JP2017063007A - Solid oxide type fuel battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solid oxide type fuel battery module that can suppress heat dissipation by dimensional dispersion of a heat insulation material provided to the outer wall of a module container and holds higher heat insulation performance as compared with the prior art.SOLUTION: A solid oxide type fuel battery module comprising a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped module container, and a plurality of fuel battery cells for generating electric power with oxidant gas and fuel gas in the module container includes plural plate-like first heat insulation materials which are provided in correspondence to respective outer wall surfaces of the module containers, and a member which constitutes the outermost wall of the solid oxide fuel battery module and reinforces the first heat insulation material. The first heat insulation material is arranged in contact with the outer wall surface of the module container so that no gap occurs between the first heat insulation materials due to dimensional dispersion of the first heat insulation materials occurring in the manufacturing process, and serves as a dimensional dispersion absorption member for absorbing the dimensional dispersion of the first heat insulation materials by external pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a heat insulating material surrounding a fuel cell module including fuel cells inside, and more particularly to a solid oxide fuel cell module.

  As a next-generation clean power generation device, development of a fuel cell device including a fuel cell with high power generation efficiency and auxiliary devices for operating the fuel cell is being activated. Examples of fuel cells include polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), alkaline electrolyte fuel cells ( AFC), direct fuel cell (DFC) and the like are known.

  In particular, SOFC uses an oxide ion conductive solid electrolyte as an electrolyte, and is provided with electrodes on both sides. Fuel gas is supplied on one side and oxygen-containing gas such as air or oxygen is supplied on the other side. The fuel cell. In general, the fuel gas supplied to the solid oxide fuel cell is generated by reforming city gas or natural gas. A fuel reformer that converts city gas or the like into fuel gas needs to be heated at a high temperature, but the operating temperature of SOFC is about 700 to 1000 ° C., which is an operation at a higher temperature than other fuel cells. Therefore, the fuel reformer can be heated using the exhaust gas. That is, the SOFC does not need to separately apply heat for heating the fuel reformer, and has an advantage that high energy efficiency can be obtained.

  By the way, in a fuel cell module (hereinafter also referred to as a module container) in which a solid oxide fuel cell is accommodated, the fuel cell accommodated in the inside operates at a high temperature. If heat is released to the outside of the container, the temperature inside the module container is lowered and energy efficiency is lowered. Therefore, the fuel cell module covers the outer wall surface of the fuel cell module container with a heat insulating material in order to prevent a decrease in energy efficiency caused by releasing heat to the outside of the module container. It is required to suppress heat dissipation from the module.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a rectangular parallelepiped module container containing a plurality of fuel cells is disposed on the other two sides with a plate-like heat insulating material on either side of the module container facing in a top view. In order to prevent heat from being dissipated from the Joule container by covering the module container so as to sandwich the plate-like heat insulating material, the heat dissipation from the Joule container is disclosed (see FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). ).

  In addition, the outer wall surface of the heat insulating material disposed on the outer wall surface of the module container is surrounded by a non-deformable member such as a metal plate to reinforce the heat insulating material and suppress damage to the heat insulating material that occurs during assembly or transportation. It is generally known.

JP 2014-229518 A

  As described above, the heat insulating material used in the fuel cell device operating at a high temperature operation performs an important function in terms of maximizing the energy efficiency of the fuel cell device. For this reason, even if it is the slight clearance produced in the case of installation of a heat insulating material, it will form a thermal radiation path and energy efficiency will fall. Here, as the heat insulating material, for example, the generated heat insulating member is cut into a desired size by a water jet or the like. However, it is inevitable that the heat insulating material cut into a plate shape will vary in the actual size of the heat insulating material due to manufacturing variations. Therefore, generally, a dimensional tolerance is set, and it is handled as a matter of course including an error within an allowable range. It is desirable from the viewpoint of heat insulation performance that the heat insulating material is placed in close contact with the module container. However, when a plurality of such heat insulating materials are arranged to cover the periphery of the module container, the heat insulating material is arranged in contact with the module container. However, it is practically difficult to completely cover the periphery of the module container by bringing the heat insulating materials into contact with each other.

  That is, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the heat insulating material on either two sides of the module container facing in the top view is provided so as to sandwich the other two side heat insulating materials, the module container in the top view Due to the dimensional variation of the heat insulating materials on the two sides sandwiched between them, a minute gap is generated at the contact portion of the heat insulating material.

  Therefore, the heat of the module container escapes from the gap generated by the dimensional variation of the heat insulating material, which causes a problem that unnecessary heat dissipation occurs and the energy efficiency is lowered.

  Moreover, as a method for eliminating the gap between the heat insulating materials, by forming one heat insulating material in accordance with the shape of the outer wall surface of the module container, it is possible to prevent heat radiation from the gaps generated between the plurality of heat insulating materials. Conceivable. However, in this case, it is not realistic because processing according to the shape of the outer wall of the module container is difficult and the cost becomes high.

  In view of the above, the present invention solves the above problems and provides a solid oxide fuel cell module that suppresses heat dissipation due to dimensional variation of the heat insulating material provided on the outer wall of the module container and has higher heat insulating performance than before. The purpose is to do.

  Therefore, as one aspect of the configuration of the invention disclosed in this specification, a solid oxide provided with a rectangular parallelepiped module container, and a plurality of fuel cells that generate electric power using an oxidant gas and a fuel gas inside the module container In the fuel cell module, the plurality of plate-like first heat insulating materials provided corresponding to the respective outer wall surfaces of the module container and the outermost wall of the solid oxide fuel cell module, the first heat insulating material And a member for reinforcing the outer surface of the module container so that a gap is not generated between the first heat insulating materials due to variations in the size of the first heat insulating material produced in manufacturing in the top view of the module container. Preferably, the member is a dimensional variation absorbing member that absorbs the dimensional variation of the first heat insulating material by external pressure.

  In the present invention, the “plate shape” means a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and since it is in close contact with the rectangular parallelepiped module container, at least the surface in contact with the module container needs to be flat. However, the length and thickness are designed as appropriate, and it does not exclude the case where there are hollow holes for drawing out various pipes, various sensors, ignition devices and the like.

  Further, in the present invention, “a variation in dimensions produced in manufacturing” refers to a difference generated between a design value or a production target value for the dimension of the first heat insulating material and an actual dimension value actually processed. In addition, manufacturing errors, dimensional tolerances, dimensional tolerances, and the like that are specified in manufacturing presume the existence of “dimensional variations that occur in manufacturing”.

  Here, when the rectangular parallelepiped module container is covered with the plate-like first heat insulating material, the module container is arranged so that no gap is generated between the first heat insulating materials in the top view of the module container. Can be collected on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material disposed on the outer wall surface of the module container, and the heat radiation from the gap caused by the dimensional variation of the first heat insulating material can be suppressed. On the other hand, since the influence due to dimensional variation was collected on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material, when the outer surface of the first heat insulating material was further covered with a non-deformable member such as a metal plate, the dimension generated on the outer periphery of the first heat insulating material. A space is generated between the difference portion and the inner wall surface of the non-deformable member. In other words, heat insulation performance is improved by not forming a gap between the first heat insulating materials, but a small amount of heat is radiated from the contact portion of the first heat insulating material, so that a space is formed at the tip of the contact portion. If it does, the new subject that it will function as a thermal radiation space will arise.

  So, according to this invention comprised in this way, while arranging the 1st heat insulating material so that the size variation of each 1st heat insulating material may arise in the outer peripheral side of the 1st heat insulating material arrange | positioned at the module container outer wall surface. Further, the dimensional variation absorbing member disposed on the first heat insulating material outer wall surface is deformed by the external pressure on the outer wall surface of the first heat insulating material according to the dimensional variation of each first heat insulating material. The deformation of the dimensional variation absorbing member is deformed closely according to the shape of the first heat insulating material, that is, deformed so as to absorb the variation. Thereby, the heat radiation space formed between the outer periphery of the module first heat insulating material and the outer wall of the first heat insulating material can be filled due to the influence of the dimensional variation, and the outer wall surface of the first heat insulating material and the dimensional variation absorbing member It is possible to reliably suppress heat radiation without forming a heat radiation space between them.

  In general, the heat insulating material is fragile, and the heat insulating material in which cracks or chips are generated dissipates heat from the portion, and the heat insulating performance is deteriorated as compared with a normal case. According to the present invention, since the dimension variation absorbing member is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material disposed on the outer wall surface of the module container, the first heat insulating material can be protected, and transportation or It is possible to prevent cracking and chipping of the first heat insulating material due to handling during assembly, and to prevent unnecessary heat dissipation.

  Moreover, as one aspect | mode of the structure of the invention disclosed by this specification, it is preferable that a dimension variation absorption member is a 2nd heat insulating material.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, since the dimensional variation absorbing member is a heat insulating material, the heat radiating space generated on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material disposed on the outer surface of the module container due to the dimensional variation is provided as the heat insulating material. Can be filled with. Therefore, the heat insulation performance can be further improved by adopting a double structure of the first heat insulating material and the second heat insulating material while suppressing heat dissipation due to the space formation.

  As one aspect of the configuration of the invention disclosed in this specification, the dimension variation absorbing member is fixed to the first heat insulating material from the outside by a fixing member, and the fixing member preferably applies an external pressure.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, the fixing member continuously applies external pressure to the dimensional variation absorbing member while fixing the dimensional variation absorbing members provided on the outer wall of the first heat insulating material disposed in the module container. Can do. Therefore, a heat dissipation space is not formed over time, and it is possible to maintain and improve permanent heat insulation performance.

  Further, as one aspect of the configuration of the invention disclosed in this specification, in the top view of the module container, the plurality of first heat insulating materials are provided so as to be in contact with and surround the four sides of the outer surface of the module container. As for the 1st heat insulating material located in the 1st edge which is any one of the 4 sides of the outer wall surface of the, the long side is in contact with the outer wall surface of the module container, and is located on the second edge adjacent to the first edge. The short side of the first heat insulating material is in contact with the long side of the first heat insulating material on the first side, and the short side of the first heat insulating material on the third side adjacent to the second side is located on the second side. The module container is in contact with the long side of the first heat insulating material, and the short side of the first heat insulating material on the third side and the fourth side adjacent to the first side is in contact with the long side of the first side. The dimension variation absorbing member provided in the periphery and formed in a plate shape is in contact with the first heat insulating material corresponding to the four sides, and the end portion More provided so as to be located on the shorter sides of the first heat insulating material, the fixing member is preferably provided at the end of the dimensional variation absorbing member.

  Here, when the rectangular parallelepiped module container is arranged so that no gap is generated between the first heat insulating materials, the short side of each plate-shaped first heat insulating material is the module container in the top view of the module container. It will be located at the corner. In other words, since the short side facing the end is in contact with the long side of the other first heat insulating material so as not to generate a gap, the influence of the dimensional variation of the first heat insulating material is the short side not in contact with the long side. Will occur at the end of the side.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, the influence of the dimensional variation of the arranged first heat insulating material is generated in the vicinity of the short side located on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material, and external pressure is applied to the dimensional variation absorbing member. The fixing member is configured to be positioned in the vicinity of the short side. That is, since external pressure can be applied in the vicinity of the portion where the influence of the dimensional variation occurs, the dimensional variation absorbing member is promoted to be deformed into a shape corresponding to the dimensional variation, and the heat radiation space is not formed. Thermal insulation performance can be improved. Furthermore, although the end of the dimension variation absorbing member constituting the outermost surface is a place where heat dissipation is likely to occur, the end of each dimension variation absorbing member in contact with the end can be fixed while being closely deformed to each other. Therefore, both fixing and heat dissipation suppression can be achieved, and the heat insulating performance of the module container can be improved.

  Further, as one aspect of the configuration of the invention disclosed in this specification, the fixing member is configured by one bent member so as to be in surface contact with the dimension variation absorbing member, and ends of each dimension variation absorbing member are It is preferable that it is a linear shape extended along the corner | angular part which touches.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, since the dimension variation absorbing member can be compressed with a surface, it becomes possible to increase the amount of deformation of the dimension variation absorbing member in the direction perpendicular to the compression direction. The deformation of the dimension variation absorbing member can be promoted to the portion of the heat dissipation space. Furthermore, since it is a linear shape, the whole contact part of the two dimension variation absorption members to contact can be fixed with one member, and the said effect can be show | played by the whole contact part.

  Further, as one aspect of the configuration of the invention disclosed in this specification, it is preferable that a deformation-permissible space is formed between the fixing member and the end portion of the dimension variation absorbing member fixed by the fixing member.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, when pressure is applied only from the end portion of the dimensional variation absorbing member, the center side of the dimensional variation absorbing member is deformed so as to be separated from the first heat insulating material, resulting in dimensional variation. There is a possibility that a heat radiation space may be formed between the inner wall surface of the absorbing member and the outer wall surface of the first heat insulating material. Therefore, the heat insulating performance can be improved by providing a deformation allowing space that allows deformation of the end portion of the first heat insulating material outside the end portion of the dimension variation absorbing member so as not to form a heat radiation space. Can do.

  Moreover, as one aspect | mode of the structure of the invention disclosed by this specification, it is preferable that a 2nd heat insulating material is comprised with the same material as a 1st heat insulating material, and a density is smaller than a 1st heat insulating material.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, in the heat insulating material, if the material is the same, it can have the same heat insulating performance even if the density is different. Therefore, it has the same heat insulating performance as the first heat insulating material. However, the dimensional variation absorbing member can be configured so as to be easily deformable and absorb the dimensional variation.

  Moreover, as one aspect | mode of the structure of the invention disclosed by this specification, it is preferable that the dimension variation absorption member is what the circumference | surroundings of the heat insulation material are coat | covered with the glass cloth.

According to the present invention configured as described above, the dimensional variation absorbing member is subjected to pressure for deformation, but the glass cloth protects the outer surface of the heat insulating material so that the sheet has a defect of the heat insulating material. It becomes possible to prevent, and the fall of the heat insulation performance resulting from the failure | damage of a dimension variation absorption member (2nd heat insulating material) can be suppressed.
Moreover, since the rigidity of the heat insulating material can be increased by covering the heat insulating material with glass cloth, it is not necessary to use a non-deformable member such as a metal plate as a reinforcing member for the first heat insulating material. Can be configured as the outermost wall of an inexpensive solid oxide fuel cell module. Furthermore, since the heat insulating material covered with the glass cloth is easily handled as a panel, the workability and assemblability at the time of manufacturing the solid oxide fuel cell module are improved.

  According to the present invention, in addition to suppressing heat dissipation from between the heat insulating materials, the module also suppresses heat generated newly, thereby suppressing heat dissipation from the module container and improving heat insulating performance. A fuel cell module that can efficiently use the energy inside the container can be realized.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel cell module according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a fuel cell module having an outermost surface constituted by a dimension variation absorbing member and a fixing member according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the dimension variation absorption member by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the fixing member by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a top view cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 2 showing the arrangement of the first heat insulating material according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view from the top view along the II line by one Embodiment of this invention. (A) and (B) show the relationship between the dimensional variation of two patterns and the dimensional variation absorbing member. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a solid oxide fuel cell apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front sectional view showing a fuel cell module from which a dimension variation absorbing member of a solid oxide fuel cell device according to an embodiment of the present invention is removed. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heat insulating material and a dimensional variation absorbing member are removed from a fuel cell module of a solid oxide fuel cell device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fuel cell unit of a solid oxide fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows a fuel cell module for demonstrating the flow of the gas in the fuel cell module of the solid oxide fuel cell apparatus by one Example of this invention. FIG. 9 is a front cross-sectional view of the fuel cell module taken along line III-III of FIG. 8 for explaining a gas flow in the fuel cell module of the solid oxide fuel cell device according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an upper portion of a fuel cell module of a solid oxide fuel cell device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Next, a fuel cell module containing a solid oxide fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a simplified conceptual diagram of a fuel cell module 1002 constituting a solid oxide fuel cell device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fuel cell module 1002 includes a module container 1007, and a first heat insulating material 1001 and a dimension variation absorbing member (member) 1000 are arranged in this order outside the module container 1007. The inside of the module container 1007 is a sealed space. In the power generation chamber 1011 which is a lower part of the module container 1007, a fuel gas and an oxidant gas (hereinafter referred to as “power generation air” or “air” as appropriate). A fuel battery cell 1006 that performs a power generation reaction is disposed. In this example, 128 fuel cells 1006 are accommodated in the module container 1007, and all of the fuel cells 1006 are connected in series.

  A combustion chamber 1012 as a combustion section is formed above the power generation chamber 1011 inside the module container 1007. In this combustion chamber 1012, the remaining fuel gas that has not been used for the power generation reaction and the remaining air burn, Exhaust gas (in other words, combustion gas) is generated. A reformer 1009 that generates fuel gas is disposed above the combustion chamber 1012, and the reformer 1009 is heated to a temperature at which a reforming reaction can be performed by the combustion heat of the residual gas described above. ing.

  In addition, a manifold 1008 having a fuel cell 1006 above is provided inside the module container 1007 below the power generation chamber 1011. The fuel gas flows into the manifold 1008 from the fuel supply pipe 1013 connecting the reformer 1009 and the manifold 1008, and the fuel gas that has flowed in is evenly distributed to the upper fuel cells 1006.

  Further, the module container 1007 is covered with the first heat insulating material 1001 to suppress the heat inside the fuel cell module 1002 from spreading to the outside. An evaporator 1010 is disposed in the first heat insulating material 1001 and above the module container 1007. The evaporator 1010 performs heat exchange between the supplied water and the exhaust gas, thereby evaporating the water to generate water vapor, and a mixed gas (hereinafter referred to as “fuel gas”) of the water vapor and the raw fuel gas. Is supplied to the reformer 1009 in the module container 1007. In the present embodiment, the evaporator 1010 is disposed above the module container 1007, but is not limited thereto.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a fuel cell module 1002 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIGS. 3 and 4 are simplified exploded views of a fuel cell module 1002 composed of a dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 and a fixing member 1004. In addition, illustration of piping, such as water, fuel gas, air for electric power generation, a temperature sensor, is abbreviate | omitted here.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outermost wall of the fuel cell module 1002 is constituted by a dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 and a fixing member 1004, and the lower surface is covered by a tray 1005.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plate-like first heat insulating material 1001 containing fumed silica is disposed on the entire upper and lower surfaces, left and right, and front and rear surfaces of the module container 1007 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a rectangular parallelepiped shape). Has been. Here, the first heat insulating material 1001 is processed into a plate shape by being processed (water jet processing) by a water flow pressurized at a high pressure and ejected at high speed. These first heat insulating materials 1001 have variations in their dimension values due to manufacturing errors and setting of dimension tolerances. As will be described in detail later, in the first heat insulating material 1001 arranged on the left and right / front side of the module container 1007, the outer periphery of the first heat insulating material 1001 provided in the module container 1007 is affected by the dimensional variation of the first heat insulating material 1001. It is arranged to occur on the side.

  By the way, in general, the heat insulating material is fragile, and is likely to be cracked or chipped when the fuel cell module 1002 is assembled. As a result, the heat insulation performance is reduced. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, a dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is provided on the entire outer surface of the first heat insulating material 1001 so as to cover the periphery. Thus, the first heat insulating material 1001 is prevented from being cracked or chipped due to handling during transportation or assembly.

  In addition, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is a material whose thermal insulation material 1000a is covered with a glass cloth 1000b having low thermal conductivity (woven glass fiber processed into a sheet shape) and functions as a second thermal insulation material. (See FIG. 6). The heat insulating material 1000a is a plate-like heat insulating material containing fumed silica, similar to the first heat insulating material 1001, but has a density lower than that of the first heat insulating material 1001, and has the same heat insulating performance. However, it has the characteristic of being easily deformed against pressure.

  As described above, the heat insulating material 1000a is configured to be easily deformed with respect to pressure, but the heat insulating material 1000a is configured as a dimension variation absorbing member 1000 by being covered with a sheet-like glass cloth 1000b. Yes. For this reason, even if pressure is applied to the heat insulating material 1000a, the glass cloth 1000b protects the heat insulating material 1000a, so that cracking of the heat insulating material 1000a can be suppressed without covering the periphery with a non-deformable member such as a metal plate.

  Further, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the end portion of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is formed to have a curvature. Accordingly, when the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is arranged on the outer wall surface of the first heat insulating material 1001, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 comes into contact with each other, so that the curvatures of the end portions serve as receiving portions. It functions, and positioning of the dimension variation absorption member 1000 before fixing becomes easy.

  As described above, the four dimension variation absorbing members 1000 are in contact with each other at the end portions, but the eight fixing members 1004 make these dimension variation absorbing members 1000 the first heat insulating material 1007 so as to cover the contact portions. It is fixed to. Since the fixing member 1004 has an L-shaped cross section and is formed in a linear shape, in the rectangular parallelepiped module container 1007, the entire contact portion of any two dimension variation absorbing members 1000 is covered by one fixing member 1004. Can be fixed. In addition, although the screw hole is provided in the fixing member 1004 in one Embodiment of this invention, and it fixes to the 1st heat insulating material 1001 by screwing, it is not restricted to this.

  Here, on the outer surface side of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 disposed on the lower surface of the module container 1007, a tray 1005 configured by a metal plate and having its end bent upward is disposed. As shown in FIG. 4, the four sides around the lower surface are bent and rise to cover the entire lower surface.

  Next, the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the II cross section in FIG. 2 as viewed from above in the z direction. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view from the z direction of the II cross section of FIG. 2, and shows the deformation of the two patterns of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 of (A) and (B). It is.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the first heat insulating material 1001 is disposed on the four outer sides of the module container 1007 in which the fuel cell 1006 is accommodated. A dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 is provided on the outer wall of the first heat insulating material 1001 corresponding to the four sides. Note that details of the internal structure of the module container 1007 will be described later in the embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the rectangular parallelepiped module container 1007 includes a first heat insulating material on the first side of the four sides (first heat insulating material 1001 a on the first side) and a first on the second side. Insulating material (first insulating material 1001b on the second side), first insulating material on the third side (first insulating material 1001c on the third side), first insulating material on the fourth side (first side of the fourth side) A plate-like first heat insulating material 1001 is arranged on the outer wall of the module container 1007 so as to cover the four sides by one heat insulating material 1001d).

  These first heat insulating materials 1001 are configured such that the influence of the respective dimensional variations is generated on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material 1001 disposed on the outer wall surface of the module container 1007. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. The first heat insulating material 1001 has a long side and a short side, and the first heat insulating material 1001 a on the first side is in contact with the outer wall surface of the module container 1007 on the long side. The first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side is provided so that the short side is in contact with the long side of the first heat insulating material 1001a on the first side, and the first heat insulating material on the third side The short side of 1001c is in contact with the long side of the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side, and the first heat insulating material 1001d on the fourth side is the long side of the first heat insulating material 1001c on the short side of the third side. The module container 1007 is disposed so as to cover the periphery of the module container 1007 in contact with the outer wall. That is, each first heat insulating material 1001 comes into close contact with the module container 1007 while being in contact with the heat insulating material contact portion 1014.

  By arranging in this way, the first heat insulating material 1001a on the first side, the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side, the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side, and the first heat insulating material 1001d on the fourth side are the module containers. Even if there is a dimensional variation in each first heat insulation 1001 while in contact with 1007, there is no gap in the contact portion (heat insulation material contact portion 1014), and heat radiation from the wall surface of the module container 1007 is suppressed to Performance can be improved.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, four first heat insulating materials 1001 are provided so as to surround and surround four surfaces of the outer surface of the module container 1007 in a top view of the rectangular parallelepiped module container 1007. The plate-like first heat insulating material 1001 located on any one of the four sides of the outer wall surface of the module container may be formed of a plurality of layers, and the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 may be disposed on the outer side. By making the first heat insulating material 1001 into a plurality of layers, the cost can be reduced by stacking general-purpose thin heat insulating materials, and the heat insulating performance can be adjusted by stacking different heat insulating materials. be able to.

  Next, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 disposed on the outer wall of the first heat insulating material 1001 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

  FIG. 6 is a top view of the cross section taken along the line II in FIG. 2, and the outer wall surface of the module container 1007 is in contact with the first heat insulating material 1001 so that no gap is generated between the heat insulating materials due to the variation in the size of the first heat insulating material 1001. Among the installed 1st heat insulating materials 1001, the fragmentary sectional view of the heat insulating material contact part 1014 which the 1st heat insulating material 1001b of the 2nd side and the 1st heat insulating material 1001c of the 3rd side contact is shown. FIG. 6A shows a case where the long side (y direction) of the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side formed in a plate shape is smaller than the design value dimension, or the short side of the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side. The case where (y direction) is larger than a design value dimension is shown. FIG. 6B shows the case where the long side (y direction) of the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side formed in a plate shape is larger than the design value dimension, or the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side is the short side. The case where (y direction) is smaller than a design value dimension is shown. In the present embodiment, the heat insulating material contact portion 1014 between the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side and the first heat insulating material on the third side is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this portion. In FIG. 6, the inside of the module container 1007 and the tray 1005 are not shown.

  Further, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is constituted by a heat insulating material 1000a and a glass cloth 1000b, and also has a function as the second heat insulating material 1000. Therefore, the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 is configured as a two-layer heat insulating material together with the first heat insulating material 1001 while being configured as the outermost wall of the fuel cell module 1002.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the heat insulating material contact portion 1014 is arranged so as not to generate a gap, but on the other hand, the second side arranged on the outer wall side of the module container 1007. The first heat insulating material 1001b, the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side, and the outer peripheral side form a heat radiation space 1015 shown in the dotted line region of FIG.

  Here, although the heat insulation effect as the fuel cell module 1002 is improved by arranging the heat insulation material contact portion 1014 so that no gap is generated, the heat conduction on the wall surface of the first heat insulation material 1001 is completely cut off. However, if the heat radiation space 1015 is formed at the tip of the heat insulating material contact portion 1014, it functions as a space for heat to escape.

  Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 provided on the outer wall of the first heat insulating material 1001 fills the heat radiation space 1015, and therefore, a heat escape place that is generated by a non-deformable member such as a metal plate. The heat insulation performance of the fuel cell module 1002 can be improved.

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 6, the outer circumference of the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side and the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side is not flush with each other, but the first heat insulating material 1001 When the outer wall is pressed toward the module container 1007 by the external pressure from the fixing member 1004, the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 is deformed, and the dimensional variation of each first heat insulating material 1001 can be absorbed.

  Next, the positional relationship among the dimension variation absorbing member 1000, the first heat insulating material 1001, and the fixing member 1004 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the end of each dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is composed of a first heat insulating material 1001 b on the second side and a first heat insulating material 1001 c on the third side arranged in the module container 1007. It arrange | positions to the corner | angular part of an outer periphery, and is fixing to the 1st heat insulating material 1001b of the 2nd side, and the 1st heat insulating material 1001c of the 3rd side, making the edge part of the dimension variation absorption member 1000 closely_contact | adhere with the fixing member 1004.

  Here, in the vicinity of the heat insulating material contact portion 1014, the shape on the outer peripheral side is not flat due to the dimensional variation, which becomes a factor for forming the heat radiation space 1015. For this reason, the end of the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 is arranged at the corner of the outer periphery of the first heat insulating material 1001 arranged on the outer wall of the module container 1007 in the vicinity of the heat insulating material contact portion 1014, and the fixing member 1004 that further applies external pressure. By disposing, the deformation according to the dimensional variation is promoted and the heat radiation space 1015 is not formed.

  Further, since the fixing member 1004 is formed in an L shape, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 formed in a plate shape is in surface contact with the fixing member 1004. Thereby, since the dimensional variation absorbing member 1001 can be subjected to surface pressure, the pressure escapes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the pressing direction (the bold solid arrow direction in the figure) (that is, the thin solid arrow direction in FIG. 6). It is possible to increase the amount of deformation into the heat radiation space 1015 and promote absorption of dimensional variations of the first heat insulating material 1001.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the dimension variation absorption member 1000 is comprised by covering the 2nd heat insulating material 1000a with the glass cloth 1000b. That is, in addition to filling the heat radiation space 1015 with the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 having heat insulation performance, two layers of heat insulation material are provided outside the module container 1007 together with the first heat insulation material 1001, and high heat insulation performance. Can be realized.

  In FIG. 6A, the heat radiation space 1015 is formed on the short side of the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side, but the heat radiation space 1015 generated in the vicinity thereof by the pressure of the fixing member 1016 is changed. The dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is deformed so as to be filled. In FIG. 6B, the heat radiation space 1015 is formed on the long side of the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side, but the fixing member 1014 promotes deformation toward the heat radiation space 1015. The heat insulation performance can be improved without forming the heat dissipation space 1015.

  Further, since the fixing member 1014 continues to apply pressure to the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 simultaneously with the fixing, the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 is not separated from the first heat insulating material 1001 with the passage of time, and the heat radiation space 1015 is not formed.

  Further, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the end portions of the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 are brought into contact with each other and then pressed against the module container 1007 side by the fixing member 1004 (bold solid line arrow in FIG. 6). In addition to the direction in which the heat dissipation space 1015 is filled, the heat sink is deformed so as to be directed toward the end of the other dimension variation absorbing member 1000. Thereby, each dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is in close contact with each other so as to crush each other end (see the bold solid line in FIG. 6), heat release from the end of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is suppressed, and heat insulation is performed. Performance can be improved.

  Further, the end portion of the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 has a curvature, and when the length in the short side direction of the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 is d, the end portion R is formed to be half 0.5d. doing. By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 from being excessive or insufficient with respect to the dimensional variation in FIGS. 6A and 6B and to reliably fill the heat radiation space 1015. It becomes possible to make it.

  On the other hand, since the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is pressed from the end by the fixing member 1004, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is promoted to be deformed from the end toward the center. Referring to FIG. 6, the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side is accelerated in the y direction from the end, and the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side is accelerated in the x direction from the end. . For this reason, it is conceivable that the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 rises due to excessive deformation to the center side of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 and is separated from the first heat insulating material 1001 to form the heat radiation space 1015.

  Therefore, as shown in the one-dot chain line region in FIG. 6, deformation in the direction of the end of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is allowed between the outer surface of the end of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 and the inner wall surface of the fixing member 1004. A deformation allowable space 1016 is formed. In other words, the deformation of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 is promoted from the end toward the heat radiation space 1015 by the external pressure of the fixing member 1004. However, the deformation of the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 in the end direction is allowed. It does not deform excessively toward the center. As a result, the dimension variation absorbing member 1000 can be configured not to be deformed excessively toward the center and to form the heat radiation space 1015. Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, in order to promote close contact between the first heat insulating material 1001b on the second side and the end of the first heat insulating material 1001c on the third side, heat radiation at the corner of the fuel cell module 1002 is performed. It can be effectively suppressed.

  From the above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first heat insulating material 1001 is further arranged while suppressing heat dissipation from the gap by arranging the first heat insulating material contact portion 1014 so as not to form a space. Since the dimensional variation absorbing member 1000 absorbs the dimensional variation generated on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material 1000 on the outer wall surface, no heat radiating space 1015 is formed, and thus heat radiation from the fuel cell module container 1007 is suppressed. Thus, a solid oxide fuel cell module with improved heat insulation performance of the fuel cell module 1002 can be realized.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is an overall configuration diagram showing a solid oxide fuel cell apparatus (SOFC) according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, a solid oxide fuel cell apparatus (SOFC) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fuel cell module 2 and an auxiliary unit 4.

  The fuel cell module 2 includes a dimensional variation absorbing member 6 that constitutes the outermost wall of the fuel cell module 2, and the dimensional variation absorbing member 6 includes a metal module through a plate-like first heat insulating material 7. A container 8 is built in. In the power generation chamber 10, which is the lower portion of the module container 8, which is a sealed space, a fuel cell that performs a power generation reaction using fuel gas and oxidant gas (hereinafter referred to as “power generation air” or “air” as appropriate). A cell assembly 12 is accommodated. The fuel cell assembly 12 includes a plurality of fuel cell units 16 (see FIG. 11) connected in series. In this example, the fuel cell assembly 12 has 128 fuel cell units 16.

  A combustion chamber 18 as a combustion section is formed above the power generation chamber 10 of the module container 8 of the fuel cell module 2, and in this combustion chamber 18, the remainder not used for power generation reaction (which did not contribute to power generation) The fuel gas and the remaining air are combusted to generate exhaust gas (in other words, combustion gas). Further, the module container 8 is covered with the first heat insulating material 7, and the heat inside the fuel cell module 2 is suppressed from being diffused to the outside air. Further, a reformer 120 for reforming the fuel gas is disposed above the combustion chamber 18, and the reformer 120 is heated to a temperature at which a reforming reaction can be performed by the combustion heat of the residual gas. Yes.

  Here, the 1st heat insulating material 7 is provided corresponding to each wall surface of the rectangular parallelepiped module container 8. Although illustration is omitted here, the first heat insulating material 7 is between the first heat insulating materials 8 due to variations in the size of the first heat insulating material 8 produced in the manufacturing process when the module container 8 is viewed from above. It is installed in contact with the outer wall surface of the module container 8 so that no gap is generated. Therefore, the influence of the dimensional variation is generated on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material 8 covering the outer wall surface of the module container 8.

  Further, on the outer peripheral side of the first heat insulating material 8, a dimension variation absorbing member 6 that is deformed by receiving external pressure is disposed corresponding to each first heat insulating material 8, and the end portion is fixed by a fixing member (not shown). They are in close contact with each other and are fixed to the first heat insulating material 8. The dimensional variation absorbing member 8 absorbs the dimensional variation of the first heat insulating material 8 described above by an external pressure from a fixing member (not shown). The dimension variation absorbing member 6 is configured by covering the same heat insulating material as the first heat insulating material 7 with a glass cloth, and also has a function as a second heat insulating material.

  Furthermore, an evaporator 140 is provided in the first heat insulating material 7 above the module container 8 in the dimension variation absorbing member 6. The evaporator 140 performs heat exchange between the supplied water and the exhaust gas, thereby evaporating the water to generate water vapor, and a mixed gas (hereinafter referred to as “fuel gas”) of the water vapor and the raw fuel gas. Is supplied to the reformer 120 in the module container 8.

  Next, the auxiliary unit 4 stores pure water tank 26 that stores water condensed from moisture contained in the exhaust from the fuel cell module 2 and makes it pure water with a filter, and water supplied from the water storage tank. Is provided with a water flow rate adjusting unit 28 (such as a “water pump” driven by a motor). The auxiliary unit 4 includes a gas shutoff valve 32 that shuts off the fuel supplied from the fuel supply source 30 that is a reduction in the supply of raw material gas such as city gas, and a desulfurizer 36 that removes sulfur from the fuel gas. A fuel flow rate adjusting unit 38 (such as a “fuel pump” driven by a motor) for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel gas, and a valve 39 for shutting off the fuel gas flowing out from the fuel flow rate adjusting unit 38 when the power is lost. Yes. Further, the auxiliary unit 4 includes an electromagnetic valve 42 that shuts off the air supplied from the air supply source 40, a reforming air flow rate adjusting unit 44 that adjusts the air flow rate, and a power generation air flow rate adjusting unit 45 (with a motor). Driven "air blower", etc., a first heater 46 for heating the reforming air supplied to the reformer 120, and a second heater 48 for heating the power generating air supplied to the power generation chamber. I have. The first heater 46 and the second heater 48 are provided in order to efficiently raise the temperature at startup, but may be omitted.

  In this embodiment, the partial oxidation reforming reaction (POX) and the steam reforming reaction (SR) are performed from the POX process in which only the partial oxidation reforming reaction (POX) occurs in the reformer 120 when the apparatus is started. The SR process in which only the steam reforming reaction is performed may be performed through the ATR process in which the mixed autothermal reforming reaction (ATR) occurs, or the POX process may be omitted and the ATR process may be changed to the SR process. You may comprise so that it may transfer, and it may comprise so that a POX process and an ATR process may be abbreviate | omitted and only an SR process may be performed. In the configuration in which only the SR step is performed, the reforming air flow rate adjustment unit 44 is unnecessary.

  Next, a hot water production apparatus 50 to which exhaust gas is supplied is connected to the fuel cell module 2. The hot water production apparatus 50 is supplied with tap water from the water supply source 24, and the tap water is heated by the heat of the exhaust gas and supplied to a hot water storage tank of an external hot water heater (not shown). The fuel cell module 2 is provided with a control box 52 for controlling the amount of fuel gas supplied and the like. Furthermore, the fuel cell module 2 is connected to an inverter 54 that is a power extraction unit (power conversion unit) for supplying the power generated by the fuel cell module to the outside.

  Next, the structure of the fuel cell module of the solid oxide fuel cell device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 is a side sectional view showing a fuel cell module of a solid oxide fuel cell apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the module container and the air passage cover.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fuel cell module 2 includes a fuel cell assembly 12 and a reformer 120 provided inside the module container 8 covered with the first heat insulating material 7. An evaporator 140 is provided outside the container 8 and in the first heat insulating material 7. Here, illustration and description of the dimension variation absorbing member 6 are omitted.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10, the module container 8 includes a substantially rectangular top plate 8a, bottom plate 8c, and a pair of opposing side plates 8b that connect the sides extending in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 8). A closed side plate that closes two opposing openings at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body and connects the sides extending in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 9) of the top plate 8a and the bottom plate 8c. 8d and 8e.

  In the module container 8, the top plate 8 a and the side plate 8 b are covered with an air passage cover 160. The air passage cover 160 includes a top plate 160a and a pair of opposing side plates 160b. An opening 167 for allowing the exhaust pipe 171 to pass therethrough is provided at a substantially central portion of the top plate 160a. The top plate 160a and the top plate 8a and the side plate 160b and the side plate 8b are separated by a predetermined distance. Accordingly, between the outside of the module container 8 and the first heat insulating material 7, specifically, between the top plate 8a and the side plate 8b of the module container 8 and the top plate 160a and the side plate 160b of the air passage cover 160. Air passages 161a and 161b as oxidant gas supply passages are formed along the outer surfaces of the top plate 160a and the side plates 160b (see FIG. 9).

  At the lower part of the side plate 8b of the module container 8, air outlets 8f, which are a plurality of through holes, are provided (see FIG. 10). An air supply port 160c (see FIG. 8) communicating with the air passage 161a is formed in the power generation air at a substantially central portion of the top plate 160a of the air passage cover 160 on the closed side plate 8e side of the module container 8. Yes. The power generation air introduction pipe 74 is connected to the air supply port 160c, and the air introduced from the power generation air introduction pipe 74 is supplied into the air passage 161a via the flow path direction adjustment unit 164 (FIG. 8). FIG. 10). Then, the power generation air is injected into the power generation chamber 10 through the air passages 161a and 161b from the outlet 8f toward the fuel cell assembly 12 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

  In addition, plate fins 162 as heat exchange promoting members are provided inside the air passages 161a and 161b (see FIG. 9). The plate fin 162 includes a horizontal portion 162a provided in the horizontal direction so as to extend in the longitudinal direction and the width direction between the top plate 8a of the module container 8 and the top plate 160a of the air passage cover 160, and the side plate 8b of the module container 8. And a vertical portion 162b provided between the side plate 160b of the air passage cover 160 and at a position above the fuel cell unit 16 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. The horizontal portion 162 a has an end on the center side in the short direction extending to the vicinity of the air supply port 160 c formed in the top plate 160 a of the air passage cover 160.

  Further, the lower end of the vertical portion 162 b extends to a height that is substantially equal to a portion that can receive radiant heat from the combustion chamber 18 of the side plate 8 b of the module container 8. Specifically, the lower end of the vertical portion 162b is located near the upper end of the fuel cell unit 16 that functions as a heat storage unit to be described later, more specifically, at the height of the inner electrode terminal 86.

  The plate fin 162 is formed by bending one plate fin in the vicinity of the edge of the top plate 8a, and the horizontal portion 162a and the vertical portion 162b are configured as one continuous member. In the present embodiment, the horizontal portion 162a and the vertical portion 162b are configured by bending a top plate 8a with a single plate fin, but it is not always necessary to configure in this manner. For example, the horizontal portion 162a and the vertical portion 162b may be configured by connecting two plate fins by welding or the like, and the horizontal portion 162a and the vertical portion 162b are continuous as one member capable of transferring heat. It only has to be configured.

  The power generation air flowing through the air passages 161a and 161b is provided in the module container 8 inside the plate fins 162 (specifically, along the top plate 8a and the side plate 8b), particularly when passing through the plate fins 162. Heat is exchanged with the exhaust gas that passes through the exhaust passage) and is heated. For this reason, the portions where the plate fins 162 are provided in the air passages 161a and 161b function as a heat exchanger (heat exchange unit). The portion of the plate fin 162 provided with the horizontal portion 162a constitutes the main heat exchanger portion, and the portion of the plate fin 162 provided with the vertical portion 162b constitutes the subordinate heat exchanger portion.

  Next, the evaporator 140 is fixed on the top plate 8a of the module container 8 so as to extend in the horizontal direction. Moreover, between the evaporator 140 and the module container 8, the 1st heat insulating material heat insulating material 7 formed in plate shape so that these clearance gaps may be filled is arrange | positioned (refer FIG.8 and FIG.9).

  Specifically, the evaporator 140 includes a fuel supply pipe 63 that supplies water and raw fuel gas (which may include reforming air) to one side end side in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 8). The exhaust gas exhaust pipe 82 (see FIG. 9) for exhaust gas exhaust is connected, and the upper end of the exhaust pipe 171 is connected to the other side end in the longitudinal direction. The exhaust pipe 171 extends downward through an opening 167 formed in the top plate 160 a of the air passage cover 160, and is connected to an exhaust port 111 formed on the top plate 8 a of the module container 8. The exhaust port 111 is an opening that discharges the exhaust gas generated in the combustion chamber 18 in the module container 8 to the outside of the module container 8, and is substantially at the center of the top plate 8 a that is substantially rectangular in top view. Is formed.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the evaporator 140 has a substantially rectangular evaporator case 141 in a top view. The evaporator case 141 is formed by joining two low-profile bottomed rectangular cylindrical upper case 142 and lower case 143 with an intermediate plate 144 sandwiched therebetween.

  Accordingly, the evaporator case 141 has a two-layer structure in the vertical direction, and an exhaust passage portion 140A through which the exhaust gas supplied from the exhaust pipe 171 passes is formed in the lower layer portion, and a fuel layer is formed in the upper layer portion. An evaporation unit 140B that evaporates water supplied from the supply pipe 63 to generate water vapor, and a mixing unit 140C that mixes the water vapor generated in the evaporation unit 140B and the raw fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply pipe 63 are provided. It has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the evaporation unit 140B and the mixing unit 140C are formed in a space in which the evaporator 140 is partitioned by a partition plate 145 in which a plurality of communication holes (slits) 145a are formed. The evaporation unit 140B is filled with alumina balls (not shown).

  Similarly, the exhaust passage portion 140A is partitioned into three spaces from the upstream side to the downstream side of the exhaust gas by two partition plates 146 and 147 having a plurality of communication holes. The second space is filled with a combustion catalyst (not shown). That is, the evaporator 140 of this embodiment includes a combustion catalyst in the lower layer structure of the two-layer structure in the vertical direction.

  In such an evaporator 140, heat exchange is performed between the water in the evaporation section 140B and the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust passage section 140A, and the water in the evaporation section 140B is evaporated by the heat of the exhaust gas, Water vapor will be generated. Further, heat exchange is performed between the mixed gas in the mixing section 140C and the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust passage section 140A, and the temperature of the mixed gas is raised by the heat of the exhaust gas.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a mixed gas supply pipe 112 for supplying a mixed gas to the reformer 120 is connected to the mixing unit 140C. The mixed gas supply pipe 112 is disposed so as to pass through the inside of the exhaust pipe 171, one end is connected to an opening 144 a formed in the intermediate plate 144, and the other end is formed on the top surface of the reformer 120. Connected to the mixed gas supply port 120a. The mixed gas supply pipe 112 passes through the exhaust passage portion 140A and the exhaust pipe 171 and extends vertically downward into the module container 8, where it is bent approximately 90 ° and extends horizontally along the top plate 8a. , Bent downward by approximately 90 ° and connected to the reformer 120.

  Next, the reformer 120 is disposed so as to extend horizontally along the longitudinal direction of the module container 8 above the combustion chamber 18, and the exhaust gas guiding member 130 is disposed between the top plate 8 a of the module container 8. And fixed to the top plate 8a with a predetermined distance therebetween. The reformer 120 has a substantially rectangular outer shape in a top view, but is an annular structure in which a through hole 120b is formed in the center, and has a casing in which an upper case 121 and a lower case 122 are joined. ing. The through hole 120b is positioned so as to overlap the exhaust port 111 formed in the top plate 8a in a top view, and preferably, the exhaust port 111 is formed at the center position of the through hole 120b.

  On one end side in the longitudinal direction of the reformer 120 (closed side plate 8e side of the module container 8), the mixed gas supply pipe 112 is connected to the mixed gas supply port 120a provided in the upper case 121, and the other end side ( On the closed side plate 8 d side), the fuel gas supply pipe 64 is connected to the lower case 122, and the hydrogen desulfurizer hydrogen extraction pipe 65 extending to the desulfurizer 36 is connected to the upper case 121. Therefore, the reformer 120 receives the mixed gas (that is, raw fuel gas mixed with water vapor (may include reforming air)) from the mixed gas supply pipe 112, reforms the mixed gas therein, The reformed gas (that is, fuel gas) is discharged from the fuel gas supply pipe 64 and the hydrogen extraction pipe 65 for hydrodesulfurizer.

  The reformer 120 is divided into three spaces by the two partition plates 123a and 123b, so that the reformer 120 receives a mixed gas from the mixed gas supply pipe 112 in the reformer 120. And a reforming section 120B filled with a reforming catalyst (not shown) for reforming the mixed gas, and a gas discharge section 120C for discharging the gas that has passed through the reforming section 120B are formed. (See FIG. 8). The reforming unit 120B is a space sandwiched between the partition plates 123a and 123b, and the reforming catalyst is held in this space. The mixed gas and the reformed fuel gas are movable through a plurality of communication holes (slits) provided in the partition plates 123a and 123b. As the reforming catalyst, a catalyst obtained by imparting nickel to the alumina sphere surface or a catalyst obtained by imparting ruthenium to the alumina sphere surface is appropriately used.

  The mixed gas supplied from the evaporator 140 through the mixed gas supply pipe 112 is ejected to the mixed gas receiving unit 120A through the mixed gas supply port 120a. The mixed gas is expanded in the mixed gas receiving unit 120A, the jetting speed is reduced, and is supplied to the reforming unit 120B through the partition plate 123a.

  In the reforming unit 120B, the mixed gas moving at a low speed is reformed into a fuel gas by the reforming catalyst, and the fuel gas passes through the partition plate 123b and is supplied to the gas discharge unit 120C.

  In the gas discharge unit 120C, the fuel gas is discharged to the fuel gas supply pipe 64 and the hydrogen extraction pipe 65 for the hydrodesulfurizer.

  A fuel gas supply pipe 64 as a fuel gas supply passage extends downward in the module container 8 along the closed side plate 8d, is bent approximately 90 ° in the vicinity of the bottom plate 8c, and extends in the horizontal direction. It extends into the manifold 66 formed below the inner side, and further extends horizontally in the manifold 66 to the vicinity of the closed side plate 8e on the opposite side. A plurality of fuel supply holes 64 b are formed in the lower surface of the horizontal portion 64 a of the fuel gas supply pipe 64, and fuel gas is supplied into the manifold 66 from the fuel supply holes 64 b. A lower support plate 68 having a through hole for supporting the fuel cell unit 16 is attached above the manifold 66, and the fuel gas in the manifold 66 is supplied into the fuel cell unit 16. The An ignition device 83 for starting combustion of fuel gas and air is provided in the combustion chamber 18.

  The exhaust gas guiding member 130 is disposed between the reformer 120 and the top plate 8 a so as to extend in the horizontal direction along the longitudinal direction of the module container 8. The exhaust gas guide member 130 includes a lower guide plate 131 and an upper guide plate 132 that are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, and connecting plates 133 and 134 to which both ends of the longitudinal direction are attached (FIG. 8). FIG. 9). The upper guide plate 132 is bent at both ends in the width direction downward and is connected to the lower guide plate 131. The connecting plates 133 and 134 have upper ends connected to the top plate 8a and lower ends connected to the reformer 120, thereby fixing the exhaust gas guiding member 130 and the reformer 120 to the top plate 8a. ing.

  The lower guide plate 131 is formed with a convex step portion 131a in which a central portion in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 9) protrudes downward. On the other hand, as with the lower guide plate 131, the upper guide plate 132 is formed with a recess 132a so that the central portion in the width direction becomes concave downward. The convex step portion 131a and the concave portion 132a extend in the longitudinal direction in parallel in the vertical direction. The mixed gas supply pipe 112 extends in the recess 132a in the module container 8 in the horizontal direction, then bends downward near the closed side plate 8e, passes through the upper guide plate 132 and the lower guide plate 131, It is connected to the reformer 120.

  In the exhaust gas guiding member 130, a gas reservoir 135, which is an internal space that functions as a heat insulating layer, is formed by the upper guiding plate 132, the lower guiding plate 131, and the connecting plates 133 and 134. The gas reservoir 135 is in fluid communication with the combustion chamber 18. That is, the upper guide plate 132, the lower guide plate 131, and the connecting plates 133 and 134 are connected so as to form a predetermined gap, and are not airtightly connected. While it is possible for exhaust gas to flow into the gas reservoir 135 from the combustion chamber 18 during operation, or to allow air to flow in from the outside when stopped, the movement of gas between the inside and outside of the gas reservoir 135 is generally performed. Is moderate.

  The upper guide plate 132 is disposed at a predetermined vertical distance from the top plate 8a, and the exhaust extending in the horizontal direction along the longitudinal direction and the width direction is provided between the upper guide plate 132 and the top plate 8a. A passage 172 is formed. The exhaust passage 172 is arranged in parallel with the air passage 161a with the top plate 8a of the module container 8 interposed therebetween. In the exhaust passage 172, plate fins 175 similar to the plate fins 162 in the air passages 161a and 161b are provided. Has been placed. The plate fins 175 are provided at substantially the same location as the horizontal portions 162a of the plate fins 162 when viewed from above, and face each other in the vertical direction with the top plate 8a interposed therebetween. Of the air passage 161a and the exhaust passage 172, in the portion where the plate fins 162 and 175 are provided, efficient heat exchange is performed between the power generation air flowing through the air passage 161a and the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage 172. Thus, the temperature of the power generation air is raised by the heat of the exhaust gas.

The reformer 120 is disposed at a predetermined horizontal distance from the side plate 8b of the module container 8, and the exhaust gas passes between the reformer 120 and the side plate 8b from below to above. An exhaust passage 173 is formed. Further, the exhaust gas guiding member 130 is also disposed at a predetermined horizontal distance from the side plate 8b, and the exhaust passage 173 includes the passage between the exhaust gas guiding member 130 and the side plate 8b and extends to the top plate 8a. ing. The exhaust passage 173 communicates with the exhaust passage 172 through an exhaust gas introduction port 172a located at the corner between the top plate 8a and the side plate 8b.
The exhaust gas introduction port 172a extends in the longitudinal direction within the module container 8.

  Further, the lower guide plate 131 is disposed at a predetermined vertical distance from the top surface of the upper case 121 of the reformer 120, and between the lower guide plate 131 and the upper case 121 and the reformer. The through hole 120b of 120 forms an exhaust passage 174 through which the exhaust gas that has passed through the through hole 120b from the lower side to the upper side is passed. The exhaust passage 174 joins the exhaust passage 173 above the reformer 120.

Next, the fuel cell unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fuel cell unit of a solid oxide fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 11, the fuel cell unit 16 includes a fuel cell 84 and inner electrode terminals 86 that are caps respectively connected to both ends of the fuel cell 84.

  The fuel cell 84 is a tubular structure extending in the vertical direction, and includes a cylindrical inner electrode layer 90 that forms a fuel gas flow path 88 therein, a cylindrical outer electrode layer 92, an inner electrode layer 90, and an outer side. An electrolyte layer 94 is provided between the electrode layer 92 and the electrode layer 92. The inner electrode layer 90 is a fuel electrode through which fuel gas passes and becomes a (−) electrode, while the outer electrode layer 92 is an air electrode in contact with air and becomes a (+) electrode.

  Since the inner electrode terminal 86 attached to the upper end side and the lower end side of the fuel cell 84 has the same structure, the inner electrode terminal 86 attached to the upper end side will be specifically described here. The upper portion 90 a of the inner electrode layer 90 includes an outer peripheral surface 90 b and an upper end surface 90 c exposed to the electrolyte layer 94 and the outer electrode layer 92. The inner electrode terminal 86 is connected to the outer peripheral surface 90b of the inner electrode layer 90 through a conductive sealing material 96, and is further in direct contact with the upper end surface 90c of the inner electrode layer 90, thereby Electrically connected. At the center of the inner electrode terminal 86, a fuel gas channel capillary 98 that communicates with the fuel gas channel 88 of the inner electrode layer 90 is formed.

  The fuel gas passage narrow tube 98 is an elongated thin tube provided so as to extend in the axial direction of the fuel cell 84 from the center of the inner electrode terminal 86. Therefore, a predetermined pressure loss occurs in the flow of the fuel gas flowing from the manifold 66 (see FIG. 8) into the fuel gas passage 88 through the fuel gas passage narrow tube 98 of the lower inner electrode terminal 86. To do. Accordingly, the fuel gas flow passage narrow tube 98 of the lower inner electrode terminal 86 acts as an inflow side flow passage resistance portion, and the flow passage resistance is set to a predetermined value. Further, a predetermined pressure loss also occurs in the flow of the fuel gas flowing out from the fuel gas flow path 88 to the combustion chamber 18 (see FIG. 8) through the fuel gas flow path narrow tube 98 of the upper inner electrode terminal 86. Therefore, the fuel gas flow passage narrow tube 98 of the upper inner electrode terminal 86 acts as an outflow side flow passage resistance portion, and the flow passage resistance is set to a predetermined value.

  The inner electrode layer 90 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, and Ni and ceria doped with at least one selected from rare earth elements. The mixture is formed of at least one of Ni and a mixture of lanthanum garade doped with at least one selected from Sr, Mg, Co, Fe, and Cu.

  The electrolyte layer 94 is, 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 92 includes, 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 of lanthanum cobaltite doped with at least one selected from the group consisting of silver and silver.

  At least the upper inner electrode terminal 86 is formed of a metal having a large heat capacity and a high heat storage property, and functions as a heat storage means. The heat generated in the combustion chamber 18 above the fuel cell unit 16 is stored in the upper inner electrode terminal 86, thereby preventing the heat from the combustion chamber 18 from being directly transmitted to the fuel cell 84. Further, the inner electrode terminal 86 stored in this way functions as a heat source, and releases the stored heat to the surroundings.

  In the fuel cell assembly 12, the inner electrode terminal 86 attached to the inner electrode layer 90 that is the fuel electrode of each fuel cell unit 16 has the outer electrode layer 92 that is the air electrode of the other fuel cell unit 16. By electrically connecting to the outer peripheral surface, all 128 fuel cell units 16 are connected in series.

Next, the flow of gas and heat in the fuel cell module of the solid oxide fuel cell apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
12 is a side sectional view showing a fuel cell module of a solid oxide fuel cell device according to one embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 8, and FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. It is sectional drawing along the -III line. FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of the upper part of the fuel cell module of the solid oxide fuel cell device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams in which arrows indicating the gas flow are newly added in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively, and show the state in which the first heat insulating material 7 is removed for convenience of explanation. ing. In the figure, solid line arrows indicate the flow of fuel gas, broken line arrows indicate the flow of power generation air, and alternate long and short dashed arrows indicate the flow of exhaust gas.

  As shown in FIG. 12, water and raw fuel gas (fuel gas) are fed into an evaporation section 140 </ b> B provided in the upper layer of the evaporator 140 from a fuel supply pipe 63 connected to one end side in the longitudinal direction of the evaporator 140. Supplied. The water supplied to the evaporation section 140B is heated by the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage section 140A provided in the lower layer of the evaporator 140 to become water vapor. The water vapor and the raw fuel gas supplied from the fuel supply pipe 63 flow downstream in the evaporation unit 140B and are mixed in the mixing unit 140C. The mixed gas in the mixing section 140C is heated by the exhaust gas flowing through the lower exhaust passage section 140A.

  The mixed gas (fuel gas) formed in the mixing unit 140 </ b> C is supplied to the reformer 120 in the module container 8 through the mixed gas supply pipe 112. Since the mixed gas supply pipe 112 passes through the exhaust passage portion 140A, the exhaust pipe 171, and the exhaust passage 172 in order, the mixed gas in the mixed gas supply pipe 112 is further heated by the exhaust gas flowing through these passages. The

  The mixed gas flows into the mixed gas receiving part 120A in the reformer 120, and from here passes through the partition plate 123a and flows into the reforming part 120B. The mixed gas is reformed in the reforming unit 120B to become fuel gas. The fuel gas thus generated passes through the partition plate 123b and flows into the gas discharge part 120C.

  Further, the fuel gas branches from the gas discharge part 120 </ b> C into the fuel gas supply pipe 64 and the hydrodesulfurizer hydrogen extraction pipe 65. The fuel gas that has flowed into the fuel gas supply pipe 64 is supplied into the manifold 66 from the fuel supply hole 64 b provided in the horizontal portion 64 a of the fuel gas supply pipe 64, and from the manifold 66 into each fuel cell unit 16. Supplied.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the power generation air is supplied from the power generation air introduction pipe 74 to the air passage 161a. When the power generation air passes through the plate fins 162 in the air passages 161a and 161b, the air for generation is between the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust passages 172 and 173 formed in the module container 8 below the plate fins 162. In this case, efficient heat exchange is performed and heating is performed. In particular, since the plate fins 175 are provided in the exhaust passage 172 corresponding to the plate fins 162 of the air passage 161a, the power generation air is discharged from the exhaust gas via the plate fins 162 and the plate fins 175. Perform more efficient heat exchange.

  Further, when the off gas is burned in the combustion chamber 18, the portion above the upper end of the fuel cell unit 16 of the side plate 8 b of the module container 8 receives radiant heat and is heated. Then, by heating the side plate 8b of the module container 8, this heat is transmitted to the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 in the air passage 161b. Further, the heat transmitted to the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 is propagated to the horizontal portion 162a. For this reason, air is heated efficiently also in the part above the upper end part of the fuel cell unit 16 of the air passage 161b. Thereafter, the power generation air is injected into the power generation chamber 10 from the plurality of outlets 8 f provided at the lower portion of the side plate 8 b of the module container 8 toward the fuel cell assembly 12.

  In the present embodiment, since the exhaust passage is not formed in the side portion of the fuel cell assembly 12, heat exchange between the power generation air and the exhaust gas is suppressed in this portion. Therefore, in the side part of the fuel cell assembly 12, the temperature unevenness in the vertical direction is less likely to occur in the power generation air in the air passage 161b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the fuel gas that has not been used for power generation in the power generation chamber 10 is burned in the combustion chamber 18 to become exhaust gas (combustion gas), and rises in the module container 8.
Specifically, the exhaust gas branches into an exhaust passage 173 and an exhaust passage 174, between the outer surface of the reformer 120 and the side plate 8 b of the module container 8, and through holes 120 b of the reformer 120. From between the reformer 120 and the exhaust gas guiding member 130. At this time, the exhaust gas passing through the exhaust passage 174 is bisected in the width direction by the convex step portion 131a disposed above the through-hole 120b of the reformer 120, and does not stay at the lower portion of the exhaust gas guiding member 130. The gas is guided toward the exhaust passage 173 and is quickly joined to the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage 173.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, radiant heat is generated by burning the fuel gas not used for power generation in the power generation chamber 10 in the combustion chamber 18. As indicated by an arrow A, this radiant heat is mainly the upper end portion (inner electrode terminal 86) of the fuel cell unit 16 and the upper portion of the side plate 8b of the module container 8 above the upper end portion of the fuel cell unit 16. These parts are heated by radiant heat.

  Since the inner electrode terminal 86 of the fuel cell unit 16 on the side plate 8b of the module container 8 is made of a material having high heat storage properties, the heat generated in the combustion chamber 18 is stored. The inner electrode terminal 86 functions as a heat source when storing heat, and heats the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 through the side plate 8b of the module container 8 as indicated by an arrow B. When the vertical portion 162b is heated, the heat is transmitted to the vicinity of the air supply port 160c of the horizontal portion 162a, as indicated by an arrow C. Therefore, the fuel cell unit 16 from the air supply port 160c of the air passages 161a and 161b. The heat exchange is efficiently performed at a portion above the upper end of the.

  Thereafter, the exhaust gas flows into the exhaust passage 172 from the exhaust gas inlet 172a. In the exhaust passage 172, the exhaust gas flows in the horizontal direction in the exhaust passage 172 and flows out from the exhaust port 111 formed in the center of the top plate 8 a of the module container 8.

  When the exhaust gas flows upward in the exhaust passage 173, heat exchange is performed between the power generation air and the exhaust gas through the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 provided in the air passage 161b. Is called. Further, when the exhaust gas flows in the horizontal direction through the exhaust passage 172, a plate fin 175 provided in the exhaust passage 172 and a plate fin 162 provided in the air passage 161a corresponding to the plate fin 175. Through the horizontal portion 162a, efficient heat exchange is performed between the power generation air and the exhaust gas. In this way, the temperature of the power generation air is raised by the heat of the exhaust gas.

  The exhaust gas flowing out from the exhaust port 111 passes through the exhaust pipe 171 provided outside the module container 8, flows into the exhaust passage part 140A of the evaporator 140, passes through the exhaust passage part 140A, and then evaporates. From the vessel 140 to the exhaust gas discharge pipe 82. As described above, the exhaust gas exchanges heat with the mixed gas in the mixing section 140C of the evaporator 140 and the water in the evaporation section 140B when flowing through the exhaust passage section 140A of the evaporator 140.

According to the solid oxide fuel cell device 1 of the present embodiment, the following effects are exhibited.
In the present embodiment, the evaporator 140 is disposed inside the first heat insulating material 7 and outside the module container 8. As a result, the exhaust gas in the exhaust passages 172 and 173 is prevented from being lowered in temperature by the evaporator 140, and the exhaust gas in the exhaust passages 172 and 173 and the air in the air passage 161 can be reduced even at a short heat exchange distance. Sufficient heat exchange can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, the lower end of the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 extends to a height that is substantially equal to the portion of the side plate 8b of the module container 8 that can receive the radiant heat from the combustion chamber 18. Thereby, the radiant heat from the combustion chamber 18 is transmitted to the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 via the side plate 8b of the module container 8. For this reason, air is sufficiently heated at a location above the fuel battery cell 84 in the air passages 161a and 161b, and temperature unevenness occurs at a height corresponding to the fuel battery cell 84 in the air passages 161a and 161b. Can be prevented.

  Further, for example, when the lower end of the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 terminates at a height substantially equal to that of the reformer 120, in the portion of the side wall 8b of the module container 8 that contacts the side of the combustion chamber 18, the exhaust The heat exchange efficiency between gas and air decreases. Thus, if the heat exchange efficiency in the part which hits the side of the combustion chamber 18 decreases, the heat generated in the combustion chamber 18 stays above the fuel cell unit 16.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the lower end of the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 extends to a height substantially equal to the portion that can receive the radiant heat from the combustion chamber 18 of the side plate 8b of the module container 8. Thereby, since the exchange from the exhaust gas to the air is promoted on the side of the combustion chamber 18 of the module container 8, the exhaust heat from the combustion chamber 18 is prevented from staying above the fuel cell unit 16, and more The occurrence of temperature unevenness can be surely suppressed.

  In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the heat exchange performance between the exhaust gas and the air above the fuel cell 84, and the fuel cell 84 is affected by temperature unevenness. The fuel cell device 1 can be downsized without any problem.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the plate fin 162 is configured such that the horizontal portion 162a and the vertical portion 162b are integrally formed, and continuously from the vicinity of the air supply port 160c to a position where the radiant heat from the combustion chamber 18 can be received. Is provided. Thereby, the radiant heat transmitted from the combustion chamber 18 to the side plate 8b of the module container 8 is transmitted to the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162, and further, this heat is transmitted to the vicinity of the air supply port 162c by the plate fin 162. The air can be sufficiently heated even with a short heat exchange distance.

  In the present embodiment, the upper end portion of the fuel cell 84 is provided with an inner electrode terminal 86 made of a metal having a large heat capacity and high heat storage property, and the lower end of the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 is the inner electrode terminal. It is located at a height substantially equal to 86. Accordingly, since the inner electrode terminal 86 receives heat from the combustion chamber 18, the fuel cell 84 is prevented from being directly heated by the combustion chamber 18, and the temperature unevenness in the vertical direction is prevented from occurring in the fuel cell 84. it can. Further, the inner electrode terminal 86 that stores heat functions as a heat source, and heats the vertical portion 162b of the plate fin 162 via the side plate 8b of the module container 8, so that the portion above the fuel cell 84 in the air passage 161b. Thus, the air is sufficiently heated, and it is possible to prevent temperature unevenness from occurring at a height corresponding to the fuel battery cell 84 in the air passage 161b.

  The solid oxide fuel cell device according to the present invention is widely useful in a solid oxide fuel cell device including a first heat insulating material outside the module container.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solid oxide fuel cell apparatus 2 Fuel cell module 4 Auxiliary machine unit 6 Size variation absorption member (2nd heat insulating material)
7 First heat insulating material 8 Module container 8a Top plate 8b Side plate 8c Bottom plate 8d Closed side plate 8e Closed side plate 8f Outlet 10 Power generation chamber 12 Fuel cell assembly 16 Fuel cell unit 18 Combustion chamber 24 Water supply source 26 Pure water tank 28 Water flow rate adjustment unit 30 Fuel supply source 32 Gas shutoff valve 36 Desulfurizer 38 Fuel flow rate adjustment unit 39 Valve 40 Air supply source 42 Solenoid valve 44 Reforming air flow rate adjustment unit 45 Power generation air flow rate adjustment unit 46 First heater 48 First 2 heater 50 hot water production device 52 control box 54 inverter 63 fuel supply pipe 64 fuel gas supply pipe 64a horizontal portion 64b fuel supply hole 65 hydrogen extraction pipe 66 for hydrodesulfurizer manifold 68 lower support plate 74 air introduction pipe 82 for power generation exhaust gas Discharge pipe 83 Ignition device 84 Fuel cell 86 Inner electrode terminal 88 Fuel gas Flow path 90 Inner electrode layer 92 Outer electrode layer 94 Electrolyte layer 96 Sealing material 98 Fuel gas flow path narrow tube 111 Exhaust port 112 Mixed gas supply pipe 120 Reformer 120A Mixed gas receiving part 120B Reformed part 120C Gas exhaust part 120a Mixed gas Supply port 120b Through hole 121 Upper case 122 Lower case 123a Partition plate 123b Partition plate 130 Exhaust gas guide member 131 Lower guide plate 131a Convex step portion 132 Upper guide plate 132a Recess 133 Connection plate 134 Connection plate 135 Gas reservoir 140 Evaporator 140A Exhaust passage portion 140B Evaporating portion 140C Mixing portion 141 Evaporator case 142 Upper case 143 Lower case 144 Intermediate plate 144a Opening 145 Partition plate 146 Partition plate 160 Air passage cover 160a Top plate 160b Side plate 160c Air supply port 161a Air passage 161b Air passage 162 Plate fin 162a Horizontal portion 162b Vertical portion 163 Plate fin 164 Flow path direction adjustment portion 167 Opening portion 171 Exhaust pipe 172 Exhaust passage 173 Exhaust passage 174 Exhaust passage 175 Plate fin 1000 Dimensional variation absorbing member (member) (second heat insulation) Material)
1000a Heat insulating material 1000b Glass cloth 1001 First heat insulating material 1001a First heat insulating material 1001b on the first side First heat insulating material 1001c on the second side First heat insulating material 1001d on the third side First heat insulating material 1002 on the fourth side Fuel cell Module 1004 Fixing member 1005 Tray 1006 Fuel cell 1007 Module container 1008 Gas manifold 1009 Reformer 1010 Evaporator 1011 Power generation chamber 1013 Fuel supply pipe 1014 Heat insulating material contact portion 1015 Heat radiation space 1016 Deformable space

Claims (8)

In a solid oxide fuel cell module comprising a rectangular parallelepiped module container, and a plurality of fuel cells that generate electric power with an oxidant gas and a fuel gas inside the module container,
Provided corresponding to each outer wall surface of the module container, a plurality of plate-like first heat insulating materials;
A member that constitutes an outermost wall of the solid oxide fuel cell module and reinforces the first heat insulating material;
With
In the top view of the module container, the first heat insulating material is in contact with the outer wall surface of the module container so that a gap is not generated between the first heat insulating materials due to variations in the size of the first heat insulating material generated in manufacturing. A solid oxide fuel cell module, wherein the solid oxide fuel cell module is installed, and the member is a dimensional variation absorbing member that absorbs variation in the size of each first heat insulating material by external pressure.   The solid oxide fuel cell module according to claim 1, wherein the dimension variation absorbing member is a second heat insulating material.   3. The solid oxide fuel cell module according to claim 2, wherein the dimension variation absorbing member is fixed to the first heat insulating material from the outside by a fixing member, and the fixing member applies the external pressure. . In top view of the module container,
The plurality of first heat insulating materials are provided so as to be in contact with and surround the four sides of the outer wall surface of the module container, and are positioned on the first side which is one of the four sides of the outer wall surface of the module container. The first heat insulating material has a long side in contact with the outer wall surface of the module container, and the first heat insulating material located on the second side adjacent to the first side has a short side of the first heat insulating material of the first side. The short side of the first heat insulating material on the third side adjacent to the second side is in contact with the long side of the first heat insulating material located on the second side. The short side of the first heat insulating material of the third side and the fourth side adjacent to the first side is provided around the module container so as to be in contact with the long side of the first side,
A plurality of the dimension variation absorbing members formed in a plate shape are provided so as to be in contact with the first heat insulating material corresponding to the four sides and to be positioned on the short side of each first heat insulating material. And
The solid oxide fuel cell module according to claim 3, wherein the fixing member is provided at an end of the dimension variation absorbing member.   The fixing member is composed of a single bent member so as to be in surface contact with the dimension variation absorbing member, and extends linearly along the corners where the ends of the dimension variation absorbing members are in contact with each other. The solid oxide fuel cell module according to claim 4, wherein:   6. The solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein a deformation allowable space is formed between the fixing member and an end of the dimension variation absorbing member fixed by the fixing member. module.   3. The solid oxide fuel cell module according to claim 2, wherein the second heat insulating material is made of the same material as the first heat insulating material and has a density lower than that of the first heat insulating material.   The solid oxide fuel cell module according to claim 6, wherein the dimension variation absorbing member has a heat insulating material covered with a glass cloth.

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