JP6495563B1 - Power generation device, control device, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

The power generation device controls a first power generation unit including a fuel cell, a second power generation unit including a fuel cell, a flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit, and a flow rate of gas supplied to the second power generation unit. A control unit. The control unit controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit when stopping the power generation of the power generation device.

Description

Cross-reference of related applications

  This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-107081 filed in Japan on May 30, 2017, the entire disclosures of these earlier applications are incorporated herein by reference. .

  The present disclosure relates to a power generation device, a control device, and a control program. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a power generation device including a fuel cell, a control device for the power generation device including a fuel cell, and a control program executed by such a device.

  For example, various power generation systems including a fuel cell such as a solid oxide fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as SOFC) are being developed. A power generation system including a plurality of fuel cell stacks is also under development. Thus, in a power generation system including a plurality of cell stacks, it is desirable that appropriate control is performed in each cell stack from various viewpoints such as power generation efficiency and durability of the cell stack.

JP 2006-170999 A

A power generation apparatus according to an embodiment includes a first power generation unit including a fuel cell, a second power generation unit including a fuel cell, a control unit, and gas discharged from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit. A catalyst for combustion treatment .
The control unit controls a flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit and a flow rate of gas supplied to the second power generation unit. Further, the control unit, when stopping the power generation of the power generator, the flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the gas to be supplied to the second power generation unit flow rate is controlled to be different Accordingly, misfire in the fuel cell included in the first power generation unit and misfire in the fuel cell included in the second power generation unit occur at different timings so that the temperature of the catalyst does not reach a predetermined temperature or more .

A control device according to an embodiment includes a first power generation unit including a fuel cell, a second power generation unit including a fuel cell, and a catalyst that performs combustion processing on gas discharged from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit. And controlling a power generation device.
The control device controls a flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit and a flow rate of gas supplied to the second power generation unit. Further, the control unit, when stopping the power generation of the power generator, that the flow rate of gas supplied to the flow rate and the second power generation sections in the gas supplied to the first generator unit controls differently Accordingly, misfire in the fuel cell included in the first power generation unit and misfire in the fuel cell included in the second power generation unit occur at different timings so that the temperature of the catalyst does not reach a predetermined temperature or more .

A control program according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes a first power generation unit including a fuel cell, a second power generation unit including a fuel cell, and gas discharged from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit. A control device that controls a power generation device including a catalyst for combustion treatment is executed.
The control program causes the control device to execute a step of controlling a flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit and a flow rate of gas supplied to the second power generation unit. In the control program, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit is different from the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit when the control device stops power generation of the power generation device. By controlling so that the misfire in the fuel cell included in the first power generation unit and the misfire in the fuel cell included in the second power generation unit occur at different timings, the temperature of the catalyst reaches a predetermined temperature or more. Have the steps to prevent it from happening.

It is a functional block diagram showing roughly the composition of the power generator concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows a part of electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment in detail. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows a part of electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows roughly the modification of the structure of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram showing roughly other modifications of composition of a power generator concerning a 1st embodiment.

  It has been proposed to suppress the deterioration of the power generation apparatus by suppressing the deterioration of the cell stack by changing the temperature of each of the plurality of cell stacks so that the temperature difference between the plurality of cell stacks is not easily spread. It is advantageous if the progress of deterioration of the power generation apparatus can be suppressed by performing various appropriate controls in each cell stack. The present disclosure relates to providing a power generation device, a control device, and a control program that suppress the progress of deterioration. According to one embodiment, it is possible to provide a power generation device, a control device, and a control program that suppress the progress of deterioration. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a configuration of a power generation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the power generation device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a part of the configuration of the power generation device according to the first embodiment in more detail.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power generation device (power generation unit) 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to a hot water storage tank 60, a load 100, and a commercial power supply (grid) 200. As shown in FIG. 1, the power generation apparatus 1 generates power by supplying gas and air from the outside, and supplies the generated power to a load 100 and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power generator 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 12, a fuel cell module 20, a gas supply unit 32, an air supply unit 34, a reforming water supply unit 36, and an inverter 40. And an exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 and a circulating water processing unit 52.

  The power generator 1 includes at least one processor as the controller 10 to provide control and processing capabilities for performing various functions, as will be described in further detail below. According to various embodiments, at least one processor may be implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) or as a plurality of communicatively connected integrated circuits ICs and / or discrete circuits. Good. The at least one processor can be implemented according to various known techniques.

  In certain embodiments, the processor includes one or more circuits or units configured to perform one or more data computation procedures or processes. For example, a processor may be one or more processors, controllers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays, or any of these devices or configurations The functions described below may be performed by including combinations or combinations of other known devices or configurations.

  The control unit 10 is connected to the storage unit 12, the fuel cell module 20, the gas supply unit 32, the air supply unit 34, the reforming water supply unit 36, and the inverter 40. As a whole, the power generation apparatus 1 is controlled and managed. The control unit 10 obtains a program stored in the storage unit 12 and executes this program, thereby realizing various functions related to each unit of the power generation device 1. When transmitting a control signal or various types of information from the control unit 10 to other functional units, the control unit and the other functional units may be connected by wire or wirelessly. Control characteristic of this embodiment performed by the control unit 10 will be further described later. In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 is capable of measuring a predetermined time such as measuring the operating time (for example, power generation time) of the cell stack included in the fuel cell module 20.

  The storage unit 12 stores information acquired from the control unit 10. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 10. In addition, the memory | storage part 12 memorize | stores various data, such as a calculation result by the control part 10, for example. Further, the storage unit 12 will be described below as including a work memory when the control unit 10 operates. The storage unit 12 can be configured by, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk, but is not limited thereto, and can be any storage device. For example, the storage unit 12 may be an optical storage device such as an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk.

  The fuel cell module 20 shown in FIG. 1 includes a reformer 22 and a cell stack 24, as shown in more detail in FIG. FIG. 2 shows only the control unit 10, the fuel cell module 20, and the gas supply unit 32 in the power generation device 1 shown in FIG. 1, and other functional units are omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the fuel cell module 20 includes two reformers 22A (first reformer) and reformer 22B (second reformer), and two cell stacks 24A. And 24B. Hereinafter, when there is no particular distinction between the reformer 22A and the reformer 22B, they are simply named as the reformer 22. Similarly, hereinafter, the cell stack 24 </ b> A and the cell stack 24 </ b> B are collectively referred to simply as the cell stack 24 unless particularly distinguished from each other.

  The cell stack 24 of the fuel cell module 20 generates power using the gas (fuel gas) supplied from the gas supply unit 32 and outputs the generated DC power to the inverter 40. The fuel cell module 20 is also called a hot module. In the fuel cell module 20, the cell stack 24 generates heat with combustion during power generation. In the present disclosure, the cell stack 24 including a fuel cell that actually generates power is appropriately referred to as a “power generation unit”. In the present disclosure, the “power generation unit” may be various functional units that generate power. For example, the “power generation unit” may be a single cell or a fuel cell module in addition to the cell stack. In the present embodiment, the cell stack 24A is a first power generation unit, and the cell stack 24B is a second power generation unit. That is, the power generation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a first power generation unit (cell stack 24A) including a fuel cell and a second power generation unit (cell stack 24B) including a fuel cell.

  The reformer 22 generates hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide using the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 32 and the reformed water supplied from the reformed water supply unit 36. The cell stack 24 generates electricity by reacting hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide generated in the reformer 22 with oxygen in the air. That is, in the present embodiment, the cell stack 24 of the fuel cell generates power by an electrochemical reaction. In addition, although the reformer which performs steam reforming is illustrated as a reformer, as another reformer, partial oxidation reforming (Partial Oxidation ( A reformer or the like for performing POX)) may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reformer 22 </ b> A and the reformer 22 </ b> B are separately supplied with fuel gas from the gas supply unit 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the reformer 22A is connected to the cell stack 24A, and the reformer 22B is connected to the cell stack 24B. With these connections, the reformer 22A and the reformer 22B can supply hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B, respectively. Thus, in this embodiment, the reformer 22A reforms the gas supplied from the gas pump 94A (first gas supply unit) to the cell stack 24A (first power generation unit). In the present embodiment, the reformer 22B (second reforming unit) reforms the gas supplied from the gas pump 94B (second gas supply unit) to the cell stack 24B (second power generation unit).

  Hereinafter, the cell stack 24 will be described as an SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell). However, the cell stack 24 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the SOFC. The cell stack 24 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), and a molten carbonate fuel cell (PAFC). A fuel cell such as Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) may be used. The power generation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes two cell stacks 24A and 24B as shown in FIG. However, as will be described later, in other embodiments, the cell stack 24 may include, for example, four cells that can generate power of about 700 W alone. In this case, the fuel cell module 20 can output about 3 kW of electric power as a whole.

  The fuel cell module 20 and the cell stack 24 according to the present embodiment are not limited to the above-described configuration, and various configurations can be employed. In this embodiment, the electric power generating apparatus 1 should just be provided with two or more electric power generation parts which generate electric power using gas. In addition, for example, the power generation apparatus 1 can be assumed to have only one fuel cell instead of the cell stack 24 as a power generation unit. Further, the power generation unit according to the present embodiment may be a fuel cell without a module, such as PEFC.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power generation device 1 includes a gas supply unit 32, an air supply unit 34, and a reforming water supply unit 36. That is, the gas supply unit 32 supplies gas to the reformer 22 in the fuel cell module 20. The air supply unit 34 supplies air to the cell stack 24 in the fuel cell module 20. The reforming water supply unit 36 supplies reforming water to the reformer 22 in the fuel cell module 20.

  The gas supply unit 32 shown in FIG. 1 includes a flow meter 92 and a gas pump 94, as shown in more detail in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the gas supply unit 32 includes two flow meters 92A and 92B and two gas pumps 94A and 94B. Hereinafter, when the flow meter 92A and the flow meter 92B are not particularly distinguished, they are simply named as the flow meter 92. Similarly, hereinafter, when the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B are not particularly distinguished, they are simply named as the gas pump 94.

  The gas supply unit 32 supplies gas to the cell stack 24 of the fuel cell module 20. At this time, the gas supply unit 32 controls the amount of gas supplied to the cell stack 24 based on a control signal from the control unit 10. In this embodiment, the gas supply part 32 can be comprised by a gas line, for example. Moreover, the gas supply part 32 may perform the desulfurization process of gas, and may heat gas preliminarily. The exhaust heat of the cell stack 24 may be used as a heat source for heating the gas. The gas is, for example, city gas or LPG, but is not limited thereto. For example, the gas may be natural gas or coal gas depending on the fuel cell. In the present embodiment, the gas supply unit 32 supplies a fuel gas used for an electrochemical reaction when the cell stack 24 generates power.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the gas supplied to the gas supply unit 32 is branched from one supply source into two paths and supplied to the flow meter 92A and the flow meter 92B, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the flow meter 92A is connected to the gas pump 94A, and the flow meter 92B is connected to the gas pump 94B. With these connections, the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B can supply the gas having passed through the flow meter 92A and the flow meter 92B, respectively, to the reformer 22A and the reformer 22B. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas path supplied by the gas supply unit 32 includes a first gas line passing through the flow meter 92A and the gas pump 94A, and a second gas line passing through the flow meter 92B and the gas pump 94B. doing. In the present embodiment, the gas pump 94A supplies gas to the cell stack 24A, and the gas pump 94B supplies gas to the cell stack 24B. In the present embodiment, the gas supply unit 32 supplies fuel gas to the power generation unit (cell stack 24). In the example shown in FIG. 2, gas branched into two paths from one supply source is supplied to the flow meters 92A and 92B, respectively. However, for example, the flow meters 92A and 92B may be supplied with gas from separate sources.

  Flow meters 92A and 92B measure the flow rate of the gas flowing through each. Here, the flow rate of the gas measured by the flow meters 92A and 92B can be, for example, the amount that the gas moves through the flow meters 92A or 92B per unit time. As the flow meters 92A and 92B, any one can be adopted as long as it can measure the gas flow rate.

  The gas pumps 94A and 94B send the gas having passed through the flow meters 92A and 92B to the reformer 22A and the reformer 22B of the fuel cell module 20, respectively. As the gas pumps 94A and 94B, any one can be adopted as long as it can send gas to the reformers 22A and 22B.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the gas supply unit 32 is connected to the control unit 10 so as to be communicable by wire or wirelessly. Information on the gas flow rates measured by the flow meter 92A and the flow meter 92B is transmitted to the control unit 10. Thereby, the control part 10 can grasp | ascertain the flow volume of the gas which the flowmeter 92A and the flowmeter 92B each measured. Further, the control unit 10 can adjust (increase / decrease) the flow rate of the gas sent from the gas pumps 94A and 94B to the reformers 22A and 22B, respectively, by being communicably connected to the gas supply unit 32. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 can adjust the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B.

  In the power generator according to the present embodiment, the gas supply unit 32 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, in the gas supply unit 32 shown in FIG. 2, the flow meter 92 measures the flow rate of the gas before being sent out by the gas pump 94. However, in the gas supply unit 32, the flow meter 92 may measure the flow rate of the gas after being sent out by the gas pump 94.

  The air supply unit 34 supplies air to the cell stack 24 of the fuel cell module 20. At this time, the air supply unit 34 controls the amount of air supplied to the cell stack 24 based on a control signal from the control unit 10. In this embodiment, the air supply part 34 can be comprised by an air line, for example. The air supply unit 34 may preliminarily heat the air taken from the outside and supply the air to the cell stack 24. The exhaust heat of the cell stack 24 may be used as a heat source for heating the air. In the present embodiment, the air supply unit 34 supplies air used for an electrochemical reaction when the cell stack 24 generates power.

  The reforming water supply unit 36 generates steam and supplies it to the reformer 22 of the fuel cell module 20. At this time, the reforming water supply unit 36 controls the amount of water vapor supplied to the cell stack 24 based on a control signal from the control unit 10. In the present embodiment, the reforming water supply unit 36 can be configured by, for example, a reforming water line. The reforming water supply unit 36 may generate water vapor using water recovered from the exhaust gas of the cell stack 24 as a raw material. The exhaust heat of the cell stack 24 may be used as a heat source for generating water vapor.

  The inverter 40 is connected to the fuel cell module 20. The inverter 40 converts the DC power generated by the cell stack 24 into AC power. The DC power output from the inverter 40 is supplied to the load 100 via a distribution board or the like. The load 100 receives the power output from the inverter 40 via a distribution board or the like. In FIG. 1, the load 100 is illustrated as a single member, but can be an arbitrary number of various electrical devices constituting the load. The load 100 can also receive power from the commercial power supply 200 via a distribution board or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the inverter 40 and the control unit 10 may be connected so as to be communicable by wire or wirelessly. With this connection, the control unit 10 can control the output of AC power by the inverter 40.

  The exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 recovers exhaust heat from the exhaust generated by the power generation of the cell stack 24. The exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 can be configured with, for example, a heat exchanger. The exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 is connected to the circulating water processing unit 52 and the hot water storage tank 60.

  The circulating water processing unit 52 circulates water from the hot water storage tank 60 to the exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50. The water supplied to the exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 is heated by the heat recovered by the exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 and returns to the hot water storage tank 60. The exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 exhausts the exhaust from which the exhaust heat has been recovered to the outside. Further, as described above, the heat recovered by the exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 can be used for heating gas, air, or reformed water.

  The hot water storage tank 60 is connected to the exhaust heat recovery processing unit 50 and the circulating water processing unit 52. The hot water storage tank 60 can store hot water generated using the exhaust heat recovered from the cell stack 24 of the fuel cell module 20 or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24. More specifically, the control unit 10 controls to change at least one of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B. Such control of the gas flow rate will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the power generation apparatus 1 includes a temperature sensor 80 that detects the temperature associated with the reformer 22. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the fuel cell module 20 includes two temperature sensors 80A and 80B. As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature sensor 80A is installed near the reformer 22A, and the temperature sensor 80B is installed near the reformer 22B. Hereinafter, when the temperature sensor 80A and the temperature sensor 80B are not particularly distinguished, they are simply named as the temperature sensor 80.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature sensor 80 can be installed at a position for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the reformer 22. Here, the vicinity of the reformer 22 where the temperature sensor 80 detects the temperature is a position suitable for measuring the temperature related to the reformer 22 in the power generation apparatus 1, for example, the heat generated by the reformer 22 is moderate. It can be a conducting position. For example, the vicinity of the reformer 22 where the temperature sensor 80 detects the temperature may be a temperature in the vicinity of an outlet (hereinafter referred to as “reforming outlet”) from which fuel gas is sent out from the reformer 22. In the present embodiment, the vicinity of the reformer 22 where the temperature sensor 80 detects the temperature may be, for example, the temperature inside the reformer 22. For example, the temperature of the entire reformer 22 may be set, or the temperature inside the reformer 22 may be set. Hereinafter, the case where the vicinity of the reformer 22 whose temperature is detected by the temperature sensor 80 is the temperature of the reforming outlet (hereinafter, referred to as “reforming outlet temperature” as appropriate) will be described.

  The temperature sensor 80 can be constituted by, for example, a thermocouple. In this case, for example, a thermocouple temperature detector may be inserted in the vicinity of the outlet from which the fuel gas is delivered from the reformer 22. On the other hand, the temperature sensor 80 is assumed to be unable to measure excessively high heat depending on the material constituting the temperature sensor 80. In such a case, the temperature sensor 80 is separated from the reformer 22, for example, but may detect a temperature at a position where heat generated by the reformer 22 is conducted.

  The temperature sensor 80 is not limited to a thermocouple, and any member can be adopted as long as it is a member capable of measuring temperature. For example, the temperature sensor 80 may be a thermistor or a platinum resistance temperature detector. The temperature sensor 80 is connected to the control unit 10. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell module 20 is connected to the control unit 10 so as to be communicable by wire or wirelessly. The temperature sensor 80 transmits a signal based on the detected temperature to the control unit 10. By receiving this signal, the control unit 10 can grasp the temperature related to the reformer 22.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the power generation apparatus 1 includes a temperature sensor 82 that detects a temperature related to the cell stack 24. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the fuel cell module 20 includes two temperature sensors 82A and 82B. As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature sensor 82A is installed in the vicinity of the cell stack 24A, and the temperature sensor 82B is installed in the vicinity of the cell stack 24B. Hereinafter, when the temperature sensor 82 </ b> A and the temperature sensor 82 </ b> B are not particularly distinguished, they are simply named as the temperature sensor 82.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature sensor 82 can be installed at a position for detecting the temperature in the vicinity of the cell stack 24. Here, the vicinity of the cell stack 24 where the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature is a position suitable for measuring the temperature related to the cell stack 24 in the power generation apparatus 1, for example, a position where the heat generated by the cell stack 24 is appropriately conducted. It can be. For example, the vicinity of the cell stack 24 where the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature may be the temperature at the center of the cell stack 24 that generates power. In the present embodiment, the vicinity of the cell stack 24 where the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature may be a position where the cell stack 24 itself exists. Further, the vicinity of the cell stack 24 where the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature may be, for example, the entire cell stack 24 or a part of the cell stack 24 (for example, a cell).

  The temperature sensor 82 can be configured by, for example, a thermocouple. In this case, for example, a thermocouple may be inserted into an introduction plate that introduces air into the cell stack 24. On the other hand, the temperature sensor 82 may be assumed to be unable to measure excessively high heat depending on the material constituting the temperature sensor 82. In such a case, the temperature sensor 82 is separated from the cell stack 24, for example, but may detect the temperature at a position where the heat generated by the cell stack 24 is conducted. When the temperature sensor 82 is away from the cell stack 24, the vicinity of the cell stack 24 where the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature may be located, for example, in the combustion section above the cell stack 24. Further, when the temperature sensor 82 is away from the cell stack 24, the temperature near the cell stack 24 where the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature is sufficiently high even if the temperature sensor 82 is slightly away from above the combustion portion. Any position that can be measured is acceptable.

  The temperature sensor 82 is not limited to a thermocouple, and any member can be employed as long as it is a member capable of measuring temperature. The temperature sensor 82 is connected to the control unit 10. The temperature sensor 82 transmits a signal based on the detected temperature to the control unit 10. By receiving this signal, the control unit 10 can grasp the temperature near the cell stack 24.

  Next, operation | movement of the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that power generation is performed using a plurality of cell stacks such as two cell stacks 24A and 24B. When power generation started by a plurality of cell stacks is stopped, for example, the timing at which misfires occur in the plurality of cell stacks may be almost simultaneously or close. Misfire can be defined as the disappearance of combustion that has occurred in the combustion section when the cell stack 24 is generating power. Here, when a misfire occurs at a close timing in a plurality of cell stacks, a large amount of carbon monoxide or the like remains without burning. This residual gas is sent in large quantities to the catalyst. Then, since the temperature of the catalyst rises remarkably, the deterioration of the catalyst is accelerated. As described above, when the catalyst is rapidly deteriorated, the power generation device is rapidly deteriorated.

  Therefore, the power generation device 1 according to the present embodiment controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack so that the timing at which misfiring occurs in the plurality of cell stacks is not substantially the same or close. If the timing of misfire in the plurality of cell stacks is shifted, a large amount of residual gas will not be generated, and excessive temperature rise of the catalyst will be suppressed. Accordingly, the progress of the catalyst deterioration is suppressed, and consequently the progress of the power generation device deterioration is also suppressed. Such control will be further described below.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the power generation device 1 according to the first embodiment.

  The time point at which the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts can be set, for example, as the time point at which the power generation device 1 starts processing for stopping power generation. Therefore, the following description will be made assuming that the power generation apparatus 1 is already generating power when the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts.

  When the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts, in the power generation apparatus 1, the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B have already started operation and are generating power. Therefore, when the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts, the control unit 10 controls the gas supply unit 32 to supply the fuel gas to the cell stacks 24A and 24B, respectively. Similarly, when the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts, the control unit 10 controls the air supply unit 34 to supply air to the cell stacks 24A and 24B, respectively. Further, when the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts, the control unit 10 controls the reforming water supply unit 36 to supply the reforming water to the cell stacks 24A and 24B, respectively. In the power generation apparatus 1, the operation of the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B to start operation and generate power can be performed in the same manner as a general SOFC power generation unit. Therefore, a more detailed description of the operation in which the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B start operation and generate electric power will be omitted.

  When the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts, the control unit 10 sets the target value of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B to 1.2 [NL / min], for example (step S11). ). Specifically, the control unit 10 sets the target of the flow rate of the gas flowing through the first gas line and the second gas line to 1.2 [NL / min], for example. As described above, the first gas line is a gas path passing through the flow meter 92A and the gas pump 94A, and the second gas line is a gas path passing through the flow meter 92B and the gas pump 94B. Therefore, in step S11, the control unit 10 sets the target value of the gas flow rate supplied to the cell stack 24A by the gas pump 94A and the target value of the gas flow rate supplied to the cell stack 24B by the gas pump 94B to 1.2 [ NL / min].

  When the target value of the gas flow rate is set, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B so that the set target value is achieved in step S11. Specifically, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94A by acquiring the flow rate of the gas measured by the flow meter 92A. Similarly, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94B by acquiring the flow rate of the gas measured by the flow meter 92B.

  Next, the control unit 10 determines whether either the temperature related to the cell stack 24A or the temperature related to the cell stack 24B is 600 ° C. or less (step S12). The temperature associated with cell stack 24A and the temperature associated with cell stack 24B are detected by temperature sensor 82A and temperature sensor 82B, respectively. As described above, the temperature related to the cell stack 24 may be a temperature in the vicinity of each of the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B. The temperature sensor 82 may always detect the temperature, and the control unit 10 may acquire the temperature at that time in step S12. Further, the temperature sensor 82 may detect the temperature in step 12 without always detecting the temperature, and the control unit 10 may acquire the detected temperature.

  When it is determined in step S12 that neither the temperature related to the cell stack 24A or the temperature related to the cell stack 24B is 600 ° C. or less, the control unit 10 returns to step S11 and continues the process. When it is determined in step S12 that at least one of the temperature related to the cell stack 24A and the temperature related to the cell stack 24B is 600 ° C. or lower, the control unit 10 executes the process of step S13.

  In step S13, the control unit 10 sets the target of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B to, for example, 0.9 [NL / min], respectively. When the target value of the gas flow rate is set, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B so that the set target value is achieved in step S13.

  Next, the control unit 10 determines whether either the temperature related to the reformer 22A or the temperature related to the reformer 22B is 600 ° C. or less (step S14). The temperature associated with the reformer 22A and the temperature associated with the reformer 22B are detected by the temperature sensor 80A and the temperature sensor 80B, respectively. As described above, the temperature associated with the reformer 22 may be the reforming outlet temperature. The temperature sensor 80 may constantly detect the temperature, and the control unit 10 may acquire the temperature at that time in step S14. Further, the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature in step 14 without always detecting the temperature, and the control unit 10 may acquire the detected temperature.

  When it is determined in step S14 that neither the temperature related to the reformer 22A or the temperature related to the reformer 22B is 600 ° C. or lower, the control unit 10 returns to step S13 and continues the process. . When it is determined in step S14 that at least one of the temperature related to the reformer 22A and the temperature related to the reformer 22B is 600 ° C. or less, the control unit 10 executes the process of step S15.

  In step S15, the control unit 10 sets the target value of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the lower one of the reformer 22A and the reformer 22B (reforming outlet temperature), for example, 0.6 [NL / Min]. Specifically, the control unit 10 sets the target of the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas line having the lower reforming outlet temperature, out of the first gas line and the second gas line, for example, 0.6 [NL / Min].

  For example, when the temperature related to the reformer 22A is lower than the temperature related to the reformer 22B, the control unit 10 sets the target value of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A to 0.6 [ NL / min]. And the control part 10 maintains the target value of the flow volume of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B with the setting of 0.9 [NL / min]. On the other hand, for example, when the temperature related to the reformer 22B is lower than the temperature related to the reformer 22A, the control unit 10 sets the target value of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B to 0. Set to 6 [NL / min]. And the control part 10 maintains the target value of the flow volume of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A with the setting of 0.9 [NL / min]. In step S15, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B so that the set target values are achieved. In short, in step S15, the control unit 10 reduces the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature to some extent.

  For example, when the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22A is lower than the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22B, it is considered that the temperature inside the reformer 22A tends to be lower than the temperature inside the reformer 22B. . In the reformer 22, a certain level of temperature is required for hydrogen gas to react. For this reason, for example, when the temperature of the reforming outlet in the reformer 22A is low, the ratio of hydrogen coming out of the reformer 22A as a result of reforming tends to be low. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to easily cause misfire in the cell stack 24A connected to the reformer 22A by reducing the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22A to some extent. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22A is lower than the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22B, the control unit 10 decreases the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A. In this way, the power generation device 1 according to the present embodiment facilitates misfire in the cell stack 24A prior to the cell stack 24B.

  When the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature is decreased in step S15, the control unit 10 executes the process of step S16. In step S16, the control unit 10 determines whether both the temperature related to the reformer 22A and the temperature related to the reformer 22B are 550 ° C. or less (step S16). Also in step S16, the temperature related to the reformer 22 may be the reforming outlet temperature.

  When it is determined in step S16 that either the temperature related to the reformer 22A or the temperature related to the reformer 22B is not lower than 550 ° C., the control unit 10 returns to step S15 and continues the process. To do. When it is determined in step S16 that both the temperature related to the reformer 22A and the temperature related to the reformer 22B are equal to or lower than 550 ° C., the control unit 10 executes the process of step S17.

  In step S17, the control unit 10 sets the target of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B to, for example, 0.6 [NL / min]. When the target value of the gas flow rate is set, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B so that the set target values are achieved in step S17.

  Next, the control unit 10 determines whether both the temperature related to the cell stack 24A and the temperature related to the cell stack 24B are 285 ° C. or less (step S18). As described above, the temperature related to the cell stack 24 may be a temperature in the vicinity of each of the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B.

  When it is determined in step S18 that either the temperature related to the cell stack 24A or the temperature related to the cell stack 24B is not lower than 285 ° C., the control unit 10 returns to step S17 and continues the process. When it is determined in step S18 that both the temperature related to the cell stack 24A and the temperature related to the cell stack 24B are 285 ° C. or less, the control unit 10 executes the process of step S19.

  In step S19, the control unit 10 sets the target of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B to, for example, 0 [NL / min], respectively. When the target value of the gas flow rate is set, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas output from the gas pump 94A and the gas pump 94B so that the set target value is achieved in step S13. As described above, the control unit 10 ends the process shown in FIG.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B. In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 controls the gas flow rate that the gas pump 94A supplies to the cell stack 24A and the gas flow rate that the gas pump 94B supplies to the cell stack 24B to be different. For example, the control unit 10 may perform control so that at least one of the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A by the gas pump 94A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B by the gas pump 94B decreases. As a result, the timing of misfiring in the cell stack 24A is different from the timing of misfiring in the cell stack 24B.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 10 is based on at least one of a temperature related to the cell stack 24A (temperature related to the reformer 22A) and a temperature related to the cell stack 24B (reformer 22B). Thus, the control may be performed as described above. In this case, when the temperature related to the reformer 22A is lower than the temperature related to the reformer 22B, the control unit 10 determines that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A is the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B. You may control so that it may become less than this flow volume.

  As described above, according to the power generation device 1 according to the present embodiment, the timing for misfire in the cell stack 24A and the timing for misfire in the cell stack 24B are controlled so as not to be substantially the same or close to each other. Thereby, the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment can suppress progress of deterioration of a catalyst in the cell stack 24 and the cell stack 24B. Therefore, according to the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment, it can suppress that deterioration of an electric power generating apparatus is accelerated.

  In the embodiment described above, the numerical values such as the target values of the temperature and the gas flow rate shown in FIG. 3 are for illustrative purposes. Each of these numerical values can be appropriately set according to the configuration or specifications of the cell stack 24 and / or the reformer 22 and the like.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the power generation device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

  The power generation apparatus according to the second embodiment performs additional measures from the viewpoint of suppressing the progress of catalyst deterioration in the power generation apparatus 1 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, about the structure of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, description of the content similar to the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  The power generator according to the second embodiment is configured to change the control of the air supply unit 34 in the power generator 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the power generator 1 according to the first embodiment, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature is reduced to some extent. In the second embodiment, the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24 connected to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature is increased to some extent.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating only the control unit 10, the fuel cell module 20, and the air supply unit 34 in the power generation device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, functional units other than the control unit 10, the fuel cell module 20, and the air supply unit 34 are not shown. The functional units not shown in the figure can be configured in the same manner as in the case of the power generation device 1 according to the first embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the air supply unit 34 includes two air blowers 96A (first air supply unit) and air blower 96B (second air supply unit), and two flow meters 98A and 98B. And. Hereinafter, when the air blower 96A and the air blower 96B are not particularly distinguished, they are simply named as the air blower 96. Similarly, hereinafter, the flow meter 98A and the flow meter 98B are collectively referred to simply as the flow meter 98 unless particularly distinguished.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the air supplied to the air supply unit 34 is branched from one supply source into two paths and supplied to the air blower 96A and the air blower 96B, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the air blower 96A is connected to the flow meter 98A, and the air blower 96B is connected to the flow meter 98B. With these connections, the air blower 96A and the air blower 96B can supply air to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B via the flow meter 98A and the flow meter 98B, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 4, air branched into two paths from one supply source is supplied to air blowers 96A and 96B, respectively. However, for example, the air blowers 96A and 96B may be supplied with air from separate sources.

  The air blowers 96A and 96B send the air supplied to the air supply unit 34 to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B of the fuel cell module 20 via the flow meters 98A and 98B, respectively. As the air blowers 96A and 96B, any air blowers can be adopted as long as they can send air to the cell stacks 24A and 24B.

  Flow meters 98A and 98B measure the flow rate of air flowing through each. Here, the flow rate of air measured by the flow meters 98A and 98B can be, for example, the amount of air moving through the flow meters 98A or 98B per unit time. As the flow meters 98A and 98B, any one can be adopted as long as it can measure the flow rate of air.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air supply unit 34 is communicably connected to the control unit 10 by wire or wireless. Information on the air flow rate measured by the flow meter 98A and the flow meter 98B is transmitted to the control unit 10. Thereby, the control part 10 can grasp | ascertain the flow volume of the air which the flow meter 98A and the flow meter 98B each measured. Further, the control unit 10 can adjust (increase / decrease) the flow rate of air sent from the air blowers 96A and 96B to the cell stacks 24A and 24B, respectively, by being communicably connected to the air supply unit 34. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 can adjust the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24B.

  In the power generator according to this embodiment, the air supply unit 34 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, in the air supply unit 34 shown in FIG. 4, the flow meter 98 measures the flow rate of air after being sent out by the air blower 96. However, in the air supply unit 34, the flow meter 98 may measure the flow rate of air before being sent out by the air blower 96.

  Next, operation | movement of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the power generation device according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, the process of the same content as having demonstrated as a process of the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is shown as the same step.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the second embodiment, step S21 is further added between the process of step S15 and the process of step S16. In Step S15, the control unit 10 reduces the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature to some extent. In the present embodiment, after step S15, the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24 connected to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature is increased to some extent.

  For example, when the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22A is lower than the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22B in step S14, the control unit 10 decreases the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A in step S15. To do. In this case, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 performs control so that the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24A connected to the reformer 22A is increased (step S21). Specifically, the control unit 10 controls the air blower 96A to increase the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24A. In FIG. 5, step S21 is started after step S15. However, when the process proceeds from step S14 to YES, step S15 and step S21 may be started simultaneously. In this case, step S15 may be started after step S21. After step S21, the control unit 10 can perform the processing from step S16 onward as in the first embodiment.

  Similar to the control of the gas flow rate in the first embodiment, also in this embodiment, the control unit 10 sets the target value of the air flow rate, and the air blower is set so that the set target value is achieved. 96A may be controlled. Further, the control unit 10 may control the flow rate of the gas output from the air blower 96 by acquiring the flow rate of air measured by the flow meter 98.

  When the amount of air supplied to the cell stack 24 is increased by the air blower 96, the concentration of gas in the cell stack 24 decreases. As the gas concentration in the cell stack 24 decreases, the temperature of the catalyst also decreases. For this reason, misfiring easily occurs in the cell stack 24. In addition, the risk of catalyst deterioration due to sintering, for example, can be reduced.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when stopping the power generation of the power generation device, the control unit 10 supplies the flow rate of air supplied to the first power generation unit (cell stack 24A) and the second power generation unit (cell stack 24B). You may control so that the flow volume of the supplied air differs. For example, when the control unit 10 stops the power generation of the power generation device, the flow rate of air supplied to the first power generation unit (cell stack 24A) and the flow rate of air supplied to the second power generation unit (cell stack 24B) are set. You may control so that at least one increases. Further, for example, when the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22A is lower than the reforming outlet temperature of the reformer 22B, the control unit 10 increases the flow rate of air supplied from the air blower 96A to the cell stack 24A. You may control. As a result, misfiring is more likely to occur in the cell stack 24A.

  The power generation apparatus shown in FIG. 4 includes two air blowers 96, and each supplies air independently to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B. However, as a simplified example of the power generation device shown in FIG. 4, the power generation device may be configured to include only one air blower 96. In this case, one air blower 96 may be configured to supply air to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B. And the control part 10 may control so that the flow volume of the air supplied to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B may change when stopping the power generation of the power generation device. For example, the control unit 10 may control the flow rate of air supplied to the cell stack 24 </ b> A and the cell stack 24 </ b> B when the power generation of the power generation device is stopped.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a power generation device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

  The power generator according to the third embodiment can partially adopt the same configuration as that of the power generator 1 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, about the structure of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, description of the content similar to the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  The power generation device according to the third embodiment is configured to change the configuration of the fuel cell module 20 in the power generation device 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the power generation device 1 according to the first embodiment, the fuel cell module 20 includes two cell stacks 24A and 24B as shown in FIG. In the power generator according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cell module 20 'includes four cell stacks (24A, 24B, 24C, 24D). 6 shows only the control unit 10, the fuel cell module 20 ′, and the gas supply unit 32 in the power generation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 as in FIG. 2, and other functional units are omitted. Hereinafter, when the cell stacks 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D are not particularly distinguished, they are simply named as the cell stack 24. For example, when each cell stack 24 can generate a power of about 700 W alone, the fuel cell module 20 ′ can output a power of about 3 kW as a whole.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the fuel cell module 20 ', the reformer 22A is connected to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B, and the reformer 22B is connected to the cell stack 24C and the cell stack 24D. With these connections, the reformer 22A and the reformer 22B can supply hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide to the cell stacks 24A and 24B and the cell stacks 24C and 24D, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fuel cell module 20 ′ also includes a temperature sensor 80 that detects the temperature in the vicinity of the cell stack 24. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the fuel cell module 20 'includes four temperature sensors 80A, 80B, 80C, and 80D. As shown in FIG. 6, the temperature sensor 80A is installed near the cell stack 24A, and the temperature sensor 80B is installed near the cell stack 24B. The temperature sensor 80C is installed in the vicinity of the cell stack 24C, and the temperature sensor 80D is installed in the vicinity of the cell stack 24D. Also in the second embodiment, the meaning of “near cell stack 24” is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Even when four cell stacks 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D are provided as in the fuel cell module 20 'illustrated in FIG. 6, the power generation device 1 according to the first embodiment can be operated. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the gas line that supplies the fuel gas from the gas supply unit 32 to the fuel cell module 20 ′ has two paths. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B can be adjusted by the gas pump 94A. In the present embodiment, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24C and the cell stack 24D can be adjusted by the gas pump 94B.

  In the present embodiment, the cell stack 24A and the cell stack 24B are used as the first power generation unit, and the cell stack 24B and the cell stack 24D are used as the second power generation unit to operate in the same manner as the power generation device 1 according to the first embodiment. Can do. In this case, the average of the temperature near the cell stack 24A and the temperature near the cell stack 24B can be set as the temperature near the first power generation unit. Similarly, the average of the temperature near the cell stack 24C and the temperature near the cell stack 24D can be set as the temperature near the second power generation unit.

  As described above, in the power generation apparatus according to this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, control is performed so that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22 having the lower reforming outlet temperature is reduced. As a result, the timing at which misfires occur in the four cell stacks 24 is prevented from becoming almost simultaneous or close.

  Also in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the amount of air supplied from the air blower 96 to the cell stack 24 may be increased so that misfiring is more likely to occur in the cell stack 24.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a power generation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

  The power generator according to the fourth embodiment can adopt the same configuration as the power generator 1 described in the first to third embodiments partially or entirely. Therefore, about the structure of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment, description of the content similar to the electric power generating apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st-3rd embodiment is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  In the first to third embodiments, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the reformer 22 having a lower temperature (reforming outlet temperature) related to the reformer 22 is decreased. In the fourth embodiment, the cell is not based on the temperature related to the reformer 22 (reforming outlet temperature) but based on the temperature related to the cell stack 24 (for example, the internal temperature of the cell stack 24 or a temperature in the vicinity thereof). The flow rate of the gas supplied to the stack 24 is controlled.

  For example, if the internal temperature of the cell stack 24A or the temperature in the vicinity of the cell stack 24A is lower than the internal temperature of the cell stack 24B or the temperature in the vicinity of the cell stack 24A, misfiring tends to occur in the cell stack 24A. Therefore, when the temperature sensor 82 detects the temperature of each cell stack 24, the control unit 10 decreases the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24 with the detected temperature being low. In this case, misfire is likely to occur in the cell stack 24. For this reason, the timing at which misfires occur in the plurality of cell stacks 24 does not become substantially simultaneous or close.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the control unit 10 has different flow rates of the gas supplied to the first and second power generation units based on the temperature related to the cell stack 24A and the temperature related to the cell stack 24B. You may control as follows. For example, the control unit 10 performs control so that at least one of the flow rates of the gas supplied to the first and second power generation units decreases based on the temperature related to the cell stack 24A and the temperature related to the cell stack 24B. May be. In this case, when the temperature related to the cell stack 24A is lower than the temperature related to the cell stack 24B, the control unit 10 determines that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A is the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B. You may control so that it may become less.

(Other embodiments)
Hereinafter, embodiments other than the above-described embodiment will be described.

  In the first embodiment described above, the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 32 is reduced. As a result, misfire is likely to occur in the cell stack 24. However, for example, the reforming water supplied from the reforming water supply unit 36 to the reformer 22 may be reduced. Even in this case, misfiring easily occurs in the cell stack 24 connected to the reformer 22.

  In the first embodiment described above, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the case has been described in which the gas flow rate is decreased only one step (once) in step S <b> 15. However, for example, even if the gas flow rate is decreased by one step in step S15, there is not much difference in the reforming outlet temperature, and there is a situation in which misfiring occurs in the plurality of cell stacks 24 at almost the same time or near timing. is assumed. In preparation for such a case, if a misfire is expected to occur in the plurality of cell stacks 24 at almost the same time or near timing even after the gas flow rate is decreased by one step, the gas flow rate is further increased stepwise. It may be decreased (ie, multiple times). For example, if a predetermined temperature difference does not occur in the reforming outlet temperatures in the plurality of reformers 22 even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the gas flow rate is decreased by one step, the gas flow rate is further decreased. May be.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various variations and modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each functional unit, each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and a plurality of functional units, steps, etc. are combined or divided into one. It is possible. In addition, each of the embodiments of the present invention described above is not limited to being performed faithfully to each of the embodiments described above, and is implemented by appropriately combining the features or omitting some of the features. You can also.

  For example, in the above disclosure, the power generation apparatus 1 including a fuel cell has been described as the first embodiment. However, each embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to a power generation device including a fuel cell.

  For example, the embodiment of the present disclosure can be realized as a fuel cell control device that controls a fuel cell from the outside without including the fuel cell. An example of such an embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the fuel cell control device 2 according to this embodiment includes, for example, a control unit 10 and a storage unit 12. The control device 2 controls the external power generation device 1. That is, the fuel cell control device 2 according to the present embodiment controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit (cell stack 24A) and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit (cell stack 24B). To do. Further, when stopping the power generation of the power generation device, the control device 2 controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B to be different.

  Furthermore, the embodiment of the present disclosure can also be realized as a control program to be executed by the fuel cell control device 2 as described above, for example. That is, the fuel cell control program according to the present embodiment causes the control device 2 to execute a step of controlling the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B. Further, the control program controls the control device 2 to control the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24A and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the cell stack 24B when stopping the power generation of the power generation device. Let it run.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power generator 2 Control apparatus 10 Control part 12 Memory | storage part 20 Fuel cell module 22 Reformer 24 Cell stack 32 Gas supply part 34 Air supply part 36 Reformed water supply part 40 Inverter 50 Waste heat recovery process part 52 Circulating water process part 60 Hot water storage tank 80, 82 Temperature sensor 92 Flow meter 94 Gas pump 96 Air blower 98 Flow meter 100 Load 200 Commercial power supply

Claims (12)

A first power generation unit including a fuel cell;
A second power generation unit including a fuel cell;
A control unit for controlling the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit;
A catalyst that combusts the gas discharged from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit;
A power generator comprising:
The control unit, when stopping the power generation of the power generation device, by controlling the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit, A power generation device that prevents misfiring in a fuel cell included in the first power generation unit and misfire in a fuel cell included in the second power generation unit at different timings so that the catalyst does not reach a predetermined temperature or more. .   When the control unit stops the power generation of the power generation device, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit based on the temperature related to the first power generation unit and the temperature related to the second power generation unit The power generation device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed such that a flow rate of gas supplied to the second power generation unit is different from that of the second power generation unit. A first gas supply unit for supplying gas to the first power generation unit;
A second gas supply unit for supplying gas to the second power generation unit;
A first reforming unit connected to the first power generation unit and reforming a gas supplied from the first gas supply unit to the first power generation unit;
A second reforming unit that is connected to the second power generation unit and reforms the gas supplied from the second gas supply unit to the second power generation unit,
The control unit supplies the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit based on the temperature related to the first reforming unit and the temperature related to the second reforming unit. The power generation device according to claim 2, wherein the power generation device is controlled so that the flow rate of the generated gas is different.   The control unit is supplied to the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit based on the temperature near the first reforming unit and the temperature near the second reforming unit. The power generation device according to claim 3, wherein the power generation device is controlled so as to have a different gas flow rate.   The controller controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the gas supplied to the second power generation unit based on the temperature in the vicinity of the first power generation unit and the temperature in the vicinity of the second power generation unit. The power generation device according to claim 2, wherein the power generation device is controlled to be different from the flow rate. Wherein the control unit, the flow rate and the second gas supply unit of the first gas supply unit gas supplied to the first power generation unit controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit, according to claim 3 or 4. The power generation device according to 4 .   When the temperature related to the first power generation unit is lower than the temperature related to the second power generation unit, the control unit supplies a flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit to the second power generation unit. The power generation device according to claim 2, wherein the power generation device is controlled so as to be less than a flow rate of the gas. The first gas supply unit supplies fuel gas to the first power generation unit,
The power generation device according to any one of claims 3 , 4, and 6, or the third gas supply unit, wherein the second gas supply unit supplies fuel gas to the second power generation unit. The power generator according to claim 7 quoting any one of claims 6 . An air supply unit for supplying air to the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit;
The power generation device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the flow rate of air supplied to the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit to change when the power generation of the power generation device is stopped. A first air supply unit for supplying air to the first power generation unit;
A second air supply unit for supplying air to the second power generation unit,
The said control part is controlled so that the flow volume of the air supplied to a said 1st electric power generation part and the flow volume of the air supplied to a said 2nd electric power generation part differ when stopping the electric power generation of the said electric power generating apparatus. The power generation device according to 8. A first power generation unit including a fuel cell;
A second power generation unit including a fuel cell;
A catalyst that combusts the gas discharged from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit;
A control device for controlling a power generation device comprising:
The control device controls the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit, and stops the power generation of the power generation device. By controlling so that the flow rate of the supplied gas and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit are different, misfiring in the fuel cell included in the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit A control device that prevents misfiring in a fuel cell from occurring at a different timing so that the temperature of the catalyst does not exceed a predetermined level. A first power generation unit including a fuel cell;
A second power generation unit including a fuel cell;
A catalyst that combusts the gas discharged from the first power generation unit and the second power generation unit;
A control device for controlling a power generation device comprising:
Controlling the flow rate of gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the flow rate of gas supplied to the second power generation unit;
When the power generation of the power generation device is stopped, the first power generation unit is controlled by controlling the flow rate of the gas supplied to the first power generation unit and the flow rate of the gas supplied to the second power generation unit. A misfire in the fuel cell included in the fuel cell and a misfire in the fuel cell included in the second power generation unit occur at different timings so that the temperature of the catalyst does not exceed a predetermined level;
A control program that executes

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