JP2006073473A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell system capable of preventing liquid from being sucked into a gas exhaust part together with gas when the liquid moves to a liquid exhaust part and the gas to the gas exhaust part, respectively, after the fluid passes through an impurity eliminator, and capable of improving a gas liquid separating property. <P>SOLUTION: The impurity eliminator 20 for removing impurities mixing into fluid is installed at exhaust paths 11, 13 where the fluid exhausted from a fuel cell 100 is circulated, the gas exhaust part and the liquid exhaust part are arranged at the downstream of a fluid outlet of the impurity eliminator 20, and a liquid movement restraining means for restraining the liquid in the fluid exhausted from the fluid outlet from moving to the gas exhaust part is installed between at least either the gas exhaust part or the liquid exhaust part and the impurity eliminator 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system, and more particularly to a fuel cell system in which an impurity remover for removing impurities mixed in the fluid is disposed in a discharge passage through which a fluid discharged from the fuel cell flows.

  Conventionally, in a fuel cell system including a fuel cell, not all supplied hydrogen is used for a cell reaction. Therefore, a circulation system is used in which the discharged unreacted hydrogen is returned to the fuel cell for effective use. The exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell and the water generated by the cell reaction of the fuel cell ( A gas-liquid separator for removing water from the gas-liquid mixed fluid that is mixed with the product water is provided.

  Here, in the gas and water flowing in the hydrogen circulation system, there are a small amount of impurities eluted from the fuel cell and the piping parts of the system. Impurities may also enter from the air sucked from the outside air of the cathode system and pass through the electrolyte membrane and enter the hydrogen circulation system. In particular, when metal ions are present in impurities eluted from fuel cell or piping parts of the system, there is a risk of reducing the function and life of the fuel cell itself. Moreover, the water produced | generated within a fuel cell may become acidic. Therefore, conventionally, a method has been adopted in which an ion exchanger is provided in the hydrogen circulation system to suppress deterioration of the fuel cell due to generated water, gas, or the like.

  In recent years, a polymer electrolyte fuel is provided on the polymer electrolyte fuel cell side of at least one discharge pipe from which the generated water of the fuel cell is discharged, and removes ions contained in the generated water accompanying the exhaust gas. A battery system is introduced. In this polymer electrolyte fuel cell system, it is disclosed that an ion exchange resin is used to remove fluorine ions as means for removing ions contained in the generated water. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

There is also a fuel cell power generator in which an impurity removing member is arranged on the air side exhaust manifold of the fuel cell. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-313404 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-312166

  Here, after the fluid (gas-liquid mixture) passes through the impurity removing member (ion exchange resin), the liquid moves to the liquid discharge portion and the gas moves to the gas discharge portion. At this time, it is necessary to prevent the liquid from being entangled with the gas in the gas discharge part, improve the gas-liquid separation property, and supply only the gas to the gas discharge part.

  However, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system described in Patent Document 1 separates a fluid (gas-liquid mixture) into a liquid and a gas, and then passes the separated liquid through an ion exchange resin. Impurities are removed from the liquid. That is, in the state of the fluid (gas-liquid mixture), since it does not pass through the ion exchange resin, it is not necessary to consider that the liquid that has passed through the ion exchange resin is involved in the gas discharge part together with the gas. Therefore, as a matter of course, a configuration for preventing the liquid that has passed through the ion exchange resin from being caught in the gas discharge portion together with the gas is not disclosed.

  In addition, the fuel cell power generation device described in Patent Document 2 also describes a configuration for preventing the liquid that has passed through the impurity removal member from being caught in the gas discharge unit together with the gas and improving the gas-liquid separation property. It has not been.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the conventional fuel cell system. After the gas-liquid mixed fluid passes through the impurity remover, the liquid moves to the liquid discharge section and the gas moves to the gas discharge section. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system capable of preventing the liquid from being caught in the gas discharge part together with the gas and improving the gas-liquid separation property.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention is a fuel cell system in which an impurity remover for removing impurities mixed in the fluid is disposed in a discharge passage through which the fluid discharged from the fuel cell flows. A gas discharge part and a liquid discharge part are provided downstream of the fluid outlet of the impurity remover, and are discharged from the fluid outlet between at least one of the gas discharge part and the liquid discharge part and the impurity remover. A fuel cell system is provided in which liquid movement suppressing means for suppressing movement of liquid in the fluid to the gas discharge portion is provided.

  In the fuel cell system having this configuration, the liquid in the fluid discharged from the fluid outlet moves to the gas discharge portion between at least one of the gas discharge portion and the liquid discharge portion and the impurity remover. Since the liquid movement restraining means is provided to suppress this, when the fluid passes through the impurity remover, the liquid moves to the liquid discharge section and the gas moves to the gas discharge section. It can be prevented from moving to the part (for example, being entrained with the gas). Therefore, gas-liquid separation performance can be improved.

  That is, after the fluid passes through the impurity remover, when the liquid moves to the liquid discharge portion and the gas moves to the gas discharge portion, the gas moves to the liquid discharge portion together with the liquid. It also functions as a gas movement suppressing means for suppressing.

  The liquid movement suppressing unit may include a liquid mass increasing unit that increases the mass of the liquid at a fluid outlet of the impurity remover. With such a configuration, the mass of the liquid can be increased, so that the kinetic (gravity) energy of the liquid with respect to the gas can be increased, and the gas and liquid can be separated efficiently. Moreover, the liquid can be further easily moved to the liquid discharge portion by gravity. Furthermore, since the liquid droplets can be enlarged, the liquid can be further prevented from moving to the gas discharge section.

  Further, in the fuel cell system according to the present invention, the fluid outlet of the impurity remover includes a porous member in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the liquid mass increasing means has a configuration including the plurality of holes. it can. By configuring in this way, the liquid can collect in each of the through holes, and the liquid droplets of the liquid can be enlarged.

  Further, in the fuel cell system according to the present invention, the liquid mass increasing means can be configured to include a liquid concentration means for concentrating the liquid in a predetermined region of the fluid outlet. Even with this configuration, the liquid can be concentrated to increase the mass.

  The liquid concentration means may include an inclined surface that guides the liquid to move toward the predetermined area. Moreover, the said inclined surface can be made to incline toward a gravitational direction as it leaves | separates from the said gas discharge part.

  Further, the fuel cell system according to the present invention may have a configuration in which the fluid outlet of the impurity remover includes a porous member in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the inclined surface is formed by the porous member. With this configuration, the liquid can be concentrated along the inclined surface by gravity, and the concentrated liquid can be further collected in each of the through holes to increase the size of the droplet. Therefore, the liquid can be more reliably prevented from moving to the gas discharge part, and the liquid can be further easily moved to the liquid discharge part.

  Further, when the fluid outlet of the impurity remover is formed of a porous member in which a plurality of through holes are formed and the inclined surface is formed at the fluid outlet, the plurality of through holes have an opening area of the gas It can form so that it may become large as it leaves | separates from a discharge part. By configuring in this way, the portion where the liquid is concentrated can be moved away from the gas discharge portion, and the gas discharge portion can be disposed above the portion where the liquid is concentrated. , The liquid can be more reliably prevented from moving to the gas discharge part.

  In the fuel cell system according to the present invention, the fluid inlet of the impurity remover includes a porous member in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the impurity remover has a fluid passage direction determined by the inclination angle of the inclined surface. Depending on the length, the opening area of the through hole of the fluid inlet can be determined. With this configuration, even if there is a difference in the length from the fluid inlet side of the impurity remover to the fluid outlet (distance through which the liquid passes), the longer the length, the more liquid is discharged from the fluid outlet. Since it becomes easy, the discharge process of a liquid can be performed more smoothly.

  Further, the through hole of the fluid inlet can be formed so that the opening area thereof becomes larger as the length of the impurity remover in the fluid passage direction becomes longer. With this configuration, a relatively large amount of fluid flows into a region where the length from the fluid inlet side to the fluid outlet of the impurity remover is long, and a region where the length from the fluid inlet side to the fluid outlet is short. Since a relatively small amount of fluid flows in, the flow rate of the liquid with respect to the passage length of the liquid is constantly complemented even if the length from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet of the impurity remover is different. The impurity remover can be used more efficiently.

  Furthermore, the liquid movement control means of the fuel cell system according to the present invention can include a fluid flow rate lowering means that is provided at the inlet of the gas discharge part and reduces the flow rate of the fluid. By configuring in this manner, the fluid speed is reduced, so that it is possible to prevent a liquid having a large mass from being caught by the gas, and it is possible to suppress the liquid from moving to the gas discharge unit.

  The fluid flow velocity lowering means may have a configuration in which the opening area of the inlet of the gas discharge part is larger than the opening area on the downstream side of the gas discharge part.

  Further, the liquid movement control means of the fuel cell system according to the present invention is provided between the fluid outlet of the impurity remover and the inlet of the gas discharge section, and includes a fluid deflection means for deflecting the fluid flow. It can be prepared. By configuring in this way, it is possible to deflect the moving direction of the liquid having a large mass in an arbitrary direction (a direction away from the gas discharge unit), and thus it is possible to prevent the liquid from moving to the gas discharge unit. This can be prevented more reliably.

  The fluid deflecting means may be configured to guide the liquid in the fluid in a predetermined direction, or may be disposed at the inlet of the gas discharge unit.

  Moreover, the liquid movement control means of the fuel cell system according to the present invention may be configured to include liquid guiding means for guiding the liquid in the fluid from the fluid outlet of the impurity remover to the liquid outlet. By comprising in this way, it can prevent more reliably that a liquid moves to the said gas discharge part.

  The liquid guiding means can be configured to guide the liquid in a direction away from the gas discharge unit.

  Furthermore, the liquid movement control means of the fuel cell system according to the present invention is provided with a liquid collecting member that is provided in the gas discharge section and allows the gas in the fluid to pass therethrough and collects the liquid. You can also. By comprising in this way, even if a liquid moves to the said gas discharge part, it can be collected by the said liquid collection member, and can be made to discharge to a liquid discharge part.

  The impurity remover of the fuel cell system according to the present invention includes an impurity removal member, a case that houses the impurity removal member, a gas discharge that is defined by the case and forms a part of the gas discharge unit. A fluid inlet for allowing the fluid to flow into the impurity removal member on the upstream surface of the case, and discharging the fluid that has passed through the impurity removal member on the downstream surface of the case. A fluid outlet can be formed.

  Moreover, an impurity remover may be disposed in the gas-liquid separator. This gas-liquid separator may be configured to separate gas and liquid by generating a swirling flow.

  The fuel cell system according to the present invention includes the liquid movement suppressing means for suppressing the liquid in the fluid discharged from the fluid outlet of the impurity remover from moving to the gas discharge portion. When the liquid moves to the liquid discharge portion and the gas moves to the gas discharge portion after passing through the liquid, it is possible to prevent the liquid from being caught in the gas discharge portion together with the gas. Can have.

  Next, a fuel cell system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the Example described below is the illustration for demonstrating this invention, and this invention is not limited only to these Examples. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the vicinity of an ion exchange resin member as a gas-liquid separator and an impurity remover built in the fuel cell system shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV shown in FIG.

  In the first embodiment, a description will be given of a circulation passage disposed in a hydrogen circulation system as an example of a discharge passage through which a fluid discharged from the fuel cell flows.

  The fuel cell 100 of the fuel cell system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes an MEA, a fuel gas (hydrogen) at the fuel electrode (anode) of the MEA, and an oxidant gas (oxygen, normal) at the oxidant electrode (cathode). Is provided with a built-in stack comprising a plurality of stacked cells and separators that form flow paths for supplying air).

  An air supply passage 102 for supplying air as an oxidizing gas is connected to the air supply port 101 of the fuel cell 100, and air discharged from the fuel cell 100 and air from which water is discharged are connected to the air discharge port 103. A discharge passage 104 is connected. Further, one end of the hydrogen circulation system 10 is connected to the hydrogen supply port 105 of the fuel cell 100, and the other end of the hydrogen circulation system 10 is connected to the hydrogen discharge port 106.

  The hydrogen circulation system 10 circulates unreacted hydrogen out of unreacted hydrogen and generated water discharged from the fuel cell 100, and supplies the unreacted hydrogen together with new hydrogen into the fuel cell 100. To be discharged. The hydrogen circulation system 10 includes a circulation passage 11 having one end connected to the hydrogen discharge port 106 and a gas-liquid separator connected to the other end of the circulation passage 11 to separate hydrogen and water introduced from the circulation passage 11. 12, an ion exchange resin member 20 as an impurity remover disposed in the gas-liquid separator 12, a circulation passage 13 into which the gas discharged from the gas-liquid separator 12 is introduced, and downstream of the circulation passage 13 A circulation pump 15 connected to the side and serving as a circulation power of the hydrogen circulation system 10, one end being connected to the hydrogen supply port 105 to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell 100, and the other end being a downstream end of the circulation passage 13. And a hydrogen supply passage 16 connected at the junction A. Reference numeral 24 denotes a valve that adjusts the hydrogen pressure when supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell 100.

  The gas-liquid separator 12 has a hollow and substantially cylindrical shape, and discharges the gas-liquid inlet 18 for introducing hydrogen and water discharged from the circulation passage 11 and the gas separated in the gas-liquid separator 12. A gas discharge port 19 is formed. The gas discharge port 19 communicates with the cylindrical gas passage 23 defining the hollow of the gas-liquid separator 12 and is connected to the circulation passage 13, and is separated from the fluid F by the gas-liquid separator 12. The generated hydrogen is passed to the circulation passage 13. In the first embodiment, the gas passage 23 and the gas discharge port 19 constitute a gas discharge portion referred to in the present invention.

  In addition, a drain port 17 that contains water separated from the fluid F and discharges it to the outside is formed in communication with the lower portion of the gas-liquid separator 12. The drain port 17 is provided with a drain valve (not shown) having a structure in which only water separated by the gas-liquid separator 12 is discharged to the outside and hydrogen is not discharged to the outside. And in Example 1, the liquid discharge part said by this invention is comprised by the downstream from the ion exchange resin member 20 explained in full detail behind the gas-liquid separator 12, and the drain port 17 formed in communication with this. ing.

  In the first embodiment, as the gas-liquid separator 12, a cyclone type gas-liquid separator that separates gas and liquid by swirling the fluid F (gas-liquid mixture) introduced from the gas-liquid inlet 18 is used. It was used.

  The ion exchange resin member 20 contains a cation exchange resin and an anion exchange resin in a case 30, and the case 30 is disposed in contact with the inner wall of the gas-liquid separator 12. For this reason, the gas introduced from the gas-liquid inlet 18 and separated from the fluid F passes through the ion exchange resin member 20 and is then exhausted from the gas discharge port 19 to the circulation passage 13. In addition, although the ion exchange resin which is a component of the ion exchange resin member 20 is a particulate form normally, a fibrous thing can also be used.

  The case 30 is disposed so as to surround the gas passage 23 so that the gas passage 23 is substantially in the center, and accommodates the above-described cation exchange resin and anion exchange resin that are constituent elements of the ion exchange resin member 20 therein. It has a hollow, generally cylindrical shape in which a space is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface 34 (fluid outlet) of the case 30 is inclined downward from the liquid passage 23 toward the outer peripheral portion, that is, is inclined toward the direction of gravity as the distance from the gas passage 23 increases. It has become an inclined surface. The inclined surface guides the liquid flowing into the ion exchange resin member 20 to move in particular toward the outer peripheral portion, and plays a role of concentrating the liquid on this portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of through holes 35 are formed in the lower surface 34 of the case 30. A fluid outlet is formed by the lower surface 34 of the case 30, and the fluid is discharged from the through hole 35.

  Further, a deflection guide portion 37 curved in a direction away from the gas passage 23 is formed at a boundary portion between the lower surface 34 of the case 30 and the gas passage 23. The deflection guide portion 37 plays a role of guiding the flow of fluid that has reached this portion by deflecting it in a direction away from the gas passage 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface 32 (fluid inlet) of the case 30 is an inclined surface that is recessed (concave) downward in a mortar shape from the outer peripheral portion toward the liquid passage 23. And as shown in FIG. 4, the several through-hole 33 is radially arrange | positioned toward the outer peripheral part from the liquid channel | path 23 in zigzag form. These through holes 33 are formed so that the opening area of the through holes 33 formed on the outer peripheral side is larger than the opening area of the through holes 33 formed on the fluid passage 23 side of the case 30. .

  The arrangement and opening area of the through holes 33 formed on the upper surface 32 of the case 30 are determined by the inclined surface formed on the lower surface 34 of the case 30. Specifically, the length from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20 is determined by the inclined surface formed on the lower surface 34 of the case 30, and the penetration formed at a position where this length is long. The hole 33 is formed to have a larger opening area. By doing so, a large amount of fluid flows into the outer peripheral side of the ion exchange resin member 20 that has a long length from the fluid inlet side to the fluid outlet, and a short gas from the fluid inlet side to the fluid outlet. Since a small amount of fluid flows into the passage 23 side, the flow rate of the fluid with respect to the passage length of the liquid can be supplemented to be constant, and the entire ion exchange resin member 20 is used more efficiently. be able to.

In the fuel cell system 1 having this configuration, when hydrogen and air are supplied to the fuel cell 100 and an electric reaction is started,
On the fuel electrode (anode) side, H ₂ → 2H ⁺ + 2e ⁻
On the oxidant electrode (cathode) side, (1/2) O ₂ + 2H ⁺ + 2e ⁻ → H ₂ O
As a whole fuel cell, H ₂ + (1/2) O ₂ → H ₂ O
Reaction occurs. By this cell reaction, unreacted hydrogen is discharged to the circulation passage 11 through the hydrogen discharge port 106 together with the generated water on the fuel electrode (anode) side.

  The fluid F (product water and unreacted hydrogen) discharged to the circulation passage 11 is moved to the gas-liquid separator 12 by the power of the circulation pump 15, where gas (hydrogen) and liquid (water) are converted. To be separated. Specifically, after the fluid F that has flowed into the ion exchange resin member 20 moves downward through the ion exchange resin member 20, the gas passes through holes 35 formed in the lower surface 34 of the ion exchange resin member 20. And is moved to the circulation passage 13 via the gas passage 23 and the gas discharge port 19 by the cyclone.

  On the other hand, of the fluid F that has flowed into the ion exchange resin member 20, particularly the liquid passes through the ion exchange resin member 20, moves below the ion exchange resin member 20, and is formed on the lower surface 34 of the case 30. It moves toward the outer peripheral part of the ion exchange resin member 20 along the surface, and concentrates and accumulates on the outer peripheral part side. Therefore, since the mass of the liquid can be increased, the kinetic (gravity) energy of the liquid with respect to the gas can be increased, and the gas and liquid can be separated efficiently. Further, the liquid can be more easily moved to the drain port 17 by gravity.

  Further, the liquid is discharged from the through hole 35 formed in the lower surface 34 of the case 30. At this time, since the droplets are enlarged around the through hole 35, the liquid is, for example, It can be further prevented from moving to the gas passage 23 by getting on the gas cyclone and being entrained with the gas. The liquid discharged from the through hole 35 moves from below the gas-liquid separator 12 to the drain port 17 by gravity.

  Further, since the fluid reaching the vicinity of the gas passage 23 of the ion exchange resin member 20 is guided in the direction away from the gas passage 23 by the deflection guide portion 37, the liquid rides on the gas cyclone and enters the gas passage. It is further prevented from being caught in 23. The impurities contained in the fluid are adsorbed on the ion exchange resin member 20.

  In addition, since the ion exchange resin member 20 is disposed in the gas-liquid separator 12, that is, the space that originally exists in the gas-liquid separator 12 is used as a space for the ion-exchange resin member 20, ion exchange is performed. By disposing the resin member 20, the fuel cell system 1 itself does not increase in size. In addition, the number of parts for disposing the ion exchange resin member 20 is minimal, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

  In Example 1, an inclined surface is formed at the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20, a plurality of through holes 35 are formed, a deflection guide portion 37 is further formed, and the fluid is discharged from the through holes 35. Although it demonstrated, not only this but only the inclined surface may be formed in the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20, and only the through-hole 35 is formed without inclining the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20. Alternatively, only the deflection guide portion 37 may be provided. Moreover, you may combine 2 types of these suitably.

  Moreover, in Example 1, although the case where a cyclone type gas-liquid separator was used as the gas-liquid separator 12 was demonstrated, not only this but the ion exchange resin member 20 is a gas-liquid separator of another system. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to the case of using. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, an ion exchange resin member 20 configured to gradually increase the fluid passage length from the upper part to the lower part may be disposed in the gas-liquid separator 120. That is, the upper part, which is a region through which a gas having a relatively small impurity content and a light mass mainly passes, shortens the passage time of the ion exchange resin member 20, has a relatively large impurity content, and mass. The lower part, which is a region through which heavy liquid mainly passes, can efficiently remove impurities by lengthening the passage time of the ion exchange resin member 20.

  In addition, the inclination angle of the inclined surface formed at the fluid outlet of the case 30, the number of the through holes 35, the arrangement location, the size, and the like can be arbitrarily determined.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the inclined surface is formed at the fluid inlet of the ion exchange resin member 20 and the plurality of through holes 33 are formed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fluid inlet of the ion exchange resin member 20 is formed. The shape of may be determined arbitrarily.

  Next, a fuel cell system according to Example 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an ion exchange resin member as a gas-liquid separator and an impurity remover built in the gas-liquid separator according to Example 2 of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the same members as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cell system according to the second embodiment differs from the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment in the shape of the gas passage 23. That is, the gas passage 23 according to the second embodiment has a substantially conical shape whose diameter increases toward the fluid inlet (the lower side in FIG. 6), and the fluid inlet end is more than the case 30. It is formed to extend downward.

  Since the gas passage 23 having this configuration has a large opening area at the inlet of the fluid, the velocity of the gas passing therethrough can be reduced. Therefore, the kinetic energy of the gas can be reduced, and the liquid can be prevented from being caught in the gas passage 23 by the gas cyclone.

  In addition, in Example 2, although the case where the inclined surface was formed in the fluid exit of the ion exchange resin member 20 and the several through-hole 35 was formed was demonstrated, not only this but the shape of the gas channel | path 23 was mentioned above. It is possible to prevent the liquid from being caught in the gas passage 23 by the gas cyclone only by using the conical shape.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the inlet end of the gas passage 23 is formed to extend downward from the case 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the inlet end of the gas passage 23 extends from the case 30. You may form continuously, without extending. In this case, a deflection guide portion 37 curved in a direction away from the gas passage 23 may be provided at a boundary portion between the lower surface 34 of the case 30 and the gas passage 23.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the entrance end of the substantially conical gas passage 23 may be provided with a deflection guide portion 47 that extends downward from the case 30 and curves away from the gas passage 23. Good.

  Next, a fuel cell system according to Example 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an ion exchange resin member as a gas-liquid separator according to Example 3 of the present invention and an impurity remover incorporated in the gas-liquid separator, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the ion exchange resin member shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the state in which a droplet falls to a drain outlet through the guide member arrange | positioned. In the third embodiment, the same members as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fuel cell system according to Example 3 is different from the fuel cell system according to Example 1 in the through-hole 35 formed at the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20. A guide member 39 is provided as a liquid guiding means for guiding the liquid in the fluid discharged from the through hole 35 to the drain port 17.

  The guide member 39 is formed of a thin cylindrical rod-like member extending substantially parallel to the direction of gravity, and the tip thereof is fixed to the inner wall of the lower part of the gas-liquid separator 12. The guide members 39 may be disposed in all the through holes 35 or in arbitrary through holes 35. As shown in FIG. 9, the liquid in the fluid discharged from the through hole 35 travels through the guide member 39 to become a droplet W, and drops to the drain port 17 while increasing its mass.

  By comprising in this way, it can prevent reliably that a liquid is caught in the cyclone of gas and moves to the gas channel | path 23 with gas.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the guide member 39 may extend in a direction away from the gas passage 23, and the tip thereof may be fixed to the inner wall at the lower part of the gas-liquid separator 12. In this way, since the droplet W (see FIG. 11) can be moved away from the gas passage 23, it is further ensured that the liquid is caught in the gas cyclone and moves to the gas passage 23 together with the gas. Can be prevented.

  In the third embodiment, the case where the tip of the guide member 39 is fixed to the inner wall of the lower part of the gas-liquid separator 12 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the tip of the guide member 39 is not necessarily the tip of the gas-liquid separator 12. It does not have to be fixed to the lower inner wall.

  Further, in the third embodiment, the case where a thin cylindrical rod-like member is disposed as the guide member 39 has been described. However, the guide member 39 is not limited thereto, and the guide member 39 may be, for example, a polygonal column shape, a chain shape, a net shape, or the like. Other shapes may be provided as long as the liquid can be guided toward the drain port 17.

  In the third embodiment, the case where the inclined surface is formed at the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20 and the plurality of through holes 35 are formed has been described. However, the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20 is not limited to this. It is possible to prevent the liquid from being caught in the gas passage 23 by the gas cyclone only by providing the guide member 39 on the surface.

  Next, a fuel cell system according to Example 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an ion exchange resin member as a gas-liquid separator according to Example 4 of the present invention and an impurity remover incorporated therein, and FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the state by which the droplet collected by the arrange | positioned liquid collection member falls to a drain outlet. It is. In the fourth embodiment, the same members as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the fuel cell system according to the fourth embodiment is different from the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment in that liquid is collected in the fluid passage 23 of the ion exchange resin member 20. This is the point that a liquid collecting member 41 is provided.

  The liquid collection member 41 is made of a substantially disk-shaped member having a fine mesh, is fixed to the inner wall of the gas passage 23, and has a function of allowing the gas to pass and collecting the liquid. In this way, by arranging the liquid collecting member 41, even if a part of the liquid enters the fluid passage 23 together with the gas, the liquid is collected to form a droplet, and the drain port 17 Can be discharged.

  The shape of the liquid collection member 41 is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of allowing gas to pass and collecting liquid.

  In the fourth embodiment, the case where the inclined surface is formed at the fluid outlet of the ion exchange resin member 20 and the plurality of through holes 35 are formed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the liquid collecting member 41 is provided in the gas passage 23. The liquid can be prevented from entering only by disposing the liquid crystal.

  In addition, although Example 1-Example 4 mentioned above demonstrated the case where the ion exchange resin member 20 was arrange | positioned in the circulation path of the hydrogen circulation system 10, it is not restricted to this but the ion exchange resin member 20 concerning this invention. May be disposed in an oxidizing gas (air) supply system, or may be disposed in another piping system.

  Moreover, although Example 1-Example 4 mentioned above demonstrated the case where the ion exchange resin member 20 was arrange | positioned as an impurity remover, not only this but an impurity remover removes the impurity in a fluid. If possible, it is not necessary to have a configuration mainly composed of an ion exchange resin.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the case where the ion exchange resin member 20 (impurity remover) is disposed in the cyclone type gas-liquid separator that separates the gas-liquid using the swirl flow has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the impurity remover according to the present invention may be disposed in a gas-liquid separator that performs gas-liquid separation by another method.

It is a schematic block diagram of the fuel cell system concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the ion-exchange resin member vicinity as a gas-liquid separator of the fuel cell system shown in FIG. 1, and the impurity removal device incorporated in this. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line | wire shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the IV-IV line shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the fuel cell system concerning the other Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the ion-exchange resin member vicinity as a gas-liquid separator concerning Example 2 of this invention, and the impurity removal device incorporated in this. It is sectional drawing which shows the ion-exchange resin member vicinity as a gas-liquid separator concerning the other Example of this invention, and the impurity removal device incorporated in this. It is sectional drawing which shows the ion exchange resin member vicinity as a gas-liquid separator concerning Example 3 of this invention, and the impurity removal device incorporated in this. It is a figure which shows typically the state in which a droplet falls to a drain outlet through the guide member arrange | positioned at the ion exchange resin member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the ion-exchange resin member vicinity as a gas-liquid separator concerning the other Example of this invention, and the impurity removal device incorporated in this. It is a figure which shows typically the state in which a droplet falls to a drain outlet through the guide member arrange | positioned at the ion exchange resin member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the ion-exchange resin member vicinity as a gas-liquid separator concerning Example 4 of this invention, and the impurity removal device incorporated in this. It is a figure which shows typically the state by which the droplet collected by the liquid collection member arrange | positioned at the ion exchange resin member shown in FIG. 12 falls to a drain outlet.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell system 10 Hydrogen circulation system 11, 13 Circulation path 12 Gas-liquid separator 17 Drain port 19 Gas discharge port 20 Ion exchange resin member 23 Fluid path 30 Case 32 Upper surface 33, 35 Through-hole 34 Lower surface 37, 47 Deflection guide part 39 Guide members

Claims (21)

A fuel cell system in which an impurity remover for removing impurities mixed in the fluid is disposed in a discharge passage through which a fluid discharged from the fuel cell flows.
A gas discharge part and a liquid discharge part are provided downstream of the fluid outlet of the impurity remover, and are discharged from the fluid outlet between at least one of the gas discharge part and the liquid discharge part and the impurity remover. A fuel cell system comprising a liquid movement restraining means for restraining the liquid in the fluid from moving to the gas discharge section.   2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid movement suppressing unit includes a liquid mass increasing unit configured to increase a mass of the liquid at a fluid outlet of the impurity remover.   3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the fluid outlet of the impurity remover comprises a porous member having a plurality of through holes, and the liquid mass increasing means comprises the plurality of holes.   The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the liquid mass increasing means includes liquid concentration means for concentrating the liquid in a predetermined region of the fluid outlet.   The fuel cell system according to claim 4, wherein the liquid concentration means includes an inclined surface that guides the liquid to move toward the predetermined region.   6. The fuel cell system according to claim 5, wherein the inclined surface is inclined so as to be directed in the direction of gravity as it is separated from the gas discharge portion.   The fuel cell system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the fluid outlet of the impurity remover comprises a porous member in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the inclined surface is formed by the porous member.   The fuel cell system according to claim 7, wherein opening areas of the plurality of through holes increase as the distance from the gas discharge portion increases.   The fluid inlet of the impurity remover is formed of a porous member in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and the fluid inlet of the impurity remover penetrates according to the length of the impurity remover in the fluid passage direction determined by the inclination angle of the inclined surface. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein an opening area of the hole is determined.   The fuel cell system according to claim 9, wherein an opening area of the through hole of the fluid inlet is increased as the length of the impurity remover in the fluid passage direction becomes longer.   2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid movement control unit includes a fluid flow rate lowering unit that is provided at an inlet of the gas discharge unit and reduces a flow rate of the fluid.   12. The fuel cell system according to claim 11, wherein the fluid flow velocity lowering unit has a configuration in which an opening area of an inlet of the gas discharge unit is larger than an opening area of a downstream side of the gas discharge unit.   2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the liquid movement control means is provided between a fluid outlet of the impurity remover and an inlet of the gas discharge unit, and includes a fluid deflecting means for deflecting the flow of the fluid. system.   The fuel cell system according to claim 13, wherein the fluid deflecting means guides the liquid in the fluid in a predetermined direction.   The fuel cell system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the fluid deflecting means is disposed at an inlet of the gas discharge unit.   2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid movement control unit includes a liquid guiding unit that guides a liquid in the fluid from a fluid outlet of the impurity remover to the liquid discharge port.   The fuel cell system according to claim 16, wherein the liquid guiding unit guides the liquid in a direction away from the gas discharge unit.   2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the liquid movement suppression unit is provided in the gas discharge unit and includes a liquid collecting member that allows the gas in the fluid to pass therethrough and collects the liquid.   The impurity remover comprises an impurity removing member, a case that accommodates the impurity removing member, and a gas discharge passage that is defined by the case and forms part of the gas discharge portion, A fluid inlet for allowing the fluid to flow into the impurity removing member is formed on the upstream surface of the case, and a fluid outlet for discharging the fluid that has passed through the impurity removing member is formed on the downstream surface of the case. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 18.   The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the impurity remover is disposed in a gas-liquid separator.   21. The fuel cell system according to claim 20, wherein the gas-liquid separator is configured to separate gas and liquid by generating a swirl flow.

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