JP2007287475A - Liquid quantitative discharge device and liquid quantitative discharge method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid quantitative discharge device for a fuel cell capable of accurately controlling a supply quantity even for an extremely small quantity of reaction liquid when the reaction liquid such as water is delivered from a reaction liquid storage vessel to a reaction vessel. <P>SOLUTION: This liquid quantitative discharge device is provided with: the reaction liquid storage vessel 2 for storing water generating hydrogen gas by reacting with a hydrogen generating agent 10; the reaction vessel 3 for storing the hydrogen generating agent 10 and generating hydrogen gas by reacting it with water; and a reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 for supplying water from the reaction liquid storage vessel 2 to the reaction vessel 3. The reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 is provided with at least a first opening/closing means, a reaction liquid storage chamber, a pump, a second opening/closing means, and a control means 31, and executes, in a time-series fashion by using the control means 31, steps of: opening the first opening/closing means; sucking a predetermined volume of water from the reaction liquid storage vessel 2 to store it in the reaction liquid storage chamber by driving the pump; closing the first opening/closing means; opening the second opening/closing means; opening the second opening/closing means; and draining a predetermined volume of water to the reaction vessel 3 by driving the pump. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid fixed amount discharge device and a liquid fixed amount discharge method for a fuel cell capable of accurately controlling the amount of a reaction liquid supplied into a reaction vessel for generating hydrogen gas.

  A fuel cell is an energy source that is attracting attention because it has higher power generation efficiency than other power generation systems and does not generate substances that pollute the atmosphere. In a hydrogen supply type fuel cell, air (oxygen) is supplied to the cathode and hydrogen is supplied to the anode in order to generate power. Hydrogen becomes hydrogen ions and electrons by the catalytic reaction at the anode, and the hydrogen ions move in the electrolyte and react with oxygen by the catalytic reaction at the cathode to become water. On the other hand, the electrons travel through the external circuit and move to the cathode. Electric energy is generated by the movement of the electrons.

  As described above, it is necessary to supply fuel such as hydrogen to the fuel cell. Accordingly, various apparatuses for generating hydrogen are known and disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below. These all generate hydrogen by decomposing hydrocarbons. The hydrogen generators in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are constituted by a cylindrical reactor as well as a cylindrical heat supply device.

  Further, the hydrogen gas generation unit disclosed in Patent Document 3 below is a metal (corresponding to a hydrogen generating agent) that generates hydrogen by a chemical reaction between a tank for storing water (corresponding to a reaction liquid) and water. , A heating means arranged close to the reaction vessel, an introduction pipe for introducing the water contained in the tank into the reaction vessel, and the hydrogen produced in the reaction vessel and unreacted water in the tank A return pipe for introduction into the tank and a discharge pipe for discharging hydrogen and water in the tank. A pump is used to introduce the tank water into the reaction vessel, thereby controlling the amount of water supplied to the reaction vessel. The reaction container is accommodated in the apparatus main body, and is closely held by the heating means. Thereby, the water introduced into the reaction vessel is heated to become water vapor, and the reaction for generating hydrogen gas in the reaction vessel can be promoted.

JP 2004-63127 A JP 2004-59340 A JP 2004-149394 A

  In the hydrogen generator as described above, it may be desirable to control the amount of water fed into the reaction vessel to be constant. For example, when a large amount of water is fed, there is a problem that more hydrogen gas than necessary is generated. In addition, in the case of a hydrogen generator for portable devices such as PDAs and mobile phones, the amount of water fed into the reaction vessel is very small (for example, 2 to 3 cc per hour). A configuration that can be sent is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the problem is that when a reaction liquid such as water is sent from the reaction liquid container to the reaction container, the supply amount can be accurately adjusted even with a very small amount of the reaction liquid. To provide a controllable liquid discharge device and a liquid discharge method for a controllable fuel cell.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a liquid metering device for a fuel cell according to the present invention includes:
A reaction liquid container that contains a reaction liquid that reacts with the hydrogen generating agent to generate hydrogen gas;
A reaction vessel that contains a hydrogen generator and reacts with the reaction solution to generate hydrogen gas;
A reaction liquid supply mechanism for supplying the reaction liquid from the reaction liquid storage container to the reaction container;
The reaction liquid supply mechanism includes at least a first opening / closing means, a reaction liquid storage chamber, a pump, a second opening / closing means, and a control means,
Opening the first opening / closing means, driving the pump to suck and store a predetermined amount of the reaction liquid in the reaction liquid storage chamber from the reaction liquid storage container, closing the first opening / closing means, second opening / closing means And a step of driving the pump to discharge the predetermined amount of the reaction solution into the reaction vessel is performed in a time series by the control means.

  The operation and effect of the liquid metering device for a fuel cell having such a configuration will be described. This apparatus includes a reaction liquid storage container and a reaction container, and the reaction liquid storage container stores a reaction liquid that reacts with a hydrogen generating agent to generate hydrogen gas. This reaction liquid is supplied to the reaction vessel by the reaction liquid supply mechanism, and hydrogen gas is generated by the reaction of the reaction liquid and the hydrogen generating agent. The generated hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell side and generates electricity. The reaction liquid supply mechanism for supplying the reaction liquid includes at least first opening / closing means, a reaction liquid storage chamber, a pump, second opening / closing means, and control means. Under the control of this control means, first, the first opening / closing means is opened, the pump is driven, and the reaction liquid is taken into the reaction liquid storage chamber via the first opening / closing means. Next, the first opening / closing means is closed. At this point, a predetermined amount of reaction liquid is stored. Next, the second opening / closing means is opened. Then, a predetermined amount of the reaction liquid stored by driving the pump is discharged to the reaction vessel. The amount of the reaction solution stored in the reaction solution storage chamber is structurally determined, and thereby a predetermined amount of the reaction solution can be supplied to the reaction vessel. The size of the reaction liquid storage chamber can be set according to the amount of reaction liquid required in the reaction vessel. As a result, when a reaction liquid such as water is fed from a reaction liquid storage container to a reaction container, a liquid quantitative discharge device for a fuel cell capable of accurately controlling the supply amount even with a very small amount of reaction liquid is provided. Can do.

  The control means according to the present invention preferably performs the series of steps intermittently at predetermined time intervals.

  By performing a series of steps intermittently, the reaction solution can also be intermittently supplied every predetermined time. Therefore, by adjusting the interval at which the reaction solution is supplied, a fixed amount of the reaction solution can be fed into the reaction vessel even with a very small amount of the reaction solution.

In order to solve the above problems, a method for quantitatively discharging a liquid for a fuel cell according to the present invention includes:
Supply the reaction liquid from the reaction liquid container that contains the reaction liquid that reacts with the hydrogen generating agent to generate hydrogen gas to the reaction container that contains the hydrogen generating agent and reacts with the reaction liquid to generate hydrogen gas. A method for quantitative liquid discharge for
A reaction liquid supply mechanism for supplying a reaction liquid includes at least a first opening / closing means, a reaction liquid storage chamber, a pump, a second opening / closing means, and a control means.
Opening the first opening / closing means, driving the pump to suck and store a predetermined amount of the reaction liquid in the reaction liquid storage chamber from the reaction liquid storage container, closing the first opening / closing means, (2) The step of opening the opening / closing means and the step of driving the pump to discharge the predetermined amount of the reaction liquid to the reaction vessel are performed in time series.

  The control means according to the present invention preferably performs the series of steps intermittently at predetermined time intervals.

  The operation and effect of the liquid quantitative discharge method with such a configuration is as described above. When a reaction liquid such as water is sent from the reaction liquid container to the reaction container, the supply amount is reduced even with a very small amount of the reaction liquid. It can be controlled with high accuracy.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a liquid fixed amount discharge apparatus and liquid fixed amount discharge method for a fuel cell according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The liquid fixed amount discharge apparatus shown in the figure is used for a fuel cell, and specifically, is an apparatus for generating hydrogen gas to be supplied to the fuel cell. Furthermore, it has a size suitable for use in mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs.

  <Configuration of liquid metering device>

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a liquid fixed amount discharge apparatus according to the present embodiment. This liquid fixed amount discharge device includes a gas storage container 1, a reaction liquid storage container 2, a reaction container 3, and a cooling chamber 4. The gas storage container 1 stores compressed air. Note that other gas such as nitrogen may be used instead of air. An injection valve B is provided on the upper wall surface of the gas storage container 1, and air is introduced into the gas storage container 1 through the injection valve B. The amount of air introduced is, for example, about 2 to 3 cc, and the air pressure is accommodated in a compressed state of about 0.3 to 0.5 MPa. As the injection valve B, a valve having the same structure as the valve used for injecting gas into the gas lighter can be used.

  In the reaction liquid storage container 2, water as a reaction liquid is stored. This water functions as a reaction liquid that reacts with the hydrogen generator to generate hydrogen gas, and an acid or alkali solution may be used in addition to water. The amount of water stored in the reaction liquid storage container 2 is also about 3 cc. An introduction pipe 8 and a check valve 9 are provided on the container wall surface, and water can be introduced into the reaction solution storage container 2 through the introduction pipe 8.

  As the check valve 9, any type of valve can be used. To reduce the size of the entire apparatus, the check valve 9 is opened when the primary side is larger than the pressure on the secondary side, and closed when the pressure is small. A check valve provided with a beak-shaped elastic member is preferred. The check valve 9 is called, for example, a duck bill, and various types are commercially available. The same applies to check valves used in other places.

  The gas container 1 and the reaction liquid container 2 are connected by a communication pipe 6 that is a gas supply path, and a valve 7 is provided in the middle of the communication pipe 6. The valve 7 functions as a control mechanism that controls the amount of compressed air that passes through the communication pipe 6. When air is introduced into the gas storage container 1, the valve 7 is closed. . The compressed air can be sent into the reaction liquid storage container 2 by storing the compressed air in the gas storage container 1 with the valve 7 closed and then opening the valve 7 by a predetermined amount. Thereby, the water surface W of the water in the reaction liquid storage container 2 is pressed by the compressed air. Since the water surface W is pressed by the compressed air, a uniform and stable pressure can be applied over the entire water surface, and water can be stably supplied to the reaction vessel 3.

  The water supply from the reaction liquid storage container 2 to the reaction container 3 is performed by the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20, and details thereof will be described later. The driving of the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 is controlled by the control means 31.

  A hydrogen generating agent 10 is accommodated in the reaction vessel 3. Examples of the hydrogen generating agent 10 include metal particles that react with a reaction solution such as water to generate hydrogen gas, for example, one or more metal particles selected from Fe, Al, Mg, Zn, Si, and the like. And oxidized metal particles. Further, the hydrogen generator 10 may contain a catalyst component, an alkaline earth metal oxide, carbon black, or the like. The hydrogen generating agent 10 may be in the form of powder, granulated or tableted.

  A cooling chamber 4 is provided in the lower part of the reaction vessel 3, and contains cotton 41 (absorbent cotton or the like) infiltrated with water. The reaction vessel 3 and the partition wall 3a of the cooling chamber 4 are provided with a communication hole 3b, and the hydrogen gas generated in the reaction vessel 3 is supplied to the cooling chamber 4 through the communication hole 3b and is cooled in the gas state. It is discharged from the supply pipe 13. Moreover, the nonwoven fabric 42 is provided so that the communication hole 3b may be covered, and it prevents that a hydrogen generating agent falls in the cooling chamber 4. FIG. Hydrogen gas generated in the reaction vessel 3 is discharged from the gas supply pipe 43 and supplied to the fuel cell 30. The fuel cell 30 is used as a driving power source for portable equipment, but is also used for the purpose of charging a secondary battery for driving the control means 31 and the reaction solution supply mechanism 20. The control means 31 and the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 are driven by this secondary battery. Or you may drive with a general primary battery.

<Configuration of reaction liquid supply mechanism>
Next, the structure of the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 will be described with reference to the conceptual diagram of FIG. A water supply path for supplying water from the reaction liquid storage container 2 to the reaction container 3 is provided, and the inlet side flow path 21 and the outlet side flow path 22 are respectively provided on the reaction liquid storage container 2 side and the reaction container 3 side. Is located.

  A first diaphragm 23, a second diaphragm 24, and a third diaphragm 25 are disposed in this order from the inlet side along the flow path, and are driven by a first drive unit 26, a second drive unit 27, and a third drive unit 28, respectively. The The drive units 26, 27, and 28 are controlled by the control means 31 so as to be driven at a predetermined timing. The diaphragms 23, 24, and 25 are on / off controlled by the driving units 26, 27, and 28, respectively. The first diaphragm 23 and the first drive unit 26 function as a first opening / closing means, and the flow path space formed in the vicinity of the second diaphragm 24 functions as a reaction liquid storage chamber. The second diaphragm 24 and the second drive The unit 27 functions as a pump, and the third diaphragm 25 and the third driving unit 28 function as second opening / closing means. The diaphragms 23, 24, and 25 can be formed of an elastic member such as silicone rubber, and the drive units 26, 27, and 28 can be solenoids. It is preferable to act on each diaphragm 23, 24, 25 with a spring that biases the flow path in the closing direction.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a more specific internal structure of the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20. In FIG. 3, the flow path of the reaction liquid from the reaction liquid storage container 2 to the reaction container 3 is illustrated from the left side to the right side. The flow path is configured by the above-described inlet-side flow path 21 and outlet-side flow path 22, and the first intermediate flow path 29a and the second intermediate flow path 29b located between them. These specific areas in the intermediate flow paths 29a and 29b function as a reaction liquid storage chamber that temporarily stores a predetermined amount of water.

<Operation of reaction liquid supply mechanism>
Next, the operation of the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 will be described. FIG. 4 is an operation time chart of the diaphragms 23, 24, and 25. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the diaphragms 23, 24 and 25 is driven on / off, and the current waveform is also shown. 5-8 is a figure which shows the motion of the actual reaction liquid supply mechanism 20. As shown in FIG.

First, at time t ₁ , the first drive unit 26 is turned on and the first diaphragm 23 is opened. Thereby, water is taken in to the part of the 1st intermediate flow path 29a by the effect | action of compressed air, as shown in FIG. Then, at time t _2, the second diaphragm 24 to turn on the second driving unit 27 opened. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, water is taken in to the part of the 2nd intermediate flow path 29b. Next, at time t ₃ , the first drive unit 26 is turned off and the first diaphragm is closed. Next, at time t ₄ , the third drive unit 28 is turned on and the third diaphragm 25 is opened. This is shown in FIG.

Next, at time t ₅ , the second drive unit 27 is turned off and the second diaphragm 24 is closed (see FIG. 8). By the closing operation at this time, a predetermined amount of water is pushed out to the reaction vessel 3 through the second intermediate flow path 29b and the outlet side flow path 22. Next, at time t ₆ , the third drive unit 28 is turned off, and the third diaphragm 25 is closed. By a series of operations from t _{1 to} t _{6 as described} above, a predetermined amount of water is supplied from the reaction solution storage container 2 to the reaction container 3. The predetermined amount supplied in one cycle is an amount pushed out when the second diaphragm 24 moves from open to closed. Therefore, the amount of water supplied in one cycle can be made very small. Depending on the amount of hydrogen gas to be generated by the reaction vessel 3, it is possible to set in advance how often the above cycle is performed, and based on this, the control means 31 intermittently sets the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20. Can be driven automatically. Thereby, even if it is a very small amount of water, the supply amount can be accurately controlled.

<Another embodiment>
The gas container 1, the liquid container 2, the reaction container 3, and the cooling chamber 4 can be formed of an appropriate metal material, resin material, glass, or the like in consideration of strength, corrosion resistance, and the like. It is also optional whether each container is composed of one part or a plurality of parts. Moreover, you may make it comprise a some container by 1 component. In addition, the shape and size of each container can be determined as appropriate based on the purpose of use and specifications. Furthermore, regarding the arrangement of each container, a rational arrangement configuration can be adopted as appropriate in consideration of the size and design of the entire apparatus. Also, each pipe that allows liquid or gas to pass through can be formed of an appropriate metal material or resin material, and a flexible material may be selected as necessary.

  The mechanism of the reaction liquid supply mechanism 20 described in the present embodiment is an example, and is not limited to this structure. For example, in the present embodiment, three drive units 26 to 28 are provided and each diaphragm 23 to 25 is driven independently. However, the drive unit is one, and each cam mechanism is driven by this drive unit. A configuration may be employed in which the diaphragms 23 to 25 are driven in time series. In this case, the cam mechanism functions as control means.

  In the present embodiment, the water is accommodated in the cooling chamber 4 by infiltrating the cotton 41. However, the water may be directly accommodated without using the cotton 41. In this case, it is preferable to provide a check valve as appropriate so that water does not move to another region.

Conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the liquid dispensing device Conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the reaction solution supply mechanism Sectional drawing which shows an example of the internal structure of a reaction liquid supply mechanism The figure which shows the operation | movement time chart of a reaction liquid supply mechanism Diagram showing the operation of the reaction solution supply mechanism (1) Diagram showing the operation of the reaction solution supply mechanism (2) Diagram showing the operation of the reaction solution supply mechanism (3) Fig. 4 shows the operation of the reaction solution supply mechanism (4)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gas storage container 2 Reaction liquid storage container 3 Reaction container 4 Cooling chamber 10 Hydrogen generating agent 20 Reaction liquid supply mechanism 21 Inlet side flow path 22 Outlet side flow path 23 1st diaphragm 24 2nd diaphragm 25 3rd diaphragm 26 1st drive Part 27 second drive part 28 third drive part 29a first intermediate flow path 29b second intermediate flow path 30 fuel cell 31 control means W water surface

Claims (4)

A reaction liquid container that contains a reaction liquid that reacts with the hydrogen generating agent to generate hydrogen gas;
A reaction vessel that contains a hydrogen generator and reacts with the reaction solution to generate hydrogen gas;
A reaction liquid supply mechanism for supplying the reaction liquid from the reaction liquid storage container to the reaction container;
The reaction liquid supply mechanism includes at least a first opening / closing means, a reaction liquid storage chamber, a pump, a second opening / closing means, and a control means,
Opening the first opening / closing means, driving the pump to suck and store a predetermined amount of the reaction liquid in the reaction liquid storage chamber from the reaction liquid storage container, closing the first opening / closing means, second opening / closing means And a step of discharging the predetermined amount of the reaction liquid into the reaction vessel by driving the pump in a time-series manner by the control means. .   2. The liquid quantitative discharge device for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the control means intermittently performs the series of steps every predetermined time. Supply the reaction liquid from the reaction liquid container that contains the reaction liquid that reacts with the hydrogen generating agent to generate hydrogen gas to the reaction container that contains the hydrogen generating agent and reacts with the reaction liquid to generate hydrogen gas. A method for quantitative liquid discharge for
A reaction liquid supply mechanism for supplying a reaction liquid includes at least a first opening / closing means, a reaction liquid storage chamber, a pump, a second opening / closing means, and a control means.
Opening the first opening / closing means, driving the pump to suck and store a predetermined amount of the reaction liquid in the reaction liquid storage chamber from the reaction liquid storage container, closing the first opening / closing means, (2) A quantitative liquid discharge for a fuel cell, wherein the step of opening the opening / closing means and the step of driving the pump to discharge the predetermined amount of the reaction liquid to the reaction vessel are performed in time series. Method.   4. The method for quantitatively discharging a liquid for a fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the control means performs the series of steps intermittently at predetermined time intervals.

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