JP3268197B2 - Solid electrolyte fuel cell module - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell module.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a high temperature solid electrolyte fuel cell has an operating temperature as high as 800 ° C. to 1000 ° C., and it is necessary to maintain a high temperature in a power generation chamber including a solid electrolyte fuel cell stack.
For this reason, regenerative heat exchange is performed between the exhaust air using an air heat exchanger to preheat the supply air, and radiated using heat radiated from a high-temperature fuel cell stack using a radiant converter. The converter heats the air.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional solid oxide fuel cell module. Reference numeral 1 in the figure indicates a heat insulating material for keeping the entire module warm. The area surrounded by the heat insulating material 1 is separated by a lower tube sheet 2 and an upper tube sheet 3 into a power generation chamber 4, a fuel discharge chamber 5, and a fuel supply chamber 6 in this order from the lower side. here,
The lower tube sheet 2 supports a high-temperature solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 7 to be described later, and at the same time, prevents the fuel exhaust gas and the air in the power generation chamber 4 from mixing and burning. The upper tube sheet 3
Is a partition wall for the fuel supply chamber 6 and the fuel discharge chamber 6 while supporting a fuel supply pipe described later. In the power generation chamber 4, a cylindrical high-temperature solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 7 in which a plurality of solid electrolyte fuel cells having a fuel electrode (not shown) inside and an air electrode outside is connected in series is arranged. . A radiation converter 8 is disposed below the power generation chamber 4.

A fuel supply pipe 9 having one end (upper end) communicated with the fuel supply chamber 6 is disposed in the solid oxide fuel cell stack 7. An air exhaust pipe 10 is provided in the power generation chamber 4, and an air heat exchanger 11 is connected to a lower portion of the air exhaust pipe 10. The fuel gas is supplied to the fuel supply chamber 6.
Supplied to Fuel is supplied from the fuel supply chamber 6 to the fuel supply pipe 9.
After being supplied to the solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 7 through the fuel cell and used for power generation, it is collected in the fuel discharge chamber 5 and exhausted. The air undergoes regenerative heat exchange with the exhaust air by the air heat exchanger 11 and is preheated. The radiation converter 8 receives heat radiated from the solid oxide fuel cell stack 7 and further heats preheated air. By using the heat generated in the power generation chamber 4 to heat the air in the radiation converter 8, the temperature rise of the air inside the power generation chamber 4 is suppressed, and the temperature difference between the upper part and the lower part in the power generation chamber 4 is reduced. Is smaller. The air supplied from the radiant converter 8 to the power generation chamber 4 generates electric power in the power generation chamber 4, and is heated to 900 to 1000 ° C.
It is collected in 10, sent to the air heat exchanger 11, and exhausted.
The inside of the power generation chamber 4 needs to be maintained at a high temperature of 900 to 1000 ° C.

[0005]

However, the conventional solid oxide fuel cell module has the following problems. (1) Part of the heat supplied from the solid oxide fuel cell stack 7 to the radiation converter 8 is dissipated to the lower part of the module, resulting in loss of the module.

(2) In order to increase the amount of heat absorbed by the radiation conversion body 8 and to reduce the temperature difference between the upper part and the lower part in the power generation chamber 4, it is necessary to increase the air flow rate. Increased power reduces system efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and avoids a part of the amount of heat supplied from the solid oxide fuel cell stack to the radiant converter, thereby suppressing the module loss and the radiant conversion. An object of the present invention is to provide a solid electrolyte fuel cell module capable of suppressing a decrease in exhaust heat temperature due to an increase in heat absorbed by a body and a decrease in system efficiency due to an increase in auxiliary power.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cylindrical type fuel cell comprising a power generation chamber and a plurality of solid electrolyte fuel cells provided in the power generation chamber and having a fuel electrode disposed inside and an air electrode disposed outside, and connected in series. Stack, a fuel supply chamber for supplying fuel to the stack, a fuel discharge chamber for discharging fuel-side exhaust gas reacted in the solid electrolyte fuel cell to the outside, one end communicating with the fuel supply chamber, and the other end A fuel supply pipe extending to the end of the stack, a heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between air supplied to the power generation chamber and exhaust air, and a radiant converter for heating supply air by radiant heat generated in the stack in the solid electrolyte fuel cell module having a preparative, thermoelectric porous body
The radiation converter made of a material is the power generation chamber and the heat exchanger
Wherein the radiant converter outputs electric power .

(Function) (1) The radiation converter composed of the porous thermoelectric material is:
A part of the absorbed radiant heat is converted into electric power, and the remaining energy regenerates and heats the air. Therefore, the output of the module can be increased.

(2) An increase in the amount of radiant heat absorbed from the power generation chamber reduces the amount of air heating in the power generation chamber, so that a small temperature difference can be maintained even when the air flow rate is reduced. (3) In a normal radiant converter, a part of the absorbed radiant heat is radiated to the lower part, but a radiant converter using a porous thermoelectric material is converted into electric power in addition to sensible heat of air, The amount of heat dissipated is small, and the heat loss of the module can be reduced.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 21 in the figure indicates a heat insulating material for keeping the entire module warm. The region surrounded by the heat insulating material 21 is divided into a power generation chamber 24, a fuel discharge chamber 25, and a fuel supply chamber 26 in that order from a lower side by a lower tube sheet 22 and an upper tube sheet 23.
Here, the lower tube sheet 22 supports a high-temperature solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 27 described later, and at the same time, prevents the fuel exhaust gas and the air in the power generation chamber 24 from mixing and burning. The upper tube sheet 23 supports a fuel supply pipe described later, and serves as a partition between the fuel supply chamber 26 and the fuel discharge chamber 25. In the power generation chamber 24, a cylindrical high-temperature solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 27 in which a plurality of solid electrolyte fuel cells having a fuel electrode (not shown) disposed inside and an air electrode disposed outside are connected in series is disposed. . Below the power generation chamber 24, a radiation converter 28 using a porous thermoelectric material is disposed.

A fuel supply pipe 29 having one end (upper end) communicated with the fuel supply chamber 26 is disposed in the solid oxide fuel cell stack 27. An air discharge pipe 30 is provided in the power generation chamber 24, and an air heat exchanger 31 is connected to a lower portion of the air discharge pipe 30. The fuel gas is supplied to the fuel supply chamber 26.
Supplied to Fuel is supplied from the fuel supply chamber 26 to the fuel supply pipe 29.
After being supplied to the solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 27 through the fuel cell and used for power generation, it is collected in the fuel discharge chamber 25 and exhausted. The air undergoes regenerative heat exchange with the exhaust air by the air heat exchanger 31 and is preheated. The radiation converter receives the heat radiated from the high-temperature solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 27 and further heats the preheated air. By heating the air in the radiation converter 28 using the heat generated in the power generation chamber 24,
The temperature rise of the air inside the power generation chamber 24 is suppressed, and the temperature difference between the upper part and the lower part inside the power generation chamber 24 is reduced.

The air is supplied from the radiant converter 28 to the power generation chamber 24, and generates power in the power generation chamber 24.
After being heated, the air is collected in the air discharge pipe 30, sent to the air heat exchanger 31, and exhausted. 900 to 10 in power generation room 24
The module needs to be kept at a high temperature of 00 ° C., and the whole module is kept warm by the heat insulating material 21.

As described above, the solid oxide fuel cell module according to the above-described embodiment includes the power generation chamber 24 and the power generation chamber 24.
And a cylindrical solid electrolyte fuel cell stack 27 formed by connecting a plurality of solid electrolyte fuel cells having a fuel electrode inside and an air electrode outside, and a fuel supply chamber for supplying fuel to the stack 27. 26, and a fuel discharge chamber 25 for discharging fuel-side exhaust gas reacted in the solid electrolyte fuel cell to the outside.
A fuel supply pipe 29 having one end communicating with the fuel supply chamber 26 and the other end extending to the tip of the stack 27;
An air heat exchanger 31 that performs heat exchange between air supplied to the air 24 and exhaust air, and is disposed between the power generation chamber 24 and the air heat exchanger 31, and the radiant heat generated in the stack 27 causes supply air to be supplied. Radiation converter using porous thermoelectric material for heating
28. Therefore, the following effects are obtained.

(1) Radiation converter 28 using porous thermoelectric material
Absorbs the radiant heat from the power generation chamber 24, regenerates and heats the air, and at the same time, generates electric power to increase the electric output of the module. (2) The radiation converter 28 using a porous thermoelectric material
To generate power by absorbing radiant heat from the module, the amount of absorbed heat is larger than that of a normal radiant converter, and it is possible to reduce the temperature rise of the air in the power generation chamber 24 and at the same time reduce the heat radiation to the lower part of the module. .

[0016]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
A part of the amount of heat supplied from the solid oxide fuel cell stack to the radiation converter is prevented from dissipating to suppress module loss, and a decrease in exhaust heat temperature due to an increase in the amount of heat absorbed by the radiation converter, auxiliary power Solid electrolyte fuel cell module capable of suppressing a decrease in system efficiency due to an increase in the number of fuel cells.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a solid oxide fuel cell module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional solid oxide fuel cell module.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21: heat insulating material, 22: lower tube sheet, 23: upper tube sheet, 24: power generation chamber, 25: fuel discharge chamber, 26: fuel supply chamber, 27: solid electrolyte fuel cell stack, 28: using porous thermoelectric material Radiant converter, 29 ... fuel supply pipe, 30 ... air discharge pipe, 31 ... air heat exchanger.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cylindrical stack comprising a power generation chamber, a plurality of solid electrolyte fuel cells provided in the power generation chamber, and having a fuel electrode disposed inside and an air electrode disposed outside, connected in series, and And a fuel discharge chamber for discharging fuel-side exhaust gas reacted in the solid oxide fuel cell to the outside, one end communicating with the fuel supply chamber, and the other end extending to the tip of the stack. A fuel supply pipe, a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between air supplied to the power generation chamber and exhaust air,
In a solid electrolyte fuel cell module comprising a radiant converter for heating supply air by radiant heat generated in the stack, a radiant converter made of a porous thermoelectric material is used.
Disposed between the power generation chamber and the heat exchanger, and
A solid electrolyte fuel cell module, wherein the radiation converter outputs electric power .