JP2021165427A - Hydrogen gas production facility, and hydrogen gas production method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a hydrogen gas production facility capable of effectively utilizing heat generated during operation in preventing freezing according to a need therefor, and a hydrogen gas production method capable of producing hydrogen gas by operating the hydrogen gas production facility in a good environment.SOLUTION: The hydrogen gas production facility comprises a water electrolysis device and a wall that partitions a storage space storing the water electrolysis device from the outside space. The wall includes a first ventilation port and a second ventilation port each carrying out ventilation to release heat in the storage space to the outside space, with a first ventilation mode of releasing heat from the first ventilation port disposed close to heat generating equipment and a second ventilation mode of releasing heat from the second ventilation port disposed far from the heat generation equipment made switchable to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a hydrogen gas production facility provided with a water electrolysis apparatus unit in which water is electrolyzed to generate hydrogen gas, and a hydrogen gas production method for producing hydrogen gas using such equipment.

In recent years, opportunities to use hydrogen gas as a clean energy source have expanded, and a method of electrolyzing water is widely known as a method for obtaining such hydrogen gas.
With regard to hydrogen gas production equipment using such electrolysis of water, it has been conventionally studied to prevent freezing in pipes and the like as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.

In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, the air inside the housing is heated by using a heating device to prevent freezing.
However, the heating device is originally unnecessary during normal operation, and may require a large amount of energy consumption to prevent freezing.

In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 below (particularly, see paragraph 0032, etc.), the air discharge pipe is air blown by an air blower to prevent freezing in the air discharge pipe.
In the present invention, although the exhaust heat of the air blower is effectively utilized, it is difficult to effectively utilize the exhaust heat other than the prevention of freezing at a specific portion such as the air exhaust pipe.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-210259 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-11396

The present invention provides a hydrogen gas production facility capable of effectively utilizing the heat generated during operation to prevent freezing as needed, and operates the hydrogen gas production facility in a favorable environment to produce hydrogen gas. It is an object to provide a hydrogen gas production method capable of producing hydrogen gas.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
A hydrogen gas production facility having a water electrolyzer unit that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall unit that separates the accommodation space accommodating the water electrolysis unit unit from the external space.
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
The wall portion is provided with a ventilation port for exhausting the heat of the accommodation space to the external space by exhausting the air of the accommodation space, and the ventilation port is provided with a first ventilation port and a first ventilation port. The second ventilation port, which is farther from the heat generating device than the first ventilation port, is included.
The first ventilation mode in which the accommodation space and the external space are ventilated by the exhaust from the first ventilation port, and the second ventilation mode in which the ventilation is performed by the exhaust from the second ventilation port. Provide a hydrogen gas production facility, which can be switched.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
A hydrogen gas production facility having a water electrolyzer unit that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall unit that separates the accommodation space accommodating the water electrolysis unit unit from the external space.
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
It has a heat medium that is heated by the heat generated by the heat generating device.
It has a plurality of heat exchangers including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger as heat exchangers for cooling the heat medium heated by the heat.
Among the plurality of heat exchangers, the first heat exchanger is arranged so as to be able to exchange heat in the accommodation space and cool the heat medium, and the second heat exchanger is the second heat exchanger in the accommodation space. 1 It is arranged so that the heat medium can be cooled by exchanging heat at a place different from the heat exchanger or exchanging heat in the external space.
Provided is a hydrogen gas production facility capable of switching between a first heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the first heat exchanger and a second heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the second heat exchanger.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
Hydrogen gas that produces hydrogen gas in a hydrogen gas production facility that has a water electrolyzer that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall that separates the accommodation space that houses the water electrolyzer from the external space. It ’s a manufacturing method,
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
The wall portion is provided with a ventilation port for exhausting the heat of the accommodation space to the external space by exhausting the air of the accommodation space, and the ventilation port is provided with a first ventilation port and a first ventilation port. The second ventilation port, which is farther from the heat generating device than the first ventilation port, is included.
A first ventilation mode in which the accommodation space and the external space are ventilated by exhaust from the first ventilation port, and a second ventilation mode in which the ventilation is performed by exhaust from the second ventilation port. Provided is a method for producing hydrogen gas, which is switched and ventilation in the second ventilation mode is performed in a situation where the temperature of the external space is lower than that in the first ventilation mode.

In the hydrogen gas production facility of the present invention, the waste heat of the heat generating device can be effectively used for heating the inside of the facility to prevent freezing.

The schematic front view which showed the appearance | state of the hydrogen gas production facility which concerns on one Embodiment. The schematic front view which showed the arrangement of the apparatus inside the hydrogen gas production facility which concerns on one Embodiment. The schematic front view which showed the example of performing ventilation in the 1st ventilation mode. Schematic front view showing another example of ventilation in the first ventilation mode. The schematic front view which showed the example of performing ventilation in the 2nd ventilation mode. Schematic front view showing another example of ventilation in the second ventilation mode. The schematic front view which showed the arrangement of the apparatus inside the hydrogen gas production facility which concerns on another embodiment. The schematic diagram which showed the mode (state at the time of heat storage (a), state at the time of use of the stored heat (b)) in the facility equipped with a heat storage device. The schematic diagram which showed the mode (state at the time of heat storage (a), state at the time of use of the stored heat (b)) in another facility equipped with a heat storage device.

The hydrogen gas production equipment and the hydrogen gas production method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
First, the hydrogen gas production facility according to the first embodiment will be described.

(First Embodiment)
The hydrogen gas production facility of the present embodiment has a water electrolyzer unit in which water is electrolyzed to generate hydrogen gas, and a wall portion that separates the accommodating space accommodating the water electrolyzer unit from the external space.
The hydrogen gas production facility in the present embodiment may be a portable type equipped with casters or the like, or may be a stationary type that cannot be moved as it is.
When the hydrogen gas production facility is portable, the wall portion may be configured by what is called a "housing" or the like.
When the hydrogen gas production facility is a stationary type, the wall portion may be composed of what is called a "housing" or the like, such as a concrete structure constituting a room of a building. May be good.

In the following, an example of a stationary type installed outdoors will be shown, and an example of a hydrogen gas production facility will be described with reference to the drawings.
The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape.
In the following, the left-right direction (X direction in the figure) in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be referred to as "left-right direction", "width direction", "horizontal direction", etc. of the hydrogen gas production facility 100.
Further, in the following, the vertical direction (Y direction in the drawing) may be referred to as "vertical direction", "height direction", "vertical direction", etc. of the hydrogen gas production facility 100.
Further, in the following, the depth direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction in the figure may be referred to as a "depth direction", a "front-back direction", or the like of the hydrogen gas production facility 100.

The wall portion 10 of the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment extends along the side of the rectangular parallelepiped shape and forms a frame of the wall portion 10, and a plurality of frames attached to the frame 11. It is provided with a wall panel 12.
The frame 11 includes four foundation beams 11a arranged so as to correspond to four sides of a rectangle defining the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped, four pillars 11b rising from four corners of the bottom surface, and an upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. It is provided with four ceiling beams 11c arranged so as to correspond to the four sides of the rectangle defining the above and connecting the upper ends of the pillars 11b.

Auxiliary pillars 11d are further provided on the long sides of the rectangle defining the bottom surface in addition to the two pillars 11b arranged at both ends.
In the frame 11, the auxiliary pillars 11d are arranged so as to stand up at an intermediate position between two long sides facing each other in the front-rear direction.
The auxiliary columns 11d are arranged so as to be paired in the front-rear direction, and are provided in the frame 11 in one or a plurality of pairs.
The frame 11 is further provided with an auxiliary beam 11e for connecting the lower ends of the two auxiliary columns 11d and an auxiliary beam (not shown) for connecting the upper ends of the auxiliary columns 11d.

The wall panel 12 in the wall portion 10 is attached to the outside of the frame 11 so as to be detachable from the frame 11.
The wall panel 12 includes a side wall panel 12a forming the side wall of the wall portion 10, a ceiling panel 12b forming the ceiling wall, and a bottom panel 12c forming the bottom wall.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment has the accommodation space having a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped shape, which is one size smaller than the wall portion 10, inside the wall portion 10.
That is, the accommodation space in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment is formed so that the first direction in the horizontal direction (X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) is the longitudinal direction, and the first in the horizontal direction. The direction (depth direction) orthogonal to the direction of is formed to be the lateral direction.

The side wall panels 12a are located at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the accommodation space, and include side panels 12as that form the first side wall and the second side wall of the wall portion 10 facing each other across the accommodation space. The front panel 12af and the back panel 12ab, which are located at both ends in the lateral direction of the space and constitute the third side wall and the fourth side wall facing each other with the accommodation space in between, are further provided.
More specifically, the side wall panel 12a includes a first side panel 12as1 forming the first side wall on the left side in the front view and a second side panel 12as2 forming the second side wall on the right side in the front view in FIGS. 1 and 2. I have.
The side wall panel 12a also includes a front panel 12af attached to the frame 11 from the front side to form the third side wall, and a back attached to the frame 11 from the back side to form the fourth side wall. It is provided with a panel 12ab.

The accommodation space and the wall portion 10 inside the wall portion 10 are provided on each of the two side panels 12as located at both ends of the accommodation space in the longitudinal direction and arranged so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction. A ventilation port is provided for communicating with the external space outside the space and ventilating between the external space and the accommodation space.
That is, the wall portion 10 of the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of ventilation ports 13 for ventilation between the external space and the accommodation space.
The plurality of ventilation ports in the present embodiment are provided so that the ventilation can be performed by exhausting air from one ventilation port and supplying air to the other ventilation port.
As will be described later, the water electrolyzer unit 20 of the present embodiment is provided with a heat generating device that generates heat when in an operating state.
In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the heat generated in the accommodation space by the heat generating device is discharged to the external space at the time of the ventilation at the plurality of ventilation ports 13.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment has a first ventilation port 13a provided on the upper left side of the front view in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the first ventilation port 13a on opposite sides via the accommodation space. It is provided with a plurality of ventilation ports 13 including a second ventilation port 13b provided.
That is, the first ventilation port 13a is provided on the first side panel 12as1, and the second ventilation port 13b is provided on the second side panel 12as2.
The first ventilation port 13a is arranged on the upper side of the first side panel 12as1, while the second ventilation port 13b is arranged on the lower side of the second side panel 12as2.
The wall portion 10 of the present embodiment is further provided with a third ventilation port 13c in addition to the first ventilation port 13a and the second ventilation port 13b, and the third ventilation port 13c is the first ventilation port. The first side panel 12as1 provided with the mouth 13a is provided.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment includes an air conditioner 30 so that the temperature of the accommodation space can be raised as needed, and the first ventilation port 13a and the third ventilation port are provided. The first side panel 12as1 provided with the 13c is further provided with an intake port and an exhaust port of the air conditioner 30.
That is, the air conditioner 30 of the present embodiment is arranged so that the temperature of the accommodation space can be raised at a position facing the second ventilation port 13b in the longitudinal direction of the accommodation space.

The wall portion 10 of the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment is provided with a shutter 14 for opening and closing the first ventilation port 13a, the second ventilation port 13b, and the third ventilation port 13c.
Specifically, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the first shutter 14a capable of switching the first ventilation port 13a between the open state and the closed state and the second ventilation port 13b are opened and closed. It includes three shutters 14 including a second shutter 14b that can be switched to a state and a third shutter 14c that can switch the third ventilation port 13c between an open state and a closed state.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the air in the external space is introduced into the facility through the second ventilation fan 15b for taking in the air in the external space into the facility through the second ventilation port 13b and the air in the external space through the third ventilation port 13c. It is equipped with a third blower fan 15c for incorporating into the air.
In the present embodiment, the second blower fan 15b is arranged so as to be adjacent to the second ventilation port 13b, and the third blower fan 15c is arranged so as to be adjacent to the third ventilation port 13c.
On the other hand, with respect to the first ventilation port 13a, fans are not arranged so as to be adjacent to each other.

The wall portion 10 with respect to the surplus space other than the space occupied by the devices constituting the water electrolysis device section 20 in the accommodation space where the second ventilation port 13b and the third ventilation port 13c are located. The first ventilation port 13a is connected to a duct DP extending from the exhaust port of the rectifier 21 as described later, and is connected to the duct DP extending from the exhaust port of the rectifier 21. It is in a state of communication with the space.

The wall portion 10 of the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment is provided with a rectifier 21 which is one of the devices constituting the water electrolysis device section 20 and is a heat generating device.
The rectifier 21 includes a cooling fan 21b, and the cooling fan 21b can be used for exhaust from the first ventilation port 13a.

The water electrolyzer unit 20 of the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of devices other than the rectifier, and most of the devices are mounted on the upper surface of the bottom panel 12c. It is housed inside.

The water electrolyzer unit 20 has an electrolyzer 22 including an electrolytic cell in which electric power is supplied, water is electrolyzed, oxygen gas is generated on the anode side, and hydrogen gas is generated on the cathode side.
The water electrolyzer unit 20 of the present embodiment includes the rectifier 21 for supplying DC power to the electrolyzer 22, a pure water production device 23 for producing pure water to be supplied to the electrolyzer 22, and the pure water production device. It has a pure water tank 24 and the like for storing the pure water produced in No. 23.
The pure water production device 23 includes a filtration device, an ion exchanger, and the like for removing impurities contained in water supplied from the outside to the hydrogen gas production facility 100 through the raw material water supply path WL.

The rectifier 21 may be an air-cooled type or a water-cooled type.
The rectifier 21 in this embodiment is an air-cooled type, and a case where a water-cooled type is used will be described later.
The rectifier 21 generates a housing 21a, a semiconductor element (not shown) housed inside the housing 21a, and an air flow that becomes an upward flow inside the housing 21a, and the semiconductor element. It is provided with a cooling fan 21b for cooling the above.

The housing 21a is provided with a plurality of slits 21x at the lower end, which serve as intake ports when an upward flow is generated by the cooling fan 21b.
The housing 21a is provided with a plurality of exhaust ports at the upper end, and the first exhaust port 21y among the plurality of exhaust ports is open toward the first side panel 12as1 and the second exhaust port 21z. Is open toward the second side panel 12as2.
The rectifier 21 is provided with a shutter 21za for switching the second exhaust port 21z between an open state and a closed state.

The first exhaust port 21y provided in the housing 21a of the rectifier 21 is connected to the first ventilation port 13a by the duct DP.
Since the first ventilation port 13a arranged at the tip of the duct DP is openable and closable by the first shutter 14a as described above, the rectifier 21 of the present embodiment becomes the upward flow and becomes the semiconductor element. It is possible to switch between an external exhaust state in which the warm exhaust after cooling is exhausted from the first ventilation port 13a to the external space through the duct DP and an internal exhaust state in which the air is exhausted into the equipment through the second exhaust port 21z. It has become.

As the length of the duct DP becomes longer, the pressure loss in the external exhaust state becomes larger.
Therefore, the rectifier 21 is arranged at a position closer to the first side panel 12as1 than the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the accommodation space.
That is, the rectifier 21 of the present embodiment is arranged so that the distance to the second ventilation port 13b is longer than that of the first ventilation port 13a.
The duct DP has, for example, a length of 2 m or less.
The length of the duct DP may be 1 m or less or 50 cm or less.

The electrolytic cell, which receives power from the rectifier 21 and electrolyzes water, has a cathode and an anode, and generates hydrogen gas on the cathode side and oxygen gas on the anode side by the electrolysis. It is configured to flow pure water to the anode side, generate oxygen gas and hydrogen ions by electrolysis, move the hydrogen ions from the anode side to the cathode side, and generate hydrogen gas on the cathode side. ing.
Therefore, the electrolytic cell in the present embodiment discharges oxygen gas together with a relatively large amount of water from the anode side, and discharges hydrogen gas together with a relatively small amount of water from the cathode side.

The water electrolyzer unit 20 in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment includes a water circulation pump 25 for circulating the pure water on the anode side, and oxygen gas discharged from the anode side of the electrolysis cell and pure water. Passing through a gas-liquid separator 26 for gas-liquid separation of a gas-liquid mixed solution with water and a polisher 27 for removing ions contained in pure water circulated by the water circulation pump 25. Is further provided with a water pipe L1 or the like for forming a circulation path for pure water.

The water electrolysis device unit 20 of the present embodiment is further provided with devices for removing water from the hydrogen gas produced by the electrolysis device 22, and hydrogen discharged from the cathode side of the electrolysis cell. A heat exchanger 28 for cooling the gas to convert the moisture contained in the water vapor state into condensed water, and removing the moisture such as the condensed water from the hydrogen gas cooled by the heat exchanger 28. A gas-liquid separator 29 for this purpose and a dehumidifying device DC in which a dehumidifying treatment using an adsorbent is performed to further remove water from the hydrogen gas after the water is removed by the gas-liquid separator 29 are further provided. ing.

The dehumidifying device DC heats a water adsorbent such as zeolite (not shown) and the water adsorbent to a high temperature (for example, 200 ° C. or higher) to release the adsorbed water from the water adsorbent to release the water adsorbent. It has an adsorption cylinder DCa equipped with a heater (not shown) for regeneration.
The water electrolyzer unit 20 of the present embodiment is provided with a hydrogen gas pipe L2 for transporting hydrogen gas from the gas-liquid separator 29 on the cathode side to the outside of the equipment through the dehumidifying device DC.

The water electrolyzer unit 20 of the present embodiment is further provided with an oxygen gas pipe L3 for transporting oxygen gas after being separated by the gas-liquid separator 26 on the anode side to the outside of the equipment.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the hydrogen discharge path HL for transporting the hydrogen gas transported to the wall portion 10 by the hydrogen gas pipe L2 and the wall portion by the oxygen gas pipe L3 The oxygen discharge path OL for discharging the oxygen gas transported up to 10 to the outside of the system and the raw material water supply path WL for supplying the water for electrolysis from the outside are connected to the outdoors. It can be installed.
In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the waste heat of the rectifier 21 is effectively used in order to prevent water from freezing in winter or the like.

As described above, the second exhaust port 21z of the rectifier 21 is open toward the second side panel 12as2 provided with the second ventilation port 13b.
Then, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, a pipe through which water or gas flows between the rectifier 21 (second exhaust port 21z) and the second side panel 12as2 (second ventilation port 13b). At least a part of (water pipe L1, hydrogen gas pipe L2, oxygen gas pipe L3) is arranged.
In the present embodiment, the second exhaust port 21z is set at a position higher than the second ventilation port 13b, and at least a part of the pipe is the second ventilation port 13b and the second exhaust port 21z. It is located at an intermediate height with.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 in the present embodiment is provided with water for performing electrolysis as described above.
The hydrogen gas production facility 100 also contains a small amount of water contained as mist or water vapor in the electrolyzed hydrogen gas or oxygen gas.
The water contained in the hydrogen gas or oxygen gas is usually discharged to the outside of the system as condensed water or reused as water for electrolysis.
In addition to the condensed water as described above, water may be discharged from each of the cathode side and the anode side of the hydrogen gas production facility 100 to the outside of the system.

As described above, the hydrogen gas production facility 100 contains water that is electrolyzed and water that is discharged to the outside of the system (outside the facility) without being electrolyzed. In the hydrogen gas production facility 100, these waters become target water to be protected from freezing (hereinafter, also referred to as “water to be kept warm”), and the freezing is prevented by the exhaust heat.

A hydrogen gas production method using the hydrogen gas production facility 100 will be described.
In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the electric power supplied from the outside is rectified so as to be DC in the rectifier 21, and the rectified electric power is supplied to the electrolytic cell of the electrolytic device 22, and the electrolytic cell is supplied. Water is decomposed by electrolysis in the above to produce hydrogen gas, and the water contained in the hydrogen gas is removed via the gas-liquid separator 29 and the dehumidifying device DC to have a sufficiently low dew point. The hydrogen gas becomes is supplied to the use point through the hydrogen discharge path HL.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, predetermined ventilation is performed when the electrolytic device 22 is generating hydrogen gas, or when the electrolytic device 22 is idle but other devices are in operation. Is carried out.
In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, there is a first ventilation mode in which heat is exhausted from the first ventilation port 13a and heat generated in the accommodation space is discharged using the first ventilation port 13a. It is possible to switch between the second ventilation mode in which the heat is discharged from the second ventilation port.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, when it is required to effectively utilize the exhaust heat of the rectifier 21 to prevent freezing of the water to be kept warm, ventilation is performed in the second ventilation mode.
Therefore, in the hydrogen gas production method of the present embodiment, ventilation in the second ventilation mode is performed in a situation where the temperature of the external space is lower than that in the first ventilation mode.
That is, in the present embodiment, the average of the period during which the ventilation in the second ventilation mode is performed is compared with the average outside air temperature during the period during which the ventilation in the first ventilation mode is performed in the day. The outside temperature is lower.
In such ventilation in the second ventilation mode, the warm air in the rectifier is discharged into the equipment from the second exhaust port 21z of the rectifier 21, and the warm air is discharged from the second ventilation port to the external space. In the meantime, it is possible to heat the pipe with the heat of the warm air to prevent the water to be kept warm from freezing.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the electrolyzer 22, the water circulation pump 25, and the gas-liquid separator 26 on the anode side are located between the second exhaust port 21z of the rectifier 21 and the second ventilation port 13b. , One or more of the gas-liquid separator 29 on the cathode side may be arranged, and the warm air may be used to prevent freezing in these.

Since the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment has the air conditioner 30 as described above, even if the risk of freezing is not sufficiently eliminated only by setting the exhaust gas from the rectifier 21 to the internal exhaust state, the air conditioner 30 Can be used to raise the temperature of the containment space.
In the present embodiment, since the air conditioner 30 is arranged on the opposite side of the second ventilation port 13b, when the air conditioner 30 is operated in the second ventilation mode, the warm air generated by the air conditioner 30 is used as the heat retention target water. It can be used extremely effectively to prevent freezing.
The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment may further include an antifreeze heater for directly heating at least a part of the pipe to prevent the water in the pipe from freezing.

Each ventilation mode will be described in detail below.
Ventilation in the first ventilation mode can be performed using one or both of the cooling fan 21b of the rectifier 21 and the second blower fan 15b.
FIG. 3 shows the movement of the air flow in the first ventilation mode simulated by arrows, and the ventilation in the first ventilation mode is, for example, the first shutter 14a and the second shutter. This can be carried out by opening the 14b, closing the third shutter 14c and the shutter 21za of the rectifier 21, and exhausting the air inside the housing of the rectifier 21 to the external space by the cooling fan 21b through the duct DP.
At this time, on the upstream side (lower side in the figure) of the cooling fan 21b, a negative pressure is applied by exhausting on the downstream side (upper side in the figure), so that the housing a of the rectifier 21 Surrounding air is attracted into the housing from the slit 21x provided at the lower end.
Then, new air instead of the air attracted into the housing is introduced into the accommodation space through the second ventilation port 13b, so that the air flow as shown in FIG. 3 is formed in the equipment. ..

The air flow shown in FIG. 3 is also formed by stopping the cooling fan 21b, operating only the second blower fan 15b, and sending air through the second blower fan 15b to make the inside of the equipment a positive pressure. Can be made to.
When the cooling fan 21b is not used, the shutter 21za of the rectifier 21 may be opened to attract air from the second exhaust port 21z into the rectifier as shown in FIG.
Further, in such a case, the third blower fan 15c may be used in combination with the second blower fan 15b to positively pressure the inside of the equipment.

In this first ventilation mode, the rectifier 21, which is a heat generating device that generates a large amount of heat, is located on the downstream side in the airflow formation direction and is located near the first ventilation port 13a, so that most of the heat generated in the equipment is generated. Can be discharged quickly.

The electrolyzer 22 is accompanied by heat generation due to Joule heat during the production of hydrogen gas.
Further, even when hydrogen gas is not produced, heat is also generated in the dehumidifying device DC when the hydrogen gas production facility 100 is in an operating state such that the adsorbent is regenerated in the adsorption cylinder DCa.
As described above, in the present embodiment, in addition to the rectifier 21, heat generating equipment such as the electrolyzer 22 and the dehumidifying device DC is provided in the hydrogen gas production facility 100, but the air as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided. The formation of flows in the equipment prevents them from rising excessively in temperature.
In the present embodiment, it is not necessary for all the heat generating devices to be located near the first ventilation port 13a, but the rectifier 21 having a large amount of heat generation may be located near the first ventilation port 13a. preferable.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100, hydrogen gas may leak for an unexpected reason.
In the first ventilation mode, it is preferable to secure a certain amount of ventilation or more in order to prevent the hydrogen gas from accumulating in the equipment when the hydrogen gas leaks from the electrolytic device 22 or the hydrogen gas pipe L2. ..

In the first ventilation mode, it is preferable to secure a ventilation rate of 2 times / h or more, and it is more preferable to secure a ventilation rate of 3 times / h or more.
The ventilation rate is more preferably 4 times / h or more, and particularly preferably 5 times / h or more.
The ventilation rate can usually be 15 times / h or less.

The ventilation frequency can be obtained by measuring how many times the volume (V1) of the air newly introduced from the external space side into the accommodation space per hour is the volume (V0) of the accommodation space. ..
Ventilation frequency (times / h) = V1 (m ³ / h) / V0 (m ³ )

The volume of the accommodation space (V0) can be obtained by calculating the volume of the space inside the inner wall surface of the wall portion 10.
In the present embodiment, the distance from the first side panel 12as1 to the second side panel 12as2 is the length of the accommodation space (L), the distance from the front panel 12af to the back panel 12ab is the depth of the accommodation space (D), and the bottom panel. The distance from 12c to the ceiling panel 12b is defined as the height (H) of the accommodation space, and the volume of the accommodation space can be obtained as follows.
Volume of accommodation space (V0) = Length of accommodation space (L) x Depth (D) x Height (H)

The amount of air (V1) newly introduced into the accommodation space can be obtained by obtaining the average surface wind speed at each ventilation port with an anemometer or the like and multiplying the average surface wind speed by the opening area of the ventilation port.

From the viewpoint of both the treatment of exhaust heat and the prevention of accumulation of hydrogen gas, in the first ventilation mode, it is preferable that the air supply portion and the exhaust portion are provided at positions facing each other via the accommodation space.
That is, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the wall portion 10 is provided with a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other across the accommodation space, and the first ventilation port 13a is provided on the first side wall. Since the second ventilation port 13b is provided on the second side wall, it becomes easy to spread the air newly introduced into the equipment at the time of ventilation in the first ventilation mode, and the warm air in the equipment can be easily distributed. It becomes difficult to form a place where hydrogen gas stays.
It should be noted that this point is the same in the ventilation in the second ventilation mode.

In the ventilation by the first ventilation mode, sending the air in the external space into the facility by the second blower fan 15b or the third blower fan 15c causes the exhaust heat of these fans to be introduced into the accommodation space. From the viewpoint of increasing the ventilation frequency, it is advantageous for heat discharge, and a high gain can be obtained by increasing the ventilation frequency.
Therefore, in the ventilation by the first ventilation mode, it may be advantageous to use the second blower fan 15b or the third blower fan 15c when the purpose of ventilation is set to exhaust heat and prevention of accumulation of hydrogen gas.

For ventilation in the second ventilation mode, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the second shutter 14b and the third shutter 14c are opened, and the third ventilation fan 15c is used from the third ventilation port 13c. It can be carried out in such a way that air is introduced into the equipment.
In the second ventilation mode, the air in the vicinity of the rectifier 21 heated by the rectifier 21 passes by the pipes (water pipe L1, hydrogen gas pipe L2, oxygen gas pipe L3), and the second ventilation port It will be discharged from 13b.
Therefore, it can be said that the ventilation in the second ventilation mode is an effective ventilation method in a situation where water may freeze in a pipe or the like.
Instead of sending air into the equipment with the third blower fan 15c through the third ventilation port 13c, it is also possible to suck out the air inside the equipment from the second ventilation port 13b and perform ventilation in the second ventilation mode. However, in that case, the exhaust heat of the blower fan will not be introduced into the equipment.
That is, in the first ventilation mode, when it is required to quickly exhaust the heat in the equipment to the external space, it is advantageous to exhaust the heat to the external space with a blower as described above. When preventing freezing in the ventilation mode of 2, it is advantageous to supply air to the accommodation space with a blower.

The second blower fan 15b and the third blower fan 15c are propeller fans so that both exhaust to the external space and supply of air from the external space can be performed, and the propeller is rotated in the normal direction. It may be a reversible flow fan (bidirectional fan) that can blow air in both forward and reverse directions by reversing it.

In the ventilation in the second ventilation mode, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter 21za of the rectifier 21 is opened and the cooling fan 21b is operated to warm the air from the second exhaust port 21z to the inside of the housing 21a. May be discharged.
At this time, the air volume of the cooling fan 21b may be the same as or different from that of the first ventilation mode.

When hydrogen gas is produced, the water circulating on the anode side, the oxygen gas generated on the anode side, and the hydrogen gas generated on the cathode side are each heated by the heat generated in the electrolytic cell. The risk of freezing is low, and it is more important to deal with the risk of leaked hydrogen gas accumulating in the facility.
On the other hand, when hydrogen gas is not produced, the risk of hydrogen gas accumulating in the equipment is reduced, but the risk of freezing the heat-retaining water is increased.
Therefore, the ventilation in the first ventilation mode is preferably performed during the period in which the electrolytic device 22 is generating hydrogen gas, and the ventilation in the second ventilation mode is the hydrogen gas in the electrolytic device 22. It is preferable to carry out during the period when
In a situation where the electrolyzer 22 does not produce hydrogen gas, the internal heat generation of the rectifier 21 is usually small.
Therefore, it is preferable to change the air volume of the cooling fan 21b between the first ventilation mode and the second ventilation mode.
In the first ventilation mode, the air volume of the cooling fan 21b may be constant without any special control, but in the second ventilation mode, the air volume is controlled based on information such as the air temperature inside the equipment and the outside air temperature. It is preferable to do so.

The ventilation volume (ventilation frequency) in the second ventilation mode may be the same as or different from that in the first ventilation mode.
Considering the prevention of accumulation of hydrogen gas in the equipment, it is preferable that the ventilation in the second ventilation mode is carried out at the same air volume (ventilation frequency) as in the first ventilation mode.

The second ventilation mode is preferably carried out in a plurality of submodes, and the plurality of submodes include a high ventilation submode having a higher ventilation volume per unit time than at least one submode, and the above-mentioned high ventilation submode. It is preferable to include a low ventilation submode in which the ventilation volume per unit time is smaller than that in the high ventilation submode.

When ventilation in a plurality of submodes as described above is possible, for example, the power supply to the electrolytic cell is stopped at the stage of finishing the operation of the day, and the same as the first ventilation mode for a while. It is possible to perform ventilation in the high ventilation submode, which has a degree of ventilation frequency, and then shift to the low ventilation submode to prevent the temperature inside the facility from dropping due to the introduction of air from the external space. ..

Here, a desirable ventilation method is modeled on a hydrogen gas production cycle in which the hydrogen gas production facility 100, which has been idle at night, is started up in the morning to produce hydrogen gas during the day and then idles again at night. This will be described more specifically.

At the time of the morning when the production of hydrogen gas is started, first, the water circulation pump 25 of the hydrogen gas production facility 100 is driven to circulate pure water on the anode side, and then the electrolyzer 22 is supplied with water by the rectifier 21 to supply water. Start electrolysis.
At the same time, the cooling fan 21b of the rectifier 21 is operated to perform ventilation in the first ventilation mode.
At this point, the temperature inside the rectifier 21 is not so high, so the temperature of the exhaust gas discharged from the first ventilation port 13a is slightly higher than the temperature inside the equipment.
After that, the temperature inside the housing of the rectifier 21 rises with the passage of time, and the temperature inside the housing reaches a peak during the daytime.
Then, in the evening, the outside air temperature drops, so that the temperature of the air attracted from the second ventilation port 13b drops, and the temperature inside the housing of the rectifier 21 also begins to drop.
The switching from the first ventilation mode to the second ventilation mode may be performed at this point, and is performed when the temperature inside the housing of the rectifier 21 falls below a certain level (hereinafter, also referred to as “time point A”). You may.
After that, if the power supply to the electrolytic device 22 is stopped so that new hydrogen gas is not generated, the rectifier 21 hardly generates waste heat, so that the gradient of the temperature decrease in the housing becomes large.
The switching from the first ventilation mode to the second ventilation mode may be performed at this time, or may be performed at the time when the power supply by the rectifier 21 is stopped (hereinafter, also referred to as “time point B”).
If the dehumidifying device DC or the like is operated even after the power supply to the electrolytic device 22 is stopped, a part of the heat generated by the heating and regeneration of the adsorption cylinder prevents the temperature in the equipment from dropping.
However, when the operation of the dehumidifying device DC is also stopped (hereinafter, also referred to as “point C”), the temperature drop in the equipment is accelerated in combination with the drop in the outside air temperature.
Switching from the first ventilation mode to the second ventilation mode may be performed at this "time point C".
Then, since the outside air temperature drops significantly from midnight to dawn, the temperature inside the equipment drops sharply due to ventilation, and there is a risk of freezing in winter.
If the equipment is installed in a cold region, there is a risk of freezing, not only in winter.
Therefore, it is preferable that the ventilation is finally carried out in the second ventilation mode, and the second ventilation mode is carried out in the hypoventilation submode.

When switching to the second ventilation mode at the "time point A", it is desirable to perform ventilation in the form shown in FIG. 6, and it is desirable to perform ventilation while performing air cooling with the cooling fan 21b.
When switching to the second ventilation mode at the "time point B", it is not necessary to perform ventilation in the form shown in FIG. 6, and ventilation may be performed in the form shown in FIG.
When the ventilation mode is switched from the first ventilation mode to the second ventilation mode at "time point B", when ventilation is performed in the manner shown in FIG. 5, the rectifier 21 is in a state of heat storage for a while. Become.
Therefore, if the second ventilation mode is started in the mode shown in FIG. 5 and switched to the mode shown in FIG. 6 when the temperature in the equipment drops below the specified value, the effect of preventing freezing is further improved. Demonstrate.
Further, when switching to the air flow as shown in FIG. 6, the high ventilation submode may be switched to the low ventilation submode.

Switching from the first ventilation mode to the second ventilation mode, and switching from the high ventilation submode to the low ventilation submode, specifically, the time, the temperature of the outside air, the air temperature and water temperature in the equipment, and the inside of the rectifier 21. The timing can be set based on one or more pieces of information such as temperature.

As described above, in the present embodiment, hydrogen gas can be produced while avoiding a situation in which the operation of the equipment must be stopped unintentionally due to a problem such as freezing.
The hydrogen gas production method of the present embodiment is not limited to the one illustrated above, and may have various embodiments.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
The invention according to the second embodiment is also common to the first embodiment in that freezing is prevented by effectively utilizing the waste heat.
In the first embodiment, the case where the rectifier is an air-cooled type is illustrated, but in the invention according to the second embodiment, the rectifier may be a water-cooled type as shown in FIG.
Since the hydrogen gas production facility 100 shown in FIG. 7 is provided with a water-cooled rectifier 21', it is not provided with a cooling fan 21b unlike the air-cooled rectifier 21 illustrated so far.
Therefore, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 shown in FIG. 7, a first blower fan 15a'instead of the cooling fan 21b is provided in the first ventilation port 13a.
Since the water-cooled rectifier 21'has a cooling mechanism 21e'that cools the semiconductor element with a cooling pipe 21p'circulating the coolant, the ambient temperature of the rectifier 21'rises during operation, but is air-cooled. Although the temperature is not as high as that of the rectifier 21 of the above, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 shown in FIG. 7, the warm air around the rectifier 21'is discharged to the external space by the first blower fan 15a'to provide the first ventilation. It is designed to allow ventilation in the mode.

As described above, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the coolant is used as a heat medium to be heated by the heat generated by the rectifier 21'which is a heat generating device.
In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 shown in FIG. 7, as will be described later, a first heat exchanger is used as a heat exchanger for cooling the heat medium (coolant) heated by the heat generated by the rectifier 21'. It has a plurality of heat exchangers including a second heat exchanger.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 shown in FIG. 7, the temperature inside the rectifier 21'is not as high as in the case of the air-cooled rectifier 21, so that the first exhaust port 21y and the second exhaust for discharging the warm air in the housing are exhausted. The port 21z is not provided in the rectifier 21'.
On the other hand, in the hydrogen gas production facility equipped with the water-cooled rectifier 21', the coolant heated by the semiconductor element can be effectively used as a heat source for preventing the water to be kept warm from freezing.
For example, the pipes (water pipe L1, hydrogen gas pipe L2, oxygen gas pipe L3) may be heated by the coolant heated by heat exchange with the rectifier 21'.

Of the water to be heat-insulated, the water flowing through the circulation path on the anode side can be said to be in an environment in which it is difficult to freeze because of the active flow.
Further, it can be said that a relatively large amount of water such as water stored in the pure water tank 24 is in an environment where it is difficult to freeze because the overall heat capacity is large, even if the water does not actively flow.
On the other hand, regarding the condensed water (condensed water) generated in the gas lines on the cathode side and the anode side, the amount is relatively small and the flow condition is not so active, so heating by waste heat is given priority. It is preferable to be done.
That is, the hydrogen gas pipe L2 and the oxygen gas pipe L3 can be suitable targets for heating.

Explaining the hydrogen gas production facility 100 provided with the water-cooled rectifier 21'in more detail, the hydrogen gas production facility 100 shown in FIG. 7 cools the heat generated inside the water-cooled rectifier 21'(semiconductor element). It is configured so that the liquid can be transmitted to the outside of the rectifier 21'as a medium.
The hydrogen gas production facility 100 includes a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger as heat exchangers for cooling the coolant heated by the heat generated by the rectifier 21'by exchanging heat outside the rectifier. Has multiple heat exchangers, including.
The first heat exchanger in the present embodiment is a heating coil 21f'for heating the water to be kept warm.
That is, in the present embodiment, the cooling pipe 21p'extends to the outside of the housing 21a'and is wound around the water pipe L1 to form a heating coil 21f' for heating the water pipe L1. The pump P'circulates the coolant between the heating coil 21f'and the cooling mechanism 21e' to prevent the water pipe L1 and the like from freezing.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment accommodates the cooling liquid during a period in which the cooling liquid is not used for heating the heat-retaining target water (for example, a period in which ventilation is performed in the first ventilation mode). An air cooler 21G'that is air-cooled by the air in the space is provided, and the second heat exchanger constitutes a heat dissipation coil 21g'in the air cooling machine 21G'.
In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, the supply destinations of the coolant heated by the rectifier 21'are the first heat exchanger (heating coil 21f') and the second heat exchanger (radiating coil 21g'). It is possible to switch to and.
In other words, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, at least one of the water used for electrolysis and the water discharged to the outside of the system without being electrolyzed is subject to freeze prevention. It has a first heat exchanger for transferring the heat of the rectifier to heat the target water and a second heat exchanger for heating the air in the accommodation space with the heat of the rectifier.
As a result, the hydrogen gas production facility 100 in the present embodiment can switch between a state in which the entire facility is heated by the second heat exchanger and a state in which a specific portion in the facility is heated by the first heat exchanger. It has become.

The air cooler 21G'may be arranged so as to directly discharge the air whose temperature has risen by cooling the cooling liquid to the external space.
Further, the air cooler 21G'may be arranged not in the accommodation space inside the wall portion 10 but in the external space outside the wall portion 10.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 according to the second embodiment has an external space that accommodates the water electrolyzer unit 20 that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and the water electrolyzer unit 20 as described above. The hydrogen gas production facility 100 has a wall portion 10 that separates the above, and the water electrolyzer unit 20 is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation. It is common with the equipment 100.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 according to the second embodiment has a heat medium heated by the heat generated by the heat generating device, and is the first as a heat exchanger for cooling the heat medium heated by the heat. It has a plurality of heat exchangers including a heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, and among the plurality of heat exchangers, the first heat exchanger exchanges heat in the accommodation space to cool the heat medium. The second heat exchanger is arranged so as to be capable, and the second heat exchanger cools the heat medium by exchanging heat at a place different from that of the first heat exchanger in the accommodation space or by exchanging heat in the external space. It is arranged so that it can be done.
The hydrogen gas production facility 100 according to the second embodiment has a first heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the first heat exchanger and a second heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the second heat exchanger. It is possible to switch to and.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 according to the second embodiment has the hydrogen gas production facility 100 according to the first embodiment by arranging the second heat exchanger at a position advantageous for exhausting heat to the external space as described above. Similarly, the heat generated during operation can be quickly discharged as needed, and the first heat exchanger can be used to effectively utilize the heat to prevent freezing.
That is, the first heat exchange mode is preferably carried out for direct or indirect heating of the water to be kept warm.
The second heat exchange mode is preferably performed to release heat generated in the equipment to the outside.
In order to exert the above-mentioned effects remarkably, it is preferable that the second heat exchanger is arranged so as to be able to cool the heat medium by exchanging heat in the external space.

In the present embodiment, for example, the coolant is cooled by heat exchange in the air cooler 21G'in the first ventilation mode, and in the second ventilation mode, the coolant is directly or indirectly with the heat-retaining target water. The heat is exchanged to heat (prevent freezing) the water to be kept warm.
In this embodiment, the first heat exchange mode and the second ventilation mode can be carried out in parallel.
Further, in the present embodiment, the second heat exchange mode and the first ventilation mode can be performed in parallel.

In the present embodiment, a chiller for producing cold water may be installed in place of the air cooler 21G', or the cold water may be circulated between the rectifier 21'and the chiller.
In this case, the waste heat discharged from the chiller may be used for warming the accommodation space or may be discharged to the external space.

When the pipe is heated with the coolant, it is easy to concentrate the heat on a specific place unlike the case of heating with air, so that the place where freezing is likely to occur can be heated pinpointly.
Further, the cooling pipe 21p'may be branched to form the heating coils 21f' at a plurality of locations, and in that case, switching is made to switch which of the heating coils 21f' at the plurality of locations the heated coolant is to be distributed. A mechanism may be provided.
That is, in the present embodiment, a third heat exchanger may be further provided so that the water to be heat-retained can be heated at a plurality of locations at the same time.
Even in such a case, there is no difference in that the warm air around the rectifier 21'can be utilized for freezing prevention by exhausting air from the second ventilation port 13b provided at a position far from the rectifier.

The hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment is a heating device for heating the heat-retaining target water in addition to the heat exchanger that heats the heat-retaining target water with the cooling liquid heated by the heat generated by the rectifier 21'. It has a sub-heater 21h'.
The sub-heater 21h'can be configured to heat the heat-retaining target water by energy supplied to the hydrogen gas production facility 100 from the outside such as heated steam (steam) or system power.
That is, the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment includes a first heating device (heating coil 21f') and a second heating device (sub-heater 21h') as a heating device for heating the heat-retaining target water. It is equipped with multiple heating devices including.
The sub-heater 21h'may be provided adjacent to the heating coil 21f', or may be provided at a position away from the heating coil 21f'.

In the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, in order to save energy consumption, the heat-retaining target water is heated by the heating coil 21f'(second heat exchanger) prior to the heating by the sub-heater 21h'. When it is determined that the amount of heat for preventing freezing is insufficient only with the heating coil 21f', it is preferable to carry out heating with the sub-heater 21h'.

Whether or not heating with the sub-heater 21h'is necessary is preferably judged based on the air temperature of the accommodation space, the air temperature of the external space, the water temperature of the water used for electrolysis, etc. It is preferable to carry out when the temperature is below the reference value.
That is, in the hydrogen gas production facility 100 of the present embodiment, at least one of the water used for electrolysis and the water discharged to the outside of the system without being used for electrolysis is subject to antifreeze. The target water is the first heating in which the heat of the rectifier 21'is transferred to heat the target water by the heating coil 21f', and the heating method different from the first heating (sub-heater 21h') is used. A second heating that heats the target water is feasible, and the second heating at least one of the temperature of the accommodation space, the temperature of the external space, and the water temperature of the water used for electrolysis. It is preferable to carry out by the standard.

As described above, the water-cooled rectifier 21'is easier to concentrate heat in a specific place than the air-cooled rectifier 21, so for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a heat storage device HT is arranged in the accommodation space to prevent freezing. The waste heat generated in a situation where the need for the above is low may be stored in the heat storage device HT.
More specifically, in order to circulate the cooling liquid between the cooling device for cooling the cooling liquid in the heated state discharged from the rectifier 21'such as the air cooler 21G'and the chiller and the rectifier 21'. The heat storage device HT may be arranged on the upstream side of the cooling device.
Then, in such an embodiment, the heat medium TL can be circulated and supplied between the heating target Z to be heated and the heat storage device HT in order to prevent the water to be kept warm from freezing, and the heating target Z is transferred. When the need for heating is low, heat is stored exclusively in the heat storage device HT as shown in FIG. 8 (a), and when it becomes necessary to heat the object Z to be heated, FIG. 8 (b) shows. As shown, freezing can be prevented by supplying the heat medium TL from the heat storage device HT to the heating object Z.

The heat storage device HT is provided with a sensible heat storage material, a latent heat storage material, or the like that stores the heat generated by the rectifier 21', even if it is a water tank that simply temporarily stores the coolant in a state of being heated by the rectifier 21'. It may be a heat storage.
The heat storage device HT preferably includes a latent heat storage material in order to easily secure a large amount of heat storage.
Examples of the latent heat storage material include a paraffin-based heat storage material having a phase transition temperature in the range of 5 ° C. to 50 ° C. and a hydrate-based heat storage material.
In order to reduce the amount of combustibles in the accommodation space, the latent heat storage material is preferably a hydrate-based heat storage material.

Examples of the hydrate-based heat storage material include sodium sulfate 10-hydrate heat storage material (phase transition temperature: 10 ° C. to 32 ° C.) and trimethanol ethane trihydrate-based heat storage material (phase transition temperature: 13 ° C. to 30 ° C.). ℃), calcium chloride hexahydrate heat storage material (phase transition temperature: 27 ° C), sodium acetate trihydrate heat storage material (phase transition temperature: 40 ° C to 57 ° C), sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate heat storage material (phase transition temperature: 27 ° C) Phase transition temperature: 48 ° C.) and the like.

The coolant used for cooling the semiconductor element in the water-cooled rectifier 21'may be introduced from outside the system.
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a water supply path for supplying the refrigerant CL such as industrial water from outside the system to the rectifier 21'is provided, and a drainage path for discharging the refrigerant CL after cooling the rectifier 21'to the outside of the system is provided. The semiconductor element may be cooled.
At this time, as in the example of FIG. 8, when the need to heat the heating object Z is low, heat is exclusively stored in the heat storage device HT as shown in FIG. 9A, and the heating object is heated. When it becomes necessary to heat Z, freezing can be prevented by supplying a heat medium TL from the heat storage device HT to the heating object Z as shown in FIG. 9B.

Also in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a sub-heater 21h'as illustrated in FIG. 7 may be separately provided in addition to the heating device using the heat storage device HT as a heat source.
The supply of the heat medium TL from the heat storage device HT to the heating object Z is based on the air temperature of the accommodation space, the air temperature of the external space, or the temperature of the water used for electrolysis, as in the case of driving the sub-heater 21h'. Can be made to judge the necessity.
This makes it possible to ensure the prevention of freezing.
When water-cooled devices are provided in the hydrogen gas production facility separately from the rectifier 21', the heat stored in the heat storage device HT may be used as the exhaust heat from such devices.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the heat storage device HT is provided, the heat generated by the heat generating device in the first ventilation mode is stored in the heat storage device HT, and the heat stored in the heat storage device HT in the second ventilation mode is stored. It can be transmitted to the heat insulation target water to prevent the heat insulation target water from freezing.
In such an embodiment, a relatively large amount of heat to be transferred to the water to be heat-retained can be secured, and the amount of heat to be transferred can be easily controlled, so that freezing can be prevented more reliably.

As described above, in the invention according to one embodiment of the present invention,
Hydrogen gas production equipment
It has a water electrolyzer unit that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas, and a wall unit that separates the accommodating space accommodating the water electrolyzer unit from the external space.
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
The wall portion is provided with a ventilation port for exhausting the heat of the accommodation space to the external space by exhausting the air of the accommodation space, and the ventilation port is provided with a first ventilation port and a first ventilation port. The second ventilation port, which is farther from the heat generating device than the first ventilation port, is included.
There are a first ventilation mode in which the accommodation space and the external space are ventilated by exhaust from the first ventilation port, and a second ventilation mode in which the ventilation is performed by exhaust from the second ventilation port. Since it can be switched, the heat of the heat generating device can be easily discharged to the external space, and the exhaust heat of the heat generating device can be effectively used to prevent freezing.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present embodiment
The wall portion of the hydrogen gas production facility includes a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other with the accommodation space interposed therebetween, the first ventilation port is provided on the first side wall, and the second ventilation port is the second side wall. It is provided on two side walls.
Therefore, in the hydrogen gas production equipment of the present embodiment, when ventilation is performed in the first ventilation mode or the second ventilation mode, one of the first ventilation port and the second ventilation port is supplied with an exhaust port and the other. It can be used as an air port, and new air introduced from the air supply port can be easily distributed throughout the facility, and warm air and the formation of a place where hydrogen gas stays can be suppressed.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present embodiment
The water electrolyzer unit includes an electrolytic cell in which electric power is supplied to electrolyze water, and a rectifier in which the electric power supplied to the electrolytic cell is rectified.
The heat generating device provided at a position closer to the first ventilation port than the second ventilation port is the rectifier.
Among the hydrogen gas production facilities, the rectifier is a heat generating device that generates a particularly large amount of heat, and therefore, according to this preferred embodiment, a particularly high effect of preventing freezing can be obtained.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present embodiment
The rectifier includes a first exhaust port that exhausts air toward the first ventilation port and a second exhaust port that exhausts air toward the second ventilation port, and has a shutter that opens and closes the second exhaust port. Further prepared.
According to this preferred embodiment, it is easy to switch the discharge direction of the exhaust heat of the rectifier between the first exhaust port and the second ventilation port, and the heat is discharged to the external space and the heat is effectively used in the accommodation space. Can be easily switched to.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the second exhaust port is arranged so that the position in the vertical direction is lower than the upper end of the heat generating device.
According to this preferred embodiment, in the second ventilation mode, the warm air around the heat generating device can be attracted diagonally downward toward the second exhaust port, so that it becomes easy to warm the portion near the floor where freezing is likely to occur.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present embodiment
Ventilation in the second ventilation mode is performed in a plurality of submodes.
The plurality of submodes include a high ventilation submode having a higher ventilation volume per unit time than at least one submode, and a hypoventilation submode having a lower ventilation volume per unit time than the high ventilation submode. include.
Then, according to a further preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the hypoventilation submode is carried out in a situation where the temperature of the external space is lower than that of the hyperventilation submode.
According to such a preferred embodiment, the amount of air taken in from the external space (ventilation frequency) can be adjusted.
Therefore, according to such a preferred embodiment, the inside of the equipment can be maintained at an appropriate temperature even in a situation where the temperature of the external space is low and water may freeze in the equipment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the hydrogen gas production facility further includes an air conditioner that raises the temperature of the accommodation space.
Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the hydrogen gas production facility includes a pipe through which water before the electrolysis or water after the electrolysis flows, and heats the pipe. It also has an anti-freezing heater.
According to such a preferred embodiment, it is possible to prevent freezing even in an unexpected situation in which freezing may not be completely prevented by the ventilation method alone.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the hydrogen gas production facility includes a pipe through which water before the electrolysis or water after the electrolysis flows, and the rectifier is water-cooled. The pipe is heated by the cooling liquid heated by heat exchange in the rectifier.
According to such a preferred embodiment, since the pipe can be directly heated by the coolant, it is possible to easily heat the place where freezing is likely to occur.

In the invention according to another embodiment of the present invention,
A hydrogen gas production facility having a water electrolyzer unit that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall unit that separates the accommodation space accommodating the water electrolysis unit unit from the external space.
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
It has a heat medium that is heated by the heat generated by the heat generating device.
It has a plurality of heat exchangers including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger as heat exchangers for cooling the heat medium heated by the heat.
Among the plurality of heat exchangers, the first heat exchanger is arranged so as to be able to exchange heat in the accommodation space and cool the heat medium, and the second heat exchanger is the second heat exchanger in the accommodation space. 1 It is arranged so that the heat medium can be cooled by exchanging heat at a place different from the heat exchanger or exchanging heat in the external space.
Since it is possible to switch between the first heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the second heat exchanger, the heat of the heat generating device is transferred to the external space. It is easy to discharge, and the exhaust heat of the heat generating device can be effectively used to prevent freezing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the second heat exchanger is arranged so as to be able to exchange heat in the external space and cool the heat medium, so that the heat of the heat generating device is discharged to the external space. It becomes possible to carry out more reliably and more easily.

The hydrogen gas production facility and the hydrogen gas production method of the present invention are not limited to those having the above-mentioned preferable embodiments.
That is, the hydrogen gas production facility of the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications can be made to the above examples as long as the effects of the present invention are not significantly impaired.

10: Wall, 11: Frame, 12: Wall panel, 13: Ventilation port, 13a: First ventilation port, 13b: Second ventilation port, 14: Shutter, 15a': First blower fan, 15b: Second blower Fan, 15c: 3rd blower fan, 20: Water electrolyzer, 21,21': Rectifier, 21a, 21a': Housing, 21b: Cooling fan, 21za: Shutter, 22: Electrolyzer, 23: Pure water production Equipment, 24: pure water tank, 25: water circulation pump, 26: (anodous side) gas-liquid separator, 27: polisher, 28: heat exchanger, 29: (cathode side) gas-liquid separator, 30: air conditioner, 100: Hydrogen gas production equipment, DC: Dehumidifier, DCa: Adsorption cylinder, DP: Duct, HL: Hydrogen discharge path, L1: Water pipe, L2: Hydrogen gas pipe, L3: Oxygen gas pipe, OL: Oxygen discharge route, WL: Raw water supply route

Claims (14)

A hydrogen gas production facility having a water electrolyzer unit that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall unit that separates the accommodation space accommodating the water electrolysis unit unit from the external space.
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
The wall portion is provided with a ventilation port for exhausting the heat of the accommodation space to the external space by exhausting the air of the accommodation space, and the ventilation port is provided with a first ventilation port and a first ventilation port. The second ventilation port, which is farther from the heat generating device than the first ventilation port, is included.
The first ventilation mode in which the accommodation space and the external space are ventilated by the exhaust from the first ventilation port, and the second ventilation mode in which the ventilation is performed by the exhaust from the second ventilation port. Hydrogen gas production equipment that can be switched. The wall portion includes a first side wall and a second side wall facing each other with the accommodation space interposed therebetween, the first ventilation port is provided on the first side wall, and the second ventilation port is provided on the second side wall. The hydrogen gas production facility according to claim 1. The water electrolyzer unit includes an electrolytic cell in which electric power is supplied to electrolyze water, and a rectifier in which the electric power supplied to the electrolytic cell is rectified.
The hydrogen gas production facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat generating device provided at a position closer to the first ventilation port than the second ventilation port is the rectifier. The rectifier includes a first exhaust port that exhausts air toward the first ventilation port and a second exhaust port that exhausts air toward the second ventilation port, and has a shutter that opens and closes the second exhaust port. The hydrogen gas production facility according to claim 3, further provided. The hydrogen gas production facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second ventilation port is arranged so that the position in the vertical direction is lower than the upper end of the heat generating device. The second ventilation mode includes a plurality of submodes.
The plurality of submodes include a high ventilation submode having a higher ventilation volume per unit time than at least one submode, and a hypoventilation submode having a lower ventilation volume per unit time than the high ventilation submode. The hydrogen gas production facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is included. The hydrogen gas production facility according to claim 6, wherein ventilation in the low ventilation submode is performed in a situation where the temperature of the external space is lower than that in the high ventilation submode. The hydrogen gas production facility according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an air conditioner that raises the temperature of the accommodation space. A pipe through which the water before the electrolysis or the water after the electrolysis flows is provided.
The hydrogen gas production facility according to claim 3, wherein the rectifier is a water-cooled type, and the piping is heated by a coolant heated by heat exchange in the rectifier. A hydrogen gas production facility having a water electrolyzer unit that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall unit that separates the accommodation space accommodating the water electrolysis unit unit from the external space.
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
It has a heat medium that is heated by the heat generated by the heat generating device.
It has a plurality of heat exchangers including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger as heat exchangers for cooling the heat medium heated by the heat.
Among the plurality of heat exchangers, the first heat exchanger is arranged so as to be able to exchange heat in the accommodation space and cool the heat medium, and the second heat exchanger is the second heat exchanger in the accommodation space. 1 It is arranged so that the heat medium can be cooled by exchanging heat at a place different from the heat exchanger or exchanging heat in the external space.
A hydrogen gas production facility capable of switching between a first heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the first heat exchanger and a second heat exchange mode in which heat is exchanged by the second heat exchanger. The hydrogen gas production facility according to claim 10, wherein the second heat exchanger is arranged so as to exchange heat in the external space to cool the heat medium. Hydrogen gas that produces hydrogen gas in a hydrogen gas production facility that has a water electrolyzer that electrolyzes water to generate hydrogen gas and a wall that separates the accommodation space that houses the water electrolyzer from the external space. It ’s a manufacturing method,
The water electrolyzer unit is provided with at least one heat generating device that generates heat during operation.
The wall portion is provided with a ventilation port for exhausting the heat of the accommodation space to the external space by exhausting the air of the accommodation space, and the ventilation port is provided with a first ventilation port and a first ventilation port. The second ventilation port, which is farther from the heat generating device than the first ventilation port, is included.
A first ventilation mode in which the accommodation space and the external space are ventilated by exhaust from the first ventilation port, and a second ventilation mode in which the ventilation is performed by exhaust from the second ventilation port. A hydrogen gas production method for switching and performing ventilation in the second ventilation mode in a situation where the temperature of the external space is lower than that in the first ventilation mode. Ventilation in the second ventilation mode is performed in a plurality of submodes,
The plurality of submodes include a high ventilation submode having a higher ventilation volume per unit time than at least one submode and a hypoventilation submode having a lower ventilation volume per unit time than the high ventilation submode. The hydrogen gas production method according to claim 12, which is included. The hydrogen gas production method according to claim 13, wherein ventilation in the low ventilation submode is performed in a situation where the temperature of the external space is lower than that in the high ventilation submode.

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