JP2017059451A - Fuel battery, control method for fuel battery, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel battery that can properly determine a discharging timing of exhaust gas from a power generator to discharge impurities, suppress decrease of a power generation efficiency and use hydrogen without waste, a control method for a fuel battery, and a computer program.SOLUTION: A fuel battery 100 includes a stack 1 for generating power by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen bomb 2 for storing hydrogen to be supplied to the stack 1, a controller 9 for returning gas exhausted from the stack 1 to the stack 1 through a hydrogen circulation path 13 to circulate or discharge the gas to the outside, and a storage unit 91 for storing impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen bomb 2. CPU 90 of the controller 9 discharges the gas to the outside on the basis of the impurity information stored in the storage unit 91.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a power generation unit that reacts hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit to be returned to the power generation unit for circulation or to the outside. The present invention relates to a fuel cell including a control unit for discharging, a control method for the fuel cell, and a computer program for causing a computer to execute control processing of gas discharge.

Examples of the battery for obtaining electromotive force by sending hydrogen to the negative electrode include a fuel cell and a nickel / hydrogen battery.
A fuel cell is a clean power generator with high power generation efficiency, and can be constructed without being affected by the magnitude of the load, so it can be used in digital home appliances such as personal computers and mobile phones, electric cars, railways, and mobile phones. Various uses such as base stations and power plants are being studied.

The fuel cell includes a stack, a plurality of hydrogen cylinders, a hydrogen circulation path, and a hydrogen supply path.
The stack forms a membrane electrode assembly by sandwiching the solid polymer electrolyte membrane between the negative electrode and the anode from both sides, and a pair of separators are arranged on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly to constitute a flat unit cell. A plurality of unit cells are stacked and packaged.

One end of the hydrogen supply path is connected to a hydrogen cylinder through a regulator and an on-off valve, and the other end is connected to a portion of the hydrogen circulation path near the anode. Hydrogen is flowed from the hydrogen cylinder through the hydrogen supply path, is sent to the anode side portion in the stack through the portion near the anode of the hydrogen circulation path, and flows through the flow path in the portion. The hydrogen flowing through the flow path and discharged from the stack flows through the hydrogen circulation path, is returned to the stack, and circulates.
Hydrogen is supplied to the stack, the fuel gas containing hydrogen comes into contact with the negative electrode of the stack, and the oxidizing gas containing oxygen such as air comes into contact with the positive electrode, causing an electrochemical reaction at both electrodes and generating an electromotive force. .

In this pure hydrogen type fuel cell, as described above, a hydrogen circulation system that circulates off-gas (exhaust gas containing unreacted hydrogen) discharged from the negative electrode of the fuel cell to the anode side portion of the stack is adopted. The use efficiency of is increased.
In this pure hydrogen type / hydrogen circulation type fuel cell, unreacted hydrogen in the offgas is used for power generation of the fuel cell, but impurities in the offgas are separated from the hydrogen circulation path (the anode side portion of the stack and the hydrogen circulation). Therefore, there is a problem that as the power is generated, the impurity concentration in the anode side portion increases and the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell decreases. These impurities include impurities originally leaked from the cathode side to the anode side in addition to impurities originally contained in the fuel gas, and main components are nitrogen, sulfur compounds, oxygen, carbon monoxide and the like.

  The fuel cell of Patent Document 1 includes a purge passage for purging off-gas in the hydrogen circulation passage to the outside in a timely manner, and a purge valve provided in the purge passage. In this fuel cell, the increase rate of the impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path is calculated based on the hydrogen flow rate or the power generation amount, and the off-gas purge timing is determined.

JP 2011-210392A

  However, the concentration of impurities contained in the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen cylinder varies from one hydrogen cylinder to another. Naturally, the impurity concentration also differs when the supply source of hydrogen gas is different. The impurity information also differs depending on whether the hydrogen cylinder is a compression cylinder or an MH (Metal Hydride) cylinder filled with a hydrogen storage alloy.

  In the fuel cell system of Patent Document 1, the impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path is calculated based on the supply amount of hydrogen gas (hydrogen flow rate), but the impurities contained in the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen cylinder Since variation in concentration is not taken into account, there is a problem that an error occurs in the estimated value of the impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can appropriately determine the timing of exhaust gas discharge from the power generation unit to discharge impurities, suppress a decrease in power generation efficiency, and waste hydrogen. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell, a fuel cell control method, and a computer program that can be used without any problems.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that reacts with hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit to the power generation unit. And a control unit that circulates or discharges to the outside, a fuel cell, further comprising a storage unit that stores impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container, the control unit stored in the storage unit The gas is discharged to the outside based on impurity information.

  The fuel cell control method according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that generates power by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen to be supplied to the power generation unit, and gas that is exhausted from the power generation unit. A control method for a fuel cell comprising a control unit that returns to the unit and circulates or discharges to the outside, storing impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container, and storing the impurity information and the hydrogen storage Based on the amount of hydrogen supplied from the container to the power generation unit, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is calculated, and when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more, the gas It is characterized by discharging to the outside.

  A computer program according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that reacts hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit to the power generation unit. And storing the impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container in the computer that controls the fuel cell including a control unit that circulates or discharges to the outside, and the power generation from the impurity information and the hydrogen storage container Based on the amount of hydrogen supplied to the unit, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is calculated, and when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more, the gas is discharged to the outside. It is characterized in that processing for outputting an instruction to execute is executed.

  According to the fuel cell of the present invention, the storage unit stores the impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container, and the control unit controls the gas exhausted from the power generation unit based on the impurity information stored in the storage unit. The gas can be discharged to the outside by appropriately obtaining the discharge timing. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.

According to the fuel cell control method of the present invention, the exhaust gas emission is accurately calculated based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container and the amount of supplied hydrogen, and the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is accurately calculated. It is possible to discharge the gas to the outside by properly obtaining the timing. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.

  According to the computer program of the present invention, based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container and the amount of supplied hydrogen, the concentration of impurities in the power generation unit and the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is accurately calculated, and the timing of exhaust gas discharge is determined. It is possible to discharge the gas to the outside with proper demand. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.

1 is a block diagram showing a fuel cell according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing of off gas discharge by CPU. It is an example of a power-voltage characteristic curve. It is a flowchart which shows the calculation process of the electric power generation possible amount by CPU. 6 is a block diagram showing a fuel cell according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a fuel cell according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a fuel cell 100 according to the first embodiment.
The fuel cell 100 is a fuel cell such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell.
The fuel cell 100 includes a stack 1, a hydrogen flow path (hydrogen supply path 11 and hydrogen circulation path 13), a plurality of hydrogen cylinders 2, a primary pressure gauge 3, a regulator 4, a secondary pressure gauge 5, a hydrogen circulation pump 6, A hydrogen purge filter 7, a trap 8, a liquid level sensor 10, a drain valve 15, a drain valve 16, a gas purge valve 17, and a display unit 18 are provided.

The stack 1 is a package in which a plurality of the unit cells described above are stacked.
A fuel gas containing hydrogen flowing in from the hydrogen cylinder 2 is in contact with the negative electrode, and an oxidizing gas containing oxygen such as air flows into contact with the positive electrode from an air flow path (not shown), thereby causing an electrochemical reaction at both electrodes. And an electromotive force is generated. In this electrochemical reaction, water is generated by the reaction between hydrogen ions that have permeated the solid polymer electrolyte membrane from the negative electrode side and oxygen in the oxidizing gas.

Examples of the hydrogen cylinder 2 include a compression cylinder and an MH (Metal Hydride) cylinder. When the hydrogen cylinder 2 is an MH cylinder, it is filled with a hydrogen storage alloy. On the surface of the hydrogen cylinder 2, a display sheet 21 indicating each impurity information is attached. The impurity information is indicated by, for example, a QR code (registered trademark). The display sheet 21 shows the total concentration of all impurities such as nitrogen, sulfur compounds such as H ₂ S, SO ₂ , CO, HCHO, HCOOH, etc., and individual concentrations of specific impurities such as CO.
A temperature sensor 23 is also provided on the surface of the hydrogen cylinder 2.

Each hydrogen cylinder 2 is connected to an on-off valve 22. Each on-off valve 22 is connected to the primary pressure gauge 3. The primary pressure gauge 3 detects the pressure in the hydrogen cylinder 2 in which the on-off valve 22 is open. When the plurality of on-off valves 22 are simultaneously open, the total pressure of the hydrogen cylinder 2 is detected.
The primary pressure gauge 3 is connected to a regulator 4. The supply pressure of hydrogen is adjusted by the regulator 4.

One end of the hydrogen supply path 11 is connected to the regulator 4, and the other end is connected to a portion of the hydrogen circulation path 13 near the anode of the stack 1. In the hydrogen supply path 11, a secondary pressure gauge 5 and an on-off valve 12 are provided in order from the regulator 4 side. The secondary pressure gauge 5 detects the hydrogen pressure after passing through the regulator 4.

  The hydrogen circulation path 13 includes a flow path in the anode side portion of the stack 1 and a flow pipe from the hydrogen outflow side to the inflow side of the stack 1. The hydrogen circulation path 13 is provided with a hydrogen circulation pump 6 and a three-way switching valve 14. When the on-off valve 12 is opened, hydrogen flows from the regulator 4 through the hydrogen supply path 11, passes through the secondary pressure gauge 5 and the on-off valve 12, and then is supplied to the anode side portion of the stack 1 by the hydrogen circulation pump 26. It is configured to be sent out and flow through the passage. The off-gas containing hydrogen and impurities discharged through the stack 1 through the flow path passes through the hydrogen purge filter 7 and is then sent to the trap 8. Fine impurity components are removed by the hydrogen purge filter 7. In the trap 8, it is separated into off-gas and water. Hydrogen is returned to the stack 1 by switching the three-way switching valve 14 so that the separated off-gas is sent from the trap 8 to the hydrogen circulation pump 6.

The trap 8 is provided with a liquid level sensor 10 that detects the water level of the stored water. Drain valves 15 and 16 are connected to the liquid level sensor 10. When the water level detected by the liquid level sensor 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the drain valves 15 and 16 are opened to discharge water to the outside.
The off gas containing impurities is discharged to the outside through the gas purge valve 17 by switching the three-way switching valve 14 so that the off gas is discharged to the outside at a purge timing described later.

  The control unit 9 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 90 that controls the operation of each component of the control unit 9 and each component of the fuel cell 100. The CPU 90 includes a storage unit 91, a RAM 92, A timer unit 93 and an I / F 94 are connected.

The storage unit 91 is a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and stores a control program 95 for performing an off-gas discharge control process according to the present embodiment.
The control program 95 is a portable medium recorded in a computer-readable manner such as a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) -ROM, a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), and a hard disk drive. Alternatively, the program may be recorded on a recording medium 96 such as a solid state drive, and the CPU 90 may read the control program 95 from the recording medium 19 and store the control program 95 in the storage unit 91.
Furthermore, the control program 95 according to the present invention may be acquired from an external computer (not shown) connected to the communication network and stored in the storage unit 91.

The RAM 92 is a memory such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM), SRAM (Static RAM), and the like. The control program 95 read from the storage unit 91 when executing the arithmetic processing of the CPU 90 and various data generated by the arithmetic processing of the CPU 90. Is temporarily stored.
As will be described later, the timer 93 measures the elapsed time from the previous hydrogen purge.

  In the present embodiment, the fuel cell 100 according to the first embodiment configured as described above is used, the impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen cylinder 2 is stored, and the impurity information and the hydrogen cylinder 2 are stored. Based on the amount of hydrogen supplied to the stack 1, the impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path 13 is calculated, and when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more, the off-gas exhausted from the stack 1 is discharged to the outside. .

The CPU 90 of the control unit 9 reads the control program 95 from the storage unit 91 and executes an off gas discharge control process.
Hereinafter, the off gas discharge control process will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the off-gas discharge control process by the CPU 90.
The storage unit 91 stores the impurity information of the hydrogen cylinder 2 in advance by reading the QR code of the display sheet 21 of the hydrogen cylinder 2 to be used. The impurity information may be stored in the storage unit 91 when the component table is attached to the hydrogen cylinder 2 and the operator manually inputs a numerical value.
The storage unit 91 stores a predetermined purge time in advance.

First, the CPU 90 reads out impurity information from the storage unit 91 (S1).
Next, the CPU 90 takes in the accumulated power generation amount (Wh) in the elapsed time from the previous purge, which is timed by the time measuring unit 93 (S2).

The CPU 90 calculates the concentration of all impurities contained in the off-gas in the hydrogen circulation path 13 based on the power generation amount taken in, and calculates the concentration of specific impurities (S3). The total impurity concentration refers to the total concentration of all the above-described impurities in the hydrogen circulation path 13, and the specific impurity concentration refers to one or more predetermined ones of the above-mentioned specific impurities. This refers to the individual concentration of impurities in the hydrogen circulation path 13.
The total impurity concentration is determined by the following formula (1).

However,
Unit of total impurity concentration: volume%
Impurity concentration: volume% of all impurities shown on the display sheet 21 of the hydrogen cylinder 2
J: Correction coefficient for correcting variations between aircrafts. The assumed factor is the variation in the amount of hydrogen circulated by the hydrogen circulation pump 6 K: a factor for considering substances other than hydrogen permeating from the cathode side to the anode side through the polymer electrolyte membrane (by experiment in advance) get).
t: Time elapsed since the previous purge (s)
f (t): hydrogen flow rate per unit time (NL / s) supplied from the hydrogen cylinder 2 to the stack 1 at a certain time t
When the fuel cell 100 includes a flow meter, f (t) is obtained from the detected value of the flow meter. Here, it is assumed that a flow meter is not provided, and a value estimated from the power generation amount captured in step S1 and the system efficiency being used is used.
Volume of hydrogen circuit: L

The part {} in the formula (1) corresponds to the volume of all impurities remaining in the hydrogen circulation path 13.
That is,
(Total amount of impurities in hydrogen circuit 13) / (Volume of hydrogen circuit) ≒ (Total impurity concentration in hydrogen circuit)
It becomes. The influence of impurity adsorption on the catalyst is not considered here.

  In the present embodiment, since the hydrogen cylinders 2 are used in order, the amount of impurities in the hydrogen circulation path 13 is calculated by calculating the portion of {} for each hydrogen cylinder 2 used, and then adding up the hydrogen circulation path 13. The total impurity concentration is obtained by dividing by the volume of.

  The specific impurity concentration is obtained by the following formula (2). CPU90 calculates | requires impurity concentration separately about the predetermined impurity.

The CPU 90 determines whether or not the total impurity concentration is A% or more (S4). Here, as the numerical value of A, an appropriate numerical value between 20 and 30 can be given.
When the CPU 90 determines that the total impurity concentration is A% or more (S4: YES), the total impurity concentration is A% or more earlier than the specified purge time, so the three-way switching valve 14 and the gas purge valve 17 is controlled, and purge is performed at this point (S10).

When determining that the total impurity concentration is not A% or more (S4: NO), the CPU 90 determines whether the specific impurity concentration is Bppm or more (S5). Here, when a plurality of specific impurities are listed, a numerical value of B is set for each impurity.
An example of a specific impurity is CO.
By adding ruthenium to the catalyst, the concentration of CO that can be removed during discharge is 20 ppm to 50 ppm.
When the CO concentration of the hydrogen cylinder 2 is 0.1 ppm, it can be seen in advance that if the hydrogen is supplied to the anode side portion with an amount of about 200 times the volume of the hydrogen circulation path 13 and circulated, it becomes 20 ppm. By purging at this timing, it is possible to prevent the CO concentration in the hydrogen circulation path 13 from exceeding 20 ppm, so B is set to 20 ppm.

The CPU 90 takes in the voltage of the stack 1 (S6).
The CPU 90 determines whether or not the acquired voltage is above the power-voltage characteristic curve, that is, whether or not it is greater than the voltage value on the curve of the generated power at that time (S7).
FIG. 3 is an example of a power-voltage characteristic curve. The horizontal axis is the generated power, and the vertical axis is the voltage.

When determining that the voltage is not above the power-voltage characteristic curve (S7: NO), the CPU 90 increases the correction coefficient (S8). For example, the value of J in the formula (1) is increased.
Alternatively, the value of the impurity concentration in the formula (1) is increased.
For example, the impurity concentration is “X”, and it was estimated that the predetermined concentration “A” is reached in 10 minutes. However, since the concentration A may be reached after 5 minutes, the impurity concentration is not “X”. The equation (1) is corrected as “2X”. When correcting “J”, set “J” to “2J”.
Since the concentration itself cannot be measured, the concentration at which the potential of the stack 1 becomes unstable is obtained in advance, and this correction is performed when the CPU 90 determines that the voltage is not above the power-voltage characteristic curve.

When determining that the voltage is above the power-voltage characteristic curve (S7: YES), the CPU 90 determines whether a specified purge time has elapsed (S9).
As described above, when power generation is continuously performed for a predetermined time, the purge is set to be performed. The CPU 90 determines whether the time measured by the time measuring unit 93 has exceeded the predetermined time.

When determining that the specified purge time has not elapsed (S9: NO), the CPU 90 returns the process to step S2.
If the CPU 90 determines that the specified purge time has elapsed (S9: YES), the CPU 90 outputs an instruction to discharge off-gas to the outside and performs purge (S10).
The CPU 90 opens the three-way switching valve 14 so that the flow pipes on the trap 8 side and the discharge valve 17 side communicate with each other, and discharges off-gas from the drain valve 17 to the outside.
The CPU 90 resets the time and power generation amount of the time measuring unit 93 (S11).
While the fuel cell 100 is generating power, this off-gas emission control process is repeated.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a calculation process of the power generation possible amount by the CPU 90.
The CPU 90 takes in the pressure from the primary pressure gauge 3 and the temperature from the temperature sensor 23 on the hydrogen cylinder 2 side being used (S21). The pressure corresponds to the pressure of the hydrogen cylinder 2.
The CPU 90 calculates the residual hydrogen amount in the hydrogen cylinder 2 (S22).
Based on the taken-in pressure, temperature and volume (the sum of the internal volume of the hydrogen cylinder 2 and the volume inside the pipe line from the hydrogen cylinder 2 to the on-off valve 22), it remains in the hydrogen cylinder 2 from the equation of state of the ideal gas. The number of moles of (hydrogen + impurity) is calculated. From this number of moles, the number of liters (NL) converted to 0 ° C. and 1 atm is calculated, and the residual hydrogen amount is calculated by multiplying the volume% of hydrogen known from the impurity information.

The CPU 90 calculates the amount of usable hydrogen (S23).
The amount of hydrogen that can be used is determined by the following equation (3).
Usable hydrogen amount = residual hydrogen amount−hydrogen amount discharged by purging (3)
The “amount of hydrogen discharged by purging” is an amount of hydrogen based on the amount of hydrogen discharged by one purge calculated from the impurity information of the hydrogen cylinder 2. For example, when the above-mentioned A is 20%, 80% of the volume of the hydrogen circulation path 13 is hydrogen, and this is discharged by one purge.

The CPU 90 calculates a power generation possible amount based on the usable hydrogen amount (S24). CPU90 calculates the electric power generation amount by reaction of the hydrogen of usable hydrogen amount.
The CPU 90 displays the power generation possible amount on the display unit 18 (S25) and ends the process.
While the fuel cell 100 is generating power, the process of calculating the power generation possible amount is repeated.

In the present embodiment, the impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path 13 is accurately calculated based on the impurity information for each hydrogen cylinder 2 and the supplied hydrogen amount (power generation amount), and the off gas discharge timing is appropriately obtained, Off-gas can be discharged. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.
For example, when the impurity concentration of the hydrogen cylinder 2 is 0.01% and 0.02%, the difference in concentration is slight, but the time until purging is required differs approximately twice. In such a case, the purge timing can be obtained appropriately, so that the effect of saving hydrogen and the effect of maintaining good power generation are great.
When the actual impurity amount is larger than the calculated impurity amount, the correction is made so that the off-gas discharge interval is shortened, so that the impurity is discharged before the impurity concentration exceeds the allowable concentration and power generation becomes unstable. And the hydrogen concentration necessary for stable power generation can be maintained.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of hydrogen cylinders 2 are connected to the respective on-off valves 22 to supply hydrogen to the stack 1, and the CPU 90 stores the hydrogen stored in each hydrogen cylinder 2. Since the impurity concentration is calculated based on the total impurity amount in the hydrogen circulation path 13 based on each impurity information, the impurity concentration can be obtained with high accuracy.
When all the on-off valves 22 are simultaneously opened and hydrogen is supplied to the stack 1, the total amount of hydrogen from each hydrogen cylinder 2 is sent to the stack 1 through the hydrogen supply path 11, so that the CPU 91 The average value calculated from the impurity information of each hydrogen cylinder 2 is used as the “impurity concentration” of equation (1), and the “specific impurity concentration” of equation (2) above is calculated from the impurity information of each hydrogen cylinder 2 Use the average value.

In the present embodiment, the remaining amount of the hydrogen cylinder 2 is calculated from the acquired pressure and temperature, the remaining pure hydrogen amount in the hydrogen cylinder 2 is calculated from the impurity information, and based on the amount of hydrogen discharged during the purge, Since the amount of power that can be generated is calculated after calculating the amount of hydrogen that can actually be used for power generation, the calculation accuracy is good.
If the temperature is always kept constant, the temperature may not be acquired.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the fuel cell 101 according to the second embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.
In the fuel cell 101 according to Embodiment 2, the hydrogen cylinder 2 having the IC chip 24 provided on the surface thereof is used.
The fuel cell 101 according to Embodiment 2 acquires the impurity information from the IC chip 24 provided in each hydrogen cylinder 2 and stores it in the storage unit 91.
In the present embodiment, the impurity information of each hydrogen cylinder 2 is easily stored in the storage unit 91.
The off gas discharge control process and the power generation possible amount calculation process by the CPU 90 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the fuel cell 102 according to the third embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.

In the fuel cell 102 according to Embodiment 3, each hydrogen cylinder 2 is connected to one on-off valve 25. Unlike Embodiments 1 and 2, since there is one on-off valve 25, the total amount of hydrogen from each hydrogen cylinder 2 is sent to the stack 1 through the hydrogen supply path 11.
Therefore, the control unit 9 uses the average value calculated from the impurity information of each hydrogen cylinder 2 as the “impurity concentration” in the above-described equation (1), and sets each “specific impurity concentration” in the above-described equation (2). The average value calculated from the impurity information of the hydrogen cylinder 2 is used.

  In the present embodiment, since the average impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path 13 is calculated, the impurity concentration in the hydrogen circulation path 13 can be obtained with higher accuracy.

  As described above, the fuel cell according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit. A fuel cell including a controller that circulates back to the power generation unit or circulates the gas to the outside, or a storage unit that stores impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container, and the control unit stores the memory The gas is discharged to the outside based on impurity information stored in the unit.

  In the present invention, based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container, the timing of exhaust gas discharge can be determined appropriately to discharge the gas. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.

  In the fuel cell according to the present invention, the control unit includes the inside of the power generation unit and the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation based on the impurity information and the amount of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage container to the power generation unit. An impurity concentration is calculated, and when the impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more, the gas is discharged to the outside.

  In the present invention, it is possible to accurately calculate the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container and the amount of supplied hydrogen, to obtain the exhaust gas discharge timing, and to discharge the gas. it can.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention includes a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure of the hydrogen storage container.

  In the present invention, the total remaining amount of hydrogen and impurities in the hydrogen storage container can be calculated from the pressure.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention is characterized in that the control unit calculates a residual hydrogen amount in the hydrogen storage container based on the pressure acquired from the pressure gauge and the impurity information.

  In the present invention, the amount of pure hydrogen remaining in the hydrogen storage container can be calculated from the pressure and impurity information of the hydrogen storage container.

  In the fuel cell according to the present invention, the control unit calculates a hydrogen amount usable in the power generation unit based on the residual hydrogen amount and a hydrogen discharge amount when the gas is discharged, and based on the hydrogen amount It is characterized by calculating the power generation possible amount.

  In the present invention, the amount of hydrogen that can actually be used for power generation is calculated from the amount of remaining hydrogen, so that the amount of power that can be generated can be calculated with high accuracy.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention is characterized in that, when the voltage of the power generation unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the control unit shortens the gas discharge interval and discharges the gas.

  In the present invention, when the actual impurity amount is larger than the calculated impurity amount, the gas discharge interval is corrected so as to be shortened, so that the impurity concentration exceeds the allowable concentration and the power generation becomes unstable before the power generation becomes unstable. The hydrogen concentration necessary for stable power generation can be maintained.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention includes a plurality of the hydrogen storage containers.

  In the present invention, it is possible to generate power for a long time using a plurality of hydrogen cylinders.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention is configured such that a plurality of hydrogen storage containers are connected to separate on-off valves to supply hydrogen to the power generation unit, and the control unit is stored in each hydrogen storage container. The total impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe is calculated based on each impurity information of hydrogen.

  In the present invention, the impurity concentration can be calculated with higher accuracy from the total value of the amount of impurities in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe calculated based on each impurity information of each hydrogen storage container.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention is configured such that a plurality of hydrogen storage containers are connected to one on-off valve to supply hydrogen to the power generation unit, and the control unit is stored in each hydrogen storage container. An average impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe is calculated based on each impurity information of hydrogen.

  In the present invention, the total hydrogen delivered from each hydrogen storage container is supplied to the power generation unit. Therefore, by calculating the average impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe, the power generation unit and the flow passage are more accurately calculated. Impurity concentration in the flow tube can be obtained.

  The fuel cell according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that reacts with hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit to the power generation unit. And a control unit that circulates or discharges to the outside, a fuel cell, further comprising a storage unit that stores impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container, the control unit stored in the storage unit Based on the impurity information and the amount of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage container to the power generation unit, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is calculated.

  In the present invention, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe can be accurately calculated based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container and the amount of supplied hydrogen.

  The fuel cell control method according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that generates power by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen to be supplied to the power generation unit, and gas that is exhausted from the power generation unit. A control method for a fuel cell comprising a control unit that returns to the unit and circulates or discharges to the outside, storing impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container, and storing the impurity information and the hydrogen storage Based on the amount of hydrogen supplied from the container to the power generation unit, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is calculated, and when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more, the gas It is characterized by discharging to the outside.

  In the present invention, based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container and the amount of supplied hydrogen, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe is accurately calculated, the exhaust gas discharge timing is appropriately determined, and the gas is discharged. be able to. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.

  A computer program according to the present invention includes a power generation unit that reacts hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit to the power generation unit. And storing the impurity information of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage container in the computer that controls the fuel cell including a control unit that circulates or discharges to the outside, and the power generation from the impurity information and the hydrogen storage container Based on the amount of hydrogen supplied to the unit, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation is calculated, and when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more, the gas is discharged to the outside. It is characterized in that processing for outputting an instruction to execute is executed.

  In the present invention, based on the impurity information for each hydrogen storage container and the amount of supplied hydrogen, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe is accurately calculated, the exhaust gas discharge timing is appropriately determined, and the gas is discharged. be able to. Therefore, reduction in power generation efficiency can be suppressed and hydrogen can be used without waste.

  The present invention is not limited to the contents of Embodiments 1 to 3 described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stack 2 Hydrogen cylinder 21 Display sheet 22, 25 On-off valve 23 Temperature sensor 24 IC chip 3 Primary pressure gauge 4 Regulator 5 Secondary pressure gauge 6 Hydrogen circulation pump 7 Hydrogen purge filter 8 Trap 9 Control part 90 CPU
91 Storage Unit 93 Timing Unit 95 Control Program 11 Hydrogen Supply Path 13 Hydrogen Circulation Path (Power Generation Section and Flow Pipe for Hydrogen Circulation)
14 Three-way selector valve 17 Gas purge valve 18 Display unit 100, 101, 102 Fuel cell

Claims (12)

A power generation unit that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit is returned to the power generation unit for circulation or discharged to the outside. A fuel cell comprising a control unit for
A storage unit for storing hydrogen impurity information stored in the hydrogen storage container;
The control unit discharges the gas to the outside based on impurity information stored in the storage unit. The controller is
Based on the impurity information and the amount of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage container to the power generation unit, calculate the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation,
2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the gas is discharged to the outside when the impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more.   The fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure gauge that measures a pressure of the hydrogen storage container.   The fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the control unit calculates a residual hydrogen amount in the hydrogen storage container based on the pressure acquired from the pressure gauge and the impurity information.   The control unit calculates a hydrogen amount usable in the power generation unit based on the residual hydrogen amount and a hydrogen discharge amount when the gas is discharged, and calculates a power generation possible amount based on the hydrogen amount. The fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein   The said control part shortens the discharge | emission interval of the said gas, and discharges | emits the said gas, when the voltage of the said electric power generation part is below a predetermined value, The said any one of Claim 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. A fuel cell according to claim 1.   The fuel cell according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the hydrogen storage containers. A plurality of hydrogen storage containers are connected to separate on-off valves and configured to supply hydrogen to the power generation unit,
8. The fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein the control unit calculates a total impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe based on information on each impurity of hydrogen stored in each hydrogen storage container. A plurality of hydrogen storage containers are connected to one on-off valve and configured to supply hydrogen to the power generation unit,
The fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein the control unit calculates an average impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe based on each impurity information of hydrogen stored in each hydrogen storage container. A power generation unit that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit is returned to the power generation unit for circulation or discharged to the outside. A fuel cell comprising a control unit for
A storage unit for storing hydrogen impurity information stored in the hydrogen storage container;
The control unit, based on the impurity information stored in the storage unit and the amount of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage container to the power generation unit, the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation A fuel cell characterized in that A power generation unit that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen to be supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit is returned to the power generation unit for circulation or discharged to the outside. A control method of a fuel cell comprising a control unit for
Storing hydrogen impurity information stored in the hydrogen storage container;
Based on the impurity information and the amount of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage container to the power generation unit, calculate the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation,
A control method for a fuel cell, wherein the gas is discharged to the outside when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more. A power generation unit that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen and oxygen, a hydrogen storage container that stores hydrogen to be supplied to the power generation unit, and a gas exhausted from the power generation unit is returned to the power generation unit for circulation or discharged to the outside. And a computer for controlling the fuel cell,
Storing hydrogen impurity information stored in the hydrogen storage container;
Based on the impurity information and the amount of hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage container to the power generation unit, calculate the impurity concentration in the power generation unit and in the flow pipe for hydrogen circulation,
A computer program for executing a process of outputting an instruction to discharge the gas to the outside when the calculated impurity concentration is a predetermined value or more.

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