JP2007265676A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely prevent flatting without delaying an output derivation time in starting a fuel cell system. <P>SOLUTION: When hydrogen gas is supplied to an anode 11 while discharging impurity gas in a hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 in starting the fuel cell system, a circulation flow rate of the hydrogen gas circulated in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is set to a predetermined circulation flow rate which is increased than a circulation flow rate required in starting the fuel cell system for a predetermined duration time. A pressure in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is set to a predetermined pressure which is increased than a pressure required in starting the fuel cell system. Thereby, liquid water condensed in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is separated into gas and liquid and is recovered, and control to perform liquid water discharge operation to discharge to an external of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system that realizes good operation while preventing flooding.

  In recent years, a fuel gas containing a large amount of hydrogen is supplied to a fuel electrode (hydrogen electrode) of a fuel cell, and air as an oxidant gas is supplied to an air electrode, and these hydrogen and oxygen are supplied through a predetermined electrolyte membrane. 2. Description of the Related Art Fuel cell systems that generate generated power through electrochemical reaction are known. Such a fuel cell system is highly expected to be put into practical use, for example, as a power source for vehicles, and research and development for practical use are being actively conducted.

  As a fuel cell used in a fuel cell system, for example, a solid polymer type cell is known as a suitable cell for mounting in a vehicle. In this solid polymer type fuel cell, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane is provided as an electrolyte membrane between a hydrogen electrode and an air electrode. In this polymer electrolyte fuel cell, the hydrogen gas undergoes a reaction that separates hydrogen ions and electrons at the hydrogen electrode, and the air electrode undergoes a reaction that produces water from oxygen gas, hydrogen ions, and electrons. Is called. At this time, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane functions as an ionic conductor, and hydrogen ions move through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane toward the air electrode.

  In the fuel cell of such a fuel cell system, the generated water generated by the power generation always exists on the principle of power generation. If the generated water cannot be properly discharged from the fuel cell, flooding in which the water content is excessive in the vicinity of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane occurs, and the stable operation of the fuel cell system is hindered.

Therefore, the generation of flooding is performed as a method of performing flooding elimination operation according to the voltage drop margin during power generation of the fuel cell (see Patent Document 1) or as a wastewater volume increasing processing mode for increasing the drainage volume at the start of operation of the fuel cell system. And a method of performing a water discharge operation corresponding to a flooding prevention operation as a water content reduction processing mode when the fuel cell is stopped is disclosed (see Patent Document 2).
JP 2004-152532 A JP 2005-141950 A

  By the way, in the fuel cell system, there is a fuel cell system in which hydrogen gas is circulated and used in order to effectively use the hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell. In such a fuel cell system, when the temperature in the hydrogen gas circulation system decreases when the fuel electrode is replaced by air when the operation is stopped, the saturated water vapor in the system condenses and appears as liquid water. It remains in the hydrogen gas circulation system.

  As described above, the remaining liquid water remaining in the hydrogen gas circulation system circulates through the hydrogen gas circulation system and flows into the fuel electrode of the fuel cell as the fuel cell system is restarted. As a result, there is a problem that flattening (anode flatting) occurs on the fuel electrode side of the fuel cell and the stable operation of the fuel cell system is impaired. That is, in a fuel cell system having such a hydrogen gas circulation system, anode flatting may occur at the start of operation (at the time of startup).

  However, since the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above performs the flooding elimination operation by feedback control according to the voltage drop of the fuel cell, the load from the fuel cell, such as at the start of the operation of the fuel cell system. It is difficult to quickly eliminate the flooding that occurs in the previous stage of taking out the electric power. Further, in Patent Document 1, since the flooding elimination operation is performed by feedback control according to the voltage drop of the fuel cell, it is impossible to follow a transient operation that causes a sudden voltage drop. There is also.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, an operation process for preventing the occurrence of flooding at the start of operation of the fuel cell system is executed. During the period during which this process is being executed, the output cannot be extracted from the fuel cell. There is a problem that it is impossible to quickly respond to the operation start request. Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, since the water discharge operation corresponding to the flooding prevention operation is executed even when the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped, the time required for the operation stop after the operation stop request is increased, and the user's There is a problem that the request cannot be responded to promptly.

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and a fuel cell system that can reliably prevent flatting without delaying the output extraction time when the fuel cell system is started. The purpose is to provide.

  The fuel cell system of the present invention has a fuel gas circulation supply system that circulates and supplies fuel gas to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell, and impurity gas discharge means for discharging the impurity gas in the fuel gas circulation supply system, Gas-liquid separation means for separating and recovering liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system, and impurity gas in the fuel gas circulation supply system by the impurity gas discharge means when the fuel cell system is started up When supplying fuel gas to the fuel electrode while discharging, the circulation flow rate of the fuel gas to be circulated in the fuel gas circulation supply system is a circulation required for starting the fuel cell system for a predetermined duration. A predetermined circulation flow rate increased from the flow rate, and the pressure in the fuel gas circulation supply system is set to a predetermined pressure higher than the pressure required for starting the fuel cell system. Thus, the liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system is collected by gas-liquid separation by the gas-liquid separation means, and control is performed so as to perform a liquid water discharge operation for discharging the liquid water outside the fuel gas circulation supply system. The above-described problems are solved by providing the control means.

  According to the present invention, at the time of starting the fuel cell system, it is possible to reliably prevent the flatting without delaying the output extraction time.

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

[Configuration of fuel cell system]
First, the configuration of a fuel cell system shown as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack 10 that is a fuel cell body, a hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 that supplies hydrogen to an anode 11 that is a fuel electrode of the fuel cell stack 10, and a fuel cell stack. An air gas supply system 40 that supplies air gas as an oxidant gas to the cathode 12 that is the oxidant electrode 10; a cooling system 50 that cools the fuel cell stack 10 that has been heated by power generation by circulating a coolant; An output system (not shown) that takes out the output from the fuel cell stack 10 and supplies it to a load, and a system controller 60 that comprehensively controls the operation of the fuel cell system.

  This fuel cell system can reliably prevent the occurrence of flatting during startup without delaying the output extraction time when the fuel cell system is started up.

(Fuel cell stack 10)
The fuel cell stack 10 is configured by stacking a plurality of single cells, which are power generation units, and generates power by a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas supplied as fuel gas to the anode 11 and oxygen in air gas supplied to the cathode 12. To do. For example, the fuel cell stack 10 is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) using a polymer electrolyte membrane as an electrolyte, and the structure of a single cell has a catalyst layer on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane. Are integrated as a MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly) in which a fuel electrode and an oxidizer electrode are formed.

  The fuel cell stack 10 is provided with a temperature sensor 13 that measures the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10. The temperature in the fuel cell stack 10 measured by the temperature sensor 13 is output to the system controller 60. Further, the fuel cell stack 10 is provided with a cell voltage monitor 14 for detecting each cell voltage of a single cell constituting the fuel cell stack 10. The cell voltage detected by the cell voltage monitor 14 is output to the system controller 60.

  It should be noted that hydrogen gas that has not been consumed for power generation is discharged from the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 as anode off-gas, and that a part of oxygen is consumed from the cathode 12 and cathode off-gas containing moisture generated by power generation. Is discharged.

  A separator 15 is provided at the outlet of the anode 11 for gas-liquid separation of a part of the anode off gas. The liquid water separated by the separator 15 is collected by the drain tank 70. A water level sensor 71 is provided in the drain tank 70 to detect the water level of the recovered liquid water. The water level detected by the water level sensor 71 is output to the system controller 60, and the water level in the drain tank 70 is monitored by the system controller 60.

  The drain port of the drain tank 70 is provided with an orifice 72 and a drain valve 73 that is controlled to be opened and closed by the system controller 60, and a drain pipe 74 that drains the collected liquid water is connected to the drain tank 70. In response to the water level detected by the water level sensor 71 reaching the control upper limit water level, the system controller 60 opens the drain valve 73 and determines whether the internal pressure of the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 and the internal pressure of the drain pipe 74 are Drain the collected liquid water using the differential pressure. The drainage speed of the liquid water drained from the drain pipe 74 is determined by the diameter of the orifice 72 and the above-described differential pressure.

(Hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20)
The hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 includes a hydrogen gas supply source 21 such as a high-pressure hydrogen tank that stores hydrogen gas as a fuel gas, a hydrogen gas supply valve 22 that depressurizes high-pressure hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source 21, and hydrogen gas. A pressure control valve 23 is provided, and a hydrogen gas supply pipe 24 that supplies the hydrogen gas stored in the hydrogen gas supply source 21 to the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 and an anode off-gas provided at the outlet of the anode 11 are gas-liquid separated. A gas-liquid separation device 25 for collecting the separated liquid water and a purge valve 26 are provided, and are connected to a hydrogen gas discharge pipe 27 for discharging impurity gas contained in the hydrogen gas of the anode 11 and a hydrogen gas discharge pipe 27. A hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 for circulating the hydrogen gas, a hydrogen gas circulation pipe 29 for circulating the hydrogen gas of the anode 11, and hydrogen Merging unit for combining the hydrogen gas is circulated through the scan circulation pipe 29 to the hydrogen gas supply pipe 24 and a (ejector, etc.) 30.

  In this hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, the system controller 60 is normally controlled to close the purge valve 26, so that the anode off-gas, which is hydrogen gas that has not been consumed by power generation, flows from the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10. It is discharged and circulated and supplied to the hydrogen gas supply pipe 24 through the hydrogen gas circulation pipe 29.

  The hydrogen gas supply pipe 24 is provided with a hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 that measures the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied to the anode 11. The pressure measured by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 is output to the system controller 60.

  A water level sensor 32 is provided in the gas-liquid separator 25 to detect the water level of the recovered liquid water. The water level detected by the water level sensor 32 is output to the system controller 60, and the system controller 60 monitors the water level in the gas-liquid separator 25.

  A drain valve 34 whose opening and closing is controlled by an orifice 33 and a system controller 60 is provided at the drain port of the gas-liquid separator 25, and a drain pipe 35 for draining the collected liquid water is connected to the gas-liquid separator 25. ing. The system controller 60 opens the drain valve 34 in response to the water level detected by the water level sensor 32 reaching the control upper limit water level, and the difference between the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separation device 25 and the internal pressure of the drain pipe 35. Drain the collected liquid water using pressure. The drainage speed of liquid water drained from the drainage pipe 35 is determined by the diameter of the orifice 33 and the above-described differential pressure.

  The gas-liquid separator 25, together with the drain tank 70 via the separator 15 described above, gas-liquid separates the anode off gas and collects the liquid water, thereby preventing the liquid water from recirculating along with the hydrogen gas circulation. In addition, when liquid water is collected in the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 as described above, there is an adverse effect on the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 due to a sudden torque increase caused by the inflow of liquid water to the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28. It can be prevented at the same time.

  In such a hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, the control of the system controller 60 according to the hydrogen gas pressure detected by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 provided in the hydrogen gas supply pipe 24 controls the hydrogen gas pressure control valve 23. By controlling the opening, the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen gas supply source 21 through the hydrogen gas supply pipe 24 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure that is determined within a range in which the fuel cell system can be operated, and the fuel cell Supply to the anode 11 of the stack 10.

  Further, in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, by controlling the system controller 60, the hydrogen gas flow rate supplied to the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 is made larger than the reaction hydrogen gas flow rate corresponding to the output current, Hydrogen gas can be supplied to each cell of the fuel cell stack 10 composed of a plurality of cells without a shortage.

  Furthermore, as power generation is continued, an impurity gas other than hydrogen gas, such as nitrogen, is accumulated in the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 and the hydrogen concentration is reduced. If the hydrogen concentration is reduced, the power generation efficiency is lowered and the fuel cell stack 10 is deteriorated. Therefore, the system controller 60 controls the opening degree of the purge valve 26 connected to the hydrogen gas discharge pipe 27 so that the hydrogen gas discharge pipe. 27 is controlled to discharge the impurity gas. The system controller 60 controls the opening degree of the purge valve 26 by controlling the opening / closing time according to the state of the load (generated current).

(Air gas supply system 40)
The air gas supply system 40 includes an air flow meter 41 that measures the amount of intake air, a compressor 42 that compresses air and supplies the compressed air as an air gas, and an after-cooling that cools the heated and heated air gas using the cooling liquid of the cooling system 50. A cooler 43 is provided, an air gas supply pipe 44 for supplying air gas to the cathode 12 of the fuel cell stack 10, and an air gas pressure control valve 45 is provided, and an air gas discharge pipe 46 for discharging the cathode off-gas of the cathode 12. And has.

  The air gas supply pipe 44 and the air gas discharge pipe 46 are provided with a humidifier 47. The humidifier 47 humidifies the air gas supplied to the cathode 12 of the fuel cell stack 10 in the air gas supply pipe 44. The humidifier 47 has a water vapor exchange function, and moisture contained in the cathode off-gas discharged from the cathode 12 through the air gas discharge pipe 46 is supplied to the cathode 12 through the air gas supply pipe 44. Move to supplied air gas. The water vapor exchange function provided in the humidifying device 47 can be realized by a film formed of a material having high moisture permeability such as polyimide.

  As described above, the humidifier 47 humidifies the air gas supplied to the cathode 12 to supply moisture to the polymer electrolyte membrane, and has good ion conductivity without reducing the ion transport capability of the polymer electrolyte membrane. Do moisture management to keep. Thus, the anode 11 is humidified by the reverse diffusion of the moisture on the cathode 12 side through the polymer electrolyte membrane in the anode 11 with respect to the cathode 12 whose moisture is managed by the humidifying device 47. Moisture back-diffused to the anode 11 side appears as bulk liquid water on the anode 11 side.

  Such an air gas supply system 40 adjusts the air gas to a predetermined pressure determined within a range in which the fuel cell system can be operated, for example, by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 42 under the control of the system controller 60. Then, the air is supplied to the cathode 12 of the fuel cell stack 10 through the air gas supply pipe 44. Unnecessary air gas is discharged through an air gas discharge pipe 46 provided with an air gas pressure control valve 45 that controls the pressure of the air gas supplied to the cathode 12 by controlling the pressure of the discharged air gas. Is done.

(Cooling system 50)
The cooling system 50 includes a cooling liquid pump 51 that circulates the cooling liquid, a radiator 52 that performs heat exchange between the outside air and the cooling liquid, a reservoir tank 53 that stores cooling liquid to be supplied to the radiator 52, and a fuel cell stack. 10 and a coolant supply pipe 54 for supplying coolant. Further, a bypass pipe 56 that circulates the coolant that has cooled the fuel cell stack 10 by bypassing the radiator 52 is connected to the coolant supply pipe 54 via a three-way valve 55. The ratio of the flow rate of the coolant passing through the radiator 52 and the flow rate of the coolant that bypasses the radiator 52 can be arbitrarily adjusted by controlling the opening degree of each valve of the three-way valve 55 by the system controller 60. .

  The coolant supply pipe 54 is provided with a coolant temperature sensor 57 that measures the temperature of the coolant that has been heated in the fuel cell stack 10. The coolant temperature measured by the coolant temperature sensor 57 is output to the system controller 60. The temperature of the coolant measured by the coolant temperature sensor 57 may be used as the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10 in each process in the fuel cell system.

  The system controller 60 is a control unit that controls the fuel cell system in an integrated manner. The system controller 60 reads signals output from sensors such as the temperature sensor 13, the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31, the coolant temperature sensor 57, and the water level sensors 32 and 71. Based on the (program), the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, the air gas supply system 40, the cooling system 50, and the output system (not shown) are controlled so that the optimum operation is performed according to the operation command.

  Specifically, the system controller 60 requests the current generation current in the fuel cell stack 10 and the fuel cell stack 10 for the circulation flow rate and pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied to the anode 11 during the power generation of the fuel cell stack 10. Determined by hydrogen stoichiometric ratio and pressure.

  The system controller 60 performs a flatting elimination operation that prevents the flatting that occurs during startup without delaying the output extraction time when the fuel cell system is started up. The control processing of the flatting elimination operation by the system controller 60 will be described in detail later.

  The system controller 60 is connected to a timer 61 that counts each process caused by the time controlled by the system controller 60. For example, the system controller 60 can measure the time for which the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is continued for a predetermined time by referring to the timer 61.

[Operation at startup of fuel cell system]
Subsequently, in the fuel cell system having such a configuration, the flatting elimination operation executed at the time of starting to start the operation will be described.

  First, the state of the fuel cell system at the time of operation stop before the start of the fuel cell system will be described. In the state where the fuel cell system is stopped, the inside of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 is replaced with air instead of hydrogen gas.

  As described above, the anode 11 is humidified by back diffusion from the cathode 12 through the polymer electrolyte membrane. Therefore, since the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 is almost saturated, the water vapor in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 condenses when exposed to an environment where the temperature decreases. It will appear as liquid water.

  As described above, when the fuel cell system is stopped, the liquid water that has appeared in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 is retained liquid water (anode liquid water) remaining in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. Then, when the fuel cell system is operated next time, the fuel cell system may flow into the anode 11 and may cause anode flatting that impairs the stable operation of the fuel cell system.

  By the way, the system controller 60 opens the purge valve 26 in order to supply hydrogen to the anode 11 from the hydrogen gas supply source 21 and to quickly secure the amount of hydrogen necessary for power generation when starting the fuel cell system. A part of the gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is discharged, and the gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is forcibly replaced with hydrogen. Thereby, impurity gas, such as nitrogen, in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 can be discharged in a relatively short time.

  The system controller 60 discharges the impurity gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 and replaces it with hydrogen gas, thereby performing a hydrogen gas circulation flow rate in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. Is controlled to continuously increase the pressure for a predetermined time, and further increase the pressure and hold it for the predetermined time. It is possible to execute a flatting elimination operation for preventing the lifting.

  Normally, at the time of start-up, when replacing the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 from when the hydrogen gas is supplied, the system controller 60 prompts the discharge of the impurity gas outside the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. The pressure in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is increased, and the purge valve 26 is opened to lower the nitrogen partial pressure in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20.

  At this time, the system controller 60 increases the flow rate value of the hydrogen gas circulation flow rate stored in advance as a default value in a memory (not shown), the duration value for continuing the flow rate increase state using the increased flow rate value, hydrogen gas The pressure rise value in the circulation supply system 20 is read out. Then, the system controller 60 uses the read initial value to increase the hydrogen gas circulation flow rate in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 based on the increased flow value, and continues the increase state for the duration based on the duration value. And control the operation to increase the pressure based on the pressure increase value. In addition, unless the hydrogen gas pressure control valve 23 is controlled so as to positively reduce the hydrogen gas pressure once increased based on the pressure increase value, the flow rate increasing state is continued based on the duration value, The raised state will be maintained to some extent.

  As described above, when the hydrogen gas circulation flow rate in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is increased and the pressure is increased, the liquid water discharge operation for discharging the accumulated liquid water in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 satisfactorily. (Flatting elimination operation) is executed.

  That is, the system controller 60 performs an operation based on an initial value preset in a memory (not shown) during a hydrogen gas replacement process in which the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is replaced with hydrogen gas, which is executed when the fuel cell system is started. By executing, the liquid water discharge operation can be executed simultaneously. As a result, it is not necessary to perform the operation of discharging the residual liquid water independently at the time of starting the fuel cell system, and it is possible to prevent the delay in taking out the output from the fuel cell stack 10.

  Next, an initial value preset in a memory (not shown), an increased flow value of the hydrogen gas circulation flow rate, a pressure increase value in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, and a duration value for continuing the flow increase state will be described. .

  This initial value is a value determined according to the shape and area of the flow path in the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10, the characteristics of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28, the area and diameter of the pipes constituting the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, and the like. It will be calculated in advance by experiments. At this time, the hydrogen gas replacement processing time with the liquid water discharge operation while minimizing the amount of hydrogen gas discharged together with the impurity gas that increases by executing the hydrogen gas replacement processing with the liquid water discharge operation. However, the initial value is determined so as not to be longer than the hydrogen gas replacement processing time without the liquid water discharge operation.

  Specifically, since the circulation flow rate in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 depends on the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28, the increased flow value is defined as the rotation speed (r1) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28. Will do. Therefore, the duration value for continuing the flow rate increasing state for increasing the circulation flow rate is defined as the duration time (t1) for continuing the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 described above.

  The pressure increase value in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is a target pressure value (p1) of hydrogen gas that is adjusted by controlling the opening degree of the hydrogen gas pressure control valve 23. The system controller 60 controls the opening degree of the hydrogen gas pressure control valve 23 so that the hydrogen gas pressure detected by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 becomes the target pressure value.

  That is, in the memory (not shown), the rotation speed (r1) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 is set as the increased flow value, the duration (t1) is set as the duration value, and the target pressure value (p1) is set as the initial pressure value. As a preset and stored.

2 (a) to 2 (e), the pressure (kPa) in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 when the hydrogen gas replacement process accompanied by the liquid water discharge operation is executed at the start of the fuel cell system, and the increased flow rate value are specified. Of the rotation speed (rpm) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28, the water level (mm) of the gas-liquid separator 25, the gas density (kg / m ³ ), and the gas concentration (vol%) in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 (Sec) Each change is shown. Note that a state where the time (sec) is “zero” indicates a state where the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped.

  When the system controller 60 starts the stopped fuel cell system, the system controller 60 continues the rotation speed (r1) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 stored in a memory (not shown) and the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28. The time (t1) and the target pressure value (p1) are read out, and based on these values, the hydrogen gas pressure control valve 23 and the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 are controlled as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b).

  At this time, the staying liquid water collected in the gas-liquid separation device 25 and the drain tank 70 is a system according to the fact that the water level detected by the water level sensors 32 and 71 has reached the control upper limit water level as described above. The controller 60 opens the drain valves 34 and 73, the differential pressure between the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the internal pressure of the drain pipe 35 through the orifice 33, the internal pressure of the separator 15 and the drain tank 70, and the drain pipe 74. Drainage is performed using the pressure difference between the internal pressure and the orifice 72. FIG. 2 (c) shows how the staying liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 or the drain tank 70 is discharged.

  Since the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 have limited capacities, the accumulated liquid water cannot be recovered satisfactorily unless the wastewater treatment using this differential pressure is performed efficiently.

  In the fuel cell system shown as an embodiment of the present invention, the liquid water discharge operation is simultaneously performed by performing an operation based on an initial value preset in a memory (not shown) during the hydrogen gas replacement process. By such processing at startup, the pressure and nitrogen concentration in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 become relatively high as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (e). As shown, the gas density is also relatively high. Therefore, the discharge efficiency of the staying liquid water using the differential pressure as described above can be increased.

  In this way, the fuel cell system has an increased flow value of the hydrogen gas circulation flow rate that is stored in advance as an initial value in a memory (not shown) during the hydrogen gas replacement process that is executed when the fuel cell system is started up. The liquid water discharge operation is executed by feedforward control using the duration value that continues the flow rate increase state using the value and the pressure increase value in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20.

  Further, the system controller 60 sets the circulation flow rate of the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 to a predetermined circulation flow rate that is higher than that required for activation at the time of activation, and The liquid water discharge operation is started at a predetermined pressure that is higher than that required for starting, and the accumulated amount is calculated from the number of drainage times and the water level of the accumulated liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70, or Perform a feedback control such as determining the time change of the integrated amount and continuing the liquid water discharge operation until at least one of the calculated integrated amount or the time change of the integrated amount falls below a predetermined threshold. Also good.

[Treatment when a sufficient differential pressure cannot be secured to discharge the collected accumulated liquid water]
As described above, the fuel cell system shown as the embodiment of the present invention has the differential pressure between the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the internal pressure of the drainage pipe 35 through the orifice 33, the separator 15 and the drain tank 70. By using the pressure difference between the internal pressure and the internal pressure of the drainage pipe 74 through the orifice 72, the staying liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 can be drained well.

  However, the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separator 25, the internal pressure of the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 are the flow pressure loss of the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 and the hydrogen gas supply piping constituting the piping of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. 24, the pressure loss due to the hydrogen gas discharge pipe 27, the hydrogen gas circulation pipe 29, etc., the gas density in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, the pressure in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20, and the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28. Since it depends on various factors such as the circulation flow rate, it may be exceptionally less than the pressure in the drainage pipes 35 and 74.

  For example, the hydrogen gas pressure control valve 23 is controlled without maintaining the pressure after the pressure rise (p1) at the time of start-up, and the operating pressure of the fuel cell system is adjusted to be smaller than p1, while the hydrogen gas For example, the rotation speed (r1) of the circulation pump 28 is increased, the duration (t1) for continuing the increase in the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 is maintained, and the liquid water discharge operation is executed. In this case, the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the internal pressure of the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 are exceptionally less than the pressure of the drainage pipes 35 and 74.

  Therefore, when the system controller 60 opens the drain valves 34 and 74 in response to the water level detected by the water level sensors 32 and 71 reaching the control upper limit water level, the gas in the drain pipes 35 and 74, liquid water, or the like Will flow back to the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70.

  By the way, the flow pressure loss of the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 and the pressure loss due to the piping of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 are determined by the design and are constant. Therefore, the gas density in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 and the hydrogen gas circulation The internal pressure of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the internal pressures of the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 are equal to or lower than the pressures of the drain pipes 35 and 74 depending on the pressure in the supply system 20 and the circulation flow rate determined by the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28. It will be decided whether or not.

  Thus, when the pressure difference sufficient to discharge the accumulated liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 cannot be secured in this way, the system controller 60 performs a processing operation such as the flowchart shown in FIG. To realize a good liquid water discharge operation.

  First, as a pre-stage for executing the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the system controller 60 sets the gas density ρ (t) in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system with respect to the elapsed time from the start of supplying hydrogen gas in a memory (not shown). It is obtained in advance as a function or by experiment or the like and held as a table.

  In step S1, when the fuel cell system is activated, the system controller 60 starts monitoring the pressure value measured by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 as a representative value of the pressure in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. To do.

  In step S <b> 2, the system controller 60 obtains the gas density ρ (t) from the elapsed time since the start of supplying the hydrogen gas measured by the timer 61. Then, the system controller 60 calculates the fuel cell stack 10 based on the obtained gas density ρ (t), the circulation flow rate determined by the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28, and the known flow path pressure loss of the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10. The pressure drop ΔP in the flow path of the anode 11 is calculated.

  In step S3, the system controller 60 subtracts the pressure drop ΔP in the flow path of the anode 11 calculated in step S2 from the pressure value measured by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 started to be monitored in step S1. Thus, the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separator 25, the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 connected to the outlet side of the anode 11 of the fuel cell stack 10 is calculated (P1-ΔP).

  In step S4, the system controller 60 sets the pressure in the drainage pipes 35 and 74 opposite to the drainage valves 34 and 73 to P2, and the internal pressures of the gas-liquid separator 25, the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 calculated in step S3. (P1−ΔP) that is P2 is compared. In addition, when draining the liquid water collect | recovered with the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 to air | atmosphere, P2 will become atmospheric pressure.

  The system controller 60 has an internal pressure (P1-ΔP) of the gas-liquid separator 25, the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 from P2 which is the pressure in the drainage pipes 35, 74 on the opposite side of the drainage valves 34, 73. Is larger, the process proceeds to step S5. If (P1−ΔP) is equal to or smaller than P2, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S5, the system controller 60 determines that the pressure difference between the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separation device 25 and the internal pressure of the drainage pipe 35 via the orifice 33 in accordance with (P1−ΔP) being greater than P2, the separator 15 and the internal pressure of the drain tank 70 and the internal pressure of the drain pipe 74 are normal, and the recovered accumulated liquid water is good without flowing back to the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. The drain valves 34 and 73 are controlled to open.

  In step S6, the system controller 60 determines that the pressure difference between the internal pressure of the gas-liquid separation device 25 and the internal pressure of the drainage pipe 35 via the orifice 33 in accordance with (P1-ΔP) being P2 or less, the separator 15 and the internal pressure of the drain tank 70 and the internal pressure of the drainage pipe 74 are not normal, and the collected accumulated liquid water may flow back to the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. Therefore, the drain valves 34 and 73 are controlled to remain closed without being opened.

  Instead of the process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the gas density ρ (t) that changes depending on the elapsed time since the start of the supply of hydrogen gas is changed to the gas density ρ at the start of the liquid water discharge operation. The processing may be simplified by assuming that (t0) is constant.

  In this case, a threshold value is set for the pressure value measured by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 and the rotation speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28, and the system controller 60 determines that the pressure value measured by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31 is the threshold value. By controlling so that the drainage valves 34 and 73 are not opened when the rotational speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value β, the gas-liquid separation device 25 and the drain tank 70 are provided. The collected staying liquid water can be drained well without flowing back to the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20.

  Further, in the case of simplification, the initial values such as the number of rotations (r1) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 for controlling the circulation flow rate, the target pressure value (p1), and the duration time (t1) of the circulation flow rate are set so that no backflow occurs. The system controller 60 executes the liquid water discharge operation at the initial value of the experiment, and controls the opening and closing of the drain valves 34 and 27 at the rotational speed of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28. The control is performed according to the pressure value measured by the hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 31.

[Initial value correction]
As described above, the fuel cell system shown as the embodiment of the present invention has a hydrogen gas circulation that is stored in advance as a default value in a memory (not shown) and preset in a hydrogen gas replacement process that is executed when the fuel cell system is started up. Liquid water discharge operation is performed by feedforward control using the increased flow value of the flow rate, the duration value that continues the flow rate increase state using this increased flow value value, and the pressure increase value in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 To do.

  This initial value is a value obtained in advance based on the hardware configuration of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 of the fuel cell system and preset in the memory. In some circumstances, the accumulated liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 of the fuel cell system operated under conditions may not be drained.

  Therefore, when it is estimated that the staying liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 cannot be discharged even by the liquid water discharging operation using this initial value, or the liquid water discharging operation using this initial value. If anode fluttering is detected in spite of execution of the procedure, the initial value is corrected in a direction that promotes the discharge of the staying liquid water, and the liquid water discharge operation is performed by the control using the corrected corrected initial value. Make it run.

(Processing when it is estimated that the liquid water discharge operation cannot discharge)
Whether or not the staying liquid water can be discharged by the liquid water discharge operation can be determined by estimating the amount of staying liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20.

  For example, the system controller 60 is detected in a state where the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped by the water level sensors 32 and 71 provided in the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 for collecting the staying liquid water, respectively. From the value, the amount of staying liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 can be estimated, and it can be determined whether or not the staying liquid water can be discharged by the liquid water discharge operation executed at the time of startup.

  The water level (mm) of the gas-liquid separator 25 shown in FIG. 4A is determined based on the environment in which the fuel cell system is set when the initial value is determined and the conditions of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. The water level change detected by the water level sensor 32 when the operation is executed is shown.

  In order to determine whether or not stagnant liquid water can be discharged by the liquid water discharge operation executed at the time of start-up, first, the change rate of the water level of the gas-liquid separator 25 that changes in this way is set as the standard value A, and an experiment is performed. Or obtained in advance by calculation or the like and stored in a memory (not shown) of the system controller 60. A plurality of standard values A are obtained at predetermined time intervals.

  The water level (mm) of the gas-liquid separator 25 shown in FIG. 4B is the water level detected by the water level sensor 32 when the fuel cell system is actually started and the liquid water discharge operation is executed using the initial value. It shows a change. The system controller 60 activates the fuel cell system and starts the liquid water discharge operation using the initial value, so that the water level is adjusted so as to correspond to each other at the same time interval as the standard value A is obtained in advance. The rate of change B is calculated in real time.

  Then, the system controller 60 calculates the difference between the change rate B and the standard value A corresponding to the change rate B, and obtains the magnitude relationship. If the value of “change rate B−standard value A” is greater than zero (change rate B−standard value A> 0), the system controller 60 collects the accumulated liquid water at a very fast pace. In the liquid water discharge operation with the preset initial value, the staying liquid water cannot be discharged, and at least one of the initial values is corrected so as to promote the discharge of the staying liquid water.

  For example, correction of the circulating flow rate in the increasing direction, correction to maintain the pressure, and correction of the circulating flow rate duration in the increasing direction can facilitate the discharge of the staying liquid water. As the initial value to be corrected, it is sufficient to correct at least one. For example, depending on the situation in which the retained liquid water cannot be discharged by correcting only one initial value, any two of the initial values are corrected. Two or more initial values may be corrected.

  Thereby, even if it is estimated that the liquid water discharge operation with the initial value is not in time, the occurrence of anode flatting can be suppressed in advance.

  The time displacement of the rotation speed (rpm) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 shown in FIG. 4 (A) shows a state in which an initial value before correction (circulation flow duration: t1) is used. On the other hand, the time displacement of the rotation speed (rpm) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump shown in FIG. 4B shows how the circulation flow duration time t1 before correction is corrected to t2 (t2> t1).

  The time displacement of the rotation speed (rpm) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 shown in FIG. 5 (A) shows a state when the initial value (rotation speed: r1) before correction is used. On the other hand, the time displacement of the rotation speed (rpm) of the hydrogen gas circulation pump 28 shown in FIG. 5B shows a state where the rotation speed r1 before correction is corrected to r2 (r2> r1).

  The time displacement of the pressure (kPa) in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 shown in FIG. 6 (A) shows a state when the initial value (target pressure value: p1) before correction is used. On the other hand, the time displacement of the pressure (kPa) in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 shown in FIG. 6B is set to p2 (p2> p1) before the correction, and the pressure is maintained during the holding time t3. A state of correction so as to hold is shown.

  The corrected initial value obtained by correcting the initial value can be obtained, for example, by multiplying the initial value by using a coefficient proportional to the difference between the change rate B and the standard value A as a correction coefficient.

  In addition, instead of such processing, the relationship between the amount of liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 and the rate of change of the water level sensor 32 during the liquid water discharge operation is experimentally obtained in advance, and the system controller 60 These may be held as a table in a memory (not shown). The system controller 60 obtains the rate of change from the detected value of the water level sensor 32 detected when the liquid water discharge operation is performed, and appropriately corrects the initial value from the relationship between the rate of change of the held table and the amount of retained liquid water. You may do it.

  In the above-described example, the amount of staying liquid water is estimated only by changing the water level of the staying liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70. Instead, the system controller 60 uses the fuel cell. The amount of staying liquid water can also be estimated using the temperature in the stack 10.

  First, the system controller 60 measures and holds the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10 when the fuel cell system is shut down, and compares the temperature with the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10 measured when the fuel cell system is started. From this, the amount of stagnant liquid water that condenses and appears in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 is estimated using the relationship between the temperature and the saturated water vapor amount. The system controller 60 corrects the initial value when the estimated amount of staying liquid water is an amount that cannot be discharged by the liquid water discharge operation using the initial value.

  The system controller 60 can also estimate the amount of staying liquid water by calculating the discharge interval of liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 with reference to the time counted by the timer 61. .

  First, the system controller 60 stores the time counted by the timer 61 in a memory (not shown) at the timing when the drain valves 34 and 73 are opened to discharge the liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70. Remember every time. Then, the system controller 60 estimates the amount of retained liquid water that condenses and appears in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 according to the time interval stored in a memory (not shown). For example, the relationship between the discharge interval of the reference liquid water and the amount of the staying liquid water is acquired in advance by experiment or the like, and the system controller 60 uses the time interval stored in the memory (not shown) to set the reference liquid water. The amount of staying liquid water is estimated by referring to the relationship between the discharge interval and the amount of staying liquid water.

  The system controller 60 corrects the initial value when the estimated amount of staying liquid water is an amount that cannot be discharged by the liquid water discharge operation using the initial value.

(Processing when flatting is detected during execution of liquid water discharge operation using initial values)
The fuel cell stack 10 is limited in the current that can be taken out immediately after startup.

  For example, in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 of the fuel cell system, there is an upper limit on the current that can be taken out in a time zone in which there is a substantial amount of impurities in the initial stage of hydrogen gas replacement. Further, there is an upper limit to the current that can be taken out even during a time period when the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 is low. As described above, the system controller 60 can prevent the cell voltage from being lowered by limiting the extraction according to the upper limit of the current that can be extracted.

  First, processing in a time zone in which a substantial amount of impurities exist in the hydrogen gas supply circulation system 20 of the fuel cell system in the initial stage of hydrogen gas replacement will be described.

  For example, when the fuel cell system is mounted on a vehicle, the output generated by the fuel cell stack 10 may be taken out in a relatively short time after the supply of hydrogen gas is started. This is equivalent to the case where the output at the start-up process described with reference to FIG. 2 starts to be output in a state where a substantial amount of impurities such as nitrogen exist before the hydrogen gas replacement in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is completed. To do.

  The current that can be taken out from the fuel cell stack 10 is limited depending on the concentration of impurity gas typified by nitrogen in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. Therefore, a current value that can be taken out with respect to the elapsed time since the start of hydrogen gas supply is obtained in advance by calculation or experiment, and the impurity gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is discharged out of the system. By limiting the extraction of current during operation using the obtained current value that can be extracted as the current upper limit value, it is possible to prevent the cell voltage of the fuel cell stack 10 from being lowered due to a shortage of hydrogen gas. Can do.

  By the way, when the current is taken out at the time when the liquid water discharge operation is not completed immediately after the start of the fuel cell system in which the current that can be taken out is limited in this way, the anode is formed on the anode 11 side of the fuel cell stack 10. There is a case where flatting occurs. In such a case, there is a possibility that the liquid water discharge operation using the above-described initial value cannot be handled.

  Therefore, the system controller 60 detects the anode flatting occurring in the fuel cell stack 10 at the time when the liquid water discharge operation is not completed immediately after the start of the fuel cell system, and reliably corrects the initial value. Perform liquid water drainage treatment.

  In order to detect anode flatting, the system controller 60 first configures the fuel cell stack 10 when the fuel cell stack 10 generates power normally without causing the flatting and the current value below the current upper limit value. A first load limit map in which the average cell voltage, which is a theoretical cell voltage of a plurality of cells, is associated one-to-one is set in advance in a memory (not shown).

  Then, when the fuel cell system is started, the system controller 60 performs a liquid water discharge operation using the initial value during the hydrogen gas replacement process.

  At this time, the system controller 60 determines the actual cell voltage with respect to the actual current of each cell constituting the fuel cell stack 10 detected by the cell voltage monitor 14 and the average cell voltage value obtained from the first load limit map. To determine whether anode flatting has occurred.

  The system controller 60 determines that anode flooding has occurred when there is an actual cell voltage that is, for example, 80% or less of the average cell voltage value obtained from the first load limit map.

  When the anode flushing is detected, but the liquid water discharge operation has already been completed, the system controller 60 suppresses the anode flatting that has occurred by executing the liquid water discharge operation again.

  Further, the system controller 60, when the current is taken out at the stage where the liquid water discharge operation is not completed and the anode fluttering is detected, increases the flow rate value (rotation speed: r1), the pressure increase value (target pressure value). : P1), and the initial value such as the duration for which the circulation flow rate is continued (duration: t1) is corrected by controlling at least one of the initial values to suppress the generated anode flooding. To do.

  Next, processing in a time zone when the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 is low will be described. Immediately after the start of the fuel cell system, the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10 is low, so that the current that can be taken out is limited by the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10. Therefore, a current upper limit value that is an upper limit value of the current value that can be taken out with respect to the temperature in the fuel cell stack 10 is obtained in advance by calculation or experiment, and the operation is performed with the obtained current upper limit value that can be taken out. By limiting the extraction of current, it is possible to prevent the cell voltage of the fuel cell stack 10 from lowering than during normal operation.

  By the way, when the liquid water discharge operation is not completed immediately after the start of the fuel cell system in which the temperature of the fuel cell stack 10 is low in this way, when the current is taken out, the anode is formed on the anode 11 side of the fuel cell stack 10. There is a case where flatting occurs. In such a case, there is a possibility that the liquid water discharge operation using the above-described initial value cannot be handled.

  Therefore, the system controller 60 detects the anode flatting occurring in the fuel cell stack 10 at the time when the liquid water discharge operation is not completed immediately after the start of the fuel cell system, and reliably corrects the initial value. Perform liquid water drainage treatment.

  In order to detect anode flatting, the system controller 60 first configures the fuel cell stack 10 when the fuel cell stack 10 generates power normally without causing the flatting and the current value below the current upper limit value. A second load limit map in which the average cell voltage, which is a theoretical cell voltage of a plurality of cells, is associated one-to-one is set in advance in a memory (not shown).

  Then, when the fuel cell system is started, the system controller 60 performs a liquid water discharge operation using the initial value during the hydrogen gas replacement process.

  At this time, the system controller 60 detects the actual cell voltage with respect to the actual current of each cell constituting the fuel cell stack 10 detected by the cell voltage monitor 14 and the average cell voltage value obtained from the second load limit map. To determine whether anode flatting has occurred.

  The system controller 60 determines that anode flooding has occurred when there is an actual cell voltage that is, for example, 80% or less of the average cell voltage value obtained from the second load limit map.

  When the anode flushing is detected, but the liquid water discharge operation has already been completed, the system controller 60 suppresses the anode flatting that has occurred by executing the liquid water discharge operation again.

  Further, the system controller 60, when the current is taken out at the stage where the liquid water discharge operation is not completed and the anode fluttering is detected, increases the flow rate value (rotation speed: r1), the pressure increase value (target pressure value). : P1), and the initial value such as the duration for which the circulation flow rate is continued (duration: t1) is corrected by controlling at least one of the initial values to suppress the generated anode flooding. To do.

  Further, the system controller 60 presets in a memory (not shown) two of a first load limit map that depends on the amount of impurities in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 and a second load limit map that depends on the fuel cell temperature. Then, by using the lower of the average cell voltage obtained from the two maps as the reference average cell voltage value for detection of anode flatting, more reliable detection processing can be realized.

  Specifically, the system controller 60 compares the actual cell voltage with respect to the actual current of each cell constituting the fuel cell stack 10 detected by the cell voltage monitor 14 with the reference average cell voltage value, and the anode flatting is performed. Determine if it has occurred. The system controller 60 determines that anode flooding has occurred when there is an actual cell voltage that is, for example, 80% or less of the reference average cell voltage value.

[Wastewater treatment up to the control lower limit water level]
By the way, depending on the conditions at the time when the operation of the fuel cell system is stopped, the fuel cell system may be stopped in a state where the water levels of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 are close to the control upper limit water level.

  In addition, during the stop of the operation of the fuel cell system, there may be an increase in the amount of accumulated liquid water that is condensed and appears in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 due to external conditions and the like. As described above, when the amount of staying liquid water increases, there is a possibility that it cannot be sufficiently recovered depending on the water levels of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70.

  Therefore, the system controller 60 activates the fuel cell system, and before the liquid water discharge operation is started, the remaining liquid water collected in the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 becomes the management lower limit water level. Control to drain up to.

  As a result, the gas-liquid separation device 25 and the drain tank 70 can ensure sufficient gas-liquid separation capability before the liquid water discharge operation is started, so that excessive retention in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 including the anode 11 occurs. Even if liquid water appears, it can be reliably recovered, so that it is possible to prevent recirculation of the retained liquid water.

  In addition, even when excessive stagnant liquid water flows into the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70, the water level fluctuations by the water level sensors 32 and 74 can be detected satisfactorily. Can be executed reliably.

  Such drainage treatment up to the control lower limit water level of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 circulates hydrogen gas when the fuel cell system is started, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (d). This is performed in the process of increasing the pressure in the supply system 20. Thereby, the pressure difference in the gas-liquid separator 25, the separator 15 and the drain tank 70 and the pressure in the drainage pipes 35 and 74 via the orifices 33 and 72 are respectively transferred to the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20. It can be ensured that good drainage is performed without backflowing the staying liquid water. Further, since the discharge speed of the staying liquid water can be increased, the water level of the staying liquid water remaining in the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 can be quickly reduced to the control lower limit water level without extending the starting time. Can be lowered.

[Effect of the embodiment of the invention]
As described above, the fuel cell system shown as the embodiment of the present invention is configured to supply the hydrogen gas to the anode 11 while discharging the impurity gas in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 when starting the fuel cell system. Under the control of the controller 60, a predetermined circulation flow rate in which the circulation flow rate of the hydrogen gas circulated in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is increased from the circulation flow rate required for starting the fuel cell system for a predetermined duration. And the liquid water condensed in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 by setting the pressure in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 to a predetermined pressure higher than the pressure required for starting the fuel cell system. The liquid water is separated and recovered, and the liquid water discharge operation for discharging the hydrogen gas to the outside of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is controlled.

  As a result, anode flatting that occurs on the anode 11 side from the start of the fuel cell system to the beginning of power generation can be prevented. In addition, since the liquid water discharge operation is performed during the impurity gas discharge process at the time of starting the fuel cell system, the recovery efficiency of the accumulated liquid water can be improved, and the output extraction time can be reduced by executing the liquid water discharge operation. Delays can also be avoided. Furthermore, it is not necessary to perform the liquid water discharge operation before the fuel cell system is stopped.

  In addition, the fuel cell system shown as an embodiment of the present invention uses the system controller 60 to move out of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 according to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the gas-liquid separator 25, the separator 15, and the drain tank 70. In order to determine whether or not the collected liquid water is discharged, the process of discharging the staying liquid water can be stopped when a sufficient differential pressure cannot be secured to discharge the staying liquid water, and the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 can be stopped. Backflow of the remaining liquid water can be prevented.

  Further, in the fuel cell system shown as the embodiment of the present invention, the amount of staying liquid water condensed in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 is estimated by the system controller 60, and a predetermined circulation flow rate, a predetermined pressure, and a predetermined continuation are obtained. At least one of the times is corrected, and the liquid water discharge operation is executed with the corrected initial value.

  As a result, even if the amount of liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 of the fuel cell system operated under conditions under various environments suddenly increases, it is possible to respond flexibly. By performing the liquid water discharge operation, anode flatting can be reliably prevented.

  Further, in the fuel cell system shown as the embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined amount is determined according to the fact that the system controller 60 detects the flatting that has occurred on the anode 11 side when the liquid water discharge operation is not completed. At least one of the circulating flow rate, the predetermined pressure, and the predetermined duration is corrected, and the liquid water discharge operation is executed with the corrected initial value.

  Thereby, even when the amount of liquid water staying in the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 of the fuel cell system operated under conditions under various environments is not in time only by the drainage operation based on the initial value. Thus, the liquid water discharge operation can be surely performed, and anode flatting can be reliably prevented.

  Further, in the fuel cell system shown as the embodiment of the present invention, the level of the staying liquid water collected by the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 by the system controller 60 before performing the liquid water discharge operation at the time of startup. Is controlled to drain out of the hydrogen gas circulation supply system 20 until the water level reaches the control lower limit water level.

  As a result, the liquid water recovery capability of the gas-liquid separator 25 and the drain tank 70 can be sufficiently secured, so that the staying liquid water can be reliably recovered by the liquid water discharge operation.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made depending on the design and the like as long as the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated from this embodiment. Of course, it is possible to change.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the fuel cell system shown as embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the liquid water discharge driving | operation using the initial value by the said fuel cell system. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a liquid water discharge operation in a case where a sufficient differential pressure cannot be secured at the time of liquid water discharge in the fuel cell system. It is a figure for demonstrating the process which correct | amends the initial value used in the said liquid water discharge driving | operation. It is the figure which showed another example which correct | amends the initial value used in the said liquid water discharge driving | operation. It is the figure which showed another example which correct | amends the initial value used in the said liquid water discharge driving | operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the waste_water | drain process performed before the said liquid water discharge operation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel cell stack 11 Anode 14 Cell voltage monitor 15 Separator 20 Hydrogen gas circulation supply system 21 Hydrogen gas supply source 22 Hydrogen gas supply valve 23 Hydrogen gas pressure control valve 24 Hydrogen gas supply piping 25 Gas-liquid separator 26 Purge valve 27 Hydrogen gas Discharge piping 28 Hydrogen gas circulation pump 29 Hydrogen gas circulation piping 31 Hydrogen gas inlet pressure sensor 32 Water level sensor 33 Orifice 34 Drain valve 35 Drain piping 40 Air gas supply system 60 System controller 61 Timer 70 Drain tank 71 Water level sensor 72 Orifice 73 Drain valve 74 Drainage piping

Claims (12)

In a fuel cell system having a fuel gas circulation supply system that circulates and supplies fuel gas to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell,
Impurity gas discharging means for discharging impurity gas in the fuel gas circulation supply system;
Gas-liquid separation means for separating and recovering liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system;
When supplying the fuel gas to the fuel electrode while discharging the impurity gas in the fuel gas circulation supply system by the impurity gas discharging means at the time of starting the fuel cell system,
The fuel gas circulation flow rate circulated in the fuel gas circulation supply system is a predetermined circulation flow rate that is increased by a predetermined duration than the circulation flow rate required for starting the fuel cell system,
By setting the pressure in the fuel gas circulation supply system to a predetermined pressure that is higher than the pressure required for starting the fuel cell system,
Control means for controlling to perform a liquid water discharge operation in which the liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system is collected by gas-liquid separation by the gas-liquid separation means and is discharged out of the fuel gas circulation supply system; A fuel cell system comprising: Pressure obtaining means for obtaining pressure inside and outside the gas-liquid separating means,
The control means discharges the liquid water separated by the gas-liquid separation means to the outside of the fuel gas circulation supply system according to the pressure inside and outside the gas-liquid separation means acquired by the pressure acquisition means. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to perform the determination is determined. A liquid water amount estimating means for estimating the amount of liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system;
The control means is based on the liquid water amount estimated by the liquid water amount estimation means,
The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the predetermined circulation flow rate, the predetermined pressure, and the predetermined duration is corrected. First water level detection means for detecting the water level of the liquid water separated and recovered by the gas-liquid separation means,
The liquid water amount estimation means estimates the amount of liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system based on a water level change rate obtained from the liquid water level detected by the first water level detection means. The fuel cell system according to claim 3. Comprising temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the fuel cell;
The liquid water amount estimation means includes a temperature in the fuel cell at the time of operation stop of the fuel cell system detected by the temperature detection means, and an inside of the fuel cell at the time of startup of the fuel cell system detected by the temperature detection means. 4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the amount of liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system is estimated based on temperature. It comprises a discharge interval measuring means for measuring a discharge interval of liquid water condensed and collected in the fuel gas circulation supply system that is recovered by gas-liquid separation by the gas-liquid separation means and discharged outside the fuel gas circulation supply system,
The liquid water amount estimation means estimates the amount of liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system based on the discharge interval of liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system measured by the discharge interval measurement means. The fuel cell system according to claim 3. A flatting detection means for detecting flatting occurring on the fuel electrode side of the fuel cell;
In response to the fact that the flat water discharge operation has not been completed and the flatting detected on the fuel electrode side is detected by the flatting detection means,
The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the predetermined circulation flow rate, the predetermined pressure, and the predetermined duration is corrected. Cell voltage detection means for detecting actual cell voltages of a plurality of cells constituting the fuel cell;
The flatting detection means is detected by a theoretical average cell voltage of a plurality of cells constituting the fuel cell with respect to a current value that can be taken out from the fuel cell immediately after starting the fuel cell system, and the cell voltage detection means. 8. The fuel cell system according to claim 7, wherein the actual cell voltage is compared with each other, and fluttering generated on the fuel electrode side of the fuel cell is detected according to the comparison result. The current value that can be taken out from the fuel cell immediately after the start of the fuel cell system is the concentration of the impurity gas in the fuel gas circulation supply system that changes according to the elapsed time since the start of the supply of the fuel gas. The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the fuel cell system is determined accordingly. The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein a current value that can be taken out from the fuel cell immediately after the fuel cell system is started is determined according to a temperature in the fuel cell. The flatting detection means calculates the theoretical average voltage,
Can be taken out from the fuel cell immediately after the start of the fuel cell system, which is determined according to the concentration of the impurity gas in the fuel gas circulation supply system that changes according to the elapsed time since the start of the supply of the fuel gas A theoretical first average cell voltage of a plurality of cells constituting the fuel cell with respect to various current values,
Alternatively, a theoretical second average cell of a plurality of cells constituting the fuel cell with respect to a current value that can be taken out from the fuel cell immediately after the start of the fuel cell system determined according to the temperature in the fuel cell The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the lower one of the voltages is set. Second water level detection means for detecting the water level of the liquid water separated and recovered by the gas-liquid separation means,
The control means, before performing the liquid water discharge operation,
The liquid water condensed in the fuel gas circulation supply system collected and separated by the gas-liquid separation means until the liquid water level detected by the second water level detection means reaches the control lower limit water level. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the fuel cell system is controlled so as to be discharged out of the fuel gas circulation supply system.

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