JP6653144B2 - Hydrogen purification method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydrogen purification device and a hydrogen purification method using the same.

  The conventional hydrogen purifier includes a first chamber (primary side) and a second chamber (secondary side) partitioned by a hydrogen-permeable membrane that selectively permeates hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing gas; A first inlet for introducing a hydrogen-containing gas into the chamber, a first outlet for leading out the gas in the first chamber, and a second outlet for leading out a gas in the second chamber; An inlet for introducing gas into the second chamber was not provided (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

  In this conventional hydrogen purifier, when purifying hydrogen gas, a hydrogen-containing gas is introduced into the first chamber from the first inlet. As a result, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen-containing gas introduced into the first chamber selectively passes through the hydrogen permeable membrane and enters the second chamber, and the hydrogen gas is converted into purified hydrogen gas. It is derived from the second outlet. At this time, the remainder of the hydrogen-containing gas introduced into the first chamber (a gas other than the hydrogen gas that has passed through the hydrogen-permeable membrane) is led out from the first outlet.

  At the beginning of such hydrogen gas purification, impurities (for example, nitrogen, hydrocarbons, monoxide) adhering to the second room side of the hydrogen permeable membrane or other wall surfaces of the second room in a small amount. Carbon, carbon dioxide, oxygen, moisture, etc.) are mixed into the purified hydrogen gas obtained from the second outlet, so that the purity of the purified hydrogen gas is not very high. Therefore, in the conventional hydrogen purifier, in order to obtain highly purified hydrogen gas, hydrogen gas obtained from the second outlet is supplied for a considerably long time from the beginning of hydrogen gas purification. The cleaning time for removing the impurities was used instead of exhausting and using the purified gas, and the hydrogen gas obtained from the second outlet after the cleaning time was used as the purified gas.

JP-A-6-171904

  However, in the conventional hydrogen purifier, the cleaning time has to be remarkably increased in order to obtain high-purity hydrogen gas.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a hydrogen purification apparatus capable of obtaining high-purity hydrogen gas while shortening the cleaning time, and a hydrogen purification method using the same. Aim.

  The following aspects are presented as means for solving the above problems. The hydrogen purifying apparatus according to the first aspect has a first chamber and a second chamber separated by a hydrogen permeable membrane that selectively permeates hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing gas, and introduces a hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber. A first inlet for introducing a gas in the first chamber, a second outlet for introducing a cleaning gas into the second chamber, and a gas for introducing the gas in the second chamber. And a second outlet.

  According to the first aspect, since the second inlet for introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber is provided, the cleaning gas is introduced into the second chamber from the second inlet. The cleaning gas passes through the second chamber and is led out of the second outlet, and adheres to the second room side of the hydrogen permeable membrane or another wall surface of the second room by the cleaning gas. The impurities that have been removed are removed. Therefore, according to the first aspect, it is possible to perform the cleaning for removing the impurities more efficiently than in the case where the cleaning is performed only by the hydrogen gas permeated through the hydrogen permeable membrane as in the conventional hydrogen purifier. Accordingly, the cleaning time for sufficiently removing the impurities can be reduced, and high-purity hydrogen gas can be obtained while shortening the cleaning time.

  In the hydrogen purification apparatus according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the hydrogen permeable membrane has a cylindrical shape, and the second inlet is provided on one end side of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane, The second outlet is provided on the other end side of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane.

  According to the second aspect, the hydrogen permeable membrane has a cylindrical shape, and the second inlet and the second outlet are arranged as described above. It can be done efficiently.

  In the hydrogen purification apparatus according to a third aspect, in the first aspect, the hydrogen permeable membrane has a planar shape, and the second inlet is provided on one end side of the planar hydrogen permeable membrane, The second outlet is provided on the other end side of the planar hydrogen permeable membrane.

  According to the third aspect, the hydrogen permeable membrane has a planar shape, and the second inlet and the second outlet are arranged as described above. It can be done efficiently.

A hydrogen purification apparatus according to a fourth aspect is the hydrogen purification apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cleaning gas is one of Ar, N ₂ , and He.

According to the fourth aspect, since the cleaning gas is one of Ar, N ₂ , and He, the impurities can be more efficiently removed by the cleaning gas.

  A hydrogen purification apparatus according to a fifth aspect is the hydrogen purification apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a plurality of one of the first chamber and the second chamber, One of the two chambers is provided, and one of the other chambers is provided so as to surround the plurality of the one chambers.

  According to the fifth aspect, the area of the hydrogen permeable membrane in contact with the hydrogen-containing gas can be increased, so that more purified hydrogen gas can be obtained.

  A hydrogen purification method according to a sixth aspect is the hydrogen purification method using the hydrogen purification apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the second outlet is opened while the second outlet is opened. A cleaning step of introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber from an inlet, and a refining step performed after the cleaning step, wherein the second outlet is opened and the second inlet is closed, A refining step of introducing the hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber from the first inlet and extracting the gas in the first chamber from the second outlet.

  According to the sixth aspect, in the cleaning step, while the time is shortened, impurities adhering to the second room side of the hydrogen permeable membrane and other wall surfaces of the second room are sufficiently removed. , High-purity hydrogen gas can be obtained in the purification step. Therefore, according to the sixth aspect, high-purity hydrogen gas can be obtained in a short time as a whole time including the cleaning time.

  In the hydrogen purification method according to a seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, in the cleaning step, the gas in the first chamber is introduced while introducing the hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber from the first inlet. It is derived from the second outlet.

  According to the seventh aspect, in the cleaning step, the cleaning gas introduced into the second chamber from the second inlet causes the inside of the second chamber or the inside of the second chamber of the hydrogen-permeable film to pass through. In addition to performing cleaning of impurities adhering to other wall surfaces and the like, at the same time, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen-containing gas introduced into the first chamber permeates through the hydrogen permeable film and the second gas passes through the hydrogen permeable membrane. The cleaning is also performed by the hydrogen gas entering the room. Therefore, according to the seventh aspect, the cleaning can be performed more efficiently by the synergistic effect of the cleaning with the cleaning gas and the cleaning with the hydrogen gas. In particular, when cleaning with hydrogen gas is used in combination, when impurities on the surface of the hydrogen permeable membrane on the inner side of the second chamber or on the surface of the other wall surface of the second chamber are oxides, the oxides are reduced by hydrogen reduction. It is preferable because it can be removed.

  However, in the sixth aspect, in the cleaning step, the hydrogen-containing gas is not introduced into the first chamber from the first inlet, and the cleaning using the hydrogen gas that has passed through the hydrogen-permeable membrane is not used together. You may.

  The hydrogen purification method according to an eighth aspect is the hydrogen purification method according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein the pre-cleaning step is performed before the cleaning step, wherein the first inlet and the second inlet are closed. A first step of discharging gas in the first chamber from the first outlet and discharging gas in the second chamber from the second outlet; and a step of discharging the first outlet and the second gas. A second step of introducing the hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber from the first inlet and introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber from the second inlet with the outlet closed. And a preliminary cleaning step performed once or alternately repeated a plurality of times.

  According to the eighth aspect, since the preliminary cleaning step including the step of once discharging the gas in the second chamber is performed, the cleaning can be performed more efficiently.

  However, in the sixth and seventh aspects, the preliminary cleaning step does not necessarily have to be performed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hydrogen purifying apparatus capable of obtaining high-purity hydrogen gas while shortening a cleaning time, and a hydrogen purifying method using the same.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier as a hydrogen purifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view taken along the line A-A ′ in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along line B-B ′ in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing a hydrogen purification system using the hydrogen purifier shown in FIG. 1. It is a schematic sectional view showing the hydrogen purifier as a hydrogen purifier by a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier as a hydrogen purifier by a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram viewed from arrows C-C ′ in FIG. 6. It is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier as a hydrogen purifier by a 4th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic view taken along the line D-D ′ in FIG. 8.

  Hereinafter, a hydrogen purification apparatus and a hydrogen purification method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  [First Embodiment]

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier 1 as a hydrogen purifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view taken along the line A-A 'in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along line B-B 'in FIG.

  The hydrogen purifier 1 according to the present embodiment includes a cylindrical housing 2 and a hydrogen permeable membrane 3 that partitions the interior of the housing 2 into a first chamber (primary side) S1 and a second chamber (secondary side) S2. A first inlet 4 for introducing a hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber S1, a first outlet 5 for leading out a gas in the first chamber S1, and a cleaning gas in the second chamber S2. It has a second inlet 6 for introducing and a second outlet 7 for taking out gas in the second chamber S2. The housing 2 is actually formed by welding one end surface member, a cylindrical member, and the other end surface member made of stainless steel or another material, but in FIG. 1, these members are integrated without being shown separately. Is shown.

  The hydrogen purifier 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a shaft member 8 provided on the central axis of the housing 2, and a sheath heater 9 and a thermocouple 10 housed in the shaft member 8. The shaft member 8 is made of stainless steel or another material, and has a round bar portion 8a, a disk portion 8b provided at a right end portion of the round bar portion 8a in FIG. 1, and a left end portion of the round bar portion 8a in FIG. And a disk portion 8c provided on the front side. The right disk portion 8b of the shaft member 8 is welded to the right end surface of the housing 2 so as to close the opening of the right end surface of the housing 2. The left disk portion 8c of the shaft member 8 is welded to the left end surface of the housing 2 so as to close the opening of the left end surface of the housing 2.

  The hydrogen permeable film 3 selectively permeates hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing gas, and for example, a palladium alloy film such as a Pd-Cu film is used. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 has a cylindrical shape, and both ends are welded to the disk portions 8 b and 8 c of the shaft member 8, respectively. It is arranged coaxially with the housing 2 between the round bar portion 8 a of the member 8 and the peripheral surface of the housing 2.

  In the present embodiment, the first chamber S1 and the second chamber S2 are formed by dividing the space of the space inside the housing 2 by the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane 3 and the shaft member 8. . In the present embodiment, the first chamber S1 is defined by the hydrogen permeable membrane 3, the round bar 8a and the discs 8b, 8c of the shaft member 8, and is a space inside the hydrogen permeable membrane 3. The second chamber S2 is defined by the housing 2 and the disk portions 8b and 8c of the shaft member 8, and is a space outside the hydrogen permeable membrane 3.

  In the present embodiment, the first inlet 4 is provided in the disk portion 8b on the right side of the shaft member 8, and communicates with the first chamber S1. The first outlet 5 is provided in the disk portion 8c on the left side of the shaft member 8, and communicates with the first chamber S1. The second inlet 6 is provided at a right end surface of the housing 2 and communicates with the second chamber S2. The second outlet 7 is provided on the left end surface of the housing 2 and communicates with the second chamber S2. Thereby, the second inlet 6 is provided at one end of the tubular hydrogen permeable membrane 3, and the second outlet 7 is provided at the other end of the tubular hydrogen permeable membrane 3. In addition, each chamber S1 and S2 may be functionally exchanged by functionally exchanging the ports 4 and 5 with the ports 6 and 7.

  In the present embodiment, the first inlet 4 and the first outlet 5 are provided on the right end face of the housing 2 in FIG. 1 and communicate with the first chamber S1. The second inlet 6 is provided on the right end face of the housing 2 in FIG. 1 and communicates with the second chamber S2. The second outlet 7 is provided on the left end face of the housing 2 in FIG. 1 and communicates with the second chamber S2. Thereby, the second inlet 6 is provided at one end of the tubular hydrogen permeable membrane 3, and the second outlet 7 is provided at the other end of the tubular hydrogen permeable membrane 3. The ports 4 to 7 may be arranged so that the first chamber S1 and the second chamber S2 are switched.

  Although not shown in the drawings, a heat insulating material is provided on the outer surface of the housing 2 as necessary. Although not shown in the drawings, each of the ports 4 to 7 is provided with a joint for connecting to a pipe described later.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing a hydrogen purification system using the hydrogen purifier 1 shown in FIG.

  In the hydrogen purification system shown in FIG. 4, a high-pressure cylinder 11 containing a hydrogen gas as a hydrogen-containing gas as a raw material (this gas contains a small amount of impurities in addition to the hydrogen gas) is provided by a pressure reducing valve 12. , Is connected to a first inlet 4 of the hydrogen purifier 1 via a pipe 15 via a flow controller (flow controller) 13 and an on-off valve 14.

  A pipe 17 connects between the first outlet 5 of the hydrogen purifier 1 and one side of the on-off valve 16. The other side of the on-off valve 16 is connected to an exhaust pipe 18.

A high-pressure cylinder 21 containing Ar gas serving as a cleaning gas is connected to a pipe 29 via a pressure reducing valve 22, an opening / closing valve 23, a getter purifier 24, an opening / closing valve 25, a pressure reducing valve 26, a flow controller 27, and an opening / closing valve 28. , And a second inlet 6 of the hydrogen purifier 1. The high-pressure cylinder 21 may contain, for example, N ₂ gas (nitrogen gas), He gas, or another inert gas as a gas serving as a cleaning gas.

  The pipe 32 connects between the second outlet 7 of the hydrogen purifier 1 and one side of the on-off valve 31. The other side of the on-off valve 31 is connected to a pipe 33 for leading purified hydrogen gas to a predetermined location. A pipe 35 connects between a branch portion in the middle of the pipe 32 and one side of the on-off valve 34. The other side of the on-off valve 34 is connected to an exhaust pipe 36.

  In the hydrogen purification system shown in FIG. 4, in the cleaning stage of the hydrogen purifier 1, the on-off valves 14, 16, 23, 25, 28, and 34 are opened while being heated to a high temperature by the sheath heater 9. Valve 31 is closed. The sheath heater 9 is controlled based on a detected temperature signal from the thermocouple 10 so that the shaft member 8 has a desired temperature. This is the same in the heating state described later.

  Thus, the Ar gas from the high-pressure cylinder 21 is reduced in pressure by the pressure reducing valve 22, purified by the getter purifier 24, further reduced in pressure by the pressure reducing valve 26, and adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by the flow rate controller 27. The cleaning gas is introduced from the second inlet 6 into the second chamber S2. The cleaning gas introduced into the second chamber S2 from the second inlet 6 passes through the second chamber S2, is led out from the second outlet 7, and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 36. Accordingly, the cleaning gas is used to remove impurities adhering to the second chamber S2 side of the hydrogen permeable film 3 and other wall surfaces in the second chamber S2. Therefore, the cleaning time for removing the impurities can be reduced as compared with the conventional hydrogen purifier.

  At the same time, the first hydrogen gas containing impurities from the high-pressure cylinder 11 (hydrogen-containing gas = source gas) is depressurized by the pressure reducing valve 12 and adjusted to a predetermined flow rate by the flow rate controller 13. It is introduced from the inlet 4 into the first chamber S1. Then, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen-containing gas introduced into the first chamber S1 from the first inlet 4 selectively penetrates the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 and enters the second chamber S2, and the hydrogen gas Also performs the cleaning. Note that the remainder of the hydrogen-containing gas introduced into the first chamber S1 (a gas other than the hydrogen gas that has passed through the hydrogen-permeable membrane 3) is led out from the first outlet 5 and exhausted from the exhaust pipe 18. You.

  Therefore, due to the synergistic effect of the cleaning with the cleaning gas and the cleaning with the hydrogen gas, the cleaning can be performed more efficiently, and the cleaning time for removing the impurities can be further reduced. In particular, since cleaning with hydrogen gas is also used in combination, if impurities on the surface inside the second chamber S2 of the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 or the surface of the other wall surface inside the second chamber S2 are oxides, the oxidation is performed. This is preferable because the substance can be removed by hydrogen reduction. However, in the present invention, in the cleaning stage of the hydrogen purifier 1, the on-off valve 14 may be closed, and the hydrogen-containing gas may not be introduced from the first inlet 4 into the first chamber S1.

  Next, in a state of being heated to a high temperature by the sheath heater 9, the on-off valves 14, 16, and 34 are opened, and the on-off valve 28 is closed while the on-off valve 31 is closed. As a result, the introduction of the cleaning gas into the second chamber S2 is terminated, and the cleaning gas (Ar gas in this example) in the second chamber S2 contains the hydrogen containing gas introduced into the first chamber S1. Of the hydrogen gas in the gas, the hydrogen gas permeates through the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 and enters the second chamber S2, and is drawn out from the second outlet 7 and exhausted from the exhaust pipe 36. Therefore, eventually, all the cleaning gas existing in the second chamber S2 is exhausted.

  Thereafter, in a refining stage in which the purified high-purity hydrogen gas is supplied to a predetermined location through the pipe 33, the on-off valves 14 and 16 are opened and the on-off valve 28 is closed while the sheath heater 9 heats the gas to a high temperature. The on-off valve 31 is opened and the on-off valve 34 is closed. As a result, the hydrogen gas permeating the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 and entering the second chamber S2 out of the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen-containing gas introduced into the first chamber S1 has a very high purity. And is supplied to a predetermined location through a pipe 33.

  As described above, according to the hydrogen purifier 1 of the present embodiment, high-purity hydrogen gas can be obtained while shortening the cleaning time. Further, since the cleaning time can be shortened, the amount of raw hydrogen gas required for cleaning is reduced, and even in a small-scale environment where it is difficult to use a large amount of raw hydrogen, high-purity hydrogen can be obtained in a short time. be able to.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 has a tubular shape, the second inlet 6 is provided on the right end side of the tubular hydrogen permeable membrane 3 in FIG. 1, and the second outlet 7 is Since it is provided on the left side of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane 3 in FIG. 1, the impurities can be more efficiently removed by the cleaning gas.

  In the present embodiment, the sheathed heater 9 is disposed near the central axis of the housing 2. However, in the present invention, instead of the sheathed heater 9, for example, a mantle heater is provided so as to cover the outer surface of the housing 2. It may be provided.

  In the present invention, a preliminary cleaning step may be performed before the cleaning step. In this case, for example, a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the exhaust pipes 18 and 36, and in the pre-cleaning stage, the on-off valves 14, 28 and 31 are first heated while being heated to a high temperature by the sheath heater 9. While the valves are closed, the on-off valves 16 and 34 are opened, and the vacuum pump pumps the interiors of the chambers S1 and S2 to a vacuum or a predetermined low pressure to discharge the gas in the chambers S1 and S2. After that, the on-off valves 14, 28 are opened while the on-off valves 16, 31, 34 are closed, and the hydrogen-containing gas is introduced into the first chamber S <b> 1 from the first inlet 4 and the second on-off valve 2. A second step of introducing a cleaning gas from the inlet 6 into the second chamber S2 is performed. In this case, since the preliminary cleaning step including the step of once discharging the gas in the second chamber S2 is performed, the cleaning can be performed more efficiently. In the preliminary cleaning step, the first step and the second step may be performed only once, but the first step and the second step may be alternately repeated a plurality of times. In the latter case, the cleaning can be performed more efficiently than in the former case.

  [Second embodiment]

  FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier 41 as a hydrogen purifier according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. 5, elements that are the same as elements in FIG. 1 or that correspond to elements in FIG.

  This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a cylindrical support member 42 for supporting the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane 3 and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane 3 are provided. A cylindrical supporting member 43 for supporting, a reinforcing member 44 provided between the round bar portion 8a of the shaft member 8 and the supporting member 42 to reinforce the supporting member 42, and provided between the housing 2 and the supporting member 43. And a reinforcing member 45 for reinforcing the supporting member 43. These members 42 to 45 are made of, for example, stainless steel, and are formed with a large number of holes (not shown) by a laser or the like so that a gas flow similar to that of the first embodiment is realized. Has become.

  The hydrogen purifier 41 according to the present embodiment can be used in place of the hydrogen purifier 1 in the hydrogen purification system shown in FIG. According to this embodiment, advantages similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 is sandwiched and supported by the support members 42 and 43 reinforced by the reinforcing members 44 and 45, a large pressure is applied to the hydrogen permeable membrane 3. This also has the advantage that there is no possibility that the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 is damaged.

  When the pre-cleaning step is performed, the timing at which the differential pressure applied to the hydrogen permeable film 3 is large tends to occur. According to the present embodiment, the hydrogen permeable film 3 may be damaged even in such a case. Is particularly preferred because of the elimination of

  [Third Embodiment]

  FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier 51 as a hydrogen purifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic view taken along the line C-C ′ in FIG. 6 and 7, the same or corresponding elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the points described below.

  In the present embodiment, the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 has a circular planar shape instead of a cylindrical shape. In the present embodiment, the housing 2 holds the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 so that the first chamber S1 and the second chamber S2 defined by being partitioned by the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 are formed in the housing 2. Is configured to obtain. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the upper and lower members 52 and 53 have a disc-shaped cup shape welded to each other, and the outer peripheral portion of the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 is welded to the upper portion of the lower member. Thus, the hydrogen permeable membrane 3 is disposed in the housing 2. The lower member 53 is provided with a first inlet 4 for introducing a hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber S1 and a first outlet 5 for leading out the gas in the first chamber S1. The upper member 52 is provided with a second inlet 6 for introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber S2 and a second outlet 7 for leading out the gas in the second chamber S2. The bottom surface of the lower member 53 is configured to be thick, and the sheath heater 9 and the thermocouple 10 are accommodated in the bottom surface.

  The hydrogen purifier 51 according to the present embodiment can be used in place of the hydrogen purifier 1 in the hydrogen purification system shown in FIG. According to this embodiment, advantages similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the second inlet 6 is provided at one end of the planar hydrogen permeable membrane 3, and the second outlet 7 is provided at the other end of the planar hydrogen permeable membrane 3. Have been. Since the second inlet 6 and the second outlet 7 are arranged as described above, the removal of the impurities by the cleaning gas can be performed more efficiently.

  [Fourth Embodiment]

  FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view showing a hydrogen purifier 61 as a hydrogen purifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic view taken along the line D-D 'in FIG. 8, and corresponds to FIG. 8 and 9, the same or corresponding elements as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the first embodiment has one first chamber S1 and one second chamber S2, whereas In the embodiment, two first chambers S1 are provided, one second chamber S2 is provided, and one second chamber S2 is provided so as to surround the two first chambers S1. It is.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the housing 2 is configured to be larger than in the first embodiment, and one set of the housing 2, the second inlet 6, Two sets of shaft members 8, a hydrogen permeable membrane 3, a first inlet 4, a first outlet 5, a sheath heater 9, and a thermocouple 10 are provided for the second outlet 7.

  The hydrogen purifier 61 according to the present embodiment can be used in place of the hydrogen purifier 1 in the hydrogen purification system shown in FIG. In this case, the pipe 15 may be branched into two and connected to the two first inlets 4, and the pipe 17 may be branched into two and connected to the two first outlets 5. According to this embodiment, advantages similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the area of hydrogen permeable membrane 3 in contact with the hydrogen-containing gas can be increased, so that more purified hydrogen gas can be obtained.

  In the present invention, when there is one second chamber S2, three or more first chambers S1 may be provided. Further, in the present invention, when one first chamber S1 is provided, two or more second chambers S2 may be provided.

  As described above, the embodiments and the modified examples of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to these.

  For example, in the present invention, a modification similar to that in which the first embodiment is modified to obtain the fourth embodiment may be applied to the second and third embodiments. .

  Further, for example, in the present invention, instead of the sheathed heater 9, for example, a mantle heater may be provided to cover the outer surface of the housing 2.

1,41,51 Hydrogen purifier (hydrogen purifier)
Reference Signs List 3 hydrogen permeable membrane 4 first inlet 5 first outlet 6 second inlet 7 second outlet

Claims (7)

A first chamber and a second chamber separated by a hydrogen permeable membrane that selectively permeates hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing gas; a first inlet for introducing a hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber; Hydrogen purification having a first outlet for introducing gas in the second chamber, a second inlet for introducing cleaning gas into the second chamber, and a second outlet for extracting gas in the second chamber. A hydrogen purification method using an apparatus,
A cleaning step of introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber from the second inlet with the second outlet open;
A purifying step performed after the cleaning step, wherein the hydrogen-containing gas is introduced into the first chamber from the first inlet with the second outlet opened and the second inlet closed. Purifying the gas in the first chamber from the second outlet while discharging the gas;
A hydrogen purification method comprising:   2. The cleaning step, wherein the gas in the first chamber is led out from the second outlet while introducing the hydrogen-containing gas into the first chamber through the first inlet. 3. Hydrogen purification method.   A pre-cleaning step performed before the cleaning step, wherein the first inlet and the second inlet are closed, and the gas in the first chamber is discharged from the first outlet while the gas is discharged. A first step of discharging the gas in the second chamber from a second outlet; and, in a state where the first outlet and the second outlet are closed, transferring the hydrogen-containing gas from the first inlet to the second outlet. And a second step of introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber from the second inlet while introducing the cleaning gas into the second chamber once or alternately by repeating a plurality of times. The method for purifying hydrogen according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The hydrogen permeable membrane has a cylindrical shape,
The second inlet is provided on one side of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane,
The second outlet is provided on the other end side of the cylindrical hydrogen permeable membrane,
The hydrogen purification method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The hydrogen permeable membrane has a planar shape,
The second inlet is provided on one side of the planar hydrogen permeable membrane,
The second outlet is provided on the other end side of the planar hydrogen permeable membrane,
The hydrogen purification method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Hydrogen purification method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cleaning gas is any one of Ar, N 2, _He. A plurality of one of the first chamber and the second chamber;
One of the first chamber and the second chamber is provided,
One said other chamber is provided so as to surround a plurality of said one chambers,
The method for purifying hydrogen according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein:

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