JP2009129831A - Ion exchanger and fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion exchanger capable of equalizing an amount of usage of an ion-exchange resin. <P>SOLUTION: In the ion exchanger 60 arranged in a gas passage and removing impurities in a gas flowing in the gas passage, the ion exchanger 60 includes a resin storage section 71 which is formed on a part of the gas passage flowing upward and can make the gas pass, and the ion-exchange resin 70 housed in the resin storage section 71 and removing impurities in the gas passing through the resin storage section 71. The ion-exchange resin 70 can be stirred by a gas flow passing through the resin storage section 71. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion exchanger and a fuel cell system including the ion exchanger.

  For example, a fuel cell system mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile needs a piping system for supplying and discharging reaction gas (fuel gas and oxidizing gas) to the fuel cell. This piping system is usually provided with a gas-liquid separator that separates off-gas gas-liquid discharged from the fuel cell. By this gas-liquid separator, water is separated from off-gas, and then the off-gas is reused.

  By the way, the above-mentioned off gas may contain impurities eluted from the fuel cell, piping, and the like. In order to reuse this off gas, it is necessary to remove impurities contained therein. For this reason, for example, a gas-liquid separator provided with an ion exchange resin for removing impurities has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). The ion exchange resin is installed, for example, in a gas passage between a gas inlet and a gas outlet of a casing of the gas-liquid separator so as to block the gas passage.

JP 2006-100239 A JP 2005-285735 A

  However, in the gas-liquid separator, the off gas supplied in large quantities from the gas inlet is passed through the ion exchange resin by the negative pressure of the gas outlet and discharged from the gas outlet. For example, the gas flow rate passing through a portion close to the gas outlet tends to increase, and the gas flow rate passing through a distant portion tends to decrease. As a result, the in-plane utilization factor of the ion exchange resin is biased, and the deterioration due to the use of the ion exchange resin may vary. As a result, for example, it is conceivable that the deterioration of a part of the ion exchange resin progresses quickly and the life of the entire ion exchange resin is shortened. Moreover, the removal efficiency of impurities in the entire ion exchange resin may be lowered.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ion exchanger that uniformizes the amount of ion exchange resin used, and a fuel cell system including the ion exchanger. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ion exchanger for removing impurities in a gas flowing in a gas flow path and flowing in the gas flow path, and a part of the gas flow path flowing upward A resin container that is formed to pass through the gas, and an ion exchange resin that is contained in the resin container and removes impurities in the gas that passes through the resin container, and the ion exchange resin is The agitation can be performed by a gas flow passing through the resin container. “Upper” includes diagonally upward.

  According to the present invention, since the ion exchange resin is agitated in the resin container by the gas flow, the entire ion exchange resin is used evenly and the usage amount of the ion exchange resin is made uniform. As a result, the degree of deterioration of the ion exchange resin due to use becomes uniform. As a result, for example, the life of the ion exchange resin can be extended. Moreover, the removal efficiency of the impurity of the whole ion exchange resin can be improved.

  The resin storage portion has two filters on the upstream side and the downstream side of the gas flow path that allow gas to pass but not ion exchange resin, and the ion exchange resin is stored between the two filters. You may do it. In such a case, the ion exchange resin can be properly confined in the resin container.

  The at least one filter may be attached to a flange of a gas flow channel, and the flange may be removable from the gas flow channel. In such a case, the amount of the ion exchange resin in the resin container can be adjusted by removing the flange. Moreover, the ion exchange resin in the resin container can be easily replaced.

  The filter on the upstream side of the gas flow path may be inclined so that a portion through which the center of the gas flow path passes is lowered. In such a case, since the ion exchange resin stirred by the gas flow is collected at the center of the gas flow path, the gas flow easily hits the ion exchange resin, and the impurity removal efficiency by the ion exchange resin is improved.

  The diameter of the filter on the downstream side of the gas flow path may be formed smaller than the diameter of the gas flow path in the other part of the resin housing portion.

  The resin housing portion may be provided with a conical or pyramidal baffle plate whose top portion faces the upstream side. In such a case, since the ion exchange resin raised by the gas flow is uniformly flowed to the outer wall surface side of the resin housing portion, the stirring property of the ion exchange resin is improved.

  The ion exchange resin may be configured to contain a predetermined amount of moisture. In this case, for example, when the gas flow is a large flow rate, the ion exchange resin absorbs a large amount of water contained therein, and the migration of the ion exchange resin can be suppressed by its weight. That is, when the gas flow is a large flow rate, it is possible to prevent the ion exchange resin from flowing and clogging the downstream filter.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuel cell system having a fuel cell that generates power by a reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas, wherein the ion exchanger is provided in a gas flow path of the gas discharged from the fuel cell; A pump for pumping gas in the gas flow path is provided, and the ion exchange resin of the ion exchanger is agitated by repeating ON / OFF of the pump during operation of the fuel cell system. In such a case, the pressure in the gas flow path fluctuates greatly due to repeated ON / OFF operation of the pump, and the stirring of the ion exchange resin is promoted. As a result, the ion exchange resin is sufficiently and reliably stirred, and the amount of the ion exchange resin used is further uniformized.

  The pump ON / OFF repeated operation may be performed when a specific device in the fuel cell system is in operation. In such a case, for example, by repeating the ON / OFF operation of the pump during operation of a noisy device, it is possible to make the sound generated when the pump is ON / OFF inconspicuous.

  The ON / OFF operation of the pump may be repeated during low-load operation that is lower than a predetermined load set in advance in the fuel cell system. During the low load operation of the fuel cell system, the impurities in the gas increase. Therefore, when the load during operation of the fuel cell system falls below a preset value, the ion exchange resin is sufficiently agitated when there are many impurities in the gas by repeating the pump ON / OFF operation. The ion exchange with the ion exchange resin can be performed efficiently. In addition, since a large amount of ion exchange is performed at this time, it is possible to further promote uniform use of the ion exchange resin.

  The gas flow path may be provided with a gas-liquid separator that separates the liquid in the gas, and the ion exchanger may be provided in the gas-liquid separator.

  The gas flow path has a circulation flow path for returning the fuel gas contained in the fuel off gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel cell, and the ion exchanger is provided in the circulation flow path, and the fuel off gas Impurities may be removed from the substrate.

  According to the present invention, since the amount of ion exchange resin used can be made uniform, for example, the life of the ion exchange resin can be extended. Further, for example, the efficiency of removing impurities from the entire ion exchange resin can be improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a fuel cell system 1 having an ion exchanger according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, an example in which the fuel cell system 1 is applied to an on-vehicle power generation system of a fuel cell vehicle (moving body) will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell system 1 includes a fuel cell 10 that generates power by receiving supply of reaction gas (oxidizing gas and fuel gas), and an oxidation that supplies oxidizing gas (for example, air) to the fuel cell 10 A gas piping system 11, a hydrogen gas piping system 12 that supplies hydrogen gas as fuel gas to the fuel cell 10, a control device 13 that integrally controls the entire system, and the like are provided.

  The fuel cell 10 has a stack structure in which a required number of unit cells that generate power upon receiving a reaction gas are stacked. The fuel cell 10 is provided with a current sensor 10a for detecting a current during power generation.

  The oxidizing gas piping system 11 includes a humidifier 20, a supply channel 21 that supplies the oxidizing gas humidified by the humidifier 20 to the fuel cell 10, and a discharge that sends the oxidizing off-gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 to the humidifier 20. A flow path 22 and an exhaust flow path 23 for discharging the oxidizing off gas of the humidifier 20 to the outside are provided. The supply passage 21 is provided with a compressor 24 that takes in the oxidizing gas in the atmosphere and pumps it to the humidifier 20.

  The hydrogen gas piping system 12 includes a hydrogen tank 30 as a fuel supply source storing high-pressure (for example, 70 MPa) hydrogen gas, a supply passage 31 for supplying the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank 30 to the fuel cell 10, and a fuel. A circulation channel 32 for returning the hydrogen off-gas discharged from the battery 10 to the supply channel 31 is provided.

  Instead of the hydrogen tank 30, a reformer that generates a hydrogen-rich reformed gas from a hydrocarbon-based fuel, a high-pressure gas tank that stores the reformed gas generated by the reformer in a high-pressure state, and Can also be employed as a fuel supply source. A tank having a hydrogen storage alloy may be employed as a fuel supply source.

  The supply flow path 31 functions as a main valve of the hydrogen tank 30, and has a shut-off valve 33 that shuts off or allows the supply of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen tank 30 to the fuel cell 10 side, and a hydrogen gas pressure that has been preset. A regulator 34 for reducing the pressure to the next pressure and a pressure adjusting device 35 such as an injector for adjusting the flow rate and gas pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell 10 with high accuracy are provided.

  The circulation flow path 32 includes the ion exchanger according to the present embodiment, a gas-liquid separator 36 that separates water from the hydrogen off gas, and the supply flow path 31 side by pressurizing the hydrogen off gas in the circulation flow path 32. A hydrogen pump 37 is provided for pressure feeding. The gas-liquid separator 36 is connected to a discharge flow path 38 that discharges water separated by the gas-liquid separator 36 and a part of the hydrogen off-gas to the outside. The discharge flow path 38 is provided with a discharge control valve 39 that controls the discharge of water and part of the hydrogen off-gas from the gas-liquid separator 36. Details of the configuration of the gas-liquid separator 36 having an ion exchanger will be described later.

  The control device 13 is configured as a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, and RAM therein. The CPU executes a desired calculation according to the control program, and performs various processes and controls such as opening / closing control of the injector 35. The ROM stores control programs and control data processed by the CPU. The RAM is mainly used as various work areas for control processing.

  The control device 13 detects an operation amount of an acceleration operation device (accelerator pedal or the like) provided in the vehicle, and controls information such as an acceleration request value (for example, a required power generation amount from a load device that consumes electric power such as a traction motor). In response, the operation of various devices in the system 1 is controlled. In addition to the traction motor, the load device includes a compressor 24, a hydrogen pump 37, and a motor for auxiliary devices such as a refrigerant circulation pump (not shown) necessary for operating the fuel cell 10 and a vehicle running. Actuators used in various devices (wheel control units, steering devices, suspension devices, etc.), air conditioners, lighting and audio.

  Detection information of the current sensor 10 a that detects the amount of power generated by the fuel cell 10 is input to the control device 13. In addition, detection information of a sensor that detects the pressure, temperature, flow rate, and the like of a fluid flowing through each piping system, detection information of a sensor that detects an outside air temperature, and the like are input. The control device 13 drives and controls the compressor 24, the shut-off valve 33, the injector 35, and the like based on the required power generation amount and the detection information of each sensor, and causes the fuel cell 10 to react with the flow rate and pressure according to the required power generation amount. Supply.

  Next, the gas-liquid separator 36 will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing an outline of the configuration of the gas-liquid separator 36.

  The gas-liquid separator 36 has a substantially cylindrical casing 50 as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and a gas-liquid separation chamber is formed therein. A gas inflow port 50a into which hydrogen off-gas containing water and impurities flows is formed in a lower portion of the side wall portion on one side of the casing 50 (left side in FIG. 2). It is connected. In addition, a gas outlet 50b through which hydrogen off-gas from which water or the like is separated flows is formed on the upper wall portion of the casing 50, and the circulation channel 32 on the hydrogen pump 37 side is connected. Thereby, in the casing 50, the gas flow path which comprises a part of the circulation flow path 32 and goes up from the bottom is formed.

  For example, an ion exchanger 60 is provided in the gas flow path that flows above the vicinity of the gas outlet 50 b (gas outflow portion) of the casing 50. The ion exchanger 60 includes an ion exchange resin 70 and a resin storage portion 71 that stores the ion exchange resin 70.

  The resin container 71 is formed in a part of the gas flow path, and is surrounded by, for example, an upstream filter 72 upstream (lower) from the gas outlet 50b and a downstream filter 73 downstream (upper) from the gas outlet 50b. Is formed. The upstream filter 72 and the downstream filter 73 allow gas to pass but not the ion exchange resin 70.

  The upstream filter 72 is formed in the casing 50, for example, and is formed so as to cover the gas outlet 50b from the lower surface side. The downstream filter 73 is formed in the circulation flow path 32 connected to the gas outlet 50b, for example. The gas in the casing 50 sequentially passes through the upstream filter 72 and the gas outlet 50b, passes through the downstream filter 73, and is sent to the hydrogen pump 37 side.

  An ion exchange resin 70 is accommodated in the resin accommodating portion 71. The ion exchange resin 70 has a function of allowing hydrogen off gas to pass therethrough, collecting moisture in the hydrogen off gas, and exchanging ionized impurities with hydrogen ions. The ion exchange resin 70 is formed into, for example, a fiber shape that can be moved by a gas flow, and is finely divided. The ion exchange resin 70 is confined between the two filters 72 and 73, and floats between the two filters 72 and 73 by the gas flow, and is stirred at the same time.

  Further, the downstream filter 73 is attached to the flange 80 of the connecting portion of the circulation passage 32 as shown in FIGS. The downstream filter 73 is sandwiched between, for example, a pair of thick flange portions 80a and 80b and welded thereto. As shown in FIG. 2, the flange 80 with the downstream filter 73 is detachably fixed to the other flange 81 of the pipe of the circulation channel 32. By removing the flange 80 with the downstream filter 73 from the conduit of the circulation channel 32, the ion exchange resin 70 can be taken in and out of the resin container 71.

  A liquid reservoir 50c for temporarily storing separated or recovered water is formed at the lower part of the other side surface of the casing 50 (right side in FIG. 2). The liquid reservoir 50c is formed, for example, such that a part of the bottom surface of the casing 50 is convexly curved downward, and can store a predetermined amount of water. The above-described discharge flow path 38 is connected to the discharge side of the liquid reservoir 50c.

  Next, the operation of the gas-liquid separator 36 configured as described above will be described. For example, when the fuel cell system 1 operates and power generation is performed in the fuel cell 10, hydrogen off-gas containing water is sent from the fuel cell 10 to the gas-liquid separator 36 through the circulation flow path 32. Hydrogen off-gas containing water flows into the casing 50 from the gas inlet 50a. For example, in the casing 50, the water contained in the hydrogen off-gas falls due to gravity and is stored in the liquid reservoir 50c through the bottom surface of the casing 50 as shown in FIG.

  The hydrogen off-gas from which the water has been separated flows upward in the casing 50 due to the negative pressure generated by the downstream hydrogen pump 37, and flows into the resin container 71 from the upstream filter 72. Thereafter, the hydrogen off-gas passes through the ion exchange resin 70 and flows out of the downstream filter 73 through the gas outlet 50b. At this time, for example, fine particulate moisture and impurities in the hydrogen off-gas are collected and removed by the ion exchange resin 70. Further, the ion exchange resin 70 is swirled and stirred by the flow of the hydrogen off gas, and the entire ion exchange resin 70 comes into contact with the gas without unevenness, and impurities are removed from the entire ion exchange resin 70.

  The hydrogen off-gas flowing out of the downstream filter 73 is sent to the hydrogen pump 37 and returned to the supply channel 31 through the circulation channel 32.

  Further, for example, when a predetermined amount of water H stored in the liquid reservoir 50c is accumulated, the water H is appropriately discharged from the discharge flow path 38.

  According to the above embodiment, since the ion exchange resin 70 is agitated in the resin accommodating portion 71 by the gas flow, the entire ion exchange resin 70 is used evenly, and the usage amount of each piece of the ion exchange resin 70 is reduced. Make uniform. Thereby, the deterioration degree of the ion exchange resin 70 by use becomes uniform, and as a result, the life of the ion exchange resin 70 can be extended, for example. In addition, the removal efficiency of impurities in the entire ion exchange resin 70 can be improved.

  Moreover, since the resin accommodating part 71 has the two filters 72 and 73 of the upstream and downstream of a gas flow path, and the ion exchange resin 70 is accommodated between the said two filters 72 and 73, it is ion The exchange resin 70 can be properly confined in the resin container 71.

  The downstream filter 73 is attached to the flange 80 of the gas flow channel, and the flange 80 can be removed from the gas flow channel. An amount of ion exchange resin 70 can be charged. Moreover, the ion exchange resin 70 in the resin accommodating part 71 can also be replaced | exchanged easily.

  In the present embodiment, since the ion exchanger 60 is applied to the fuel cell system 1, the hydrogen off-gas impurities discharged from the fuel cell 10 in the fuel cell system 1 are efficiently removed and the hydrogen off-gas is removed. Can be reused efficiently.

  Since the ion exchanger 60 is formed in the gas outflow part of the gas-liquid separator 36, the ion exchanger 60 can be easily formed using the gas flow path of the existing gas-liquid separator 36.

  In the fuel cell system 1 of the above embodiment, the ion exchange resin 70 may be agitated by repeating ON / OFF of the hydrogen pump 37 during operation of the fuel cell system 1. In such a case, for example, every time the fuel cell system 1 is operated, an instruction signal is sent from the control device 13 to the hydrogen pump 37, and the hydrogen pump 37 is repeatedly turned on and off as shown in FIG. Since the pressure in the gas flow path largely fluctuates due to the repeated ON / OFF operation of the hydrogen pump 37, the stirring of the ion exchange resin 70 is promoted and the stirring of the ion exchange resin 70 is sufficiently and reliably performed. As a result, the usage amount of the ion exchange resin 70 is made more uniform, and for example, the life of the ion exchange resin 70 can be further extended.

  The above-described repeated ON / OFF operation of the hydrogen pump 37 may be performed when a specific device in the fuel cell system 1 is in operation. For example, under the control of the control device 13, the hydrogen pump 37 is repeatedly turned on and off, for example, when the compressor 24 is noisy. By doing so, the hydrogen pump 37 can be repeatedly turned on and off so that the sound generated when the hydrogen pump 37 is turned on and off is not noticeable.

  Further, the above-described repeated ON / OFF operation of the hydrogen pump 37 may be performed at the time of a low load operation lower than a predetermined load set in advance in the fuel cell system 1. During the low load operation of the fuel cell system 1, impurities such as hydrofluoric acid in the gas increase. For this reason, for example, when the load during operation of the fuel cell system 1 falls below a preset value, the hydrogen pump 37 is repeatedly turned on and off under the control of the control device 13. By doing so, the ion exchange resin 70 is sufficiently stirred when there are many impurities in the gas, and ion exchange by the ion exchange resin 70 can be performed efficiently. As a result, the amount of the ion exchange resin 70 can be reduced. In addition, since a large amount of ion exchange is performed at this time, it is possible to further promote uniform use of the ion exchange resin 70. Note that the load of the fuel cell system 1 may be grasped in advance by an operation test or the like, or may be detected by providing a sensor.

  The diameter of the downstream filter 73 described in the above embodiment may be formed smaller than the diameter of the gas flow path in the other part of the resin housing portion 71. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the diameter of the downstream filter 73 is formed smaller than the constant diameter of the conduit of the circulation channel 32. In this case, the gas flow path of the downstream filter 73 is narrowed and the suction force with respect to the ion exchange resin 70 is increased, so that the ion exchange resin 70 is easily collected in the downstream filter 73. When the ion exchange resin 70 collects in the downstream filter 73, the pressure loss of the gas flow in the downstream filter 73 increases. According to this example, an increase in pressure loss in the downstream filter 73 can be easily detected, and the hydrogen pump 37 can be turned ON / OFF using this. That is, when the pressure loss of the downstream filter 73 becomes larger than a predetermined value, the hydrogen pump 37 is immediately stopped, and when the pressure loss becomes small, the hydrogen pump 37 is operated. By doing so, an extreme increase in pressure loss due to clogging of the downstream filter 73 can be prevented, and an excessive load can be prevented from being applied to the hydrogen pump 37. The above-described repeated ON / OFF operation of the hydrogen pump 37 may be triggered by the pressure loss in the downstream filter 73 or the load on the hydrogen pump 37 in this example.

  The upstream filter 72 described in the above embodiment may be inclined so that the portion through which the center of the gas flow path passes becomes lower as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In the present embodiment, the upstream filter 72 is inclined so that the portions on the central axis of the circulation channel 32 and the gas outlet 50b are lowest. In such a case, the soared ion exchange resin 70 falls on the upstream filter 72 and is collected at the center of the gas flow path. For this reason, since the gas flow easily hits the ion exchange resin 70, the impurities in the gas can be removed more efficiently.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a conical or pyramidal baffle plate 90 with the top facing the upstream side (lower side) may be provided in the resin container 71 described in the above embodiment. . In such a case, the ion exchange resin 70 sucked up to the downstream filter 73 side in the resin accommodating portion 71 is caused to flow uniformly to the wall surface side of the resin accommodating portion 71 by the baffle plate 90. Thereby, the stirring property of the ion exchange resin 70 is improved, and the uniform use amount of the ion exchange resin 70 is further promoted.

  The ion exchange resin 70 described in the above embodiment may be configured to contain a predetermined amount of moisture. As the gas flow rate increases, the moisture contained in the gas also increases in proportion thereto. By allowing the ion exchange resin 70 to contain a predetermined amount of moisture, for example, when the gas flow rate is large, the ion exchange resin 70 is caused to contain moisture as shown in FIG. 70 winding can be suppressed. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the ion exchange resin 70 from being wound up in a large amount at the time of a large flow rate and clogging the downstream filter 73 to increase the pressure loss. When the gas flow rate is small, the amount of moisture contained therein is also small, so that the ion exchange resin 70 does not contain a large amount of moisture, and the ion exchange resin 70 is sufficiently stirred. In addition, the possible water content of the ion exchange resin 70 is set so as not to be rolled up at a predetermined gas flow rate.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the ideas described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the ion exchange resin plate 70 is formed in a fiber shape, but may have other shapes and sizes as long as it is stirred by a gas flow. Although the ion exchanger 60 is provided in the gas-liquid separator 36, the ion exchanger 60 may be provided in another position of the circulation channel 32. For example, the resin accommodating portion 71 of the ion exchanger 60 may be provided in the conduit of the circulation passage 32, and for example, both the downstream filter 73 and the upstream fill 72 may be attached to the flange of the conduit.

  Furthermore, although the above embodiment demonstrated the example in which the ion exchanger 60 was provided in the circulation flow path 32 in the fuel cell system 1, the case where an ion exchanger is provided in the other gas flow path of a fuel cell system. In addition, the present invention can be applied. In the above embodiment, the gas is a hydrogen off-gas containing impurities, but the present invention can be applied to other types of gases. In the above embodiments, the fuel cell system mounted on the fuel cell vehicle has been described. However, the fuel cell system is mounted on various mobile bodies (robots, ships, aircrafts, etc.) other than the fuel cell vehicle. May be. Further, the fuel cell system may be applied to a stationary power generation system used as a power generation facility for a building (house, building, etc.).

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of a structure of a fuel cell system. It is explanatory drawing of sectional drawing which shows the outline of a structure of a gas-liquid separator. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the flange with a downstream filter. It is a graph which shows ON / OFF repetition operation | movement of a hydrogen pump. It is explanatory drawing which shows a circulation flow path when the diameter of a downstream filter is small. It is explanatory drawing of a gas-liquid separator in case an upstream filter inclines. It is explanatory drawing which shows the circulation flow path provided with the baffle plate in the resin accommodating part. It is explanatory drawing of the gas-liquid separator which shows a state when ion exchange resin contains water.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell system 36 Gas-liquid separator 50 Casing 50a Gas inflow port 50b Gas outflow port 60 Ion exchanger 70 Ion exchange resin 71 Resin accommodating part 72 Upstream filter 73 Downstream filter

Claims (12)

An ion exchanger disposed in a gas flow path for removing impurities in a gas flowing in the gas flow path,
Formed in a part of the gas flow path that flows upward, and a resin container that allows gas to pass through;
An ion exchange resin that is contained in the resin container and removes impurities in the gas that passes through the resin container,
The ion exchanger can be agitated by a gas flow passing through the resin container.   The resin storage portion has two filters on the upstream side and the downstream side of the gas flow path that allow gas to pass but not ion exchange resin, and the ion exchange resin is stored between the two filters. The ion exchanger according to claim 1, wherein The at least one filter is attached to a flange of a gas flow path;
The ion exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the flange is removable from a pipeline of the gas flow path.   4. The ion exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the filter on the upstream side of the gas flow path is inclined so that a portion through which a center of the gas flow path passes is lowered. 5.   The diameter of the filter on the downstream side of the gas flow path is formed to be smaller than the diameter of the gas flow path of the other part of the resin housing portion, according to any one of claims 2 to 4. Ion exchanger.   The ion exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the resin housing portion is provided with a conical or pyramidal baffle plate whose top portion faces the upstream side.   The ion exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ion exchange resin is configured to contain a predetermined amount of moisture set in advance. A fuel cell system having a fuel cell that generates power by a reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas,
A gas passage for gas discharged from the fuel cell is provided with the ion exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a pump for pumping the gas in the gas passage,
During the operation of the fuel cell system, the pump is repeatedly turned on and off to stir the ion exchange resin of the ion exchanger.   9. The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the ON / OFF repeated operation of the pump is performed when a specific device in the fuel cell system is in operation.   10. The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the ON / OFF repeated operation of the pump is performed during a low load operation lower than a predetermined load set in advance of the fuel cell system. The gas flow path is provided with a gas-liquid separator that separates the liquid in the gas,
The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the ion exchanger is provided in the gas-liquid separator. The gas flow path has a circulation flow path for returning the fuel gas contained in the fuel off-gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel cell,
The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the ion exchanger is provided in the circulation channel and removes impurities from the fuel off-gas.

Images