
12 are provided. When assembling the fuel cell configured as described above, the protrusion (projection) 16 of the cell 1 is fitted and positioned in the recess 18 of the member 17, and the conductive member 7 is inserted between the cells 1. good. It becomes possible to assemble the fuel cell by connecting the cells 1 in a similar manner.
Therefore, the fuel cell can be assembled very simply and accurately.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of a solid oxide fuel cell schematically showing another embodiment of the present invention.
Are connected in series. In this embodiment, a concave portion 19 is provided in the cell 1, and a member 20 located below the cell 1 is provided.
This is an example in which a protruding portion (projection) 21 is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a structural example of a conventional solid oxide fuel cell.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 cell 2 fuel electrode 3 interconnector 4 electrolyte layer 5 air electrode 6 air introduction pipe 7 conductive member 8, 10, 15, 16, 21 convex part (projection) 9, 12, 13 concave part (notch) 11, 14 positioning guide 17, 20 member 18, 19 recess

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Susumu Aikawa 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture Touchi Kiki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masahiro Kuroishi 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka No. 1 Toto Kiki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Nagaiwa 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture Toko Kiki Co., Ltd. (72) Takaharu Nakayama Shiobara, Minami-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 2-1-1 47 Kyushu Electric Power Company Research Institute (72) Inventor Hiroaki Tajiri 2-1-1 47 Shiobara Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture Kyushu Electric Power Company Research Institute (72) Inventor Kiyomi Shudari 2-6-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo New Nippon Steel Corporation F-term (reference) 5H026 AA06 CV02 CV03

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A solid oxide fuel cell in which a plurality of cylindrical cells are electrically connected by a conductive member, wherein the solid oxide fuel cell includes means for positioning the cells. 2. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the cell has a concave portion and / or a convex portion, and the concave portion or the convex portion formed in an arbitrary cell and the convex portion or the concave portion formed in another cell. 2. The solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cells are fitted. 3. The positioning means has a concave part and / or a convex part in the cell, and fits the concave part or the convex part formed in the cell with the convex part or the concave part formed in a part other than the cell. The solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: