JP2011204620A - Fuel cell module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel cell module capable of showing reforming capability corresponding to a volume of a reformer.SOLUTION: The fuel cell module includes: a single fuel cell stack 400 having a plurality of single fuel cells; a gas tank 3 in order to supply fuel gas to the single fuel cells; and the reformer 5 in order to reform the fuel gas. A supply pipe 8 in order to supply the fuel gas to the reformer and a lead-out pipe 6 in order to lead out the fuel gas after being reformed from the reformer are arranged on a bottom face side of the reformer. The reformer 5 has a catalyst flow-out preventing part at either the supply pipe or the lead-out pipe with the reforming catalyst arranged on a bottom face side and has a chipped-piece clogging prevention device for preventing chipped pieces of the reforming catalyst from clogging.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell module used in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC).

Conventionally, in such a fuel cell, a fuel cell stack composed of a plurality of fuel cells is accommodated in a storage container, and air and fuel gas are supplied to each of the plurality of fuel cells and operated. Yes. As the fuel gas, hydrogen or the like produced by reacting a hydrocarbon such as natural gas with water vapor is used, and the reformer for reforming the natural gas or the like to produce hydrogen is contained in the storage container. Is arranged. With this arrangement relationship, the heat generated during power generation is used for the reforming reaction to increase the thermal efficiency, and the catalyst outflow prevention unit is provided, so that the modification according to the capacity of the reformer is achieved. Exhibiting quality capability (for example, see Patent Document 1 below)
.

JP 2009-104845 A

By the way, in the solid oxide fuel cell, it is downsized to improve portability,
Various arrangements of storage containers and reformers have been studied. In order to cope with such diversification of solid oxide fuel cells, the present inventors have also studied various forms of solid oxide fuel cells. In the examination, the present inventors found for the first time that the catalyst deactivated when operated for a long time was broken due to thermal deterioration, resulting in a fragment, whereby a pipe line was provided on the bottom of the reformer. In this case, it has been found that the reforming ability may decrease.
That is, a pipe line connected to the reformer is provided on the bottom surface of the reformer so as to reduce the size of the top view, and at the same time, eliminate problems caused by long-time operation.

Therefore, in the present invention, a fuel cell module capable of exhibiting reforming capacity according to the capacity of the reformer,
And it aims at providing a fuel cell provided with it.

The fuel cell module according to the present invention comprises:
A fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells operated by air and fuel gas;
A gas tank for supplying fuel gas to each of the plurality of fuel cells;
A reformer having a reforming catalyst for reforming the fuel gas;
A fuel cell module comprising:
A supply pipe for supplying the fuel gas to the reformer;
An outlet pipe for extracting the reformed fuel gas from the reformer,
The supply pipe or the outlet pipe is disposed on the bottom side of the reformer,
The reformer has an outflow prevention part for preventing the reforming catalyst from flowing out to at least one of the supply pipe or the outlet pipe arranged on the bottom surface side,
Furthermore, it has a fragment clogging prevention means for preventing clogging of the reforming catalyst fragment.

According to the present invention, the reformer contains the reforming catalyst, and the fuel gas supply pipe or the lead-out pipe is connected to the bottom surface of the reformer, so that the shape when viewed from above can be reduced. it can.
In addition, since the outflow prevention unit is provided so that the contained reforming catalyst does not flow out to the supply pipe or the outlet pipe, the reforming catalyst unintentionally flows out of the reformer and is modified. It is possible to prevent the amount of the reforming catalyst in the mass device from being reduced, and at the same time, a piece of the catalyst generated by the deterioration of the catalyst due to long-time operation clogs the outflow prevention unit, and the reformer and It is possible to prevent the pressure of the fuel line from increasing.

  In the fuel cell module according to the present invention, it is also preferable that the fragment clogging preventing means is a blowing means for blowing away the fragments of the reforming catalyst.

According to the present invention, since the reformer is provided with a blowing means for blowing away the catalyst fragments, the catalyst fragments are deposited on the outflow prevention portion in order to blow the reformed catalyst to other than the outflow prevention portion. This can be prevented for a long time without lowering the reforming ability of the reformer.

  Further, the fragment clogging preventing means is preferably an arrangement preventing means for preventing the reforming catalyst from being arranged immediately above at least one opening of the supply pipe or the outlet pipe arranged on the bottom surface side of the reformer. .

According to the present invention, the reformer has an arrangement preventing means for preventing the reforming catalyst from being arranged immediately above the opening of at least one of the supply pipe or the outlet pipe, so that the reforming catalyst is placed between the supply or It is possible to prevent the reformer from reforming the reformer because it can be prevented from flowing out to the outlet pipe and the fragments of the reforming catalyst can be prevented from dropping and accumulating in the outflow prevention part during long-time operation. It can be used for a long time without lowering the ability. Furthermore, since the drive unit such as the air blowing means is not disposed in the reformer, the reforming capacity is not further lowered for a long time.

Further, the arrangement preventing means is an arrangement preventing means configured such that the distance between the opening of at least one of the supply pipe or the outlet pipe and the ceiling of the reformer is shorter than the diameter of the reforming catalyst. It is also preferable.

According to the present invention, in the reformer, the disposition preventing means makes the distance between the opening of at least one of the supply pipe and the outlet pipe and the ceiling of the reformer shorter than the diameter of the reforming catalyst. The arrangement preventing means configured to prevent the reforming catalyst from flowing out into at least one of the supply pipe and the outlet pipe, and the reforming catalyst fragment is provided in the outflow prevention section. It can prevent falling and accumulating, and can exhibit the reforming ability for a long time. Furthermore, since it is composed of only the reformer and at least one of the supply pipe and the lead-out pipe, the arrangement preventing means can be arranged without using any other extra structure, which contributes to improvement of the reforming capacity.

Moreover, in a fuel cell provided with the fuel cell module according to the present invention, a fuel cell having the above-described effects can be provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fuel cell module which can exhibit the reforming capability according to the capacity | capacitance of a reformer can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the fuel cell module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the fuel cell module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the fuel cell module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the fuel cell unit of FIGS. 1-3 in detail. It is a figure which shows the fuel cell stack of FIGS. 1-3 in detail. It is a figure which shows the reformer of the fuel cell module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning prevention means of the fuel cell module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning prevention means of the fuel cell module which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a fuel cell.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the same constituent elements in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

The fuel cell module FC according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view in which the fuel cell module FC is partially broken. FIG. 2 is a view of the fuel cell module FC as viewed from the direction A in FIG. FIG. 3 is a view of the fuel cell module FC as viewed from the direction B in FIG.

In the fuel cell module FC, ten fuel cell stacks 400 are arranged side by side in a space sealed by the cover member 1 and the base member 2. In each fuel cell stack 400, 16 fuel cells 4 are arranged in two rows. These fuel cells 4 are electrically arranged in series.

Each fuel battery cell 4 has a tubular shape, and is operated by the action of a gas flowing inside the pipe of the fuel battery cell 4 and a gas flowing outside the pipe. In the present embodiment, the gas flowing in the pipe of the fuel battery cell 4 is a fuel gas such as reformed gas obtained by reforming hydrogen or hydrocarbon fuel, and the gas flowing outside the pipe of the fuel battery cell 4 contains oxygen. Contains air.

The fuel cell unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the fuel cell unit 30 is a tubular structure formed by the fuel cells 4 and extending in the vertical direction, and includes a cylindrical fuel cell 4 and one end of the fuel cell 4. It has an inner electrode terminal 40 attached to 4a and an outer electrode terminal 42 attached to the other end 4b.

The fuel cell 4 includes a cylindrical inner electrode layer 44, a cylindrical outer electrode layer 48, a cylindrical electrolyte layer 46 disposed between the electrode layers 44, 48, and an inner electrode. And a through flow channel 50 configured inside the layer 44. Further, an inner electrode exposed peripheral surface 44a in which the inner electrode layer 44 is exposed to the electrolyte layer 46 and the outer electrode layer 48 at one end 4a of the fuel cell 4, and the electrolyte layer 46 is an outer electrode layer. Electrolyte exposed peripheral surface 46a exposed to 48
And are provided. The other end 4b of the fuel cell 4 is configured by an outer electrode exposed peripheral surface 48a from which the outer electrode layer 48 is exposed.

The inner electrode layer 44 includes, for example, a mixture of Ni and zirconia doped with at least one selected from rare earth elements such as Ca, Y, and Sc, ceria doped with at least one selected from Ni and rare earth elements, And a mixture of Ni and lanthanum gallate doped with at least one selected from Sr, Mg, Co, Fe, and Cu. The electrolyte layer 46 includes, for example, zirconia doped with at least one selected from rare earth elements such as Y and Sc, ceria doped with at least one selected from rare earth elements, lanthanum gallate doped with at least one selected from Sr and Mg, Formed from at least one of the following. The outer electrode layer 48 is made of, for example, lanthanum manganite doped with at least one selected from Sr and Ca, lanthanum ferrite doped with at least one selected from Sr, Co, Ni, and Cu, Sr, Fe, Ni, and Cu. It is formed from at least one selected from samarium cobalt and silver doped with at least one selected. In this case, the inner electrode layer 44 becomes a fuel electrode, and the outer electrode layer 48 becomes an air electrode. The thickness of the inner electrode layer 44 is, for example, 1 mm, and the thickness of the electrolyte layer 46 is, for example, 30 μm.
m, and the thickness of the outer electrode layer 48 is, for example, 30 μm, and the outer diameter thereof is, for example,
1-10 mm.

The inner electrode terminal 40 is disposed so as to cover the inner electrode outer peripheral surface 44a from the outside over the entire circumference and is electrically connected thereto, and a tubular portion extending from the main body portion 40a in the longitudinal direction of the fuel cell 4 40b. Body portion 40a and tubular portion 40
b is cylindrical and is concentrically arranged, and the tube diameter of the tubular portion 40b is smaller than the tube diameter of the main body portion 40a. The tubular portion 40b has a connection channel 40c that communicates with the through channel 50 and communicates with the outside. A step portion 40 d between the main body portion 40 a and the tubular portion 40 b is in contact with the end surface 44 b of the inner electrode layer 44.

The outer electrode terminal 42 is disposed so as to cover the outer electrode outer peripheral surface 48 from the outside over the entire circumference and is electrically connected thereto, and the fuel cell 4 from the main body portion 42a.
And a tubular portion 42b extending in the longitudinal direction. Main body portion 42a and tubular portion 42b
Is cylindrical and concentric, and the tube diameter of the tubular portion 42b is smaller than the tube diameter of the main body portion 42a. The tubular portion 42b has a connection channel 42c that communicates with the through channel 50 and communicates with the outside. The step portion 42d between the main body portion 42a and the tubular portion 42b has an end face 44c of the outer electrode layer 48, the electrolyte layer 46, and the inner electrode layer 44 through the annular insulating member 52.
Abut.

The overall shape of the inner electrode terminal 40 and the overall shape of the outer electrode terminal 42 are the same. Further, the inner electrode terminal 40 and the fuel battery cell 4, and the outer electrode terminal 42 and the fuel battery cell 4 are sealed and fixed by a conductive sealing material 54 over the entire circumference. The sealing material 54 is various brazing materials including, for example, silver, a mixture of silver and glass, gold, nickel, copper, and titanium.

The connection flow path 40 c of the inner electrode terminal 40, the through flow path 50 of the fuel cell 4, and the connection flow path 42 c of the outer electrode terminal 42 constitute an in-pipe flow path 30 c of the fuel cell unit 30.

Next, the fuel cell stack 400 will be described with reference to FIG. The fuel cell stack 400 includes 16 fuel cell units 30, an upper support plate 400a,
A lower support plate 400b, a connection member 400c, and an external terminal 400d are provided.

The upper support plate 400a and the lower support plate 400b are rectangular and each of the tubular portions 40b, 42 of the fuel cell unit 30 so as to support the fuel cell unit 30 in 2 rows × 8 rows.
It has a through-hole (not shown in the figure) that fits into b. Upper support plate 400a and lower support plate 4
00b is made of an electrically insulating material, for example, heat-resistant ceramic. Specifically, it is preferable to use alumina, zirconia, spinel, forsterite, magnesia, titania or the like.

The 16 fuel cell units 30 are arranged so that they are electrically connected in series. In detail, the fuel cell unit 30 includes the adjacent fuel cell unit 3.
The zero inner electrode terminals 40 are alternately arranged on the upper side and the lower side. Furthermore,
A connection member 400c for electrically connecting the 16 fuel cell units 30 in series is provided. The connection member 400c electrically connects one adjacent inner electrode terminal 40 and one outer electrode terminal 42. Sixteen fuel cell units 30 connected in series
Each of the inner electrode terminal 40 and the outer electrode terminal 42 at both ends is provided with an external terminal 400d for electrical connection with the outside. The connection member 400c and the external terminal 400d are made of, for example, a heat-resistant metal such as stainless steel, a nickel base alloy, or a chromium base alloy, or a ceramic material such as lanthanum chromite. The external terminals 400d of each fuel cell stack 400 are electrically connected in series, and are connected to the electrode rods 13 and 14 at both ends thereof.

1-3, the fuel cell module FC will be described. Cover member 1 is side wall 1
01, 103, 104, 105 and the ceiling 102 are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A flange portion 1 a is formed at the end portions of the side walls 101 to 105. By bringing the flange portion 1 a of the cover member 1 into contact with the base member 2, a space sealed by the cover member 1 and the base member 2 is formed.

An internal space formed by the cover member 1 and the base member 2 is separated into two spaces by a partition plate 15. Among the spaces separated by the partition plate 15, the space where the fuel cell stack 400 is disposed is the power generation chamber 16. Of the spaces separated by the partition plate 15, the other space is an exhaust gas chamber 17.

The gas tank 3 is placed on the partition plate 15. Ten fuel cell stacks 400 are arranged side by side in the gas tank 3, and fuel gas is supplied from the gas tank 3 to the fuel cell 4 constituting each fuel cell stack 400.

More specifically, the lower support plate 4 of the fuel cell stack 400 is formed on the upper surface of the gas tank 3.
An opening (not shown) having substantially the same shape as 00b is provided, and the gas tank 3 and each fuel cell stack 400 are connected with the lower support plate 400b in close contact with the opening. Therefore, the fuel cells 4 constituting the fuel cell stack 400 are erected on the gas tank 3 with their tip portions facing upward.

Above each fuel cell stack 400 is a combustion catalyst installation portion 7 for arranging a combustion catalyst.
Is provided. The combustion catalyst installation part 7 has a mesh-shaped tray, and arranges the combustion catalyst on the tray. As the combustion catalyst, an alumina sphere surface with platinum added thereto is used. In addition, this combustion catalyst is for accelerating | stimulating combustion of fuel gas unlike the reforming catalyst mentioned later.

The fuel gas rises from the gas tank 3 to the vicinity of the combustion catalyst installation portion 7 through the in-pipe flow path 30 c of the fuel cell unit 30. In addition, the air flowing outside the fuel cell 4 is
It rises to the vicinity of the combustion catalyst installation part 7. An ignition device (not shown in the figure) for starting combustion of combustion gas and air is provided in the vicinity of the combustion catalyst installation portion 7, and fuel gas and air are produced by the action of this ignition device and the combustion catalyst. And mix and burn. Accordingly, the fuel cells 4 constituting the fuel cell stack 400 are heated by this combustion from above.

The fuel gas is introduced into the fuel cell module FC through the fuel gas supply pipe 8. The fuel gas supply pipe 8 is connected to the reformer 5. An air supply pipe 9 is also connected to the reformer 5. The fuel gas supply pipe 8 and the air supply pipe 9 are joined before being connected to the reformer 5, and the reformer 5 is configured to be able to supply a premixed fuel gas and air. Yes. 1-3
In the present embodiment, an electromagnetic valve is attached to each of the fuel gas supply pipe 8 and the air supply pipe 9, and each electromagnetic valve responds to an instruction signal output from a CPU as a control unit. The ratio between the fuel gas and the air supplied to the reformer 5 can be changed.

Fuel gas (which may be mixed with water vapor) and air (which may be only fuel gas) introduced into the reformer 5 are reformed by the reforming catalyst contained in the reformer 5. Is done.
The reformed fuel gas and air are supplied to the gas tank 3 through the outlet pipe 6. The part where the fuel gas supply pipe 8 and the air supply pipe 9 are connected to the reformer 5 and the part where the outlet pipe 6 is connected to the reformer 5 are near one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction. It is separated from the neighborhood. As a result, the fuel gas and air supplied to the reformer 5 can sufficiently touch the reforming catalyst.

A reforming catalyst is enclosed in the reformer 5. As the reforming catalyst, a catalyst in which nickel is applied to the surface of the alumina sphere and a catalyst in which ruthenium is applied to the surface of the alumina sphere are appropriately used. Here, it is assumed that the reforming catalyst 201 is provided with a catalyst body on a carrier. These reforming catalysts are spheres. On the other hand, the reformer 5 is connected to a fuel gas supply pipe 8, an air supply pipe 9, and a lead-out pipe 6, and a circular hole is formed as an opening in a connection portion where these are connected. If the reforming catalyst is smaller than the opening, the reforming catalyst flows out from the reformer 5, and therefore, in this embodiment, an outflow prevention unit is provided. The reformer 5 provided with this outflow prevention part will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the reformer 5. The reformer 5 is configured so that the frame body 52 is sandwiched between the plate material 51 and the plate material 52 and a space for accommodating the reforming catalyst is formed therein. The outlet pipe 6 is connected to the plate material 51. Connected to the plate member 53 are a supply pipe 80 in which the fuel gas supply pipe 8 and the air supply pipe 9 are joined, and a water vapor supply pipe 81.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection portion 5 a in which a supply pipe 80 is connected to the reformer 5. The reformer 5 is filled with the reforming catalyst 201, and the fuel gas then flows from the arrow C to the arrow D. The supply pipe 80 penetrates the plate material 53, and the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80 is provided with a net (not shown in the drawing) as an outflow prevention part. When the distance between the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80 and the plate 81 serving as the arrangement preventing means is G and the diameter of the reforming catalyst 201 is H, the supply pipe 80 and the plate 81 are arranged so that G is G <H. ing.

In order not to arrange the reforming catalyst 201 directly above the opening 80 a of the supply pipe 80 in the reformer 5, it is possible to prevent the reforming catalyst 201 from flowing into the supply interval 80 by arranging the plate material 81. At the same time, it is possible to prevent fragments generated by part of the reforming catalyst from being damaged due to thermal degradation during a long time operation and falling in the vertical direction and being deposited on the net of the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80. This can be achieved for a long time without reducing the reforming ability of the vessel. Furthermore, since there is no fragment clogging prevention means for blowing off the catalyst fragments, the internal structure of the reformer becomes simple. Although the supply pipe 80 is shown in this embodiment, the same applies to the outlet pipe 6. In addition, you may use the ventilation means for blowing off the catalyst piece instead of the board | plate material 81 which is an arrangement | positioning prevention means. In this case, since the catalyst fragments are blown off, it is possible to prevent the catalyst fragments from being dropped and deposited on the mesh of the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection portion 5 b in which a supply pipe 80 is connected to the reformer 5. The reformer 5 is filled with the reforming catalyst 201, and the fuel gas then flows from the arrow E to the arrow F. The supply pipe 80 penetrates the plate material 53, and the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80 is provided with a net (not shown in the drawing) as an outflow prevention part. When the distance between the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80 and the plate material 51 as the arrangement preventing means is I and the diameter of the reforming catalyst 201 is J, the supply pipe 80 and the plate material 51 are arranged so that I is I <J. ing.

In order not to arrange the reforming catalyst 201 directly above the opening 80 a of the supply pipe 80 in the reformer 5, it is possible to prevent the reforming catalyst 201 from flowing into the supply interval 80 by arranging the plate material 51. At the same time, it is possible to prevent fragments generated by part of the reforming catalyst from being damaged due to thermal degradation during a long time operation and falling in the vertical direction and being deposited on the net of the opening 80a of the supply pipe 80. This can be achieved for a long time without reducing the reforming ability of the vessel. Furthermore, since there is no fragment clogging prevention means for blowing off the catalyst fragments, the internal structure of the reformer becomes simple. Although the supply pipe 80 is shown in this embodiment, the same applies to the outlet pipe 6. Furthermore, since no plate material is disposed in the reformer 5, the gas flow is not hindered.

1-3, the fuel cell module FC will be described. Side wall 10 of cover member 1
1, 103, 104, 105 and the ceiling 102 have a double wall structure, and are configured so that gas can pass through the space between the double walls. The interior space of the side wall 101 and the ceiling 1
The internal space 02 and the internal space of the side wall 103 are connected to each other. An air supply pipe 10 is communicated with the side wall 101 so that air is supplied.

The air supplied to the side wall 101 flows from the ceiling 102 to the side wall 103 and is heated by heat transmitted from the power generation chamber 16 in the flow process. Side wall 10
The air that has flowed into the air flow path 3 is configured to flow into the air flow paths 103a and 103b.
Air flow paths 103 a and 103 b are formed to extend from side wall 103 toward side wall 101. The air flow path 103 a is disposed inside the side wall 105 and along the vicinity of the upper surface of the partition plate 15. The air flow path 103b is inside the side wall 104, and the partition plate 15
It is arrange | positioned along the upper surface vicinity. Air inflow holes 103c and 103d are provided in each of the air flow paths 103a and 103b at a predetermined interval. The air that flows into the air flow paths 103a and 103b from the side wall 103 is configured to flow into the power generation chamber 16 through the air inflow holes 103c and 103d.

The air that has flowed into the power generation chamber 16 through the air inflow holes flows from the bottom to the top of each fuel cell 4. The air that reaches the upper side of each fuel cell 4 is burned together with the fuel gas that has passed through the in-pipe flow path 30 c of each fuel cell 4.

An exhaust gas outflow slit 104 a is provided at the inner upper end of the side wall 104. Exhaust gas generated by combustion of fuel gas and air above each fuel battery cell 4 enters the inner space of the side wall 104 through the exhaust gas outflow slit 104a. The exhaust gas that has entered the side wall 104 flows downward through the internal space of the side wall 104, reaches the exhaust gas chamber 17, and is temporarily stored. The side wall 105 has the same configuration as that of the side wall 104, and the exhaust gas similarly flows downward in the internal space of the side wall 105 and reaches the exhaust gas chamber 17. The exhaust gas that has reached the exhaust gas chamber 17 is discharged to the outside of the fuel cell module FC through the exhaust gas pipe 11.

In the present embodiment, the reformer 5 is disposed inside the exhaust gas chamber 17. The reformer 5 is disposed in contact with the partition plate 15, and the heat generated in the reformer 5 is configured to be transferred to the partition plate 15. As described above, the exhaust gas from the combustion of the fuel gas and air flows into the exhaust gas chamber 17, and the exhaust gas is at a high temperature. Therefore, when the exhaust gas is stored in the exhaust gas chamber 17, the temperature is raised by applying heat to the reformer 5 disposed inside the exhaust gas chamber 17. The reformer 5 is also provided with a heater 12 in contact therewith. Exhaust gas chamber 1
When the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into 7 is not high, the heater 12 is energized and the reformer 5 is heated. In the present embodiment, the reformer 5 is disposed inside the exhaust gas chamber 17 and the reformer 5 is disposed in contact with the partition plate 15, but the arrangement of the reformer 5 is limited to this. It is not a thing. Even if the reformer 5 is not disposed inside the exhaust gas chamber 17, the exhaust gas chamber 1
If it is arranged at a position where heat can be transferred from the heater 7, the temperature of the reformer 5 can be raised using the heat of the exhaust gas as described above. Even when the reformer 5 is not in contact with the partition plate 15, as long as the heat generated by the reformer 5 is disposed at a position where the heat can be transmitted into the power generation chamber 16, as will be described later. The heat generated by the reformer 5 can be used to contribute to the rapid start-up of the fuel cell module FC.

Subsequently, the operation of the fuel cell including the fuel cell module FC according to the present embodiment and the operation method thereof will be described. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the operation of the fuel cell module FC is described to describe the fuel cell including the fuel cell module FC.

The operation method of the fuel cell module FC according to the present embodiment includes an ignition process, a reforming process, a gas supply process, a cell operation process, and a combustion process. As will be described later, these steps are not necessarily executed sequentially, but are executed in parallel or executed in a different order.

First, in order to warm the fuel cell module FC, fuel gas and air are supplied to the fuel cell module FC without applying a load to the circuit including the fuel cell module FC, that is, with the circuit including the fuel cell module FC open. Supply. At this stage, even if fuel gas and air are present, no current flows through the circuit, so the fuel cell module FC does not generate power.

Specifically, fuel gas is supplied. Specifically, the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel gas supply pipe 8 and stored in the gas tank 3. Thereby, uniform and uniform supply of fuel gas to each fuel cell unit 30 is ensured. The fuel gas accumulated in the gas tank 3 flows through the in-pipe flow path 30 c of the fuel cell unit 30 and acts on the inner electrode layer 44. The fuel gas that did not act reaches the upper space of each fuel cell unit 30.

In addition, air in the atmosphere is supplied. Specifically, air in the atmosphere is supplied to the air supply pipe 10 by a blower or the like, and flows from the side wall 101 to the ceiling 102 and the side wall 103. Next, the air is introduced into the power generation chamber 16 from the air inflow holes 103c and 103d through the air flow paths 103a and 103b. The air guided into the power generation chamber 16 acts with the outer electrode layer 48. The air that did not act reaches above each fuel cell unit 30.

Next, the combustion gas and air are combusted using an ignition device (not shown) such as a spark plug or a heater (ignition process, combustion process). The exhaust gas generated thereby becomes high temperature. The exhaust gas is guided to the internal space of the side walls 104 and 105 and flows into the exhaust gas chamber 17. Exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust gas chamber 17 is discharged from the exhaust gas pipe 11.

When the fuel gas and air burn, the temperature in the power generation chamber 16 is raised. While the air introduced from the outside flows through the side wall 101, the ceiling 102, and the side wall 103, the air is heated by exchanging heat with the power generation chamber 16. The hot exhaust gas flows into the exhaust gas chamber 17 and raises the temperature in the exhaust gas chamber 17. Since the reformer 5 is provided inside the exhaust gas chamber 17, the temperature of the reformer 5 is also raised.

Subsequently, a gas obtained by mixing hydrocarbon-based city gas and air in advance is supplied to the reformer 5 (reforming step). In the reformer 5, the partial oxidation reforming reaction of the formula (1) proceeds. Since this partial oxidation reforming reaction is an exothermic reaction, the startability is good, and further, the reformer 5 and the partition plate 15
The heat is transferred to the power generation chamber 16 via. Therefore, the fuel battery cell 4 constituting the fuel battery cell stack 400 is heated from above by the heat of the mixed combustion of fuel gas and air,
Since it is heated by this heat transfer from below, it is sandwiched between the heated portions, and a uniform temperature rise is possible.

  CmHn + m / 2O2 → mCO + nH2 (1)

After a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the partial oxidation reaction, a gas in which city gas, air and water vapor are mixed in advance is supplied to the reformer 5 (reforming step). In the reformer 5, an autothermal reforming reaction in which the partial oxidation reforming reaction described above and a steam reforming reaction described later are used together proceeds. Since this autothermal reforming reaction is thermally balanced internally, the reaction proceeds in the reformer 5 while being thermally independent. At this stage, the initial stage of startup has already passed, and the temperature inside the power generation chamber 16 has been raised to a certain temperature. Therefore, the amount of heat transferred from the reformer 5 is less than that described above.

After a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the execution of the autothermal reforming reaction, a gas obtained by previously mixing city gas and water vapor is supplied to the reformer 5 (reforming step). In the reformer 5, the steam reforming reaction of Formula (2) proceeds. Since this steam reforming reaction is an endothermic reaction, it is thermally stable,
The reaction proceeds while maintaining heat balance with the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust gas chamber 17.

  CmHn + H2O → mCO + 2nH2 (2)

As described above, the temperature in the power generation chamber 16 is gradually increased by switching the reforming process in accordance with the progress of the combustion process from the ignition process. The temperature in the power generation chamber 16 and the fuel cell 4 is
When a predetermined power generation temperature lower than the rated temperature at which the fuel cell module FC is stably operated is reached, the circuit including the fuel cell module FC is closed. Thereby, the fuel cell module F
C starts power generation, and current flows through the circuit (cell operation process). Due to the power generation of the fuel cell, the fuel cell 4 itself also generates heat, and the temperature of the fuel cell 4 rises. As a result, the temperature reaches a rated temperature at which the fuel cell module FC is operated, for example, 600 to 800 ° C.

Thereafter, in order to maintain the rated temperature, a larger amount of fuel gas and air than the amount of fuel gas and air consumed by the fuel cells 4 are supplied, and combustion in the power generation chamber 16 is continued (combustion process). .

Next, the configuration of the fuel cell FCS using the fuel cell module FC will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel cell FCS. FIG.
As shown, the fuel cell FCS includes a fuel cell module FC, a fuel supply unit FP, an air supply unit AP, a water supply unit WP, a power extraction unit EP, and a control unit CS (control unit). ing. The fuel supply unit FP, the air supply unit AP, the water supply unit WP, and the power extraction unit EP constitute an auxiliary device AD of the fuel cell FCS.

The fuel supply unit FP is a part that supplies fuel gas from a city gas pipe as a fuel supply source to the fuel cell module FC, and includes a fuel pump and an electromagnetic valve. The fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply unit FP is sent out to the fuel gas supply pipe 8.

The air supply unit AP is a part that supplies air from the atmosphere as an air supply source to the fuel cell module FC, and includes an air blower and an electromagnetic valve. Air supplied from the air supply unit AP is sent out to the air supply pipes 8 and 9.

The water supply unit WP is a part that supplies water from a water pipe as a water supply source to the fuel cell module FC, and includes a water pump and an electromagnetic valve. The water supplied from the water supply unit WP is sent to the water vapor supply pipe 81 as water vapor inside the fuel module FC.

The power extraction unit EP is a part that extracts electric power from the fuel cell module FC, and includes a power conversion device such as an inverter. The power extraction unit EP is connected to the electrode rods 13 and 14, and the converted power is configured to be sent to a power supply destination.

The control unit CS includes a fuel supply unit FP, an air supply unit AP, a driving auxiliary device AD, and a power extraction unit EP.
These are parts for controlling each of them, and have a CPU and a ROM. The operation of the fuel cell module FC as described above is executed based on an instruction signal from the control unit CS.

FC ... fuel cell module, 1 ... cover member, 2 ... base member, 3 ... gas tank, 4 ...
Fuel cell, 30 ... Fuel cell unit, 400 ... Fuel cell stack, 5 ... Reformer, 6 ... Outlet pipe, 7 ... Combustion catalyst installation part, 8 ... Fuel gas supply pipe, 9, 10 ... Air supply pipe 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Exhaust gas pipe, 12 ... Heater, 13, 14 ... Electrode rod, 15 ... Partition plate, 16 ... Power generation chamber,
17 ... Exhaust gas chamber

Claims (4)

A fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuel cells operated by air and fuel gas;
A gas tank for supplying fuel gas to each of the plurality of fuel cells;
A reformer having a reforming catalyst for reforming the fuel gas;
A fuel cell module comprising:
A supply pipe for supplying the fuel gas to the reformer;
An outlet pipe for extracting the reformed fuel gas from the reformer,
The supply pipe or the outlet pipe is disposed on the bottom side of the reformer,
The reformer has an outflow prevention part for preventing the reforming catalyst from flowing out to at least one of the supply pipe or the outlet pipe arranged on the bottom surface side,
Further, a fuel cell module having a fragment clogging prevention means for preventing clogging of the fragment of the reforming catalyst. 2. The fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein the fragment clogging preventing means is a blowing means for blowing away the fragments of the reforming catalyst. 2. The disposition clogging preventing means is an arrangement preventing means for preventing the reforming catalyst from being disposed immediately above an opening of at least one of the supply pipe and the outlet pipe arranged on the bottom surface side of the reformer. The fuel cell module described. The arrangement preventing means is an arrangement preventing means configured such that the distance between the opening of at least one of the supply pipe or the outlet pipe and the ceiling of the reformer is shorter than the diameter of the reforming catalyst. The fuel cell module according to claim 3.

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