JP2009245861A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further simplify replacing work of an ion exchanger than ever and to shorten replacing time. <P>SOLUTION: The ion exchanger 34 is installed on a frame 44 which is the same frame 44 supporting a fuel cell stack 12 and installed on the lowermost part of a coolant circuit 10, and thereby, for example, the replacing work of the ion exchanger 34 can simply be performed by removing an under cover. A normal close type valve element is installed in a first joint mechanism 40a and a second joint mechanism 40b being connected to the ion exchanger 34 and a branch passage 32, and when a pipe is removed, the valve element is closed, and thereby, leakage of the coolant in the coolant circuit to the outside is prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system including an ion exchanger arranged in parallel with a fuel cell stack provided in a fuel cell vehicle.

  In general, in a cooling system that directly cools a fuel cell with a refrigerant, a high degree of electrical insulation is required for the refrigerant in order to prevent a liquid junction phenomenon through the refrigerant. Therefore, an ion exchanger containing the ion exchange resin is provided in the cooling passage, and a certain amount in the refrigerant circulating in the cooling passage is circulated in the ion exchanger, so that ions in the refrigerant are adsorbed on the ion exchange resin. As a result, the electrical insulation of the refrigerant is ensured.

  The ion exchange resin has a characteristic that the ion adsorption capacity gradually decreases by adsorbing ions in the refrigerant. If the ion adsorption capacity of the ion exchange resin is extremely reduced, ions in the refrigerant cannot be sufficiently adsorbed, making it difficult to ensure the electrical insulation of the refrigerant and causing a liquid junction phenomenon. The possibility increases. For this reason, the maintenance which replace | exchanges the deteriorated ion exchange resin (ion exchanger) with a new ion exchange resin (ion exchanger) regularly is needed.

  In this case, in the fuel cell vehicle, depending on the installation location of the ion exchanger, in order to perform the replacement operation of the ion exchanger, it is necessary to remove other related parts and the like, which requires a lot of man-hours. In addition to being complicated, there is a problem that the replacement work takes a long time.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, an ion exchanger is disposed in a space surrounded by the back side of the bumper, the back side of the fender, and the inner fender that covers the tire, and by removing a part of the front side of the inner fender, An arrangement structure of an ion exchanger is disclosed in which an exchange cartridge can be easily replaced.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 related to the proposal of the present applicant, heavy and lightweight auxiliary devices are arranged in the left-right direction, an air passage is arranged on the heavy auxiliary device side, and a water passage is arranged on the lightweight auxiliary device side. Thus, a fuel cell vehicle has been disclosed that can eliminate the imbalance between the heavy and light auxiliary machines and optimize the turning performance and steering stability.

FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2 discloses that an ion exchanger is disposed beside the fuel cell stack in the supply side piping of the water piping constituting the water passage. Note that the difference in arrangement structure between the present invention and Patent Document 2 will be described in detail later.
JP 2008-4451 A JP 2001-71753 A

By the way, there is a demand from the industry that it is desired to further simplify the replacement work of the ion exchanger and shorten the replacement time, compared to the arrangement structure of the ion exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1. Further, even when the ion exchanger is disposed in a place other than the space surrounded by the inner fender that covers the rear side of the fender and the tire, the space of the ion exchanger is not restricted so that the space in the vehicle interior is not limited. There is a need to set the location.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can further simplify the replacement work and shorten the replacement time as compared with the prior art, and does not limit the space in the vehicle interior. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system capable of arranging an ion exchanger at a place.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fuel cell system including an ion exchanger disposed in parallel with a fuel cell stack provided in a fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell stack including the fuel cell vehicle. The ion exchanger is disposed on the same frame as the frame that supports the fuel cell stack, and is disposed outward from the vehicle center when viewed from above the vehicle in the vehicle lower direction. It is characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, the ion exchanger is disposed on the same frame as the frame that supports the fuel cell stack, and is disposed on the outer side from the vehicle center in a plan view in the vehicle lower direction. The ion exchanger is exposed to the outside through an opening formed by removing a cover member (under cover) provided in the lower part (lower floor), so that the ion exchanger can be exchanged easily. Therefore, in the present invention, the replacement operation of the ion exchanger can be further simplified and the replacement time can be shortened as compared with the conventional case.

  In the present invention, by arranging the ion exchanger and the fuel cell stack in parallel, the cooled refrigerant supplied to the refrigerant inlet of the fuel cell stack (the refrigerant that has not finished work) is branched, An effect of allowing the branched refrigerant to flow through the ion exchanger is obtained. Further, in the present invention, compared with the pipe connection in the case where the fuel cell stack and the ion exchanger are arranged at separate locations, the pipe connecting the fuel cell stack and the ion exchanger arranged in parallel is provided. Since the pipe length is shortened, an advantage is obtained in terms of cost and weight.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the ion exchanger is disposed in the lower part of the vehicle body in a horizontal state in parallel with the traveling direction of the vehicle, and is provided so as to be detachable independently, thereby further simplifying the ion exchanger replacement work. can do.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, a refrigerant circuit is configured by piping connected to the ion exchanger, and a normal close type valve element is included between the ion exchanger and the piping, and the ion exchanger and the A joint mechanism for detachably connecting the pipe may be provided. When the pipe is removed from the ion exchanger, the normally closed type valve element constituting the joint mechanism causes the ion exchanger side and the pipe side to be closed, so that the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit may be led out to the outside. Be blocked. This eliminates the need for removing the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit in advance, and prevents the operator from getting wet with the refrigerant. In the case where the replacement timing of the ion exchanger is shorter than the life of the refrigerant, in the present invention, it is possible to replace only the ion exchanger while maintaining the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit as it is, and to effectively use the refrigerant. Can do.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the ion exchanger is attached to the frame with a one-side insertion structure, so that it becomes easier to attach and detach it alone. In this case, first, one side of the ion exchanger is inserted and hooked and fastened on the opposite side of the ion exchanger, so that the ion exchanger can be easily attached and detached in a small space.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, after removing the pipe from the ion exchanger, the valve body provided on the pipe side is forcibly opened to discharge the refrigerant in the pipe. For example, when the refrigerant is periodically replaced, the refrigerant replacement operation can be easily performed, and since the ion exchanger is disposed in the vehicle lower direction, smooth drainage of the refrigerant can be obtained. .

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, a space is formed between the floor panel of the fuel cell vehicle and the frame that supports the fuel cell stack, and the space in which the fuel cell stack is disposed and the ion exchanger are disposed. The spaces to be made are substantially partitioned by the floor panel and are provided separately, so that the space in the vehicle compartment can be widened and the degree of layout freedom can be improved.

  Still further, according to the present invention, the fuel cell stack is disposed in a center console provided between adjacent seats of the fuel cell vehicle, and the ion exchanger is disposed in a space provided at a position below the seat. As a result, the ion exchanger that is relatively weak at high temperatures and the fuel cell stack that becomes a heat source by power generation can be made into separate chambers (spaces), and the deterioration of the durability of the ion exchanger can be suppressed. be able to.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, an under cover having a size corresponding to the shape of the ion exchanger is provided at a lower portion of the ion exchanger, and the under cover is attached to the frame by a fastening member (for example, a bolt or a clip). By adopting a configuration that is detachably attached to the ion exchanger, it is possible to remove only the under cover having a size corresponding to the dimensions of the ion exchanger without removing the other cover when replacing the ion exchanger. The ion exchanger can be easily exchanged.

  In the present invention, the replacement work can be further simplified and the replacement time can be shortened as compared with the conventional case, and the ion exchanger can be disposed in a place where the space in the vehicle compartment is not limited. A fuel cell system can be obtained.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit incorporating a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration plan view of the refrigerant circuit, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration side view of the refrigerant circuit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the fuel cell stack and the ion exchanger constituting the refrigerant circuit are fixed on the frame.

<Configuration of refrigerant circuit>
As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant circuit 10 is a fuel cell that generates electric power by an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas (for example, hydrogen gas) supplied to the anode and an oxidant gas (for example, air) supplied to the cathode. The refrigerant is circulated between the stack 12, the radiator 14 functioning as a cooler for cooling the refrigerant (for example, a refrigerant such as a radiator liquid mainly composed of ethylene glycol), and the fuel cell stack 12 and the radiator 14. A circulation passage 16, a pump 18 provided in the circulation passage 16 for circulating the refrigerant at a predetermined flow rate, and a flow passage provided in a bypass passage 20 for bypassing the radiator 14 and through which the refrigerant flows are the circulation passage 16 or the And a flow path switching valve 22 for switching to either one of the bypass passages 20. Instead of the flow path switching valve 22, a flow rate control valve for controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cell stack 12 is disposed in a center tunnel 26 below the floor panel 24 of the fuel cell vehicle and is fixed on a frame 44 described later. The flow path switching valve 22 functions as a thermostat valve that is a temperature control mechanism that adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant to the radiator 14 and adjusts the temperature of the refrigerant supplied to the fuel cell stack 12.

  The fuel cell stack 12 has a stack body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a refrigerant introduction for cooling the fuel cell stack 12 by circulating the refrigerant into the stack body is provided on the front surface (front side) of the stack body. A port 30a and a refrigerant outlet port 30b are provided. A branch passage 32 that branches from the upstream side of the circulation passage 16 and joins the downstream side is provided between the refrigerant introduction port 30a and the refrigerant outlet port 30b. The branch passage 32 includes, for example, cation exchange. An ion exchanger (ion exchanger for a fuel cell vehicle) 34 filled with a resin and an anion exchange resin is provided.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, one refrigerant manifold 36a that communicates with a plurality of refrigerant introduction ports 30a provided on the front surface 12a of the fuel cell stack 12 and a plurality of refrigerant outlet ports 30b communicate with each other. The other refrigerant manifold 36b is provided, and the circulation passages are connected to the pair of refrigerant manifolds 36a and 36b, respectively.

  In this case, the inner diameter (D1) of the pipeline constituting the circulation passage 16 is set larger than the inner diameter (D2) of the pipeline constituting the branch passage 32 (D1> D2), and the preset minimum flow rate is set. A refrigerant is provided so as to always flow through the ion exchanger 34 via the branch passage 32.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a control signal for deriving a drive signal for driving the pump 18 and deriving a valve switching signal (valve operation control signal) to the flow path switching valve 22 is supplied to the refrigerant circuit 10. An ECU (Electric Control Unit) 38 that functions as means is provided. The ECU 38 is constituted by an electronic control unit including a microcomputer including a RAM, a ROM, a CPU, an I / O port and the like (not shown).

  An ion exchange resin (not shown) is accommodated in the ion exchanger 34, and the ions (ion-dissolved components) contained in the refrigerant are removed when the refrigerant comes into contact with the ion exchange resin. Derived from the ion exchanger 34 above. The refrigerant led out from the ion exchanger 34 is provided so as to circulate in the circulation passage 16 by being circulated again by the pump 18 after joining the circulation passage 16 via the branch passage 32.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the inlet port and the pipe are detachable between the inlet port of the ion exchanger 34 into which the refrigerant is introduced and the pipe (pipe tube) constituting the branch passage 32. A first joint mechanism 40a to be connected is provided. On the other hand, between the outlet port of the ion exchanger 34 from which the refrigerant is led out and the pipe (pipe tube) constituting the branch passage 32, the outlet port and the pipe are connected. A second joint mechanism 40b that is detachably connected is provided. The first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b have the same configuration, and will be described in detail in the pipe connection structure of the ion exchanger 34 described later.

<Installation position and installation structure of ion exchanger in refrigerant circuit>
Next, the installation relationship (arrangement relationship) between the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the ion exchanger 34 is arranged in parallel with the axis C of the fuel cell stack 12 formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. Further, the ion exchanger 34 is disposed horizontally in parallel with the traveling direction of the fuel cell vehicle, and is spaced apart from the fuel cell stack 12 by a predetermined amount in the lateral direction on the right side in plan view. From the outside.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the ion exchanger 34 is substantially flush with the bottom surface of the fuel cell stack 12 formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the side in the downward direction (under the floor direction) of the fuel cell vehicle. It arrange | positions at the bottom in the refrigerant circuit 10. It should be noted that the ion exchanger 34 is not limited to be substantially flush with the bottom surface of the fuel cell stack 12, and as will be described later, the ion exchanger 34 can be easily exchanged, so It is preferable to be arranged below (see the broken line in FIG. 3). Of course, even in the position of FIG. 3, the exchange of the ion exchanger 34 is sufficiently easy.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ion exchanger 34 has a frame to which the fuel cell stack 12 is fixed via a pair of support portions 42a and 42b protruding from both end portions along the axial direction of the housing 34a by a predetermined length. It is fixed on the same frame 44 as 44. The frame 44 is positioned approximately at the center of the fuel cell vehicle and is provided so as to extend linearly from the front to the rear, and protrudes in a direction substantially orthogonal to the linear portion 46. And a protrusion 48. The fuel cell stack 12 is fixed to the straight portion 46 of the frame 44 along the extending direction thereof, and the pair of protrusions 48, 48 of the frame 44 has ions parallel to the fuel cell stack 12. The support portions 42 a and 42 b of the exchanger 34 are screwed through a plurality of bolts 50.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of support portions projecting by a predetermined length along the axial direction are provided at both ends along the axial direction of the housing 34a of the ion exchanger 34 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. 42a and 42b are provided, and the support portions 42a and 42b and the side portion of the frame 44 are fixed via bolts 50 screwed from below.

  A single under cover 52 having a size (vertical and horizontal dimensions) corresponding to the shape (dimension) of the ion exchanger 34 is provided on the lower side (lower part) of the ion exchanger 34. (It will be described later in the replacement work of the vessel) The under cover 52 is detachably provided to the lower floor of the body of the fuel cell vehicle via a fastening member such as a bolt 54 screwed into the frame 44 from the lower side. In the present embodiment, the under cover 52 is fastened by the bolt 54. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, any fastening member that is easy to replace, such as a clip (not shown), can be appropriately replaced. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the ion exchanger 34 is disposed on the same frame as the frame 44 that supports the fuel cell stack 12, and is disposed on the outer side from the vehicle center in a plan view in the vehicle lower direction. The ion exchanger 34 can be easily exchanged in a state where the ion exchanger 34 is exposed to the outside through an opening formed by removing the under cover 52 provided in the lower part (lower floor). Therefore, the replacement operation of the ion exchanger 34 can be simplified and the replacement time can be shortened as compared with the conventional case.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the ion exchanger 34 and the fuel cell stack 12 are arranged in parallel, whereby a cooled refrigerant (heat exchange by the radiator 14) supplied to the refrigerant guide port 30a of the fuel cell stack 12 is performed. Branching refrigerant), and the branched refrigerant can be flowed to the ion exchanger 34.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34 arranged in parallel are compared with the pipe connection in the case where the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34 are arranged in separate places, respectively. Since the length of the pipe connecting the pipes is shortened, an advantage in cost and weight can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the ion exchanger 34 is placed in the lower part of the vehicle body in a horizontal state in parallel with the traveling direction of the vehicle, and is provided so as to be detachable independently. Can be

<Installation position and installation structure of ion exchanger in fuel cell vehicle>
6 is a front view of the fuel cell stack and the ion exchanger arranged between the floor panel and the frame as viewed from the front side toward the rear side, and FIG. 7 is a side view as viewed from the direction of arrow Y2 in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cell stack 12 is fixed on a frame 44 extending from the front side to the rear side in the center tunnel 26 below the floor panel 24 constituting the vehicle body floor of the fuel cell vehicle. Is done. A center console 56 is formed in the center portion of the floor panel 24 by projecting upward in a substantially trapezoidal shape between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the fuel cell stack 12 is front-mounted in the center console 56. It is arranged to extend from the side to the rear side.

  The floor panel 24 is adjacent to both sides of the center console 56 at the center, and is inclined to the lower side (the frame 44 side) and then bent into a substantially U-shape before coming into contact with the upper surface of the frame 44. In addition, a recess 58 that slightly protrudes upward is formed. In the vehicle width direction continuous to the recess 58, a convex portion 60 is formed directly below the seat, and as shown in FIG. 7, the convex portion 60 directly below the seat of the passenger seat is directed upward. By bulging and forming, a space 62 spaced apart from the frame 44 by a predetermined distance is provided. The ion exchanger 34 is disposed in the space 62 formed by the convex portion 60 and the frame 44 of the floor panel 24 at a position directly below the passenger seat.

  In the present embodiment, the ion exchanger 34 is arranged on the right side of the fuel cell stack 12 in plan view and below the passenger seat (see FIGS. 2 and 7). For example, the ion exchanger 34 is arranged in a space 62 (see FIG. 6) provided on the left side of the fuel cell stack 12 in plan view and below the driver seat. May be. The space 62 in which the ion exchanger 34 is installed is a space in which the floor panel 24 bulges downward toward the frame 44 and is sealed between the floor panel 24 and the frame 44. Part.

  There is no special space (a space protruding toward the vehicle interior side) for installing the ion exchanger 34 in the vehicle interior of the fuel cell vehicle, and it is provided below the seat and does not interfere with the occupant By disposing the ion exchanger 34 in the space, an effective space in the vehicle interior can be widened, and the space in the vehicle interior can be effectively utilized to increase the degree of freedom in layout.

  Further, a recess 58 of the floor panel 24 functioning as a so-called partition wall is interposed between the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34, and the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34 are partitioned. By adopting a structure that is arranged in a separate chamber, it is possible to suppress deterioration in durability of the ion exchanger 34 that has a characteristic that is relatively weak at high temperatures (decrease in the ion adsorption ability of the ion exchange resin).

  In this case, the ion exchanger 34 is disposed in the vicinity of the fuel cell stack 12 with the recess 58 interposed therebetween, whereby the piping length of the entire refrigerant circuit 10 can be shortened, and the entire piping of the refrigerant circuit 10 can be reduced. Weight can be reduced and the total amount of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 10 can be reduced.

<Piping connection structure of ion exchanger>
FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views showing the attaching / detaching operation between the male connector and the female connector constituting the joint mechanism.

  A first joint mechanism 40a and a second joint mechanism 40b having the same configuration are respectively provided at the inlet port 64a and the outlet port 64b, which are the entrances and exits of the ion exchanger 34, and the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism are provided. 40b is composed of a male connector 68 and a female connector 70, respectively. The male connector 68 is provided with a first valve body 74 made of a normally closed type valve, and the female connector 70 is provided with a second valve body 102 made of another normally closed type valve. A fluid passage (refrigerant passage) through which a refrigerant flows is formed by abutting the tip end portion of the first valve body 74 and the tip end portion of the second valve body 102 respectively projecting toward each other.

  Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given based on FIGS. 8A and 8B. The first joint 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b have the same configuration and are arranged symmetrically on the inlet port 64a side and the outlet port 64b side, respectively, so that the second joint mechanism 40b on the outlet port 64b side is provided. Will be described in detail, and the description of the first joint mechanism 40a on the inlet port 64a side will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the second joint mechanism 40b (first joint mechanism 40a) is provided on the outlet port 64b side (inlet port 64a side) of the ion exchanger 34 and is an abbreviation of the ion exchanger 34. The male connector 68 is connected to one end of the cylindrical housing 34a, and the female connector 70 is provided on the pipe 66 side and connected to the pipe tube.

  The male connector 68 is provided so that a part of the male connector 68 can protrude from one end of the first connector main body 72, and the first valve body 74 is disposed so as to be displaceable along the axial direction of the first connector main body 72; A first locking member 80 fixed to an intermediate portion of the first connector main body 72, one end engaged with the first locking member 80, and the other end engaged with the first valve body 74 and a spring. And a first spring member 82 that presses the distal end portion of the first valve body 74 in a direction protruding from one end portion of the first connector body 72 by force.

  A first seat 90 is formed on the inner surface of one end of the first connector body 72, and the outlet port 64 b is blocked by the first valve body 74 seated on the first seat 90. The valve is closed.

  In this case, a first seal ring 92 is attached to the outer peripheral surface on the one end side along the axial direction of the first connector main body 72 via an annular groove, and the first connector main body 72 will be described later. When attached to the opening 96 of the main body 94, the connecting portion (detachable portion) between the first connector main body 72 and the second connector main body 94 is sealed in a liquid-tight or air-tight manner by the first seal ring 92 (FIG. 8). (See (b)).

  The first seal ring 92 is provided in the male connector 68 on the ion exchanger 34 side, and functions as a seal member that seals the attachment / detachment portion with the female connector 79 on the piping 66 side.

  The first valve body 74 is fitted with a second seal ring 98 via an annular groove. When the first valve body 74 is seated on the first seating portion 90 and the valve is closed, Since the seating site is sealed by the second seal ring 98, leakage of the refrigerant from the outlet port 64b side can be suitably prevented.

  In other words, when the piping 66 is removed from the outlet port 64b of the ion exchanger 34 and the female connector 70 is detached from the male connector 68, the first valve body 74 is seated on the first seating portion 90 and the valve is closed. In addition, the second seal ring 98 that seals the seating site reliably prevents the refrigerant from being led out from the outlet port 64b side.

  The female connector 70 is disposed so as to be displaceable along a substantially cylindrical second connector body 94 having an opening 96 through which the first connector body 72 can be inserted, and a through hole of the second connector body 94. A second valve body 102 seated on a second seating portion 100 formed in a partition wall at an intermediate portion of the second connector main body 94, and a second locking member 106 fixed to the intermediate portion of the second connector main body 94. Including.

  The opening 96 constituting the inner wall of the female connector 70 is formed of a cylindrical surface on which an annular groove or the like for mounting an O-ring is not formed like a pipe joint (not shown) according to the prior art, and will be described later. In addition, the opening 96 can be suitably cleaned by high-pressure cleaning.

  Further, the female connector 70 has one end engaged with the second locking member 106 and the other end engaged with the second valve body 102, and the second valve body 102 is connected to the second valve body 102 by a spring force. It has the 2nd spring member 108 pressed toward the opening part 96 side of the connector main body 94. FIG.

  Furthermore, a third seal ring 116 is attached to the second valve body 102 via an annular groove, and when the second valve body 102 is seated on the second seating portion 100 and the valve is closed, Since the seating site is sealed by the third seal ring 116, leakage of the refrigerant from the pipe 66 side can be suitably prevented.

  In other words, when the pipe 66 is removed from the outlet port 64b of the ion exchanger 34 and the female connector 70 is detached from the male connector 68, the second valve body 102 is seated on the second seat portion 100 and is in a valve-closed state. In addition, the third seal ring 116 that seals the seating site reliably prevents the refrigerant from being led out from the pipe 66 side.

  As described above, the first valve body 74 and the second valve body 102 disposed in the male connector 68 and the female connector 70, respectively, are in a normal state in which the male connector 68 and the female connector 70 are removed from each other (between the connectors). In a normal state in which the connection is released).

  The first valve body 74, the second valve body 102, the first spring member 82 and the second spring member 108, the first seal ring 92, the second seal ring 98 and the third seal ring 116 formed of a rubber material. All the components (including the pipe 66) of the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b except for the material have a predetermined strength and have a low conductivity and ions are not easily derived (for example, resin materials, It may be formed of a ceramic material or the like.

  When the first connector main body 72 is inserted through the opening 96 of the second connector main body 94 from the state shown in FIG. 8A and the male connector 68 and the female connector 70 are attached, the state shown in FIG. As shown, the front end of the first valve body 74 and the front end of the second valve body 102, which are coaxially opposed to each other, come into contact with each other, so that the first valve body 74 and the second valve body 102 are in contact with each other. While the contact state is maintained, the first connector body 72 is displaced in a direction approaching the second connector body against the spring force of the first spring member 82, and the second connector body 94 is moved to the second spring. The member 108 is displaced toward the first connector main body 72 side against the spring force of the member 108.

  The first valve body 74 and the second valve body 102 are displaced in a direction in which the first connector main body 72 and the second connector main body 94 approach each other while maintaining the contact state at the distal end portion. The connector 68 and the female connector 70 are fitted to each other. In the fitted state of the male connector 68 and the female connector 70, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the first valve body 74 is separated from the first seating portion 90 and is opened, while the second The valve body 102 is separated from the second seating portion 100 and is in the valve open state.

  Accordingly, a gap is formed between the first valve body 74 and the first seating portion 90, and a gap is formed between the second valve body 102 and the second seating portion 100, as shown in FIG. As indicated by the arrows, the outlet port 64b and the pipe 66 are in communication with each other through both gaps. As a result, by connecting the female connector 70 and the male connector 68, the first valve body 74 and the second valve body 102 are each in the valve open state, and the refrigerant can be smoothly circulated along the fluid passage. .

  After the female connector 70 on the piping 66 side is removed from the male connector 68 on the ion exchanger 34 side, for example, a rod member or jig (not shown) is inserted through the opening 96 of the second connector main body 94 to form the second connector. By pressing the distal end of the valve body 102 and forcibly separating the second valve body 102 from the second seating section 100, the refrigerant remaining in the pipe 66 is suitably discharged to the outside. can do. In this case, since the ion exchanger 34 is disposed at the lowermost part in the refrigerant circuit 10, smooth and quick drainage of the refrigerant can be obtained, and the discharge operation of the refrigerant can be performed efficiently.

<Ion exchanger mounting structure (support structure)>
Next, the attachment structure (support structure) of the ion exchanger 34 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the support portions 42 a and 42 b on both sides along the axial direction of the ion exchanger 34 are disposed between a pair of projecting portions 48 including the same frame 44 as the fuel cell stack 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, only one side of the ion exchanger 34 has an insertion structure. Also good. In FIG. 9, the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b are not shown for convenience of explanation.

  As shown in the first modification of FIGS. 9A and 9B, for example, a block 122 in which a small hole 120 having a circular cross section is formed is connected to one frame 44 side, so that the ion exchanger 34 It is preferable that a columnar support portion 124 inserted into the small hole 120 is provided on one side and the columnar support portion 124 is inserted into the small hole 120.

  Further, as shown in the second modification of FIG. 9C, a member in which an annular groove 130 is formed between the rectangular block portion 126 and the disk portion 128 is connected to one frame 44 side, A plate member 134 having an opening 132 that engages with the annular groove 130 may be provided on one side of the ion exchanger 34, and the opening 132 of the plate member 134 may be inserted into the annular groove 130.

  Further, as shown in the third modified example of FIG. 9D, one end of the ion exchanger 34 is connected to one end of the rectangular first plate body 136 so that a small-diameter column 138 is erected. A second plate body 142 having a circular hole 140 into which the column body 138 is inserted may be provided, and the column body 138 may be inserted into the hole 140 of the second plate body 142.

  By adopting such a one-side insertion structure of the ion exchanger 34, when the ion exchanger 34 disposed on the lower side (lower floor) of the body of the fuel cell vehicle is replaced, the ion exchanger 34 is removed. In addition, the mounting operation is further simplified, and the working time can be shortened. Specifically, first, one side portion of the ion exchanger 34 is inserted and hooked and fastened at the opposite side portion of the ion exchanger 34, so that the ion exchanger 34 can be easily attached and detached in a small space. Become.

<Operation effect of refrigerant circuit>
Next, the effect of the refrigerant circuit 10 will be described.
When an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on, fuel gas (hydrogen gas) and oxidant gas (air) are respectively supplied to the fuel cell stack 12, and power generation is started in the fuel cell stack 12. At the same time, a drive signal is introduced from the ECU 38 to the pump 18, the pump 18 also starts to drive, and the refrigerant flows along the circulation passage 16. In this case, the refrigerant is introduced into the ion exchanger 34 through the branch passage 32 branched from the circulation passage 16, and the ion-dissolved component in the refrigerant is removed (adsorbed) by an ion exchange resin (not shown).

  When the temperature of the refrigerant rises to a predetermined temperature or more due to heat generated by the fuel cell stack 12, for example, the valve position of the flow path switching valve 22 is switched based on a valve switching signal from the ECU 38, and the refrigerant is introduced to the radiator 14 side. In addition, the refrigerant may be cooled by the heat radiation action of the radiator 14.

<Ion exchanger replacement work>
An ion exchange resin (not shown) housed in the ion exchanger has a characteristic that the ion adsorption capacity gradually decreases by adsorbing ions in the refrigerant. Therefore, a new deteriorated ion exchange resin (ion exchanger) is newly added. Maintenance that regularly exchanges with a new ion exchange resin (ion exchanger) is required. Below, the exchange operation | work of an ion exchanger is demonstrated.

FIG. 10 is a partially omitted exploded perspective view of the frame with the under cover removed.
As shown in FIG. 10, by removing the under cover 54 by loosening the bolt 54 etc. fixing the single under cover 52 provided on the lower side (under the floor) of the body of the fuel cell vehicle, The ion exchanger 34 is exposed from the lower side of the body.

  In this case, in the present embodiment, the ion exchanger 34 is fixed on the same frame 44 as the fuel cell stack 12, and the center of the fuel cell vehicle is viewed in plan view below the body of the fuel cell vehicle. By removing the under cover 52 that is disposed on the outside of the ion exchanger 34 and is located directly below the ion exchanger 34, the ion exchanger 34 is exposed to the outside and can be removed.

  Subsequently, after loosening a plurality of bolts 50 that attach the ion exchanger 34 to the frame 44 via the support portions 42a and 42b and removing the ion exchanger 34 from the frame 44, the first joint mechanism 40a and the first joint mechanism 40a The pipe 66 is removed from the inlet port 64a and the outlet port 64b of the ion exchanger 34 by detaching the female connector 70 from the male connector 68 constituting the two joint mechanism 40b.

  At this time, as described above, since the first valve body 74 and the second valve body 102 provided in the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b are each constituted by a normally closed type valve, The valve body 74 is closed with the first valve body 74 and the second valve body 102 seated on the first seating portion 90 and the second seating portion 100, respectively (see FIG. 8A), and the refrigerant remaining in the refrigerant circuit 10 is exposed to the outside. Leakage is prevented. For this reason, the operator can easily remove the pipe 66 connected to the ion exchanger 34 without being flooded by the refrigerant (in the case of a liquid refrigerant).

  That is, when the pipe 66 is removed from the inlet port 64a and the outlet port 64b of the ion exchanger 34, the second valve body 102 of the female connector 70 on the side of the removed pipe 66 is closed and remains in the pipe 66. Leakage of the refrigerant to the outside is prevented, and the first valve body 74 of the male connector 68 connected to the ion exchanger 34 side is closed, and the refrigerant remaining in the ion exchanger 34 is discharged to the outside. Leakage is prevented. This is the same in the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b provided on the inlet port 64a side and the outlet port 64b side, respectively.

  After the ion exchanger 34 can be separated from the frame 44 and the pipe 66 is removed in this manner, the operator can use the ion exchanger 34 whose performance has deteriorated through the underfloor opening of the fuel cell vehicle from which the under cover 52 has been removed. Can be taken out of the fuel cell vehicle alone. Further, a new ion exchanger 34 preliminarily filled with a predetermined amount of refrigerant is fixed to the frame 44 with a bolt 50 through the underfloor opening, and the female connector 70 of the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b. Is connected to the male connector 68. In addition, as FIG. 9 shows, the removal and attachment operation | work of the ion exchanger 34 can be performed more simply by making the ion exchanger 34 into a one-side insertion structure.

  On the other hand, for example, assuming that the ion exchanger 34 is housed in a housing (not shown) together with the fuel cell stack 12, first, in order to replace the ion exchanger 34, a housing (not shown) is used. The body needs to be removed from the fuel cell vehicle. At that time, it is necessary to remove the pipes respectively connected to the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34 and to perform a so-called refrigerant removal operation for removing the refrigerant remaining in the refrigerant circuit 10 from the refrigerant circuit 10. Therefore, a great deal of labor and time are required to replace the ion exchanger 34.

  In the present embodiment, the ion exchanger 34 arranged in parallel with the fuel cell stack 12 can be replaced only by removing the single under cover 52 provided on the lower side of the fuel cell vehicle. This eliminates the need for removing the housing in which the ion exchanger 34 is housed, removing the refrigerant, reinjecting the refrigerant, and the like, making the exchange of the ion exchanger 34 easier and more convenient than in the past. Time can be shortened.

  In general, the replacement timing of the ion exchanger is shorter than the life of the refrigerant, but in this embodiment, only the ion exchanger is replaced with the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit that has been used for a long time. Therefore, effective use of the refrigerant can be achieved.

<Differences between the present embodiment and the comparative example>
Next, differences between the present embodiment and Patent Document 2 (hereinafter referred to as comparative examples) will be described in detail below. FIG. 1 of this comparative example discloses that the ion exchanger is disposed beside the fuel cell stack formed in a box shape in the supply side piping of the water piping constituting the water passage. The following points are different.

  First, in the comparative example, the height relationship between the fuel cell stack and the ion exchanger is not specifically disclosed or suggested, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The ion exchanger 34 is different from the fuel cell stack 12 in the lower part of the refrigerant circuit 10.

  Secondly, in the comparative example, in the refrigerant circuit, the fuel cell stack and the ion exchanger are connected in series through the piping, and the refrigerant flows in series to the ion exchanger and the fuel cell stack. As shown in FIG. 1, the difference is that the fuel cell stack 12 and the ion exchanger 34 are connected in parallel via the branch passage 32, and the refrigerant is provided to flow in parallel.

  Third, in the comparative example, in order to optimize the weight balance in the vehicle width direction between the battery (heavy auxiliary machine) and the electric circuit breaker (lighter auxiliary machine), a refrigerant is provided on the electric circuit breaker (lighter auxiliary machine) side. Whereas the piping and the ion exchanger are disposed, in the present embodiment, the fuel cell stack 12 disposed in the center console 56 is used as a reference and is disposed in any of the left and right spaces 62 along the vehicle width direction. (See FIG. 6), which is different in that the degree of freedom in layout is improved.

  Fourthly, in the comparative example, piping is directly connected to the inlet port and outlet port of the ion exchanger, whereas in this embodiment, the first joint mechanism 40a and the second joint mechanism 40b are used. The difference is that it is detachable.

  Fifth, in the comparative example, there is no disclosure or suggestion about the exchange operation of the ion exchanger, whereas in the present embodiment, in order to simplify the exchange operation of the ion exchanger 34, the ion exchanger 34 is described. The arrangement position, the arrangement structure, and the mounting structure are different in that various improvements are made.

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of a refrigerant circuit in which a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. It is a schematic plan view of the refrigerant circuit. It is a schematic structure side view of the said refrigerant circuit. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the fuel cell stack and ion exchanger which comprise the said refrigerant circuit were fixed on the flame | frame. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the attachment structure for the ion exchange frame, as seen from the direction of arrow Y1 in FIG. 4. It is the front view which looked at the fuel cell stack and ion exchanger arrange | positioned between a floor panel and a frame toward the rear side from the front side. It is the side view seen from the arrow Y2 direction of FIG. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram which shows attachment / detachment operation | movement with the male connector and female connector which comprise a joint mechanism. (A), (b) is the side view and exploded perspective view which show the one side insertion structure of the ion exchanger which concerns on a 1st modification, (c) is the decomposition | disassembly which shows the one side insertion structure which concerns on a 2nd modification. A perspective view and (d) are exploded perspective views showing a one-sided insertion structure concerning the 3rd modification. It is a partially-omission exploded perspective view of the state where the under cover was removed from the frame.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Refrigerant circuit 12 Fuel cell stack 24 Floor panel 34 Ion exchanger 40a, 40b Joint mechanism 42a, 42b Support part 44 Frame 52 Under cover 54 Bolt (fastening member)
56 Center console 62 Space 66 Piping 74, 102 Valve body

Claims (8)

A fuel cell system comprising an ion exchanger arranged in parallel with a fuel cell stack provided in a fuel cell vehicle,
The fuel cell stack is disposed in a center console of the fuel cell vehicle,
The fuel is characterized in that the ion exchanger is disposed on the same frame as the frame that supports the fuel cell stack, and is disposed on the outer side from the vehicle center when viewed from above the vehicle in the vehicle lower direction. Battery system. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein
The said ion exchanger is arrange | positioned in the vehicle body lower part in the horizontal state in parallel with the advancing direction of a vehicle, and is provided so that attachment or detachment is possible independently. The fuel cell system according to claim 1 or 2,
A refrigerant circuit is configured by piping connected to the ion exchanger, and a normally closed type valve element is included between the ion exchanger and the piping so that the ion exchanger and the piping are detachably connected. A fuel cell system characterized in that a joint mechanism is provided. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the ion exchanger is attached to the frame by a one-side insertion structure. The fuel cell system according to claim 3 or 4,
After removing the pipe from the ion exchanger, the fuel is provided so as to forcibly open the valve body provided on the pipe side in order to discharge the refrigerant in the pipe. Battery system. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A space is formed between a floor panel of a fuel cell vehicle and a frame that supports the fuel cell stack, and the space in which the fuel cell stack is disposed and the space in which the ion exchanger is disposed are the floor panel. The fuel cell system is provided separately by being substantially partitioned by each other. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein
A fuel cell stack is disposed in a center console provided between adjacent seats of a fuel cell vehicle, and the ion exchanger is disposed in a space provided at a position below the seat. system. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An under cover having a size corresponding to the shape of the ion exchanger is provided at a lower portion of the ion exchanger, and the under cover is detachably attached to the frame by a fastening member. Fuel cell system.

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