JP4698987B2 - Humidified gas supply system and method for supplying the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidified gas supply system that supplies a humidified gas obtained by mixing gas and water vapor to equipment such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and a method for supplying the same.

Humidification gas is required in many fields, and is an indispensable raw material in, for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell.
Fuel cells include, for example, a solid polymer type (PEFC) using an ion exchange membrane as an electrolyte, a phosphoric acid type (PAFC) using phosphoric acid as an electrolyte, and a molten carbonate type (MCFC) using potassium carbonate lithium carbonate as an electrolyte. There are various types such as a solid oxide type (SOFC) using stabilized zirconia as an electrolyte. In particular, in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, it is necessary to stably supply a humidified humidified gas. Has been.
That is, a solid polymer fuel cell generally includes a power generation element constituted by sandwiching a hydrogen ion conductive solid polymer between carbon electrodes carrying a platinum catalyst, that is, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly, In addition, a gas passage for supplying each reaction gas is formed on each electrode surface, and a gas separation member for supporting the power generation element from both sides is laminated. Then, hydrogen gas (fuel gas) is supplied to one electrode, oxygen or air, that is, an oxidant gas is supplied to the other electrode, and chemical energy used for the oxidation-reduction reaction of the fuel gas is directly taken out as electric energy. I am doing so.

  In this fuel cell, hydrogen gas is ionized on the anode side and moves in the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and electrons move to the cathode side through an external load and react with oxygen to produce water. Electrical energy can be extracted by a series of electrochemical reactions. Since hydrogen ions move in the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, if the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is dried, the ionic conductivity is lowered and the energy conversion efficiency is lowered. Therefore, it is necessary to supply moisture. is there.

  In a conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cell, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a reactive gas is actively humidified by a humidifier or a sprayer using a water vapor permeable membrane to maintain a high reaction rate. ing. Finally, the humidified gas is held in a large-capacity chamber so as to maintain a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity, and the humidified gas is supplied to the fuel cell according to the amount of power generation. On the other hand, in the production of a fuel cell, the above-mentioned solid polymer electrolyte membrane needs to be appropriately moistened before shipment, and in the performance inspection, the moisture condition needs to be ensured with high accuracy.

  On the other hand, in a humidified gas supply system that has been widely used in the past, water was sealed in a sealed tank called a bubbler, and gas was bubbled from the bottom to obtain a humidified gas from the top outlet. If the water temperature is maintained at the temperature of the gas to be supplied, the gas rises while diffusing in water, and heating and humidification are performed simultaneously. If the time for the bubbles to stay in the water is sufficiently long, the humidity can be brought as close as possible to the saturation temperature. In addition, when water vapor is directly heated, the temperature rises abruptly. However, the bubbler is not a structure that directly heats the gas, so it has a high buffering effect against the applied heat and operates the device stably. Can do. For example, when the water temperature in the tank is kept constant, the error of the temperature of the generated humidified gas can be kept within 2 degrees with respect to the set temperature, so that the accuracy is good.

  In recent years, demands for increasing the capacity of polymer electrolyte fuel cells have increased, and there has been a demand for higher performance of manufacturing equipment. In addition, an apparatus for accurately supplying a high-humidity humidified gas can be expected to be applied to, for example, various experimental apparatuses.

JP-A-6-132038

  However, the method using a water vapor permeable membrane as described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot produce a high-humidity gas close to a saturated state because the humidifying capacity is limited. In addition, since the dew point is not stable and it takes time until the humidity becomes constant (usually several tens of minutes), the temperature and pressure of the humidified gas do not become constant during this time, and conditions for the performance test of the fuel cell are set. There is also a problem with difficulty.

  In particular, when trying to increase the capacity of the apparatus, there is a problem that the number of apparatuses proportional to the capacity must be connected in parallel, and the enlargement of equipment and the increase in cost are inevitable.

  On the other hand, when a conventional bubbler is used, the bubbles in the bubbler take away the heat of vaporization when the surrounding water evaporates and the temperature drops, so it is necessary to heat the water in the vicinity of the bubbles by the heater. When the distance to the bubble is increased, the heat applied to the water near the bubble is reduced, and the heat escapes from the outer wall into the air, so the heat applied to the water near the bubble passing near the outer wall is reduced. There is a problem that the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor is poor.

  In particular, the conventional bubbler needs to keep the water temperature in the tank constant and the amount of heat applied to the water in the vicinity of the passing bubbles to be constant. However, if the tank has a large capacity, the heat capacity of the water in the tank Therefore, the time until the temperature in the tank is stabilized immediately after the start of operation of the apparatus or after the setting is changed, and the time until the amount of generated water vapor or the dew point is stabilized becomes longer. In addition, there is a limit to the amount of heat generated by the heater, and the amount of heat that escapes from the outer wall increases, resulting in a problem that the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor deteriorates.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a humidified gas supply system and a supply method thereof that can improve the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor and increase the capacity of the apparatus while improving the response to changes in the setting of the humidified gas. There is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, the humidified gas supply system of the present invention comprises a water supply means for supplying raw water, a gas supply means for supplying raw material gas, and heating the raw water supplied from the water supply means, A humidified gas supply system for continuously producing a product humidified gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate, and humidity, and having an evaporation section for generating water vapor by passing the source gas supplied from a gas supply means. ,
The evaporation section is
A water storage tank for storing the raw water;
A porous layer that is formed inside the water tank and that refines bubbles passing through the raw water;
A heat supply unit that is annularly formed and arranged in the height direction and has a gap through which the raw water can pass in the thickness direction, and heats the raw material gas while passing in the height direction inside the water tank. A partition wall forming,
Heating means for heating the raw water in the heating section ,
The partition wall and the gap between the partition walls are formed in a spiral shape, and the heating means is formed integrally with the partition wall .

  When the flow rate of raw material gas supplied to the capacity of the water storage tank is small, if the raw material gas flows through the entire water tank, the necessary amount of heat must be added to the entire water stored in the water tank, generating steam. The thermal efficiency for making it worsen. Therefore, when a partition wall is provided and the source gas is supplied to the heat supply unit in the partition wall, the gas supplied into the heat supply unit becomes bubbles and rises while diffusing in an inverted conical shape. The rising bubbles are prevented from diffusing laterally by the partition wall, and are heated by the heating means while rising in the heat supply section formed inside the partition wall.

  At the interface of the bubbles in the raw water, the surrounding water tends to evaporate, and the generated water vapor is mixed into the bubbles of the raw material gas. Further, when the water evaporates, the heat of vaporization is taken from the surrounding water, so the temperature of the bubbles and the surrounding raw water is lower than the temperature where the bubbles do not pass.

  Since the bubbles moving in the heat supply section rise while being heated by the heating means, even if the heat of vaporization is deprived by evaporation, heat can be efficiently received from the heating means through the water in the vicinity of the bubbles. Moreover, since it is difficult for the bubbles to expand due to the partition wall, the bubbles do not leave the heat supply section, and heat can be received efficiently.

  In addition, since raw water having a predetermined temperature is stored outside the heat supply section, the heat of the heat supply section does not escape directly into the air outside the outer wall. Furthermore, since the gap is formed in the partition wall, the raw water having a high temperature in the heat storage section can move into the heat supply section through the gap in the partition wall, and the temporarily lowered temperature of the bubbles and the surrounding raw water A supplementary heat is applied to the. Further, even when the raw water in the heat supply unit evaporates, the raw water passes through the gap between the partition walls and moves into the heat supply unit, so that there is no difference in water level in the water storage tank.

  The porous layer formed inside the water storage tank only needs to have a flow path through which bubbles can pass upward. For example, the porous layer can be formed of a solid material having a large number of through holes inside. It can be formed by laminating plate-like objects having through holes such as a wire mesh. Moreover, many granular materials can also be filled and formed in a water storage tank. The porous layer subdivides bubbles that rise while growing due to the generation of water vapor, and lowers the rising speed of the bubbles to increase the passage time in the raw water. Even if the gas has the same volume, if the volume of each bubble is reduced, the total surface area is increased, so that the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor is improved. Moreover, when the passage time in the raw water becomes longer, the amount of heat received from the raw water increases. If the flow path in the porous layer is too narrow, the pressure in the heat supply section through which the bubbles pass becomes too large, and the bubbles may move outside the heat supply section through the gap in the partition wall. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the bubbles formed in the porous layer and the size of the gap between the partition walls are set to such a size that the bubbles pass only through the heat supply unit.

  The term “annular” means a shape that is closed when viewed in plan, and includes, for example, a circular shape, a rectangular shape, and other shapes. Moreover, the heating means should just be what can heat a liquid, for example, can use the electric heater which covered the nichrome wire with the insulator. Moreover, the heating means should just be arrange | positioned in the position which can heat a heat supply part continuously.

  Further, when a large amount of product humidifying gas is required, it is possible to generate a larger amount of water vapor by supplying the raw material gas to the heat storage section.

  The material of the partition wall is preferably a metal such as a stainless alloy having excellent corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. Moreover, it is preferable to form many through-holes or the groove | channel through which it penetrated with a uniform pitch, for example, a net-like member can be used besides what formed the through-hole in the board | plate material.

When the partition wall and the gap between the partition walls are formed in a spiral shape and the heating unit is formed integrally with the partition wall, the heat supply unit is heated by the heating unit and is placed outside the heat supply unit. It is also heated by the stored raw water. When the heating means is formed in a spiral shape, for example, an electric heater that applies voltage to both ends can be processed and used, and a uniform amount of heat can be generated in the circumferential direction of the partition wall.
The spiral shape means a shape in which a wire is wound like a coil spring, and does not include a spiral shape formed on a plane.

  The porous layer is formed by filling a spherical solid material having a size that cannot pass through the gap formed in the partition wall into the water storage tank, and raw water is supplied to the heat supply above and below the partition wall. If a flow path that can move between the inside and the outside of the unit is formed, a large number of spherical solids can oscillate in the raw water when the bubbles pass, so that the bubbles pass uniformly through the heat supply unit. . Moreover, since raw | natural water can move the flow path above and below a partition wall, the convection of raw | natural water is performed smoothly.

  As the spherical solid material, a ceramic such as alumina ceramic or a glass material subjected to a heat-resistant strengthening treatment can be used. The spherical solid material is formed in a substantially spherical shape having a diameter of 3 to 7 mm, for example, and can be swung vertically and horizontally by the flow of the raw material gas or water vapor and the convection of the raw water in the water storage tank.

  When the heat supply unit is heated, the raw water in the heat supply unit rises together with the raw material gas and water vapor. Since the spherical solid material is formed in such a size that it cannot pass through the gap formed in the partition wall, it does not move through the partition wall to the outside of the heat supply unit, and the gap between the spherical solid materials The raw material gas and water vapor that move the gas are not moved to the heat storage section, and rise in the heat supply section.

  After the source gas and water vapor reach the water surface, the bubbles burst and move further upward, but the raw water moves from the flow path above the partition wall to the heat storage unit. Then, due to the convection of the raw water, the raw water flows from the heat storage section into the heat supply section from the flow path below the partition wall.

  In the lower part of the heat supply section for supplying the raw material gas, since water is actively evaporated, a lot of heat of vaporization is taken away, and the temperature drops locally. In order to compensate for this, the raw water is allowed to flow into the heat supply section from the lower side of the partition wall, so that the heat of the flowing raw water can be applied to the lower portion of the heat supply section in addition to the heat applied from the heating means. .

  A mixing temperature raising unit that mixes water vapor and raw material gas supplied from the evaporation unit to generate a raw humidified gas and heats the raw humidified gas to generate a superheated humidified gas, and a mixed temperature rising When the cooling unit for lowering the temperature of the superheated humidified gas generated in the unit is provided, the water vapor generated in the evaporation unit is mixed with the raw material gas in the mixed temperature rising unit to become a raw humidified gas, and further heated to become a superheated humidified gas . Next, a product humidifying gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate and humidity is continuously produced by lowering the temperature of the superheated humidifying gas in the cooling section.

  When a plurality of the partition walls are arranged concentrically, an annular zone is formed in the water storage tank. This annular zone can be used as a heat supply unit or a heat storage unit. When the annular zone is used as the heat supply unit, the heating means is arranged at a position where the annular zone can be heated, and the gas supply means is arranged below the annular zone. At this time, the chambers inside and outside the annular zone can be used as a heat storage unit that stores raw water at a predetermined temperature and applies heat to the heat supply unit. Further, when the annular chamber is used as the heat storage section, the source gas is not allowed to pass through the annular chamber, but the source gas is allowed to pass through the other chambers. Here, the term “concentric” means that the second partition wall is disposed so as to surround the first partition wall, and the centers need not be matched.

  When the heating means is formed by connecting a plurality of heaters that can be heated independently to each other in the height direction when installed, the heating section is divided into a plurality of ranges in the height direction, and the respective ranges are divided. Can be heated independently.

  The raw material gas and water vapor rise together with the raw water while being humidified along the heating means. In the raw material gas supply section below the heat supply section, the amount of water vapor in the bubbles is small, the amount of vaporization is increased, and the temperature is decreased. Therefore, it is preferable to supply a large amount of heat in order to prevent the temperature decrease. On the other hand, in the upper part of the heat supply section, the water vapor in the bubbles is close to saturation, the amount of vaporization is small, and the temperature is not easily lowered. In such a case, the output of the heater arranged at the lower part of the heat supply unit is made larger than the output of the heater arranged at the upper part. That is, when the flow rate of the source gas is large, a high amount of heat is uniformly applied in the height direction, and when the flow rate is small, the amount of heat is uniformly increased or decreased in the height direction, or inclined.

  On the other hand, when it is desired to increase the temperature of the raw water by changing the setting, the output of each heater in the heat supply section is maximized.

The humidifying gas supply method of the present invention comprises a water supply means for supplying raw water, a gas supply means for supplying raw material gas, and the raw water supplied from the water supply means, and is supplied from the gas supply means. The raw material gas is allowed to pass through to generate steam, and the steam supplied from the evaporator and the raw material gas are mixed to produce a raw humidified gas, and the raw humidified gas is heated to superheat and humidify A humidifying unit that continuously produces a product humidified gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate, and humidity, having a mixed temperature raising unit that generates gas and a cooling unit that lowers the superheated humidified gas generated in the mixed temperature rising unit. A gas supply method, wherein the partition wall is annularly formed and arranged in the height direction and has a gap through which the raw water can pass in the thickness direction, and a porous layer that refines bubbles passing through the raw water Placed inside And the raw water reserved in the water tank, said heating means for heating the Kyunetsu portion formed on the inner side of the partition wall integrally formed on the partition Setsukabe, the heated while passing through the raw material gas to the heat supply unit Heating by means, and further heating by a heat storage part formed outside the partition wall

  When the supplied source gas becomes bubbles and rises in the heat supply section, water vapor is generated at the interfaces of the bubbles, so that heat of vaporization is lost. While heating a heat supply part with a heating means and heating with the raw | natural water of the predetermined temperature which flows in through a partition wall from the heat storage part formed in the periphery, the temperature fall in a heat supply part is prevented.

  A plurality of the partition walls are arranged concentrically to form the heat supply part between the partition walls, and the heat supply part through which the source gas passes is supplied to the supply amount of the source gas and the heat supply part If the supply amount of the raw material gas is reduced, the heat supply part having a narrow cross sectional area can be used to prevent the raw material gas from diffusing, and when the supply amount of the raw material gas is increased, By using a heat supply section having a wide cross-sectional area, sufficient water for generating water vapor in the source gas can be supplied. Further, when the supply amount of the source gas is further increased, two or more zones divided by the partition wall can be used as a plurality of heat supply units.

The present invention has the following effects.
(1) The humidified gas supply system of the present invention is a heating system in which a partition wall having a gap and a porous layer are provided in a water storage tank, a heat supply unit for allowing the raw material gas to pass therethrough is formed, and the heat supply unit is heated. Since the means is provided, it is heated by the heating means while preventing the diffusion of bubbles in the heat supply part, and further heated from the outside by the heat storage part, and only a part of the large-capacity water storage tank is used as the water vapor generation part. It is possible to increase the capacity of the apparatus while improving the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor and improving the responsiveness to the setting change of the humidified gas.
(2) the gap specifications Setsukabe and the partition walls, formed spirally, the heating means, when the partition wall integrally formed, can be large-capacity of the apparatus without increasing the number of parts of the device, also, feeding Since the area of the heating part in contact with the heating part increases and the amount of heat generated in the circumferential direction becomes uniform, the responsiveness can be improved and the thermal load on the heating means can be reduced.
( 3 ) If the water storage tank is filled with a spherical solid material having a size that cannot pass through the gap formed in the partition wall, the passage time of the source gas or water vapor heating section is lengthened, and the size of the bubbles is increased. It is possible to improve the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor by reducing the temperature and improve the responsiveness of the apparatus. Further, since the spherical solid material, the raw material gas, and the water vapor do not pass through the partition wall and move to the heat storage unit, and the raw material gas and the water vapor rise while being heated in the heat supply unit, the responsiveness is improved. ( 4 ) If a flow path in which spherical solid objects can move is formed above and below the partition wall, raw water flows into the heat supply unit from the lower side of the partition wall by convection, so heat for generating water vapor is efficiently generated. In addition, the responsiveness of the apparatus can be improved.
( 5 ) A mixing temperature raising unit for mixing the water vapor and the raw material gas supplied from the evaporation unit to generate a raw humidified gas and heating the raw humidified gas to generate a superheated humidified gas at the upper part of the evaporation unit; If a cooling unit is provided to lower the temperature of the superheated humidified gas generated in the mixed temperature raising unit, the water vapor generated in the evaporating unit is mixed with the raw material gas in the mixed temperature raising unit to become a raw humidified gas, which is further heated to be heated. It becomes gas. Next, by lowering the temperature of the superheated humidified gas in the cooling unit, a product humidified gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate, and humidity can be manufactured continuously and accurately.
( 6 ) When a plurality of partition walls are concentrically arranged, an annular chamber can be formed in the water storage tank, which can be used as a heat supply unit or a heat storage unit. Responsiveness to can be improved.
( 7 ) If a plurality of heaters that can be heated independently are connected to the heating means in the height direction when they are installed, the heating section is divided into a plurality of ranges in the height direction, Depending on the temperature distribution of the hot section and the flow rate of the raw material gas, each range can be heated independently, improving the thermal efficiency for generating water vapor, changing the setting of the supply amount of raw material gas, etc. Responsiveness to can be improved.
( 8 ) The humidified gas supply method of the present invention is heated by the heating means while passing the raw material gas through the heat supply unit, and further heated by the heat storage unit formed outside the partition wall. The capacity of the apparatus can be increased while improving responsiveness to setting changes such as changes.
( 9 ) A plurality of partition walls are concentrically arranged to form a heat supply section between the partition walls, and the heat supply section through which the raw material gas is passed is divided into the supply amount of the raw material gas and the sectional area of the heat supply section. If selected accordingly, the responsiveness to a change in setting such as a change in the supply amount of the source gas can be improved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a humidified gas supply system according to a first embodiment of this invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a humidified gas supply system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention continuously supplies a product humidified gas having a predetermined flow rate, temperature and humidity to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell 11. The apparatus is a water supply means 12 for supplying raw water, a gas supply means 13 for supplying hydrogen, which is an example of a raw material gas, and the raw water supplied from the water supply means 12 is heated and supplied from the gas supply means 13. And an evaporation section 14 that passes the raw material gas and generates water vapor.

  The humidified gas supply system 10 also mixes the water vapor and the raw material gas supplied from the evaporation unit 14 to generate a raw humidified gas, and heats the raw humidified gas to generate a superheated humidified gas 15. The cooling unit 16 that generates a product humidified gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate, and humidity by lowering the temperature of the superheated humidified gas generated in the mixing temperature raising unit, and the temperature of the generated product humidified gas is maintained or increased to be predetermined. And a temperature control unit 17 that maintains the value, and continuously supplies the product humidified gas from the temperature control unit 17 to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 11. In addition, the evaporation part 14, the mixing temperature rising part 15, and the cooling part 16 are stacked in order from the bottom in the height direction. This will be described in detail below.

  The water supply means 12 includes a raw water tank 20 that stores raw water (for example, pure water of 2 μS / cm or less, preferably 1 μS / cm or less), and raw water stored in the raw water tank 20 via a raw water supply pipe 21. A metering pump 22 that supplies the evaporator 14 is provided. The raw water supply pipe 21 is provided with a pipe heater 24 for heating raw water in advance. In addition, you may make it the structure which puts the raw | natural water supply pipe | tube 21 along the inner wall of the evaporation part 14, and supplies the heated raw | natural water.

  The gas supply means 13 includes a gas cylinder 25 that stores a source gas, for example, hydrogen, a plurality of gas supply pipes 26 a to 26 c that send the source gas from the gas cylinder 25 to the lower part of the evaporation unit 14, and gas supply pipes 26 a to 26 c. And gas flow rate regulators 27a to 27c each having a pressure reducing valve and a flow rate regulating valve for regulating the flow rate of the supplied gas. The tip portions of the gas supply pipes 26a to 26c have a shape capable of supplying the source gas as small bubbles. In addition, pipe heaters 28a to 28c for heating the source gas are respectively attached to the gas supply pipes 26a to 26c on the downstream side of the gas flow rate regulators 27a to 27c.

  FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the evaporator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged front sectional view of the same, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing control blocks of the heat supply unit and the heat storage unit. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when the evaporator 14 is installed by winding a water storage tank 29 for storing raw water and heaters 30 to 32, which are an example of heating means, in a spiral shape like a coil spring. Partition wall 36 connected in the height direction, and partition wall 37 similarly connected to spiral heaters 33-35. The partition walls 36 and 37 are each formed in an annular shape in plan view, and the partition wall 37 is formed to have a larger diameter than the partition wall 36.

  Further, the inside of the water storage tank 29 is filled with an alumina ceramic ball 38 which is an example of a spherical solid material. A porous layer is formed by the filled balls 38. The ball 38 is formed in a substantially spherical shape having a diameter D1 of 3 to 7 mm, has a light specific gravity, and slightly moves in the raw water in the water tank 29 by the convection of the raw water in the water tank 29 and the pressure of the supplied raw material gas. be able to. The thickness of the porous layer formed by the balls 38 is substantially the same as the depth of the stored raw water.

The heaters 30 to 35 constituting the partition walls 36 and 37 are configured such that heating wires are arranged inside a metal circular tube filled with insulating powder such as magnesia (MgO), and are heated by energization to heat the raw water. Add. The heaters 30 to 35 can be energized independently, and can independently heat the raw water.

  In the heaters 30 to 35, a spiral gap 39 is formed in a portion corresponding to the gap between the coil springs so that the raw water can pass in the thickness direction. The width L1 of the gap 39 is smaller than the diameter D1 of the ball 38, and the ball 38 cannot pass through the gap 39.

The outer wall 40 of the water tank 29 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a water tank heater 41 is provided outside the outer wall 40. The partition walls 36 , 37 formed in an annular shape in plan view are arranged concentrically with the center thereof aligned with the center of the outer wall 40 of the water storage tank 29.

  The partition wall 36 has a cylindrical heat supply part 42 formed on the inner side and an annular heat storage part 43 formed on the outer side. The heat supply unit 42 can generate water vapor by heating the raw material gas while passing in the height direction. The heat storage unit 43 stores raw water at a predetermined temperature, and the raw water supplies the heat supply unit 42 with the raw water. It can be heated from the outside.

  Further, the partition wall 37 divides the heat storage part 43 into an inner ring part 44 and an outer ring part 45. The inner annular part 44 can be used as a heat supply part when the raw material gas is allowed to pass therethrough, and can be used as a heat storage part when it is not allowed to pass through. The supply ports of the gas supply pipe 26a are provided at two locations below the heat supply section 42, and the supply ports of the gas supply pipe 26b are provided at four positions below the inner annular portion 44, and the gas supply pipe 26c Supply ports are provided at eight locations below the outer annular portion 45.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the heat supply unit 42, the inner annular portion 44, and the outer annular portion 45 are each divided into three control blocks 42 a to 42 c, 44 a to 44 c, and 45 a to 45 c. One temperature sensor 55 is arranged in each of the control blocks 42a to 42c, 44a to 44c, 45a to 45c.

  The three temperature sensors 55 provided in the heat supply unit 42, together with the heaters 30 to 32 constituting the partition wall 36, control the temperature adjustment control loop 56 that controls the amount of water vapor generated in the heat supply unit 42. Is configured. In addition, the three temperature sensors 55 provided in the inner annular portion 44 generate water vapor when the source gas is supplied to the inner annular portion 44 together with the heaters 33 to 35 constituting the partition wall 37. A temperature adjustment control loop 57 for controlling the above is configured. The three temperature sensors 55 provided in the outer annular portion 45 can be used as part of the temperature adjustment control loop 56 and the temperature adjustment control loop 57, and the water heater 41 It can also be used for control. The water heater 41 is controlled by calculating the amount of heat dissipated to the outside using all the temperature sensors 55 in the water tank 29 and providing a heat amount equivalent to the amount of heat dissipated. It is also possible to use a loop (not shown).

On the upper and lower sides of the partition walls 36 , 37, flow paths 46 , 47 through which raw water and humidified gas can move between the heat supply unit 42 and the heat storage unit 43 are formed. In addition, a presser plate 23 is disposed at the upper end of the upper flow path 46 so that a large number of balls 38 do not move greatly in the raw water. The presser plate 23 has a large number of minute gaps through which gas such as water vapor generated by evaporation of raw water passes upward. When the heat supply unit 42 is heated, convection of raw water is generated. That is, the raw water passes through the gap between the balls 38 held in a semi-fixed state by the presser plate 23, rises in the heat supply unit 42, passes through the upper flow path 46, and moves to the outer heat storage unit 43. . The raw water passes through the gap 39 of the partition wall 36 and flows into the heat supply section 42 while descending in the heat storage section 43, and passes through the lower flow path 47 to enter the inner heat supply section 42. Move to.

  Note that a water level meter (not shown) is provided in the water tank 29, and raw water is supplied from the water supply means 12 when the water level in the water tank 30 is lowered.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mixed temperature raising unit 15 includes a chamber 48 that is disposed above the evaporation unit 14 and is integrally formed. A heater 49 that heats the water vapor and source gas supplied from the evaporation unit 14 is provided inside the chamber, and a ribbon type that heats the amount of heat equivalent to the amount of heat dissipated outside around the outside of the chamber. A chamber heater 50 is attached. In the chamber 48, the water vapor and the raw material gas supplied from the evaporating unit 14 are mixed to obtain a raw humidified gas, and the raw humidified gas is further heated by the heater to be a superheated humidified gas.

  Here, in the chamber 48, both are naturally mixed by the flow of the raw material gas and the water vapor, but if it is necessary to promote the mixing, a baffle plate or the like is placed in the chamber 48, and the flow of the gas You may generate a turbulent flow positively. Alternatively, the raw humidified gas may be guided by a baffle plate or the like so as to approach the heater 49, and the raw humidified gas may be efficiently heated. The mixing temperature raising unit is provided with a mixing unit that mixes water vapor and raw material gas supplied from the evaporation unit and the gas supply unit at the lower part to generate raw humidified gas, and the raw humidification generated by the mixing unit at the upper part. You may provide the temperature rising part which heats gas and produces | generates superheated humidification gas.

  The cooling unit 16 includes a heat exchanger 51 disposed in the upper portion of the chamber 48, a refrigerant tank 52 that stores a refrigerant, for example, water at 20 ° C. in the heat exchanger, and a refrigerant from the refrigerant tank 52 to the heat exchanger 51. A refrigerant pipe 53 to be supplied and a pump 54 are provided. The superheated humidified gas generated in the chamber 48 is lowered to a predetermined temperature by the heat exchanger and becomes product humidified gas.

  The temperature control unit 17 includes a pipe heater 58 that is provided on the downstream side of the cooling unit 16, i.e., at the upper portion thereof, and retains the product humidified gas generated by the cooling unit 16. To supply. The temperature control unit 17 has a product gas supply pipe 59 that supplies the generated product humidified gas to the fuel cell 11, and a pipe heater 58 is also attached to the product gas supply pipe 59 to reduce the temperature of the product humidified gas. It is preventing.

  The product gas supply pipe has a heating device that heats the product humidified gas generated in the cooling unit 16 to a humidified gas higher than a predetermined temperature, and prevents a temperature drop due to heat dissipation to the outside. A cooling device that cools the heated humidified gas to a predetermined temperature before supplying it to the fuel cell 11 to obtain a product humidified gas may be provided.

  The humidified gas supply system 10 is provided with temperature sensors 60 to 63 in addition to the evaporation unit 14. In the chamber 48, a temperature sensor 60 that is provided in an upper portion of the chamber 48 and that measures the temperature of the superheated humidified gas generated in the chamber 48, and a heater that heats the chamber 48 based on the measurement value by the temperature sensor 60. 49, and a temperature adjustment control loop 64 that controls the temperature of the superheated humidified gas to a predetermined value is provided.

  A temperature sensor is disposed in the lower part of the chamber 48 and outside the chamber 48, and the temperatures of the water vapor and the raw material gas supplied from the evaporation unit 14 are measured by the temperature sensors in the lower part of the chamber 48. The sensor 60 measures the temperature of the superheated humidified gas heated by mixing the steam and the raw material gas, and calculates the amount of heat dissipated outside the chamber 48 from the temperature measured by the temperature sensor outside the chamber 48. It is also possible to provide a temperature adjustment control loop that controls the chamber heater 50 to supply the chamber 48 with the same amount of heat as the dissipated heat.

  In addition, temperature sensors 61 and 62 are disposed in the temperature control unit 17 inside and outside the temperature control unit 17, respectively. The temperature sensor 61 inside the temperature control unit 17 measures the temperature of the product humidified gas cooled by the cooling unit 16. A temperature adjustment control loop 67 that adjusts the amount of refrigerant supplied from the pump 54 of the cooling unit 16 so that the temperature becomes a predetermined value is provided in the pump 54 via an inverter 68. Furthermore, the amount of heat dissipated outside the temperature control unit 17 can be calculated from the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 62 outside the temperature control unit 17. Further, a temperature adjustment control loop 69 that controls the pipe heater 58 and supplies the calculated heat amount to the temperature adjustment unit 17 is provided. Furthermore, the temperature control unit 17 is provided with a humidity sensor 70 that measures the humidity of the product humidified gas in the temperature control unit 17. Further, a temperature sensor 63 is provided on the most downstream side in the temperature control unit 17 and measures the temperature of the product humidified gas supplied to the fuel cell 11.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the humidification gas supply method supplied to the fuel cell using the humidification gas supply system of the 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. First, the case where the amount of source gas is small will be described.

  The initial setting of the flow path and the heating state of the raw material gas in the evaporation unit 14 is performed as follows. That is, when the raw material gas is flown, the gas supply pipes 26a and 26b remain closed and are set to flow from the gas supply pipe 26c. The heaters 33 to 35 are not energized, and the heater 30 It sets so that only -32 may be energized. In this case, the inner annular part 44 and the outer annular part 45 are used as the heat storage part 43.

The raw water stored in the raw water tank is set so that a predetermined amount is continuously supplied to the water storage tank 29 by driving the metering pump 22. The water storage tank 29 is in a state where raw water of a predetermined temperature is stored.

  First, the heaters 30 to 32 are energized to heat the heat supply unit 42 while flowing the source gas whose flow rate is adjusted by the gas flow rate controller 27c from the gas cylinder 25 to the heat supply unit 42 through the gas supply pipe 26c. To do. The raw material gas is preferably heated in advance to the same temperature as the raw water in the water storage tank 29 by a pipe heater 28c attached to the gas supply pipe 26c. The raw material gas is subjected to resistance of rising by the balls 38 filled with the raw water, becomes small bubbles while passing through the gaps of the balls 38, and rises while generating water vapor at the interface. Since the ball 38 is subjected to resistance to ascending, the passing time becomes longer and the total surface area becomes larger, so that the ball 38 is more easily humidified.

Further, since the ball 38 cannot pass through the gap 39 of the partition wall 36, the ball 38 finely moves in the heat supply unit 42, and bubbles and raw water rise in the heat supply unit 42. Since the raw water in the vicinity of the bubbles is heated in a state where the bubbles are close to the heaters 30 to 32, the raw water is easily evaporated.

The heaters 30 to 32 measure the temperatures of the control blocks 42a to 44c in the heat supply unit 42 with three temperature sensors 55 arranged in the heat supply unit 42, respectively, and this temperature is a predetermined value, for example, 60 to Control is performed by the temperature adjustment control loop 56 so that the temperature becomes 90 ° C. At this time, the output of the heater 32 close to the supply port of the raw material gas may be made larger than those of the other heaters 30 and 31 to reduce the temperature drop at the lower portion of the heat supply section where a large amount of heat is taken away.

  The raw water rises in the heat supply unit 42 by convection and descends in the heat storage unit 43. Part of the raw water in the heat storage unit 43 passes through the gap 39 of the partition wall 36 and moves into the heat supply unit 42 to heat the heat supply unit, and the raw water in the heat storage unit 43 flows in the lower flow. The lower part of the heat supply part 42 can be heated by passing through the path 47 and moving into the heat supply part 42.

  In addition, immediately after the start of operation of the apparatus, or when the water temperature in the heat storage unit 43 is significantly decreased, the heat storage unit is used by using the heaters 33 to 35 of the partition wall 37 and the water tank heater 41 provided around the water storage tank 29. It is also possible to heat 43.

The raw material gas sent to the evaporation unit 14 and the water vapor generated by evaporation of the raw water are mixed by the mixing temperature raising unit 15 to become a raw humidified gas. The superheated humidified gas generated in the chamber 48 is lowered to a predetermined temperature, that is, the temperature of the product humidified gas (for example, 60 to 90 ° C.) by the heat exchanger 51 of the cooling unit 16 to obtain the product humidified gas. Here, when the temperature of the product humidified gas by the temperature sensor 61 of the temperature control unit 17 is different from the predetermined temperature, the amount of refrigerant supplied to the heat exchanger 51 is controlled by the pump 54 by the temperature adjustment control loop 67. The product humidified gas temperature is kept constant. In addition, when a part of the water vapor in the superheated humidified gas cooled by the heat exchanger 51 becomes water droplets, the water droplets are dropped and stored in the water storage tank 29 disposed below. Further, the generated product humidified gas is supplied to the fuel cell 11 at a predetermined temperature by the pipe heater 58 of the temperature control unit 17.

  When the temperature of the product humidified gas generated by the heat exchanger 51 is higher than a predetermined temperature, the flow rate of the refrigerant supplied to the heat exchanger 51 is increased, and when the temperature is low, the flow rate of the refrigerant is decreased. Product humidifying gas temperature can be adjusted. Further, when the flow rate of the product humidifying gas supplied to the fuel cell 11 is increased, the amounts of raw water and raw material gas supplied from the water supply means 12 and the gas supply means 13 are increased and decreased, respectively. What is necessary is just to reduce each supply amount.

  Next, a case where the amount of the source gas is slightly increased by changing the setting will be described. The initial setting of the flow path and the heating state of the raw material gas in the evaporation unit 14 is performed as follows. That is, when supplying the raw material gas, the gas supply pipes 26a and 26c are set in a closed state and are set to flow from the gas supply pipe 26b, the heaters 30 to 32 are not energized, and the heater 33 is set. It sets so that only -35 may be energized. In this case, the inner annular part 44 is used as a heat supply part, and the outer annular part 45 is used as a heat storage part. With this setting, since the cross-sectional area of the inner annular portion 44 is larger than that of the heat supply portion 42, more water vapor can be generated by flowing more raw material gas.

  Next, a case where the amount of the source gas is further increased by changing the setting will be described. The initial setting of the flow path and the heating state of the raw material gas in the evaporation unit 14 is performed as follows. That is, when the raw material gas is flown, the gas supply pipe 26c remains closed and is set to flow from the gas supply pipes 26a and 26b, and the heaters 30 to 32 and the heaters 33 to 35 are energized. Set to do. In this case, the heat supply part 42 and the inner ring part 44 are used as a heat supply part, and the outer ring part 45 is used as a heat storage part. By setting in this way, since the cross-sectional area of the inner annular portion 44 is larger than that of the heat supply portion 42, more raw material gas can be flowed to generate more water vapor. If the amount of source gas to be supplied is not so large, it is possible to use only the heaters 33 to 35 without using the heaters 30 to 32.

  Next, a case where the amount of source gas is maximized by changing the setting will be described. The initial setting of the flow path and the heating state of the raw material gas in the evaporation unit 14 is performed as follows. That is, when flowing the raw material gas, it is set to flow from all of the gas supply pipes 26a to 26c, and the heaters 30 to 32 and the heaters 33 to 35 are set to be energized. In this case, the heat supply part 42, the inner ring part 44, and the outer ring part 45 are all used as the heat supply part. When operating in this state, it is preferable to energize the water tank heater 41 to heat the outer annular portion 45 from the outside.

  In this way, the heat supply part through which the raw material gas passes can be selected according to the supply amount of the raw material gas and the cross-sectional area of the heat supply part, and even when the setting of the device is changed, water vapor is generated efficiently High quality product humidified gas can be supplied.

  Next, a humidified gas supply system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the humidified gas supply system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view of the evaporation unit. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the humidified gas supply system 80 of the second embodiment is different from the humidified gas supply system 10 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the partition wall of the evaporation unit and the heating means. Since other configurations are the same except for the differences, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The evaporating section 81 of the humidified gas supply system 80 is a partition wall made up of rod-shaped heaters 82 to 84 that are examples of heating means that are arranged in a plurality in the height direction, and a metal net plate formed in a cylindrical shape. 85 and 86. The partition wall 85 is formed with a smaller diameter than the partition wall 86. This will be described in detail below.

The partition walls 85 and 86 are arranged concentrically in the water storage tank 29. A large number of through-holes 91 are formed in the partition walls 85 and 86 so that the ball 38 cannot pass therethrough. A heat supply unit 87 is formed inside the partition wall 85, and a heat storage unit 88 is formed outside the partition wall 85. The partition wall 86 divides the heat storage part 88 into an inner ring part 89 and an outer ring part 90. The inner annular part 89 can be used as a heat supply part when the raw material gas is allowed to pass therethrough, and can be used as a heat storage part when it is not allowed to pass through.

  Two heaters 82 are provided side by side in the height direction in the heat supply section 87. In addition, four heaters 83 are equally arranged in the circumferential direction inside the inner annular portion 89, and eight heaters 84 are equally arranged in the circumferential direction of the outer annular portion 90.

  When the source gas is supplied to the heat supply unit 87 and the heater 82 is energized, the source gas becomes fine bubbles while passing between the balls 38 and spreads in the heat supply unit 87. Since the ball 38 does not pass through the through hole 91 of the partition wall 85, the bubbles also rise in the heat supply portion 87 in the partition wall 85. Since the heat supply section is heated in a state where the bubbles are confined in the heat supply section 87, even when the flow rate of the raw material gas is small, it is possible to efficiently perform heating in order to generate water vapor.

  Convection is generated by heating the raw water by the heater 82, and the raw water and the ball 38 that have risen in the heat supply unit 87 pass through the upper flow path 92, descend the heat storage unit 88, and pass through the lower flow path 93. Then, it flows into the heat supply unit 87 again. Moreover, raw | natural water can pass the through-hole 91 of the partition wall 85 from the thermal storage part 88, and can heat the heat supply part 87. FIG. Thus, since the heat supply part 87 is heated from the inner side by the heater 82 and is also heated from the outer side by the heat storage part 88, it can heat efficiently and can generate water vapor | steam.

In addition, it is also possible to use the board | plate material which formed the through-hole instead of the net plate for the partition walls 85 and 86, and it is also possible to form the groove part penetrated instead of the through-hole 91. FIG. In addition, the heater may be divided into a plurality of parts in the vertical direction, and by dividing, the temperature control of the heat supply unit 87 and the heat storage unit 88 in the water storage tank 29 is performed for each divided zone. Can do.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, For example, the magnitude | size of the clearance gap formed in the partition wall is larger than the magnitude | size of a spherical solid substance. However, the size may be any size as long as bubbles do not easily pass through. In addition to hydrogen, air, a mixed gas of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, a mixed gas of hydrogen and nitrogen, or the like may be used as the source gas.

  Further, although alumina-based ceramic is used as the spherical solid material, it is also possible to use a glass material that has been subjected to heat-resistant strengthening treatment. Moreover, the number and diameter of a partition wall can be changed, and the number of a heating means can also be increased / decreased according to this. Also, the number of divisions of the heating means can be changed, and the number of divisions can be increased at a place where the temperature change in the height direction is large, and the number of divisions can be reduced at a place where the temperature change is small.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a humidified gas supply system that continuously supplies a solid polymer fuel cell, and can be used in a large humidifier that can accurately produce high-humidity gas.

Explanatory drawing of the humidified gas supply system of the 1st Embodiment of this invention Cross section of the evaporation section Partial enlarged front sectional view of the evaporation section Explanatory drawing which shows the control block of the same heat supply part and heat storage part Explanatory drawing of the humidification gas supply system of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention Cross section of the evaporation section

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Humidification gas supply system 11 Fuel cell 12 Water supply means 13 Gas supply means 14 Evaporating part 15 Mixing temperature raising part 16 Cooling part 17 Temperature control part 20 Raw water tank 21 Raw water supply pipe 22 Metering pump 23 Press plate 24 Piping heater 25 Gas cylinder 26a -26c Gas supply pipes 27a-27c Gas flow rate regulators 28a-28c Piping heater 29 Reservoir 30-32 Heating heater (heating means)
33-35 Heating heater (heating means)
36 Partition wall 37 Partition wall 38 Ball (spherical solid)
39 Clearance 40 Outer wall 41 Water tank heater 42 Heat supply section 42a-42c Control block 43 Heat storage section 44 Inner ring section 44a-44c Control block 45 Outer ring section 45a-45c Control block 46 , 47 Channel 48 Chamber 49 Heating Heater 50 Chamber heater 51 Heat exchanger 52 Refrigerant tank 53 Refrigerant pipe 54 Pump 55 Temperature sensor 56 Temperature adjustment control loop 57 Temperature adjustment control loop 58 Pipe heater 59 Product gas supply pipe 60 to 63 Temperature sensor 64 Temperature adjustment control Loop 67 Control loop for temperature adjustment 68 Inverter 69 Control loop for temperature adjustment 70 Humidity sensor 80 Humidified gas supply system 81 Evaporating sections 82 to 84 Heating heater (heating means)
85 , 86 Partition wall 87 Heat supply part 88 Heat storage part 89 Inner ring part 90 Outer ring part 91 Through hole 92 , 93 Flow path

Claims (7)

A water supply means for supplying raw water, a gas supply means for supplying raw material gas, and heating the raw water supplied from the water supply means, and passing the raw material gas supplied from the gas supply means to pass water vapor. A humidifying gas supply system that continuously produces a product humidifying gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate, and humidity,
The evaporation section is
A water storage tank for storing the raw water;
A porous layer that is formed inside the water tank and that refines bubbles passing through the raw water;
A heat supply unit that is annularly formed and arranged in the height direction and has a gap through which the raw water can pass in the thickness direction, and heats the raw material gas while passing in the height direction inside the water tank. A partition wall forming,
Heating means for heating the raw water in the heating section ,
The humidified gas supply system , wherein the partition wall and the gap between the partition walls are formed in a spiral shape, and the heating means is formed integrally with the partition wall . The porous layer, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said has a partition wall formed the gaps can not pass the magnitude of spherical solid is formed by filling the inside of the water tank Humidified gas supply system. In the upper part of the evaporating unit, a mixed temperature raising unit that mixes the water vapor and the raw material gas supplied from the evaporating unit to generate a raw humidified gas and heats the raw humidified gas to generate a superheated humidified gas. If, humidified gas supply system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a cooling unit is provided for cooling the superheated humidified gas generated in the mixing Atsushi Nobori unit. The humidified gas supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a plurality of the partition walls are arranged concentrically. It said heating means, wherein the independently plurality of heater capable of heating, in any one of claims 1 4, characterized in that it is formed by connecting the height direction when installed Humidified gas supply system. A water supply means for supplying raw water, a gas supply means for supplying raw material gas, and heating the raw water supplied from the water supply means, and passing the raw material gas supplied from the gas supply means to pass water vapor. An evaporating unit to be generated, and a mixing temperature raising unit for mixing the water vapor and the raw material gas supplied from the evaporating unit to generate a raw humidified gas and heating the raw humidified gas to generate a superheated humidified gas; A cooling unit for lowering the temperature of the superheated humidified gas generated in the mixed temperature raising unit, and a method for supplying humidified gas for continuously producing a product humidified gas having a predetermined temperature, flow rate, and humidity,
Raw water in a water storage tank that is annularly formed and arranged in the height direction and has a partition wall having a gap through which the raw water can pass in the thickness direction, and a porous layer that refines bubbles passing through the raw water. Store
A heating means for heating the heat supply section formed inside the partition wall is formed integrally with the partition wall,
A method for supplying humidified gas, wherein the heating gas is heated by the heating means while passing the raw material gas through the heat supply portion, and further heated by a heat storage portion formed outside the partition wall. A plurality of the partition walls are arranged concentrically to form the heat supply part between the partition walls, and the heat supply part through which the source gas passes is supplied to the supply amount of the source gas and the heat supply part The method for supplying a humidified gas according to claim 6 , wherein the selection is made according to the cross-sectional area of the gas.

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