JP4940573B2 - Fuel gas supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel gas supply device that supplies fuel gas to a fuel gas supply destination device such as a fuel cell.

  In a fuel cell system, the higher the pressure, the greater the amount of fuel that can be stored (hydrogen amount). Therefore, a high-pressure tank is often used as a fuel gas (hydrogen gas) storage device (see Patent Document 1).

For example, in a fuel cell system mounted on a vehicle, a fuel gas supply device with a configuration in which such high-pressure tanks are arranged in parallel and a shut-off valve (normally open valve) and regulator (regulator valve) are provided for each tank is proposed / It has been developed (see Fig. 1).
JP 2003-90499 A

  In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 1, simultaneously with the request to stop the fuel cell system, the shutoff valves B1 to B4 of the high pressure tanks A1 to A4, the shutoff valves 45 and 52 provided at the fuel gas inlet and the fuel gas outlet of the fuel cell 20, respectively. When the shutoff valve 63 (purge valve) provided in the exhaust passage 61 is closed, the flow of the fuel gas from the high pressure tank is suppressed, so that the fuel gas is between the shutoff valves B1 to B4 and the regulators D1 to D4. In the flow path portions C1 to C4, or in the anode gas channel 25 in the fuel cell 20. The fuel gas remaining in the anode gas channel 25 may further move from the anode side to the cathode side via the electrolyte membrane when the fuel cell system is stopped. In this state, when the fuel cell is started next time, there is a possibility that the fuel gas is discharged from the cathode side in a high concentration state.

  In order to avoid this, conventionally, when stopping the fuel cell system, each valve is not immediately closed, but the remaining fuel gas downstream of the shutoff valves B1 to B4 is consumed and / or discharged to the outside by the fuel cell. I was doing control.

  In addition, for example, when the system is started, it is necessary to temporarily control the opening of the shut-off valves for all the tanks at the time of system start-up due to a request based on safety standards such as detecting the disconnection / short circuit of the drive signal line for the shut-off valves of all tanks. There is a case. In this case, since fuel gas remains between the shutoff valves B1 to B4 and the regulators D1 to D4 in all the opened tanks, the amount of fuel gas consumed or exhausted when the system is stopped is proportional to the number of tanks. As a result, there arises a problem that fuel consumption deteriorates.

  Furthermore, since the time required for fuel gas consumption or exhaustion also increases, there arises a problem that the system cannot be shut down quickly. In particular, since the remaining fuel gas increases as the tank pressure increases, these are problems that cannot be ignored in a configuration premised on the use of a high-pressure tank.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a fuel cell system in which a high-pressure tank is arranged in parallel and a fuel gas supply device provided with a shut-off valve and a regulator is provided for each tank. An object is to effectively use the fuel gas to be consumed or exhausted when the system is stopped, to suppress deterioration of fuel consumption, and to stop the system quickly.

  In order to solve the above problems, a fuel gas supply device of the present invention includes a plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks connected in parallel to a fuel gas supply destination device, and between the high-pressure fuel tank and the fuel gas supply destination device. Among the gas passages to be connected, an upstream gas passage that is arranged in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device and is connected to a plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks, and an upstream gas passage corresponding to an outlet of each high-pressure fuel tank Information related to the amount of fuel gas existing between the shut-off valve and the regulator in each upstream gas passage, and the regulator for regulating the fuel gas pressure provided downstream of each shut-off valve in the upstream gas passage And a control means for controlling opening and closing of each shut-off valve based on the information related to the detected amount of fuel gas.

  It is preferable that the control means closes a shutoff valve corresponding to a passage in which the amount of fuel gas is large in each upstream gas passage. Moreover, it is preferable that the said control means opens the shut-off valve corresponding to a passage with small amount of fuel gas among each upstream gas passage.

  Preferably, the control means selects and closes at least one shut-off valve based on the magnitude of the regulator pressure of each regulator from the information related to the fuel gas abundance. In this case, it is desirable that the control means select and close at least the shutoff valve of the high-pressure fuel tank having the highest regulator pressure.

  Preferably, the control means selects and opens at least one shut-off valve based on the magnitude of the regulator pressure of each regulator from the information related to the amount of fuel gas present. In this case, it is preferable that the control means selects and opens at least the shutoff valve of the high-pressure fuel tank having the smallest regulator pressure. Alternatively, it is desirable that the control means selects and opens at least a shut-off valve of a high-pressure fuel tank that is set in advance so that the regulator pressure is reduced.

  Preferably, the control means opens all the shut-off valves when the fuel gas supply destination device is activated.

  Preferably, the control means determines the magnitude of the regulator pressure based on the remaining amount of fuel gas in the high-pressure fuel tank.

  Preferably, the apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines a consumption state of the fuel gas between the shut-off valve that is selected and closed and the regulator, and the control unit determines that the fuel is consumed in the determination unit. In this case, the shutoff valve is individually controlled for each high-pressure tank.

  The fuel gas supply device of the present invention includes a plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks connected in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device, and a gas passage connecting between the high-pressure fuel tank and the fuel gas supply destination device. An upstream gas passage connected in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device and connected to a plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks; a shut-off valve provided in the upstream gas passage corresponding to an outlet of each high-pressure fuel tank; A regulator for regulating the fuel gas pressure provided downstream of each shut-off valve in the gas passage, a control means for controlling opening and closing of each shut-off valve, and a shut-off valve for each high-pressure fuel tank are simultaneously opened to discharge the fuel gas. Means for estimating information related to the amount of fuel gas existing between the shutoff valve and the regulator in each upstream gas passage based on the amount of fuel gas discharged from each high-pressure fuel tank in the case of Characterized in that it obtain.

  According to the present invention, when the fuel cell system includes a fuel gas supply device in which high-pressure tanks are arranged in parallel and each tank is provided with a shut-off valve and a regulator, the fuel gas remaining between the shut-off valve and the regulator is removed. It is possible to effectively use and suppress the consumption or the amount of fuel gas to be exhausted when the system is stopped, thereby suppressing the deterioration of the fuel consumption, and the system can be stopped quickly.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a fuel cell system mounted on a fuel cell electric vehicle.

  The fuel cell system 10 mainly includes a fuel gas supply device 46, an oxidizing gas supply device 73, the fuel cell 20, and a control unit 80. The fuel gas is, for example, hydrogen gas, and the oxidizing gas is, for example, air. The control unit 80 obtains the required power generation amount of the fuel cell 20 from the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator sensor 84 for detecting the acceleration request of the vehicle, and the fuel gas supply device 46 so as to obtain a desired power generation amount. The oxidizing gas supply device 73 is controlled to adjust the fuel gas flow rate and the oxidizing gas flow rate supplied to the fuel cell 20. The PCU 82 is an electric power control device including an inverter and a DC / DC converter that increases / decreases the voltage. The PCU 82 converts the DC power generated by the fuel cell 20 into AC power and supplies it to the motor 83 for driving the vehicle. Electric power is stored in the secondary battery 81. The secondary battery 81 plays a role as a regenerative energy storage source at the time of brake regeneration and an energy buffer at the time of load fluctuation accompanying acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle.

  FIG. 1 shows a system configuration centering on a piping system of the fuel cell system 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell system 10 includes a system for supplying fuel gas to the fuel cell 20, a system for supplying oxidizing gas, and a system for cooling the fuel cell 20. It is configured.

The fuel cell 20 is a membrane / electrode assembly in which an anode electrode 22 and a cathode electrode 23 are formed by screen printing or the like on both surfaces of a polymer electrolyte membrane 21 made of a proton conductive ion exchange membrane or the like formed of a fluorine resin or the like. 24. Both surfaces of the membrane / electrode assembly 24 are sandwiched by a separator (not shown) having a flow path of fuel gas, oxidizing gas, and cooling water, and a groove shape is formed between the separator and the anode electrode 22 and the cathode electrode 23, respectively. The anode gas channel 25 and the cathode gas channel 26 are formed. An oxidation reaction of the formula (1) occurs at the anode electrode 22, and a reduction reaction of the formula (2) occurs at the cathode electrode 23. In the fuel cell 20 as a whole, an electromotive reaction of the formula (3) occurs.
H ₂ → 2H ⁺ + 2e ⁻ (1)
(1/2) O ₂ + 2H ⁺ + 2e ⁻ → H ₂ O (2)
H ₂ + (1/2) O ₂ → H ₂ O (3)
For convenience of explanation, the figure schematically shows the structure of a unit cell composed of a membrane / electrode assembly 24, an anode gas channel 25, and a cathode gas channel 26. A plurality of unit cells connected in series.

  The cooling system of the fuel cell system 10 includes a cooling path 31 that circulates the cooling water, a temperature sensor 32 that detects the temperature of the cooling water drained from the fuel cell 20, and a radiator that radiates the heat of the cooling water to the outside (heat exchange). 33), a valve 34 for adjusting the amount of cooling water flowing into the radiator 33, a pump 35 for pressurizing and circulating the cooling water, a temperature sensor 36 for detecting the temperature of the cooling water supplied to the fuel cell 20, and the like. ing.

  In the fuel gas supply system of the fuel cell system 10, a fuel gas passage 41 for supplying fuel gas to the anode gas channel 25 and a fuel off-gas exhausted from the anode gas channel 25 are recirculated to the fuel gas passage 41. A circulation passage 51 is provided, and a fuel gas circulation system is constituted by these gas passages.

  In the fuel gas channel (pipe) 41, regulators (medium pressure regulator 43 and low pressure regulator 44) for adjusting the pressure of the fuel gas from the fuel gas storage device 42, and the fuel gas supply port (inlet) of the fuel cell are opened and closed. A shut-off valve 45 is installed.

The fuel gas storage device 42 includes high-pressure fuel tanks A _{1 to} A ₄ (subscripts indicate tank numbers) connected in parallel to the fuel cell 20 as a fuel gas supply destination device, each high-pressure fuel tank, and fuel. Of the gas passages connected to the battery 20, flow passage portions (upstream gas passages) C _{1 to} C ₄ arranged in parallel to the fuel cell 20 and connected to the high-pressure fuel tanks, and the flow passage portions a shutoff valve B ₁ .about.B ₄ provided corresponding to the outlet of the high-pressure fuel tank in C ₁ -C _4, provided in the flow path portion C ₁ -C ₄ downstream of the shut-off valve B ₁ .about.B ₄ Regulators D _{1 to} D ₄ that regulate the fuel gas pressure and pressure sensors (not shown) that measure the regulator pressure of each regulator are provided. The shutoff valve may be integrated with the high pressure fuel tank. The number of high-pressure fuel tanks and the like can be determined according to the design, but here the number provided in parallel is four.

As can be seen, the fuel gas stored in the high-pressure fuel tank A ₁ to A ₄ is discharged to the flow path portion C ₁ -C ₄ by opening the respective cutoff valve B ₁ .about.B _4, the regulator D After the pressure is adjusted by _{1 to} D ₄ , the pressure flows into the common flow path portion of the fuel gas flow path 41 and is supplied to the fuel cell 20. Since the control related to the supply of the fuel gas is executed by the functional means of the control unit 80 as will be described later, it can be grasped as the fuel gas supply device 46 including the control unit 80.

  The circulation channel 51 includes a shutoff valve 52 for discharging the fuel offgas, a gas-liquid separator 53 for recovering water from the fuel offgas, a drain valve 54 for recovering the recovered water in a tank (not shown), and a circulation pump driven by a motor. (Pressurizing means) 55, a backflow prevention valve 56 for preventing the fuel gas in the fuel gas passage 41 from flowing back to the circulation passage 51, and the like are installed. Based on the control of the control unit 80, the circulation pump 55 compresses the fuel off-gas that has undergone pressure loss when passing through the anode gas channel 25, raises the pressure to an appropriate gas pressure, and causes the fuel gas passage 41 to recirculate. The fuel off gas merges with the fuel gas supplied from the fuel gas storage device 42 in the fuel gas flow path 41, and is supplied to the fuel cell 20 for reuse.

  In the circulation passage 51, a branch pipe is connected to an exhaust passage 61 for exhausting the fuel off-gas exhausted from the fuel gas circulation system to the outside of the vehicle via a diluter (for example, a hydrogen concentration reduction device) 62. An exhaust valve (exhaust means) 63 is installed in the exhaust flow path 61, and is configured to perform exhaust control of the fuel off gas. By opening and closing the exhaust valve 63, the fuel off-gas having increased impurity concentration is repeatedly discharged through the circulation in the fuel cell, and a new fuel gas is introduced to prevent the cell voltage from being lowered. It is also possible to remove the water accumulated in the gas flow path by causing a pulsation in the internal pressure of the circulation flow path 51.

  On the other hand, the oxidizing gas supply system of the fuel cell system 10 includes an oxidizing gas channel 71 for supplying oxidizing gas to the cathode gas channel 26 and a cathode off gas for exhausting cathode off gas exhausted from the cathode gas channel 26. A flow path 72 is piped. The oxidizing gas channel 71 includes an air filter 74 that removes dust and the like contained in the air taken in from the atmosphere, an air compressor 75 that is driven by a motor, and the like. The oxidizing gas channel uses compressed air as the oxidizing gas. An oxidizing gas supply device 73 for supplying to 71 is installed. Further, in the humidifier 76 disposed downstream of the oxidizing gas supply device 73, the cathode off gas that has become highly wet by the generated water generated by the cell reaction of the fuel cell 20, and the low wet humidity oxidizing gas taken from the atmosphere. Moisture exchange takes place between the two. The back pressure of the cathode gas channel 26 is adjusted to a substantially constant pressure by a pressure regulating valve 77 installed in the cathode off gas flow path 72. The cathode off gas flowing through the cathode off gas flow path 72 is exhausted to the outside of the vehicle via a gas-liquid separator, a muffler, etc. according to the design, and part of the fuel flows into the diluter 62 and stays in the diluter 62. Off gas is mixed and diluted and exhausted outside the vehicle.

  The control unit 80 is configured by a control computer system (not shown), and controls the operation of each part of the fuel cell system according to a control program (not shown). The control computer system can be constituted by a known and available system.

  For example, the control unit 80 receives sensor signals from a temperature sensor T and a pressure sensor P (not shown) installed in each flow path, and controls each motor according to the battery operation state (for example, power load). It drives to adjust the rotation speed of the circulation pump 55 and the air compressor 74, and further performs various valve / valve open / close control or adjustment of the valve opening.

However, when the control unit 80 of the present embodiment controls the shut-off valves B _{1 to} B ₄ to open and close, the fuel between the shut-off valves B _{1 to} B ₄ and the regulator (that is, the flow path portions C _{1 to} C ₄ ). It is different from the prior art in that information relating to the amount of gas present is detected, and each shut-off valve is controlled to open and close based on the detected information (for example, at least one shut-off valve is selected and closed). . In FIG. 1, a function related to the fuel gas supply control realized by the control unit 80 is shown as a function unit like a fuel gas supply control unit 801.

  Here, as information relating to the amount of fuel gas present, for example, individual difference information of the regulated amount of each regulator obtained experimentally in advance, pressure information detected by a pressure sensor, and information immediately before the shutoff valve Information on the valve opening state (opening, valve opening time), information on the state quantity (pressure, concentration, remaining amount) of the fuel gas inside the tank, and the like can be considered. In the present embodiment, the regulator pressure of each regulator is detected from the information related to the abundance of the fuel gas, as will be described later. This is because when the regulator pressure is large, it is considered that there is a large amount of fuel gas between the regulator and the shutoff valve.

The amount (remaining amount) of the fuel gas can be detected by various methods, but a method that can detect (estimate) the amount of existence with high accuracy in a short time is particularly desirable. For example, in the case of drained fuel gas simultaneously opening the shutoff valve B ₁ .about.B ₄ of a plurality of high-pressure fuel tank A ₁ to A _4, which are connected in parallel, the discharge of the fuel gas from the high pressure fuel tank Based on the amount or / and the amount of change in the tank internal pressure, a method of estimating information related to the amount of fuel gas in the flow path portions C _{1 to} C ₄ can be considered. More specifically, it is determined that the smaller the amount of discharge from each high-pressure fuel tank and / or the smaller the amount of decrease in internal pressure, the smaller the amount of fuel gas present in the corresponding flow path portion. According to such a method, it is possible to accurately estimate the amount of fuel gas present in a short time.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the control unit 80 related to the supply of fuel gas (the operation of the fuel gas supply control means 801) will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition, each process (including the partial process to which the code | symbol is not provided) can be arbitrarily changed in order within the range which does not produce contradiction in the processing content, or can be performed in parallel.

The fuel gas supply control means 801 receives a fuel gas supply request from other functional means realized by the control unit 80 (for example, system control means for controlling the overall operation of the fuel cell system 10; not shown) (S100). ), All the shut-off valves B _{1 to} B ₄ are opened as a startup process (S 101). The operation check of each shut-off valve can be performed by such start-up processing, and it can be determined that the drive signal line is disconnected / short-circuited for the shut-off valve that cannot be opened.

Next, the fuel gas supply control means 801 can determine that no disconnection / short circuit of the drive signal line has occurred for all the shutoff valves B _{1 to} B _{4 as} a result of the startup process (S102: Yes). The shut-off valve opening / closing control process considering the residual fuel gas is started (S103 to S104).

In other words, the fuel gas supply control means 801 is more specific based on the regulator pressure of each regulator among the cutoff valves in which fuel gas is present in a predetermined amount or more between the cutoff valves B _{1 to} B ₄ and the regulator. Specifically, at least one shutoff valve of the high-pressure fuel tank having a relatively high regulator pressure is selected and closed (S103).

  Here, it is desirable to select and close at least the shutoff valve of the high-pressure fuel tank having the highest regulator pressure. This is because as the regulator pressure increases, the residual fuel gas in the corresponding flow path portion preferentially flows into the fuel gas flow path 41, so that the residual fuel gas can be efficiently consumed when the valve is closed.

Incidentally, after the start-up process, since once are open all the shut-off valve B ₁ .about.B ₄ during processing activation in all of the shut-off valves B ₁ .about.B _4, shutoff valve B ₁ .about.B ₄ There is a predetermined amount or more of fuel gas between the regulator and the regulator, and therefore all the shutoff valves B _{1 to} B ₄ are to be closed.

  On the other hand, the fuel gas supply control means 801 is more specifically configured to control the relative pressure of the regulator based on the size of the regulator pressure of each regulator among the shutoff valves in which a predetermined amount or more of fuel gas exists between the regulator and the regulator. At least one shutoff valve for the high pressure fuel tank is selected and opened (S104). As a method for selecting a high-pressure fuel tank with a small regulator pressure, for example, a predetermined high-pressure fuel tank may be set in advance so that the regulator pressure becomes small, and the high-pressure fuel tank may be selected.

  Here, it is desirable to select and open at least the shut-off valve of the high-pressure fuel tank (lowest pressure regulating tank) having the smallest regulator pressure. When the shutoff valve of the lowest pressure regulating tank is opened, the regulator pressure of the closed high pressure fuel tank is always higher than that of the lowest pressure regulating tank. This is because it can be consumed efficiently.

  For example, when the shutoff valves are open for all the high-pressure fuel tanks, the lowest pressure adjustment tank has the slowest tank pressure drop, the tank with the least amount of fuel gas discharge, and the most residual fuel gas. It is estimated that the regulator pressure of the tank or the tank in which the fuel gas has remained until the end is the smallest, and the number of the tank is stored in advance in a nonvolatile memory or the like and can be selected with reference to this.

  Instead of closing all the shutoff valves in this way, for example, by opening the shutoff valve of the high-pressure fuel tank with the smallest regulator pressure, all residual fuel gas corresponding to the shutoff shutoff valve is consumed. In this case, the fuel gas can be stably supplied from the high-pressure fuel tank having the shut-off valve opened without interruption.

  Next, the fuel gas supply control means 801 notifies the system control means and the like that the supply of fuel gas from the fuel gas storage device 42 has been started (S105). In response to this, for example, the system control means executes the startup process of the fuel cell system 10 (starts the power generation process).

  Next, the fuel gas supply control means 801 determines the consumption state of the residual fuel gas between the shut-off valve selected and closed and the regulator (S106).

  As a determination method, for example, a determination method based on the tank pressure of the high-pressure fuel tank corresponding to the shut-off valve selected and opened can be considered. That is, when all the residual fuel gas between the shut-off valve selected and closed and the regulator is consumed, the fuel gas is subsequently supplied from the shut-off valve selected and opened with a relatively low regulator pressure. Therefore, the tank pressure of the high-pressure fuel tank corresponding to the shut-off valve selected and opened is lowered. Therefore, by detecting the drop in the tank pressure, it can be determined that all of the residual fuel gas between the shut-off valve selected and closed and the regulator has been consumed.

  Further, for example, the volume of the flow path portion between the shut-off valve regulators is stored in advance, the residual fuel gas amount is calculated from the volume and the tank pressure of the high-pressure fuel tank, and all the calculated remaining fuel gas amount is consumed. When the fuel cell power generation current integration value exceeds the calculated current integration value, a residual fuel gas between the selected shut-off valve and the regulator is calculated. It is possible to consider a method of determining that all the consumption has been made.

  Next, when it is determined that the fuel gas supply control means 801 has consumed all the remaining fuel gas between the shut-off valve selected and closed and the regulator (S107: Yes), a normal shut-off valve control process, For example, an individual shutoff valve control process for opening / closing the shutoff valve individually for each high-pressure tank is started (S108).

  As a method for individually controlling the opening and closing of the shutoff valve for each high-pressure tank, for example, it is conceivable to select a high-pressure fuel tank in order of the tank number or in descending order of the remaining amount of fuel, and use the fuel gas supply source. However, the high-pressure fuel tank with a low regulator pressure is selected as the fuel gas supply source in S104 when performing the open / close control in consideration of the residual fuel gas, so that the fuel gas is used up in the normal shut-off valve control process. It is not preferable to end up. Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to control the high pressure fuel tank having the lowest regulator pressure to be selected last regardless of the order of the tank numbers.

  Here, even in the normal shut-off valve control process, there may be a situation in which a residual fuel gas is accumulated in a predetermined amount or more in the flow path portion, such as when the tank is switched. Therefore, in such a case, it is conceivable to perform the following opening / closing control process in order to effectively use the residual fuel gas (see FIG. 4).

  That is, for a high-pressure fuel tank other than the high-pressure fuel tank having the lowest regulator pressure at a predetermined timing, the remaining fuel gas is accumulated more than a predetermined amount (for example, n = 2. The value of n is the value of the shut-off valve). It is determined whether there is a degree of effective use of residual fuel gas (impact on fuel consumption, etc.) while suppressing the number of operations (S200).

  If there are no n or more high-pressure fuel tanks, the currently supplied high-pressure fuel tank is continuously selected as the supply source (S201).

  On the other hand, when there are n or more high-pressure fuel tanks in which the residual fuel gas is accumulated in a predetermined amount or more, the fuel gas supply source is switched to the high-pressure fuel tank having the lowest regulator pressure (S202).

  Then, for the high-pressure fuel tank in which the residual fuel gas is accumulated in a predetermined amount or more, the power generation operation is continued in the switched state until the residual fuel gas is consumed (S203: Yes) (S204).

  When the residual fuel gas is consumed, the fuel gas supply source is switched to, for example, a high-pressure fuel tank with the largest remaining fuel amount (S205).

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, all of the shutoff valves B _{1 to} B ₄ are once opened during the startup process, so that a fuel gas exists in a predetermined amount or more between the shutoff valve and the regulator. Control is performed so that at least one shut-off valve of the high-pressure fuel tank having a relatively high regulator pressure is selected and closed, so that the residual fuel gas corresponding to the shut-off valve that has been closed is given priority. It can be consumed and used effectively. Therefore, the amount of residual fuel gas to be consumed or exhausted when the system is stopped can be greatly reduced, and as a result, deterioration of fuel consumption can be suppressed. In addition, the time required for consumption or exhaust can be suppressed and the system can be quickly stopped.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified and applied. For example, in addition to a high-pressure fuel tank connected in parallel to the fuel cell, a fuel tank (MH tank) including a hydrogen storage alloy may be provided.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which all the shutoff valves B _{1 to} B ₄ are once opened in the startup process, assuming that a predetermined amount or more of fuel gas exists between the shutoff valve and the regulator. The present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, even when fuel gas is supplied in parallel from a plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks other than at the time of startup, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained by introducing the opening / closing control based on the present invention at a predetermined timing. Can do.

It is a block diagram centering on the piping system of the fuel cell system in this embodiment. It is a principal lineblock diagram of the fuel cell system of this embodiment. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a fuel gas supply control means 801. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a fuel gas supply control means 801.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fuel cell system, 20 Fuel cell, 31 Cooling path, 41 Fuel gas flow path, 42 Fuel gas storage apparatus, 46 Fuel gas supply apparatus, 51 Fuel off gas flow path, 53 Gas-liquid separator, 55 Circulation pump, 61 Exhaust flow Road, 62 Diluter, 71 Oxidizing gas flow path, 72 Cathode off-gas flow path, 74 Air filter, 75 Air compressor, 76 Humidifier, 78 Heat exchanger, 80 Control unit, 801 Fuel gas supply control means

Claims (11)

A plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks connected in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device;
Among the gas passages connecting between the high pressure fuel tank and the fuel gas supply destination device, upstream gas passages arranged in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device and connected to a plurality of high pressure fuel tanks;
A shut-off valve provided corresponding to the outlet of each high-pressure fuel tank in the upstream gas passage;
A regulator for regulating the fuel gas pressure provided downstream of each shut-off valve in the upstream gas passage;
A detection device for detecting information related to the amount of fuel gas existing between the shutoff valve and the regulator in each upstream gas passage;
Control means for controlling the opening and closing of each shut-off valve based on the information related to the detected amount of fuel gas ,
The control means selects an upstream gas passage having a larger amount of fuel gas than the other upstream gas passages among the upstream gas passages, and closes the shut-off valve corresponding to the selected upstream gas passage. A fuel gas supply device. A plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks connected in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device;
Among the gas passages connecting between the high pressure fuel tank and the fuel gas supply destination device, upstream gas passages arranged in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device and connected to a plurality of high pressure fuel tanks;
A shut-off valve provided corresponding to the outlet of each high-pressure fuel tank in the upstream gas passage;
A regulator for regulating the fuel gas pressure provided downstream of each shut-off valve in the upstream gas passage;
A detection device for detecting information related to the amount of fuel gas existing between the shutoff valve and the regulator in each upstream gas passage;
Control means for controlling the opening and closing of each shut-off valve based on the information related to the detected amount of fuel gas,
The control means selects an upstream gas passage in which the amount of fuel gas is smaller than the other upstream gas passages among the respective upstream gas passages, and opens a shut-off valve corresponding to the selected upstream gas passage. A fuel gas supply device. A plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks connected in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device;
Among the gas passages connecting between the high pressure fuel tank and the fuel gas supply destination device, upstream gas passages arranged in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device and connected to a plurality of high pressure fuel tanks;
A shut-off valve provided corresponding to the outlet of each high-pressure fuel tank in the upstream gas passage;
A regulator for regulating the fuel gas pressure provided downstream of each shut-off valve in the upstream gas passage;
A detection device for detecting information related to the amount of fuel gas existing between the shutoff valve and the regulator in each upstream gas passage;
Control means for controlling the opening and closing of each shut-off valve based on the information related to the detected amount of fuel gas,
Wherein, among the information relating to the amount of the fuel gas based on the size of the regulator pressure of the regulator, the fuel gas supply apparatus characterized by closing select at least one shut-off valve. 4. The fuel gas supply apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control means selects and closes at least a shutoff valve of a high-pressure fuel tank having the highest regulator pressure. Wherein, among the information relating to the amount of the fuel gas based on the size of the regulator pressure of the regulator, according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the valve opening by selecting at least one shut-off valve The fuel gas supply apparatus as described. 6. The fuel gas supply apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control means selects and opens at least a shutoff valve of a high-pressure fuel tank having the smallest regulator pressure. 6. The fuel gas supply apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control means selects and opens at least a shut-off valve of a high-pressure fuel tank that is set in advance so that the regulator pressure is reduced. The fuel gas supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the control means opens all the shut-off valves when the fuel gas supply destination device is activated. The fuel gas supply apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7 , wherein the control means determines the magnitude of the regulator pressure based on the fuel gas remaining amount in the high-pressure fuel tank. Furthermore, a determination means for determining the consumption state of the fuel gas between the shut-off valve selected and closed and the regulator,
10. The fuel gas supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the shut-off valve individually for each high-pressure tank when the determination unit determines that the consumption is consumed in the determination unit. . A plurality of high-pressure fuel tanks connected in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device;
Among the gas passages connecting between the high pressure fuel tank and the fuel gas supply destination device, upstream gas passages arranged in parallel to the fuel gas supply destination device and connected to a plurality of high pressure fuel tanks;
A shut-off valve provided corresponding to the outlet of each high-pressure fuel tank in the upstream gas passage;
A regulator for regulating the fuel gas pressure provided downstream of each shut-off valve in the upstream gas passage;
Control means for opening and closing each shut-off valve;
Based on the amount of fuel gas discharged from each high-pressure fuel tank when the fuel gas is discharged by opening the shut-off valves for each high-pressure fuel tank at the same time, the connection between the shut-off valve and the regulator in each upstream gas passage Means for estimating information relating to the abundance of fuel gas ,
The said control means controls opening / closing of each shut-off valve based on the information regarding the estimated amount of fuel gas existing, The fuel gas supply apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

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