JP2019003811A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fuel cell system in which a filter can be detached relatively easily.SOLUTION: A fuel cell system 1 includes an enclosure 10a housing at least a fuel cell 34 for generating electricity from fuel and oxidant gas, first and second openings 41, 42 provided in the enclosure 10a, an interconnection path 43 for interconnecting the first and second openings 41, 42 and through which air can circulate, a blower fan 44 placed in the interconnection path 43, and when rotary driven in a first direction sends the air on the outside of the enclosure 10a from the first opening 41 to the interconnection path 43, and sends the air in the interconnection path 43 from the second opening 42 to the outside of the enclosure 10a, and a filter 45 placed in the enclosure 10a so as to cover the first opening 41 and to be placed detachably in the enclosure 10a by sliding, and removing an extraneous material in the air sent into the interconnection path 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system.

  As one type of filter mounting structure, those shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known. In the filter mounting structures disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the filter is detachably disposed in front of the filter mounting surface.

JP 2002-224520 A JP 2003-336958 A JP 2006-140164 A

  In a device installed outdoors such as a fuel cell system, a filter mounting surface in a housing of the fuel cell system may be relatively close to, for example, a side wall of a house. In this case, it is considered that it is difficult to remove the filter in front of the attachment surface of the filter as in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system in which a filter can be attached and detached relatively easily.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a fuel cell system according to claim 1 includes a housing that houses at least a fuel cell that generates power from fuel and an oxidant gas, a first opening provided in the housing, and a second opening. The opening, the first opening and the second opening communicate with each other, the communication passage through which air can flow, and the communication passage, which is arranged in the communication passage and rotationally driven in the first direction, By blowing into the communication path from the first opening and sending the air in the communication path to the outside of the housing from the second opening, and by sliding so as to cover the first opening And a filter that is detachably disposed in the housing and removes foreign substances in the air that are fed into the communication path.

  According to this, a filter is attached or detached by sliding with respect to a housing | casing. Therefore, in the state where the fuel cell system is installed, the filter can be easily attached and detached even when the first opening and the one facing the first opening (for example, the side wall of the house) are relatively close. it can.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state in which the electric power generation unit of the fuel cell system shown in FIG. 1 was installed in the installation surface. It is an arrow view of the main-body part by the III arrow view shown in FIG. 2, and the cover part which covers a 1st opening part is shown. It is an arrow view of the electric power generation unit by the arrow III shown in FIG. 2, and is a figure which shows the state by which the cover part was removed. It is sectional drawing of the electric power generation unit along the VV line shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fuel cell system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, for convenience of explanation, the upper and lower sides in FIG. 2 are the upper and lower sides of the fuel cell system 1, respectively, the left and right sides are the front and the rear of the fuel cell system 1, respectively, and the back side of the page. In the following description, the front side of the page is the right side and the left side of the fuel cell system 1, respectively.

  The fuel cell system 1 includes a power generation unit 10 and a hot water tank 21 as shown in FIG. The power generation unit 10 includes a housing 10a, a fuel cell module 11 (30), a heat exchanger 12, a power conversion device 13, a water tank 14, and a control device 15. The housing 10a accommodates at least a fuel cell 34 described later.

  The fuel cell module 30 includes a casing 31, an evaporation unit 32, a reforming unit 33, and a fuel cell 34. The casing 31 is formed in a box shape with a heat insulating material.

  In the fuel cell module 30, the other end of a reforming material supply pipe 11a to which one end is connected to a supply source Gs and a reforming material is supplied is connected to the evaporation section 32. The supply source Gs is, for example, a gas supply pipe for city gas or a gas cylinder for LP gas. The reforming material supply pipe 11a is provided with a material pump 11a1. The raw material pump 11a1 is a pump that sends the raw material for reforming.

  One end (lower end) of the water supply pipe 11b to which the reforming water is supplied is connected to the evaporation section 32. The water supply pipe 11b is provided with a reforming water pump 11b1 for feeding reforming water.

  The fuel cell module 30 has one end connected to the cathode air blower 11c1 and the other end of the cathode air supply pipe 11c into which the cathode air (air) as the oxidant gas is supplied into the casing 31. The cathode air blower 11c1 is a pump that sends cathode air.

  The evaporation unit 32 generates water vapor from the reformed water. Specifically, the evaporating unit 32 is heated by a combustion gas described later, and evaporates the reformed water supplied from the water tank 14 to generate water vapor. Further, the evaporation unit 32 preheats the reforming material supplied from the supply source Gs.

  The evaporation unit 32 mixes the steam generated in this way with the preheated reforming raw material and supplies the mixture to the reforming unit 33. As reforming raw materials, there are gas fuels for reforming such as natural gas and LP gas, and liquid fuels for reforming such as kerosene, gasoline and methanol. In the present embodiment, the reforming raw material is natural gas.

  The reforming unit 33 generates reformed gas from the reforming raw material from the supply source Gs and the water vapor from the evaporation unit 32 and supplies the reformed gas to the fuel cell 34. Specifically, the reforming unit 33 is heated by a combustion gas, which will be described later, and supplied with heat necessary for the steam reforming reaction, so that the mixed gas (reforming raw material, water vapor) supplied from the evaporation unit 32 is supplied. ) To generate and derive the reformed gas.

  The reforming section 33 is filled with a catalyst (for example, Ru or Ni-based catalyst), and the reformed gas containing hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide is reformed by the reaction of the mixed gas by the catalyst. (So-called steam reforming reaction). The reformed gas contains hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, steam, unreformed natural gas (methane gas), and reformed water (steam) that has not been used for reforming. The steam reforming reaction is an endothermic reaction.

  The fuel cell 34 generates power using fuel and oxidant gas. The fuel is a reformed gas. The fuel cell 34 is configured by laminating a fuel electrode, an air electrode (oxidant electrode), and a plurality of cells 34a made of an electrolyte interposed between the two electrodes. The fuel cell 34 of the present embodiment is a solid oxide fuel cell, and uses zirconium oxide, which is a kind of solid oxide, as an electrolyte.

  A reformed gas (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane gas, etc.) is supplied to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell 34 as fuel. A fuel channel 34b through which fuel (reformed gas) flows is formed on the fuel electrode side of the cell 34a. An air flow path 34c through which air (cathode air) that is an oxidant gas flows is formed on the air electrode side of the cell 34a. The fuel cell 34 generates power at a relatively high operating temperature (approximately 700 ° C.).

  The fuel cell 34 is provided on the manifold 35. The reformed gas from the reforming unit 33 is supplied to the manifold 35 via the reformed gas supply pipe 38. The lower end (one end) of the fuel flow path 34b is connected to a fuel outlet (not shown) of the manifold 35 so that the reformed gas led out from the fuel outlet is introduced from the lower end and led out from the upper end. It has become.

  The cathode air sent out by the cathode air blower 11c1 is supplied via the cathode air supply pipe 11c, introduced from the lower end of the air flow path 34c, and led out from the upper end.

  A combustion unit 36 is provided between the fuel cell 34, the evaporation unit 32, and the reforming unit 33. In the combustion section 36, the anode off-gas (fuel off-gas) from the fuel cell 34 and the cathode off-gas (oxidant off-gas) from the fuel cell 34 are burned to generate combustion gas (flame 37). The combustion gas heats the evaporation unit 32 and the reforming unit 33.

  In the combustion section 36, the anode off-gas is burned, and a relatively high-temperature combustion exhaust gas is generated. The relatively high-temperature combustion exhaust gas is led to the heat exchanger 12. Further, the combustion unit 36 sets the temperature in the fuel cell module 30 to the operating temperature of the fuel cell 34.

  The hot water tank 21 stores hot water. Hot water stored in the hot water tank 21 is supplied from the upper end of the hot water tank 21 to a hot water supply device (not shown). A hot-water supply apparatus is a bathtub, a shower, and a kitchen (kitchen faucet), for example. When hot water is led out from the hot water storage tank 21 to the hot water supply device, the hot water storage tank 21 is replenished with water from a lower end (not shown; for example, water supply).

  The hot water storage tank 21 is provided with a circulation path 22 which is a pipe through which hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 21 circulates (circulates in the direction of the arrow in the figure). On the circulation path 22, a circulation pump 22 a, a radiator 22 b, a temperature sensor 22 c, and a heat exchanger 12 are arranged in order from the lower end to the upper end of the hot water tank 21.

  The hot water storage tank 21, the circulation path 22, the circulation pump 22a, the radiator 22b, the temperature sensor 22c, and the heat exchanger 12 constitute an exhaust heat recovery system 20. The exhaust heat recovery system 20 recovers and stores the exhaust heat of the fuel cell module 30 in hot water. The circulation pump 22a is a pump provided in the circulation path 22 for circulating hot water.

  The radiator 22b is provided in the circulation path 22 and cools hot water flowing through the inside (details will be described later). The radiator 22b is connected to the circulation path 22, and is configured by meandering a pipe 22b1 (see FIG. 5) through which hot water flows.

  The temperature sensor 22c is provided between the radiator 22b and the heat exchanger 12 in the circulation path 22, and detects the temperature of hot water. The temperature sensor 22c detects the temperature of the hot water at the arranged position. The detection result of the temperature sensor 22c is output to the control device 15.

  The heat exchanger 12 is a heat exchanger provided in the circulation path 22 for exchanging heat between hot water from the radiator 22b and combustion exhaust gas (corresponding to the exhaust gas of the present invention) from the fuel cell 34. The heat exchanger 12 is connected (through) the exhaust pipe 11d from the fuel cell module 30. One end of a condensed water supply pipe 12 a is connected to the heat exchanger 12. The heat exchanger 12 introduces combustion exhaust gas including exhaust heat from the fuel cell module 30 through the exhaust pipe 11d.

  In the heat exchanger 12, heat exchange between hot water supplied from the hot water tank 21 and the combustion exhaust gas is performed, and the hot water is heated by collecting the exhaust heat in the hot water, and the combustion exhaust gas is cooled. When the combustion exhaust gas is cooled, condensed water is generated by condensing water vapor in the combustion exhaust gas. The cooled combustion exhaust gas is discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe 11d.

  On the other hand, the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 12 is supplied to the water tank 14 through the condensed water supply pipe 12a. The water tank 14 purifies the condensed water with an ion exchange resin and stores it as reformed water.

  The power conversion device 13 receives a DC voltage output from the fuel cell 34, converts the DC voltage into a predetermined AC voltage, and a power line 16b connected to an AC system power supply 16a and an external power load 16c (for example, an electrical appliance). Output to.

  In addition, the power conversion device 13 receives an AC voltage from the system power supply 16a via the power supply line 16b, converts it into a predetermined DC voltage, and converts each auxiliary device (each pump 11a1, 11b1, blower 11c1, etc.) and control device. 15 (internal load).

  The control device 15 controls the operation of the fuel cell system 1 by driving an auxiliary machine. During the power generation operation of the power generation unit 10, the control device 15 controls the power generated by the fuel cell 34 to be the power consumption of the external power load 16c (load following operation).

  When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 22c is equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature, the control device 15 executes cooling control for cooling the hot water flowing through the radiator 22b (details will be described later). The first predetermined temperature is set such that the amount of condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount is set so that the amount of condensed water generated by the heat exchanger 12 during the power generation operation of the fuel cell system 1 is larger than the amount of reformed water used in the evaporation unit 32. .

  When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 22c is the second predetermined temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature, the control device 15 ends the cooling control. The second predetermined temperature is set to a temperature at which the hot water does not freeze.

  Moreover, the control apparatus 15 performs the cleaning control which cleans the filter 45 mentioned later (it mentions later for details). The cleaning control is executed for every second predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) every first predetermined time (for example, 168 hours).

  2 to 5, the fuel cell system 1 includes a first opening 41, a second opening 42, a communication passage 43, a blower fan 44, a filter 45, a support 46, and a cover 47. ing. The first opening 41 and the second opening 42 are provided in the housing 10a. The 1st opening part 41 and the 2nd opening part 42 are opened toward the outer side from the inner side of the housing | casing 10a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first opening 41 is provided on the rear side surface 10 a 1 side of the housing 10 a. Specifically, the first opening 41 is provided so that the housing 10a is provided on the rear side surface 10a1 and is opened at the bottom surface 10b1 of the recessed member 10b provided to be recessed forward (see FIG. 5). In addition, a sealing member 10c (for example, a foam) that suppresses the entry of foreign substances in the air into the housing 10a is disposed on the periphery of the recess member 10b (see FIG. 5).

  The first opening 41 is arranged at a position higher than the position of the predetermined height H from the installation surface S. The installation surface S is a surface on which the housing 10a is installed outdoors. The predetermined height H is set to a height at which the amount of foreign matter (dust, etc.) in the air around the first opening 41 at the rear of the housing 10a is relatively small. Generally, foreign matter in the air is located at a relatively low position when the wind is relatively weak. Therefore, the amount of foreign matter in the air at a position higher than the predetermined height H from the installation surface S (amount per unit volume) is smaller than the amount of foreign matter in the air at a predetermined height H or less from the installation surface S, And the difference between the two is relatively large. The predetermined height H is, for example, 30 cm.

  The second opening 42 is provided so as to open at the front side surface 10a2 of the housing 10a. Further, the second opening 42 is also disposed at a position higher than the position of the predetermined height H from the installation surface S.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the communication passage 43 communicates the first opening 41 and the second opening 42 and allows air to flow therethrough. The communication path 43 is provided in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction from the first opening 41 to the second opening 42. The communication path 43 includes a first series path 43a, a second communication path 43b, and a third communication path 43c in order from the first opening 41 to the second opening 42.

  In the first series passage 43a, the first opening 41 is connected at the rear end, and the radiator 22b is arranged. The second communication passage 43b is provided so that the flow passage cross-sectional area is smaller than that of the first series passage 43a. A blower fan 44 is disposed in the second communication path 43b. The third communication passage 43c is provided so that the second opening 42 is connected at the front end portion, and the flow path cross-sectional area increases from the second communication passage 43b to the front end portion.

  The blower fan 44 is disposed in the communication path 43 (second communication path 43b). The blower fan 44 is a blower that sucks air and discharges the sucked air by being rotationally driven. The blower fan 44 includes an impeller 44a and a motor (not shown) that rotates the impeller 44a. The motor is a brushless motor.

  The blower fan 44 is provided so as to be rotationally driven in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction. The blower fan 44 is driven to rotate in the first direction, thereby sending air outside the housing 10a from the first opening 41 to the communication passage 43, and also allowing air in the communication passage 43 to pass through the second opening. 42 to the outside of the housing 10a. On the other hand, the blower fan 44 is driven to rotate in the second direction, so that the air outside the housing 10a is sent from the second opening 42 to the communication passage 43, and the air in the communication passage 43 is sent to the first passage. It sends out from the opening 41 to the outside of the housing 10a.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the filter 45 is disposed in the housing 10 a so as to cover the first opening 41, and removes foreign matters in the air that are sent from the first opening 41 into the communication path 43. To be removed. The filter 45 is provided in a plate shape having a rectangular shape in plan view. As shown in FIG. 4, the filter 45 includes a frame part 45a, a bone part 45b, a mesh part 45c, and a handle part 45d. The frame part 45a, the bone part 45b, the net part 45c and the handle part 45d are integrally formed of a thermoplastic resin.

  The frame portion 45 a is provided in a frame shape on the periphery of the filter 45. The bone portion 45b is provided so as to divide the filter 45 into nine parts approximately equally in plan view. The mesh part 45c is supported by the frame part 45a and the bone part 45b, and is provided in a mesh shape that allows air to pass through and removes foreign matters in the air.

  The handle 45d is a part for the user to hold the filter 45 by hand. The handle 45d is provided at the left end of the filter 45 so as to have an L-shaped cross section (see FIG. 5). The filter 45 is disposed so as to cover the first opening 41 and so that the handle 45d is located outside the housing 10a. The filter 45 is detachably disposed on the housing 10a by sliding (details will be described later).

  The support part 46 is provided in the housing | casing 10a, and supports the filter 45 so that a slide is possible. The sliding direction in which the filter 45 slides is the left-right direction in the present embodiment. A plurality of support portions 46 are provided around the first opening 41 in the recess member 10b. Specifically, the support portion 46 is provided in an L-shaped cross section (see FIG. 5) so as to support the frame portion 45a above, below and to the right of the filter 45 on the bottom surface 10b1 of the recess member 10b. Yes. The support portion 46 supports the frame portion 45a on the inner side surface 46a (surface facing the first opening portion 41).

  The filter 45 is disposed so as to cover the first opening 41, and is removed from the housing 10a by sliding leftward from the state supported by the support 46 (the state shown in FIG. 5) (details). Will be described later).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cover portion 47 is provided in a plate shape and is disposed so as to cover the first opening 41 and the mesh portion 45 c of the filter 45. Moreover, the cover part 47 is arrange | positioned so that the recessed part material 10b may be covered. The cover portion 47 is fixed to the rear side surface 10a1 of the housing 10a with screws (not shown) or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover 47 includes a louver 47a and a guide 47b.

  The louvered portions 47a are arranged at regular intervals so that the plurality of blades 47a1 are parallel to each other so as to extend in the left-right direction. The blades 47a1 are arranged so as to incline from above to below as they go from the front to the rear. Thereby, air can flow from between the adjacent blades 47a1.

  The guide portion 47b guides the filter 45 in the sliding direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide portion 47b includes an insertion portion 47b1, an inclined portion 47b2, and a stopper portion 47b3.

  The insertion part 47b1 is a part into which the filter 45 is inserted when the filter 45 is attached. The insertion portion 47b1 protrudes rearward from the rear side surface 47c of the cover portion 47, and is provided so as to open leftward from the inside of the recess member 10b to the outside of the housing 10a.

  When the filter 45 is attached to the housing 10a, the inclined portion 47b2 guides the filter 45 to the support portion 46 when the filter 45 is inserted into the insertion portion 47b1 and slid rightward (details). Will be described later). The inclined portion 47b2 is provided continuously from the insertion portion 47b1, and is provided so as to be inclined from the rear toward the front as it goes from the left to the right.

  The stopper portion 47b3 is provided at a rear portion of the peripheral edge of the insertion portion 47b1, and when the filter 45 is attached, the handle portion 45d comes into contact with the stopper portion 47b3 and restricts sliding of the filter 45 in the right direction. .

  Next, in the fuel cell system 1 described above, a case where the filter 45 is detached from the housing 10a will be described. When the filter 45 is cleaned, the filter 45 is attached and detached. The filter 45 is attached and detached while the cover 47 is attached to the housing 10a. First, the case where the filter 45 is removed from the state where the filter 45 is attached to the housing 10a as shown in FIG. 5 will be described.

  When the user removes the filter 45, the user pinches the handle 45d and slides the filter 45 leftward. As a result, the filter 45 slides leftward along the bottom surface 10b1 of the recess member 10b and the front side surface (the surface facing the bottom surface 10b1) of the inclined portion 47b2.

  Subsequently, when the user further slides the filter 45 leftward, the filter 45 is pulled out from the insertion portion 47b1. Thereby, the filter 45 is removed from the housing 10a.

  Next, a case where the filter 45 is attached to the housing 10a will be described. In this case, the user grasps the handle portion 45d and inserts the right end portion of the filter 45 into the insertion portion 47b1. In this case, since the insertion portion 47b1 protrudes rearward from the rear side surface 47c of the cover portion 47 and opens leftward, the user places the right end portion of the filter 45 on the rear side surface 47c of the cover portion 47. By sliding from the left side toward the insertion portion 47b1 so as to slide to the right, the insertion portion 47b1 can be inserted relatively easily.

  Subsequently, when the user slides the filter 45 in the right direction, the right end portion of the filter 45 is guided to the inclined portion 47b2 and comes into contact with the bottom surface 10b1 of the concave member 10b. Further, the filter 45 slides rightward along the bottom surface 10 b 1 of the concave member 10 b, and the frame portion 45 a of the filter 45 is supported by the inner side surface 46 a of the support portion 46.

  And attachment of the filter 45 is completed when the handle part 45d contacts the stopper part 47b3. At this time, the filter 45 is disposed so as to cover the first opening 41 in a state where the periphery of the filter 45 is supported by the support 46. Thus, the filter 45 is disposed in the housing 10a so as to cover the first opening 41 and to be detachable by sliding.

  Next, the flow of air when the above-described cooling control is executed will be described. In this case, the control device 15 drives the blower fan 44 to rotate in the first direction. The blower fan 44 sucks air behind the blower fan 44 in the communication path 43 and sends the air toward the front of the blower fan 44.

  As a result, the air behind the housing 10 a is fed into the communication path 43 from the first opening 41 via the louver 47 a and the mesh 45 c of the filter 45. At this time, relatively large foreign matters in the air are removed by the louver 47a. Further, foreign matter in the air that has passed through the louver 47a is removed by the net 45c. Thereby, foreign matter in the air accumulates on the rear side surface of the net portion 45c.

  And when the air sent in to the communication path 43 passes through the radiator 22b, the hot water flowing through the radiator 22b is cooled. Further, the air sent into the communication passage 43 is sent out from the second opening 42 toward the outside of the housing 10 a by the rotational drive of the blower fan 44. That is, the air sending direction of the blower fan 44 at this time is a direction from the rear to the front along the front-rear direction. Thus, the radiator 22 b cools the hot water with the air sent into the communication passage 43 by the rotational drive of the blower fan 44.

  Next, the air flow when the control device 15 executes the cleaning control will be described. When the cleaning control is executed, the control device 15 rotates the blower fan 44 in the second direction. The blower fan 44 sucks air in front of the blower fan 44 in the communication path 43 and sends the air toward the rear of the blower fan 44.

  Thereby, the air in front of the housing 10 a is sent into the communication path 43 from the second opening 42. Further, the air sent into the communication passage 43 by the rotational drive of the blower fan 44 is supplied to the outside of the housing 10 a via the first opening 41, the mesh part 45 c of the filter 45 and the louvered part 47 a of the cover part 47. Sent to the. That is, the air sending direction of the blower fan 44 at this time is a direction from the front to the rear along the front-rear direction. At this time, the foreign matter accumulated on the rear side surface of the mesh portion 45c of the filter 45 is removed by the flow of air and released to the outside of the housing 10a.

  According to this embodiment, the fuel cell system 1 includes a housing 10a that houses at least a fuel cell 34 that generates power from fuel and an oxidant gas, and a first opening 41 and a second opening provided in the housing 10a. The housing 10a is configured to communicate with the portion 42, the first opening 41, and the second opening 42, and is disposed in the communication passage 43 through which air can flow and is rotated in the first direction. A blower fan 44 for sending air outside the first passage 41 to the communication passage 43 and sending air in the communication passage 43 to the outside of the housing 10a from the second opening 42; A filter 45 that covers the part 41 and is detachably disposed in the housing 10 a by sliding, and removes foreign substances in the air that are fed into the communication path 43.

  According to this, the filter 45 is attached and detached by sliding with respect to the housing | casing 10a. Therefore, in the state where the fuel cell system 1 is installed, even when the first opening 41 and the one facing the first opening 41 (for example, the side wall SW of the house (see FIG. 2)) are relatively close, The filter 45 can be easily attached and detached.

  Further, the filter 45 can be attached and detached without removing the cover portion 47 that covers the filter 45. Therefore, the filter 45 can be attached and removed, and the filter 45 can be cleaned more easily.

The sliding direction in which the filter 45 slides is the left-right direction.
According to this, since the filter 45 is slidable in the left-right direction, even when the filter 45 is arranged at a relatively high place or a relatively low place, the filter 45 can be slid in the up-down direction. Thus, the filter 45 can be attached and removed, and the filter 45 can be easily cleaned.

The first opening 41 is arranged at a position higher than the position of the predetermined height H from the installation surface S.
According to this, since the filter 45 is disposed in a place where there is relatively little foreign matter or the like, the filter 45 can be prevented from being clogged early.

  The blower fan 44 is driven to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction, thereby sending air outside the housing 10a from the second opening 42 to the communication path 43, and the communication path. The air in 43 is sent out from the first opening 41 to the outside of the housing 10a.

  According to this, the blower fan 44 is rotationally driven in the second direction by the cleaning control, so that foreign matters or the like attached to the filter 45 can be removed. Therefore, the frequency of cleaning of the filter 45 by the user can be suppressed.

  The fuel cell system 1 includes a hot water storage tank 21 for storing hot water, a circulation path 22 through which hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 21 circulates, and the hot water and exhaust gas from the fuel cell 34 are provided in the circulation path 22. A heat exchanger 12 that performs heat exchange and a radiator 22b that is provided in the communication path 43 and provided in the circulation path 22 through which hot water flows are further provided. The radiator 22 b cools the hot water with the air fed into the communication passage 43 by the rotational drive of the blower fan 44.

  According to this, even when the radiator 22b is cooled by the driving of the blower fan 44, the filter 45 can be easily cleaned, and thus the decrease in the cooling capacity of the radiator 22b due to the clogging of the filter 45 is suppressed. be able to.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, an example of the fuel cell system is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other configurations can be adopted. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the slide direction of the filter 45 is the left-right direction, but the slide direction may be the vertical direction instead.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first opening 41 is provided at a position higher than the predetermined height H. Instead, the first opening 41 is disposed at a position equal to or lower than the predetermined height H. You may do it.

  In the above-described embodiment, the blower fan 44 is rotatably provided in both the first direction and the second direction. Alternatively, the blower fan 44 can be rotationally driven only in the first direction. May be provided. In this case, cleaning control is not executed.

  Further, in the embodiment described above, the insertion portion 47b1 is provided so as to protrude from the rear side surface 47c of the cover portion 47 and open toward the left side. Instead, the insertion portion 47b1 is provided with the cover portion. Instead of protruding from the rear side surface 47c of 47, the cover portion 47 may be opened upward on the rear side surface 47c.

  In the above-described embodiment, the blower fan 44 is disposed in the communication passage 43 and used to cool the hot water flowing through the radiator 22b. Instead, the blower fan 44 is replaced with the housing 10a. It may be used to ventilate inside. In this case, the first opening 41 is disposed, for example, at the lower end of the left side surface of the casing 10a, and the second opening 42 is disposed, for example, at the upper end of the right side surface of the casing 10a. And the ventilation fan 44 is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the 1st opening part 41 in the housing | casing 10a. In this case, the communication path of the present invention corresponds to a portion where a fuel cell module, auxiliary equipment, and the like are not arranged in the space in the housing 10a.

  Further, the shape and arrangement position of the communication passage 43, the filter 45, the handle portion 45d, the support portion 46, the cover portion 47, and the inclined portion 47b2, and the handle portion 45d and the support portion 46 are within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. The number may be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Fuel cell system, 10 ... Power generation unit, 10a ... Housing, 11 (30) ... Fuel cell module, 12 ... Heat exchanger, 15 ... Control device, 20 ... Waste heat recovery system, 21 ... Hot water storage tank, 22 ... Circulation path, 22a ... circulation pump, 22b ... radiator, 22c ... temperature sensor, 34 ... fuel cell, 41 ... first opening, 42 ... second opening, 43 ... communication path, 44 ... fan, 45 ... filter, 46 ... support part, 47 ... cover part.

Claims (5)

A housing that houses at least a fuel cell that generates power from fuel and oxidant gas;
A first opening and a second opening provided in the housing;
A communication passage through which the first opening and the second opening are communicated and through which air can flow;
Arranged in the communication path and driven to rotate in the first direction, air outside the housing is fed into the communication path from the first opening, and air in the communication path is A blower fan that feeds out of the housing from two openings;
A fuel cell comprising: a filter that covers the first opening and is detachably disposed on the housing by sliding, and removes foreign matter in the air that is fed into the communication path. system.   The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein a sliding direction in which the filter slides is a left-right direction.   The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the first opening is disposed at a position higher than a predetermined height from the installation surface.   The blower fan is driven to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction, thereby sending air outside the housing from the second opening to the communication path, and the communication path. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein air inside is sent out from the first opening to the outside of the casing. A hot water storage tank for storing hot water,
A circulation path through which the hot water stored in the hot water tank circulates;
A heat exchanger provided in the circulation path for exchanging heat between the hot water and the exhaust gas from the fuel cell;
A radiator provided in the communication path, provided in the circulation path, and through which the hot water flows.
The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the radiator cools the hot and cold water with air that is fed into the communication path by rotational driving of the blower fan.

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