JP2006260874A - Fuel gas supply device for polymer electrolyte fuel cell generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize an entire device by suppressing variations in the pressure and flow rate of fuel gas, when the fuel gas is supplied to a fuel treatment device by a fuel pump, and by performing desulfurization and suppressing variations in the pressure and flow rate of the fuel gas, when sulfur contents are contained as the fuel gas. <P>SOLUTION: In a configuration for guiding city gas TG discharged from the fuel pump 21 to a reformer 6 in the fuel treatment device 5, a flow rate controller 30 for controlling the flow rate of the city gas TG and a buffer tank 28 as a pressure governor for restraining variations in the pressure and flow rate of the city gas G are provided at the upstream side of the fuel pump 21 successively from the upstream side, thus restraining the amplitude of the pulsation of the city gas TG generated from the fuel pump 21 and restraining the variations in pressure and flow rate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator used for supplying fuel gas to a fuel treatment device in a stationary polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator.

The fuel cell is expected to be an effective power generation device because it has higher thermal efficiency than other power generations using fuel and less environmental pollution. In particular, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)
Power generation is performed at a low temperature of 100 ° C. or lower, and the output density is high, so that it can be downsized as compared with other types of fuel cells, and the battery constituent material is less deteriorated, and start-up is easy.
In recent years, it has come to be used as a power generator for small-scale business use or home use.

A power generator (PEFC power generator) using the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is generally shown in FIG.
The configuration is as outlined below. That is, the cathode (air electrode) 2 and the anode (fuel electrode) 3 are disposed on both sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane in which a fluorine-based ion exchange membrane is used as an electrolyte.
The solid polymer fuel cell 1 has a configuration in which cells sandwiched between the gas diffusion electrodes are stacked via a separator to form a stack, and one cooling unit 4 is provided for several cells. . Further, on the inlet side of the anode 3 in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1, a fuel processor 5 including a reformer 6, a shift converter 7, and a CO remover 8 in order from the upstream side, and a humidifier 9.
As a fuel gas 11 supplied from a fuel supply source (not shown), a raw material such as natural gas or methanol is supplied together with water vapor to the reformer 6 of the fuel processing device 5 through a fuel gas supply line 10. Steam reforming is performed, and the resulting reformed gas (fuel gas) 11a is guided to the shift converter 7 for a shift reaction, and further subjected to CO removal treatment by the CO remover 8,
The polymer is supplied to the anode 3 of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1 through the humidifier 9. On the other hand, a compressor (air blower) 12 is connected to the humidifier 9 on the inlet side of the cathode 2 via an oxidizing gas supply line 13, and air 14 is compressed as an oxidizing gas by the compressor 12. Thereafter, the fuel is supplied to the cathode 2 of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1 through the humidifier 9.

With such a configuration, in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1, hydrogen in the reformed gas 11a supplied to the anode 3 side and oxygen in the air 14 supplied to the cathode 2 side undergo an electrochemical reaction (
Battery reaction), and the electromotive force generated at this time is taken out.

Reference numeral 15 denotes an anode offgas line for introducing the anode offgas 16 discharged from the outlet side of the anode 3 to the combustion chamber of the reformer 6, and 17 denotes a part of the fuel gas 11 to the combustion chamber of the reformer 6. A fuel gas line for guiding, 18 an air line for guiding a part of the air 14 to the combustion chamber of the reformer 6, and 19 an exhaust gas line of the combustion exhaust gas 20 discharged from the combustion chamber of the reformer 6. , 21 is a fuel pump.

When a low-pressure fuel gas such as city gas is used as the fuel gas 11 supplied to the reformer 6 of the fuel processor 5 in the power generation apparatus using the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1, the fuel processor 5 In the reformer 6 of the present invention, the catalyst is densely packed in the reforming chamber 6, so that a sufficient amount of city gas can be obtained with only a supply pressure of about 2.0 ± 0.5 kPa possessed by the city gas itself. 5 is difficult to supply. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the fuel gas 11 is pressurized to a required pressure by the fuel pump 21 and then sent to the fuel processing device 5.

When a turbo pump is used as the fuel pump 21, pressurization up to a desired pressure may be insufficient. In addition, the reciprocating pump may cause excessive pulsation and increase the size of the device. In general, positive displacement pumps for compressible fluids such as diaphragm pumps and bellows pumps are used.

When supplying city gas pressurized by the fuel pump 21 to the fuel processor 5,
A flow meter is generally used to control the flow rate of the supplied city gas so that a predetermined amount of city gas is supplied to the fuel processing device 5, and the flow rate control is performed based on the measured value of the flow meter. To do.

FIG. 11 shows an outline when the flow rate of the fuel gas is controlled based on the measured value of the flow meter using the flow meter. The fuel gas is the same as in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator shown in FIG. 11
In this configuration, the fuel gas 11 is a low-pressure fuel gas city gas TG, and the flow rate of the city gas TG discharged from the fuel pump 21 is reduced downstream of the fuel pump 21. A flow meter 22 for control is provided. Thus, when the city gas TG is pressurized to a required pressure by the fuel pump 21 and discharged, the flow rate of the discharged city gas TG is measured by the flow meter 22, and based on the measured value of the measured flow rate. Thus, the operation control of the fuel pump 21 is performed to control the flow rate of the city gas TG supplied to the fuel processing device 5.

However, a positive displacement pump for a compressible fluid such as a diaphragm pump used as the fuel pump 21 is not as large as a reciprocating pump, but pulsation occurs and pressure fluctuation is changed in units of seconds. City gas TG will be sent. In addition, the positive displacement pump such as the diaphragm pump does not change the discharge amount in one stroke, and adjusts the discharge amount by changing the number of strokes. There is a characteristic that the flow rate fluctuation increases as the value increases.

As described above, when the fluctuation of the flow rate of the city gas TG supplied from the fuel pump 21 to the fuel processing device 5 becomes large, a reaction failure occurs in the reforming reaction of the city gas TG in the fuel processing device 5.
When a reaction failure occurs, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the reformed gas supplied from the fuel processing device 5 to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1 increases and is used as an electrode of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1. There is a possibility that the catalyst is poisoned and the power generation voltage of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 1 is lowered. Further, when an excessive amount of city gas TG is supplied to the fuel processing apparatus 5 due to a control error with respect to the amount of steam supplied for steam reforming, the fuel processing apparatus 5 There is also a concern that the vapor / carbon balance may be lost and carbon deposition may occur.

In addition, when the city gas TG supplied from the fuel pump 21 pulsates and pressure fluctuation occurs,
An error occurs in the flow rate measurement value of the flow meter 22, and the flow rate measurement value with the error is the fuel pump 21.
Therefore, the operation error of the fuel pump 21 is controlled, so that the control error further increases and the fluctuation of the flow rate becomes large. Such pressure fluctuations due to the pulsation of the city gas TG can be achieved by extending the piping from the fuel pump 21 to the fuel processing device 5 in the fuel gas supply line 10 or reducing the diameter of the piping. The city gas TG can produce a pressure loss and can be expected to have some effect of stabilizing the flow rate by suppressing the pressure fluctuation of the city gas TG. If the length of the gas gas TG is too long, the pressure loss of the city gas TG is increased and the output characteristics of the fuel pump 21 are deteriorated. Therefore, the piping is lengthened for the purpose of suppressing the pressure fluctuation of the city gas TG. The fact is that nothing is done.

Therefore, in order to suppress the pressure fluctuation and the flow fluctuation of the city gas TG supplied from the fuel pump 21, the flow rate regulator for adjusting the flow rate of the city gas TG discharged from the fuel pump 21 is used as a fuel. What has been provided in the downstream of the pump 21 is proposed conventionally.

In the fuel cell power generator, the flow regulator is used on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21 as shown in FIG. That is, in the fuel cell power generation device including the reformer 6, the shift converter (carbon monoxide converter) 7, the CO remover (carbon monoxide remover) 8, and the fuel cell main body 1a, For example, a fuel pump (pressurizing pump) 21 using a bellows pump or the like and a flow rate regulator 24 are connected to a supply pipe 23 for supplying city gas TG as fuel gas from the upstream side. The structure is provided. Thus, the city gas TG is pressurized by the fuel pump 21 before being supplied to the reformer 6 through the supply pipe 23, and after the pressure and flow rate are controlled by the flow rate regulator 24, the city gas TG is supplied from the water vapor generator 25. This is supplied to the reformer 6 together with the steam 26 to be guided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In FIG. 12, reference numeral 27 denotes a fan for supplying oxygen in the air.

Further, as the flow rate regulator 24 provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21, a buffer tank (receiver tank) having a volume of about several liters is generally used.

Although the flow meter 22 is not provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21 in the one shown in FIG. 12, the flow meter is used to suppress a control error caused by the flow meter 22 due to the pressure fluctuation of the city gas TG. When the flow rate regulator 22 and the flow regulator are used together, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the city gas TG is supplied to the fuel processing device 5 in the same configuration as the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator shown in FIG. It is considered that the buffer tank 28 and the flow meter 22 are provided in this order from the upstream side downstream of the fuel pump 21 in the fuel gas supply line 10.

By the way, the fuel gas 11 may contain a sulfur content like the city gas TG, and the fuel gas 11 containing such a sulfur content is supplied to the reformer 6 in the fuel processing apparatus 5 as it is. As a result, the catalyst used in the reformer 6 is poisoned, which causes a reaction failure of the reforming reaction. For this reason, when the fuel gas 11 containing sulfur is used, a desulfurizer 29 is provided upstream of the fuel pump 21 in the fuel gas supply line 10 as shown in FIG. After desulfurization through the desulfurizer 29, the fuel pump 21 is pressurized and supplied to the fuel processor 5. As a result, fuel gas 1
1 is desulfurized by a desulfurizer 29 and then pressurized to a desired supply pressure by a fuel gas supply line 10 via a fuel pump 21 and supplied to the fuel processing device 5 together with water vapor (
For example, refer nonpatent literature 1). In addition, 11a is a reformed gas.

The desulfurizer 29 is not shown, but is filled with a desulfurizing agent in a container having an inlet portion at one end and an outlet portion at the other end, and is filled with the fuel gas 11 introduced from the inlet portion. The desulfurization agent is desulfurized by passing between the desulfurization agents and discharged from the outlet. In addition, since the amount of sulfur contained in the desulfurizer 29 differs depending on the type of the fuel gas 11, the amount of the desulfurizer 29 filled with the desulfurizing agent also varies, so the size is not constant. Further, although it varies depending on the replacement frequency of the desulfurizing agent to be filled, it generally has a volume of about several liters.

Although the flow meter 22 and the buffer tank 28 are not provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21 in the one shown in FIG. 14, in order to suppress a control error caused by the flow meter 22 due to the pressure fluctuation of the fuel gas 11. In addition, when the flow meter 22 and the buffer tank 28 are used in combination, for example,
As shown in FIG. 15, in a configuration similar to that of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator shown in FIG. 13, from a fuel pump 21 in a fuel gas supply line 10 configured to supply city gas TG to the fuel processor 5. It is also considered that a desulfurizer 29 is provided on the upstream side.

JP 2000-299120 A Ikeda, Senda, Mikami, Nakano, Ito, Koike, “Development status of polymer electrolyte fuel cells at Fuji Electric Advanced Technology Co., Ltd.”, May 2004, Fuel Cell Development Information Center, p. 66

However, as shown in FIG. 13, the buffer tank 28 and the flow meter 22 are sequentially provided from the upstream side on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21 in the fuel gas supply line 10.
Since the effect of suppressing the pressure fluctuation due to the pulsation of the city gas TG is not sufficient, the stability of the flow rate measurement value by the flow meter 22 is not sufficient. As a result, as described above, the fuel processing is caused by the flow rate fluctuation of the city gas TG. There is a concern that a reaction failure may occur in the reforming reaction of the city gas TG in the apparatus 5 and that the water vapor / carbon balance may be lost in the fuel processing apparatus 5 to cause carbon deposition. Therefore, further suppression of fluctuations in pressure and flow rate of the fuel gas supplied to the fuel processor 5 is desired in order to increase the efficiency and extend the life of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator.

On the other hand, when a fuel gas containing a sulfur content such as city gas TG is used, FIG.
When a desulfurizer 29 is provided upstream of the fuel pump 21 in the fuel gas supply line 10 and a buffer tank 28 and a flow meter 22 are further provided downstream of the fuel pump 21, the desulfurizer 29 is Since the volume of several liters and the buffer tank 28 also have a volume of several liters, the entire polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator is increased in size. Further, the desulfurizer 29 may be installed outside the solid polymer fuel cell power generator.
Since the external equipment of the power generation device becomes large, in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generation device that is desired to be miniaturized as a power generation device for small-scale business use or home use, such a downsizing obstacle There is a problem of becoming.

Therefore, the present invention suppresses pressure fluctuations and flow fluctuations of the fuel gas when the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel processing apparatus in the power generation apparatus using the polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a fuel pump such as a diaphragm pump. Thus, the fuel tank can be supplied more stably to the fuel processing apparatus than the buffer tank simply provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump.
Further, when a fuel gas containing a sulfur content is used, a solid polymer fuel cell power generator capable of desulfurizing the fuel gas, suppressing pressure fluctuation and flow fluctuation, and realizing downsizing of the entire apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an industrial fuel gas supply device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured to pressurize a fuel gas with a fuel pump, supply the fuel gas to a fuel processing apparatus to perform a reforming process, and supply the reformed gas to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. A flow rate controller for measuring and controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas in the fuel gas supply line upstream of the fuel pump in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator having the above-described configuration; A pressure regulator for suppressing flow rate fluctuation is provided in order from the upstream side.

Further, the pressure regulator for suppressing the pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the fuel gas in the above configuration is a desulfurizer.

In each of the above configurations, the flow rate controller for controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas is either a mass flow controller or a configuration comprising a flow rate control valve and a flow meter.

Further, the fuel gas is pressurized by a fuel pump and supplied to the fuel processing apparatus for reforming treatment, and the reformed gas is supplied to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and the polymer electrolyte fuel has a configuration. In the battery power generation apparatus, a desulfurizer and a flow meter are sequentially provided from the upstream side in the fuel gas supply line on the downstream side of the fuel pump.

In the above configuration, a plurality of fuel pumps are connected in parallel.

According to the fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator of the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited.
(1) A solid polymer type having a configuration in which fuel gas is pressurized by a fuel pump and supplied to a fuel processing apparatus for reforming treatment, and the reformed gas is supplied to a solid polymer fuel cell. A flow rate controller for measuring and controlling a flow rate of the fuel gas, a pressure regulator for suppressing pressure fluctuations and flow rate fluctuations of the fuel gas, and a fuel gas supply line upstream of the fuel pump in the fuel cell power generation device; Therefore, when the flow rate controller controls the flow of the fuel gas, a required load is applied to the flow of the fuel gas, and the load is applied. Since the fuel gas is further rectified by the pressure regulator and then supplied to the fuel pump, pressure fluctuation and flow fluctuation due to fuel gas pulsation in the fuel pump can be suppressed, and the fuel pump May simply to further stabilize the pressure and flow rate of the fuel gas as compared with the case of providing the buffer tank downstream.
(2) In addition to the effect of (1) above, the pressure regulator is configured as a desulfurizer,
The rectifying action of the desulfurizer can be used to suppress pressure fluctuations and flow fluctuations of the fuel gas by the fuel pump, so that pressure fluctuations and flow fluctuations of the fuel gas can be suppressed, thus eliminating the need for a separate buffer tank. Thus, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire apparatus.
(3) In addition, by configuring the flow rate controller as either a mass flow controller or a configuration comprising a flow rate control valve and a flow meter, before the pulsation of fuel gas occurs in the mass flow controller or the flow meter, Therefore, it is possible to reduce the error of the detected flow rate value, and to control the flow rate based on the more accurate measured value.
(4) Further, the desulfurizer and the flow meter are provided in order from the upstream side in the fuel gas supply line on the downstream side of the fuel pump, so that the rectification action of the desulfurizer is reduced by the fuel pump by the fuel pump. The pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the fuel gas can be suppressed by using the pressure fluctuation and the flow rate fluctuation. Therefore, conventionally, it has been necessary to suppress the pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the fuel gas by the fuel pump. The buffer tank can be omitted, and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.
(5) Further, by adopting a configuration in which a plurality of the fuel pumps are connected in parallel, the load on the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is large and the amount of fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel processing device is large. In this case, the effects (1), (2), (3), and (4) can be obtained, and a plurality of fuel pumps can be operated in parallel to supply more fuel gas to the fuel processing apparatus. can do.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of a fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to the present invention, which has the following configuration.

That is, similarly to the one shown in FIG. 10, the city gas TG as the fuel gas supplied to the fuel processing device 5 is supplied to the fuel gas supply line 10 upstream of the fuel processing device 5 in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generation device. In the configuration in which the fuel pump 21 for pressurizing the fuel gas to a desired supply pressure is provided, as shown in FIG. 1, the flow rate controller 30 for controlling the flow rate of the city gas TG and the city are arranged upstream of the fuel pump 21. A buffer tank 28 is provided in order from the upstream side as a pressure regulator for suppressing pressure fluctuation and flow fluctuation of the gas TG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flow controller 30 includes a flow control valve 31 and a flow meter 31a. The flow control valve 31 and the flow meter 31a are provided in this order from the upstream side. The flow rate control valve 31 is adjusted based on the flow rate measurement value measured by the meter 31a.

Further, the buffer tank 28 has a capacity of several liters as shown in FIG.

Due to the above configuration, the flow rate of the city gas TG is controlled by the flow rate control valve 31 based on the flow rate measurement value measured by the flow meter 31a in the flow rate controller 30, and the buffer tank 2
After being rectified at 8, the fuel pump 21 is pressurized to a desired pressure and supplied to the fuel processor 5.

At this time, the flow rate control valve 31 in the flow rate controller 30 functions as a throttle element so as to control the circulation of the city gas TG based on the measured flow value of the city gas TG in the flow meter 31a. A required load is given to the distribution of the city gas TG.
Moreover, after the city gas TG is further rectified by the buffer tank 28, the fuel pump 2
As a result, the pressure fluctuation and the flow fluctuation due to the pulsation of the city gas TG in the fuel pump 21 can be suppressed. That is, in the experiments by the present inventors, when the buffer tank 28 is simply provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21, the pulsation width of the city gas TG is about 0.2 kPa. According to this embodiment, the pulsation width of the city gas TG can be about 0.15 kPa. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the pressure and flow rate of the city gas TG can be further stabilized. Accordingly, the problem of carbon precipitation and reaction failure in the fuel processing apparatus 5 can be further reduced. Moreover, the flow rate controller 30
Since the flow meter 31a at the upstream side of the fuel pump 21 is on the upstream side of the fuel pump 21, the flow rate before the pulsation of the city gas TG can be measured, the error of the flow rate measurement value can be reduced, and more accurate measurement is possible. The flow control of the flow control valve 31 can be performed based on the value.

Next, FIG. 3 shows another configuration example of the flow rate controller 30 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the flow rate control valve 31 and the flow meter 31a shown in FIG. Instead of providing the configuration in order, the flow meter 31a and the flow control valve 31 are provided in order from the upstream side.

Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Even if the flow rate controller 30 is configured as shown in FIG. 3, the same effects as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be obtained.

When the flow rate controller 30 is configured as shown in FIG. 2 or as shown in FIG. 3, it can be manufactured by a combination of a relatively inexpensive flow rate control valve 31 and a flow meter 31a. It can be advantageous in terms of cost.

Next, FIG. 4 shows another configuration example of the flow rate controller 30 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a mass flow controller (mass flow rate controller) 32 is used.

Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

By using the mass flow controller 32 as shown in FIG. 4 as the flow rate controller 30, both the measurement of the flow rate of the city gas TG and the flow rate control are performed, and a necessary load is applied to the circulation of the city gas TG. Moreover, the mass flow controller 32 includes the fuel pump 21.
Therefore, the flow rate before the pulsation of the city gas TG can be measured, and therefore the same effect as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be obtained. Can do.

Next, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Like the one shown in FIG.
Fuel gas supply line 1 upstream of the fuel processor 5 in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator
In the configuration in which the fuel pump 21 for pressurizing the city gas TG as a fuel gas to be supplied to the fuel processing device 5 to a desired supply pressure is provided at 0, the downstream side of the fuel pump 21 in the fuel gas supply line 10 14, a desulfurizer 29 and a flow meter 22 similar to those shown in FIG. 14 are provided in order from the upstream side.

According to this embodiment, the city gas TG is pressurized to the desired supply pressure by the fuel pump 21, desulfurized by the desulfurizer 29, and then supplied to the fuel processing device 5 through the flow meter 22. At this time, the city gas TG introduced into the desulfurizer 29 is discharged after being rectified so as to be passed between the desulfurizing agents filled in the desulfurizer 29. Therefore, the pressure fluctuation and the flow fluctuation due to the pulsation of the city gas TG in the fuel pump 21 can be suppressed by the desulfurizer 29, and the city gas TG after the pressure fluctuation and the flow fluctuation are suppressed by the flow meter 22. By performing the measurement, the flow control by the fuel pump 21 can be performed based on the stable flow rate measurement value of the flow meter 22.

Thus, the pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the city gas TG can be suppressed by using the rectifying action of the desulfurizer 29 for suppressing the pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the city gas TG by the fuel pump 21. . Therefore, the buffer tank which has been conventionally provided to suppress the pressure fluctuation and the flow fluctuation of the city gas TG can be omitted, and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.

Next, FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. In place of the buffer tank 28 as a pressure regulator for suppressing the pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the city gas TG in the embodiment shown in FIG. Thus, the desulfurizer 29 is provided as a similar pressure regulator. Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Note that the flow rate controller 30 may be configured as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG.

Since the gas gas TG is configured as described above, the flow rate of the city gas TG is controlled by the flow rate controller 30 and further desulfurized by the desulfurizer 29 and then pressurized to the desired pressure by the fuel pump 21 and supplied to the fuel processing device 5. The

At this time, the city gas TG is given a required load by the flow rate controller 30, and the desulfurizer 2
By desulfurizing by 9 and rectifying and then supplying the fuel pump 21, pressure fluctuation and flow fluctuation due to pulsation of the city gas TG in the fuel pump 21 can be suppressed. As a result, the pressure and flow rate of the city gas TG can be further stabilized and the pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the city gas TG can be suppressed as compared with the case where a buffer tank is simply provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate the necessity of separately providing a buffer tank for this purpose, and to achieve downsizing of the entire apparatus.

In the present embodiment, since the desulfurizer 29 is provided between the flow controller 30 and the fuel pump 21, the upstream flow controller 30 is used for the desulfurizer 29. Since the city gas TG is supplied in a state where the flow rate is controlled, and the city gas TG is sucked by the downstream fuel pump 21, the desulfurizer 29 is operated under a negative pressure condition. In general, the desulfurizer is operated at an atmospheric pressure or a positive pressure because the desulfurization reaction is an adsorption operation (physical adsorption, chemical adsorption). It is confirmed by experiment that there is no problem in the desulfurization performance of the desulfurizer 29 if the desulfurizer 29 is under the negative pressure condition of about -1.5 kPa from the condition where the desulfurizer 29 is the most negative pressure when configured. is doing.

Further, FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 show modifications of the respective embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, and are the same as the respective embodiments shown in FIGS. In this configuration, a plurality of (for example, three cases) fuel pumps 21 are operated in parallel.

That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the flow rate controller 30 and the buffer tank 2 configured as shown in FIG. 2, 3 or 4 are arranged on the upstream side of the fuel pump 21 as shown in FIG.
8 are provided in order from the upstream side, and the pressure and flow rate of the city gas TG are stabilized and supplied to the fuel processing device 5. In this configuration, the fuel gas supply line 10 on the downstream side of the buffer tank 28 is connected to the fuel gas supply line 10. A plurality of branch lines 10a, which once branch and then merge again
10b and 10c are provided, and fuel pumps 21 are respectively connected to the branch lines 10a, 10b, and 10c, and the combined city gas TG is supplied to the fuel processing device 5.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 5, a desulfurizer 29 and a flow meter 22 are sequentially provided on the downstream side of the fuel pump 21 to desulfurize the city gas TG, In the configuration in which the pressure and flow rate of the city gas TG is stabilized and supplied to the fuel processor 5, the fuel gas supply line 10 on the upstream side of the desulfurizer 29 is once branched and then joined again. A plurality of branch lines 10a, 10b, 10c are provided, and each branch line 10 is provided.
Fuel pumps 21 are respectively connected to a, 10b, and 10c, and the combined city gas TG is sent to the desulfurizer 29.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the flow rate controller 30 and the desulfurizer 29 configured as shown in FIG. 2, 3 or 4 are provided upstream of the fuel pump 21 in the same manner as shown in FIG. In the configuration in which the city gas TG is desulfurized in order from the upstream side and the pressure and flow rate of the city gas TG is stabilized and supplied to the fuel processing device 5, the fuel on the downstream side of the desulfurizer 29 is provided. The gas supply line 10 is provided with a plurality of branch lines 10a, 10b, 10c which are once branched and then joined again, and the fuel pumps 21 are connected to the branch lines 10a, 10b, 10c, respectively. The city gas TG is supplied to the fuel processor 5.

With such a configuration, when the load of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is large and the amount of the city gas TG to be supplied to the fuel processing device 5 is large, it is shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. In the embodiment, the same effects as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6 can be obtained, and a plurality of fuel pumps 21 can be operated in parallel, so that more cities can be operated. The gas TG can be supplied to the fuel processor 5.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the case where the city gas TG is used as the fuel gas is shown. However, when the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel processing apparatus 5 such as LPG, biogas, and the like, the fuel pump is used. The flowmeters 22 and 31a can be applied to all low-pressure fuel gases that require pressurization by the fuel cell 21 and can be of any type as long as the flow rate of the city gas TG supplied to the fuel processor 5 can be measured. The flow rate control valve 31 may be of any type as long as it applies a load to the distribution of the city gas TG to control the flow rate, and FIG.
8 and 9 show the case where three fuel pumps 21 are operated in parallel. However, any number of fuel pumps 21 may be used as long as there are a plurality of fuel pumps 21, and other aspects depart from the gist of the present invention. Of course, various modifications can be made within the range not to be performed.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the flow controller used by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other structural example of the flow controller used by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the further another structural example of the flow controller used by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other form of implementation of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other form of implementation of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of embodiment shown in FIG. 1 as another form of implementation of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as another form of implementation of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of embodiment shown in FIG. 6 as another form of implementation of this invention. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional general polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example at the time of providing a flowmeter in the discharge side of a fuel pump in the case of using city gas as fuel gas of the conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example which adjusts the pressure and flow volume of gas in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator proposed conventionally. It is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a buffer tank and a flow meter are provided on the fuel pump discharge side to suppress the pulsation of fuel gas in a conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example which provided the desulfurizer in the fuel gas supply line of the conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a desulfurizer is provided on the upstream side of the fuel pump in the conventional fuel gas supply system shown in FIG. 13.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Polymer electrolyte fuel cell 5 Fuel processing apparatus 10 Fuel gas supply line 11 Fuel gas 11a Reformed gas 21 Fuel pump 22 Flowmeter 28 Buffer tank (pressure regulator)
29 Desulfurizer (pressure regulator)
30 Flow controller 31 Flow control valve 31a Flow meter 32 Mass flow controller (flow controller)

Claims (5)

Solid polymer fuel cell power generation having a configuration in which fuel gas is pressurized by a fuel pump and supplied to a fuel processing device for reforming treatment, and the reformed gas is supplied to a solid polymer fuel cell A fuel gas supply line upstream of the fuel pump in the apparatus is provided with a flow rate controller for measuring and controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas and a pressure regulator for suppressing pressure fluctuations and flow rate fluctuations of the fuel gas. A fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generation device, characterized in that the structure is provided in order. The fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the pressure regulator for suppressing pressure fluctuation and flow rate fluctuation of the fuel gas is a desulfurizer. 3. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flow rate controller for controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas is either a mass flow controller or a configuration comprising a flow rate control valve and a flow meter. Fuel gas supply device. Solid polymer fuel cell power generation having a configuration in which fuel gas is pressurized by a fuel pump and supplied to a fuel processing device for reforming treatment, and the reformed gas is supplied to a solid polymer fuel cell A fuel gas supply device for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generation device, characterized in that a desulfurizer and a flow meter are sequentially provided from the upstream side in a fuel gas supply line on the downstream side of the fuel pump in the apparatus. 5. The fuel gas supply apparatus for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of fuel pumps are connected in parallel.

Images