JP4950497B2 - Fuel cell power generator and ventilation method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell power generation apparatus having a housing partitioned into a fuel / motor chamber (main body chamber) that houses a fuel cell main body and the like and an electric chamber that houses an inverter and the like, and a ventilation method therefor.

  A fuel cell is known as a system that directly converts chemical energy contained in fuel into electricity. This fuel cell is the one that takes out electricity directly by electrochemically reacting hydrogen as fuel and oxygen as oxidant, and can take out electric energy with high power generation efficiency, and at the same time, quiet and harmful exhaust gas This is a power generation device having an environmentally friendly feature that does not emit light. Until recently, relatively large PAFCs (phosphoric acid fuel cells) have been mainly developed, but recently, the development of small PEFCs (solid polymer fuel cells) has been activated and the spread of household fuel cell systems The situation is close.

  By the way, this fuel cell power generator includes a hydrogen generator, a fuel cell main body as a power generation unit, an inverter that converts a DC voltage generated from the fuel cell main body into an AC voltage, a control device, a heat exchanger, a reactor, and a rotator. Etc. These components are accommodated in one or a plurality of enclosures, and are incorporated in an integrated package (housing). Therefore, in the fuel cell power generation apparatus using fossil fuels such as city gas and LPG, flammable gas leakage management and environmental temperature management by ventilation are important in order to continue stable operation.

  Here, the ventilation method of the conventional typical fuel cell power generator is demonstrated (refer patent document 1 and patent document 2).

  The casing is partitioned into a fuel / motor chamber (main body chamber) and an electric chamber by a partition wall. The main body chamber accommodates a hydrogen generator, a fuel cell main body, a heat exchanger, a reactor, a rotator, and the like. In the main body room, a dedicated main body room fan is provided, and air taken in from the air port passes around the equipment and is discharged out of the package by the main body room fan.

  On the other hand, the electrical chamber contains electrical components such as an inverter and a control device that convert a DC voltage generated by the fuel cell body into an AC voltage. A dedicated electric room fan is provided in the electric room, and the air taken in from the air port passes through the periphery of the inverter and the control device via the electric room fan and is discharged out of the package. A flammable gas detector is attached to the fan inlet of the main chamber, and if a flammable gas leaks over a certain amount in the package, the fuel cell power generator is protected by detecting the leak with the flammable gas detector. Stopped.

The above is a conventional typical ventilation method for a fuel cell power generation apparatus, and a certain effect has been obtained in terms of flammable gas leakage management. From the viewpoint of reducing the power consumption of the ventilation fan, a method of sharing a plurality of ventilation fans (Patent Document 1), a method of using an external ventilation system (Patent Document 2), and the like have been proposed. .
JP-A-9-199152 JP 2005-183058 A

  As described above, the conventional technology focuses on reducing the power consumption of the ventilation fan for the purpose of improving the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell.

  However, no technology has been known that emphasizes environmental temperature management within the package. That is, under conditions where the outside air temperature is high such as in summer or under the influence of radiant heat caused by the sun's sunlight, the temperature inside the package exceeds the specified value, and it is assumed that the internal devices are adversely affected.

  On the other hand, if the same ventilation method as in summer is used under conditions of low outside temperature such as in winter, heat dissipation from the piping and equipment inside the package will increase, leading to a decrease in power generation efficiency and exhaust heat recovery efficiency of the fuel cell. There is a fear. This is disadvantageous in terms of economy in the operation of the fuel cell.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an efficient fuel cell power generation device and a ventilation method thereof from the viewpoint of environmental temperature management in the package.

The present invention achieves the above object, and a fuel cell power generator according to one aspect includes a housing partitioned into a main body chamber and an electric chamber by a partition, a fuel cell main body accommodated in the main body chamber, A control device that is housed in the electric chamber and controls the operation of the fuel cell body; an inverter that is housed in the electric chamber and converts direct current generated in the fuel cell body into alternating current; and ventilates the electric chamber. An electric room fan, and a main body room fan for discharging the air in the main body room to the outside of the housing through a main body room exhaust port, and a main body room air inlet is formed on the entire bottom surface of the main body room, An electric chamber intake port is formed on the entire bottom surface of the chamber, and air sucked into the electric chamber from the electric chamber intake port is guided to the main body chamber through a gap between the partition walls, and the main body chamber intake port Sucked into the room It was that it is configured to be discharged outside of the casing from the main body chamber outlet with air, characterized by.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an efficient fuel cell power generation device and a ventilation method thereof in terms of environmental temperature management in the package.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, the same or similar parts are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a ventilation system in a first embodiment of a fuel cell power generator according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view thereof.

  The entire fuel cell power generator is accommodated in one housing 20. The casing 20 is divided into an electric chamber 1 and a main body chamber (fuel / motor chamber) 2 by a partition wall 21. In addition to the fuel cell main body 22, the main body chamber 2 accommodates a hydrogen generator, a heat exchanger, a reactor, a rotator, and the like (not shown). The electrical chamber 1 also houses electrical components such as an inverter 23 that converts a DC voltage generated by the fuel cell body 22 into an AC voltage, and a control device 24 that controls the fuel cell power generator. The fuel cell body 22, the inverter 23, and the control device 24 are conceptually shown in FIG. 2, but are not shown in FIG.

  The main body chamber 2 is provided with a main body chamber fan 6 and a main body chamber exhaust port 7 so that air in the main body chamber 2 can be discharged by the main body chamber fan 6 through the main body chamber exhaust port 7. Further, an electric room fan 5 is disposed in the electric chamber 1, and thereby, air is sent to the electric components such as the inverter 23 and the control device 24 in the electric chamber 1 to be cooled. There is a gap in the partition wall 21 so that an air flow leaking between the electric chamber 1 and the main body chamber 2 can be generated.

  In this embodiment, the electric chamber intake port 3 a is provided over the entire bottom surface of the electric chamber 1, and the main body chamber intake port 3 b is provided over the entire bottom surface of the main body chamber 2. The electric chamber intake port 3a and the main body chamber intake port 3b integrally form the intake port 3 over the entire bottom surface of the housing 20. The air inlet 3 is formed, for example, by forming a large number of small holes in the bottom plate, or by knitting a wire in a mesh shape or a lattice shape. Further, the filter 4 is disposed so as to cover the entire intake port 3, and the total amount and size of dust and the like brought into the housing 20 are suppressed.

  In addition, a combustible gas detector 8 is attached to the entrance of the main body chamber fan 6, and in the unlikely event that a certain amount of combustible gas leaks in the package, the fuel cell power generation is detected by the leak detection by the combustible gas detector 8. The device is designed to be protected.

  The main body chamber exhaust port 7 is directed toward the front side in the horizontal direction in FIG. 1, but is directed upward in FIG. The direction of the main body chamber exhaust port 7 may be any direction.

  The air introduced into the electric chamber 1 from the electric chamber inlet 3a through the filter 4 is sent to the vicinity of electric components such as the inverter 23 and the control device 24 by the electric chamber fan 5 to cool these electric components. Then, it flows into the main body chamber 2 through the gap between the partition walls 21. On the other hand, the air introduced into the main body chamber 2 through the filter 4 from the main body air inlet 3b cools the fuel cell main body 22 and the like, and mixes with the air flowing into the main body chamber 2 through the gap of the partition wall 21. The main body chamber fan 6 discharges the outside of the housing 1 through the main chamber exhaust port 7.

  With the configuration and operation described above, it is possible to perform efficient ventilation with less air retention without changing the specifications of the conventional ventilation fan. In addition, by providing an opening on the bottom of the package, even if water leaks from the piping or rainwater enters, unnecessary water can be easily drained to the outside. Can be demonstrated.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a ventilation system in the second embodiment of the fuel cell power generator according to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the bottom surface of the main body chamber 2 has no air inlet and is closed. An electric chamber inlet 3 a is provided on the bottom surface of the electric chamber 1, and this constitutes the inlet 3. A filter 4 is attached to the intake port 3.

  The air introduced into the electric chamber 1 through the filter 4 from the electric chamber inlet 3a (3) is sent to the vicinity of the electric components such as the inverter 23 and the control device 24 by the electric chamber fan 5, and these electric components are supplied to the air. Cooling. Then, it flows into the main body chamber 2 through the gap between the partition walls 21. The air flowing into the main body chamber 2 cools the fuel cell main body 22 and the like, and is discharged out of the housing 1 through the main body chamber exhaust port 7 by the main body chamber fan 6.

  With the configuration and operation described above, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to perform efficient ventilation with less air retention without changing the specifications of the conventional ventilation fan.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a ventilation system in a third embodiment of the fuel cell power generator according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a control logic diagram thereof.

  In this embodiment, in the fuel cell power generator of the first or second embodiment, the exhaust port temperature sensor 10 is attached to the main body chamber exhaust port 7, and the inverter outlet temperature sensor 9 is attached near the inverter outlet of the electrical chamber 1. However, FIG. 4 shows an example based on the second embodiment (FIG. 3).

  A function 30 of the rotational speed of the main body chamber fan 6 with respect to the exhaust port temperature is set in advance, and a set value of the rotational speed of the main body chamber fan 6 is calculated according to the output of the exhaust port temperature sensor 10. Then, the rotational speed of the main body chamber fan 6 is controlled in accordance with the set value of the rotational speed of the main body chamber fan 6. Similarly, a function 31 of the rotation speed of the electric room fan 5 with respect to the inverter outlet temperature is set in advance, and the set value of the rotation speed of the electric chamber fan 5 is calculated according to the output of the inverter outlet temperature sensor 9. To do. Then, the rotation speed of the electric room fan 5 is controlled in accordance with the set value of the rotation speed of the electric room fan 5.

  Thereby, while reducing the power of the useless ventilation fan, it is possible to reduce the heat radiation of the piping and equipment inside the housing 20 and prevent the power generation efficiency and exhaust heat recovery efficiency of the fuel cell from being lowered.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a control logic diagram of the ventilation system in the fourth embodiment of the fuel cell power generator according to the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the third embodiment (FIGS. 4 and 5), and in addition to the configuration of the fuel cell power generation device of the third embodiment, the output obtained from the fuel cell control device. A function 32 of the rotational speed of the electric room fan 5 with respect to the amount of electric power is set in advance. Then, a high value selector 33 that selects and outputs the output of the function 31 of the rotational speed of the electric room fan 5 with respect to the inverter outlet temperature and the function 32 of the rotational speed of the electric room fan 5 with respect to the output electric energy. Has been placed. Then, the rotational speed of the electric room fan 5 is controlled according to the output of the high value selector 33.

  As a result, the electric room fan 5 can be operated in accordance with the heat generation expected from the inverter, and the power of the useless electric room fan 5 can be reduced. Further, the heat radiation of the piping and equipment inside the housing 20 can be reduced, and it becomes possible to prevent the power generation efficiency and exhaust heat recovery efficiency of the fuel cell power generation apparatus from being lowered.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a ventilation system in a first embodiment of a fuel cell power generator according to the present invention. It is a typical elevation sectional view showing the ventilation system in a 1st embodiment of the fuel cell power generator concerning the present invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows the ventilation system in 2nd Embodiment of the fuel cell electric power generating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows the ventilation system in 3rd Embodiment of the fuel cell electric power generating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a logic figure which shows the ventilation system in 3rd Embodiment of the fuel cell electric power generating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a logic figure which shows the ventilation system in 5th Embodiment of the fuel cell electric power generating apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Electric chamber 2 ... Main body chamber (fuel / motor chamber)
3 ... Inlet 3a ... Electric room inlet 3b ... Main body room inlet 4 ... Filter 5 ... Electric room fan 6 ... Main body room fan 7 ... Main body room exhaust port 8 ... Combustible gas detector 9 ... Inverter outlet temperature sensor 10 ... Exhaust port temperature sensor 20 ... Housing 21 ... Bulkhead 22 ... Fuel cell main body 23 ... Inverter 24 ... Control device 30 ... Function 31 of fan speed of main body chamber fan with respect to exhaust port temperature ... Function 32: Function of the rotation speed of the electric room fan with respect to the output electric energy 33: High value selector

Claims (4)

A housing partitioned into a main chamber and an electrical chamber by a partition;
A fuel cell body housed in the body chamber;
A control device that is housed in the electrical chamber and controls the operation of the fuel cell body;
An inverter that is housed in the electrical chamber and converts direct current generated in the fuel cell body into alternating current;
An electric room fan for ventilating the electric room;
A main body chamber fan that exhausts air in the main body chamber to the outside of the housing through a main body chamber exhaust port;
Have
A main body chamber inlet is formed on the entire bottom surface of the main body chamber, an electric chamber inlet port is formed on the entire bottom surface of the electric chamber, and air sucked into the electric chamber from the electric chamber inlet port passes through the gaps of the partition walls. Passing through the main body chamber and being exhausted from the main body chamber exhaust port to the outside of the housing together with the air sucked into the main body chamber from the main body chamber intake port;
A fuel cell power generator. 2. The fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the main body chamber inlet and the electric chamber inlet are a plurality of small holes . 3. The fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the main body chamber inlet and the electric chamber inlet are formed by knitting a wire in a mesh shape or a lattice shape . 4.   The fuel cell power generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a filter is attached to at least one of the main body chamber inlet and the electric chamber inlet.

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