JP5007622B2 - Fuel cell and electronic device equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell and an electronic device equipped with the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fuel cell in which various devices for stably generating power by the fuel cell are housed in a compact manner and an electronic device equipped with the fuel cell.

  A fuel cell is a power generating element that generates power by electrochemically reacting a fuel such as hydrogen gas and an oxidant such as oxygen contained in air. In recent years, fuel cells have attracted attention as power generation elements that do not pollute the environment because the product generated by power generation is water. For example, attempts have been made to use them as drive power sources for driving automobiles. Yes.

  Furthermore, not only the above-described driving power source for driving automobiles but also fuel cells are actively developed as driving power sources for portable electronic devices such as notebook computers, mobile phones, and PDAs. In such a fuel cell, it is important that the required power can be stably output and the size and weight are portable, and various technological developments are actively conducted.

  In addition, a fuel cell can increase the amount of output power by combining a plurality of power generation cells (unit cells). For example, a joined body in which electrodes are formed on both surfaces of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane is used as a separator. A fuel cell having a stack structure in which a power generation cell is formed by sandwiching the power generation cells and these power generation cells are stacked has been developed.

In addition, the following prior art documents are mentioned as a thing relevant to the above description (patent documents 1-8).
JP 9-31165 A JP 2002-231292 A JP-A-10-162842 JP 2000-251908 A International Publication No. 01/13441 Pamphlet JP 2002-313381 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-256888 JP-A-10-64567

  By the way, when generating electricity with the fuel cell as described above, it is necessary to conduct protons to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and it is important that the solid polymer electrolyte membrane absorbs moisture appropriately.

  However, the power generation reaction in the fuel cell is an exothermic reaction, and the portion where the power generation reaction is actively performed tends to be high temperature. For this reason, the amount of water contained in the solid polymer electrolyte membrane decreases with the driving of the fuel cell, which may hinder stable power generation in the fuel cell.

  On the other hand, when power is generated, water is generated by an electrochemical reaction. However, when water is accumulated in the flow path of the fuel gas formed in the separator, the flow path is blocked by the water and the fuel is blocked. There arises a problem that the gas does not flow smoothly in the flow path. If the fuel gas does not flow smoothly in the flow path, it becomes difficult to sufficiently supply the fuel gas to the surface of the joined body, and there is a problem that power generation by the fuel cell cannot be performed sufficiently. Become.

  The two problems described above indicate that it is difficult to achieve both the suppression of the temperature rise of the fuel cell and the control of the amount of water contained in the fuel cell during power generation by the fuel cell. There is a need for technology that can solve these problems simultaneously. In particular, in a fuel cell having a stack structure, the fuel cell is configured to smoothly flow fuel gas through a flow path formed in a plurality of separators and appropriately absorb moisture in a joined body constituting the fuel cell. There is a need for a technology that can take in air containing oxygen from the outside and stably output the required power.

  Further, when a fuel cell is used to drive a portable electronic device, it is desirable that the fuel cell is also portable, and there is also a need for a fuel cell that can stably generate power and can be downsized. It has been.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of these problems described above, and aims to provide an electronic apparatus mounting a fuel cell and which is accommodated in a compact various devices for driving the fuel cell To do.

A fuel cell according to the present invention includes a power generation unit including a joined body including an electrolyte and two electrodes sandwiching the electrolyte, and a separator provided between the plurality of joined bodies. A fuel flow path provided on one side of the separator and an oxidant gas flow path provided on the opposite side thereof, the oxidant gas flow path being provided from one side of the separator to the other side, An oxidant gas flow means for sucking oxidant gas into at least one opening of the oxidant gas flow path or exhausting oxidant gas from the opening is provided, a cooling means is provided, and an oxidant gas flow means is provided. and with detection means for detecting environmental conditions for controlling the driving of the cooling means is provided, detecting means includes temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the oxidant gas, humidity detecting the humidity of the oxidizing gas And a detecting means, the amount of water remaining in the temperature and the power generation unit of the power generation unit is determined based on the humidity detected by the temperature and humidity detecting means detected by the temperature detection means, the proper temperature of the power generation unit and When the power generation unit deviates from the stable region defined by the appropriate amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit, the oxidant gas flow unit and the cooling unit are driven independently from each other so as to be inside the stable region, and When the amount of water remaining in the power generation unit is excessive, excess water is discharged together with air by the oxidant gas flow means.

Electronic device according to the present invention includes the fuel cell, and are driven by being supplied with electric power from the fuel cell.

According to the fuel cell of the present invention, the separator includes a power generation unit including a joined body including an electrolyte and two electrodes sandwiching the electrolyte, and a separator provided between the plurality of joined bodies. Is provided with a fuel flow path provided on one side of the separator and an oxidant gas flow path provided on the opposite side, and the oxidant gas flow path is provided from one side of the separator to the other side. Therefore, various devices for generating power can be stored in the fuel cell in a compact manner, and the fuel cell can be miniaturized.

  Furthermore, according to the electronic device according to the present invention, a fuel cell having a portable size can be mounted so that the portable electronic device can be driven by the fuel cell. It can be installed.

  Hereinafter, the fuel cell and the electronic device of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fuel cell 1 includes a housing 10, a control board 20, a power generation unit 30, a cooling fan 51, air supply fans 52 and 53, a hydrogen purge valve 54, a regulator 55, and a manual valve 56. Further, the fuel cell 1 receives the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen storage cartridge 60 that stores the hydrogen gas, and generates power.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the casing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the inside is hollow and the bottom is open so as to cover various devices mounted on the fuel cell 1. The housing 10 includes exhaust ports 11, 12 and 13, and intake ports 14, 15, and an end portion of the upper surface of the housing 10 is inclined to a side surface where the exhaust ports 11, 12, 13 are formed. According to FIG. 2A, the exhaust port 11 and the exhaust ports 12 and 13 are formed so as to be adjacent to one side surface of the housing 10, and are flowed in the fuel cell 1 to cool the power generation unit 30. The air and the air after the power generation reaction by the power generation unit 30 are discharged from the exhaust port 11 and the exhaust ports 12 and 13, respectively. The exhaust port 11 is an air outlet through which air for radiating heat from the radiating fins 33 described later is discharged from the fuel cell 1. Furthermore, the exhaust port 11 is opened in a substantially rectangular shape on the side surface of the housing 10, and a plurality of exhaust ports 11 are formed in the vertical direction. Further, the exhaust ports 12 and 13 are outlets for discharging air supplied to the power generation unit 30 when the power generation unit 30 generates power, and are opened in a rectangular shape on the side surface of the housing 10. 11 are formed in the vertical direction along the line 11. Further, the exhaust ports 11, 12, and 13 are formed so that the length in the longitudinal direction becomes shorter along the vertical direction of the side surface of the housing 10.

  Further, according to FIG. 2 (b), the air inlets 14 and 15 are formed on the side surface facing the side surface of the housing 10 in which the air exhaust port 11 and the air exhaust ports 12 and 13 of the housing 10 are formed. The air for cooling the power generation unit 30 from 14 and 15 and the air containing oxygen used for the power generation reaction by the power generation unit 30 are respectively taken into the fuel cell 1. The intake port 14 is an air intake port through which air for radiating heat from the heat radiating fins 33, which will be described later, is taken into the fuel cell 1. The intake port 14 opens in a substantially rectangular shape on the side surface of the housing 10 and extends vertically. A plurality are formed. The intake port 15 is an intake port for taking in air supplied to the power generation unit 30 when the power generation unit 30 performs power generation. The intake port 15 is also opened in a substantially rectangular shape on the side surface of the housing 10, A plurality is formed in the vertical direction along the mouth 14.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 (c) and 2 (d), a connection through which various signals are transmitted and received between the fuel cell 1 and the outside is passed through one end face of the housing 10. Holes 16 can be formed. Furthermore, the required connection hole 18 can also be formed in the other end surface.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a control circuit for controlling various devices constituting the fuel cell 1 is formed on the control board 20, and the control board 20 is disposed on the upper side of the power generation unit 30. Although details of the control circuit are not shown in detail in the drawing, for example, control of driving of the cooling fan 51 and air supply fans 52 and 53, or control circuit of opening and closing operation of the hydrogen purge valve 54, voltage output by the power generation unit 30 A voltage conversion circuit such as a DC / DC converter for boosting the voltage, and a circuit in which instructions relating to driving of various devices are mounted on the control board 20 by acquiring various environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity detected by a sensor described later. Can also be done. Further, in the fuel cell 1 of this example, the control board 20 is disposed in the fuel cell 1, but may be disposed outside the fuel cell 1, for example, driving power from the fuel cell 1. Various electronic devices to be provided may include the control board 20.

  Next, the power generation unit 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the power generation unit 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a part of the side surface facing the side surface 39 facing the cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53 extends in the vertical direction of the power generation unit 30. The shape is cut into a rectangular shape along the base 57 and disposed on the base 57. A cooling fan 51 and air supply fans 52 and 53 are disposed adjacent to each other along the side surface 39 of the power generation unit 30. The cooling fan 51 arranged in this way dissipates heat from the radiation fins 33. The air supply fans 52 and 53 are arranged so as to face the opening 34, and allow air to flow in the power generation unit 30 through the opening 34.

  In addition, the power generation unit 30 of this example has a structure in which the joined bodies 32 are sandwiched between nine separators 31 and eight power generation cells for generating power are connected in series. Since such a power generation cell can output a voltage of about 0.6 V with one element, the power generation unit 30 as a whole can output a voltage of 4.8 V. The power generation unit 30 can pass a current of about 2 A, and the output power is ideally 9.6 W, but the actual output power is the ideal output power due to heat generation in the power generation reaction. It is about 6.7 W, which is about 70%. However, as will be described later, the output power can be further increased by adjusting the amount of water contained in the joined body 32 and smoothly supplying the hydrogen gas to the power generation unit 30. Further, the power generation cells forming the power generation unit 30 are not limited to eight elements as in this example, and power generation is performed by a required number of power generation cells according to output power required to drive various electronic devices. The part 30 can also be formed. An opening 34 formed in each separator 31 faces the side surface 39 of the power generation unit 30, and an opening 40 is formed on the side surface opposite to the side surface 39 of the power generation unit 30 so as to correspond to each opening 34 as described later. Is formed. Supply and exhaust of oxygen-containing air to and from the power generation unit 30 is performed by the opening 34 and the opening 40 facing the side surface opposite to the side surface 39 facing the opening 34.

  Next, the power generation unit 30 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the joined body 32 sandwiched between the separators 31 is formed of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 36 having ion conductivity when moisture is absorbed and an electrode 37 sandwiching the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 36 from both sides. . Further, a sealing member 35 that seals between the separator 31 and the joined body 32 when the stack structure is formed is disposed near the periphery of the joined body 32. The sealing member 35 may be made of a material that can sufficiently insulate the peripheral edge of the separator 31 and the peripheral edge of the joined body 32. As the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 36, for example, a sulfonic acid-based solid polymer electrolyte membrane can be used. As the electrode 37, an electrode on which a catalyst such as platinum for promoting a power generation reaction can be used. A power generation cell constituting the power generation unit 30 is formed by two separators 31 and a joined body 32 sandwiched between the separators 31. For example, FIG. 4 shows two power generation cells 50 connected in series.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the separator 31 constituting the power generation unit 30 includes a flow path 43, a flow path 38 formed on the back side of the surface on which the flow path 43 of the separator 31 is formed, a flow path 43, a supply hole 42 and a discharge hole 41 connected to 43, a connection part 45 connecting the flow path 43 and the supply hole 42, a connection part 46 connecting the flow path 43 and the discharge hole 41, and a radiation fin 33.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the flow path 43 is an in-plane flow path for flowing hydrogen gas, which is a fuel gas, in the plane of the separator 31. The flow path 43 is formed so as to meander in the surface of the separator 31 in order to increase the efficiency of the power generation reaction, and is configured such that hydrogen gas is supplied to the entire electrode 37. The supply hole 42 is a flow path for hydrogen gas when hydrogen gas is supplied to the flow path 43 from a hydrogen gas storage section such as the hydrogen storage cartridge 60 provided outside the power generation section 30. The connecting portion 45 connects the flow path 43 and the supply hole 42 and supplies hydrogen gas to the flow path 43. The connecting portion 46 connects the flow path 43 and the discharge hole 41, and discharges hydrogen gas after the power generation reaction from the flow path 43. In the separator 31 of this example, the cross-sectional areas of the connection portions 45 and 46 are formed so as to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the flow path 43 when the stack structure is formed by each separator 31 and the joined body 32. The widths 45 and 46 are formed to be narrower than the width of the flow path 43. Furthermore, the width of the connection portion 45 is formed to be narrower than the width of the connection portion 46, and the width of the hydrogen gas inlet side to the flow path 43 is made smaller than the width of the outlet side.

  Further, the supply hole 42 and the discharge hole 41 are connected between the separators 31 stacked when the stack structure is formed, and discharge the hydrogen gas after power generation and the supply path for supplying the hydrogen gas to each separator 31. To form a discharge path. When water is accumulated in the flow path 43, such a discharge path is opened to the atmosphere by a hydrogen purge valve 54 described later, thereby causing a pressure difference between the supply path side and the discharge path side of the water accumulated in the flow path 43, Water can be discharged by this pressure difference. Furthermore, even when water is accumulated in the flow path 43 of any separator 31 when the stack structure is formed, it is possible to instantaneously generate a pressure difference only in the flow path 43 where water is accumulated. The water can be discharged and hydrogen gas can be stably supplied to the power generation unit 30.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the flow path 38 is formed on the back side of the surface of the separator 31 where the flow path 43 is formed, and a flow path for flowing air containing oxygen through the flow path 38. Is done. The flow path 38 is formed so as to extend in the width direction of the separator 31, opens at a side edge portion of the separator 31, and a plurality of the flow paths 38 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the separator. In addition, air containing oxygen is supplied to and exhausted from the flow path 38 through openings 34 and 40 in which the flow path 38 opens at the end of the separator 31. As in this example, the width of the openings 34 and 40 is larger than the width of the flow path 38, and the width of the flow path 38 is narrowed from the openings 34 and 40 along the depth direction of the flow path 38. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the flow resistance of the air so that the air flows smoothly when the air is taken into the flow path 38 or discharged from the flow path 38. In addition, the opening width in the height direction of the openings 34 and 40 is also made larger than the flow path 38, and the opening width is narrowed along the depth direction of the flow path 38 in the vertical and horizontal directions of the openings 34 and 40. By setting the taper shape, the channel resistance can be further reduced. Further, by arranging a water absorbing member having water absorption in the flow path 38 and pulling out the water absorbing member to the outside of the separator 31, water accumulated in the flow path 38 can be sucked out of the separator 31.

  In the fuel cell 1, a separator 70 having a structure as shown in FIG. 6 can also be used. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the separator 70. The separator 70 includes an upper plate-like portion 71, a heat transfer portion 72, and a lower plate-like portion 73 so that fuel gas does not leak from the flow path. A sealing member 74 is sandwiched between the upper plate portion 71 and the lower plate portion 73 and formed. Moreover, the heat radiation effect from the separator 70 can be enhanced by forming the sealing member 74 with a material having higher thermal conductivity than the material constituting the upper plate upper portion 71 and the lower plate-like portion 73. As such a sealing member 74, a sealing member in which a member having high thermal conductivity is embedded in a resin is suitable. For example, a sealing member such as Ko-Therm (trade name, manufactured by Taiyo Wire Mesh Co., Ltd.) is used. be able to.

  The heat transfer section 72 is formed to extend to the heat radiating fins 75 and radiates heat from the separator 70 during power generation. Furthermore, the heat transfer part 72 is formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the material of the material forming the upper plate-like part 71 and the lower plate-like part 73, and can improve the heat dissipation characteristics of the separator 70. . As a material for forming the heat transfer section 72, for example, copper which is a metal having a relatively high thermal conductivity can be used. Furthermore, oxygen-free copper with enhanced corrosion resistance or a copper plate with surface treatment that has been enhanced with corrosion resistance may be used. A flow path 79 extending in the vertical direction in the figure is formed in the lower plate-like portion 73, and is a flow path when air containing oxygen flows. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, a sealing member 74 is sandwiched between the upper plate-like portion 71 and the lower plate-like portion 73 at the end of the separator 70, and the heat transfer portion 72 is sealed from the outside. Thus, the deterioration of the heat transfer section 72 due to the power generation reaction is suppressed.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the upper plate-like portion 71, the heat transfer portion 72, and the lower plate-like portion 73 constituting the separator 70. As shown in FIG. 7A, the upper plate-like portion 71 is formed with a flow path 78 for flowing hydrogen gas. The channel 78 is formed in a shape that meanders in the plane so that hydrogen gas flows throughout the plane. Further, the upper plate portion 71 is provided with a supply hole 77a for supplying hydrogen gas to the flow path 78 and a discharge hole 76a for discharging the hydrogen gas after the power generation reaction. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the heat transfer portion 72 has a substantially plate shape and is fitted into the lower plate portion 73. The heat transfer section 72 extends to the heat radiating fins 75 and radiates heat from the separator 70. Further, a sealing member 74 is disposed at the end of the lower plate-like portion 73 so as to isolate the heat transfer portion 72 from the outside. The lower plate-like portion 73 and the upper plate-like portion 71 form the heat transfer portion 72. The integrated separator 70 is formed by being sandwiched. In the lower plate-like portion 73, a supply hole 77b and a discharge hole 76b aligned with the supply hole 77a and the discharge hole 76a are formed in the sealing member 74. Further, by forming holes in the lower plate-like portion 73 in accordance with the supply holes 77a and 77b and the discharge holes 76a and 76b, the supply holes and the discharge holes that are integrated when the separator 70 is assembled are provided. Can be formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, a flow path 79 for flowing air containing oxygen is formed on the back surface side of the lower plate-shaped portion 73, and supply holes 77 c for supplying hydrogen gas to the flow path 78 are formed. A discharge hole 76c for discharging hydrogen gas is formed.

  Next, the flow of air supplied and exhausted by the fuel cell 1 of this example will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the fuel cell 1 includes the cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53 arranged so as to be adjacent to each other along the side surface 39 facing the opening 34 of the power generation unit 30 as described above. Yes. Furthermore, the temperature sensor 64 that detects the temperature of the air taken in from the outside of the fuel cell 1 by the cooling fan 51, the humidity sensor 65 that detects humidity, and the air supply fans 52 and 53, the air discharged from the power generation unit 30. It has a temperature sensor 61 for detecting temperature and a humidity sensor 62 for detecting humidity. Further, the power generation unit 30 includes a temperature sensor 63 for detecting the temperature of the power generation unit 30.

  The cooling fan 51 causes the air taken in from the intake port 14 to flow from the intake port 14 to the exhaust port 11 as shown by arrows in the figure, and discharges it to the outside of the fuel cell 1. The cooling fan 51 is disposed between the intake port 14 and the exhaust port 11, and the radiating fins 33 disposed between the cooling fan 51 and the intake port 14 generate heat by the air flowing by the cooling fan 51. Dissipate heat. Moreover, it is not limited to the vicinity of the heat radiating fins 33, and the power generation unit 30 can also be cooled by allowing air to flow throughout the fuel cell 1.

  The air supply fans 52 and 53 cause air to flow through the intake port 15, the power generation unit 30, and the exhaust ports 12 and 13. The air supply fans 52 and 53 flow air containing oxygen taken in from the intake port 15 to the power generation unit 30 and exhaust air discharged after the power generation reaction in the power generation unit 30 to the outside of the fuel cell 1 from the exhaust ports 12 and 13. To do. The power generation unit 30 includes the flow path 38 and the openings 34 and 40 as described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, and the air supply fans 52 and 53 extend from the intake port 15 to the flow path 38 as indicated by arrows in the drawing. The air flow to the exhaust ports 12 and 13 is formed. In addition, the air flow formed by the cooling fan 51 and the air flow formed by the air supply fans 52 and 53 can be independent air flows. Therefore, by independently driving the cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53, it is possible to independently cool the power generation unit 30 and supply and discharge air to the power generation unit 30. Further, the arrangement is not limited to the arrangement of the cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53 in the fuel cell 1 of the present example, but faces the openings formed on the side surfaces of the plurality of power generation units in order to supply and exhaust air. The cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53 may be provided to supply and exhaust air to and from a plurality of power generation units. Furthermore, the cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53 can be rotated in the reverse direction to cause the air to flow in the reverse direction.

  The temperature sensors 61 and 64, the humidity sensors 62 and 65, and the temperature sensor 63 are respectively the temperature and humidity of air taken in from the intake port 14, the temperature and humidity of air discharged from the exhaust ports 12 and 13, and the power generation unit 30. Detect the temperature of The temperature sensor 63 is disposed near the substantially central portion of the power generation unit 30 and detects the temperature of the power generation unit 30 when the power generation unit 30 generates power. The temperature sensor 64 and the humidity sensor 65 are arranged in the vicinity of the air inlet 14 so as not to obstruct the flow path of air taken from the air inlet 14. Further, the temperature sensor 61 and the humidity sensor 62 are arranged so as not to inhibit the air flow on the air outlet side of the power generation unit 30 facing the air supply fans 52 and 53. The driving control of the cooling fan 51 is performed based on the data regarding the temperature of the power generation unit 30 detected by the temperature sensor 63, and the power generation unit 30 is driven under a suitable temperature condition. Moreover, the fuel cell 1 can also be provided with the pressure sensor which detects the pressure of the air supplied / exhausted without being limited to temperature and humidity.

  Further, the relative humidity of the air taken in from the air inlet 14 is calculated based on the temperature and humidity detected by the temperature sensor 64 and the humidity sensor 65, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 61 and the humidity sensor 62 are calculated. Based on the humidity, the relative humidity of the air discharged from the exhaust ports 12 and 13 is calculated. Thus, the amount of moisture discharged from the fuel cell 1 is calculated by taking the difference between the relative humidity of the air taken in from the intake port 15 and the relative humidity of the air exhausted from the exhaust ports 12 and 13. It becomes possible. Moreover, since these temperature sensors 61 and 64 and the humidity sensors 62 and 65 are arrange | positioned so that the flow of air may not be inhibited, the electric power generation by the electric power generation part 30 can also be performed without trouble.

  Furthermore, the amount of water generated by the power generation reaction can be calculated based on the output power generated by the power generation unit 30. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the amount of water remaining in the power generation unit 30 by taking the difference between the amount of water discharged from the fuel cell 1 and the amount of water generated by the power generation reaction. As already explained, a stable power generation reaction can be performed by setting the joined body 32 constituting the power generation unit 30 to a moderately moisturized state, and therefore, based on data on the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30. It is possible to drive the air supply and supply fans 52 and 53 to perform stable power generation. For example, when the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 is excessive, excess water can be discharged from the power generation unit 30 together with air by increasing the rotation speed of the air supply fans 52 and 53. In addition, the cooling fan 51 for controlling the temperature of the power generation unit 30 and the air supply fans 52 and 53 for controlling the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 can be driven independently. Since the air flow and the air flow by the air supply fans 52 and 53 can be made independent, it is possible to accurately control the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 and suppress the temperature rise of the power generation unit 30. Become.

  Further, the control of the temperature of the power generation unit 30 and the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the temperature of the power generation unit 30, and the vertical axis represents the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30. By controlling the driving of the cooling fan 51 and the air supply fans 52 and 53, the temperature of the power generation unit 30 and the amount of residual moisture, which change every moment during power generation, are adjusted to be in a stable region near the center in the figure. The

  For example, the environmental condition indicated by A in the figure is an environmental condition in which the temperature of the power generation unit 30 is higher and the amount of residual moisture in the power generation unit 30 is larger than the environmental condition in the stable region, and the power generation unit 30 is cooled and remains. Reduction of moisture content is required. In such a case, the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 is reduced by increasing the rotation speed of the air supply fans 52 and 53, and the power generation section 30 is further cooled by increasing the rotation speed of the cooling fan 51. The temperature and the amount of water are adjusted to a stable region where stable power generation can be performed from the environmental conditions indicated by.

  The environmental condition indicated by B in the figure is an environmental condition in which the temperature of the power generation unit 30 is lower than the stability condition and the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 is large. In such a case, the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 is reduced by increasing the rotation speed of the air supply fans 52 and 53, and cooling of the power generation unit 30 is suppressed by decreasing the rotation speed of the cooling fan 51. The temperature and moisture content of the power generation unit 30 are adjusted to a stable region where stable power generation can be performed from the environmental conditions indicated by B.

  The environmental condition indicated by C in the figure is an environmental condition in which the temperature of the power generation unit 30 is lower than the stability condition and the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 is small. In such a case, if the discharge of water generated by the power generation unit 30 is reduced by reducing the rotation speed of the air supply fans 52 and 53, the cooling of the power generation section 30 is suppressed by reducing the rotation speed of the co-cooling fan 51. . By controlling the driving of the air supply fans 52 and 53 and the cooling fan 51, the temperature and moisture content of the power generation unit 30 are adjusted to a stable region where stable power generation can be performed from the environmental condition indicated by C.

  Furthermore, the environmental condition indicated by D in the figure is an environmental condition in which the temperature of the power generation unit 30 is higher than the stability condition and the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30 is small. In such a case, the power generation unit 30 is further cooled by reducing the discharge of water generated by the power generation unit 30 by lowering the rotation speed of the air supply fans 52 and 53 and increasing the rotation speed of the cooling fan 51. By controlling the driving of the air supply fans 52 and 53 and the cooling fan 51, the temperature and water content of the power generation unit 30 are adjusted to a stable region where stable power generation can be performed from the environmental condition indicated by D.

  In this way, by independently driving the air supply fans 52 and 53 and the cooling fan 51 in accordance with the temperature of the power generation unit 30 and the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit 30, problems such as dry-up during power generation can be avoided. Stable power generation can be performed without causing it.

Next, the hydrogen purge valve 54, the regulator 55, and the manual valve 56 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen purge valve 54, the regulator 55, and the manual valve 56 are disposed adjacent to each other along the end surface of the power generation unit 30. In the fuel cell 1 of the present example, it is possible to secure an area for arranging various devices on the end face side of the power generation unit 30, and compactly store various devices for stably driving the fuel cell 1. Is possible.

  A hydrogen purge valve 54 serving as a water discharge means for discharging water accumulated in the flow path 43 discharges water from the flow path 43 in which water is accumulated by opening the discharge path connected to the flow path 43 to the atmosphere. be able to. When the flow path 43 is opened to the atmosphere, a pressure difference is generated between the pressure of the hydrogen gas on the supply path side with respect to the water accumulated in the flow path 43 and the pressure on the discharge path side opened to the atmosphere. Water accumulated in the flow path 43 is discharged from the flow path 43. In this way, by generating a pressure difference between the side of supplying the hydrogen gas and the side of the water discharging path that is opened to the atmosphere by the hydrogen purge valve 54, water is accumulated even when the power generation unit 30 has a stack structure. It is possible to discharge water from an arbitrary flow path 43 where it is difficult to flow, so that hydrogen gas can flow smoothly into the flow paths 43 of all the separators 31. Moreover, it is not limited to the electric power generation part 30 which has the some separator 31, Water can be discharged | emitted similarly in the electric power generation part which has a single separator. Further, the hydrogen purge valve 54 can be driven by, for example, a driving method using electromagnetic force, and power for driving the hydrogen purge valve 54 may be supplied from the power generation unit 30.

  Further, the regulator 55 serving as a pressure control means for controlling the pressure of the hydrogen gas adjusts the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen storage cartridge 60 to a required pressure, and sends it to the power generation unit 30. For example, when the pressure of the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen storage cartridge 60 is about 0.8 to 1.0 MPa, the regulator 55 reduces the pressure of these hydrogen gases to a pressure of about 0.05 to 0.10 MPa to generate power. The unit 30 can be supplied.

  Further, the manual valve 56 serving as a gas supply means for supplying the hydrogen gas power generation unit 30 opens a flow path for supplying hydrogen gas from the hydrogen storage cartridge 60 to the power generation unit 30 when the power generation unit 30 generates power. To do. The hydrogen purge valve 54, the regulator 55, and the manual valve 56 are important for causing the fuel cell 1 to stably generate power. By storing these devices in the fuel cell 1 in a compact manner, the overall size of the fuel cell 1 can be reduced. Can be realized.

  Next, a specific structure of the fuel cell device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 10 to FIG. 12 are a rear view, a side view, and a front view of the separator portion of this example.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the separator 81 has a groove 83 serving as a flow path for oxygen formed on the back side thereof, and a groove 86 serving as a flow path for hydrogen formed on the front side thereof. . In addition, when the separator 81 is laminated with a power generator (not shown) interposed therebetween, the back surface side may be arranged on the front surface side.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of grooves 83 extending linearly in the width direction of the separator 81 are formed on the oxygen supply side surface of the separator 81, and these grooves 83 are extended in parallel to each other. Therefore, the grooves 83 and the protrusions 82 are alternately positioned in the longitudinal direction of the separator 81. The length L6 in the longitudinal direction of the substantially flat separator 81 is 79.5 mm, and the width L8 in the direction perpendicular thereto is 41 mm. The groove 83 is open so as to be wide at both ends of the separator 81. Here, as for specific dimensions, in FIG. 10, the width L1 of the central portion of the groove 83 extended in parallel is 2 mm, and the width L2 of the adjacent protrusion 82 is also 2 mm. The groove 83 is opened in a tapered shape at both ends that are wide, and the starting position L0 of the tapered portion that is also formed in the thickness direction of the separator 81 is 8 mm from the end, and is 2 from the starting position L0. The taper is inclined at an angle of 15 °. At both ends of the groove 83, the opening width is increased by about 1 mm in the in-plane direction, and the width L3 at the end of the groove 83 is 3 mm. The width L4 is tapered to 1 mm. The taper starting position L9 of the protrusion 82 is 5.5 mm from the end. The opening width L5 near the center is 2.5 mm due to the influence of the screw holes, and the width L10 is 56.5 mm (see FIG. 11) in the longitudinal direction of the power generation body holding region continuous to the heat radiating portion 84. The distance L7 is 54.5 mm.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11, regarding the dimension in the thickness direction of the separator 81, the thickness T1 of the heat radiating portion 84 is 1.3 mm, and the thickness T2 is 2 in the power generator holding region where the grooves 83 and 86 are formed. .3 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the hydrogen supply side surface 87 of the separator 81 is formed with a groove 86 extending in a meandering pattern that reciprocates five times from the hydrogen supply hole 89 to the hydrogen discharge hole 88. The depth of the groove 86 is 0.6 mm, the width L12 is 1.0 mm, and the radius of curvature of the folded portion is 0.9 mm (inner diameter) and 1.9 mm (outer diameter). The connecting portion 90 between the hydrogen supply hole 89 and the hydrogen discharge hole 88 has a narrow size in the groove 86, and the hydrogen supply hole 89 and the hydrogen discharge hole 88 are 2.25 mm from the end in the longitudinal direction of the separator 81. Since the size is 1.5 mm in width from the center and the start position L17 of the narrow groove from the end in the longitudinal direction of the separator 81 is 6 mm, the length is about 3 mm. The groove width L11 at this connection portion 90 is 0.5 mm, the position L15 of the connection portion 90 on the hydrogen discharge hole 88 side from the end in the width direction of the separator 81 is 7.9 mm at the center position, and hydrogen The position L16 of the connecting portion 90 on the supply hole 89 side is 33.1 mm at the center position. Further, the folding position L13 is 7 mm from the end of the groove 86 extended in a meandering pattern that reciprocates five times in the longitudinal direction of the separator 81 on the side close to the hydrogen supply hole 89 and the hydrogen discharge hole 88. The length L14 between the folded portions of the groove 86 is 42 mm.

  Next, the structure of the fuel cell device of this example will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the fuel cell device 100 of this example. The fuel cell device 100 has a stack structure in which a separator 81 and a power generator are stacked. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a plate-like portion disposed on the uppermost part forming the stack structure, and a groove 86 formed on the surface of the separator in a region where the power generation unit 90 is disposed is indicated by a broken line in the drawing. A length L18, which is a combination of the longitudinal dimension of the separator forming the power generation unit 90 and the longitudinal dimension of the heat dissipating part 84 extending from the separator in the longitudinal direction, is 78 mm, and the separator width L8 is 41 mm. The end of the heat radiating portion 84 is linear in the figure, but a notch for passing various wirings may be formed. In addition, the length L21 in the longitudinal direction of the casing 91 that configures the fuel cell device 100 and houses each part including the power generation unit 90 is 95.5 mm, and the width L20 is 59 mm. Since the length L21 and the width L20 in the longitudinal direction of the casing 91 are the length and width in the longitudinal direction of the fuel cell device 100, the size of the fuel cell device 100 of this example is the length in the longitudinal direction on a plane. The width is 95.5 mm and the width is 59 mm.

  Furthermore, the structure of the fuel cell device 100 of this example will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a side view of the fuel cell device 100 with the housing 91 removed, as viewed from the side. The power generation unit 90 has a stack structure in which nine separators 81 are stacked and a power generation body 96 is sandwiched between the separators 81, and eight power generation cells are connected in series. The power generation unit 90 is disposed on a base 95 that is disposed on a base 98 that is the bottom of the fuel cell device 100. A height T4 from the bottom surface of the base 96 to the surface of the plate-like portion disposed on the uppermost portion of the power generation unit 90 is 38.62 mm. The height T5 from the bottom surface of the base 96 to the center in the thickness direction of the separator 81 stacked on the central portion of the power generation unit 90 is 21.78 mm. The height is substantially the same as the height of the cooling fan 92 and the air supply fans 93 and 94 provided. The height T6 of the power generation body 90 including the thickness of the base 95, the plate-like portion 97, the stacked separator 81, and the power generation body 96 is 33.62 mm. The height of the cooling fan 92 substantially coincides with the height between the heat radiating portion 84 disposed at the uppermost portion of the power generation portion 90 and the heat radiating portion 84 disposed at the lowermost portion. Can supply air. The heights of the air supply fans 93 and 94 substantially coincide with the height between the uppermost groove 82 and the lowermost groove 82 of the power generation unit 90, and sufficiently supply air containing oxygen to the groove 82 as a whole. be able to.

  As described above, the fuel cell according to the present invention can store various devices for driving the fuel cell in a compact manner, and drives portable electronic devices such as notebook computers, mobile phones, and PDAs. It is suitable as a power source for supplying the electric power. Further, the present invention is not limited to these portable electronic devices, and the fuel cell 1 of the present invention can also be used as a power source for driving various electronic devices.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the fuel cell concerning this invention. It is structural drawing which shows the structure of the housing | casing which comprises the fuel cell concerning this invention, Comprising: (a) is a side view, (b) is a side view which shows another side surface, (c) is an end view, (d) FIG. 6 is an end view showing another end face. It is a perspective view which shows the general view of the electric power generation part which comprises the fuel cell concerning this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a part of electric power generation part which comprises the fuel cell concerning this invention. FIG. 2 is a structural view showing the structure of a separator constituting the fuel cell according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view showing the structure on the front side of the separator, and (b) is a plan view showing the structure on the back side. FIG. 4 is a structural diagram illustrating another example of a separator suitable for the fuel cell according to the present invention, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view of the separator, and (b) is a main-part cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-sectional structure of an end of the separator. It is. It is a structural diagram which shows the structure of another example of the separator suitable for the fuel cell concerning this invention, (a) is a top view of an upper plate-shaped part, (b) is a heat-transfer part inserted in the lower plate-shaped part. (C) is a plan view of the lower plate-like portion as seen from the back side. It is a top view which shows the structure of the fuel cell concerning this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the control method which controls the temperature of the electric power generation part in the fuel cell concerning this invention, and the moisture content which remains in an electric power generation part. It is a figure which shows the specific structure of the separator concerning this embodiment, and is a top view which shows the structure which looked at the separator from the surface side. It is a figure which shows the specific structure of the separator concerning this embodiment, and is a side view which shows the structure seen from the side surface side of the separator. It is a figure which shows the specific structure of the separator concerning this embodiment, and is a top view which shows the structure which looked at the separator from the back surface side. It is a top view which shows the specific structure of the fuel cell apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the specific structure of the fuel cell apparatus concerning this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuel cell, 10 Case, 11, 12, 13 Exhaust port, 14, 15 Inlet port, 16, 18 Connection hole, 20 Control board, 30 Power generation part, 31 Separator, 32 Joint body, 33,75 Radiation fin, 34 , 40 Opening, 35, 74 Sealing member, 36 Solid polymer electrolyte membrane, 37 Electrode, 38, 43, 78, 79 Flow path, 39 Side surface, 41 Discharge hole, 42 Supply hole, 45, 46 Connection part, 51 Cooling fan, 52, 53 Air supply fan, 54 Hydrogen purge valve, 55 Regulator, 56 Manual valve, 60 Hydrogen storage cartridge, 61, 63, 64 Temperature sensor, 62, 65 Humidity sensor, 72 Heat transfer section

Claims (11)

A joined body comprising an electrolyte and two electrodes sandwiching the electrolyte;
A power generation unit comprising a separator provided between the plurality of joined bodies,
The separator is provided with a fuel flow path provided on one side of the separator and an oxidant gas flow path provided on the opposite side,
The oxidant gas flow path is provided from one side of the separator to the other side,
An oxidant gas flow means is provided for sucking oxidant gas into an opening at at least one end of the oxidant gas flow path or exhausting oxidant gas from the opening,
Cooling means are provided,
Detection means for detecting an environmental condition for controlling driving of the oxidizing gas flow means and the cooling means is provided, and the detection means includes a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the oxidant gas, and the oxidant. and a humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity of the gas,
The temperature of the power generation unit and the amount of water remaining in the power generation unit determined based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit and the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit are the appropriate temperature of the power generation unit and the power generation. When the power generation unit deviates from the stable region defined by the appropriate amount of moisture remaining in the unit, the oxidant gas flow unit and the cooling unit are driven independently of each other so as to be inside the stable region. ,
In addition, when the amount of water remaining in the power generation unit is excessive, excess water is discharged together with air by the oxidant gas flow means. The oxidant gas flow path, that provided in a substantially linear
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. Before KiHiraki opening is Ru is a narrow tapered along a depth direction of the opening
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. Opening width of an end portion of the opening, compared to the channel width of the oxidizing gas channel, have a size in the planar direction of the separator
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. Opening width of an end portion of the opening, compared to the channel width of the oxidizing gas channel, have a size in the thickness direction of the separator
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. The fuel flow path, that provided in a meandering
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. Supply holes with provided at one end of the fuel channel, that has discharge hole is provided on the other end of the fuel flow path
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. Said fuel flow path supply hole of the first separator and said fuel flow path supply hole of the second separator, that is connected to each other
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. It said cooling means, you cool the power generating unit
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. Said cooling means, you cool the heat radiating portion is extended from said separator
The fuel cell according to 請 Motomeko 1. A joined body comprising an electrolyte and two electrodes sandwiching the electrolyte;
A power generation unit comprising a separator provided between the plurality of joined bodies,
The separator is provided with a fuel flow path provided on one side of the separator and an oxidant gas flow path provided on the opposite side,
The oxidant gas flow path is provided from one side of the separator to the other side,
An oxidant gas flow means is provided for sucking oxidant gas into an opening at at least one end of the oxidant gas flow path or exhausting oxidant gas from the opening,
Cooling means are provided,
Detection means for detecting an environmental condition for controlling driving of the oxidizing gas flow means and the cooling means is provided, and the detection means includes a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the oxidant gas, and the oxidant. and a humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity of the gas,
The temperature of the power generation unit and the amount of water remaining in the power generation unit determined based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit and the humidity detected by the humidity detection unit are the appropriate temperature of the power generation unit and the power generation. When the power generation unit deviates from the stable region defined by the appropriate amount of moisture remaining in the unit, the oxidant gas flow unit and the cooling unit are driven independently of each other so as to be inside the stable region. ,
And when the amount of moisture remaining in the power generation unit is excessive, a fuel cell is provided that discharges excess moisture together with air by the oxidant gas flow means,
An electronic device driven by being supplied with electric power from the fuel cell.

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