JP2004206928A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate water shortage of a fuel cell vehicle by utilizing surplus power. <P>SOLUTION: This fuel cell system is equipped with: a reformer 13 for producing a reformed gas rich in hydrogen from a raw fuel; a fuel cell 14 for generating electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air; a moisture condensation means 33 for condensing moisture in the air to collect water; a filtering means 338 for filtering the collected water; a filtered water supply means 340 for supplying the filtered water as reform water for the reformer and humidifying water for an electrolyte film of a cell of the fuel cell; a power storage means 32 for tentatively storing the electricity; an output distribution means 22 capable of distributing the output of the fuel cell to a load, a moisture condenser and the power storage means; and a control part 21 for operating the output distribution means to supply surplus power to at least either of the moisture condensation means and the power storage means when power generated from the fuel cell exceeds power consumption of the load. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fuel cell system, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system capable of extending a replenishment interval of pure water used in the fuel cell system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A fuel cell is a device that directly converts chemical energy of a fuel into electric energy without passing through mechanical energy or thermal energy, and can realize high energy efficiency. As a well-known form of a fuel cell, a pair of electrodes is arranged with an electrolyte layer interposed therebetween, and a fuel gas containing hydrogen is supplied to one electrode (anode side) and oxygen gas is supplied to the other electrode (a cathode side). Is supplied, and an electromotive force is obtained by utilizing an electrochemical reaction occurring at both electrodes. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-297903 describes a configuration example of a fuel cell system suitable for use in a vehicle. In the on-vehicle fuel cell system, in addition to directly storing and using hydrogen in a tank or the like, as described in the same gazette, a reformer is used to convert liquid hydrocarbon-based raw fuel such as methanol. A configuration has been proposed in which a hydrogen-rich reformed gas is generated and supplied as fuel for a fuel cell.
[0003]
As described above, the reformer of the on-vehicle fuel cell system is a small chemical plant that generates hydrogen, and the generated hydrogen increases and decreases with a time delay with respect to the movement of the accelerator of the vehicle. For this reason, when the accelerator pedal is released (accelerator off) or in a regenerative braking state of the vehicle drive motor corresponding to a so-called engine brake, since the load motor is a generator, excess hydrogen and excess power are generated. obtain. Normally, surplus hydrogen is used as fuel for the heat source of the reformer, and surplus power is used for charging the secondary battery, thereby improving energy utilization.
[0004]
In a fuel cell system mounted on a vehicle, a reformer is used to generate a hydrogen-rich gas by steam reforming of a hydrocarbon-based raw fuel. The reaction gases supplied to the fuel cell are also humidified. For this reason, a water tank is provided in addition to the fuel tank to store and use water.
[0005]
As an example of the use of surplus electric power, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 4-115470 discloses that hydrogen is produced by electrolyzing water vapor with surplus electric power of a nuclear power plant, which is desirably operated at a constant output. A proposal has been made to store the battery and supply the hydrogen stored in the fuel cell when power is insufficient to generate power.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-10-297903
[0007]
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-4-115470
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the operation of the fuel cell vehicle frequently repeats starting, stopping, accelerating, decelerating, and the like of the motor, the above-described generation of surplus hydrogen and generation of surplus power are often sudden. Since the charging of the secondary battery involves a chemical reaction, it is necessary to continue the power supply for a certain period of time, or the excess power cannot be sufficiently recovered. When the secondary battery is sufficiently charged, surplus power is not stored and is lost.
[0009]
Further, the mileage of the fuel cell vehicle is determined by the amounts of raw fuel and water to be mounted, but these replenishment bases are not yet fully maintained, and it is conceivable that water may run short on the way. In a fuel cell, hydrogen gas and oxidized air react to generate water.Therefore, it is conceivable to collect and use this water or use cooling water for a fuel cell system. Since many impurities such as hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid are contained due to elution and decomposition of the electrolyte membrane, if these are used as they are, they may damage the cells of the fuel cell.
[0010]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a new method of using surplus power in a fuel cell system.
[0011]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system capable of avoiding water shortage in the fuel cell system as much as possible.
[0012]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system in which water is obtained with surplus power.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a fuel cell system according to the present invention comprises a water condensing means for condensing water in the air to generate water, a filtering means for filtering the generated water, and a fuel using the filtered water. And a battery.
[0014]
With this configuration, it is possible to replenish water necessary for operating the fuel cell from the atmosphere.
[0015]
Further, this water replenishment is performed by control means for operating the water condensation means by the surplus electric power of the fuel cell. This makes it possible to use the surplus electric power and make the water supply interval as long as possible. This is advantageous for in-vehicle fuel cell systems.
[0016]
The fuel cell uses the filtered water for humidifying the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell. Thereby, it is possible to supply water with less impurities such as hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid as compared with the reused water discharged from the fuel cell, which is preferable because damage to the fuel cell is reduced.
[0017]
Further, the fuel cell system of the present invention includes a reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air, A water condensing means for condensing and collecting water, a filtering means for filtering the collected water, and a filtered water for supplying the filtered water as reforming water of the reformer or humidifying water of an electrolyte membrane of a cell of the fuel cell. A supply unit, and a control unit that supplies at least a part of the power generated by the fuel cell to the water condensation unit and collects the condensed water.
[0018]
With this configuration, it is possible to configure a fuel cell system capable of collecting moisture in the air and supplying reformed water, humidified water, and the like.
[0019]
Further, the fuel cell system of the present invention includes a reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from a raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air, and a device that condenses moisture in the air. A water condensing unit for collecting water, a filtering unit for filtering the collected water, and a filtered water supply for supplying the filtered water as reformed water of the reformer or humidified water of the electrolyte membrane of the cell of the fuel cell. Means for distributing the output of the fuel cell to the load and the moisture condenser; and activating the output distributing means when the power generated by the fuel cell exceeds the power consumption of the load to generate excess power. And a control unit for supplying the water to the water condensing means.
[0020]
With such a configuration, it is possible to configure a fuel cell system capable of collecting moisture in the air with surplus power and supplying reformed water, humidified water, and the like.
[0021]
Further, the fuel cell system of the present invention includes a reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from raw fuel, a fuel cell that generates electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air, A water condensing means for condensing and collecting water, a filtering means for filtering the collected water, and a filtered water for supplying the filtered water as reforming water of the reformer or humidifying water of an electrolyte membrane of a cell of the fuel cell. Supply means, power storage means for temporarily storing electricity, output distribution means capable of distributing the output of the fuel cell to a load, the moisture condenser and the power storage means, and the power generated by the fuel cell being increased. A control unit that activates the output distribution unit when the power consumption of the load is exceeded to supply surplus power to at least one of the water condensation unit and the power storage unit.
[0022]
With such a configuration, it is possible to collect moisture in the air with surplus power to supply reformed water, humidification water, or the like, or to store surplus power in a power storage unit (for example, a secondary battery or a capacitor). It becomes. When the surplus power is large, both (water replenishment and power storage) are performed. When the surplus power is low, one of the two is performed (water replenishment or power storage). When the power storage means is sufficiently charged, It is also possible to take appropriate measures such as collecting moisture. Thereby, more effective use of surplus power can be performed.
[0023]
Preferably, the apparatus further includes a tank for temporarily storing the filtered water, and the filtered water supply unit supplies the filtered water from the tank. This makes it possible to store and use the collected water.
[0024]
Preferably, the water condensing means solidifies water vapor in the air by rapidly cooling the air. For example, water vapor is coagulated by cooling air by a heat exchange configuration similar to that of a dehumidifier. Further, a cooling surface is obtained by a heat exchange element such as a Peltier element, whereby water vapor in the air is solidified and water droplets are collected to obtain water. In addition, it is possible to cooperate with the air conditioning system in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
[0025]
Preferably, the filtering means includes an ion exchange resin that filters the collected water. Thereby, pure water can be obtained.
[0026]
Further, the fuel cell system of the present invention includes a fuel cell that supplies electric power to a load, a water collection unit that collects water from an external environment, a pure water generation unit that generates pure water from the collected water, Control means for operating the water collecting means with surplus power.
[0027]
With this configuration, pure water required for operation can be replenished from the surrounding or nearby environment where the fuel cell system is provided.
[0028]
Preferably, the water collecting means includes at least one of a condenser for condensing water in the air to collect water, a rainwater tank for collecting rainwater, and a condensed water tank for collecting condensed water of an air conditioner. Thereby, it becomes possible to collect moisture in the atmosphere.
[0029]
Preferably, the pure water generating means filters the collected water through an ion exchange resin. By using an ion exchange resin, it becomes possible to remove impurities contained in the collected water.
[0030]
Further, the fuel cell vehicle of the present invention is equipped with the above-described fuel cell system. As a result, a vehicle that is energy efficient and can extend the water replenishment interval as much as possible is obtained.
[0031]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0032]
In the embodiment of the fuel cell system of the present invention, the condenser is operated by the surplus power generated during the operation of the fuel cell, and the water vapor in the air (atmosphere) is condensed and collected as water droplets. The collected water is subjected to removal of impurities by a filtration membrane such as an ion exchange resin. The condensed water (pure water) is stored and used as humidified water for a reaction gas (reformed gas, oxidized air) of a fuel cell or reformed water for steam reforming of a reformer. Condensed water can be obtained, for example, by condensing water vapor in the air with a cooler using a so-called Vapor compression refrigerating cycle or an electronic cooling device using the Peltier effect. . If such a mechanism is mounted on a vehicle, the interval of pure water replenishment can be extended, which is favorable.
[0033]
FIG. 1 is a main block diagram of a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) equipped with the fuel cell system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell vehicle 10 includes a fuel cell system 10 functioning as an on-vehicle generator, a power control unit 20 for performing power distribution and power conversion control, and a motor for generating driving force for wheels 41 to 44. 31, a secondary battery 32 functioning as an auxiliary power source for the fuel cell 10, a condenser 33 for coagulating water vapor in the air, accessories 34 such as a wiper for driving the vehicle, and an air pump motor to be described later. And auxiliary equipment 35 used for the operation of the fuel cell 10, such as a fuel pump motor, a water pump, and a valve. In the illustrated example, the fuel cell vehicle 1 employs a front-wheel drive system for driving front wheels 41 and 42, and driven wheels 43 and 44 are disposed at the rear of the vehicle.
[0034]
The fuel cell system 10 includes a raw fuel tank 11 for storing a hydrocarbon-based raw fuel such as methanol and natural gas, a water tank 12 for storing water, and a mixture of raw fuel and water supplied from the tanks 11 and 12. A reformer 13 that reforms the solution to generate a hydrogen-rich fuel gas (reformed gas), a fuel cell 14 that converts chemical energy of the fuel gas supplied from the reformer 13 into electric energy, A pump 17 for supplying the air filtered by the air filter 16 as oxidized air to the fuel cell 14, a humidifier 18 for humidifying the oxidized air, a control unit 15 for controlling the entire fuel cell system 10, and the like. I have.
[0035]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the reformer 13. The reformer generally includes an evaporator 13a, a reformer 13b, and a CO reducer 13c. The evaporating unit 13a obtains a heat source by a burner that is supplied with fuel and combustion air to obtain high-temperature combustion gas, a catalyst (not shown) that reacts the fuel with combustion air to generate heat, and obtains a raw fuel and Water (reformed water) is converted into high-temperature gas. The raw fuel is supplied from the raw fuel tank 11 by a fuel pump (not shown) driven by a fuel pump motor 355 described later. The reforming water is supplied from the water tank 12 by a pump (not shown) driven by a water pump motor 357 described later. The reforming unit 13b reforms the high-temperature mixed gas with steam using a catalyst to generate hydrogen. Further, hydrogen is generated from the mixed gas by the partial oxidation method in response to the supply of the reforming air. A hydrogen-rich reformed gas is obtained by the reforming section 13b, and this gas contains a trace amount of carbon monoxide that reduces the function of the platinum catalyst of the fuel cell 14. This is reduced by reacting it with purification air by a selective oxidation method in the CO reduction section 13c. The combustion air, the reforming air, and the refining air described above are supplied from air pumps (not shown) driven by an air pump motor 353, which will be described later, via flow control valves 131 to 133, respectively. The supply amount of fuel and the supply amount of each air are set by the control unit 15 according to the required electric energy.
[0036]
The reformed gas is supplied from the reformer 13 to the hydrogen electrode of the fuel cell 14, and the oxidized air is supplied to the oxygen electrode via the air cleaner 16 and the air pump 17. The fuel cell 14 is a solid polymer electrolyte type fuel cell and has a stack structure in which a plurality of single cells are stacked. The humidification of the reformed gas and the oxidized air is performed to humidify the electrolyte membrane in order to secure the ion permeability of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane of each cell. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the oxidizing air is humidified by the humidifier 18 is illustrated because the supply amount of the oxidizing air is large and the oxidizing air is easily dried. Although not shown, the reformed gas side is also appropriately humidified. Polymer electrolyte fuel cells have the advantages of being able to start at room temperature, have a short start-up time, obtain a high current density at room temperature, can operate at low loads, and can be reduced in size and weight. It has excellent characteristics as a battery.
[0037]
The control unit 15 of the fuel cell system 10 communicates with a system controller 21 of a power control unit 20, which will be described later, so that auxiliary equipment 35 (such as an air pump 353 and a water pump 357) provided in the fuel cell system 10 (described below). 3), and controls the fuel cell system 10 so that the amount of power generated by the fuel cell 14 satisfies the required power of the system controller 21.
[0038]
The power control unit 20 plays a role of power distribution and power conversion to on-vehicle devices, and includes a system controller 21, a power distribution unit 22, and an accelerator 23. The system controller 21 detects the running load from the opening degree of the accelerator 23, the vehicle speed, the shift position, the brake depression amount, and the like, calculates the amount of electric power supplied to the motor 31, and controls the inverter (drive unit). Also, it requests the control unit 15 to supply a necessary amount of power. In addition, each unit and device are controlled in order to supply power to various devices and efficiently use surplus power according to the operation status. The power distribution unit 22 distributes the output power of the fuel cell 14 to the vehicle drive motor 31, the secondary battery 32, the auxiliary devices 33 and 35, etc. in accordance with an instruction from the system controller 21. When the output power of the fuel cell 14 becomes insufficient, the output of the secondary battery 32 is supplied to the motor 31. The energy generated by the regenerative braking of the motor 31 is stored in the secondary battery 32.
[0039]
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the power distribution unit 22 and a configuration example of the accessories 33 of the fuel cell 10. The power distribution unit 22 includes, for example, an inverter 22a, a DC-DC converter 22b, an inverter 22c, a DC-DC converter 22d, and the like.
[0040]
The inverter 22a is configured with a power switch element as a main circuit element, converts a DC current supplied from the fuel cell 14 into, for example, a three-phase AC current, and drives a vehicle motor 31 having a three-phase synchronous motor configuration. The motor speed (vehicle speed) is controlled by controlling the frequency of the three-phase alternating current. When the motor 31 functions as a generator during deceleration or the like, an output current generated in the motor 31 is supplied to the secondary battery 32 by regenerative control. The operation of the inverter 22a is controlled by the system controller 21.
[0041]
The DC-DC converter 22b rectifies the output voltage of the fuel cell 14 and the regenerative output of the motor 31 and performs charging in accordance with the charging voltage of the secondary battery 32. In addition, power is supplied to the inverter 22a by increasing the output voltage of the secondary battery 32 as desired. The operation of the DC-DC converter 22b is individually controlled by the system controller 21.
[0042]
The secondary battery 32 plays a role as a power source for starting the fuel cell system 14, a regenerative energy storage source during brake regeneration, and an energy buffer during a load change due to acceleration or deceleration of the fuel cell vehicle 1. Cadmium storage batteries, nickel-metal hydride storage batteries, lithium secondary batteries and the like are suitable. The capacity of the secondary battery 32 can be appropriately set according to the driving conditions, the driving performance (the maximum speed, the driving distance, and the like) of the fuel cell vehicle 1, the vehicle weight, and the like.
[0043]
It should be noted that a light-weight capacitor with a quick charging time can be used instead of the secondary battery. Further, the battery may be charged by a so-called floating charging method.
[0044]
The inverter 22c operates the condenser 33 according to a command from the system controller 21. The condenser 33 coagulates and liquefies the moisture (water vapor) in the air and collects it in a tank.
[0045]
FIG. 4 shows an example of the condenser 33 as water collecting means. This example constitutes a condenser for condensing water vapor in air on a surface cooled by a so-called compression refrigeration process. The motor 331 driven by the inverter 22c drives the compression pump 332 to compress the refrigerant gas to a high pressure. The compressed high-temperature refrigerant is radiated to the outside by the condenser 333 and stored in the tank 334. Further, the refrigerant evaporates into the evaporator 336 which has been depressurized through the nozzle (expansion valve) 335, absorbs the heat of the evaporator 336 and cools it, cools the air around the evaporator 336, and cools the surface of the evaporator 336 and its surroundings. Allow water to solidify. The refrigerant returns to the pump 332 and circulates. In addition, if necessary, appropriate air is blown to the condenser 333 and the evaporator 336 by the fan 337.
[0046]
The coagulated water is collected below and filtered by the ion exchange resin membrane 338. Thereby, the coagulated water becomes pure water and is stored in the storage tank 339. The stored water is supplied to the above-described humidifier 18 via the valve 340 to wet the internal filter. Thereby, the oxidizing air supplied from the pump 17 is humidified and supplied to the fuel cell. Since the water collected in this manner does not contain components such as hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid, there is little risk of attacking the electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell.
[0047]
The collected water may be used for humidifying the reformed gas. Moreover, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. A flow path, a valve, and the like for supplying coagulated water from the condenser 33 to a required portion correspond to filtered water supply means.
[0048]
FIG. 5 shows another configuration example of the condenser. In this example, a DC power supply (such as a DC-DC converter) 358 is used instead of the inverter 22c, and the condenser 359 is configured by electronic cooling. That is, heat is absorbed from the surrounding air by the heat absorbing surface of the heat exchange panel 359a utilizing the Peltier effect to cool the heat exchange panel, thereby condensing moisture on the surface and the like, and radiating heat to the outside from the heat generating surface by the fan 359b. The coagulated water is collected below and filtered by the ion exchange resin membrane 338. As a result, the solidified water collected by the condenser 359 is purified from pure impurities and stored in the storage tank 339. This water is available as above.
[0049]
As shown in FIG. 3, the condenser 359 can be provided as a type of the accessory 35 driven by the DC-DC converter 22d.
[0050]
FIG. 6 shows an example of another water collecting means. In this example, rain that has fallen on the roof or hood of the vehicle is collected in a rainwater collection tank 371 by a gutter or piping. Further, water dehumidified from indoor air by the vehicle air conditioner is collected in the condensed water tank 372 of the air conditioner. The pumps 362 and 363 are individually or simultaneously driven by the surplus electric power of the fuel cell 14, and the water collected in each tank is guided to the ion exchange resin membrane 338 and filtered. As a result, the water collected in the rainwater collection tank 371 and the air-conditioner condensed water tank 372 is purified and purified water is stored in the storage tank 339. This water can be used as humidifying water or reforming water as in the case of the condenser shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0051]
As shown in FIG. 3, the pump 362 is driven by a drive circuit 360 and a pump motor 361. The pump 364 is driven by a drive circuit 362 and a pump motor 363. When the system controller 21 detects that the recovered water is stored in the tank 371 or 372 by a sensor (not shown), the system controller 21 controls the drive circuits 360 and 362 with the surplus electric power, and converts the recovered water in the tanks 371 and 372 into the ion exchange resin 338. And stored in a storage tank 339. The fuel cell system is provided with all or any of the above-mentioned condenser, rainwater recovery tank, air conditioner condensed water recovery tank, etc. as water collecting means, and collects water from the surrounding environment to supply pure water.
[0052]
The DC-DC converter 22d converts the voltage and mainly supplies power to the accessories 35 of the fuel cell system 10. The accessories include a motor 353 for driving the air pump for supplying the oxidizing air, a motor 355 for driving the fuel pump, and a motor 357 for driving the water pump. These motors 353, 355 and 357 are controlled by drive circuits 352 to 356 controlled by the control unit 15, respectively. In addition, a secondary battery 351 can be disposed in the accessories 35 for the purpose of buffering or the like.
[0053]
The power supply of the auxiliary equipment 34 of the vehicle is the same as that of the auxiliary equipment 35, and the description thereof will be omitted.
[0054]
With the above-described configuration, the system controller 21 calculates the electric power to be supplied to the motor 31 based on the vehicle running load and the like, and issues an instruction necessary for obtaining a desired power generation amount in the fuel cell system 10 to the control unit 15. Give to. The control unit 15 appropriately adjusts the flow rates of the reformed gas and the oxidizing gas to be supplied to the fuel cell 14 to obtain electric power required for traveling. The electric power generated by the fuel cell system 10 is supplied to the motor 31 and other accessories via the power control unit 20.
[0055]
By the way, since the fuel cell system is a chemical plant, there is a certain delay between the time when a required power supply is instructed and the power is supplied.
[0056]
FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating such an example. When a command is issued from the system controller 21 to the control unit 15 as shown in FIG. 7A so as to reduce the required electric energy, the control unit 15 sends the flow control valves 131 to 133 and pumps for raw fuel and water. The amount of reformed gas (hydrogen-rich gas) generated is reduced as shown in FIG. 7B by adjusting the pressure and the motor to reduce the supply to the reformer 13.
[0057]
In this case, as shown in FIG. 7C, the response of the amount of generated hydrogen to the required amount of power is delayed, so that excess hydrogen is generated. This surplus hydrogen becomes surplus power in the fuel cell 14. In the present invention, the condenser 33 is operated with the surplus power to collect humidified water.
[0058]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the system controller 21 in this case.
[0059]
The system controller 21 shifts to the present routine by executing an event process of the present routine that occurs at predetermined intervals determined in a main control program (not shown). First, the system controller 21 calculates a required power amount to be required for the fuel cell system 10 (S12). The required amount of power is determined by the amount of depression of the accelerator by the driver (required driving force to the motor 31), the power used by the operating auxiliary devices 34 and 35, the state of charge of the secondary battery 32, and the like.
[0060]
Next, the current amount of power that can be output from the fuel cell 14 is calculated (S14). The outputable electric energy can be calculated from the supply flow rate of the reformed gas from the reformer 13 to the fuel cell, the supply flow rate of the oxidizing air, the voltage state of the fuel cell, and the like.
[0061]
The system controller 21 compares the required power with the current power that can be generated (S16). As a result, when surplus power is generated (S16; YES), the system controller 21 activates the inverter 22c of the power distribution unit 22, and supplies the output of the fuel cell 14 to the condenser 33. Thus, the motor 351 described above operates to collect the condensed water. When electronic cooling is employed, the condenser 359 is operated. If water is collected in the rainwater tank 371 or the air conditioner condensed water tank, the collected water is stored in the pure water tank 339 via the ion exchange resin (S18). Here, when the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 32 has decreased, the secondary battery 32 may be charged with surplus power. In addition, when the electric power is also supplied from the motor 31 by the regenerative operation of the motor 31 in addition to the surplus of the output power of the fuel cell 14, the driving of the condenser 33 and the like is performed in order to sufficiently recover the energy. And charging of the secondary battery may be performed simultaneously. After that, the system controller 21 returns to the main control program and repeats the same processing.
[0062]
When no surplus power is generated (S16; YES), the required power is generated in the fuel cell 14. Further, when the output power of the fuel cell 14 is insufficient, the DC-DC converter 22b is operated to supply power from the secondary battery 32 to the primary side to compensate for the shortage (S20). Thereafter, the system controller 21 returns to the main control program.
[0063]
In this way, when it is determined that the surplus power is generated, the surplus power is used to generate coagulated water from the air.
[0064]
Since water collected from the air does not contain hydrofluoric acid or sulfuric acid as compared with water drained from a fuel cell, it is convenient to use as humidifying water for reaction gas (reformed gas, oxidized air). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used as makeup water for a water tank. In addition, it is possible to further increase the energy utilization by sharing the condenser with the air conditioner in the vehicle compartment or by using the condenser as a dehumidifier in the vehicle compartment.
[0065]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the fuel cell system of the present invention, water is generated by utilizing surplus power, which is favorable.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a fuel cell system of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a reformer of a fuel cell system.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a power distribution unit of the fuel cell system of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of a condensing section (water collecting means) of the fuel cell system of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another configuration example of the condensing section of the fuel cell system of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of the water collecting means of the fuel cell system of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating generation of surplus power in the fuel cell system.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation of a system controller in the fuel cell system of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Fuel cell vehicle, 10 ... Fuel cell system, 20 ... Power control unit, 31 ... Drive motor, 32 ... Secondary battery, 33 ... Condenser

Claims (13)

Moisture condensing means for condensing moisture in the air to produce water,
Filtration means for filtering the generated water,
A fuel cell using filtered water;
A fuel cell system comprising: The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising control means for operating the water condensing means using surplus power of the fuel cell. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell uses the filtered water for humidifying an electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell. A reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from raw fuel,
A fuel cell that generates electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air;
A water condensing means for condensing water in the air to collect water,
Filtration means for filtering the collected water,
Filtered water supply means for supplying filtered water as reforming water of the reformer or humidifying water of an electrolyte membrane of a cell of the fuel cell,
A control unit that supplies at least a part of the power generated by the fuel cell to the water condensation unit and collects the condensed water,
A fuel cell system comprising: A reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from raw fuel,
A fuel cell that generates electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air and a water condensing unit that condenses water in the air to collect water,
Filtration means for filtering the collected water,
Filtered water supply means for supplying filtered water as reforming water of the reformer or humidifying water of an electrolyte membrane of a cell of the fuel cell,
Output distribution means for distributing the output of the fuel cell to a load and the moisture condenser;
A control unit that activates the output distribution unit when the generated power of the fuel cell exceeds the power consumption of the load to supply surplus power to the moisture condensing unit;
A fuel cell system comprising: A reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from raw fuel,
A fuel cell that generates electricity from the reformed gas and supplied air;
A water condensing means for condensing water in the air to collect water,
Filtration means for filtering the collected water,
Filtered water supply means for supplying filtered water as reforming water of the reformer or humidifying water of an electrolyte membrane of a cell of the fuel cell,
Power storage means for temporarily storing electricity;
Output distribution means capable of distributing the output of the fuel cell to the load, the moisture condenser and the power storage means,
A control unit that activates the output distribution unit when the generated power of the fuel cell exceeds the power consumption of the load to supply surplus power to at least one of the moisture condensing unit and the power storage unit;
A fuel cell system comprising: Further, a tank for temporarily storing the filtered water is provided,
The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the filtered water supply unit supplies the filtered water from the tank. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the water condensing unit solidifies water vapor in the air by rapidly cooling the air. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the filtration unit is an ion exchange resin that uses the collected water as pure water. A fuel cell that supplies power to the load;
Water collection means for collecting water from the external environment;
Pure water generating means for generating pure water from the collected water,
Control means for operating the water collecting means with surplus power of the fuel cell,
A fuel cell system comprising: The water collecting means includes a condenser that collects water by condensing moisture in the air, a rainwater tank that collects rainwater, and at least one of a condensed water tank that collects condensed water of an air conditioner.
The fuel cell system according to claim 10. The fuel cell system according to claim 10, wherein the pure water generation unit filters collected water through an ion exchange resin. A vehicle using the fuel cell system according to claim 1.

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