JP2019036468A - Fuel cell system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fuel cell system which allows improvement in cooling performance.SOLUTION: An exhaust path 53 is provided with two adsorbers 40 which adsorb moisture in exhaust air and then desorb the adsorbed moisture when heated. A vortex tube 42 for separating the exhaust air into cool air and warm air is provided downstream the adsorbers 40. A fuel cell stack 12 can be cooled by using the cool air. Also, there are provided: a second branch valve 44 which can change a flow path so that the warm air from the vortex tube 42 may be flown to one of the two adsorbers 40; and a control device 48 which controls the warm air from the vortex tube 42 to be flown to the other of the adsorbers 40 that is different from the one fed with the exhaust air. By repeatedly performing the process by switching between the two adsorbers 40, the exhaust air with a low amount of moisture may be constantly supplied to the vortex tube 42. As a result, it is possible to stably obtain the cool air at a lower temperature.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell system.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel cell system. In this fuel cell system, a vortex tube is provided on a discharge path of exhaust discharged from the fuel cell stack, and the exhaust gas flowing out from the cold air outlet is used for the fuel cell stack, etc. by utilizing the thermal separation action of the vortex tube. Used for cooling. Further, the exhaust gas flowing out from the warm air outlet of the vortex tube is used for heating the fuel cell stack or the like. In other words, the exhaust is reused for cooling and heating the equipment.

JP 2008-226676 A

  By the way, the vortex tube generally has a characteristic that the heat separation performance is lowered when the introduced gas contains a large amount of moisture. On the other hand, the hydrogen fuel fuel cell stack contains a large amount of water components. For this reason, in the fuel cell system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the heat separation performance of the vortex tube is lowered, and there is a possibility that sufficient cooling of the device cannot be performed. Therefore, the above prior art has room for improvement in this respect.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a fuel cell system capable of improving the cooling performance in consideration of the above facts.

  The fuel cell system according to claim 1 is provided on an exhaust path for exhausting exhaust gas after reaction from the fuel cell stack, and adsorbs moisture in the exhaust gas and adsorbs the moisture when heated. At least two adsorbers that desorb the gas, and a first branch that is provided upstream of the adsorber and that allows the flow path to be changed so that the exhaust flows to one of the at least two adsorbers. A valve, a vortex tube provided downstream of the adsorber and separating the exhaust into cold air and warm air, and a flow of flowing the warm air from the vortex tube to at least two of the adsorbers. The warm air from the vortex tube flows to a second branch valve that can change the path, and the adsorber that is different from the adsorber in which the exhaust gas is flowed by the first branch valve. Having a control device, the controlling of the second branch valve so.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least two or more adsorbers are provided on the exhaust path for exhausting the exhaust gas after reaction from the fuel cell stack. This adsorber adsorbs moisture in the exhaust and desorbs the adsorbed moisture when heated. In addition, a first branch valve is provided upstream of the adsorber so that the flow path can be changed so that the exhaust flows to one of at least two adsorbers. A vortex tube is provided to divide the air into cold and warm air. Therefore, it is possible to cool the equipment using the cold air from the vortex tube. By the way, generally, when the gas introduced into the vortex tube contains a large amount of moisture, the heat separation performance of separating into cold air and warm air decreases. However, in the present invention, an adsorber is provided on the upstream side of the vortex tube, and this adsorber reduces the moisture content of the exhaust gas by adsorbing the moisture in the exhaust gas. As a result, cold air having a lower temperature can be obtained.

  In the present invention, the second branch valve that allows the flow path to be changed so that the warm air from the vortex tube flows to one of at least two adsorbers, and the exhaust gas is flowed by the first branch valve. A controller that controls the second branch valve is provided so that warm air from the vortex tube flows in an adsorber different from the adsorber. In other words, since warm air can be introduced into the adsorber, if the amount of adsorbed water increases and the water adsorption performance of one adsorber decreases, exhaust gas is introduced into the other adsorber. Thus, the moisture adsorption performance can be recovered by introducing warm air from the vortex tube into one of the adsorbers whose moisture adsorption performance has decreased while reducing the amount of moisture in the exhaust gas. By repeating this alternately in one adsorber and the other adsorber, exhaust gas with a small amount of water can always be supplied to the vortex tube, so that cool air having a lower temperature can be stably obtained.

  The fuel cell system according to the first aspect of the present invention has an excellent effect that the cooling performance can be improved.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of schematic structure of the fuel cell system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of schematic structure of the fuel cell system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of schematic structure of the fuel cell system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of schematic structure of the fuel cell system which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, an example in which the fuel cell system is mounted on a vehicle will be described.

(First embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the fuel cell system 10 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell system 10 includes a fuel cell stack 12, a pressure regulating valve 14, a gas-liquid separator 16, a first pump 18, a drain valve 20, a radiator 22, a second pump 24, a flow meter 26, a compressor. 28 and an intercooler 30. Further, the fuel cell system 10 includes an air adjustment valve 32, a condenser 34, a water storage tank 36, a first branch valve 38, an adsorber 40, a vortex tube 42, a second branch valve 44, a third pump 46 and a control device 48. In addition.

  The fuel cell stack 12 is a unit that generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen sent from a hydrogen tank (not shown) and oxygen in the air sent from the compressor 28, and is formed by stacking a plurality of single cells. The pressure regulating valve 14 is an example of a decompression unit of the disclosed technology, and decompresses hydrogen in the hydrogen supply path 50 that supplies hydrogen from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack 12.

  The gas-liquid separator 16 separates hydrogen and reaction gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 12 into a gas component and a liquid component. The first pump 18 functions as a circulation pump that sends out hydrogen contained in the gas component separated by the gas-liquid separator 16 onto the hydrogen supply path 50. Further, the liquid component separated by the gas-liquid separation unit 16 is discharged to the condenser 34 through the drain valve 20.

  The radiator 22 has a fan (not shown) that takes in outside air, for example, and cools the cooling water flowing through the cooling water circulation path 52 by rotating the fan. The cooling water flowing through the cooling water circulation path 52 is sent from the radiator 22 to the fuel cell stack 12 by the second pump 24 to cool the fuel cell stack 12, and then returned to the radiator 22. A three-way valve 54 is provided on the cooling water circulation path 52, and the three-way valve 54 enables the cooling water from the fuel cell stack 12 to the radiator 22 to bypass the radiator 22.

  The flow meter 26 is provided on an air supply path 56 that supplies air to the fuel cell stack 12, and measures the amount of air flowing through the air supply path 56. The compressor 28 compresses the air flowing in the air supply path 56. The intercooler 30 cools the air in the air supply path 56 whose temperature has been increased by being compressed by the compressor 28. The cooled compressed air is sent to the fuel cell stack 12.

  The air adjustment valve 32 is provided on an exhaust path 53 through which exhaust (used air) exhausted from the fuel cell stack 12 is exhausted, and adjusts the exhaust amount of this air. The condenser 34 is provided on the exhaust path 53, and the exhaust gas flowing through the supplied exhaust path 53 is cooled by a condensing core 58 (heat exchanger) that is cooled to low temperature by the cool air sent from the vortex tube 42. By doing so, it is separated into a liquid and a gas. The liquid separated by the condenser 34 and the liquid component discharged from the drain valve 20 are stored in the water storage tank 36.

  The first branch valve 38 is a three-way valve, and is a valve body that is in one of a closed state, a first open state, and a second open state under the control of the control device 48. The closed state is a state in which the supply of exhaust gas to any of the two adsorbers 40 provided in parallel is shut off. Further, in the first open state, the exhaust gas is supplied to one of the two adsorbers 40 and the other adsorber 40 of the two adsorbers 40 is exhausted. This is the state where the supply is cut off. In the second open state, exhaust is supplied to the other adsorber 40 out of the two adsorbers 40 provided, and the exhaust to one adsorber 40 out of the two adsorbers 40 is provided. This is the state where the supply is cut off.

  The adsorber 40 contains an adsorbent (not shown) inside, and this adsorbent is, for example, silica gel, zeolite, activated carbon, activated alumina, or the like. Further, the exhaust from the condenser 34 is sent to the adsorber 40. Therefore, moisture in the exhaust gas passing through the adsorber 40 is adsorbed by the adsorbent. When the adsorber 40 is heated by supplying warm air from the vortex tube 42, the moisture adsorbed on the adsorbent is desorbed.

  The vortex tube 42 separates the air supplied from the condenser 34 into cold air and warm air. The second branch valve 44 is a three-way valve, and is a valve body that is in one of a closed state, a first open state, and a second open state under the control of the control device 48. The closed state is a state in which the supply of warm air from the vortex tube 42 to any of the two adsorbers 40 provided is shut off. In the first open state, warm air is supplied from the vortex tube 42 to one of the two adsorbers 40 provided, and the other adsorber of the two adsorbers 40 provided. In this state, the supply of warm air from the vortex tube 42 to 40 is shut off. In the second open state, warm air is supplied from the vortex tube 42 to the other adsorber 40 out of the two adsorbers 40 provided, and one adsorber out of the two adsorbers 40 provided. In this state, the supply of warm air from the vortex tube 42 to 40 is shut off.

  The third pump 46 discharges the liquid in the water storage tank 36 to the outside of the vehicle through the heat exchanging unit 64 provided inside the intercooler 30. In the heat exchange unit 64, heat exchange is performed between the air supplied from the compressor 28 and the liquid from the water storage tank 36.

  The control device 48 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) not shown as an example. The ECU is constituted by a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The ECU is connected to the first branch valve 38 and the second branch valve 44 described above, and controls the first branch valve 38 and the second branch valve 44, respectively. Specifically, the second branch valve 44 is controlled so that the warm air from the vortex tube 42 flows to the adsorber 40 different from any of the adsorbers 40 in which the exhaust gas is flowed by the first branch valve 38. .

(Operation and effect of the first embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  Here, the operation of the fuel cell system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. When hydrogen decompressed to the fuel cell stack 12 is sent from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack 12 through the pressure regulating valve 14, and air compressed by the compressor 28 is sent to the fuel cell stack 12, gas-liquid is generated along with power generation by an electrochemical reaction. Hydrogen and reaction gas are discharged to the separation unit 16, and used air is discharged to the condenser 34 through the air adjustment valve 32. In the gas-liquid separation unit 16, hydrogen and reaction gas are separated into a gas component and a liquid component, and the liquid component is discharged to the condenser 34 via the drain valve 20.

  In the condenser 34, since the exhaust gas is cooled, moisture in the exhaust gas is condensed. Accordingly, the exhaust gas is separated into liquid and gas, and the separated liquid and the liquid component from the gas-liquid separation unit 16 are stored in the water storage tank 36. On the other hand, the exhaust gas separated from the liquid is sent to one of the adsorbers 40 by the first branch valve 38 that is first opened by the control device 48. When the exhaust gas passes through one of the adsorbers 40, moisture in the exhaust gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent, and is then dried to be sent to the vortex tube 42. The exhaust gas is thermally separated into cold air and warm air by the vortex tube 42. The warm air is sent to the other adsorber 40 through the second branch valve 44 that has been opened by the control device 48.

  The cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is sent to the condensation core 58 in the condenser 34. Accordingly, the condensed core 58 cooled in the condenser 34 further promotes the generation of condensed water from the exhaust gas having a large amount of moisture discharged from the fuel cell stack 12. That is, the separation of exhaust gas into liquid and liquid is further promoted. As a result, the amount of water in the gas that has passed through the condenser 34 decreases, and the amount of liquid stored in the water storage tank 36 increases.

  By sending the gas whose moisture content is reduced from the condenser 34 to the vortex tube 42, the thermal separation performance of the vortex tube 42 is improved, and the temperature of the cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is further lowered. As a result, the generation of condensed water is further promoted in the condenser 34.

  The liquid stored in the water storage tank 36 is sent to the intercooler 30 by the third pump 46, exchanges heat with the intake air that has become high temperature by being compressed, and then is discharged. . That is, the cooling performance of the intercooler 30 is improved. Thereby, the compressed air sent to the fuel cell stack 12 is cooled, and the fuel cell stack 12 can be cooled.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the two adsorbers 40 are provided on the exhaust path 53 for exhausting the exhaust gas after reaction from the fuel cell stack 12. The adsorber 40 adsorbs moisture in the exhaust and desorbs the adsorbed moisture when heated. Further, upstream of the adsorber 40, a first branch valve 38 is provided that can change the flow path so that the exhaust gas flows into one of at least two adsorbers. Is provided with a vortex tube 42 that divides the exhaust air into cold air and warm air. Therefore, the cooler from the vortex tube 42 can be used to cool the intercooler 30 and thus the fuel cell stack 12. By the way, in general, when the vortex tube 42 contains a large amount of moisture in the introduced gas, the heat separation performance for separating the vortex tube 42 into cold air and warm air is lowered. However, in the present embodiment, the adsorber 40 is provided on the upstream side of the vortex tube 42, and the adsorber 40 reduces the moisture content of the exhaust gas by adsorbing the moisture in the exhaust gas. Thus, the heat separation performance can be improved, and cold air having a lower temperature can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the second branch valve 44 that allows the flow path to be changed so that the warm air from the vortex tube 42 flows to one of the two adsorbers 40, and the first branch valve 38 exhausts the exhaust gas. A controller 48 that controls the second branch valve 44 is provided so that the warm air from the vortex tube 42 flows to the adsorber 40 that is different from the adsorber 40 that has flowed. That is, since warm air can be introduced into the adsorber 40, when the adsorbing capacity of one adsorber 40 decreases due to an increase in the amount of adsorbed water, exhaust gas is exhausted from the other adsorber 40. The moisture adsorption performance is reduced by introducing the warm air from the vortex tube 42 to one of the adsorbers 40 that has been introduced into the exhaust gas and reducing the moisture content while reducing the moisture content in the exhaust gas and desorbing the moisture. be able to. By repeating this alternately in one adsorber 40 and the other adsorber 40, exhaust gas with a small amount of water can always be supplied to the vortex tube 42, so that cool air with lower temperature can be stably obtained. Can do. Thereby, cooling performance can be improved.

  Further, in the adsorber 40, moisture in the exhaust can be adsorbed by the adsorbing action of the adsorbent, so that the exhaust having a small amount of water can be supplied to the vortex tube 42 regardless of the operating state of the fuel cell stack 12. . Therefore, the cooling performance in the initial operation of the fuel cell stack 12 can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the exhaust gas passing through the condenser 34 can be cooled by using the heat separation action of the vortex tube 42 with almost no electric power, the condensed water can be stably obtained from the exhaust gas. Therefore, the intercooler 30 and the like can be stably cooled by using this condensed water as a refrigerant. That is, the cooling performance of the fuel cell system 10 can be improved. Thereby, since the radiator 22 can be reduced in size, weight reduction and cost reduction can be achieved.

  Furthermore, since a silencing effect is obtained due to pressure loss caused by exhaust passing through the adsorber 40, a silencer (muffler) is not required.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a fuel cell system 60 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell system 60 according to the second embodiment is characterized in that the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a plurality of vortex tubes 42 are provided.

  That is, two vortex tubes 42 are provided corresponding to the two adsorbers 40. Specifically, one vortex tube 42 to which exhaust gas is sent from one adsorber 40 and the other adsorber 40 are provided. The other vortex tube 42 to which the exhaust gas is sent is provided. Warm air ejected from one vortex tube 42 is sent to the other adsorber 40. Further, the cold air ejected from one vortex tube 42 is sent to the condenser 34. Warm air ejected from the other vortex tube 42 is sent to one adsorber 40. Further, the cold air ejected from the other vortex tube 42 is sent to the condenser 34.

(Operation and effect of the second embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  Here, the operation of the fuel cell system 60 according to the present embodiment will be described. When hydrogen decompressed to the fuel cell stack 12 is sent from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack 12 through the pressure regulating valve 14, and air compressed by the compressor 28 is sent to the fuel cell stack 12, gas-liquid is generated along with power generation by an electrochemical reaction. Hydrogen and reaction gas are discharged to the separation unit 16, and used air is discharged to the condenser 34 through the air adjustment valve 32. In the gas-liquid separation unit 16, hydrogen and reaction gas are separated into a gas component and a liquid component, and the liquid component is discharged to the condenser 34 via the drain valve 20.

  In the condenser 34, since the exhaust gas is cooled, moisture in the exhaust gas is condensed. Accordingly, the exhaust gas is separated into liquid and gas, and the separated liquid and the liquid component from the gas-liquid separation unit 16 are stored in the water storage tank 36. On the other hand, the exhaust gas separated from the liquid is sent to one of the adsorbers 40 by the first branch valve 38 that is first opened by the control device 48. When the exhaust gas passes through one of the adsorbers 40, the moisture in the exhaust gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent and is then dried to be sent to one vortex tube. The exhaust gas is thermally separated into cold air and warm air by one vortex tube 42. The warm air is sent to the other adsorber 40, whereby moisture is desorbed in the other adsorber 40. When the moisture adsorption performance is reduced due to an increase in the amount of moisture adsorbed in one adsorber 40, the exhaust gas is sent to the other adsorber 40 by opening the first branch valve 38 to the second open state. As a result, moisture is adsorbed and dried to be sent to the other vortex tube 42. The exhaust gas is thermally separated into cold air and warm air by the other vortex tube 42. The warm air is sent to one of the adsorbers 40, whereby moisture is desorbed in one of the adsorbers 40, and moisture can be adsorbed again.

  The cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is sent to the condensation core 58 in the condenser 34. Accordingly, the condensed core 58 cooled in the condenser 34 further promotes the generation of condensed water from the exhaust gas having a large amount of moisture discharged from the fuel cell stack 12. That is, the separation of exhaust gas into liquid and liquid is further promoted. As a result, the amount of water in the gas that has passed through the condenser 34 decreases, and the amount of liquid stored in the water storage tank 36 increases.

  By sending the gas whose moisture content is reduced from the condenser 34 to the vortex tube 42, the thermal separation performance of the vortex tube 42 is improved, and the temperature of the cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is further lowered. As a result, the generation of condensed water is further promoted in the condenser 34.

  The liquid stored in the water storage tank 36 is sent to the intercooler 30 by the third pump 46, exchanges heat with the intake air that has become high temperature by being compressed, and then is discharged. . That is, the cooling performance of the intercooler 30 is improved. Thereby, the compressed air sent to the fuel cell stack 12 is cooled, and the fuel cell stack 12 can be cooled.

  As described above, the above configuration is the same as that of the fuel cell system 10 of the first embodiment except that a plurality of vortex tubes 42 are provided. Thus, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. It is done.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a fuel cell system 62 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the basic configuration of the fuel cell system 62 according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 directly enters the intercooler 30. There is a feature in the point sent.

  That is, the air adjustment valve 32 sends the exhaust discharged from the fuel cell stack 12 to the first branch valve 38. Further, the liquid component discharged from the drain valve 20 is sent to the first branch valve 38. In the first branch valve 38, exhaust and liquid components are supplied to one adsorber 40. In the adsorber 40, the dry exhaust is sent to the vortex tube 42 by adsorbing the liquid component and moisture in the exhaust by the adsorbent.

  The vortex tube 42 separates the supplied air into cold air and warm air, and discharges the cold air to the outside of the vehicle through the heat exchanging portion 64 of the intercooler 30. In the heat exchange unit 64, heat exchange is performed between the air supplied from the compressor 28 and the cold air from the vortex tube 42.

(Operations and effects of the third embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  Here, the operation of the fuel cell system 62 according to the present embodiment will be described. When hydrogen decompressed to the fuel cell stack 12 is sent from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack 12 through the pressure regulating valve 14, and air compressed by the compressor 28 is sent to the fuel cell stack 12, gas-liquid is generated along with power generation by an electrochemical reaction. Hydrogen and reaction gas are discharged to the separation unit 16, and used air is discharged to the first branch valve 38 through the air adjustment valve 32. In the gas-liquid separator 16, the hydrogen and the reaction gas are separated into a gas component and a liquid component, and the liquid component is discharged to the first branch valve 38 via the drain valve 20.

  The exhaust gas and the liquid component are sent to one of the adsorbers 40 by the first branch valve 38 that is first opened by the control device 48. When passing through one of the adsorbers 40, the moisture and liquid components in the exhaust are adsorbed by the adsorbent, so that the exhaust is dried and sent to the vortex tube. The exhaust gas is thermally separated into cold air and warm air by the vortex tube 42. The warm air is sent to the other adsorber 40 through the second branch valve 44 that has been opened by the control device 48.

  The cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is sent to the heat exchange unit 64 of the intercooler 30. For this reason, the cooling performance of the intercooler 30 is improved. Thereby, the compressed air sent to the fuel cell stack 12 is cooled, and the fuel cell stack 12 can be cooled.

  As described above, the above configuration is the same as the fuel cell system 10 of the first embodiment except that the cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is directly sent to the intercooler 30. The same effect as the embodiment can be obtained. Further, the exhaust from the fuel cell stack 12 is directly sent to the adsorber 40 through the first branch valve 38, and the compressed air is cooled by the intercooler 30 using the cold air of the vortex tube 42. ing. That is, since the condenser 34, the water storage tank 36, etc. are unnecessary, the weight of the apparatus can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fuel cell system 70 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the fuel cell system 70 according to the fourth embodiment is characterized in that the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and three adsorbers 40 are provided in parallel. There is.

  That is, the first branch valve 72 provided downstream of the condenser 34 is a four-way valve, and is controlled by the control device 48 in the closed state, the first open state, the second open state, and the third open state. The valve body is in any state. The closed state is a state in which the supply of exhaust gas from the condenser 34 to any of the three adsorbers 40 provided in parallel is shut off. Further, in the first open state, the exhaust gas is supplied to the first adsorber 40 and the second adsorber 40 among the three adsorbers 40 provided, and the exhaust gas is supplied to the third adsorber 40. Is in a state of shutting off. Further, in the second open state, the exhaust gas is supplied to the second adsorber 40 and the third adsorber 40 among the three adsorbers 40 provided, and the exhaust gas is supplied to the first adsorber 40. Is in a state of shutting off. Further, in the third open state, the exhaust is supplied to the first adsorber 40 and the third adsorber 40 among the three adsorbers 40 provided, and the exhaust is supplied to the second adsorber 40. Is in a state of shutting off.

  The warm air of the vortex tube 42 is sent to the second branch valve 74. The second branch valve 74 is a four-way valve, and is controlled to be closed, first opened, and second opened by the control device 48. And the valve body in any one of the third open states. The closed state is a state in which the supply of warm air from the vortex tube 42 to any of the three adsorbers 40 provided in parallel is shut off. Further, in the first open state, warm air is supplied to the first adsorber 40 among the three adsorbers 40 provided, and warm air is supplied to the second adsorber 40 and the third adsorber 40. Is in a state of shutting off. In the second open state, the warm air is supplied to the second adsorber 40 among the three adsorbers 40 provided, and the warm air is supplied to the first adsorber 40 and the third adsorber 40. Is in a state of shutting off. Further, in the third open state, warm air is supplied to the third adsorber 40 among the three adsorbers 40 provided, and warm air is supplied to the first adsorber 40 and the second adsorber 40. Is in a state of shutting off.

(Operations and effects of the fourth embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  Here, the operation of the fuel cell system 70 according to the present embodiment will be described. When hydrogen decompressed to the fuel cell stack 12 is sent from the hydrogen tank to the fuel cell stack 12 through the pressure regulating valve 14, and air compressed by the compressor 28 is sent to the fuel cell stack 12, gas-liquid is generated along with power generation by an electrochemical reaction. Hydrogen and reaction gas are discharged to the separation unit 16, and used air is discharged to the condenser 34 through the air adjustment valve 32. In the gas-liquid separation unit 16, hydrogen and reaction gas are separated into a gas component and a liquid component, and the liquid component is discharged to the condenser 34 via the drain valve 20.

  In the condenser 34, since the exhaust gas is cooled, moisture in the exhaust gas is condensed. Accordingly, the exhaust gas is separated into liquid and gas, and the separated liquid and the liquid component from the gas-liquid separation unit 16 are stored in the water storage tank 36. On the other hand, the exhaust gas separated from the liquid is sent to the first adsorber 40 and the second adsorber 40 by the first branch valve 72 opened in the first state by the control device 48. When the exhaust gas passes through the first and second adsorbers 40, the moisture in the exhaust gas is adsorbed by the adsorbent and is then dried to be sent to the vortex tube 42. The exhaust gas is thermally separated into cold air and warm air by the vortex tube 42. The warm air is sent to the third adsorber 40 through the second branch valve 74 that has been brought into the third open state by the control device 48. That is, the first adsorber 40 and the second adsorber 40 adsorb moisture in the exhaust gas, and the third adsorber 40 is desorbed by being heated by warm air from the vortex tube 42. Is done.

  It should be noted that, after the first branch valve 72 and the second branch valve 74 are in the above-described state and after a predetermined time has elapsed or after a predetermined amount of exhaust gas has been discharged, the control device 48 causes the first branch valve 72 to be in the second open state. At the same time, the second branch valve 74 is set to the first open state. As a result, the second and third adsorbers 40 adsorb moisture in the exhaust gas, and the first adsorber 40 is desorbed by being heated by warm air from the vortex tube 42. . After a predetermined time has elapsed in this state or after a predetermined amount of exhaust gas has been discharged, the control device 48 causes the first branch valve 72 to be in the third open state and the second branch valve 74 to be in the second open state. As a result, the first and third adsorbers 40 adsorb moisture in the exhaust gas, and the second adsorber 40 is desorbed by being heated by the warm air from the vortex tube 42. . Further, after a predetermined time has elapsed or a predetermined amount of exhaust gas has been discharged in this state, the control device 48 initially sets the first branch valve 72 to the first open state and the second branch valve 74 to the third open state. It is returned to the state. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated after a predetermined time has elapsed or after a predetermined amount of exhaust gas has been discharged.

  The cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is sent to the condensation core 58 in the condenser 34. Accordingly, the condensed core 58 cooled in the condenser 34 further promotes the generation of condensed water from the exhaust gas having a large amount of moisture discharged from the fuel cell stack 12. That is, the separation of exhaust gas into liquid and liquid is further promoted. As a result, the amount of water in the gas that has passed through the condenser 34 decreases, and the amount of liquid stored in the water storage tank 36 increases.

  By sending the gas whose moisture content is reduced from the condenser 34 to the vortex tube 42, the thermal separation performance of the vortex tube 42 is improved, and the temperature of the cold air ejected from the vortex tube 42 is further lowered. As a result, the generation of condensed water is further promoted in the condenser 34.

  The liquid stored in the water storage tank 36 is sent to the intercooler 30 by the third pump 46, exchanges heat with the intake air that has become high temperature by being compressed, and then is discharged. . That is, the cooling performance of the intercooler 30 is improved. Thereby, the compressed air sent to the fuel cell stack 12 is cooled, and the fuel cell stack 12 can be cooled.

  As described above, the above configuration is the same as that of the fuel cell system 10 of the first embodiment except that three adsorbers 40 are provided in parallel. An effect is obtained. In general, the adsorbent is slower in adsorption than desorption. For this reason, it is possible to improve the average adsorption performance of the adsorber 40 by providing three adsorbers 40 in parallel and operating them in the adsorption / desorption cycle as described above before reaching the adsorption limit of the adsorbent. .

  In the case of the configuration described above, among the three adsorbers 40 provided in parallel, two adsorbers 40 perform adsorption, and the remaining one adsorber 40 performs desorption. Not only this, it is good also as a structure which adsorbs with one adsorption machine 40, desorbs with one other adsorption machine 40, and precools (rests or air-cools) one remaining adsorption machine 40. .

  In the above-described embodiment, two or three adsorbers 40 are provided. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and four or more adsorbers may be provided.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel cell system 12 Fuel cell stack 38 1st branch valve 40 Adsorber 42 Vortex tube 44 2nd branch valve 48 Control apparatus 53 Exhaust path 60 Fuel cell system 62 Fuel cell system 70 Fuel cell system

Claims (1)

At least two adsorbers that are provided on an exhaust path for discharging exhaust gas after reaction from the fuel cell stack, and that adsorb moisture in the exhaust gas and desorb the adsorbed moisture when heated;
A first branch valve provided upstream of the adsorber and capable of changing a flow path so that the exhaust flows to any one of the at least two adsorbers;
A vortex tube provided downstream of the adsorber and separating the exhaust into cold and warm air;
A second branch valve capable of changing the flow path so that the warm air from the vortex tube flows to any one of the at least two adsorbers;
A control device for controlling the second branch valve so that the warm air from the vortex tube flows to the adsorber different from the adsorber in which the exhaust gas is flowed by the first branch valve;
A fuel cell system.