JP6756596B2 - Fuel cell vehicle discharge device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel cell vehicle discharge device that discharges off-gas of a fuel cell into the atmosphere.

In recent years, for example, a fuel cell vehicle powered by a fuel cell that generates electricity by chemically reacting hydrogen with oxygen in the air, as in Patent Document 1, has been put into practical use. From such a fuel cell, off-gas containing water (hereinafter referred to as produced water), which is a product of a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, in the state of water vapor is discharged.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-182637

By the way, when the above-mentioned off-gas is discharged into the atmosphere as it is, white mist is formed around the rear of the vehicle by cooling the water vapor contained in the off-gas. Therefore, fuel cell vehicles are required to separate water vapor from off-gas and then discharge it.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell vehicle discharge device capable of separating water vapor from off-gas of a fuel cell.

The fuel cell automobile discharge device for solving the above problems includes an upper housing having an upper chamber for discharging off-gas from the fuel cell and a lower chamber located below the upper housing for discharging the off-gas into the atmosphere. The lower housing is provided with a first communication port for communicating the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and a second communication port for communicating the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the upper housing is of the upper chamber. An upper partition that divides the space near the lower surface into a first space that communicates with the first communication port and a second space that communicates with the second communication port, and a discharge port in the upper chamber, which is directed diagonally downward. A discharge portion that discharges the off-gas into the first space, and a guide portion that is located at a position away from the lower surface of the first space and the upper partition portion, and the off-gas discharge direction with respect to the discharge port. It has a portion facing each other, and has the guide portion for guiding the off gas discharged from the discharge port upward and then to the second space.

According to the above configuration, the off-gas discharged from the discharge port into the first space is guided upward by the guide portion without flowing into the first communication port, and then guided to the second space. The water vapor contained in the off-gas is changed to liquid generated water by being cooled by contact with the guide portion and liquefied in the process of being guided by the guide portion. The liquid generated water reaches the lower surface of the first space through the space between the guide portion and the upper partition portion, and eventually flows into the lower chamber through the first connecting port. Further, the off-gas guided by the guide unit flows into the second space and then flows into the lower chamber through the second connecting port. That is, according to the above configuration, the water vapor can be separated from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor contained in the off-gas in the upper housing.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, the guide portion preferably has a portion that overlaps the discharge port in the vertical direction of the vehicle.
According to the above configuration, the off-gas discharged from the discharge port is less likely to flow into the space between the guide portion and the upper partition portion, so that the off-gas is less likely to flow into the first connecting port.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, it is preferable that the discharge portion has a shape that extends toward the first communication port and then bends upward toward the first communication port.
According to the above configuration, in the discharge portion extending toward the first communication port, the vicinity of the discharge port is bent upward from the first communication port. Therefore, the flow of off-gas discharged from the discharge port can be smoothly transferred to the flow guided by the guide unit. As a result, the off-gas pressure loss in the upper housing can be reduced.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, it is preferable that the lower surface of the first space is inclined so as to be located downward toward the portion closer to the first communication port.
According to the above configuration, the liquid water that has reached the lower surface of the first space is easily discharged from the upper housing. As a result, for example, the amount of liquid water remaining in the first space after the operation is stopped can be reduced.

In the fuel cell automobile discharge device, the upper housing has a front wall, an upper wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls, and the lower housing is closer to the front of the vehicle to which the upper housing is attached. It has an upper wall that is inclined so as to be located lower than the portion of the upper housing, and a part of the upper wall of the lower housing functions as a lower wall of the upper housing and the first communication port is at the front end portion. It has the second communication port behind the vehicle with respect to the first communication port, and the upper partition portion is the first space in which the space near the lower surface of the upper chamber is arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. It is partitioned into the second space, and the discharge portion extends to the first space while penetrating the rear wall and the upper partition portion and being supported by the rear wall and the upper partition portion. The guide portion is a first guide plate extending from a rear end portion located below the discharge port to the front wall, and the front end portion is located above the vehicle from the rear end portion. A second guide plate, located between the upper wall of the upper housing and the first guide plate, extends a space above the upper partition from the front wall toward the rear wall. It is preferable to have a guide plate.

The upper housing can be configured as in the above configuration. As a result, the liquid generated water flows into the lower chamber through the first communication port located in front of the upper housing, and the off-gas flows into the lower chamber through the second communication port located in the rear of the upper housing. Therefore, for example, when forming a drainage port for discharging liquid generated water at the front end of the lower housing and forming an exhaust port for discharging off-gas at the rear end of the lower housing, the structure of the lower housing is simplified. Can be. In addition, the second guide plate can catch the liquid generated water that has moved upward along the first guide plate by the off-gas guided by the first guide plate. As a result, it is possible to suppress the scattering of the liquid generated water in the upper chamber. Further, since the discharge portion is supported by the rear wall and the upper partition portion, it is possible to prevent the off-gas discharge direction from fluctuating when the vehicle vibrates.

In the fuel cell vehicle discharge device, it is preferable that the upper housing is made of aluminum.
According to the above configuration, the upper housing is composed of aluminum, which belongs to the category of high thermal conductivity among metals. As a result, the upper housing is effectively cooled by, for example, running wind, so that the amount of water vapor contained in the off-gas can be increased. As a result, the water vapor discharged together with the off-gas can be reduced.

The perspective view which shows typically the schematic structure of the vehicle which carries one Embodiment of the fuel cell vehicle discharge device. The perspective view which shows an example of the perspective structure of the gas-liquid separation unit from the rear. The perspective view which shows an example of the perspective structure of the gas-liquid separation unit from the front. The cross-sectional view which shows the cross-sectional structure in line 4-4 of FIG. An exploded perspective view showing an exploded structure of the upper housing. The perspective view which shows the perspective structure of the lower housing from the front. Top view showing the upper surface structure of the lower wall of the lower housing to which the lower partition plate is joined. An enlarged view of the portion surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 7. An exploded perspective view showing an exploded structure of the lower housing. A side sectional view schematically showing the flow of off-gas and liquid water in the gas-liquid separation unit.

An embodiment of the fuel cell vehicle discharge device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 of a shared vehicle, which is an example of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), is a fuel generated by chemically reacting hydrogen stored in a hydrogen tank with oxygen in the air. The battery 11 is mounted on the upper rear part of the vehicle. In the fuel cell 11, off-gas containing water vapor produced by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is discharged. The off-gas is discharged into the atmosphere through a pair of left and right fuel cell vehicle discharge devices 20 (hereinafter, simply referred to as discharge devices 20) located behind the rear wheels 13 of the vehicle 10.

Hereinafter, the discharge device 20 will be described, but each discharge device 20 has the same basic structure except that the mounting position with respect to the vehicle is different. Therefore, the discharge device 20 located on the right side will be described in detail, and the detailed description of the discharge device 20 located on the left side will be omitted. Further, the outer direction of the vehicle 10 in the width direction of the vehicle 10 is referred to as outward, and the inner direction is referred to as inward.

(Outline of discharge device 20)
The discharge device 20 includes a duct 21, a gas-liquid separation unit 22, an undercover 23, and a guard member 24. The duct 21 is composed of a metal pipe, a flexible resin hose, or the like. The duct 21 extends downward from the fuel cell 11 and connects the fuel cell 11 and the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 separates water vapor from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor contained in the off-gas, and discharges the liquefied liquid generated water (hereinafter referred to as liquid water) and the off-gas into the atmosphere. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 is a space for accommodating a power unit 14 having a battery, a motor, and the like, and is arranged in an accommodation chamber 15 located at the lowermost part of the vehicle 10.

The undercover 23 has a function as a fixture for attaching the gas-liquid separation unit 22 to the vehicle 10. The undercover 23 is inclined so as to be located downward toward the front portion of the vehicle 10, and covers the opening portion of the accommodation chamber 15 around the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The inclination angle of the undercover 23 is set to be substantially equal to the angle of the departure angle of the vehicle 10.

The guard member 24 is made of a flexible elastic material. The guard member 24 hangs down from the undercover 23, and prevents the liquid water discharged from the gas-liquid separation unit 22 from scattering to the rear of the vehicle 10.

(Overview of gas-liquid separation unit)
The outline of the gas-liquid separation unit 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is made of aluminum, which has high thermal conductivity and excellent water resistance among metals so that water vapor can be liquefied efficiently. ing. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 has an upper housing 30 and a lower housing 50. The upper housing 30 has a front wall 31, an upper wall 32, a rear wall 33, and an inner side wall 34 and an outer wall 35 forming a pair of side walls, and is flattened so as to extend in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the vehicle 10. It is formed in a box shape. A duct 21 is connected to the rear wall 33 of the upper housing 30, and a discharge portion 37 that discharges off-gas into the upper housing 30 is attached. The lower housing 50 has a front wall 51, an upper wall 52, a rear wall 53, an inner side wall 54 and an outer wall 55 forming a pair of side walls, and a lower wall 56, and has a front-rear direction and a width direction of the vehicle 10. It is formed in a flat box shape that spreads out.

In the upper housing 30, the lower ends of the front wall 31, the rear wall 33, the inner side wall 34, and the outer wall 35 are attached to the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50. The upper housing 30 has an upper chamber 38 which is a space surrounded by a front wall 31, an upper wall 32, a rear wall 33, an inner side wall 34, an outer wall 35, and a part of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50. A part of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 functions as a lower wall of the upper housing 30 and constitutes the lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38. The lower surface 36s is inclined so that the portion closer to the front of the vehicle 10 is located below the vehicle 10. The discharge portion 37 has a tubular shape and is supported by the rear wall 33 in a state of penetrating the support hole 39 formed in the rear wall 33. The discharge portion 37 extends diagonally downward toward the first communication port 60, which will be described later, along the normal direction of the rear wall 33, has an introduction port 40 outside the upper chamber 38, and has an introduction port 40 of the upper chamber 38. It has a discharge port 41 inside. In the discharge unit 37, the axial direction at the formed portion of the discharge port 41 is set to the discharge direction.

The lower housing 50 has a front wall 51, an upper wall 52, a rear wall 53, an inner side wall 54, an outer wall 55, and a lower chamber 58 which is a space surrounded by a part of the lower wall 56. The lower surface 56s of the lower chamber 58 is inclined so that the portion closer to the front of the vehicle 10 is located below the vehicle 10. On the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50, a first communication port 60 is formed at the front end portion as a communication port for communicating the upper chamber 38 and the lower chamber 58, and the discharge portion 37 is located near the rear wall 53. A second communication port 61 is formed below. A drain pipe 63 is attached to the front wall 51 of the lower housing 50 at an end on the outer wall 55 side. The drain pipe 63 has a drain port 64 that connects the lower chamber 58 and the external space of the gas-liquid separation unit 22, so that the liquid water discharged from the drain port 64 is less likely to be affected by the running wind. It is located behind the rear wheel 13. The lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50 is formed with an exhaust port 65 at the rear end portion that communicates the lower chamber 58 and the external space of the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The exhaust port 65 is located behind the vehicle 10 with respect to the second communication port 61. Further, the lower wall 56 has an inner flange portion 56a projecting from the inner side wall 54 toward the inside of the vehicle and an outer flange portion 56b protruding from the outer wall 55 toward the outside of the vehicle. Each of the inner flange portion 56a and the outer flange portion 56b is formed with an attachment portion 66 for attaching the gas-liquid separation unit 22 to the undercover 23. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 is supported by the vehicle 10 via the undercover 23, so that the upper wall 52 and the lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50 are inclined so as to be positioned downward toward the front portion of the vehicle 10. It is mounted on the vehicle in the state. The lower wall 56 of the lower housing 50 may be a part of the undercover 23. In this case, the inner flange portion 56a is formed on the inner side wall 54, and the outer flange portion 56b is formed on the outer wall 55.

When the gas-liquid separation unit 22 is mounted on the vehicle 10, the duct 21 is connected to the discharge portion 37. The discharge portion 37 and the duct 21 are connected by fastening the overlapping portion of the discharge portion 37 and the duct 21 with a fastener while the discharge portion 37 is located inside the duct 21. In addition to off-gas containing water vapor, for example, generated water liquefied while passing through the duct 21 flows into the gas-liquid separation unit 22 as liquid water. The gas-liquid separation unit 22 mainly liquefies water vapor in the upper chamber 38, and separately guides each of the liquid water and the off-gas to the drain port 64 and the exhaust port 65 in the lower chamber 58. Then, the gas-liquid separation unit 22 discharges liquid water from the drain port 64 toward the lower side of the vehicle 10, and discharges off gas diagonally downward from the exhaust port 65 toward the rear of the vehicle 10.

(Upper housing 30)
Details of the upper housing 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the upper housing 30, the front wall 31 and the upper wall 32 are formed of curved plates having a certain width, and are integrally connected via the curved portion 42. .. The front wall 31 extends from the front end of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 along the normal direction of the upper wall 52. The angle θa formed by the front wall 31 and the upper wall 32 is larger than the margin angle (= 90 ° −θb) with respect to the acute angle θb (angle formed by the upper wall 52 with respect to the horizontal direction) of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50. Set to a large acute angle. As a result, the upper wall 32 is inclined so that the portion closer to the rear of the vehicle 10 is located below the vehicle 10.

The rear wall 33 is composed of a first rear wall 33a and a second rear wall 33b, and is inclined so that a portion closer to the lower side of the vehicle 10 is located behind the vehicle 10. The first rear wall 33a has a width substantially equal to that of the front wall 31 and the upper wall 32, and is a recess in which the side opposite to the inner side wall 34 is opened at a position closer to the upper wall 32 of the upper housing 30. It has an inner recess 39a having a semicircular portion that follows the cross-sectional shape of the discharge portion 37. Further, a rear joining piece 43 that is joined to the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 when the upper housing 30 is attached to the lower housing 50 is integrally connected to the lower end portion of the first rear wall 33a.

The second rear wall 33b has a width smaller than that of the front wall 31 and the upper wall 32, and is a recess in which the side opposite to the outer wall 35 is opened at a position closer to the upper wall 32 of the upper housing 30. It has an outer recess 39b having a semicircular portion that follows the cross-sectional shape of the discharge portion 37. The second rear wall 33b closes the gap between the discharge portion 37 and the outer wall 35 arranged in the inner recess 39a of the first rear wall 33a from the upper chamber 38 side. The discharge portion 37 is supported by the rear wall 33 by being joined to the first rear wall 33a and the second rear wall 33b while being sandwiched between the inner recess 39a and the outer recess 39b.

The inner side wall 34 has a shape that covers the space surrounded by the front wall 31, the curved portion 42, the upper wall 32, and the rear wall 33 from the inside of the vehicle 10. Further, the inner side wall 34 has an inner joining piece 44 at the lower end portion which is joined to the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 when the upper housing 30 is attached to the lower housing 50.

The outer side wall 35 has a shape that covers the space surrounded by the front wall 31, the curved portion 42, the upper wall 32, and the rear wall 33 from the outside of the vehicle 10. The outer side wall 35 has an outer joining piece 45 joined to the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 at the lower end portion when the upper housing 30 is attached to the lower housing 50.

The upper housing 30 has a first guide plate 71, a second guide plate 72, a drainer plate 73, and an upper partition plate 74 in the upper chamber 38. The first guide plate 71 and the second guide plate 72 form a guide portion.

The first guide plate 71 has a width substantially equal to that of the front wall 31, and is joined to the front wall 31, the inner side wall 34, and the outer wall 35. The first guide plate 71 has a flat plate portion 75 and a curved plate portion 76, and is located at a position away from the upper wall 52 and the upper partition plate 74 of the lower housing 50. The flat plate portion 75 extends in the space between the discharge port 41 of the discharge portion 37 and the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 along the surface direction of the upper wall 52, and is rearward of the discharge port 41 behind the vehicle 10. It has an end 75a. That is, the first guide plate 71 has a portion that overlaps the discharge port 41 in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. The curved plate portion 76 is integrally connected to the front end portion of the flat plate portion 75, and the portion closer to the front wall 31 so as to face the discharge port 41 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10 is upward so as to be closer to the upper wall 32. It is curved to. The first guide plate 71 is joined to the front wall 31 at the front end portion 76a of the curved plate portion 76.

The second guide plate 72 is formed to have a width substantially equal to that of the front wall 31, and is joined to the front wall 31 at a position closer to the upper wall 32 than the first guide plate 71. The second guide plate 72 extends from the front wall 31 to the rear of the vehicle 10 along the surface direction of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 in the space on the upper wall 32 side of the discharge port 41 of the discharge portion 37. The rear end portion 72a of the second guide plate 72 is located in front of the discharge port 41 of the discharge portion 37.

The draining plate 73 has a width substantially equal to that of the upper wall 32, and is joined to the upper wall 32. The draining plate 73 is a space on the upper wall 32 side of the second guide plate 72, and the rear end portion 72a of the second guide plate 72 and the discharge port 41 of the discharge portion 37 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10 The space between them extends along the normal direction of the upper wall 32. The lower end portion 73a of the draining plate 73 is located at a position facing the flat plate portion 75 of the first guide plate 71 in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10.

The upper partition plate 74, which is the upper partition, has a width substantially equal to that of the front wall 31, and is joined to the inner side wall 34 and the outer wall 35. The upper partition plate 74 is located between the first communication port 60 and the second communication port 61 formed on the upper wall 32 of the lower housing 50 and behind the discharge port 41 of the discharge portion 37. ing. The upper partition plate 74 partitions the space closer to the lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38 into a first space 38A and a second space 38B arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10.

The upper partition plate 74 has a lower partition 78 and an upper partition 79. The lower partition 78 extends from the lower end 78a arranged so as to connect the inner wall 34 and the lower end of the outer wall 35 along the normal direction of the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50. The upper partition 79 is integrally connected to the upper end of the lower partition 78, and is bent from the upper end of the lower partition 78 toward the front wall 31 so as to be substantially parallel to the rear wall 33. There is. The upper partition portion 79 has a support hole 80 through which the discharge portion 37 penetrates. The upper partition portion 79 supports the discharge portion 37 by joining the peripheral edge portion of the support hole 80 to the discharge portion 37 penetrating the support hole 80. The upper end portion 79a of the upper partition portion 79 is located below the vehicle 10 with respect to the second guide plate 72 joined to the front wall 31, and is located behind the vehicle 10 with respect to the discharge port 41 of the discharge portion 37. ing.

The discharge unit 37 discharges off-gas diagonally downward with respect to the first space 38A. The discharge portion 37 has a main body portion 37A extending diagonally downward toward the first communication port 60 and a bent portion that bends upward from the first communication port 60 at a portion protruding from the upper partition portion 79 of the upper partition plate 74. It has 37B. The bent portion 37B smoothly shifts the off-gas flow to the flow guided by the first guide plate 71 by making the flow direction of the off-gas discharged to the upper chamber 38 along the first guide plate 71. ..

The inner side wall 34 of the upper housing 30 has instruction holes 85b and 86b that indicate the position of the first guide plate 71 with respect to the inner side wall 34 and instruction holes 88b and 89b that indicate the position of the upper partition plate 74 with respect to the inner side wall 34. And have. The indicator hole 85b indicates the position of the rear end portion 75a of the flat plate portion 75, and the indicator hole 86b indicates the position of the front end portion 76a of the curved plate portion 76. The indicator hole 88b indicates the position of the lower end portion 78a of the lower partition portion 78, and the instruction hole 89b indicates the position of the upper end portion 79a of the upper partition portion 79. At each end portion 75a, 76a, 78a, 79a, a projecting piece that can be fitted into the indicator holes 85b, 86b, 88b, 89b is formed.

Further, the outer wall 35 of the upper housing 30 has instruction holes 85c and 86c for instructing the position of the first guide plate 71 with respect to the outer wall 35 and instruction holes 88c and 89c for instructing the position of the upper partition plate 74 with respect to the outer wall 35. And have. The indicator hole 85c indicates the position of the rear end portion 75a of the flat plate portion 75, and the indicator hole 86c indicates the position of the front end portion 76a of the curved plate portion 76. The indicator hole 88c indicates the position of the lower end portion 78a of the lower partition portion 78, and the instruction hole 89c indicates the position of the upper end portion 79a of the upper partition portion 79. At each end portion 75a, 76a, 78a, 79a, a projecting piece that can be fitted into the indicator holes 85c, 86c, 88c, 89c is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper housing 30 is assembled by joining the first upper member 301, the second upper member 302, the third upper member 303, and the fourth upper member 304 to each other. The first upper member 301 is a member in which a first guide plate 71, a second guide plate 72, and a draining plate 73 are joined to a curved plate constituting the front wall 31 and the upper wall 32. The second upper member 302 is a member in which the discharge portion 37 is joined to the upper partition plate 74. The third upper member 303 is a member in which the inner side wall 34, the inner joint piece 44, the first rear wall 33a, and the rear joint piece 43 are integrally connected. The fourth upper member 304 is a member in which the outer wall 35, the outer joint piece 45, and the second rear wall 33b are integrally connected.

In an example of the assembly process of the upper housing 30, first, the first upper member 301 and the second upper member 302 are joined to the third upper member 303. When joining the first upper member 301 to the third upper member 303, the inner side wall 34 and the first guide plate 71 are aligned with respect to the indicator holes 85b and 86b formed in the inner side wall 34, and then the first guide plate 71 is aligned. The front wall 31, the upper wall 32, and the first guide plate 71 are joined to the inner side wall 34. Further, when joining the second upper member 302 to the third upper member 303, the discharge portion 37 is arranged in the inner recess 39a of the first rear wall 33a, and the inner side wall 34 and the inner side wall 34 are referred to the indicator holes 88b and 89b. After the alignment with the upper partition plate 74 is performed, the upper partition plate 74 is joined to the inner side wall 34. Since various indicator holes 85b to 89b are formed on the inner side wall 34, the positioning of the first guide plate 71 and the upper partition plate 74 with respect to the inner side wall 34 can be easily performed.

Next, the fourth upper member 304 is joined to the structure composed of the first to third upper members 301 to 303. At this time, with the discharge portion 37 arranged in the outer recess 39b of the second rear wall 33b, the outer wall 35 and the first guide plate 71 are aligned with respect to the indicator holes 85c and 86c, and the indicator hole. The outer wall 35 and the upper partition plate 74 are aligned with respect to 88c and 89c. After that, the front wall 31, the curved portion 42, the upper wall 32, the first guide plate 71, and the upper partition plate 74 are joined to the outer wall 35. Since various indicator holes 85c to 89c are formed in the outer side wall 35, the first guide plate 71 and the upper partition plate 74 can be easily aligned with the outer wall 35. Then, the first rear wall 33a is joined to the upper wall 32, the outer wall 35, and the second rear wall 33b, and the discharge portion 37 is joined to the first rear wall 33a and the second rear wall 33b. By doing so, the upper housing 30 is assembled.

(Lower housing 50)
The details of the lower housing 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6 to 9.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to 8, the lower housing 50 extends beyond the upper housing 30 to the rear of the vehicle 10. The lower housing 50 has the lower wall 56 and the upper wall 52 so that the inclination angle θb of the upper wall 52 is larger than the inclination angle θc of the lower wall 56 (the angle formed by the lower wall 56 with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10). It has a shape in which the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle is larger toward the rear of the vehicle 10. Further, the lower housing 50 has a shape in which the distance between the inner side wall 54 and the outer wall 55 becomes larger toward the rear of the vehicle 10 so as to be wider at the rear of the vehicle 10. The inclination angle θc of the lower wall 56 is set to be substantially equal to the angle of the departure angle of the vehicle 10.

In the lower housing 50, the front wall 51 has a rectangular shape, and drainage is an elbow pipe that extends forward of the vehicle 10 and then bends downward of the vehicle 10 at the end on the outer wall 55 side. The pipe 63 is attached.

The upper wall 52 has a shape that becomes wider toward the rear side of the vehicle 10. Further, the rear end portion of the upper wall 52 has a shape in which the portion closer to the inner side wall 54 is located behind the vehicle 10. On the upper wall 52, a first communication port 60 is formed at the front end portion, and a second communication port 61 is formed at a position closer to the rear of the vehicle 10. The first communication port 60 has a rectangular shape that is long in the width direction of the vehicle 10. The second communication port 61 has a rectangular shape that is long in the width direction of the vehicle 10, and has a larger opening area than the discharge port 41 of the discharge unit 37 and the first communication port 60.

The rear wall 53 has a shape that covers the space surrounded by the upper wall 52, the inner side wall 54, and the outer wall 55 from the rear of the vehicle. The rear wall 53 is inclined so that the portion closer to the lower side of the vehicle 10 is located behind the vehicle 10, and the portion closer to the inner side wall 54 is located behind the vehicle 10.

The inner side wall 54 has a shape that covers the space surrounded by the front wall 51, the upper wall 52, and the rear wall 53 from the inside of the vehicle 10, and is arranged along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10. .. The outer side wall 55 has a shape that covers the space surrounded by the front wall 51, the upper wall 52, and the rear wall 53 from the outside of the vehicle 10, and the portion closer to the rear of the vehicle 10 is outside the vehicle 10. It is arranged so as to be located at.

The lower wall 56 has a shape that covers the space surrounded by the front wall 51, the upper wall 52, the rear wall 53, the inner side wall 54, and the outer wall 55 from below the vehicle 10, and the lower surface 56s of the lower chamber 58s. To configure. The lower wall 56 has an inner flange portion 56a protruding from the inner side wall 54 toward the inside of the vehicle and an outer flange portion 56b protruding from the outer wall 55 toward the outside of the vehicle. The lower wall 56 is formed with an exhaust port 65 that connects the lower chamber 58 and the external space of the gas-liquid separation unit 22. The exhaust port 65 is located behind the vehicle 10 with respect to the second communication port 61. The exhaust port 65 has a shape in which the length of the vehicle 10 in the front-rear direction becomes longer toward the portion closer to the inner side wall 54. The opening area of the exhaust port 65 is larger than that of the second communication port 61, and is set to the largest area of the path through which the off-gas passes in the gas-liquid separation unit 22.

The lower housing 50 has a lower partition plate 91 in the lower chamber 58. The lower partition plate 91, which is the lower partition portion, is joined to the lower wall 56 and communicates with the upper chamber 38 through the first lower chamber 58A and the second communication port 61 which communicate with the upper chamber 38 through the first communication port 60. The lower chamber 58 is divided into the second lower chamber 58B. The lower partition plate 91 is arranged at a position where the end 91a on the outer wall 55 side is in contact with the outer wall 55, and the end 91b on the inner side wall 54 side is a gap between the inner side wall 54 and the first lower chamber. It is arranged at a position where a communication passage 92 (see FIG. 8) communicating the 58A and the second lower chamber 58B is formed. The lower partition plate 91 extends in a direction intersecting the width direction of the vehicle 10 so that the end 91b on the inner side wall 54 side is located in front of the vehicle 10 with respect to the end 91b on the outer wall 55 side. The communication passage 92 serves as a passage when the liquid water liquefied in the second lower chamber 58B flows into the first lower chamber 58A.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lower housing 50 is assembled by joining the first lower member 501, the second lower member 502, the third lower member 503, and the fourth lower member 504 to each other. The first lower member 501 is a member in which the inner side wall 54 and the outer wall 55 are integrally connected to the upper wall 52. The third lower member 503 is a rear wall 53. The third lower member 503 is a member in which the drain pipe 63 is joined to the front wall 51. The fourth lower member 504 is a member in which the lower partition plate 91 is joined to the lower wall 56.

In an example of the assembly process of the lower housing 50, the second lower member 502 is joined to the front end of the first lower member 501, and the third lower member 503 is joined to the rear end of the first lower member 501. Then, after the structure including the fourth upper member 304 and the first to third lower members 501 to 503 is aligned, the lower ends of the rear wall 53, the inner side wall 54, and the outer wall 55 are respectively. Is joined to the lower wall 56 to assemble the lower housing 50.

(Action of gas-liquid separation unit 22)
The main flow of off-gas and liquid water in the gas-liquid separation unit 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, the off-gas from the fuel cell 11 reaches the gas-liquid separation unit 22 through the duct 21, and then is discharged obliquely downward with respect to the first space 38A of the upper chamber 38 through the discharge unit 37. Will be done. The off-gas flowing into the first space 38A is guided above the vehicle 10 by the first guide plate 71, and then guided to the rear of the vehicle 10 by the second guide plate 72. The off-gas guided by the second guide plate 72 is located behind the vehicle 10 with respect to the upper partition plate 74 through the space between the rear end portion 72a of the second guide plate 72 and the upper end portion 79a of the upper partition plate 74. It flows into the second space 38B. Then, the off-gas flows into the second lower chamber 58B of the lower chamber 58 through the second communication port 61. The off-gas flowing into the second lower chamber 58B flows toward the rear of the vehicle 10 and is then discharged downward after the vehicle 10 through the exhaust port 65.

On the other hand, the water vapor contained in the off-gas is cooled when passing through the duct 21, and a part of the water vapor flows into the first space 38A of the upper chamber 38 in the state of liquid water toward the first guide plate 71. It is discharged. Further, the water vapor contained in the off-gas flowing into the first space 38A is cooled and liquefied in the process of being guided by the first guide plate 71 and the second guide plate 72.

Then, the liquid water on the first guide plate 71 flows above the vehicle 10 along the first guide plate 71 by the off gas flowing along the first guide plate 71 when there is a lot of off gas such as during acceleration. .. The liquid water guided to the first guide plate 71 is blocked by the second guide plate 72, then falls to the first guide plate 71 due to its own weight, travels through the first guide plate 71 again, and is above the vehicle 10. Flow to. Further, when the amount of off-gas is small, for example, when idling, the liquid water on the first guide plate 71 flows toward the rear end portion 75a of the first guide plate 71 along the first guide plate 71, and then flows to the first guide plate 71. 1 It flows into the space between the rear end portion 75a of the guide plate 71 and the upper partition plate 74. Then, the liquid water flows to the front of the vehicle 10 through the upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50, and then flows into the first lower chamber 58A of the lower chamber 58 through the first communication port 60. The liquid water that has flowed into the first lower chamber 58A is discharged below the vehicle 10 through the drain port 64 of the drain pipe 63.

According to the fuel cell vehicle discharge device 20 of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the upper housing 30, the water vapor contained in the off-gas can be separated from the off-gas by liquefying the water vapor. Further, the liquefied liquid water and the off-gas can flow into the lower housing through different routes.

(2) The upper partition plate 74 divides the space near the lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38 into the first space 38A and the second space 38B, so that, for example, due to the inertia accompanying the acceleration of the vehicle 10, the second connecting port 61 Even if the liquid water moves toward it, the liquid water can be blocked. As a result, the liquid water in the first space 38A is suppressed from flowing into the second communication port 61.

(3) The first guide plate 71 has a space below the discharge port 41 and has a rear end portion 75a behind the vehicle 10. That is, the first guide plate 71 has a portion that overlaps with the discharge port 41 in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the off-gas discharged from the discharge port 41 from entering the space between the first guide plate 71 and the upper partition plate 74. As a result, it is possible to prevent off-gas from flowing into the first communication port 60.

(4) The discharge portion 37 has a main body portion 37A extending toward the first communication port 60 and a bending portion 37B having a discharge port 41 and bending upward toward the first communication port 60. Therefore, the flow of off-gas discharged from the discharge port 41 can be smoothly transferred to the flow guided by the first guide plate 71. As a result, the off-gas pressure loss in the upper housing can be reduced.

(5) The upper wall 52 of the lower housing 50 constituting the lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38 is inclined toward the front of the vehicle 10 at an inclination angle θb and has a first communication port 60 at the front end. .. Therefore, the liquid water flows through the lower surface 36s toward the first communication port 60. As a result, the amount of liquid water remaining in the upper chamber 38 after the operation is stopped can be reduced.

(6) Since the discharge portion 37 is supported by the rear wall 33 and the upper partition plate 74, it is possible to suppress variations in the discharge direction of off-gas when the vehicle 10 vibrates.
(7) Since the upper housing 30 is made of aluminum, the upper housing 30 can be effectively cooled by, for example, running wind. As a result, the amount of water vapor liquefied contained in the off-gas can be increased. As a result, the water vapor discharged together with the off-gas can be reduced. Moreover, the lower the outside air temperature, that is, the more easily the white mist is formed by the water vapor, the more effectively the water vapor can be liquefied.

(8) As shown in FIG. 10, the upper housing 30 is inclined so that the upper wall 32 is located below the vehicle 10 toward the rearward portion of the vehicle 10, and the upper wall 52 of the vehicle 10 is attached to the upper wall 52. It has a draining plate 73 that faces the flat plate portion 75 of the first guide plate 71 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the liquid water adhering to the upper wall 32 above the draining plate 73 flows toward the draining plate 73 along the upper wall 32, and then falls from the lower end portion 73a of the draining plate 73 and is the first. It will reach the flat plate portion 75 of the guide plate 71. As a result, the amount of liquid water flowing into the second space 38B can be reduced.

(9) The second guide plate 72 is not joined to the inner side wall 34 and the outer wall 35, and is formed in a cantilever shape supported by the front wall 31. Therefore, the liquid water adhering to the second guide plate 72 is passed through the gap between the second guide plate 72 and the inner side wall 34 and the gap between the second guide plate 72 and the outer wall 35. 1 It can be guided to the guide plate 71.

The above embodiment can be modified as appropriate and implemented as follows.
-The upper housing 30 may be made of other metal such as iron or stainless steel instead of aluminum.

The upper housing 30 may be configured to have an upper chamber 38, and has a box shape composed of the above-mentioned front wall 31, upper wall 32, rear wall 33, inner side wall 34, and outer wall 35. It is not limited to the shape of. For example, the front wall 31 may be arranged along the vertical direction of the vehicle 10, and the upper wall 32 may be inclined forward of the vehicle 10. For example, the rear wall 33 may have a shape that is located behind the vehicle 10 as the portion closer to the upper side of the vehicle 10. Further, for example, the upper housing 30 may be configured to have a shape that becomes wider toward the rear of the vehicle 10.

-The lower surface 36s of the upper chamber 38 may be inclined so as to be located below the vehicle 10 as the portion closer to the rear of the vehicle 10, for example. In this case, it is preferable that the first communication port 60 is formed in the vicinity of the lower end portion 78a of the upper partition plate 74.

The upper partition plate 74 does not have to support the discharge portion 37, and the upper end portion 79a may be located below the discharge portion 37.
The discharge unit 37 may have a discharge port 41 in the first space 38A and discharge off-gas diagonally downward with respect to the first space 38A. Therefore, the discharge portion 37 may be composed of only the main body portion 37A by omitting the bent portion 37B.

The first guide plate 71 may have a portion facing the discharge port 41 in the off-gas discharge direction from the discharge port 41. Therefore, the first guide plate 71 may have a rear end portion 75a in front of the vehicle 10 with respect to the discharge port 41.

The second guide plate 72 may have a rear end portion 72a behind the vehicle 10 with respect to the upper end portion 79a of the upper partition plate 74.
The guide unit may be configured to guide the off gas discharged from the discharge port 41 to the first space 38A upward and then to the second space 38B through the space above the upper partition plate 74. Therefore, for example, in the above-mentioned upper housing 30, the second guide plate 72 may be omitted. In this case, the off-gas is guided to the second space 38B by the first guide plate 71, the front wall 31, and the upper wall 32.
The upper housing 30 may have a structure in which the draining plate 73 is omitted.

10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Fuel cell, 13 ... Rear wheel, 14 ... Power unit, 15 ... Housing room, 20 ... Fuel cell vehicle discharge device, 21 ... Duct, 22 ... Gas-liquid separation unit, 23 ... Undercover, 24 ... Guard member, 30 ... upper housing, 31 ... front wall, 32 ... upper wall, 33 ... rear wall, 33a ... first rear wall, 33b ... second rear wall, 34 ... inner side wall, 35 ... outer wall, 36s ... lower surface , 37 ... Discharge part, 37A ... Main body part, 37B ... Bending part, 38 ... Upper chamber, 38A ... First space, 38B ... Second space, 39 ... Support hole, 39a ... Inner recess, 39b ... Outer recess, 40 ... Introductory port, 41 ... Discharge port, 42 ... Curved part, 43 ... Rear joint piece, 44 ... Inner joint piece, 45 ... Outer joint piece, 50 ... Lower housing, 51 ... Front wall, 52 ... Upper wall, 53 ... Rear Wall, 54 ... Inner side wall, 55 ... Outer wall, 56 ... Lower wall, 56a ... Inner flange, 56b ... Outer flange, 58 ... Lower chamber, 58A ... First lower chamber, 58B ... Second lower chamber, 60 ... 1st communication port, 61 ... 2nd communication port, 63 ... Drain pipe, 64 ... Drain port, 65 ... Exhaust port, 66 ... Mounting part, 71 ... 1st guide plate, 72 ... 2nd guide plate, 72a ... Rear end Part, 73 ... Drain plate, 73a ... Lower end, 74 ... Upper partition plate, 75 ... Flat plate, 75a ... Rear end, 76 ... Curved plate, 76a ... Front end, 78 ... Lower partition, 78a ... Lower end Part, 79 ... Upper partition, 79a ... Upper end, 80 ... Support hole, 85b, 85c, 86b, 86c, 88b, 88c, 89b, 89c ... Indicator hole, 91 ... Lower partition plate, 91a, 91b ... End, 92 ... Continuous passage.

Claims (6)

An upper housing with an upper chamber that discharges off-gas from the fuel cell,
A lower housing located below the upper housing and having a lower chamber for discharging the off-gas into the atmosphere.
The first communication port that communicates the upper room and the lower room,
A second communication port for communicating the upper chamber and the lower chamber is provided.
The upper housing
An upper partition portion that partitions the space near the lower surface of the upper chamber into a first space that communicates with the first communication port and a second space that communicates with the second communication port.
A discharge unit having a discharge port in the upper chamber and discharging the off-gas into the first space diagonally downward.
A guide portion located at a position away from the lower surface of the first space and the upper partition portion, having a portion facing the discharge port in the off-gas discharge direction, and being discharged from the discharge port. A fuel cell vehicle discharge device having the guide portion for guiding off-gas upward to the second space. The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion has a portion that overlaps the discharge port in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge unit has a shape that extends toward the first communication port and then bends upward toward the first communication port. The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower surface of the first space is inclined so as to be located downward toward the portion closer to the first communication port. The upper housing has a front wall, an upper wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls.
The lower housing has an upper wall that is inclined so that the upper housing is attached and the portion closer to the front of the vehicle is located downward.
A part of the upper wall of the lower housing functions as a lower wall of the upper housing, has the first communication port at the front end, and has the second communication port behind the vehicle with respect to the first communication port. Have and
The upper partition portion divides the space near the lower surface of the upper chamber into the first space and the second space arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.
The discharge portion extends to the first space while penetrating the rear wall and the upper partition portion and being supported by the rear wall and the upper partition portion.
The guide portion is a first guide plate extending from a rear end portion located below the discharge port to the front wall, and the front end portion is located above the vehicle from the rear end portion. A second guide plate located between the guide plate, the upper wall of the upper housing, and the first guide plate, and extending a space above the upper partition portion from the front wall toward the rear wall. The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to claim 4. The fuel cell vehicle discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the upper housing is made of aluminum.