JP6878585B2 - Fuel cell module and fuel cell device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel cell module and a fuel cell device.

In recent years, the development of a fuel cell device capable of obtaining electric power by using a hydrogen-containing gas (fuel gas) and an oxygen-containing gas (usually air) has been promoted. The fuel cell device is a heat exchange that exchanges heat between a fuel cell module in which a fuel cell and a reformer that generates hydrogen-containing gas are housed in a storage container, and an exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell module and a heat medium. An outer case is configured to include a container and an auxiliary device for operating a fuel cell module such as a radiator that cools a heat medium that circulates between the heat exchanger and the heat storage tank.

Generally, the reformer is arranged above a cell stack in which a plurality of fuel cell cells are arranged. This reformer is configured by filling a metal container with a reforming catalyst and is heavy, so water supply pipes, raw fuel supply pipes, reforming gas outlet pipes, etc. connected to the reformer, etc. It is supported by various supply pipes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-96577

The fuel cell module of the present disclosure is located on a cell stack including a plurality of fuel cell cells, a manifold for distributing reforming gas to each fuel cell, and one end side of the cell stack to reform raw fuel gas. A reformer that supplies the reforming gas generated in the above manner to the manifold, a cell stack, the manifold, and a storage container for accommodating the reformer are provided.
The reformer includes a protrusion member on a side surface facing the inner side wall of the storage container, and the storage container includes a support member that locks and supports the protrusion member at a position facing the protrusion member. See ,
The support member is plate-shaped and includes a hole or a notch in which the protrusion member can be locked, and is fixed to the inside of the storage container.

Further, the fuel cell device of the present disclosure includes the above-mentioned fuel cell module, an auxiliary machine for operating the fuel cell module, and an outer case for accommodating the fuel cell module and the auxiliary machine.

The purposes, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the detailed description and drawings below.
It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the cell stack apparatus of embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the fuel cell module of embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the fuel cell module in the cut plane line BB of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the reformer of an embodiment to a support member on a cell stack. It is a top view which shows the structural example which attached the reformer of an embodiment to a support member. It is a top view which shows the other structural example which attached the reformer of embodiment to a support member. It is a front view which shows the shape example which looked at the support member of the reformer of embodiment from the side. It is a front view which shows the shape example which looked at the other support member of the reformer of embodiment from the side. It is a front view which shows the shape example which saw the support member of the reformer of embodiment which has a notch part from the side. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the fuel cell apparatus of embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cell stack device according to an embodiment.
The cell stack device used below includes a cell stack including a plurality of fuel cell cells, and a manifold for supplying and distributing the reformed gas to each fuel cell from the lower side (lower end) of the cell stack.

The cell stack device 10 is a device that generates electricity by using a fuel gas reformed by a reformer described later (hereinafter, referred to as “reformed gas”). The reformed gas generated in the reformer is supplied to the manifold 4 via the reformed gas outlet pipe (not shown) and distributed to the individual fuel cell cells 1.

The cell stack device 10 fixes the cell stack 2 in which a plurality of fuel cell cells 1 are arranged and erected, and the lower ends of each of the plurality of fuel cell cells 1 and distributes the reforming gas to each fuel cell cell 1. It has a manifold 4. The x direction in FIG. 1 is the arrangement direction of the fuel cell 1, and the y direction is the vertical direction of the fuel cell 1.

In the cell stack device 10 shown in FIG. 1, two manifolds 4 are arranged, and two cell stacks 2 are fixed to each manifold 4. In the four cell stacks 2, the drawer portions 2a at the ends are connected to each other by a connecting member 2b, and are electrically connected in series.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the fuel cell module of the embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross section when the fuel cell module 50 is cut at the same position as the cutting plane line AA of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage container 20 of the fuel cell module 50 has at least a double wall structure having an outer wall and an inner wall. The outer wall 21 forms the outer frame of the storage container 20, and the inner wall 22 and the exhaust gas wall 25 form an exhaust gas recovery unit 28A and an exhaust gas flow path 28. Further, inside the exhaust gas wall 25, there is a storage chamber 23 for accommodating the cell stack device 10.

The exhaust gas recovery unit 28A is an area for temporarily recovering the exhaust gas discharged from each fuel cell 1. As described above, the cell stack device 10 has a cell stack 2, a reformer 3 and a manifold 4 in which a plurality of fuel cell 1s are arranged.

Although FIG. 2 shows an example of the fuel cell module 50 in which the four cell stacks 2 are arranged, a plurality of sets may be stored as one set. The inner wall 22, the exhaust gas wall 25, and the top plate 25A are examples of the inner wall in the present disclosure.

The reformer 3 shown in FIG. 2 is, for example, a W-shaped (minder-shaped) reformer (see FIG. 4), and is arranged on one end side of four cell stacks 2. In other words, the reformer 3 is disposed above the cell stack 2. Then, the reforming gas generated by the reformer 3 is supplied to the two manifolds 4 by the reforming gas outlet pipe (not shown), and is supplied to each fuel cell 1 via the manifold 4. The number of cell stacks 2 is not limited to 4, but may be 2 or 8.

The reformer 3 reforms raw fuel such as natural gas or kerosene supplied through a raw fuel supply pipe described later to generate reformed gas. The reformer 3 can have a structure capable of performing steam reforming, which is a reforming reaction with high reforming efficiency. It includes a vaporization section (not shown) for vaporizing water and a reforming section (not shown) in which a reforming catalyst for reforming raw fuel into a reforming gas is arranged.

The cross section of the reformer 3 is rectangular, and a protrusion member 5A is provided on the side surface thereof. In the embodiment, the protrusion member 5A is provided in the center of the side surface of the reformer 3 (see FIG. 4). Then, the reformer 3 is supported by a support member 6 having a hole portion 6a fitted in the protrusion member 5A, which is arranged at a position facing the protrusion member 5A. In addition, "fitting" in the embodiment means that these protrusion members or the like are fixed to a support member having a hole (hole) shape portion or a notch shape portion by hooking such as insertion, engagement, or locking. Including all the states to be done.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the hole 6a is also provided in the center of the support member 6. As a result, the reformer 3 is locked by the support member 6, and more stable support is possible.

Further, the support member 6 is a plate-shaped member, and is formed by press working using, for example, stainless steel. The support member 6 is fixed by a fixing member 7 held on the top plate 25A of the exhaust gas wall 25. The material of the support member 6 is not limited to the above-mentioned stainless steel, and may be provided by another manufacturing method using other materials such as titanium (Ti) and tungsten (W). .. Further, the fixing member 7 is provided at a place (region) where the above-mentioned support member 6 can be arranged at a position facing the protrusion member 5A.

As described above, in the fuel cell module 50, the cell stack 2 in which a plurality of fuel cell cells 1 are arranged and the lower ends of each of the plurality of fuel cell cells 1 are fixed in the storage container 20, and each fuel cell 1 A cell stack device 10 including a manifold 4 for distributing the reforming gas, and a reformer 3 for reforming the raw material fuel gas to generate the reforming gas are housed in the cell stack device 10. Then, the reformer 3 includes a protrusion member 5A on a side surface facing the inner side wall of the storage container 20, and is fixed by a support member 6 that locks and supports the protrusion member.

Next, various gas flows in the fuel cell module 50 will be described.
Inside the storage container 20, a reaction gas flow path 27 for allowing oxygen-containing gas to flow through is provided by the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 22, and oxygen-containing oxygen taken in from the outside through the intake port 27a and the reaction gas flow path 27. Gas is introduced into the storage chamber 23.

Further, inside the storage container 20, a reaction gas introduction member 24 for introducing an oxygen-containing gas into each fuel cell 1 is arranged. The reaction gas introduction member 24 is arranged between the cell stacks 2 juxtaposed on the manifold 4, and the supplied oxygen-containing gas flows between the fuel cell 1 from the lower end to the upper end.

The reaction gas introduction member 24 includes an oxygen-containing gas inflow port (not shown) and a flange portion 31 for allowing the oxygen-containing gas to flow into the upper end side. At the lower end of the reaction gas introduction member 24, an oxygen-containing gas outlet 33 for introducing the oxygen-containing gas is provided at the lower end of the fuel cell 1. A heat insulating member 32 is arranged between the flange portion 31 and the inner wall 22.

In the storage chamber 23, the temperature of the fuel cell module 50 is adjusted so that the heat inside the fuel cell module 50 is extremely dissipated so that the temperature of the fuel cell 1 (cell stack 2) does not decrease and the amount of power generation does not decrease. A plurality of heat insulating members 19 for maintaining a high temperature are arranged.

Here, the exhaust gas in the storage chamber 23 is collected by the exhaust gas recovery unit 28A through the holes provided in the top plate 25A of the exhaust gas wall 25, and is collected from the exhaust gas recovery unit 28A from above to below along the exhaust gas flow path 28. It flows toward the outside and is exhausted to the outside through an exhaust hole 29 provided at the bottom of the storage container 20.

Further, a thermocouple 30 is inserted inside the reaction gas introduction member 24, and the temperature in the vicinity of the cell stack 2 is measured in the temperature measuring unit 30a.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell module shown in FIG. 2 when the fuel cell module is cut along the cutting plane line BB. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the reformer 3 has a rectangular cross section, and the side surface 3A facing the exhaust gas wall 25 (hereinafter, also referred to as “first side wall”) which is the inner side wall of the storage container 20. It is a reformer having a protrusion member 5A (hereinafter, also referred to as “first protrusion member”) on (hereinafter, also referred to as “first side surface”). Then, the reformer 3 is fixed to the top plate 25A of the exhaust gas wall 25 in the storage container 20 via the support member 6 and the fixing member 7.

More specifically, the protrusion 5A of the reformer 3 engages with the hole 6a of the support member 6, and the support member 6 is fixed by the fixing member 7 held by the top plate 25A of the exhaust gas wall 25. The support member 6 is fixed to the fixing member 7 by the bolts 61 and 62, and the fixing member 7 is fixed to the top plate 25A by using a fastening member such as the bolt 71. The method of fixing the support member 6 and the fixing member 7 is not limited to the fixing method using the above-mentioned fastening member, and may be fixed by other methods.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the support member of the embodiment is mounted on the cell stack. In FIG. 4, the manifold 4 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, a protrusion member 5A is provided on the side surface of the reformer 3, and as described above, a hole of the support member 6 fixed to the top plate 25A of the exhaust gas wall 25 via the fixing member 7. The reformer 3 is supported by fitting and locking the portion 6a and the protrusion member 5A.

By the way, the position of the reformer 3 may fluctuate due to thermal expansion accompanying the reforming reaction or tilting due to the weight of the reformer itself. In this case, for example, the distance between the reformer 3 and the upper ends of the fuel cell and the cell stack 2 can be kept constant, which affects the temperature control of the reformer 3 and deteriorates the reforming catalyst. It sometimes caused problems such as a decrease in power generation efficiency.

Further, since the vaporization state and position in the vaporizer 3 in the reformer 3 change, the evaporation point of water becomes local, the pressure fluctuation of the gas line becomes large, and the combustion part misfires. In some cases.

On the other hand, in the fuel cell module 50 and the cell stack device 10 of the embodiment, the reformer 3 is stably supported or held in a predetermined position by locking the protrusion member 5A by the support member 6. .. As a result, fluctuations or changes in the position of the reformer 3 are suppressed. Therefore, the fuel cell module 50 of the embodiment can suppress the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, stable power generation operation can be continued.

Here, the hole portion 6a has a rectangular shape (for example, about several millimeters larger than the outer circumference of the protrusion member 5A) into which the protrusion member 5A can be easily fitted and locked. In addition, instead of the above-mentioned hole portion 6a, as shown in FIG. 9, a notch portion 26a or the like notched from above is provided in the center of the support member 26 so as to be able to lock the protrusion member 5A. The protrusion member 5A may be locked.

Further, as for the fitting and locking state of the protrusion member 5A and the hole portion 6a of the support member 6, it is sufficient that the reformer 3 can be supported, so that the protrusion member is locked by at least the hole portion 6a of the support member 6. Any configuration may be possible. The position of the cutting surface line CC in FIG. 4 coincides with the position of the cutting surface line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is taken from the position (back side) opposite to the viewpoint of FIG. Corresponds to the seen perspective view.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the reformer 3 is provided with a reinforcing member 3c on a side surface (hereinafter, also referred to as “second side surface”) facing the first side surface provided with the protrusion member 5A, and the second side surface is provided. It may be configured so as to suppress the misalignment of the side member and further enhance the stability of the reformer 3.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the reformer 3 uses a double pipe 8 that also serves as a water supply pipe and a raw fuel supply pipe to allow the raw fuel to flow into the inner pipe and the water to flow into the outer pipe. Receive supply. The water supplied by the outer pipe of the double pipe 8 is heated in the vaporization part to become steam.

On the other hand, the raw material fuel supplied by the inner pipe of the double pipe 8 is reformed while being mixed with the steam generated in the vaporization section, and is led out from the reformed gas outlet pipe 9 as a reformed gas. The reformed gas flowing through the reformed gas outlet pipe 9 is distributed to the respective manifolds 4 below.

In the embodiment, an example in which water and raw fuel are supplied by using a double pipe that also serves as a water supply pipe and a raw material fuel supply pipe is shown, but the present invention is not limited to the double pipe, and the water supply pipe is not limited to the double pipe. And the raw material and fuel supply pipes may be arranged individually.

5 and 6 are top views schematically showing a specific example when the support member of the embodiment is attached to the reformer. FIG. 5 is a top view schematically showing a case where a protrusion member 5A is provided on one side of the reformer and the reformer is locked and supported by one support member fitted thereto. Further, FIG. 6 is an upper surface schematically showing a case where protrusion members 5A, 5B, and 5C are provided on both sides of the reformer, and the reformer is locked and supported by two support members fitted thereto. It is a figure.

FIG. 5 shows a case where one side of the reformer 3 is locked and supported by a support member 6 having a hole 6 that fits into the protrusion member 5A, as described above (FIGS. 2 and 2). 4).

On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows a case where the support member 6 and the support member 16 support both sides of the reformer 13. That is, in FIG. 6, the protruding members 5B and 5C (hereinafter, the following) are formed on the second side surface 3B of the reformer 13 facing the second side wall (not shown) facing the first side wall of the exhaust gas wall 25 in the storage container 20. , Also referred to as “second protrusion member”) is provided in the reformer 13, and the support member 16 provided with holes 16a and 16b for fitting and locking the protrusion members 5B and 5C, and the above-mentioned support member. 6 locks and supports the reformer 13.

Regarding the positions of the protrusion members 5B and 5C, as shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion members are located at contrasting positions on the second side surface 3B so that the reformer 13 can be supported more stably by the three-point support. 5B and 5C can be provided.

7, 8 and 9 are front views schematically showing specific examples of the support member of the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of a support member having a hole when supporting one side of the reformer, and FIG. 8 is a front view of the support member on the opposite side when supporting on both sides of the reformer. , FIG. 9 is a front view of a support member having a notch instead of a hole.

The support member 6 shown in FIG. 7 is provided with a hole 6a that fits and engages with the protrusion 5A of the reformer 3, and the reformer 3 is supported or locked on one side only by the support member 6. , The reformer 13 is supported on both sides by combining with the support member 16 described above. The support members 6 and the support members 16 and 26 described later are provided with holes 6b to 6e as insertion holes for bolts. By using the support member 6 having the above-mentioned hole portion 6a, the reformer can be supported more stably with a simple structure.

The support member 16 shown in FIG. 8 is a support member provided with holes 16a and 16b that fit and lock into the two protruding members 5B and 5C in the reformer 13. By using the support member 16 having the holes 16a and 16b in combination with the support member 6 described above, the reformer can be supported more stably.

The support member 26 shown in FIG. 9 is a support member provided with a notch 26a instead of the hole 6a in FIG. 7. Since the cutout portion 26a is partially cut out from above near the center of the support member 26 in accordance with the shape of the protrusion member 5A of the reformer 3, the protrusion member 26a is like the above-mentioned hole portion 6a. The fitting work with 5A becomes unnecessary. In other words, since the reformer 3 is simply placed on the support member 26, the installation work becomes easier.

By using the support member 26 having the notch 26a, the reformer 3 can be stably supported by a simpler operation. The support members 16 and 26 are also provided with holes for bolts, as in the case of the support members 6.

The tubular member (for example, the double pipe 8, the reformed gas outlet pipe 9, etc.) can also be fixed by using the support member 6 or the support member 16. In this case, at least one of the water supply pipe, the raw fuel supply pipe, and the reformed gas outlet pipe is provided and fixed to the support member 6 or the support member 16 by providing a hole or a notch so that the support member 6 or the support member 16 can be inserted or locked. be able to. When the notch is provided, it can be fixed by hooking each tubular member, for example, in an L shape. Therefore, in the case of an L shape, the support member 6 or the support member 16 may be cut out from above or cut out from below.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the fuel cell device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a fuel cell device 100 in which a fuel cell module 50 and auxiliary equipment for operating the fuel cell module 50 are housed in an outer case 60. Note that some configurations are omitted in FIG.

In the fuel cell device 100, the inside of the exterior case composed of the support column 54 and the exterior plate 55 is vertically partitioned by a partition plate 56, the upper side thereof is a module storage chamber 57 for storing the above-mentioned modules, and the lower side is a module storage chamber 57. , It is configured as an auxiliary equipment storage chamber 58 for accommodating auxiliary equipment for operating each module. Auxiliary equipment to be stored in the auxiliary equipment storage chamber 58 is omitted.

Further, the partition plate 56 is provided with an air flow port 59 for flowing the air of the auxiliary machine storage chamber 58 to the module storage chamber 57 side, and a part of the exterior plate 55 constituting the module storage chamber 57 is provided. An exhaust port 53 for exhausting the air in the module storage chamber 57 is provided.

According to the fuel cell device 100 of the embodiment, since the fuel cell module 50 and the cell stack device 10 having the above-described configuration are used, the occurrence of various problems due to the change in the position of the reformer can be avoided. As a result, stable power generation operation can be continued without reducing the power generation efficiency.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes, improvements, combinations, and the like can be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

For example, in the embodiment, the embodiment in which the support member is fixed to the top plate via the fixing member has been described, but the support member may be fixed to the side plate of the inner wall via the fixing member. Further, in the embodiment, the embodiment in which the protrusion member is provided on the reformer having a meander shape has been described, but the protrusion member may be provided on the U-shaped reformer and supported by the support member.

Moreover, the present disclosure can be carried out in various other forms without departing from its spirit or key characteristics. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects, and the scope of the present disclosure is shown in the claims and is not bound by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and changes that fall within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present disclosure.

1 Fuel cell cell 2 Cell stack 3,13 Reformer 3A 1st side surface 3B 2nd side surface 4 Manifold 5A, 5B, 5C Projection member 6, 16, 26 Support member 7 Fixing member 10 Cell stack device 20 Storage container 22 Inner wall 25 Exhaust gas wall 25A Top plate 50 Fuel cell module 100 Fuel cell device

Claims (5)

A cell stack with multiple fuel cell cells and
A manifold that distributes reformed gas to each fuel cell,
A reformer located on one end side of the cell stack and supplying the reformed gas generated by reforming the raw material fuel gas to the manifold.
A storage container for accommodating the cell stack, the manifold, and the reformer,
With
The reformer includes a protruding member on the side surface facing the inner side wall of the storage container.
The receiving container, at a position opposed to the projecting member, see containing a supporting member which supports engaged with the protrusion member,
The support member has a plate shape, includes a hole or a notch in which the protrusion member can be locked, and is fixed to the inside of the storage container.
Fuel cell module. A water supply pipe that supplies water to the reformer,
A raw fuel supply pipe that supplies raw fuel gas to the reformer,
Further provided with a reforming gas outlet pipe for supplying the reforming gas generated by the reformer to the manifold.
The support member according to claim 1, further comprising a hole or a notch through which at least one of the water supply pipe, the raw material fuel supply pipe, and the reformed gas outlet pipe can be inserted or locked. Fuel cell module. The reformer includes a first protrusion member on a first side surface facing the first side wall inside the storage container, and has a second side surface facing the second side wall facing the first side wall of the storage container. Including 2 protrusion members
The storage container includes a first support member capable of locking the first protrusion member of the reformer, and a second support member capable of locking the second protrusion member of the reformer. Item 2. The fuel cell module according to item 1 or 2. The storage container has a double wall structure including at least an outer wall and an inner wall, and a top plate located above the inner wall.
The fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the top plate is provided with a fixing member capable of fixing the support member. The fuel cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
Auxiliary equipment for operating the fuel cell module and
An outer case for accommodating the fuel cell module and the auxiliary machine,
A fuel cell device equipped with.

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