JP2006160061A - Fuel cell powered car - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the static electricity charge amount around a fuel filling port. <P>SOLUTION: Discharged air from a fuel cell 3 is cooled in a heat exchanger 15 with hydrogen from a hydrogen tank 1 to condense water contained in the air, and stored in a water storage tank 17. The inside of the water storage tank 17 is filled with discharged air in a high-pressure state. The inside of the water storage tank 17 is connected to a part close to a hydrogen filling port 21 through a water pipe 27. When filling hydrogen in the hydrogen tank 1, it is detected that a filling port opening/closing lid 25 is opened, a spray port opening/closing mechanism of a spray port 29 at a tip of a water pipe 27 is opened, and water in the water storage tank 17 is sprayed toward a part close to the hydrogen filling port 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle that reduces the amount of electrostatic charge around a fuel filling port.

Conventionally, in a gasoline vehicle, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1 below, static electricity charged to a refueling worker is guided to a vehicle body via a filler cap that opens and closes a fuel filling port, and is discharged.
Japanese Patent No. 3200732

  However, hydrogen, which is the fuel for fuel cell vehicles, has a wide flammable range, such as a lower minimum ignition energy than gasoline. The amount needs to be reduced.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of electrostatic charge around the fuel filling port.

  According to the present invention, a fuel cell and a hydrogen container for storing hydrogen to be supplied to the fuel cell are mounted on a vehicle, and water generated by the fuel cell is supplied to the vicinity of a hydrogen filling port communicating with the hydrogen container. Main features.

  According to the present invention, the water generated in the fuel cell is supplied to the fuel filling port to increase the humidity around it, thereby promoting electrostatic discharge into the air and reducing the electrostatic charge amount around the fuel filling port. Can be reduced. Further, since the heat capacity around the fuel filling port is increased by receiving the supply of water, the heat energy generated around the fuel filling port can be dissipated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a fuel cell vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention. During operation of the fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen is supplied to the fuel cell 3 from the hydrogen tank 1 as a hydrogen container for storing hydrogen through the hydrogen supply pipe 5 and air is supplied from the compressor 7 through the air supply pipe 9. Then, the fuel cell 3 is caused to generate power. The air supplied to the fuel cell 3 is humidified by the air humidifier 11.

  During power generation of the fuel cell 3, water generated from hydrogen and oxygen inside the fuel cell 3 is discharged to the exhaust air pipe 13 together with the exhaust air discharged from the fuel cell 3. The exhaust air pipe 13 is sequentially provided with a heat exchanger 15 and a water storage tank 17 as a water storage container from the upstream side.

  The above-described hydrogen supply pipe 5 is installed in the heat exchanger 15 to exchange heat between hydrogen flowing through the hydrogen supply pipe 5 and exhaust air containing water flowing through the exhaust air pipe 13. During this heat exchange, moisture in the exhaust air flowing through the exhaust air pipe 13 is condensed by low-temperature hydrogen used as a refrigerant in the heat exchanger 15, and the condensed water is stored in the water storage tank 17 together with the exhaust air.

  The exhaust air pipe 13 between the water storage tank 17 and the heat exchanger 15 allows fluid air and water to flow from the heat exchanger 15 to the water storage tank 17 and prevents the reverse flow. A check valve 19 is provided as a mechanism. Thereby, the exhaust air discharged from the fuel cell 3 and entering the water storage tank 17 through the heat exchanger 15 and the check valve 19 is kept at a high pressure exceeding the atmospheric pressure.

  The water storage tank 17 is provided with a relief valve (not shown) so that the exhaust air in the water storage tank 17 is discharged to the outside when the pressure of the exhaust air in the water storage tank 17 reaches a predetermined value.

  A hydrogen introduction pipe 23 communicating with a hydrogen filling port 21 installed in the opening 20 a of the vehicle body 20 is connected to the hydrogen tank 1 described above. The hydrogen filling port 21 is provided with a filling port opening / closing lid 25 that can be opened and closed. A fuel lid 24 opens and closes the opening 20a.

  The vicinity of the hydrogen filling port 21 and the inside of the water storage tank 17 are connected by a water pipe 27. The end of the water pipe 27 in the water storage tank 17 is located at the bottom of the tank so as to be located in the stored water, and the end of the water pipe 27 on the hydrogen filling port 21 side is directed to the vicinity of the hydrogen filling port 21. And a spray port 29 for supplying water in the form of a mist.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lid opening sensor 31 is provided to detect that the filling port opening / closing lid 25 provided in the hydrogen filling port 21 is opened, and the lid opening sensor 31 detects the opening of the filling port opening / closing lid 25. In some cases, a drive mechanism 35 that opens the spray port opening / closing mechanism 33 provided in the spray port 29 is provided. As the spray opening / closing mechanism 33, for example, an electromagnetic valve is used.

  Further, a temperature sensor 37 is provided around the hydrogen filling port 21, and when the detected value of the temperature sensor 37 exceeds a predetermined value, the driving mechanism 35 is driven to open the spray port opening / closing mechanism 29. .

  Next, the operation will be described. The fuel cell 3 generates power by receiving supply of hydrogen from the hydrogen tank 1 and air from the compressor 7, and exhaust air including water discharged during the power generation is discharged to the exhaust air pipe 13. The exhaust air reaches the heat exchanger 15, while the hydrogen flowing through the hydrogen supply pipe 5 also reaches the heat exchanger 15, whereby the exhaust air containing water is cooled and condensed by low-temperature hydrogen, and the condensed water is downstream. It flows into the water storage tank 17 through the check valve 19.

  At this time, exhaust air as well as condensed water flows into the water storage tank 17 through the check valve 19, so that the water storage tank 17 is kept at a high pressure.

  When the hydrogen storage amount in the hydrogen tank 1 is reduced and hydrogen is filled, when the filling port opening / closing lid 25 is opened, the opening is detected by the lid opening sensor 31 and the driving mechanism 35 is further driven to spray. The spray port opening / closing mechanism 33 provided at the port 29 is opened. As a result, the water in the water storage tank 17 is sprayed from the spray port 29 to the vicinity of the hydrogen filling port 21 through the water pipe 27 by using high-pressure exhaust air as an operating source, and the humidity around the hydrogen filling port 21 is increased. Let

  As a result, electrostatic discharge into the air around the hydrogen filling port 21 is promoted, the amount of electrostatic charge around the hydrogen filling port 21 can be reduced, and the discharge phenomenon can be prevented. Further, since the heat capacity around the hydrogen filling port 21 that receives water spray increases, the heat energy generated around the hydrogen filling port 21 can be dissipated.

  Further, when a hydrogen filling nozzle (not shown) on the hydrogen storage facility side (not shown) is inserted into the hydrogen filling port 21 in order to fill the hydrogen tank 1 with hydrogen, there is a potential difference between the hydrogen filling nozzle and the hydrogen filling port 21. However, since the humidity around the hydrogen filling port 21 is increased, generation of static electricity can be prevented.

  When water is sprayed around the hydrogen filling port 21, the water storage tank 17 is always filled with high-pressure exhaust air as described above. Therefore, when filling the hydrogen tank 1 with hydrogen, for the sake of safety, the fuel cell system In a state where the operation is stopped and the compressor 7 is not operating, water can be sprayed to the hydrogen filling port 21 using high-pressure exhaust air as an operating source.

  Further, the exhaust air is cooled with hydrogen using the heat exchanger 15, and at this time, the temperature of hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell 3 during operation of the fuel cell 3 is reduced with respect to the inside of the high-pressure hydrogen tank 1. Thus, since the temperature is lower than the outside air temperature, condensation by cooling the exhaust air can be promoted, and more water can be stored in the water storage tank 17. During this heat exchange, the temperature drop of the high-pressure exhaust air is large and the pressure drop is large, so that a larger amount of condensed water and high-humidity air can be introduced into the water storage tank 17.

  Further, when the temperature of hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell 1 becomes the minimum, the hydrogen supply amount to the fuel cell 1 becomes the maximum. At that time, the air supply amount to the fuel cell 1 is also maximum and the air pressure is maximum. Therefore, the pressure of the exhaust air in the water storage tank 17 can be maximized at the minimum hydrogen temperature. As a result, atomization of water supplied to the vicinity of the hydrogen filling port 21 is promoted using higher pressure exhaust air as an operating source, and the penetration force of the spray is increased, so that the vicinity of the hydrogen filling port 21 is more reliably filled with the spray. This increases the antistatic effect.

  Further, when the temperature in the water storage tank 17 rises to correspond to the outside air temperature, the pressure of the exhaust air in the water storage tank 17 at that time becomes higher by the temperature rise, and is higher than the air pressure generated during operation of the fuel cell 3. Water can be reliably sprayed onto the fuel filling port 21 using this high pressure as an operating source.

  On the other hand, even when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 37 provided around the hydrogen filling port 21 exceeds a predetermined value, the drive mechanism 35 is driven to open and close the spray port opening / closing mechanism 33 so that the hydrogen from the spray port 29 Water is sprayed toward the vicinity of the filling port 21.

  As a result, the heat capacity around the hydrogen filling port 21 is increased even if the temperature near the hydrogen filling port 21 becomes high due to factors on the equipment side, for example, human factors such as accidental handling of fire near the hydrogen filling port 21. can do.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a fuel cell vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram at the time of performing water spray to the hydrogen filling port in the fuel cell automobile of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Hydrogen tank (hydrogen container)
3 Fuel Cell 5 Hydrogen Supply Pipe 13 Exhaust Air Pipe 15 Heat Exchanger 19 Check Valve (Fluid Control Mechanism)
17 Water storage tank (water storage container)
21 Hydrogen filling port 25 Filling port opening / closing lid 27 Water piping 31 Lid opening sensor 37 Temperature sensor

Claims (5)

  A fuel cell and a hydrogen container for storing hydrogen to be supplied to the fuel cell are mounted on a vehicle, and water generated by the fuel cell is supplied in the vicinity of a hydrogen filling port communicating with the hydrogen container. Car.   A water storage container is provided in an exhaust air pipe through which exhaust air containing water generated by the fuel cell discharged from the fuel cell flows, and the water storage of the exhaust air containing water flowing from the fuel cell through the exhaust air pipe A fluid control mechanism that allows inflow into the container and prevents the reverse flow; and stores the exhaust air exceeding the atmospheric pressure including the water in the water storage container during operation of the fuel cell; 2. The water stored in the water storage container by connecting the container and the vicinity of the hydrogen filling port with water pipes is supplied to the vicinity of the hydrogen filling port using the pressure of the exhaust air as an operating source. The fuel cell vehicle described in 1.   2. A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between hydrogen flowing through a hydrogen supply pipe connecting the fuel cell and the hydrogen container and exhaust air containing water flowing through the exhaust air pipe. Item 3. The fuel cell vehicle according to Item 2.   A lid opening sensor that detects opening of a filling port opening / closing lid that is detachably provided at the hydrogen filling port is provided, and water is supplied to the hydrogen filling port when the lid opening sensor detects opening of the filling port opening / closing lid. The fuel cell vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fuel cell vehicle is supplied.   5. A temperature sensor is provided near the hydrogen filling port, and water is supplied near the hydrogen filling port when a detection value of the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined value. The fuel cell vehicle according to Item.

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