JP2002289212A - Fuel cell cogeneration system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent lack of a hot water and insufficient temperature of the hot water to the utmost and to improve the system efficiency. SOLUTION: This fuel cell cogeneration system uses a first heat exchange device 7 for recovering waste heat of a fuel cell 4 and a second heat exchange device 13 for accumulating and receiving heat from the sun, and is so structured as to store the water heated by the first and second heat exchange devices 7 and 13 in a heat storage unit 10. More heat can be obtained and more water can be heated as compared with a case that only the first device 7 is used. Since the second device 13 uses natural energy, supplemental heating by electric power or gas can be extremely reduced or eliminated, so that the system efficiency can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, and a fuel cell for generating power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel. The present invention relates to a fuel cell cogeneration system configured to utilize heat generated in a process of generating reformed gas from raw fuel and heat generated in a process of generating power in a fuel cell.

[0002]

In recent years, when power is generated using a fuel cell, not only electricity but also the heat generated thereby is used to warm and store water, and when the hot water is needed, A system for making it available is being considered.

[0003] Specifically, this system uses a gas containing a hydrocarbon-based gas such as methane gas as a raw fuel, and forms a reformed gas containing hydrogen from the raw fuel; A fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere as fuel, a heat exchanger that recovers exhaust heat of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell, and water (hot water) obtained from the heat exchanger. And a heat storage unit that stores electricity stored in the heat storage unit, and can use the electricity generated by the fuel cell and the hot water stored in the heat storage unit.

However, in such a system, when, for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is used as the fuel cell, the temperature of the hot water stored in the heat storage unit is at most about 60 ° C., and a general electric water heater is used. Average 8
High-temperature water of about 0 ° C. cannot be directly generated. In addition, when the amount of hot water used is large and the system capacity is not so large in the winter season, for example, in the winter season, for example, in the case of a 1 kW class power generation amount, the hot water temperature may decrease due to insufficient heating. Therefore, there is a problem that shortage of the amount of hot water and shortage of the temperature of the hot water are likely to occur. To cope with this, it is conceivable to provide an auxiliary heater using electricity or gas and supplement the heating with the auxiliary heater. However, to operate the auxiliary heater,
Since energy such as electricity and city gas is required, the operation efficiency of the fuel cell cogeneration system as a whole decreases, that is, the energy cost of electricity and gas increases.

[0005] On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in such a system, not only is there a problem in general life such as the inability to use hot water, but also flammable gases (methane, hydrogen, etc.) are handled. There can be dangerous situations such as explosions and fires. Therefore, grasp the daily operation status of the system,
Service functions such as maintenance and inspection and early response in the event of failure are required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object of the present invention is to prevent the shortage of the amount of hot water and the temperature of the hot water as much as possible and to improve the system efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell cogeneration system capable of improving service functions such as maintenance and inspection of a system and early response when a failure occurs.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell cogeneration system which generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, and generates electricity using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as a fuel. A first heat exchange device for recovering exhaust heat of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell; a second heat exchange device for accumulating and recovering heat from sunlight; And a heat storage unit for storing water obtained from the second heat exchange device.

[0008] According to the above means, the first heat exchange device for recovering exhaust heat of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell, and the second heat exchange device for accumulating and recovering heat from sunlight. And the water obtained from the first and second heat exchangers is stored in the heat storage unit. Therefore, compared to the case where only the heat of the first heat exchanger is used, more heat is used. Can be obtained and a lot of water can be warmed. In addition, since the second heat exchange device utilizes heat from sunlight, that is, natural energy, auxiliary heating with electricity or gas can be reduced or eliminated as much as possible. And other energy costs can be further reduced, and the system efficiency can be improved.

In this case, the water obtained from the first heat exchanger is supplied to the second heat exchanger and the water is supplied directly to the heat storage unit. (A second aspect of the present invention). According to this, for example, when the temperature of the water is hard to rise as in winter, the hot water heated using the exhaust heat of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell is supplied to the second heat exchange device, Here, by further heating with heat from sunlight, the temperature can be raised to a relatively high temperature, and it becomes possible to store hot water of a relatively high temperature in the heat storage unit.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell for generating electricity using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. A heat exchange unit that collects at least one of the waste heat, and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange unit, accumulates heat from sunlight to heat the water, and has a heat retaining function. And characterized in that:

According to this, the water is heated by both the exhaust heat of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell and the heat from the sunlight, and the heat storage unit also has a heat retaining function. The water in the unit can be efficiently heated, and the size of the heat storage unit can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell for generating power using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as a fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that collects at least one of the waste heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit is excessive. The control means is provided for controlling the hot water to be supplied to the bathtub in the case of.

[0013] In such a system, it is preferable to operate continuously, but when the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit becomes excessive, it is necessary to stop the operation of the system. However, especially when the operation of the reformer and the fuel cell is stopped, there is a lot of loss to restart, and the efficiency is deteriorated. In this regard,
In the invention of claim 4, when the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit becomes excessive, the hot water is supplied to the bathtub so that the system is not stopped, and the hot water is also effectively used. Can be used.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell for generating electric power using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as a fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers at least one of exhaust heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, a function of obtaining weather information, past operation information Has a function of storing the current date and time information, and at least one of the weather information and past driving operation information and the current date and time information,
The fuel cell system further comprises control means for controlling at least one of a power generation amount of the fuel cell and a water supply amount to the heat storage unit.

According to this, the usage amount and usage pattern of hot water are predicted based on weather information and past driving operation information,
It becomes possible to supply a suitable amount of hot water. As a result, there is no need to store more hot water than necessary in the heat storage unit or to increase the size of the heat storage unit more than necessary, and it is possible to efficiently supply a limited amount of hot water, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the system. Can be further improved.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as a fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. A heat exchange device that collects at least one of the waste heat, and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device,
In a fuel cell cogeneration system including an auxiliary heat source for auxiliaryly heating hot water in the heat storage unit, a function of obtaining weather information, a function of storing past driving operation information, and obtaining current date and time information Having a function, based on at least one of weather information and past driving operation information and current date and time information, the power generation amount of the fuel cell, the water supply amount to the heat storage unit, and A control means for controlling at least one of the auxiliary heat sources is provided.

According to this, the same function and effect as in claim 5 can be obtained. In this case, since an auxiliary heat source for auxiliary heating of the hot water in the heat storage unit is provided, for example, when it is expected that a large amount of hot water is used, the auxiliary heat source is used at a time when the power is low, such as midnight power. Thereby, the water can be heated, and the efficiency can be further improved.

A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as a fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers at least one of waste heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, failure information on each part of the system is obtained. A control means having a function and having a function of notifying the failure information to a preset notification destination when it is determined that there is a failure based on this information. According to this, when it is determined that a failure has occurred in the system, the failure information is reported to a preset report destination, for example, a user or a service company. Can be dealt with promptly.

The invention according to claim 8 is a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell for generating power using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. A heat exchange device that collects at least one of the waste heat, and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device,
In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a hot water amount detecting means for detecting the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit, the fuel cell cogeneration system has a function of obtaining an operation state of each part of the system, and these states are set in advance. Control means having a function of notifying the notified report destination,
It is characterized in that it is possible to control the operation of the system via the control means from a report destination receiving the report from the control means. According to this, the operation status of each part of the system is reported from the control means to a preset report destination, and the side receiving the report, according to the situation,
The operation of the system can be remotely controlled via the control means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell for generating power using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. A heat exchange device that collects at least one of the waste heat, and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device,
In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a hot water amount detection unit that detects the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit, a function of performing a test operation of the system, a function of determining a state of the system based on the test result, And a control means having a function of notifying a result of the determination to a preset notification destination.

[0021] The control means may be operated at a preset timing, by manual operation of a test switch or the like, or
A test operation of the system is executed based on a remote operation from a user or a service company, the state of the system is determined based on the test result, and the determination result is reported to a preset destination. The side receiving the report can immediately perform effective maintenance service of the system based on the information.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the fuel cell cogeneration system similar to the ninth aspect, a test operation of the system is executed based on remote control from a service company, and the test result is reported to the service company. Control means having a function of performing the above-mentioned operation, wherein the service company determines the state of the system based on the notification information from the control means, and notifies the user of the determination result.

According to this, the test operation of the system is executed via the control means based on the remote operation from the service company, and the test result is reported to the service company. The service company can determine the state of the system based on the test result, notify the user of the result of the determination, and provide a system maintenance service as needed.

The invention of claim 11 provides a reformer for generating a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell for generating electric power by using the hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, the reformer and the fuel cell. A heat exchange device that recovers at least one of the exhaust heat of
In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, at least a part of the raw fuel uses gas generated from garbage crushed by a disposer. It is characterized by the following. According to this, garbage can be used effectively and limited resources can be used effectively.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the same object as the eleventh aspect, at least a part of the raw fuel is obtained from garbage collected by being crushed and collected by a separately disposed disposer of an apartment house. It is characterized in that the generated gas is used. This increases the amount of garbage collected and the amount of gas obtained therefrom.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the heat storage unit is installed on a roof or a roof of a house. The heat storage unit that stores hot water is quite large,
Given the general housing situation, you will have a hard time finding where to put it. Therefore, by installing the heat storage unit on the roof or the roof of a house, it is possible to solve the location problem.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a fuel cell cogeneration system. In this FIG.
The reformer 1 uses a natural gas 2 as a raw fuel, for example, and generates a reformed gas 3 containing hydrogen from the natural gas 2. The natural gas 2 contains methane (CH ₄ ). The reformed gas 3 generated in the reformer 1 is supplied to the fuel cell 4. As the fuel cell 4, for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is used, and the fuel cell 4 generates power using hydrogen contained in the reformed gas 3 and oxygen in the air 5 as fuel sources.
The generated power 6 is output. The generated electric power 6 is used for operating electric equipment.

The first heat exchange device 7 includes a heat exchange section 8 and a water pipe 9 through which water passes. The water pipe 9 is connected to the heat storage unit 10. This first heat exchange device 7
High-temperature gas 11 generated when power is generated in fuel cell 4
The heat flowing in the water pipe 9 is heated in the heat exchange unit 8 by using the heat of the water, and the heated water is returned to the heat storage unit 10 and stored therein. The low-temperature gas 12 after heat exchange with water in the heat exchange unit 8 is returned to the fuel cell 4 side. Therefore, the water flowing through the first water pipe 9 is heated by using the exhaust heat generated when generating power in the fuel cell 4.

The second heat exchange device 13 includes a solar heat accumulation unit 16 for accumulating solar heat 15 from the sun 14 and a heat exchange unit 1.
7 and a water pipe 18 through which water passes.
Are connected to the heat storage unit 10. The second heat exchange device 13 heats water flowing through the water pipe 18 in the heat exchange unit 17 by using heat accumulated in the solar heat accumulation unit 16, and is heated and becomes hot water. The lost water is returned to the heat storage unit 10 and stored.

In the heat storage unit 10, low-temperature water 19 such as tap water is appropriately supplied. Then, the water is heated in the first and second heat exchange devices 7 and 13 to become hot water, and the hot water is stored in the heat storage unit 10. The hot water 20 stored in the heat storage unit 10
Used when needed in the kitchen or bath.

In the first embodiment described above, the first heat exchange device 7 for recovering the exhaust heat of the fuel cell 4 and the second heat exchange device 13 for accumulating and recovering the heat from sunlight are used. ,
Since the water obtained from the first and second heat exchange devices 7 and 13 is stored in the heat storage unit 10,
Compared to the case where only the heat of the first heat exchange device 7 is used,
A lot of heat can be obtained and a lot of water can be heated. Moreover, since the second heat exchange device 13 utilizes heat from sunlight, that is, natural energy, auxiliary heating with electricity or gas can be reduced or eliminated as much as possible. It is possible to further reduce the energy cost of gas and the like, and to improve the system efficiency. In the above-described embodiment, since heat is also generated from the reformer 1, water may be heated by using the waste heat.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
The following points are different from the embodiment. That is, in the second heat exchange device 21, the heat exchange unit 22 is disposed in the heat storage unit 10, and the circulation pipe 23 is provided between the heat exchange unit 22 and the solar heat accumulation unit 16. This circulation pipe 2
An antifreeze such as ethylene glycol, for example, as a heat medium for carrying heat is put into the inside 3 and circulated.

In this case, the second heat exchange device 21 heats the heat medium in the circulation pipe 23 with the heat of the solar heat accumulation unit 16,
The heated heat medium exchanges heat with water in the heat storage unit 10 in the heat exchange section 22, and the water is heated. The heat medium cooled by the heat exchange with the water is returned to the solar heat accumulation unit 16 again.
Is heated. In the second embodiment, an antifreeze can be used as a heat medium in the circulation pipe 23.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
The following points are different from the embodiment. That is, a flow path switching unit 25 as flow path switching means is provided in the middle of the return path 9a of the water guide pipe 9 in the first heat exchange device 7, and the first outlet 26a of the flow path switching unit 25 is connected to the heat storage via the connection pipe 27. The second outlet 26 b is connected to the inlet of the outward passage 18 a of the water pipe 18 in the second heat exchange device 13.

In the flow path switching unit 25, the water heated in the heat exchange unit 8 in the first heat exchange device 7 is supplied from the second outlet 26b to the second heat exchange device 13 through the water guide pipe 18. Flow (see arrow A1) and the first exit 2
A configuration in which the flow from 6a to the heat storage unit 10 via the connection pipe 27 (see arrow A2) can be switched.

For example, when the temperature of the water is hard to rise as in winter, the hot water heated in the first heat exchange device 7 is supplied to the second heat exchange device 13 (arrow A).
1) Here, by further heating with heat from sunlight, the temperature can be raised to a relatively high temperature, and hot water of a relatively high temperature can be stored in the heat storage unit 10. Become. Second heat exchange device 13
When it is not necessary to use the hot water, the hot water heated in the first heat exchange device 7 is directly returned to the heat storage unit 10 (see arrow A2).

(Fourth Embodiment) FIGS. 4 and 5 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following points. I have. That is,
The heat storage unit 30 is installed on a roof 32 of a house 31, as shown in FIG. The heat storage unit 30 has a function of accumulating the solar heat 15 to heat water, a function of storing hot water, and a heat retaining function. So in this case,
The heat storage unit 30 also has the function of the second heat exchange device of the first embodiment. The heat exchanging device 33 is the first type of the first embodiment.
Corresponds to the heat exchange device 7. The low-temperature water 19 is supplied from one end 34 a of a water guide pipe 34 of the heat exchange device 33, and the other end 34 b is connected to the heat storage unit 30.

In the above configuration, one end 3 of the water guide pipe 34
The low-temperature water 19 supplied from 4a is heated in the heat exchange section 8, and the heated hot water is supplied to the heat storage unit 30 through the water pipe 34, where it is also heated and stored by the solar heat 15. The hot water 20 stored in the heat storage unit 30 is used when needed in a kitchen or a bath.

In the fourth embodiment, the water is heated by both the exhaust heat of the fuel cell 4 and the heat from the sunlight,
Moreover, since the heat storage unit 30 also has a heat retaining function, the water in the heat storage unit 30 can be efficiently heated, and the heat storage unit 30 can be reduced in size.

Here, the heat storage unit 30 for storing hot water
Is quite large, and given the general housing situation, you will have to struggle with where to put it. In this regard, in this embodiment, the heat storage unit 30 is connected to the roof 3 of the house 31.
2 can solve the location problem. The heat storage unit 30 may be on the roof of a house. The heat storage units 10 of the first to third embodiments described above may be installed on the roof of a house or on the roof.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
The following points are different from the embodiment. That is, the heat storage unit 10 includes a temperature / hot water amount detector 35 that detects the temperature and the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit 10.
Is provided, and a detection signal 36 of the temperature / hot water amount detector 35 is output to a control device 37 constituting a control means. The control device 37 has a configuration including a microcomputer, and detects a detection signal 36 of the temperature / hot water amount detector 35.
When it is determined that the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit 10 has become excessive based on the above, the water heater 38 is controlled to supply the hot water 20 in the heat storage unit 10 to the bathtub 39 through the water heater 38. Hot water 40 supplied to bathtub 39
Is stored in the bathtub 39. Although FIG. 6 does not show the second heat exchange device using solar heat, it may be provided similarly to the first embodiment.

In such a system, the reformer 1
It is preferable that the fuel cell 4 and the like be operated continuously, but when the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit 10 becomes excessive, it is necessary to stop the operation of the system. However, when the operation of the reformer 1 and the fuel cell 4 is stopped, there is a lot of loss to restart the operation, and the efficiency is deteriorated. In this respect, in the fifth embodiment, when the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit 10 becomes excessive, the hot water is supplied to the bathtub 39, so that the system is not stopped, and Also, hot water can be used effectively.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
The following points are different from the embodiment. That is, the control device 41 constituting the control means includes a microcomputer, and has a function of obtaining weather information 43 from the weather information provider 42 via, for example, the Internet, and a function of the past operation of the system 44. It has a function of obtaining and storing operation information 45 and a function of obtaining current date and time information 46. The control device 41 controls the raw fuel flow controller 47, the air flow controller 48, and the low-temperature water supply controller 49 based on the information to control the power generation amount of the fuel cell 4 and the heat storage unit 10. Control the water supply.

According to this, in the control device 41, the weather information 43 and the past driving operation information 45 of the system 44 are stored.
From this and the current date and time information 46, for example, it is possible to predict the usage amount and usage pattern of the user's hot water, and to supply a suitable amount of hot water. Along with this, there is no need to store more than necessary hot water in the heat storage unit 10 or to make the heat storage unit 10 larger than necessary, and it is possible to efficiently supply a limited amount of hot water. Driving efficiency can be further improved. In this case, based on one of the weather information 43 and the past driving operation information 45 of the system 44 and the current date and time information 46, the power generation amount of the fuel cell 4 and the heat storage unit 10 are transmitted. May be controlled.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 8 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
The following points are different from the embodiment. That is, the heat storage unit 10 is provided with the auxiliary heater 50 as an auxiliary heat source, and the auxiliary heater 50 is also controlled by the control device 41.

In the seventh embodiment, the hot water in the heat storage unit 10 can be supplementarily heated by the auxiliary heater 50. Therefore, for example, when it is expected that a large amount of hot water is used, The water can be heated by the auxiliary heater 50 at a time when the power is low, such as midnight power, and the efficiency can be further improved.

(Eighth Embodiment) FIG. 9 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention. The eighth embodiment has the following features. That is, the control device 51 constituting the control means has a function of obtaining operation / failure information 52 from sensors (not shown) provided in each part of the system 44, and based on this information, the raw fuel flow controller 47, the air flow controller Table 48
And a function of controlling the low-temperature water supply controller 49 to control the power generation amount of the fuel cell 4 and the water supply amount to the heat storage unit 10, and the failure information 53 is set in advance when it is determined that there is a failure. It has a function to report to the report destination, for example, the service company 54.

Operation / failure information 52 obtained from the system 44
The power generation amount by the fuel cell 4 and the heat storage unit 1
The hot water temperature and the amount of hot water in 0, the amount of hot water used, device failure information, and the like. As a means of reporting from the control device 51 to the service company 54 as the reporting destination, a telephone, facsimile, e-mail, or the like can be considered.

According to such an embodiment, the system 44
When the control device 51 determines that a failure has occurred in the above, the failure information 53 is reported to the service company 54, so that the service company 54 that has received the report can quickly respond to the failure. Become. In this case, the report destination from the control device 51 may be a user instead of the service company 54.

(Ninth Embodiment) FIG. 10 shows a ninth embodiment of the present invention. The ninth embodiment differs from the eighth embodiment in the following points. That is, the heat storage unit 10 is provided with the temperature / hot water amount detector 35 (hot water amount detection means), and the detection signal 36 of the detector is also output to the control device 57. Control device 57 constituting control means
Is the operation / failure information 5 for each part of the system 44
2 and a function of obtaining a detection signal 36 from the temperature / hot water amount detector 35, a function of notifying the operation / failure information 58 obtained from the detection signal 36 to a service company 54 which is a preset report destination, and a function of Based on the remote control signal 59, the raw fuel flow controller 47, the air flow controller 48, and the low-temperature water supply controller 49 are controlled to control the power generation amount of the fuel cell 4 and the water supply amount to the heat storage unit 10. Function.

According to such an embodiment, the system 44
The operation status of each part of
The service company 54 is notified as the failure information 58. Then, the service company 54 grasps the operation status of the system 44 based on the information and, if necessary, uses the remote control signal 59 to control the fuel cell 4 via the control device 57.
And the amount of water supplied to the heat storage unit 10 can be controlled.

(Tenth Embodiment) FIG. 11 shows a tenth embodiment of the present invention.
This embodiment shows an embodiment. The tenth embodiment differs from the ninth embodiment in the following point. That is,
The control device 60 has a test pattern 61 for performing a test operation of the system 44, a function of executing a test operation according to the test pattern 61, a test result thereof, and past and current operation information 62 of the system 44.
State determination unit 63 that determines the state of system 44 based on
And a function of notifying the service company 54 of the determination result of the state determination unit 63 as the determination information 64. The timing for executing the test operation is determined by the control device 60.
, Automatically based on the input of a test operation start signal 65 such as a manual switch, or based on the input of a remote test execution signal 66 from the service company 54.

In the above configuration, when the control device 60 executes the test operation of the system 44, the control device 60 determines the state of the system 44 based on the test result and the operation information 62 of the system 44, and uses the determination result as the determination information 64. Notify the service company 54. For example, as a test drive,
When the voltage of the generated power 6 of the fuel cell 4 is low, if the flow rate of the raw fuel flow controller 47 or the air flow controller 48 is increased, the voltage should increase. If the voltage does not rise as a result of this test operation, it is determined that there is an abnormality.
The service company 54 grasps the state of the system 44 based on the information, and performs maintenance and inspection services of the system 44 as necessary.

According to the tenth embodiment, the state of the system 44 can be grasped by the test operation, and the maintenance and inspection service of the system 44 can be performed according to the state.

(Eleventh Embodiment) FIG. 12 shows an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.
This embodiment shows an embodiment. The eleventh embodiment is different from the above-described tenth embodiment in the following points. That is, the control device 70 constituting the control means has the test pattern 61 but does not have the state determination unit. The service company 71 includes the test pattern 72 and the state determination unit 7
And 3.

In this case, the service company 71 executes the test operation via the control device 70 by the remote test execution signal 66 in accordance with the test pattern 72 of the service company 71. The control device 70 includes the system 4
The test information 74 is notified to the service company 71 together with the operation information 62 of No. 4. The service company 71 determines the state of the system 44 based on the test information 74 and reports the determination result 75 to the user 76. User 76
Sees the determination result 75 and, if necessary,
Request maintenance of 4. Requested service company 7
1 performs maintenance of the system 44.

(Twelfth Embodiment) FIG. 13 shows a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.
This is an embodiment, and the twelfth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the following point. That is,
The garbage 80 discharged from the home is poured into a household disposer 82 together with water 81, and the garbage 80 is dispensed into the disposer 8.
2, and the crushed garbage 83 is fermented in a fermenter 84 with methane bacteria. Fermenter 84
In, biogas 85 including methane gas is generated. The purified wastewater 86 is discharged to sewage. The raw fuel switching section 87 switches between a case where the natural gas 2 is sent to the reformer 1 and a case where the biogas 85 generated in the fermenter 84 is sent to the reformer 1. In the reformer 1, even when the biogas 85 is supplied, it is supplied to the fuel cell 4 as the reformed gas 3 containing hydrogen, similarly to the case of the natural gas 2. Although FIG. 13 does not show the second heat exchange device using solar heat, it may be provided similarly to the first embodiment.

According to the twelfth embodiment, the garbage 8
Biogas 85 generated by pulverizing and fermenting 0 can also be used as a raw fuel for the reformer 1, so that the garbage 80 can be effectively used, and limited resources can be effectively used. Will be possible. Thereby, natural gas 2
Use can be reduced.

(Thirteenth Embodiment) FIG. 14 shows a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.
This embodiment shows an embodiment. The thirteenth embodiment differs from the twelfth embodiment in the following points. That is, in the apartment house 90, the garbage 80 is pulverized by the disposer 82 provided for each home, the pulverized garbage 83 is collected, and fermented in a large fermenter 91. The biogas 85 containing methane gas generated in the fermenter 91 is used as a raw fuel for the reformer 1.

In this case, when the amount of the crushed garbage 83 to be collected is large and the required amount of the biogas 85 obtained in the fermenter 91 can be secured, it is also possible not to use natural gas. .

[0061]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to each of the third to third aspects, not only the exhaust heat of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell but also the solar heat is used, so that a large amount of heat can be obtained and a large amount of water can be heated. Will be able to Moreover, since solar heat uses natural energy, auxiliary heating with electricity or gas can be reduced or eliminated as much as possible, making it possible to further reduce energy costs such as electricity and gas. As a result, the system efficiency can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit becomes excessive, the hot water is supplied to the bathtub, so that the system is not stopped, and Hot water can also be used effectively. According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to predict a usage amount and a usage pattern of hot water based on weather information and past driving operation information, and to supply a suitable amount of hot water. . Thereby, the operation efficiency of the system can be further improved.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, when it is determined that a failure has occurred in the system, the failure information is reported to a preset report destination, for example, a user or a service company. The side receiving the report can respond immediately to the failure.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the test operation of the system is performed, the state of the system is determined based on the test result, and the result of the determination is reported to a preset destination. The side receiving the report can immediately perform effective maintenance service of the system based on the information.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the test operation of the system is executed via the control means based on remote control from the service company, and the test result is reported to the service company. The service company can determine the state of the system based on the test result, notify the user of the result of the determination, and provide a system maintenance service as needed. Claims 11 and 12
According to the invention, garbage can be effectively used, and limited resources can be effectively used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a heat storage unit is installed on a roof.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a ninth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a tenth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawing, 1 is a reformer, 2 is a natural gas (raw fuel), 3 is a reformed gas, 4 is a fuel cell, 6 is generated power, 7 is a first heat exchange device (heat exchange device), 10 is A heat storage unit, 13 is a second heat exchange device, 14 is the sun, 16 is a solar heat accumulation unit, 2
0 is hot water, 21 is a second heat exchange device, 25 is a flow path switching unit (flow path switching means), 30 is a heat storage unit, 31 is a house,
32 is a roof, 33 is a heat exchange device, 35 is a temperature / hot water amount detector (hot water amount detecting means), 37 is a control device (control means), 39 is a bathtub, 40 is hot water, and 41 is a control device (control means). , 43 is weather information, 44 is a system, 45 is driving operation information, 46 is date and time information, 50 is an auxiliary heater (auxiliary heat source), 51 is a control device (control means), 52 is operation / failure information, and 53 is Failure information, 54 is a service company (report destination), 57 is a control device (control means), 58 is operation / failure information, 59 is a remote control signal, 60 is a control device (control means), 63 is a state determination unit, 64 is judgment information, 7
0 is a control device (control means), 73 is a state determination unit, 74 is a determination result, 80 is garbage, 82 is a disposer, 84 is a fermenter, 85 is biogas (including hydrogen), 87 is a raw fuel switching unit, Reference numeral 90 denotes an apartment house, and reference numeral 91 denotes a fermenter.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01M 8/04 H01M 8/04 PG Z 8/06 8/06 Z 8/10 8/10

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. A first heat exchange device that recovers heat, a second heat exchange device that collects and recovers heat from sunlight, and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the first and second heat exchange devices. A fuel cell cogeneration system characterized by comprising: 2. A flow switching unit for switching between a case where water obtained from the first heat exchange device is supplied to the second heat exchange device and a case where water is directly supplied to the heat storage unit. The fuel cell cogeneration system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as a fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. A heat exchange unit that recovers heat, and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange unit, heats the water by accumulating heat from sunlight, and has a heat retaining function. A fuel cell cogeneration system characterized by the following. 4. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, when the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit becomes excessive. And a control means for controlling the supply of the hot water to the bathtub. 5. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, a function of obtaining weather information, a function of storing past driving operation information, And a function to obtain the current date and time information,
Control for controlling at least one of the power generation amount of the fuel cell and the water supply amount to the heat storage unit based on at least one of weather information and past driving operation information and current date and time information. A fuel cell cogeneration system characterized by comprising means. 6. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers heat, a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, and an auxiliary heat source that auxiliary heats hot water in the heat storage unit, A function to obtain weather information, a function to store past driving operation information, and a function to obtain current date and time information,
Based on at least one of weather information and past driving operation information and the current date and time information, the power generation amount of the fuel cell, the water supply amount to the heat storage unit,
And a control unit for controlling at least one of the auxiliary heat sources. 7. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, the fuel cell cogeneration system has a function of obtaining failure information regarding each part of the system. A fuel cell cogeneration system, comprising: control means having a function of notifying failure information to a preset notification destination when it is determined that there is a failure based on this information. 8. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. A fuel cell cogeneration system comprising: a heat exchange device that recovers heat; a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device; and a hot water amount detection unit that detects the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit. And a control unit having a function of obtaining an operation status of each part of the system and a function of notifying the status to a preset notification destination, and a notification destination receiving the notification from the control unit. A fuel cell cogeneration system characterized in that the operation of the system can be controlled via the control means. 9. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. A fuel cell cogeneration system comprising: a heat exchange device that recovers heat; a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device; and a hot water amount detection unit that detects the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit. Wherein control means having a function of performing a test operation of the system, a function of determining a state of the system based on the test result, and a function of reporting the determination result to a preset notification destination are provided. Fuel cell cogeneration system. 10. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. A fuel cell cogeneration system comprising: a heat exchange device that recovers heat; a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device; and a hot water amount detection unit that detects the amount of hot water stored in the heat storage unit. And a control unit having a function of performing a test operation of the system based on a remote operation from a service company and reporting a test result to the service company. In the service company, report information from the control unit is provided. A fuel cell cogeneration system comprising: determining a state of a system based on the information; and notifying a user of the determination result. 11. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that recovers heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, at least a part of the raw fuel is obtained from garbage pulverized by a disposer. A fuel cell cogeneration system characterized by utilizing generated gas. 12. A reformer that generates a reformed gas containing hydrogen from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen of the reformed gas as fuel, and an exhaust gas of at least one of the reformer and the fuel cell. In a fuel cell cogeneration system including a heat exchange device that collects heat and a heat storage unit that stores water obtained from the heat exchange device, at least a part of the raw fuel is installed separately in an apartment house. A fuel cell cogeneration system characterized by utilizing gas generated from garbage collected by crushing by a disposer. 13. The fuel cell cogeneration system according to claim 1, wherein the heat storage unit is installed on a roof or a roof of a house.