JP2019173925A - Compression gas supply system and device utilizing natural energy and electric-power supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a compression gas supply system capable of supplying requisite compression gas while further restricting electric-power supply got from outside or without using utility power.SOLUTION: A compression gas supply system of this invention comprises a natural energy power generation part for generating electric power by at least one of sunlight, wind power and water power; a gas compression part capable of supplying gas to be supplied under its compressed state by electric power generated at the natural energy power generating part; a secondary battery capable of accumulating electric power generated at the natural energy power generating part and capable of supplying accumulated electric power to the gas compression part; and a control part determining at least one of supply sources capable of supplying electric power to the gas compression part on the basis of predetermined condition or pre-set condition and the supply sources including the natural energy power generating part and the secondary battery and supplying the electric power from the determined supply source to the gas compression part. In this case, it is also preferable that the gas compression part includes a compressor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for generating a compressed gas such as compressed air and supplying the compressed gas to an apparatus or a system.

  Conventionally, in various factories, construction sites, hospitals, and even amusement park facilities, compressed gas such as compressed air has been widely used for driving various systems / equipment, tools, etc., for cleaning, for purging, etc. Yes. Here, in order to compress the gas, a compressor is often used.

  Furthermore, in recent years, with the practical application and spread of fuel cells, compressed high-pressure hydrogen is stored in advance in, for example, high-pressure hydrogen cylinders or hydrogen storage alloy cylinders, and improvements in the technique of appropriately using it as fuel are energetically advanced. It has been.

  As a technique for producing such high-pressure compressed hydrogen, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a polymer electrolyte water electrolysis device as a hydrogen generator that generates hydrogen and releases it at a first predetermined pressure, and this water splitting. A solid polymer hydrogen compressing device connected to the apparatus by a conduit; a storage container for storing hydrogen connected to the compressing device by a conduit; and when the hydrogen pressure is lower than the first predetermined pressure, A high-pressure hydrogen production apparatus is disclosed that includes a pressure adjusting unit that circulates hydrogen released from the molecular hydrogen compression apparatus upstream and stops the hydrogen recirculation when the pressure exceeds a first predetermined pressure.

  Moreover, the technique regarding the water electrolysis apparatus which supplies high pressure compressed hydrogen is also disclosed by patent document 2, for example. In the water electrolysis apparatus according to Patent Document 2, a power feeding body is provided on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, a separator is stacked on the power feeding body, and a first power feeding body and one separator are disposed between the first power feeding body and the first separator. A first flow path for supplying a fluid is formed, and a second fluid is obtained between the other power feeding body and the other separator to obtain a second fluid having a pressure higher than normal pressure by electrolyzing the first fluid. A flow path is formed.

  The water electrolysis apparatus having such a configuration can reduce the pressure in the seal groove communicating with the second flow path when the high pressure second flow path is depressurized, thereby damaging the electrolyte membrane. It is said that it can be prevented as much as possible.

JP 2005-180545 A JP 2010-196133 A

Hiroyuki Ishikawa, Eiji Haruo, Tomoyuki Kawasaki, Sharp Kamon, "Development of 70MPa differential pressure type high pressure water electrolysis stack", Honda R & D Technical Review, Vol.28, No.1, 2016

  As described above, the generation and supply of compressed gas has become a very important technical matter. In particular, in the generation of compressed gas, it is often necessary to keep the consumed power as small as possible. It is required in the scene.

  For example, a compressor used in a factory or the like usually consumes a power of kilowatt (kW) level even if it is small. Further, in the same electrolysis apparatus disclosed by the same applicant as Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the amount of power required to generate compressed high-pressure hydrogen gas is the amount of power consumed by the mechanical compressor. There is also a report that it is reduced by about 30% compared with (see Non-Patent Document 1). That is, even if a water electrolysis apparatus that generates high-pressure hydrogen is used, it is difficult to achieve power consumption that is orders of magnitude smaller than that of a compressor.

  Thus, in the past, a considerable amount of electric power has been required to generate and supply the compressed gas. However, at present, the required electric power can be significantly suppressed due to a request for further progress in power saving. It is demanded.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a compressed gas supply system, a compressed gas supply device, and a power supply system that can supply necessary compressed gas while keeping external power supply smaller or without using external power. The purpose is to provide.

According to the present invention, a compressed gas supply system capable of supplying compressed gas,
A natural energy power generation unit that generates electric power by at least one of sunlight, wind power and hydropower;
A gas compression unit capable of supplying the gas to be supplied in a compressed state with the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit; and
A storage battery unit capable of storing the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and supplying the stored power to the gas compression unit; and
Based on a predetermined condition or a predetermined setting, at least one of the supply sources that can supply power to the gas compression unit and includes the natural energy power generation unit and the storage battery unit is determined, and the determined supply source A compressed gas supply system including a control unit that supplies electric power to the gas compression unit.

  As one embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention, the gas compression unit preferably includes a compressor that compresses the gas to be supplied with electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and supplies the compressed gas. .

  Further, as another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention, the compressed gas supply system is an electrolysis capable of generating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing the acquired water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit. It is also preferable that the gas compression unit compresses the generated hydrogen and / or oxygen.

  Further, in the embodiment using the electrolysis unit, the compressed gas supply system performs a dewatering process on the obtained water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit, and the purified water supply process is performed. It is also preferable to further have a pure water generation unit capable of supplying the water to the electrolysis unit.

  In the embodiment using the electrolysis unit and the pure water generation unit, the control unit can supply power to each of the electrolysis unit and the pure water generation unit based on a predetermined condition or a preset setting. It is also preferable that at least one of the supply sources including the natural energy power generation unit and the storage battery unit is determined and power is supplied from the determined supply source to each of the electrolysis unit and the pure water generation unit. .

  Furthermore, as still another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention, the gas compression unit is an electrolysis unit capable of generating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water with electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit. An electrolysis unit that has a high-pressure hydrogen passage where hydrogen ions that have moved through the membrane disposed between the electrodes become high-pressure hydrogen gas exceeding 1 atm, and supplies compressed hydrogen through the high-pressure hydrogen passage It is also preferable to contain.

In the embodiment using the electrolysis unit, the compressed gas supply system further includes a fuel cell unit that generates electric power from the generated hydrogen and the oxygen,
The control unit is a supply source capable of supplying power to the gas compression unit based on a predetermined condition or a predetermined setting, and is at least one of supply sources including a natural energy power generation unit, a storage battery unit, and a fuel cell unit. It is also preferable to supply power to the gas compression unit from the determined supply source.

Further, in the embodiment using the electrolysis unit, the fuel cell unit further generates power from the generated hydrogen and oxygen.
The control unit is a supply source capable of supplying power to the gas compression unit based on a predetermined condition or a predetermined setting, and is at least one of supply sources including a natural energy power generation unit, a storage battery unit, and a fuel cell unit. And supplying power from the determined supply source to the gas compression unit,
It is also preferable that the gas compression unit compresses the gas discharged from the fuel cell unit and supplies the compressed gas.

  According to the present invention, the power supply system including the compressed gas supply system described above, and having a fuel cell unit that generates and supplies power using the compressed oxygen supplied from the compressed gas supply system. Is provided.

  In the power supply system according to the present invention, it is also preferable that the fuel cell unit generates power using the compressed hydrogen supplied from the compressed gas supply system.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a compressed gas supply device capable of supplying a compressed gas,
A natural energy power generation unit that generates electric power by at least one of sunlight, wind power and hydropower;
A gas compression unit capable of supplying the gas to be supplied in a compressed state with the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit; and
A storage battery unit capable of storing the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and supplying the stored power to the gas compression unit; and
Based on a predetermined condition or a predetermined setting, at least one of the supply sources that can supply power to the gas compression unit and includes the natural energy power generation unit and the storage battery unit is determined, and the determined supply source A compressed gas supply device having a control unit that supplies electric power to the gas compression unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to supply required compressed gas, suppressing the electric power supply from the outside smaller, or without using external electric power.

It is a mimetic diagram showing one embodiment of a compressed gas supply system by the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of the compressed gas supply system by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows further another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows further another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows further another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system by this invention. It is a mimetic diagram showing one embodiment of an electric power supply system by the present invention.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail, referring an accompanying drawing. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, components that can have similar structures and functions may be denoted using the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios within and between the components in the drawings are arbitrary for ease of viewing the drawings.

[Compressed gas supply system / equipment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a compressed gas supply system according to the present invention.

A compressed gas supply system 1 as an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is a system that compresses air taken from outside and supplies compressed air.
(A) a natural energy power generation unit (power generation U) 10 that generates electric power by at least one of sunlight, wind power, and hydropower;
(B) the compressor 12 as a gas compression section that can be supplied in a compressed state of the air to be supplied with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 10;
(C) a storage battery unit 11 capable of storing the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 10 and supplying the stored power to the compressor 12;
(D) Based on “predetermined conditions or presetting”, at least from among “suppliers” that can supply power to the compressor 12 and include the natural energy power generation unit 10 and the storage battery unit 11 And a control unit 1a for determining one and supplying electric power to the compressor 12 from the determined "supply source".

Here, in addition to the natural energy power generation unit 10 and the storage battery unit 11, the “supply source” of the configuration (D) preferably includes commercial power (from a commercial power source). Of course, a form not including commercial power is also possible. Similarly, as the “predetermined condition or pre-set” of the configuration (D), for example, when the gas pressure in the first gas tank 13 described later is less than a predetermined threshold,
(A) If the power generation amount of the natural energy power generation unit 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the “supplier” is the natural energy power generation unit 10,
(B) When the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 10 is less than a predetermined threshold (for example, in the case of solar cell power generation, such as at night or overcast), the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 11 is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold. Then, the “supplier” may be the storage battery unit 11. On the other hand, if the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery unit 11 is less than the predetermined threshold, the “supplier” may be the commercial power (here, the storage battery unit 11 also It is also preferable to supply commercial power and store it).

Furthermore, when the gas pressure in the first gas tank 13 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, it is preferable not to set the “supply source” to the compressor 12. At this time,
(C) If the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 11 is less than the predetermined threshold, the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 10 is supplied to the storage battery unit 11. It is also preferable to store electricity (if the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 10 is less than a predetermined threshold value and the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery unit 11 is less than the predetermined threshold value, commercial power is supplied to the storage battery unit 11 and stored. It is also preferable that
Incidentally, it is also preferable that the control of the “supplier” as described above is executed by executing a control program (application) installed in a computer provided in the control unit 1a.

  In addition, power distribution from the “supply source” may be performed by operating a distributor provided in the conductive path. Further, when the natural energy power generation unit 10 generates DC power (for example, in the case of solar cell power generation) and the compressor 12 is of an AC drive type, the DC power output from the natural energy power generation unit 10 and the storage battery unit 11 Is supplied to the compressor 12 after being converted into AC power by an inverter, for example. It is also preferable that a voltage adjustment unit (including a transformer) for adjusting the converted AC power to a voltage suitable for the compressor 12 is provided.

  Further, when the natural energy power generation unit 10 generates AC power (for example, when an AC power generator is provided), the AC power and the commercial power are supplied to the storage battery unit 11 after being converted into DC by a converter. It will be. The same applies when the compressor 12 is a DC drive type. In any case, a converter, an inverter, and a voltage regulator can be appropriately arranged and coped with according to the DC / AC type in the “supplier” and the power consumption unit.

  As described above, the compressed gas supply system 1 includes the natural energy power generation unit 10 and the storage battery unit 11, and the controller 1a appropriately supplies power from them to the compressor. As a result, it is possible to supply necessary compressed air while keeping the external power supply such as commercial power smaller or without using external power such as commercial power. Of course, the object to be compressed and supplied by the compressed gas supply system 1 is not limited to air, and various gases can be used as long as they can be compressed by the compressor 12.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 1, the compressed gas supply system 1 of the present embodiment includes a first gas tank 13, a pressure adjusting unit 14, and a second gas tank 15 in addition to the above-described configurations (A) to (D). Have. Hereinafter, the components of the compressed gas supply system 1 will be described sequentially.

  First, the natural energy power generation unit 10 may be a solar cell power generation unit that includes a solar cell and converts sunlight into electric power, and rotates a rotor with blades (wings) attached thereto by wind power to generate a generator. It may be a wind power generation unit that generates electric power by driving, or may be a micro hydroelectric power generation unit that generates electric power by driving a generator by rotating a turbine (water turbine) by water flow (hydraulic power).

  In addition, various other power generation units can be adopted as the natural energy power generation unit 10 as long as the light energy of sunlight and the kinetic energy of wind and water flow are finally converted into electric energy. Furthermore, the natural energy power generation unit 10 may be a combination of two or more of the power generation units as described above. In any case, it is also preferable that a power meter is provided in the output section of the generated power so that the presence or absence of power generation at each time point and the amount of generated power can be measured.

  The storage battery unit 11 is a power storage unit including a secondary battery such as a lithium (Li) battery or a lead (Pb) storage battery. It is also preferable that an electricity storage meter is provided so that the amount of electricity stored at each time point and whether or not the battery is fully charged can be measured.

  The compressor 12 is a compressor that compresses a supply target gas (air in the present embodiment) and supplies the compressed gas to the first gas tank 13. As the compression method in the compressor 12, for example, various types such as a reciprocating type, a scroll type, a screw type, a rotary type, a swing type, etc., or a combination of two or more thereof can be adopted.

  The first gas tank 13 is a gas storage unit that temporarily stores the supply target gas (air in the present embodiment) compressed by the compressor 12 in a compressed state. For example, high pressure air of 0.5 MPa or more and less than 1 MPa (about 10 atmospheres) output from the compressor 12 is stored, and the stored high pressure air is secondly passed through the pressure adjustment unit 14 in accordance with control by the control unit 1a. Output to the gas tank 15 is also preferable. Of course, the gas pressure of the high-pressure air to be stored can be set to 1 MPa (about 10 atmospheres) or more, which is a pressure that requires handling management according to the high-pressure gas safety law. The first gas tank 13 is provided with a gas pressure gauge and can measure the gas pressure in the tank at each time point and whether or not it is in a full filling state (for example, a high pressure state of 0.999 MPa). Is also preferable.

  The pressure adjustment unit 14 adjusts the gas pressure of the compressed air received from the first gas tank 13 according to the control by the control unit 1a, for example, and outputs the compressed air having a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.5 MPa) to the second gas tank 15, for example. This is a known gas pressure regulator.

  Further, the second gas tank 15 serves as a supply interface that stores the compressed air at a predetermined pressure and can stably supply the compressed air to the outside in accordance with, for example, control by the control unit 1a. The second gas tank 15 is also provided with a gas pressure gauge, and it is possible to measure the gas pressure in the tank at each time point and whether or not it is in a predetermined pressure state (for example, a compressed state of 5 MPa). preferable.

  In addition, about the compressed gas supply system 1 demonstrated above, it is also possible to set it as one apparatus provided with the structure part shown above. Of course, for example, only the natural energy power generation unit 10 is a single device installed outdoors or outside the vehicle (for example, in an exposed form), and other components including the compressor 12 are installed indoors or in the vehicle. It may be a single installed device.

[Other Embodiments of Compressed Gas Supply System / Device]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention.

  The compressed gas supply system 2 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 has the same configuration as the components (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 1a) of the same name in FIG. The natural energy power generation unit 20, the storage battery unit 21, the compressor (24r, 24h, 24o), the first gas tank (25r, 25h, 25o), the pressure adjusting unit (26r, 26h, 26o), the second gas tank (27r, 27h, 27o) and the control unit 2a, and further includes an electrolysis unit 23. It is also preferable to have a pure water treatment unit 22.

  Among them, the electrolysis unit 23 is an electrolysis unit that can generate hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing the acquired water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 20. Here, various known electrolysis methods can be used. For example, a method in which a large number of electrolytic cells having a structure in which a solid polymer electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between both sides by a catalyst and an electrode is used. Also good.

  It is also preferable that the electrolysis unit 23 includes a dehumidifying unit that removes moisture from the generated oxygen and hydrogen. It is also possible to return the moisture removed here to the electrolysis unit 23 or the pure water treatment unit 22 described later. Furthermore, it is also preferable to have a wattmeter that can measure the consumed power and the presence or absence of power consumption at each time point, and has a flow meter that can measure the amount of hydrogen and oxygen produced and the presence or absence of production. Also good.

  The pure water treatment unit 22 performs a pure water treatment on the acquired water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 20, and supplies the water subjected to the pure water treatment to the electrolysis unit 23. It is a water generation part. Specific treatment for water purification, such as treatment with filter or activated carbon, distillation (purification by vaporization with electric power), treatment with ion exchange resin, electric regeneration type ion exchange treatment, treatment with reverse osmosis membrane, etc. One or a combination of two or more of the above can be employed. Moreover, the pure water treatment part 22 may be provided with the flowmeter which can measure the quantity of the pure water produced | generated at each time, and the presence or absence of produced | generated pure water.

  Furthermore, the compressors 24r, 24h, and 24o are compressors that compress the air taken from the outside, the hydrogen generated by the electrolysis unit 23, and the oxygen generated by the electrolysis unit 23 and supply them to the first gas tank, respectively. It has become. Naturally, an embodiment without the compressor 24r is also possible, and only one of the compressors 24h and 24o may be provided. Of course, when all the compressors 24r, 24h, and 24o are installed, compressed air, compressed hydrogen, and compressed oxygen can be individually supplied to the outside.

  Further, the first gas tanks 25r, 25h and 25o, the pressure adjusting units 26r, 26h and 26o, and the second gas tanks 27r, 27h and 27o have the same configurations as the constituent units 13, 14 and 15 of the same name in FIG. Then, the same functional operation is performed so that compressed air, compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen at a predetermined pressure can be supplied to the outside. Incidentally, the first gas tank 25h may be a tank provided with a hydrogen storage alloy cylinder, which will be described in detail later.

  Here, of course, when the compressed air is not supplied, the first gas tank 25r, the pressure adjusting unit 26r and the second gas tank 27r are not provided, and when only one of compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen is supplied, naturally Correspondingly, only one of “first gas tank 25h, pressure adjusting unit 26h and second gas tank 27h” and “first gas tank 25o, pressure adjusting unit 26o and second gas tank 27o” is installed. .

  The control unit 2a can supply power to each of the electrolysis unit 23 and the pure water treatment unit 22 based on “predetermined conditions or preset settings” in addition to the control contents of the control unit 1a of FIG. At least one of the “suppliers” including the natural energy power generation unit 20 and the storage battery unit 21 is determined, and electric power is converted from the determined “suppliers” to the electrolysis unit 23 and the pure water treatment unit. Each of the parts 22 is supplied.

Here, it is also preferable that the “supplier” includes commercial power (from a commercial power source) in addition to the natural energy power generation unit 20 and the storage battery unit 21. Of course, a form not including commercial power is also possible. Further, as the “predetermined condition or pre-set” in the control unit 2a, for example, when the gas pressure in the first gas tank (25r, 25h, 25o) is less than a predetermined threshold value,
(A) If the power generation amount of the natural energy power generation unit 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the “supplier” is the natural energy power generation unit 20,
(B) When the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 20 is less than a predetermined threshold (for example, in the case of solar cell power generation, such as at night or overcast), the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 21 is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold. If this is the case, the “supplier” may be the storage battery unit 21, while the “supplier” may be the commercial power if the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery unit 21 is less than the predetermined threshold value (here, the storage battery unit 21 also It is also preferable to supply commercial power and store it).

Furthermore, when the gas pressure in the first gas tank 23 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the “supply source” to each of the electrolysis unit 23 and the pure water treatment unit 22 is not set,
(C) If the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 21 is less than the predetermined threshold, the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 20 is supplied to the storage battery unit 21. It is also preferable to store the electric power (here, if the power generation amount of the natural energy power generation unit 20 is less than a predetermined threshold value and the power storage amount in the storage battery unit 21 is less than the predetermined threshold value, commercial power is supplied to the storage battery unit 21 and stored. It is also preferable that
Incidentally, it is also preferable that the control of the “supplier” as described above is executed by executing a control program (application) installed in a computer provided in the control unit 2a.

  In addition, power distribution from the “supply source” may be performed by operating a distributor provided in the conductive path. Furthermore, when the natural energy power generation unit 20 generates AC power (for example, when an AC power generator is provided), the AC power or commercial power is converted into DC by a converter and then the storage battery unit 21 or the electrolysis unit. 23. The same applies to the case where the compressor 22 is a DC drive type. In any case, a converter, an inverter, and a voltage regulator can be appropriately arranged and coped with according to the DC / AC type in the “supplier” and the power consumption unit.

  As described above, the compressed gas supply system 2 includes the natural energy power generation unit 20 and the storage battery unit 21, and appropriately supplies the electric power from them to the electrolysis-related unit and the compressor by the control unit 2 a. As a result, it is possible to supply compressed hydrogen or compressed oxygen while keeping the external power supply such as commercial power smaller or without using external power such as commercial power.

  It should be noted that the compressed gas supply system 2 described above can also be a single device provided with the components described above. Of course, for example, only the natural energy power generation unit 20 is one device installed outdoors or outside the vehicle (for example, in an exposed form), and other components are installed indoors or inside the vehicle 1 It may be one device.

[Still another embodiment of compressed gas supply system and apparatus]
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention.

  The compressed gas supply system 3 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has the same configuration as the components (10, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 1a) of the same name in FIG. , A natural energy power generation unit 30, a storage battery unit 31, a first gas tank (34h, 34o), a pressure adjustment unit (35h, 35o), a second gas tank (36h, 36o), and a control unit 3a. 1 has a high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 which is a gas compression unit instead of the compressor 12 of FIG. Furthermore, it is also preferable to have a pure water treatment unit 32 that has the same configuration as the pure water treatment unit 22 in FIG. 2 and performs the same functional operation. The first gas tank 34h may be a tank provided with a hydrogen storage alloy cylinder, which will be described in detail later.

  Here, the high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 is an electrolysis unit capable of electrolyzing water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 30 to generate hydrogen and oxygen, and is a membrane (for example, a solid state) disposed between electrodes. This is an electrolysis unit that has a high-pressure hydrogen passage in which hydrogen ions that have moved through the polymer membrane) become high-pressure hydrogen gas exceeding 1 atm, and supplies compressed hydrogen through the high-pressure hydrogen passage.

  In general, if the electrolysis process is continuously performed in a sealed container, the gas pressure (hydrogen pressure, oxygen pressure) in the sealed container increases with the energization time, so that high-pressure hydrogen and oxygen are generated. Basically, the high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 uses this principle to generate compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen. In particular, the above-described configuration makes it possible to generate high-pressure compressed hydrogen. For example, specifically, a sealed structure as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above can be employed.

  Moreover, it is also preferable that the high voltage | pressure electrolysis unit 33 is provided with the dehumidification part which removes a water | moisture content from the produced | generated hydrogen and oxygen. It is also possible to return the moisture removed here to the electrolysis unit 33 and the pure water treatment unit 32 again. Furthermore, it is also preferable to have a wattmeter that can measure the consumed power and the presence or absence of power consumption at each time point, and has a flow meter that can measure the amount of hydrogen and oxygen produced and the presence or absence of production. Also good.

  The first gas tanks 34h and 34o, the pressure adjusting units 35h and 36o, and the second gas tanks 36h and 36o have the same configuration as the components 13, 14 and 15 of the same name in FIG. Thus, compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen at a predetermined pressure can be supplied to the outside. Here, when only one of compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen is supplied, naturally, “first gas tank 34h, pressure adjusting unit 35h and second gas tank 36h”, “first gas tank 34o, pressure adjusting unit” Only one of “35o and second gas tank 36o” is installed.

  Moreover, when one of hydrogen and oxygen is output from the high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 in an uncompressed state, the second gas tank may supply it to the outside as a gas that is not compressed.

  The control unit 3a supplies each of the high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 and the pure water treatment unit 32 to the high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 and the pure water treatment unit 32 in the same manner as the control unit 1a in FIG. Determine and control the “source” of power. Here, in addition to the natural energy power generation unit 30 and the storage battery unit 31, the “supply source” preferably includes commercial power (from a commercial power source). Of course, a form not including commercial power is also possible. Incidentally, it is also preferable that such “supplier” control is executed by executing a control program (application) installed in a computer provided in the control unit 3a.

  In addition, power distribution from the “supply source” can be performed by operating a distributor provided in the conductive path. Further, when the natural energy power generation unit 30 generates AC power (for example, when an AC power generator is provided), the AC power and commercial power are converted into DC by a converter, and then the storage battery unit 31 and the high-voltage electrolysis are converted. It will be supplied to the unit 33. In any case, a converter, an inverter, and a voltage regulator can be appropriately arranged and coped with according to the DC / AC type in the “supplier” and the power consumption unit.

  As described above, the compressed gas supply system 3 includes the natural energy power generation unit 30 and the storage battery unit 31, and the control unit 3a appropriately supplies power from them to the high voltage electrolysis-related unit. As a result, it is possible to supply compressed hydrogen or compressed oxygen while keeping the external power supply such as commercial power smaller or without using external power such as commercial power.

  Note that the compressed gas supply system 3 described above can also be a single device including the components described above. Of course, for example, only the natural energy power generation unit 30 is a single device installed outdoors or outside the vehicle (for example, in an exposed form), and the other components are installed indoors or inside the vehicle. It may be one device.

[Still another embodiment of compressed gas supply system and apparatus]
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention.

  The compressed gas supply system 4 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 has the same components (20, 21, 23, (24r, 24h, 24o), (25r, 25h, 25o), (26r, 26h) in FIG. , 26o), (27r, 27h, 27o) and 2a), and the same functional operation is performed, the natural energy power generation unit 40, the storage battery unit 41, the electrolysis unit 43, the compressor (46r, 46h, 46o), a first gas tank (47r, 47h, 47o), a pressure adjusting unit (48r, 48h, 48o), a second gas tank (49r, 49h, 49o), and a control unit 4a. Moreover, it is also preferable to have the pure water treatment part 42 which has the structure similar to the pure water treatment part 22 of FIG. 2, and performs the same function operation | movement. Further, the first gas tank 47h may be a tank provided with a hydrogen storage alloy cylinder, which will be described in detail later.

  Here, the “compressor 46r, first gas tank 47r, pressure adjusting unit 48r, and second gas tank 49r” compresses nitrogen, which is exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell unit 45, which will be described later, and compresses compressed nitrogen having a predetermined pressure to the outside. This is a group of components that can be supplied.

  The “compressor 46h, first gas tank 47h, pressure adjusting unit 48h and second gas tank 49h” and “compressor 46o, first gas tank 47o, pressure adjusting unit 48o and second gas tank 49o” are respectively electrolysis units 43. The generated hydrogen and oxygen are compressed to form a group of components that can supply compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen at a predetermined pressure to the outside. In addition, when compressed hydrogen and / or oxygen are not supplied to the outside, it is possible to omit the above-described component group related to compressed hydrogen and / or compressed oxygen supply.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the compressed gas supply system 4 includes compressors 44 h and 44 ro and a fuel cell unit 45. Among these, the compressors 44 h and 44 ro are compressors that compress the hydrogen and oxygen generated by the electrolysis unit 43 and supply them to the fuel cell unit 45. As these compression methods, for example, various types such as a reciprocating type, a scroll type, a screw type, a rotary type, a swing type, etc., or a combination of two or more thereof can be adopted.

  Here, the compressor 44ro includes an air-fuel mixture generation unit (gas mixer) that mixes oxygen generated by the electrolysis unit 43 with air taken from the outside to generate oxygen-mixed air. You may compress.

  In any case, by sending compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen (compressed oxygen mixed air) to the fuel cell unit 45 by the compressors 44h and 44ro, the density of hydrogen molecules and oxygen molecules in the vicinity of the reaction electrode in the fuel cell unit 45 is increased. The amount of power generated can be increased. It is also possible to supply hydrogen and oxygen generated by the electrolysis unit 43 to the fuel cell unit 45 without using the compressors 44h and 44ro.

  The fuel cell unit 45 is a fuel cell unit that generates electric power from hydrogen and oxygen generated by the electrolysis unit 43. For example, an air electrode (oxygen electrode, cathode, cathode) and a fuel electrode (hydrogen electrode, anode) , Anode), and a fuel cell having a known configuration in which a plurality of cells having a structure in which an electrolyte is sandwiched therebetween are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween. Here, it is also preferable that the fuel cell unit 45 includes a flow meter capable of measuring the amount of flowing hydrogen / oxygen and the amount of exhaust gas / exhaust moisture.

  In addition, as a battery system in the fuel cell unit 45, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system, a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) system, or a molten carbonate fuel is used. A battery (MCFC) system or the like can be adopted. Of these, the PEFC method is widely used in fuel cell vehicles because it operates at a relatively low temperature and the battery size can be reduced. The SOFC system has high power generation efficiency, normally operates at about 700 to about 1000 ° C., and can supply very high temperature exhaust gas.

  Here, it is also preferable that the fuel cell unit 45 includes an exhaust gas treatment unit 45a. The exhaust gas treatment unit 45a removes oxygen and hydrogen remaining in the exhaust gas, as well as water vapor and moisture, and adjusts the exhaust gas to high purity nitrogen. Of these, oxygen removal treatment includes oxygen scavengers, oxygen absorbers, metal powders or fine pieces / threads that are easily oxidized, and polyimide that allows oxygen to pass more than nitrogen in the air. Commercially available hollow fiber membranes using molecular materials (so-called nitrogen-enriched membranes) may be used.

Further, oxygen may be separated and removed by an oxygen separation filter using a zirconia solid electrolyte, a BaO—SrO—CoO—Fe ₂ O ₃ based composite oxide, or the like. Furthermore, oxygen can also be separated and removed using a known oxygen gas PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) apparatus containing zeolite.

  Further, as the hydrogen removal treatment, a known zeolite hydrogen separation membrane, a hydrogen gas pressure fluctuation adsorber, or the like may be used. Furthermore, it is also possible to use a technique in which hydrogen in the exhaust gas and oxygen in the exhaust gas are combusted by, for example, electric heating to convert the hydrogen content into water vapor and moisture (for example, JP-A-2001-52730). See the official gazette).

For example, the following method can be used as the water vapor / water removal process in the exhaust gas processing unit 45a.
(A) The vapor pressure of water vapor in the exhaust gas is controlled to be equal to or lower than the saturated vapor pressure.
(B) The exhaust gas is cooled to remove moisture in the exhaust gas.
(C) Using a known steam separator, the water vapor condensate contained in the exhaust gas is generated and separated.
(D) A purge means for discharging liquid water generated by the electrode reaction to the outside is provided.
(E) The shape of the gas flow path in the battery cell is made to have a small inflow / outflow resistance.

(F) A polymer that forms a hydrogen bond with water molecules is disposed at the separator or electrode position to promote water discharge (see JP 2010-86694 A).
(G) Using a porous body having a multilayer structure and a gas-impermeable layer for separating two kinds of fluids provided at positions opposite to the electrolyte / electrode (catalyst layer) in the porous body, Are separated (see JP 2008-84703 A).
(H) A fuel cell separator using a hole in the metal porous body as a gas flow path is used, and a linear through hole is provided in the metal porous body to promote moisture discharge (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-14242). See).

  Here, although it is a countermeasure mentioned by said (b), it is also preferable to condense and remove the water | moisture content in waste gas using a Bertier element. Further, the exhaust gas can be adiabatically expanded and rapidly cooled to form water droplets to remove water contained therein.

  It is also preferable to condense and remove moisture in the exhaust gas using a heat exchanger. In this case, a loop heat pipe can be used as the heat exchanger for dehumidification. In particular, it is also preferable to use a thin plate type loop heat pipe mounted on the discharge side of the fuel cell. A thin plate type loop heat pipe has a structure in which a thin plate evaporator and a heat diffusion plate (condenser) are connected by a thin plate heat pipe (steam pipe and liquid pipe). Used by exposing the evaporator to exhaust gas.

Furthermore, although it is the countermeasure mentioned in the above (d), at least water is generated by supplying a gas such as air to the flow path on the electrode side where the water is generated (in the case of PEFC method, the air electrode side). Purge is also preferred.

  It is also effective to remove moisture in the exhaust gas by using a foaming device and passing the exhaust gas as micro (nano) bubbles in cold water. Further, moisture in the exhaust gas can be removed using a dehumidifier containing silica gel and / or zeolite. In this case, since the dehumidifying speed is not so high, it is also preferable that the exhaust gas is first stored in a tank and the exhaust gas is dehumidified by a dehumidifier including silica gel and / or zeolite provided in the tank. For example, by using a dehumidifier containing a predetermined zeolite such as zeolite containing silica and alumina and adjusting the content ratio of both, oxygen content in the exhaust gas can be absorbed.

  Furthermore, such a dehumidifier may be heated with heat supplied via the heat exchange part 45b of the fuel cell unit 45, for example, and the absorbed moisture and oxygen content may be taken out and used for various purposes. It is also preferable to separate and remove liquid (generally pure water in this embodiment) from the exhaust gas stream using a gas-liquid separator. Gravity separation type, centrifugal separation type, mist remover pad type, wing type separation type, atmospheric pressure separation coalescer type, etc. can be adopted as this gas-liquid separation method

  Incidentally, the water vapor and moisture discharged from the fuel cell unit 45, including the water vapor and water separated from the exhaust gas as described above, are supplied to, for example, the pure water treatment unit 42 and electrolyzed in the electrolysis unit 43. It can be reused as a material.

  As described above, the exhaust gas processed by the exhaust gas processing unit 45a can be made into dry nitrogen with high purity (when oxygen content is supplied as oxygen mixed air or air). In the present embodiment, this nitrogen can be supplied to the outside as compressed nitrogen by the “compressor 46r, first gas tank 47r, pressure adjusting unit 48r, and second gas tank 49r”.

  In the fuel cell unit 45, two or more fuel cells are connected in series, and the exhaust gas from the previous fuel cell is sequentially taken in and used for the cell reaction. It is also possible to output an inert gas. Incidentally, such a configuration has been invented by the inventors of the present application (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-11343).

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, the fuel cell unit 45 preferably includes a heat exchanging portion 45b. The heat exchanging unit 45b supplies heat energy generated when power is generated in the fuel cell unit 45 to the outside. Incidentally, in this case, the present compressed gas supply system 4 also functions as a compressed gas and thermal energy supply system.

  Further, the heat exchange unit 45 b may transfer the heat energy generated by the fuel cell unit 45 to the electrolysis unit 43. Thereby, the electrolysis unit 43 can also improve the hydrogen generation efficiency in electrolysis by changing the water to be electrolyzed into water vapor or increasing the temperature of the water.

  At this time, for example, it is also preferable to monitor the temperature of the electrolysis cell with an installed temperature sensor and control the electrolysis operation by the control unit 4a in order to avoid the occurrence of explosion due to heating of the electrolyte or the like. Furthermore, it is possible to increase the applied voltage between the electrodes so as to perform an electrolysis process without using an electrolyte and requiring no monitoring or maintenance of the electrolyte.

  Note that not only the electrolysis unit 43 but also the fuel cell unit 45 and the pure water treatment unit 42 are provided with temperature sensors, and the control unit 4a uses the temperature measurement values acquired from these temperature sensors as control indices. As one type, it is also preferable to control the reaction operation of the entire system 4 including the fuel cell unit 45 and the electrolysis unit 43.

  Furthermore, the control unit 4a is a “supplier” capable of supplying power to the compressors 44h and 44ro based on “predetermined conditions or preset settings” in addition to the control contents of the control unit 2a of FIG. Then, at least one of “suppliers” including the natural energy power generation unit 20, the storage battery unit 21, and the fuel cell unit 45 is determined, and electric power is supplied from the determined “suppliers” to the compressor (44h, 44ro), pure water. It is made to supply to the chemical conversion part 42, the electrolysis unit 43, and the compressor (46r, 46h, 46o).

Here, it is also preferable that the “supplier” includes commercial power (from a commercial power source) in addition to the natural energy power generation unit 20, the storage battery unit 21, and the fuel cell unit 45. Of course, a form not including commercial power is also possible. Further, as the “predetermined condition or pre-set” in the control unit 4a, for example, when the gas pressure in the first gas tank (47r, 47h, 47o) is less than a predetermined threshold,
(A) If the power generation amount of the natural energy power generation unit 40 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the “supplier” is the natural energy power generation unit 40,
(B) When the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 40 is less than a predetermined threshold (for example, in the case of solar cell power generation, such as at night or overcast), the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 41 is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold. Then, the “supplier” may be the storage battery unit 41, while the “supplier” may be the commercial power if the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery unit 41 is less than the predetermined threshold (here, the storage battery unit 21 also It is also preferable to supply commercial power and store it).
(C) Furthermore, if the electrolysis unit 43 is operating and the fuel cell unit 45 is also operating by receiving hydrogen / oxygen, it is preferable to include the fuel cell unit 45 in the “supplier” (where, It is also preferable that the storage battery unit 21 is supplied with electric power from the fuel cell unit 45 to be stored.

Furthermore, when the gas pressure in the first gas tank (47r, 47h, 47o) is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, it is preferable not to set the “supply source” of electric power. At this time,
(D) If the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 40 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 41 is less than the predetermined threshold, the power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 40 is supplied to the storage battery unit 41. It is also preferable to store the electric power (here, if the amount of power generated by the natural energy power generation unit 40 is less than a predetermined threshold and the amount of power stored in the storage battery unit 41 is less than the predetermined threshold, commercial power is supplied to the storage battery unit 41 to store the electric power. It is also preferable that
Incidentally, it is also preferable that the control of the “supplier” as described above is performed by executing a control program (application) installed in a computer provided in the control unit 4a.

  In addition, power distribution from the “supply source” can be performed by operating a distributor provided in the conductive path. Furthermore, when the natural energy power generation unit 40 generates AC power (for example, when an AC power generator is provided), the AC power or commercial power is converted into DC by a converter and then the storage battery unit 41 or the electrolysis unit. 43 will be supplied. The same applies to the case where the compressors (44h, 44ro, 46r, 46h, 46o) are of the DC drive type. In any case, a converter, an inverter, and a voltage regulator can be appropriately arranged and coped with according to the “supplier” including the fuel cell unit 45 and the DC / AC type in the power consumption unit.

  As described above, the compressed gas supply system 4 includes the natural energy power generation unit 40, the storage battery unit 41, and the fuel cell unit 45, and the control unit 4a appropriately supplies the electric power to the electrolysis-related unit and the compressor. Supply. As a result, it is possible to supply compressed hydrogen, compressed oxygen, further compressed nitrogen, etc. while keeping the external power supply such as commercial power smaller or without using external power such as commercial power. is there.

  Note that the compressed gas supply system 4 described above can also be a single device including the components described above. Of course, for example, only the natural energy power generation unit 40 is one device installed outdoors or outside the vehicle (for example, in an exposed form), and the other component parts are one device installed indoors or inside the vehicle. It may be a device.

  Further, the compressed gas supply system 4 also functions as an electric power and compressed gas supply system (apparatus) by supplying the electric power generated by the fuel cell unit 45 to the outside.

[Still another embodiment of compressed gas supply system and apparatus]
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention.

  The compressed gas supply system 5 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has the same components (40, 41, 43, 44ro, 45, 45a, 45b, (46r, 46h, 46o), (47r, 47h) in FIG. , 47o), (48r, 48h, 48o), (49r, 49h, 49o) and 4a) and having the same configuration and operation as those of the natural energy power generation unit 50, the storage battery unit 51, and the electrolysis unit 53, a fuel cell unit 55 including a compressor 54ro, an exhaust gas treatment unit 55a and a heat exchange unit 55b, a compressor (56r, 56h, 56o), a first gas tank (57r, 57h, 57o), a pressure adjustment unit (58r, 58h, 58o). ), The second gas tank (59r, 59h, 59o), and the controller 5a. Moreover, it is also preferable to have the pure water treatment part 52 which has the same structure as the pure water treatment part 42 of FIG. 4, and performs the same functional operation | movement. Here, the first gas tank 57h may be a tank including a hydrogen storage alloy cylinder, which will be described in detail later.

  The “compressor 56r, first gas tank 57r, pressure adjusting unit 58r, and second gas tank 59r” compresses nitrogen that is exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell unit 55, which will be described in detail later, and compresses compressed nitrogen at a predetermined pressure to the outside. This is a group of components that can be supplied.

  Furthermore, the “compressor 56h, first gas tank 57h, pressure adjusting unit 58h and second gas tank 59h” and “compressor 56o, first gas tank 57o, pressure adjusting unit 58o and second gas tank 59o” are respectively electrolysis units 53. The generated hydrogen and oxygen are compressed to form a group of components that can supply compressed hydrogen and compressed oxygen at a predetermined pressure to the outside. In addition, when not supplying compressed hydrogen and / or oxygen outside, it is also possible to omit the above-mentioned component group relating to compressed hydrogen and / or compressed oxygen supply.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the compressed gas supply system 5 has a high pressure electrolysis unit 53 instead of the electrolysis unit 43 and the compressor 44h in the compressed gas supply system 4 of FIG. The high-pressure electrolysis unit 53 is a component that has the same configuration as the high-pressure electrolysis unit 33 shown in FIG. 3 and performs the same functional operation. If compressed oxygen in a high pressure state higher than a predetermined pressure is generated in the high pressure electrolysis unit 53 and it is not necessary to supply compressed nitrogen to the outside, the compressor 54ro including the air-fuel mixture generating unit is not necessary.

  Incidentally, when the fuel cell unit 55 includes the heat exchanging unit 55b, the compressed gas supply system 5 functions as a compressed gas and heat supply system that can also supply heat energy to the outside.

  Further, when compared with the control by the control unit 4a of FIG. 4, the control unit 5a is configured such that the high-pressure electrolysis unit 53 is set instead of the electrolysis unit 43 and the compressor 44h as the power supply destination by the “supply source”. Is a control unit that performs the same control (as the control in the control unit 4a). Here, it is also preferable that the control of the “supplier” by the control unit 5a is performed by executing a control program (application) installed in a computer provided in the control unit 5a. In addition, power distribution from the “supply source” can be performed by operating a distributor provided in the conductive path. Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately and smoothly implement power supply and consumption by appropriately arranging converters, inverters, and voltage regulators according to the “supply source” including the fuel cell unit 55 and the DC / AC type in the power consumption unit. It becomes.

  As described above, the compressed gas supply system 5 includes the natural energy power generation unit 50, the storage battery unit 51, and the fuel cell unit 55, and the control unit 5a appropriately supplies electric power from these to the electrolysis-related unit and the compressor. Supply. As a result, it becomes possible to supply compressed hydrogen, compressed oxygen, further compressed nitrogen, etc. while keeping the external power supply such as commercial power smaller or without using external power such as commercial power. is there.

  Note that such a compressed gas supply system 5 can also be a single device provided with the components described above. Of course, for example, only the natural energy power generation unit 50 is a single device installed outdoors or outside the vehicle (for example, in an exposed form), and other components are installed indoors or inside the vehicle. It may be one device.

  Further, the compressed gas supply system 5 also functions as an electric power and compressed gas supply system (apparatus) by supplying the electric power generated by the fuel cell unit 55 to the outside.

[Control of gas pressure and hydrogen storage / release by control unit]
The various embodiments of the compressed gas supply system according to the present invention have been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. Hereinafter, the control units (1 a, 2 a, The gas pressure control of the supply target gas by 3a, 4a, and 5a) and the storage control of the hydrogen that is the supply target gas will be described more specifically.

  Incidentally, the control unit (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) may be a unit including a control circuit including a small computer equipped with a control program, and may be a PC (personal computer) equipped with a control program. Computer) or a terminal such as a smartphone equipped with a control application.

  1 to 5, the control unit (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) and each component unit include, for example, a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (Registered Trademark) is described so as to perform wireless communication such as short-range wireless communication (and various carrier communication networks (access networks) such as a mobile phone communication network). It may be wired communication. In particular, when the compressed gas supply system (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) is configured as one device, it is also preferable that all of them are connected by wire.

As one control method, the control unit (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) monitors the gas pressure of the compressed gas generated by the compressor or the high-pressure electrolysis unit and stored in the first gas tank, and the inside of the first gas tank The gas pressure of
(A) It is not less than a predetermined gas pressure required at the supply destination,
(B) It is also preferable to control the pressure below 1MPa (about 10 atmospheres), which is a pressure that restricts handling by the High Pressure Gas Safety Law (of course, 1 MPa (about 10 atmospheres) or more under the control of the High Pressure Gas Safety Law) It is also possible).

  Here, an electric valve is provided at the gas inlet of the first gas tank or the gas outlet of the compressor or high-pressure electrolysis unit, and the control unit (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) The gas pressure in the first gas tank can be controlled as described above while controlling the operation of the decomposition unit and the opening / closing of the electric valve.

  Next, the control unit (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) sends the compressed gas in the first gas tank to the pressure adjusting unit, and changes the gas pressure of the compressed gas to a predetermined gas pressure required at the supply destination. After adjustment, it is further sent to the second gas tank for storage.

  Here, an electric valve is provided at the gas discharge port of the first gas tank or the gas introduction port of the pressure adjustment unit, and further, an electric valve is provided at the gas discharge port of the pressure adjustment unit or the gas introduction port of the second gas tank. The control unit (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) controls the gas pressure adjustment in the pressure adjustment unit and the opening and closing of the electric valve, while supplying the compressed gas having a predetermined gas pressure to be supplied, It is also preferable to prepare in the second gas tank.

  Next, control of hydrogen storage / release by the control units (2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) when the supply target gas is hydrogen will be described. Hereinafter, the case where the first gas tank (25h, 34h, 47h, 57h) is a tank including a hydrogen storage cylinder provided with a hydrogen storage alloy container will be described.

As one embodiment, the control unit (2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) is a case where it is not necessary to supply compressed hydrogen to the outside, and the natural energy power generation unit generates electric power of a predetermined threshold value or more. In case,
(A) storing the electric power in the storage battery unit, and / or (b) operating the electrolysis unit (and the compressor) and the high-pressure electrolysis unit with the electric power to generate (compressed) hydrogen, It is also preferred to store in a gas tank. Here, it is also preferable to take an embodiment in which the hydrogen storage of (b) is performed when the storage battery unit is in a fully charged state.

  Incidentally, in general, the storage energy density (energy amount per unit volume) in the hydrogen storage alloy container exceeds the stored energy density (energy amount per unit volume) in a secondary battery such as a lithium battery by about one digit. In addition, increasing the capacity of a secondary battery such as a lithium battery is often difficult in practice due to limitations due to cost and installation environment.

  Therefore, it is very preferable from the viewpoint of the energy storage and utilization efficiency of the system to store the electric power derived from natural energy generated by the natural energy power generation unit (usually difficult to stably supply) in the form of hydrogen. It has become a thing. In particular, when a natural energy power generation unit is provided in a stand-alone manner in a factory or the like, such highly efficient energy storage is greatly desired.

In addition, in control of the hydrogen storage cylinder (1st gas tank) by the control part (2a, 3a, 4a, 5a),
(A) evacuation for activating the hydrogen storage cylinder;
(B) Check for hydrogen leakage due to hydrogen introduction before hydrogen filling,
(C) opening and closing of a cylinder valve for the start / end of hydrogen filling / release;
(D) adjustment of cylinder temperature for the start / end of hydrogen filling / release;
(E) It is also preferable that the weight measurement etc. of the hydrogen storage alloy cylinder for checking the amount of hydrogen included (for example, as a control sequence item) is included.

Furthermore, for the hydrogen storage alloy provided in the hydrogen storage cylinder, in the PCT curve showing the relationship between the amount of stored hydrogen per gram of alloy (cc / g) and the logarithm of hydrogen gas pressure (log ₁₀ [MPa]), Those having a “plateau region” that is wider and flatter (less inclined) are preferred. As a result, a larger amount of hydrogen can be occluded and released, and the pressure difference between the occlusion and release can be reduced. In this case, although it is one preferred example, occlusion / release can be performed at a substantially constant pressure within a range of 0.3 to 0.5 MPa after providing a limiter having an upper limit of 1 MPa with respect to the gas pressure of occlusion / release. Further, as the high-pressure electrolysis unit (33, 53) shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, for example, a unit capable of outputting hydrogen having a gas pressure of a maximum of 0.7 MPa is adopted, and the hydrogen is, for example, in the range of 0.3 to 0.5 MPa. If it is directly supplied to the hydrogen storage cylinder (first gas tank) provided with the above hydrogen storage alloy at a constant pressure, hydrogen storage can be easily performed.

[Power supply system / equipment]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a power supply system according to the present invention.

The electric power supply system 6 as one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 is mounted on an electric motor driven premises conveyance vehicle, and as a feature thereof,
(A) one of the compressed gas supply systems (apparatuses) 2, 3, 4 and 5 shown in FIGS.
(B) A fuel cell 61 that generates and supplies electric power using at least compressed oxygen, more preferably compressed hydrogen, supplied from the compressed gas supply system of (a).

  As described above, the power supply system 6 according to the present embodiment is a power generation system that supplies the electric power generated by the fuel cell 61 to the electric motor of the private transportation vehicle to run the private transportation vehicle. By the way, this on-site transportation vehicle generates power with the mounted fuel cell 61, so that it is eventually a fuel cell vehicle.

  Here, the power supply system 6 of the present embodiment can supply compressed air or compressed oxygen from the compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5) to the fuel cell 61. Even in a precinct such as a high altitude where the pressure is less than 1 atm, sufficient oxygen can be supplied to the fuel cell 61 and good power can be supplied. Also, in response to situations where higher power is required, such as when climbing a slope on the premises, for example, a fuel cell that has a gas pressure exceeding 1 atm (has a large rated power in advance for higher output) It is also possible to supply to 61 and output larger power.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the power supply system 6 is
(A) a compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5);
(B) a fuel cell 61, an air-fuel mixture adjustment unit 62, an air storage unit 64, a hydrogen adjustment unit 63, and a fuel storage unit 65;
(C) an electrolysis unit 68, a water separation unit 67a, a water storage unit 67b, an oxygen storage unit 66a, and an oxygen amount adjustment unit 66b;
(D) The heat exchange part 69 is provided. Moreover, the control part 6a which controls the separate operation | movement and cooperation operation | movement of these structure parts demonstrated below is provided. Incidentally, the control unit (2a, 3a, 4a, 5a) of the compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5) is under the control of the control unit 6a and is controlled by the control unit 6a. (2, 3, 4, 5) can be controlled.

  Among these, the fuel cell 61 can be of the PEFC type that is widely used in fuel cell vehicles. Of course, a fuel cell of another battery type such as an SOFC type may be used. In any case, the fuel cell 61 generates electric power using air (gas containing oxygen) and supplied hydrogen (fuel). In addition, water vapor and water produced as a result of the electrode reaction are also discharged.

  The air-fuel mixture adjusting unit 62 has a structure including, for example, a known regulator (or a gas mixer, and in some cases a compressor), and is a compressed oxygen mixed air supplied from a compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5). Is supplied to the fuel cell 61 through the air accommodating portion 64. When compressed oxygen is supplied from the compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5), oxygen mixed air having a predetermined pressure and a predetermined oxygen concentration is generated from the compressed oxygen using air taken from outside. Alternatively, an air-fuel mixture generating / pressure adjusting unit that supplies the fuel cell 61 via the air accommodating unit 64 may be used.

  Note that even if a gas pressure gauge is installed in the air accommodating unit 64 to measure the pressure of the oxygen-mixed air (oxygen), and the control unit 6a controls the pressure adjustment in the mixture adjustment unit 62 based on this measured value. Good. In the present embodiment, such a gas pressure adjustment can improve the horsepower when necessary in the local transport vehicle, or can improve the consumption efficiency of oxygen and suppress a significant decrease in fuel consumption.

  In addition, as a change mode of the gas pressure adjustment in the air-fuel mixture adjusting unit 62, it is the case of an automobile such as a truck or a bus instead of a local transport vehicle. It is also preferable to use a hydraulic combined brake) system.

  The air brake system is a system in which air compressed by an air compressor is always stored in an air tank, and when a brake pedal is depressed, air is sent to a brake chamber via a relay valve to extend a chamber rod and actuate the brake. If this air brake system is used, it is possible to supply air exceeding 1 atm to the fuel cell 61 directly or via the gas pressure adjusting unit 62 having a regulator function.

  Further, the compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5) may be used as one of the compressed air supply sources (compressed air sending source to the air tank) of the air brake.

  The hydrogen adjusting unit 63 has a structure including, for example, a known regulator (or a gas mixer, or a compressor depending on the case), and a compressed gas supply system (2) in accordance with the oxygen mixed air pressure adjusted in the mixture adjusting unit 62. , 3, 4, 5), the compressed hydrogen (fuel) is supplied to the fuel cell 61 after adjusting the pressure of the compressed hydrogen supplied from the fuel cell 61. In addition, it is preferable that the hydrogen adjusting unit 63 also joins hydrogen (fuel) received from the outside (for example, a fuel tank of a premises transportation vehicle) and similarly adjusts the pressure to supply the fuel cell 61. Such adjustment of the fuel pressure can prevent the electrolyte, the air electrode membrane, and the fuel electrode membrane in the fuel cell 61 from being damaged by the pressure difference.

  Electric power for operating the compressor and gas mixer provided in the air-fuel mixture adjusting unit 62 and the hydrogen adjusting unit 63, and further required for the compressor and electrolysis means in the compressed gas supply system (2, 3, 4, 5) It is also preferable to use regenerative power that will be described in detail later as the power to be stored and the power stored in the storage battery unit. In addition, it is possible to use electric power from a vehicle-mounted battery installed in the local transport vehicle.

  The heat exchanging unit 69 is a heat transfer unit that supplies heat generated during power generation in the fuel cell 61 to, for example, an automobile for heating in the vehicle. According to the embodiment including such a heat exchanging unit 69, the power supply system 6 can be regarded as a power and heat energy supply system that supplies not only power but also heat energy to the outside.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the power supply system 6 includes a water separation part 67a, a water storage part 67b, and an electrolysis part 68. Among these, the water separation part 67a has a structure including, for example, a known air-water separator, and water (pure water) or water vapor discharged from the fuel cell 61 as a result of the electrode reaction is extracted from the exhaust gas containing exhaust gas. It isolate | separates and supplies to the electrolyzing part 68 through the water accommodating part 67b. Incidentally, it is also possible to employ a water removal / dehumidification means as described in the explanation of the exhaust gas treatment part 45a (FIG. 4) as the water separation part 67a.

  Further, the exhaust gas from which water has been separated in the water separation unit 67a may be supplied to the local transport vehicle main body as a gas for air brake of the local transport vehicle. At that time, it is also preferable to adjust the temperature and gas pressure of the supplied exhaust gas. In this case, the power supply system 6 functions as a power and gas supply system.

In addition, the electrolysis unit 68 decomposes water or water vapor (H ₂ O) supplied via the water storage unit 67b into hydrogen (H ₂ ) and oxygen (O ₂ ) by electrolysis using the supplied power. Then, the generated hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to the fuel storage unit 65 and the oxygen storage unit 66a, respectively. Incidentally, it is preferable that at least a part of the electric power for the electrolysis treatment is covered by regenerative electric power.

  Here, the regenerative electric power is output on the premises transportation vehicle driven by the electric motor as a generator while the electric motor functions as a running resistance during, for example, traveling on the premises down slope or during deceleration without using a brake. It is the electric power to do. In general, in an electric motor-driven automobile, regenerative electric power is usually stored in a lithium battery mounted on the automobile. However, when the lithium battery is fully charged, it is released as heat. Note that regenerative power is also generated in a ship from screw rotation during deceleration, for example. Therefore, even when the power supply system 6 is applied to a ship, such regenerative power can be used.

  In any case, in the present embodiment, the electrolysis process is performed using the regenerative power that is not normally sufficiently utilized in this way, and the electrode reaction raw material in the fuel cell 61 is regenerated and reused. In other words, regenerative power that has been wasted is converted to chemical energy such as fuel, stored, and reused. As a result, it is possible to contribute to improving fuel efficiency in a fuel cell vehicle and improving horsepower when necessary.

  In addition, in a fuel cell vehicle, a considerable amount of water is usually discharged on the road while traveling, but there may be a problem that the road surface is frozen by this water in winter, for example. On the other hand, according to the power supply system 6 of the present embodiment, the water discharged from the fuel cell 61 is collected in the water storage portion 67b and used as an electrolysis material. It will be improved.

  Incidentally, the electrolysis unit 68 receives heat from the fuel cell 61 via the heat exchange unit 69 to generate water vapor to be electrolyzed, or raises the temperature of water to be electrolyzed, thereby generating hydrogen in electrolysis. It is also preferable to improve the generation efficiency. At this time, it is also preferable to monitor and control the temperature of the electrolysis cell in order to avoid the occurrence of explosion or the like due to heating of the electrolyte or the like. Furthermore, it is also possible to increase the applied voltage between the electrodes and perform an electrolysis process without using an electrolyte and eliminating the need for monitoring and maintenance of the electrolyte.

  Here, a temperature sensor is provided in each of the fuel cell 61, the water storage unit 67b, and the electrolysis unit 68, and the control unit 6a uses the temperature measurement value acquired from these temperature sensors as a kind of control index to generate fuel. It is also preferable to control the operation of the entire system 6 including the battery 61 and the electrolysis unit 68.

  The fuel storage unit 65 and the oxygen storage unit 66a have a structure including, for example, a cylinder, and can receive and store hydrogen and oxygen from the electrolysis unit 68 for the first time. For example, when the electrolysis part 68 produces | generates these hydrogen and oxygen by regenerative electric power, the production | generation will become intermittent. On the other hand, the fuel storage unit 65 and the oxygen storage unit 66a serve as hydrogen and oxygen buffers or preparation means, respectively, and allow hydrogen and oxygen to be stably supplied to the fuel cell 61.

  The oxygen amount adjustment unit 66b has a structure including, for example, a known regulator, and sends oxygen from the oxygen storage unit 66a to the air storage unit 64 while adjusting the amount thereof. Specifically, it is preferable that the oxygen amount adjusting unit 66 b adjusts the oxygen amount so that a sufficiently large amount of oxygen is supplied to the fuel cell 61 according to the rated power of the fuel cell 61. Here, the oxygen from the oxygen storage unit 66a is supplied to the fuel cell 61 in a form of being mixed into the air by the air storage unit 64. For example, this oxygen is considerably mixed and the oxygen concentration is sufficiently higher than that of air. It is also possible to introduce a gas having gas to the fuel cell 61 to output larger electric power.

  It should be noted that the application destination of the power supply system 6 described in detail above is not limited to the local transportation vehicle. For example, it can be applied to automobiles, trains, ships (including electric ships) driven by electric motors, drones driven by electric motors, helicopters, and even airplanes. It is also suitable as a power supply source for electric vehicles. Further, it is also suitable as a power source for various devices and facilities in high altitude areas where the atmospheric pressure is low.

  Further, when the power supply system 6 is applied to an automobile, a train, a flying object, etc., a natural energy power generation unit (20, 30, 40, 50) in the system 6 is provided with a solar cell, or travel / flight. It is possible to employ one provided with wind power generation means by wind power generated sometimes. Of course, a unit that performs both solar cell power generation and wind power generation may be used.

  Furthermore, when the power supply system 6 is applied to a ship or the like, the natural energy power generation unit (20, 30, 40, 50) may be provided with hydroelectric power generation means using hydraulic power generated during navigation. . Here, of course, in addition to this hydroelectric power generation, it is also possible to make a unit that implements solar cell power generation or even wind power generation.

  In any case, by appropriately using such obtainable natural energy, it is necessary for the fuel cell 61 while keeping the power supply from the outside of the system 6 smaller or without using the power outside the system. Thus, compressed oxygen (mixed air) or compressed oxygen can be supplied.

  Furthermore, the power supply system 6 described above can also be a single device provided with the components described above. Of course, for example, only the natural energy power generation unit (20, 30, 40, 50) is one device installed outside the vehicle or outside the machine (for example, in an exposed form), and the other components are installed in the vehicle or It may be a single device installed in the cabin.

  As described above in detail, the compressed gas supply system / device of the present invention includes a natural energy power generation unit and a storage battery unit, and appropriately supplies power from them to the gas compression unit by the control unit. As a result, it is possible to supply the necessary compressed gas while keeping the external power supply such as commercial power smaller or without using external power such as commercial power.

  Moreover, although it is only one embodiment of the present invention, the compressed gas supply system / device of the present invention may include an electrolysis unit and a fuel cell unit, and can supply compressed hydrogen. Currently, research and development of fuel cells and electrolyzers are underway on a global scale, and in the future, as part of the utilization of hydrogen energy, hydrogen production by electrolysis and various energy in the form of hydrogen storage Storage, fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen power generation are expected to be actively implemented. It is considered that the present invention, in which an embodiment utilizing electrolysis or a fuel cell is possible in response to such a current situation, greatly contributes to the expanded use of such hydrogen energy.

  It should be noted that all of the embodiments described above are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting, and the present invention can be implemented in other various modifications and changes. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Compressed gas supply system / device 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a Control unit 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 Renewable energy generation unit 11, 21, 31, 41, 51 Battery unit 12, 24r, 24h, 24o, 44h, 44o, 46r, 46h, 46o, 54ro, 56r, 56h, 56o Compressor 13, 25r, 25h, 25o, 34h, 34o, 47r, 47h, 47o, 57r, 57h, 57o First gas tank 14, 26r, 26h, 26o, 35h, 35o, 48r, 48h, 48o, 58r, 58h, 58o Pressure adjustment unit 15, 27r, 27h, 27o, 36h, 36o, 49r, 49h, 49o, 59r, 59h, 59o Second gas tank 22, 32, 42, 52 Pure water treatment unit 23, 43 Electrolysis Unit 33, 53 High-pressure electrolysis unit 45, 55 Fuel cell unit 45a, 55a Exhaust gas treatment unit 45b, 55b, 69 Heat exchange unit 6 Power supply system / device 61 Fuel cell 62 Mixture adjustment unit 63 Hydrogen adjustment unit 64 Air storage unit 65 Fuel storage unit 66a Oxygen storage unit 66b Oxygen amount adjustment unit 67a Water separation unit 67b Water storage unit 68 Electrolysis unit

Claims (11)

A compressed gas supply system capable of supplying compressed gas,
A natural energy power generation unit that generates electric power by at least one of sunlight, wind power and hydropower;
A gas compression unit capable of supplying the gas to be supplied in a compressed state with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit; and
A storage battery unit capable of storing the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and capable of supplying the stored electric power to the gas compression unit;
Based on a predetermined condition or pre-set, determine at least one of the supply sources that can supply power to the gas compression unit and include the natural energy power generation unit and the storage battery unit, and determine A compressed gas supply system comprising: a control unit configured to supply electric power from the supply source to the gas compression unit.   2. The compressed gas supply system according to claim 1, wherein the gas compression unit includes a compressor that compresses the gas to be supplied with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and supplies the compressed gas. . The electric energy generated by the natural energy power generation unit further includes an electrolysis unit capable of electrolyzing the acquired water to generate hydrogen and oxygen,
The compressed gas supply system according to claim 1, wherein the gas compression unit compresses the generated hydrogen and / or oxygen.   The apparatus further includes a pure water generation unit capable of performing a pure water treatment on the acquired water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and supplying the water subjected to the pure water treatment to the electrolysis unit. The compressed gas supply system according to claim 3.   The control unit is a supply source capable of supplying power to each of the electrolysis unit and the pure water generation unit based on a predetermined condition or a preset setting, and the natural energy power generation unit and the storage battery unit 5. The compressed gas supply system according to claim 4, wherein at least one of supply sources is determined, and electric power is supplied from the determined supply source to each of the electrolysis unit and the pure water generation unit. .   The gas compression unit is an electrolysis unit capable of generating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit, wherein hydrogen ions moved through a film disposed between the electrodes 2. The compressed gas supply according to claim 1, further comprising an electrolysis unit that has a high-pressure hydrogen passage serving as a high-pressure hydrogen gas exceeding 1 atm, and supplies compressed hydrogen through the high-pressure hydrogen passage. system. A fuel cell unit that generates electric power from the generated hydrogen and oxygen;
The control unit is a supply source capable of supplying power to the gas compression unit based on a predetermined condition or a predetermined setting, and includes a supply source including the natural energy power generation unit, the storage battery unit, and the fuel cell unit. The compressed gas supply system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein at least one of them is determined, and electric power is supplied from the determined supply source to the gas compression unit. A fuel cell unit that generates electric power from the generated hydrogen and oxygen;
The control unit is a supply source capable of supplying power to the gas compression unit based on a predetermined condition or a predetermined setting, and includes a supply source including the natural energy power generation unit, the storage battery unit, and the fuel cell unit. Determine at least one of them, supply power from the determined supply source to the gas compression unit,
The compressed gas supply system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the gas compression unit compresses the gas discharged from the fuel cell unit and supplies the compressed gas.   A fuel cell unit comprising the compressed gas supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the fuel cell unit generates and supplies electric power using compressed oxygen supplied from the compressed gas supply system. Power supply system characterized by   The power supply system according to claim 9, wherein the fuel cell unit generates power using compressed hydrogen supplied from the compressed gas supply system. A compressed gas supply device capable of supplying compressed gas,
A natural energy power generation unit that generates electric power by at least one of sunlight, wind power and hydropower;
A gas compression unit capable of supplying the gas to be supplied in a compressed state with the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit; and
A storage battery unit capable of storing the electric power generated by the natural energy power generation unit and capable of supplying the stored electric power to the gas compression unit;
Based on a predetermined condition or pre-set, determine at least one of the supply sources that can supply power to the gas compression unit and include the natural energy power generation unit and the storage battery unit, and determine And a control unit that supplies electric power from the supply source to the gas compression unit.

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