JP5675450B2 - Upper support structure of solid oxide fuel cell assembly - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an upper support structure for a solid oxide fuel cell assembly.

  A fuel cell is a power generation device that uses a power generation method based on an electrochemical reaction, and has excellent power generation efficiency and environmental characteristics. For this reason, research and development for practical use is progressing as an urban energy supply system for the 21st century.

  A conventional fuel cell having a cylindrical structure, for example, a solid oxide fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as “SOFC”) has a plurality of cylindrical fuel cell tubes each having a fuel cell formed on the surface thereof. Is provided. The fuel cell tubes are arranged side by side on a plurality of straight lines extending in parallel. For example, a fuel cell assembly is formed in which a plurality of rows (for example, 4 to 20 rows) in which 100 to 300 fuel cell tubes are arranged are arranged.

A fuel chamber (header) for supplying fuel to the fuel cell tube is disposed at one end of these fuel cell tubes, and fuel discharged from the fuel cell tube flows into the other end. A discharge chamber (header) is arranged.
These headers are provided with a thin sheet tube for sealing that separates a flow path between air and fuel supplied to the fuel cell tube and supports the fuel cell tube.

  Such a fuel cell assembly is fixed to a fixed frame and stored in a storage container.

  Conventionally, it is fixed to the module chamber using a fixing jig provided on the fuel header (Patent Document 1).

JP-A-6-96792 JP 2009-259589 A

  By the way, in SOFC power generation, for example, a chemical reaction in a high temperature environment of about 800 ° C. to 1000 ° C. is used.

  However, the fixing with the fastening member cannot cope with the thermal elongation, and it is necessary to provide a certain looseness for the fastening so as to allow the thermal elongation, and the fixing work may vary. There is a problem that it takes time to install and takes time.

  Therefore, the appearance of a simple support structure for the fuel cell assembly with respect to the fixed frame is desired.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an upper support structure for a solid oxide fuel cell assembly that can easily support the fuel cell assembly with respect to a fixed frame.

  A first invention of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is a fuel cell assembly having a power generation chamber in which a plurality of cell tubes of a solid oxide fuel cell are accommodated, and the fuel cell assembly is fixed. A hole that is a second support member provided on a beam fixed on the upper side of the fixed frame, the first support member having a rod shape provided on the upper portion of the fuel cell assembly. A solid oxide fuel, which is an upper support structure of a fuel cell assembly that is supported by being inserted into the hole, wherein an inner diameter of the hole is larger than an outer diameter of the rod-shaped first support member In the upper support structure of the battery assembly.

  The second invention comprises a fuel cell assembly having a power generation chamber in which a plurality of cell tubes of a solid oxide fuel cell are accommodated, and a fixing frame for fixing the fuel cell assembly, and the fuel cell. A fuel cell assembly supported by inserting a rod-like second support member provided on a beam fixed on the upper side of the fixed frame into a first support member having a hole provided in an upper portion of the assembly. An upper support structure for a solid oxide fuel cell assembly, wherein an inner diameter of the hole is larger than an outer diameter of the rod-shaped second support member.

  According to the present invention, the solid oxide fuel cell assembly can be supported with a simple configuration, and the mounting workability is improved.

FIG. 1-1 is a schematic view of a state in which a fuel cell module is fixed to a fixed frame. FIG. 1-2 is a plan view of each fixed state. FIG. 1C is a plan view of each fixed state. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of the solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a solid oxide fuel cell module. FIG. 9-1 is a schematic view of an upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly. FIG. 9-2 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

  A fuel cell assembly support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a solid oxide fuel cell module.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a solid oxide fuel cell module (hereinafter also referred to as “fuel cell module”) 100 of the present embodiment includes a casing 101 that is a heat insulating material and a plurality of cell tubes formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. (Fuel cell) 102, upper and lower tube plates (first partition members) 103a and 103b supporting both ends of the cell tube 102, and upper and lower heat insulators 104a disposed between the upper and lower tube plates 103a and 103b, 104b.

  A power generation chamber 105 is formed in a space between the upper and lower heat insulators 104a and 104b. A fuel supply chamber 106 is formed between the casing 101 and the upper tube plate 103a. A fuel discharge chamber 107 is formed between the casing 101 and the lower tube plate 103b. An air supply chamber 108 is formed between the lower tube plate 103b and the lower heat insulator 104b. An air discharge chamber 109 is formed between the upper tube plate 103a and the upper heat insulator 104a.

  The upper tube plate 103a is a plate-like member disposed on one side (upper side) of the casing 101 in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), and the lower tube plate 103b is the other side (lower side) of the casing 101 in the longitudinal direction. ) Is a plate-shaped member. The cell tube 102 is a substantially cylindrical tube made of porous ceramics, and is provided with a plurality of fuel cells 110 that generate power at the center in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). The cell tube 102 is supported by the upper and lower tube plates 103a and 103b so that one open end opens to the fuel supply chamber 106 and the other open end opens to the fuel discharge chamber 107. Further, the cell tube 102 is arranged so that the fuel battery cell (power generation element) 110 is located only in the power generation chamber 105.

  The upper heat insulator 104a is a member that is disposed on one side (upper side) in the longitudinal direction of the casing 101 and is formed in a blanket shape or a board shape using a heat insulating material. The lower heat insulating material 104b is a member that is disposed on the other side (lower side) of the casing 101 in the longitudinal direction and formed in a blanket shape or a board shape using a heat insulating material. The heat insulators 104a and 104b are formed with holes 111a and 111b through which the cell tubes 102 are inserted, and the diameters of the holes 111a and 111b are larger than the diameter of the cell tubes 102.

  The inner peripheral surfaces of the holes 111a and 111b may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, or may be formed with a spiral or linear concave portion (groove) or convex portion (a ridge-like projection), There is no particular limitation. With such a configuration, the heat of the exhaust combustion gas 121a and the lower heat insulator 104b is easily transmitted to the air flowing into the power generation chamber 105 through the space between the cell tube 102 and the hole 111b. The temperature of can be easily maintained at a high temperature. Similarly, the fuel gas 121 introduced into the cell tube 102 can be heated to high temperature by transferring the heat of the exhaust air 122a discharged from the power generation chamber 105 through the space between the cell tube 102 and the hole 111a.

Further, the upper core opening 10 and the lower core 20 for heat exchange are inserted into the upper end opening and the lower end opening of the cell tube 102. The outer peripheral wall of the upper core or the lower core 10, 20 and the cell tube The fuel gas 121 is supplied between the bottleneck with the inner wall 102, and heat exchange with the air 122, which is an oxidant gas flowing on the outer periphery of the cell tube 102, is improved.
That is, the upper heat insulating body 104a region forms the upper heat exchanging portion 123a, and the lower heat insulating body 104b region forms the lower heat exchanging portion 123b. The upper heat exchange section 123a exchanges heat between the introduced fuel gas 121 and the discharged exhaust air 122a, and the lower heat exchange section 123b exchanges heat between the introduced air 122 and the exhaust fuel gas 121a. Made.

  Here, an outline of the operation of the fuel cell module 100 configured as described above will be described.

Air 122 flows into the air supply chamber 108 of the fuel cell module 100. The air 122 is supplied into the power generation chamber 105 through a gap between the hole 111 b of the lower heat insulating material 104 b and the cell tube 102.
On the other hand, the fuel gas 121 flows into the fuel supply chamber 106. The fuel gas 121 is supplied into the power generation chamber 105 through the inside of the base tube of the cell tube 102. The air 122 and the fuel gas 121 are used for power generation in the fuel battery cell 110. Thereafter, the discharged air 122a flows into the air discharge chamber 109, and the discharged fuel gas 121a flows into the fuel discharge chamber 107 and is discharged from the discharge ports 101a and 101b to the outside of the fuel cell module 100, respectively.

  At this time, the air 122 and the fuel gas 121 are flowing in opposite directions on the inner surface or outer surface of the cell tube 102. As a result, the fuel gas and air that have been used for power generation and have reached a high temperature are each subjected to heat exchange with the air and fuel gas before being used for power generation. That is, the fuel gas 121 and the air 122 are heat-exchanged in the heat exchanging regions of the upper heat exchanging portion 123a and the lower heat exchanging portion 123b, which are axial end portions of the cell tube 102 and where the fuel cell 110 is not formed. The

  As described above, in the fuel cell module 100, the exhausted fuel gas 121a and the exhausted air 122a, which have been used for the reaction and become high temperature, are cooled by heat exchange and then supplied to the fuel exhaust chamber 107 and the air exhaust chamber 109. This can prevent the upper tube plate 103a and the lower tube plate 103b having metal members from being exposed to a high temperature atmosphere. As a result, in the fuel cell module 100, the operating temperature of the fuel cell 110 can be increased, for example, from 800 ° C. to 950 ° C.

  Next, the fixing structure of the fuel cell module 100 of the fuel cell system described above will be described in detail.

FIG. 1-1 is a schematic view of a state in which a fuel cell module is fixed to a fixed frame. FIGS. 1-2 and 1-3 are plan views of the respective fixed states.
3 to 7 are schematic views of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the upper support structure of the solid oxide fuel cell assembly of the present embodiment has a power generation chamber 105 that houses a plurality of cell tubes 102 of the solid oxide fuel cell. The fuel cell assembly of the module 100 and a fixing frame 200 for fixing the fuel cell assembly, and a rod-shaped first support member (provided on the upper part 106a of the fuel supply chamber 106 of the fuel cell assembly) (Rod-shaped body) 201 is an upper support structure of a fuel cell assembly that is supported by being inserted into a hole 202 which is a second support member provided in a beam 200a fixed on the upper side of the fixed frame 200. The inner diameter of the hole 202 is larger than the outer diameter of the rod-shaped first support member (rod-shaped body) 201, and the rod-shaped body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a sufficient margin. Note that the lower end side of the fuel cell module 100 is fixed to the fixed frame base 200b side by fastening means (not shown).

  As a result, even when thermal expansion due to high temperature occurs during operation of the fuel cell module 100, the rod-shaped body 201 is inserted and supported in the hole 202 with a sufficient margin, so that it corresponds to the upward thermal expansion. can do. Further, the lower end side of the fuel cell module 100 is fixed to the solid frame base 200b side, and the thermal expansion of the beam 200a and the fixed frame base 200b is equal. It can also cope with lateral thermal elongation.

On the other hand, for example, fixing is performed using a fixing plate 302 provided on the upper surface 106a of the fuel supply chamber 106 as shown in FIGS. 9-1 and 9-2 so as to be sandwiched between two plates 301a and 301b. It is proposed. However, in the case of such a configuration, although the bolt 304 can slide in the elongated hole 302a formed in the fixing plate 302 to absorb the thermal elongation, the two plates 301a and 301b are bolted. When tightening with 304 and nut 305, it is difficult to adjust the tightening. When tightening weakly, the bolt may loosen and fall off. On the contrary, when tightening strongly, it can slide. Therefore, there is a problem that it cannot cope with thermal elongation.
Further, when fixing to the fixing frame 200 is performed by the fastening means, there is a problem that the time and skill of the fastening work are required, but in the present invention, it is easy to insert the rod-like body 201 into the hole 202. Therefore, the workability and maintainability are greatly improved.

  In FIG. 1-2, four fuel cell modules 100-1 to 100-4 are arranged in a fixed frame 200 to form a fuel cell assembly. In fixing the assembly, four beams are arranged. Each of the rod-like bodies 201 is supported by the holes 202 provided in 200a-1 to 200a-4.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1-3, four fuel cell cartridges 100-1 to 100-4 are arranged in the fixed frame 200, and one beam 200a is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fuel cell module 100. The four holes 202 are provided in the beam 200a, and the rod-like bodies 201 provided in the fuel cell cartridges 100-1 to 100-4 are inserted and supported.
In this example, it is possible to fix using one beam 200a, and it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the time for fixing to the fixed frame 200.

  In this embodiment, four fuel cell cartridges are described as being fixed in the fixed frame 200. However, in the present invention, the number of fuel cell cartridges stored is not limited, and cartridges and modules are not limited. It can apply as an upper fixing means at the time of accommodating the fuel cell assembly called as a storage container.

According to the present embodiment, the fuel cell assembly can be supported with a simple configuration, the mounting workability can be improved, and thermal expansion and lateral shaking can be prevented.
Further, the assembly time can be shortened by about 30% with respect to fixing by fastening.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of the solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
As shown in FIG. 2, a rod-like body 201 provided on the upper surface 106 a of the fuel supply chamber 106 constituting the fuel cell module 100 and a hole provided in a beam 200 a provided over the fixed frame 200. 202, and the rod-like body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a margin. In addition, the beam 200a shown in FIG. 2 has shown the L-shaped angle.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
As shown in FIG. 3, the rod-like body 201 provided on the upper surface 106a of the fuel supply chamber 106 constituting the fuel cell module 100 and the back surface of the L-shaped beam 200a provided over the upper portion of the fixed frame 200. And a plate member 203 that forms a hole 202 provided in the hole 202, and a rod-like body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a margin.
A part of the plate member 203 is curved so as to constitute the hole 202 and is attached by welding.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
As shown in FIG. 4, the rod-shaped body 201 provided on the upper surface 106 a of the fuel supply chamber 106 constituting the fuel cell module 100 and the L-shaped beam 200 a provided over the fixed frame 200 are provided. The rod-shaped body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a margin and is attached by welding so as to close the hole 202 using the plate member 203 after the insertion. 201 is prevented from falling off.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
As shown in FIG. 5, the rod-shaped body 201 provided on the upper surface 106a of the fuel supply chamber 106 constituting the fuel cell module 100 and the L-shaped beam 200a provided over the upper portion of the fixed frame 200 are provided. The rod-shaped body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a sufficient margin. Note that after insertion, the plate member 203 may be attached by welding to prevent the rod-like body 201 from falling off.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
As shown in FIG. 6, a rod-like body 201 provided on the upper surface 106 a of the fuel supply chamber 106 constituting the fuel cell module 100 and a hole 202 depending from a beam 200 a provided over the fixed frame 200. The rod-shaped body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a margin.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the upper support structure of another solid oxide fuel cell assembly.
2 to 6, the rod-like body 201 is provided on the upper surface 106a of the fuel supply chamber 106. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rod-like body 201 is provided on the beam 200a side. A fixing member having a hole 202 into which 201 is inserted may be provided on the upper surface 106 a of the fuel supply chamber 106.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first support member 204 having a hole 202 provided in the upper part 106a of the fuel supply chamber 106 of the fuel cell assembly is fixed to the beam 200a fixed on the upper side of the fixed frame 200. An upper support structure of a fuel cell assembly that is supported by inserting a provided rod-shaped second support member (rod-shaped body) 201, wherein the inner diameter of the hole 202 is the second support member (rod-shaped body). ) The outer diameter of 201 is larger, and the rod-like body 201 is inserted into the hole 202 with a margin.

  Thus, according to the present invention, the upper portion can be supported while absorbing the thermal elongation of the fuel cell assembly with a support structure having a simple configuration. Moreover, since it is a support structure by a simple structure, workability | operativity improves.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Fuel cell module 102 Cell tube 200 Fixed frame 200a Beam 201 Rod-shaped body 202 Hole

Claims (2)

A fuel cell assembly having a power generation chamber containing a plurality of cell tubes of a solid oxide fuel cell;
A fixing frame for fixing the fuel cell assembly;
A rod-shaped first support member provided on the upper part of the fuel cell assembly,
An upper support structure of a fuel cell assembly that is supported by being inserted into a hole that is a second support member provided on a beam fixed on an upper side of the fixed frame,
The inner diameter of the hole is larger than the outer diameter of the rod-shaped first support member,
An upper support structure of a solid oxide fuel cell assembly. A fuel cell assembly having a power generation chamber containing a plurality of cell tubes of a solid oxide fuel cell;
A fixing frame for fixing the fuel cell assembly;
In the first support member having a hole provided in the upper part of the fuel cell assembly,
An upper support structure of a fuel cell assembly that is supported by inserting a rod-like second support member provided on a beam fixed on the upper side of the fixed frame,
The inner diameter of the hole is larger than the outer diameter of the rod-shaped second support member,
An upper support structure of a solid oxide fuel cell assembly.

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