JP2009001460A - Hydrogen generating apparatus and fuel cell system equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hydrogen generating apparatus which can generate hydrogen and start power generation in a fuel cell even if the residual capacity of a secondary cell is lowered when the power generation is started in the fuel cell; and to provide a fuel cell system equipped with the same. <P>SOLUTION: The fuel cell system is equipped with an electric pump 2 which electrically performs water supply operation by using an electric power supplied from a secondary cell 9 and a manual pump 3 which performs water supply operation by manual operation of an operator. An electric pump control part 10 operates the electric pump 2 when the electric power supplied from the secondary cell 9 is not lower than a prescribed value and instructs the operator to operate the manual pump 3 when the electric power supplied from the secondary cell 9 is lower than the prescribed value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydrogen generator that generates hydrogen necessary for power generation in a fuel cell. In particular, the present invention relates to a small and highly portable fuel cell system.

When hydrogen gas (H ₂ ) as fuel and oxygen gas (O ₂ ) as oxidant are supplied to the fuel cell, electric power is generated. Among these, oxygen gas can be obtained from the air by supplying air.

  As a method for generating hydrogen gas, a hydrogen generating agent that generates hydrogen by reacting with water can be used. An example of such a hydrogen generator is a metal having a high ionization tendency. Metals having a high ionization tendency include lithium, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, etc., and these metals react with water to generate hydrogen gas. Electric power can be generated in the fuel cell by reacting the hydrogen generating agent and water as described above to generate hydrogen gas and supplying the hydrogen gas to the fuel cell.

  In order to continuously generate stable power from the fuel cell, it is necessary to appropriately control the amount of hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell with respect to the power generated by the fuel cell. In order to control the amount of hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell, it is necessary to appropriately control the amount of water supplied to the hydrogen generating agent. As a method of controlling the amount of water supplied to the hydrogen generating agent, there is a method of controlling the input amount of water by an electric water supply means. As the power source for operating the electric pump, the output power of the primary battery, the secondary battery, or the fuel cell, or a combination of the power may be considered.

  Regarding the power supplied to the electric pump at the start of power generation in the fuel cell, since the fuel cell does not supply power before the start of power generation, the output power of the fuel cell cannot be used, but the power of the primary battery or secondary battery It is possible to use

Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for generating hydrogen by supplying water to a hydrogen generating material by an electric pump. In order to operate this electric pump, it can be operated by charging the secondary battery based on the electric power supplied from the fuel cell and supplying the electric power supplied from the secondary battery to the electric pump.
JP 2006-306700 A

  However, when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is significantly reduced due to self-discharge at the start of power generation of the fuel cell, the electric pump cannot be operated and water cannot be supplied to the hydrogen generating material. . Therefore, since hydrogen gas cannot be generated, there is a problem that power generation in the fuel cell cannot be started.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen generator capable of generating hydrogen and starting power generation in a fuel cell even when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is reduced at the start of power generation in the fuel cell, and It is providing the fuel cell system provided with.

  A first configuration of the hydrogen generator according to the present invention includes a hydrogen generator containing a hydrogen generating substance that generates hydrogen by reaction with water, water supply means capable of supplying water to the hydrogen generator, and the water A hydrogen generator comprising: a power supply means capable of supplying power to the supply means; and a control means for controlling the operation of the water supply means, wherein the water supply means is a power supplied from the power supply means. And a second mode in which water can be supplied by a manual operation by a user, and the control means is configured such that the power supplied from the power supply means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. At the time, the water supply means is shifted to the first mode, and when the power supplied from the power supply means is less than a predetermined value, the water supply means is shifted to the second mode. .

  A second configuration of the hydrogen generator according to the present invention includes a hydrogen generator containing a hydrogen generating material that generates hydrogen by reaction with water, water supply means for supplying water to the hydrogen generator, and the water supply A hydrogen generator comprising a power supply means for supplying power to the means and a control means for controlling the operation of the water supply means, wherein the water supply means is electrically powered by the power supplied from the power supply means. A first water supply means for performing a water supply operation and a second water supply means capable of supplying water by a manual operation by a user, and the control means is configured such that the power supplied from the power supply means is a predetermined value. In the above case, the first water supply means is operated, and when the power supplied from the power supply means is less than a predetermined value, the second water supply means is shifted to a state where manual water supply is possible. It is.

  The fuel cell system of the present invention includes a hydrogen generator having the first or second configuration, and includes a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen generator and oxygen.

  According to the present invention, even when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is reduced at the start of power generation in the fuel cell, hydrogen can be generated and power generation in the fuel cell can be started.

  The hydrogen generator of the present invention can take the following aspects based on the above-described configuration.

  That is, it can be configured to further comprise a notifying means for notifying the user that water can be manually supplied when the power supplied from the power supply means is less than a predetermined value. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably instruct the user that water can be supplied manually.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fuel cell system including a hydrogen generator in Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.

  The water storage tank 1 stores water necessary for generating hydrogen.

  The electric pump 2 (first water supply means) is operated by electric power supplied from the secondary battery 9, pumps up the water stored in the water storage tank 1, and can supply it to the hydrogen generator 4.

  The manual pump 3 (second water supply means) can supply water stored in the water storage tank 1 to the hydrogen generator 4 by manual operation by the user. Further, the manual pump 3 is configured by a general manual pump that operates to suck up water stored in the water storage tank 1 by pressure and pump the water to the hydrogen generator 4.

  The hydrogen generator 4 reacts water supplied from the electric pump 2 or the manual pump 3 with the hydrogen generating material to generate hydrogen gas. The hydrogen generation unit 4 includes, for example, an inlet capable of supplying water to a container containing a hydrogen generating material and an outlet capable of taking out hydrogen gas generated in the container. For example, aluminum powder is used as the hydrogen generating material.

  The fuel cell 6 is composed of, for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). Specifically, the fuel cell 6 includes a plurality of cells each made up of an electrolyte and a pair of electrodes (a positive electrode and a negative electrode) sandwiching the electrolyte to form a stack. A solid polymer electrolyte is used as the electrolyte. Oxygen gas (positive electrode active material) in the air flowing in through the air inflow portion 5 is supplied to the positive electrode, and hydrogen gas (negative electrode active material) generated in the hydrogen generation portion 4 is supplied to the negative electrode. In this configuration, when the hydrogen ions of the negative electrode active material move to the positive electrode side through the electrolyte and combine with oxygen molecules, electrons move in the external circuit to generate power. Note that the configurations of the electrolyte, the positive electrode active material, and the negative electrode active material used in the fuel cell 6 are not limited to the above.

  The charging circuit 8 is a circuit that charges the secondary battery 9 by performing step-up charging control based on the power supplied from the fuel cell 6.

  The secondary battery 9 (power supply means) is composed of a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or the like.

  The electric pump control unit 10 (control unit) estimates the remaining capacity in the secondary battery 9 when the operation unit 11 accepts an operation of a power generation command by the user. The electric pump control unit 10 operates the electric pump 2 if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and displays the display unit 12 if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is less than the predetermined value. On the other hand, it controls to display a predetermined message. The predetermined value means that the operation of the electric pump 2 is started when the power generation of the fuel cell 6 is started, and the electric pump 2 can be continuously operated until the power generation operation in the fuel cell 6 is stabilized. The remaining capacity value.

  The display unit 12 is configured by a liquid crystal display, for example. The display unit 12 is an example of a notification unit. The display unit 12 may also be used as a display unit provided in an electronic device in which the hydrogen generator in this embodiment is mounted. For example, when this system is mounted on a mobile phone terminal, the information displayed on the display unit 12 in the present embodiment may be displayed on a liquid crystal display mounted on the mobile phone terminal.

  Next, the operation of the hydrogen generator of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a flow of operation of the hydrogen generator in the present embodiment.

  First, when the operation unit 11 receives a power generation start command from the user, the electric pump control unit 10 estimates the remaining capacity in the secondary battery 9. The remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 can be estimated by measuring the open circuit voltage (OCV) of the secondary battery 9 (S1).

  If the remaining capacity in the secondary battery 9 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the electric pump control unit 10 supplies power to the electric pump 2 and outputs an operation start command. The electric pump 2 starts to operate in response to a command and power supply from the electric pump control unit 10, pumps out water stored in the water storage tank 1, and supplies it to the hydrogen generation unit 4 (S <b> 2).

  When water is supplied by the electric pump 2, the manual pump 3 is configured not to be operated. By comprising in this way, it can prevent that water is supplied to the hydrogen generating part 4 from both the electric pump 2 and the manual pump 3, and it can prevent excessive supply of water.

  The hydrogen generator 4 reacts water supplied from the electric pump 2 with a hydrogen generating material to generate hydrogen gas. The generated hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell 6. The fuel cell 6 performs a power generation operation using the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen generation unit 4 and the air (oxygen) that flows in through the air inflow unit 5 (S3).

  The electric power generated in the fuel cell 6 is output to the outside through the output terminal 7. In addition, the electric power generated in the fuel cell 6 can be supplied to the charging circuit 8. The charging circuit 6 controls charging of the secondary battery 9 based on the electric power supplied from the fuel cell 6.

  After the power generation by the fuel cell 6 is started, the electric pump control unit 10 controls the water supply amount with which the power generation can be continued in the fuel cell 6 with respect to the electric pump 2. As a method for controlling the amount of water supplied, it is desirable to control the amount of water supplied to the hydrogen generator 4 so that hydrogen gas corresponding to the power generated by the fuel cell 6 can be supplied. When the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 decreases after the start of power generation of the fuel cell 6, the charging circuit 8 charges the secondary battery 9 based on the output power of the fuel cell 6, so that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is Can be increased.

  On the other hand, when the operation unit 11 receives a power generation start command from the user, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is less than a predetermined value (No determination in S1), that is, the electric pump 2 starts power generation in the fuel cell 6. When the electric pump control unit 10 determines that the water amount necessary for the hydrogen generation unit 4 cannot be supplied to the hydrogen generation unit 4, the electric pump control unit 10 supplies the user with manual water supply such as “Please perform manual water supply”. An instructing message is displayed (S4).

  Next, when the user operates the manual pump 3 and the water stored in the water storage tank 1 is supplied to the hydrogen generation unit 4, the hydrogen generation unit 4 uses the supplied water and the hydrogen generation material. Generate hydrogen gas. The generated hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell 6. The fuel cell 6 performs a power generation operation using the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen generator 4 and the air (oxygen) flowing in through the air inlet 5 (S6).

  The electric power generated in the fuel cell 6 is output to the outside via the output terminal 7 and is supplied to the charging circuit 8. The charging circuit 8 controls charging of the secondary battery 9 based on the power supplied from the fuel cell 6.

  Next, the electric pump control unit 10 estimates the remaining capacity in the secondary battery 9 (S1), and if the remaining capacity is less than the predetermined value, continues to display a message instructing manual water supply on the display unit 12 (S4). ) When the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 exceeds a predetermined value, the message displayed on the display unit 12 is deleted and the operation of the electric pump 2 is started. That is, when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 increases to the remaining capacity necessary for operating the electric pump 2, the electric pump control unit 10 starts the operation of the electric pump 2.

  Next, the electric pump 2 starts to operate in response to a command from the electric pump control unit 10 and supplies water stored in the water storage tank 1 to the hydrogen generation unit 4 (S2). Subsequent operations have been described above, and will be omitted.

  After the power generation by the fuel cell 6 is started, the electric pump control unit 10 controls the water supply amount with which the power generation can be continued in the fuel cell 6 with respect to the electric pump 2. As a control method of the water supply amount, it is desirable to control the amount of water supplied to the hydrogen generation unit 4 so that hydrogen gas corresponding to the electric power generated by the fuel cell 6 can be supplied. When the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 decreases after the start of power generation of the fuel cell 6, the charging circuit 8 charges the secondary battery 9 based on the output power of the fuel cell 6, so that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is Can be increased.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the power generation of the fuel cell 6 is started, if there is no remaining capacity for operating the electric pump 2 in the secondary battery 9, water is manually supplied to the user. By providing the instruction structure, the power generation of the fuel cell 6 can be started even if the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, when the remaining capacity in the secondary battery 9 exceeds a predetermined value, the message for instructing manual water supply that has been displayed on the display unit 12 until then is deleted. 12 may display a message such as “Please stop manual water supply” or “Start electric water supply”, and instruct the user to stop manual water supply. By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent unnecessary water from being supplied to the hydrogen generating unit 4 and to eliminate unnecessary manual water supply operation by the user.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 9 is small, the electric pump 2 cannot be operated, and the power generation in the fuel cell 6 cannot be started, the manual pump 3 is operated on the display unit 12. However, the same effect can be obtained by instructing the user to operate the manual pump 3 by another method. For example, when the user operates the operation unit 11 to issue a power generation start command, the operation of the manual pump 3 can be implicitly instructed by the electric pump 2 not starting the operation.

  In this embodiment, the electric pump 2 and the manual pump 3 are provided. However, the operation is switched between the first operation mode capable of electric operation and the second operation mode capable of manual operation. If possible, it can be realized by one pump, and the same effect can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the message is not displayed on the display unit 12 when the electric pump 2 is operated. However, a display such as “Electric water supply” may be displayed on the display unit 12. By performing such display, the user can easily grasp the current operating state of the system.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, it was set as the structure which displays a message on the display part 12, and instruct | indicates manual water supply etc. with respect to a user, However, Instruction methods, such as manual water supply, are not restricted to this. For example, a configuration in which the light emitting diode is instructed by emitting light or a configuration in which the instruction is given by voice can be considered.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for a hydrogen generator that generates hydrogen by reacting water with a hydrogen generating composition. In particular, it is effective when applied to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) in which the generated hydrogen is used as a fuel for power generation.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fuel cell system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the fuel cell system according to the first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water storage tank 2 Electric pump 3 Manual pump 4 Hydrogen generation part 5 Air inflow part 6 Fuel cell 7 Output terminal 8 Charging circuit 9 Secondary battery 10 Electric pump control part 11 Operation part 12 Display part

Claims (4)

A hydrogen generation part containing a hydrogen generating substance that generates hydrogen by reaction with water;
Water supply means capable of supplying water to the hydrogen generator;
Power supply means capable of supplying power to the water supply means;
A hydrogen generator comprising control means for controlling the operation of the water supply means,
The water supply means
A first mode in which a water supply operation is performed by electric power supplied from the power supply means; and a second mode in which water can be supplied by a manual operation by a user;
The control means includes
When the power supplied from the power supply means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the water supply means is shifted to the first mode, and when the power supplied from the power supply means is less than a predetermined value, A hydrogen generator that shifts the supply means to the second mode. A hydrogen generation part containing a hydrogen generating substance that generates hydrogen by reaction with water;
Water supply means for supplying water to the hydrogen generator;
Power supply means for supplying power to the water supply means;
A hydrogen generator comprising control means for controlling the operation of the water supply means,
The water supply means
A first water supply unit that electrically performs a water supply operation with electric power supplied from the power supply unit, and a second water supply unit that is capable of supplying water by a manual operation by a user,
The control means includes
When the power supplied from the power supply means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the first water supply means is operated. When the power supplied from the power supply means is less than a predetermined value, the second water supply means is operated. A hydrogen generator that shifts the supply means to a state where manual water supply is possible.   The hydrogen generation according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a notifying means for notifying a user that water can be manually supplied when the power supplied from the power supplying means is less than a predetermined value. apparatus. A hydrogen generator according to claim 1 or 2,
A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell that generates power using hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen generator and oxygen.

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