JP6956396B2 - Power generation equipment and power generation system for processing equipment or processing system, and the processing equipment or processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for a power generation device that supplies electric power to a device or system.

In recent years, the use of fuel cells has been actively promoted. For example, fuel cell vehicles have been put into practical use, and household fuel cell equipment is becoming widespread. Using a fuel cell not only realizes high-efficiency power generation, but also makes it possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero or significantly, unlike conventional power generation means using an internal combustion engine. .. From this, fuel cells are expected to greatly contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society in the future.

The inventors of the present application have paid attention to the potential of such a fuel cell, and have invented a soldering device using a fuel cell as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In this soldering device, not only the electric power generated by the fuel cell but also the exhaust gas generated by the power generation is supplied to the soldering device and used.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-233549 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-164987

Furthermore, the inventors of the present application have come to the conclusion that by using a fuel cell, it is possible to collectively or collectively supply the energy and substances required for the device or system to various devices or systems. rice field.

In other words, he discovered that a wide range of applications can be opened by reconsidering fuel cells not only as a means of power generation but also as a means of preparing and providing necessary energy and substances in parallel with electric power. ..

It has also been realized that by adding various devices and devices to the fuel cell, it is possible to construct a device or system that can solve the conventional or long-standing problems in the device or system of the supply destination.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a power generation device capable of collectively or collectively supplying required energy and substances to a device or system of a supply destination.

According to the present invention, it is a power generation device that supplies electric power used for the processing to a processing device or a processing system that processes a work piece by putting it in a heated medium.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
At least a part of the exhaust gas is converted into a gas having a reduced oxygen content or substantially zero oxygen content for covering the surface of the medium containing the work piece, and supplied to the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing system. and an inert gas supply unit for,
The above processing as hydrogen gas for suppressing the oxidation of the medium by mixing the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas into the medium, while still contained in the exhaust gas or separated from the exhaust gas. A power generation device is provided that includes a hydrogen supply unit that supplies the medium of the device or processing system. Here, this power generation device further includes a hydrogen removing unit that separates and extracts the hydrogen gas supplied to the medium of the processing device or processing system from the exhaust gas containing the hydrogen gas by using a hydrogen separation membrane. It is also preferable. In addition, the inert gas supply unit separates oxygen gas from the exhaust gas using a nitrogen-enriched film that allows oxygen to pass through more than nitrogen, and reduces or substantially zeros the oxygen content of at least a part of the exhaust gas. It is also preferable to convert it into the gas that has become.

Further, the power generation device according to the present invention further includes a hydrogen gas generating unit that processes the supplied material to generate hydrogen gas contained in the fuel.
The inert gas supply unit acquires a part of the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generation unit, reacts the hydrogen gas with the oxygen gas content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit with a catalyst, and causes the exhaust gas to react. It is also preferable to reduce the oxygen content in the above or to make it substantially zero.

Further, in the above-described embodiment relating to hydrogen gas, the present power generation device is used to reduce or reduce the oxygen content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit to almost zero, and to reduce the excess hydrogen gas in the exhaust gas. In order to adjust the molar ratio, it is also preferable to further include a control unit that controls the amount of the fuel containing hydrogen gas supplied to the power generation unit and the amount of the gas containing oxygen supplied to the power generation unit. ..

Further, in another embodiment, the power generation device of the present invention transfers heat generated during power generation by the power generation unit to the above-mentioned processing device or system so as to be used for heating the medium. It is also preferable that the unit is further provided.

According to the present invention, in the above-mentioned processing apparatus provided with the components of the power generation apparatus described above, the surface of the medium is provided with the supplied gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content. Provided is a processing apparatus characterized by covering and mixing the supplied hydrogen gas into the medium.

According to the present invention, it is a power generation system that supplies electric power used for the processing to a processing apparatus or processing system that processes a work piece by putting it in a heated medium.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
At least a part of the exhaust gas is converted into a gas having a reduced oxygen content or substantially zero oxygen content for covering the surface of the medium containing the work piece, and supplied to the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing system. and an inert gas supply unit for,
The above processing as hydrogen gas for suppressing the oxidation of the medium by mixing the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas into the medium, while still contained in the exhaust gas or separated from the exhaust gas. A power generation system is provided that includes a hydrogen supply unit that supplies the medium of the device or processing system . Here, this power generation system covers the surface of the medium with a gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content supplied, and the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing for mixing the supplied hydrogen gas into the medium. It is also preferable to include the system as a component.
Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned processing system including the above-mentioned power generation device or power generation system as a component , the supplied gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content is used as a component of the medium. A processing system is provided that covers the surface and mixes the supplied hydrogen gas into the medium.

According to the present invention, it is a power generation device that supplies electric power to a processing apparatus or processing system that heats an object to be heated by electric power in a non-oxidizing atmosphere for processing.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
The inert gas supply unit that converts at least a part of the exhaust gas into a gas having a reduced oxygen content or substantially zero oxygen content that can be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere and supplies it to the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing system. I have
In order to allow the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas to be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere, the inert gas supply unit also uses the hydrogen gas contained in the gas whose oxygen content has been reduced or removed, or from the exhaust gas. A power generation device is provided, characterized in that hydrogen gas separated for the time being is also supplied to the above-mentioned processing device or processing system. Here, it is also preferable that this power generation device further includes a hydrogen removing unit that separates and extracts the hydrogen gas supplied to the processing device or processing system from the exhaust gas containing the hydrogen gas by using a hydrogen separation membrane. .. In addition, the inert gas supply unit separates oxygen gas from the exhaust gas using a nitrogen-enriched film that allows oxygen to pass through more than nitrogen, and reduces or substantially zeros the oxygen content of at least a part of the exhaust gas. It is also preferable to convert it into the gas that has become.

As an embodiment of the power generation device according to the present invention, the power generation device further includes a hydrogen gas generating unit that processes the supplied material to generate hydrogen gas contained in the fuel.
The inert gas supply unit acquires a part of the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generation unit, reacts the hydrogen gas with the oxygen gas content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit with a catalyst, and causes the exhaust gas to react. It is also preferable to reduce the oxygen content in the above or to make it substantially zero.

Further, as another embodiment of the power generation device according to the present invention, the power generation device is used to reduce or reduce the oxygen content in the exhaust gas emitted from the power generation unit to be substantially zero, and the excess hydrogen in the exhaust gas. Further provided with a control unit that controls the amount of the fuel containing hydrogen gas supplied to the power generation unit and the amount of the gas containing oxygen supplied to the power generation unit in order to adjust the molar ratio of the gas. Is also preferable .

Further, as a further embodiment of the power generation device according to the present invention, the power generation device is processed as described above so that the heat generated when the power generation unit generates electric power is used to heat the object to be heated. It is also preferable to further include a processing heat transfer unit that transfers heat to the device or system.

According to the present invention, in the above-mentioned processing apparatus provided with the above-mentioned components of the power generation apparatus, the supplied gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content and the supplied hydrogen gas. Provided is a processing apparatus characterized in that and is used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere.

According to the present invention, a power generation system that supplies electric power to a processing apparatus or processing system that heats an object to be heated by electric power in a non-oxidizing atmosphere for processing.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
The inert gas supply unit that converts at least a part of the exhaust gas into a gas having a reduced oxygen content or substantially zero oxygen content that can be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere and supplies it to the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing system. I have
In order to allow the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas to be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere, the inert gas supply unit also uses the hydrogen gas contained in the gas whose oxygen content has been reduced or removed, or from the exhaust gas. A power generation system is provided, characterized in that hydrogen gas separated for the time being is also supplied to the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing system. Here, this power generation system uses the supplied gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content and the supplied hydrogen gas as the non-oxidizing atmosphere of the above-mentioned processing apparatus or processing system. It is also preferable to include it as a component.
Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned processing system including the above-mentioned power generation device or power generation system as a component, the supplied gas with reduced or substantially zero oxygen content is supplied. Provided is a processing system characterized in that the hydrogen gas is used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere.

According to the power generation device, the power generation system, and the processing device or system provided with the power generation device or system of the present invention, it is possible to collectively supply the required energy or substance to the device or system of the supply destination. Become.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating various embodiments in the power generation apparatus and power generation system according to this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the power generation apparatus and processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other embodiment in the off-gas treatment in the power generation apparatus by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other embodiment of the power generation apparatus and processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other embodiment of the power generation apparatus and processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other embodiment in the supply destination apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating one Embodiment of the power generation apparatus (system) by this invention, and the store-related system as a supply destination system. It is a schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the electrolysis part which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the further other embodiment of the power generation apparatus and processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating one Embodiment of the power generation apparatus (system) by this invention, and the hospital-related system as a supply destination system. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating one Embodiment of the power generation apparatus (system) by this invention, and the hydroponic cultivation system as a supply destination system.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same components are shown using the same reference numbers. Components that can have similar structures and functions may also be indicated with the same reference number. Further, the dimensional ratios within the components and between the components in the drawing are arbitrary for the sake of readability of the drawing.

[Power generation system / equipment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining various embodiments in the power generation device and the power generation system according to the present invention.

According to FIG. 1, the power generation system 1 or the power generation device 2 according to the present invention is
(A) A fuel cell unit as a power generation unit including a fuel cell 30 that uses supplied fuel (for example, hydrogen gas) and gas containing oxygen (for example, air) to generate electric power and discharge exhaust gas (off gas). 3 and
(B) A gas reforming unit 31 as a hydrogen gas generator that processes the supplied material (for example, a hydrocarbon gas such as city gas (commercial gas)) to generate hydrogen gas.
(C) A hydrogen removing unit 32 that removes or reduces hydrogen in off-gas (exhaust gas), and
(D) An oxygen removal unit 33 that removes or reduces oxygen content in off-gas (exhaust gas), and
(E) A heat exchange unit 34 as a processing heat transfer unit that transfers heat generated when power is generated by the fuel cell 30 to the device or system so that the device or system can use the heat.
(F) A solar cell unit 41 installed outside or inside, which includes a solar cell that generates electricity by sunlight, and
(G) An electrolysis unit 42 as an electrolysis unit that electrolyzes supplied water or water vapor to generate hydrogen using electric power from the solar cell unit 41 or a storage battery installed outside or inside.
(H) A power storage unit 51 that stores and stores electric power from the solar cell unit 41, the fuel cell unit 3, etc.
(I) A heat storage unit 52 that stores and stores heat from the solar cell unit 41, the fuel cell unit 3, etc.
(J) A thermoelectric power generation unit 53 that generates electric power by using heat from a solar cell unit 41, a fuel cell unit 3, or the like is provided.

Here, the power generation system 1 or the power generation device 2 requires the fuel cell unit (U) 3 of the above (A) as an indispensable unit, but the other units (B) to (J) are supplied to. It is selected or combined as appropriate according to the type of energy or substance supplied to the device or system, or according to the request within the system or device. This makes it possible to collectively or collectively supply the required energy and substances to the supply destination device or system.

By the way, the power generation system 1 has a form in which a plurality of devices including at least one adopted unit including the fuel cell unit 3 are gathered to form the whole, while the power generation device 2 has a fuel cell unit. All of the adopted units, including the ones, are included in one device. Hereinafter, possible embodiments will be described as the invention device 2, but of course, the same contents apply to the power generation system 1.

Further, the (C) hydrogen removal unit 32 and the (D) oxygen removal unit 33 convert at least a part of the off-gas into an inert gas used in the destination device or system, and convert the off gas into the inert gas used in the supply destination device or system. It also functions as an "inert gas supply unit" to supply. Incidentally, although an embodiment that does not require these units is possible, even in that case, some kind of treatment (for example, dehumidification) is performed on the off-gas. At this time, the processing unit that performs this processing functions as the “inert gas supply unit”.

Further, the (B) gas reforming unit 31 and the (C) hydrogen removing unit 32 supply a part of the generated hydrogen gas to the destination device or system for use in the destination device or system. It may also function as a "supply unit".

Further, the (E) heat exchange unit 34 transfers the heat generated when the fuel cell 30 generates electric power to the (G) electrolysis unit 42 in combination with or instead of the function as the processing heat transfer unit. It is also preferable to function as an electrolytic heat transfer unit. Hereinafter, details of the above components (A) to (J) will be sequentially described.

First, (A) the fuel cell 30 included in the fuel cell unit 3 has a hydrogen electrode (anode) and an air electrode (cathode) with an electrolyte sandwiched between them, and has a hydrogen-containing gas (modified hydrogen) and A battery reaction is triggered from _{the oxygen (O 2} ) in the air taken in to generate DC power. The fuel cell system in the fuel cell 30 includes a solid polymer fuel cell (PEFC) system, a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) system, a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) system, or a solid oxide fuel cell (solid oxide fuel cell). SOFC) method or the like can be adopted.

Here, the PEFC method is widely used in fuel cell vehicles because it operates at a relatively low temperature and the battery size can be made compact. In addition, the SOFC method has high power generation efficiency, normally operates at about 700 to about 1000 ° C., and the off-gas emitted is also extremely hot. Further, in the PEFC method and the PAFC method, a platinum (P _t ) -based material is used as the reaction catalyst. This platinum-based material generally deteriorates when exposed to carbon monoxide (CO). Therefore, usually, CO denaturation removing means is further provided.

This CO modification removing means uses a CO modification catalyst or the like to reduce the carbon monoxide gas content in the hydrogen-containing gas supplied as fuel to the fuel cell 30. Further, a CO selective oxidation means for further reducing the carbon monoxide concentration by using a CO selective oxidation catalyst may be provided. On the other hand, when the SOFC method or the MCFC method is adopted, at least a platinum-based material is not used as a catalyst, so such a CO modification removing means is not required.

Further, as a modification mode of the fuel cell 30, it is also possible to combine fuel cells of different or the same type of batteries, or to connect these to form a multi-stage (multi-stage) fuel cell. For example, it is also preferable to configure the fuel cell 30 by combining the PEFC method and the SOFC method in order to keep the power generation efficiency, the temperature of the generated heat, the off-gas composition, the battery size, and the like within the design range.

Further, as the fuel cell unit 3, a fuel cell unit of ENE-FARM (registered trademark), which is a commercially available fuel cell cogeneration system, may be used. Further, for example, it is also possible to use a fuel cell power generation system as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-180911.

Further, it is also preferable that the fuel cell unit 3 includes an inverter that converts the generated DC power into AC power when AC power is required in the supply destination device or system. Further, even when DC power is required, it is also preferable to provide a stabilizing circuit for adjusting the generated DC power to the required stable power.

In any case, the fuel cell unit 3 can supply electric power, heat, and off-gas to the supply destination device or system. Of these, the off-gas may be treated as described below and supplied as nitrogen gas (inert gas), hydrogen gas and / or oxygen gas. It is also possible to supply a part of the electric power generated by the fuel cell unit 3 to the electrolysis unit 42.

Further, it is also preferable that the fuel cell unit 3 supplies pure water (water vapor) generated by the fuel cell reaction to the destination device or system. Further, a part of the generated pure water (steam) may be supplied to the electrolysis unit 42.

Further, (B) the gas reforming unit 31 takes in a hydrocarbon gas such as city gas or LPG, mixes the hydrocarbon gas with water vapor, and hydrogen (H ₂ ) from this mixed gas by a steam reforming reaction. Generates a hydrogen-containing gas containing. The gas reforming unit 31 may supply the generated hydrogen-containing gas to the fuel cell unit 3, and may further supply the generated hydrogen-containing gas to the supply destination device or system.

Here, the gas reforming unit 31 extracts the hydrogen gas component from the generated hydrogen-containing gas by using a hydrogen separation filter or the like described later, and supplies high-purity hydrogen to the fuel cell unit 3 or the supply destination device or system. It is also preferable to supply.

Further, (C) the hydrogen removing unit 32 removes and reduces the hydrogen gas content in the hydrogen off gas released from the hydrogen electrode among the off gas discharged from the fuel cell unit 3. By removing the hydrogen gas component, for example, it is possible to relax the measures for preventing the hydrogen explosion in the use of off-gas.

Specifically, the hydrogen removal unit 32 removes hydrogen gas by using, for example, a filter (hydrogen separation membrane) that allows small molecules such as hydrogen and helium to pass through while blocking larger molecules such as nitrogen. There may be. Incidentally, as the hydrogen separation membrane, for example, a commercially available hollow fiber membrane using a polymer material such as aromatic polyimide can be used.

Here, the hydrogen gas content removed from the off-gas in the hydrogen removal unit 32 may be configured so that it can be supplied to the supply destination device or system, or can be reused as fuel for the fuel cell 40. preferable. As a further modification, in the hydrogen removal unit 32, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen off-gas and the oxygen gas in the air off-gas are burned by, for example, an electric heating unit, and the hydrogen gas in the off-gas is converted into water vapor (moisture). May be processed.

Further, (D) the oxygen removing unit 33 removes the oxygen gas content (not consumed by the air electrode) in the air-off gas released from the air electrode in the exhaust gas of the fuel cell unit 3.
(A) Oxygen scavengers, oxidation absorbers, oxygen absorbing cartridges, etc., or (b) easily oxidizable metals such as iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), or manganese (Mn). Remove / reduce using powder or fine pieces / thread pieces.

Further, as a modification, the oxygen removing unit 33 uses a commercially available hollow fiber membrane (so-called nitrogen-enriched membrane) using a polymer material such as polyimide that allows oxygen to pass through more than nitrogen in the air, and oxygen gas. May be separated and removed. Further, it is also possible to separate and remove oxygen gas by an oxygen separation filter using a zirconia solid electrolyte, a composite oxide of BaO-SrO-CoO-Fe ₂ O _{3 system, or the like.}

As described above, the off-gas from which the hydrogen gas component and the oxygen gas component have been removed by the hydrogen removal unit 32 and the oxygen removal unit 33 can be supplied to the supply destination device or system as, for example, high-purity nitrogen gas. Further, although not shown, it is also preferable to provide a dehumidifying unit for removing / reducing water vapor (moisture) from off-gas.

Further, (E) the heat exchange unit 34 receives the heat (reaction heat) generated in the fuel cell 30 and transfers it to the heat exchange fluid filled in the heat exchange pipe. Then, heat is supplied to the destination device or system by circulating the heat exchange fluid in the heat exchange tube extending to the supply destination device or system. The circulation of the heat exchange fluid may be performed using, for example, the electric power generated by the fuel cell unit 3.

Further, the (F) solar cell unit 41 includes a solar cell that converts light energy such as sunlight into electric power, and supplies the generated electric power to the electric decomposition unit 42 or stores the generated electric power in the power storage unit 51. .. Further, the solar cell unit 41 includes a heat exchange tube filled with a heat exchange fluid and a concentrator for concentrating light energy on the heat exchange tube, and the generated heat is stored in the heat exchange unit 52 via the heat exchange fluid. It is also preferable to store the heat in the heat and transfer it to the thermoelectric power generation unit 53 to generate power.

Further, the (G) electrolysis unit 42 decomposes the supplied water or water vapor (H _{2 O) into hydrogen (H 2} ) and oxygen (O ₂ ) by electrolysis treatment with the supplied electric power to generate the hydrogen (H 2). Hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell unit 3 or to a supply destination device or system. In addition, the generated oxygen may be supplied to the destination device or system. Further, it is also possible to use an electrode for electrolysis that generates oxygen as a carbon electrode, oxidize carbon _{to generate carbon dioxide (CO 2} ), and supply this carbon dioxide to a destination device or system.

By the way, the electrolysis unit 42 may use the supplied heat to generate steam to be electrolyzed or raise the temperature of water to be electrolyzed to improve the hydrogen generation efficiency in electrolysis. preferable. At this time, it is also preferable to monitor and control the temperature of the electrolysis cell or the entire unit in order to avoid the occurrence of an explosion or the like due to heating of the electrolyte or the like. Further, it is also possible to increase the applied voltage between the electrodes so that the electrolysis treatment can be performed without using the electrolyte and without the need for monitoring or maintenance of the electrolyte.

Further, the electrolysis unit 42 may store the generated hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in a cylinder for the time being, and appropriately release them when necessary. For example, in the daytime, hydrogen generated by the electric power from the solar cell unit 41 can be stored in a cylinder, and after nighttime, hydrogen can be supplied to the fuel cell unit 3 and the like.

Further, the (H) power storage unit 51 includes a secondary battery such as a lead storage battery or a lithium ion battery, and stores the electric power generated by the solar cell unit 41 and the fuel cell unit 3. It is also preferable that the electric power stored here is appropriately supplied to the destination device or system or the electrolysis unit 42.

Further, (I) the heat storage unit 52 includes a heat storage unit manufactured by using a known latent heat storage material such as a zeolite, and the heat generated by the solar cell unit 41 and the fuel cell unit 3 in this heat storage unit. To save. It is also preferable that the heat stored here is appropriately supplied to the destination device or system or the electrolysis unit 42. Further, it is also possible to supply this heat to the power storage unit 51 to keep the secondary battery cell of the power storage unit warm, and to maintain and improve the power storage efficiency of the power storage unit 51.

Further, the (J) thermoelectric power generation unit 53 includes a thermoelectric module including a thermoelectric element that converts a calorific value into electric power by utilizing the Seebeck effect (the adverse effect of the Perche effect), and the solar cell unit 41 (heat exchange unit 34). ) And the fuel cell unit 3 to generate electricity. It is also preferable that the generated electric power is appropriately supplied to the destination device or system or the electrolysis unit 42. Here, the thermoelectric element is specifically formed of two joints in a conductor such as bismuth (Bi) / tellurium (Te) system, lead (Pb) / tellurium system, or silicon (Si) / germanium (Ge) system. It is an element that supplies heat to one side to generate a potential difference between the joints and extracts electric power. Usually, in a thermoelectric module, a plurality of thermoelectric elements are electrically connected in series so that a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined value can be obtained.

Since the thermoelectric power generation unit 53 generates power by the thermoelectric module regardless of moving parts or chemical reactions, it can be used as a maintenance-free unit and as a stable power generation source. In particular, it is useful as a supplementary power source even when the fuel cell unit 3 is out of order or when the solar cell unit 41 becomes unusable in a disaster or emergency.

By the way, the above-described supply destination devices or systems include a flyer 61, a flyer 65, a showcase 68, a convenience store 6, an atmosphere furnace 71, a hospital 8, an autoclave 81, and a hydroponic cultivation system, which will be described in detail below. 9 and the hydroponic cultivation unit 91 are applicable. It goes without saying that the applicable supply destination device or system of the present invention is not limited to these.

As described above, FIG. 1 is used to give an overview of various possible embodiments of the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1). In any case, depending on the embodiment, the entire power generation device 2 (power generation system 1), and the entire power generation device 2 (power generation system 1) and the supply destination device or system exhibit the appearance of one artificial ecosystem. It is understood that As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to construct an efficient or lean device / system like a natural ecosystem in terms of energy / substance production / consumption.

[Fryer]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a power generation device and a processing device according to the present invention.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, the power generation device 2 according to the present invention and the flyer 61 are combined to form a processing system as a whole. Of these, the fryer 61 is subjected to a frying process as a processing process by throwing an object to be fried (for example, ingredients such as potatoes, vegetables and fruits) into the frying oil which is a heated medium. It is a processing device or processing system that manufactures fried foods.

Specifically, the flyer 61
(61a) Oil tank 611 containing frying oil and
(61b) A heater 612 and a heat exchange pipe 613 for heating the frying oil in the oil tank 611,
(61c) A temperature controller 614 for adjusting the temperature of the frying oil based on the sensor output from the temperature sensor 614a charged in the frying oil, and
(61d) A power line 615 for supplying electric power from the power generation device 2 to the heater 612 (temperature controller 614), and
(61e) A nitrogen supply pipe 621 for supplying the nitrogen gas sent from the power generation device 2 into the fryer 61 as an inert gas for covering at least the surface of the frying oil containing the frying object.
(61f) A blower 622 for transferring the nitrogen gas in the nitrogen supply pipe 621 into the flyer 61, and
(61g) A cooler 623 that cools the nitrogen gas to be blown in order to rapidly cool the fried food after frying.
(61h) A hydrogen supply pipe 631 that supplies hydrogen gas sent from the power generation device 2 into the oil tank 611 (frying oil) in order to mix it with the frying oil and suppress the oxidation of the frying oil.
(61i) It is provided with a conveyor 641 for moving the fried object to be put into the frying oil in the oil tank 611, and further taking out the fried object (fried food) for which the frying process has been completed from the oil tank 611.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2A, the flyer 61 includes a paddle for transferring the frying object contained in the frying oil and a damper for exhausting the supplied nitrogen gas to the outside of the apparatus after using it as an inert atmosphere. May be further provided.

On the other hand, the power generation device 2
(2a) A fuel cell unit (U) 3 including a fuel cell 30, an air filter 36 that supplies filtered air to the fuel cell 30, and an inverter 37 that converts DC power generated by the fuel cell 30 into AC power. When,
(2b) Gas reforming unit 31 and
(2c) The hydrogen removal unit 32 and the oxygen removal unit 33 as the inert gas supply unit that processes the off gas from the fuel cell 30 and supplies it as nitrogen gas to the flyer 61 (nitrogen supply pipe 621).
(2d) A heat exchange unit 34 as a processing heat transfer unit that extracts heat generated from the fuel cell 30 and supplies it to the flyer 61 (heat exchange tube 613).
(2e) Distribution of hydrogen gas generated by the gas reforming unit 31 (or taken out by the hydrogen removing unit 32) as a hydrogen supply unit that supplies the hydrogen gas to the fuel cell 30 and / or the flyer 61 (hydrogen supply pipe 631). It is equipped with a vessel 35. Further, the flyer 61 further includes a control unit 20 that integrally controls the driving of these components and the activation of functions.

Incidentally, when the above-mentioned components (2a) to (2e) are provided across a plurality of devices, the power generation system 1 is configured by these components. Further, the above components (2a) to (2e) may be included in the flyer 61, and the processing apparatus or processing system may be configured as a whole as shown in FIG. 2 (A).

With the configuration as described above, as shown in FIG. 2B, the power generation device 2 collectively or collectively collects the energy (electric power, heat) and substances (nitrogen, hydrogen) in the form required by the flyer 61. Then, it can be appropriately supplied to the flyer 61.

That is, in many cases, energy supply and substance supply have been performed from separate device systems for a predetermined device or system as a supply destination in the past, but in the present embodiment, those required are summarized. Or can be supplied in bulk. As a result, it becomes possible to easily construct a supply system that is more stable and suppresses an increase in supply cost.

In addition, as another embodiment of the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1), as a supply source of hydrogen gas to the fuel cell 30, instead of the gas reforming unit 31, or together with the unit 31, the electrolysis unit 42 (FIG. 1). , It is also preferable that FIG. 8) described later is provided. Here, it is also preferable that the electrolysis unit 42 uses electric power from a solar cell unit 41 (FIG. 1) or a storage battery installed outside or inside, or commercial electric power as electric power for electrolysis. Further, a heat exchanger may be provided as an electrolytic heat transfer unit that transfers the heat generated when the fuel cell 30 generates electric power to the solar cell unit 41.

_{Further, the molar ratio of hydrogen (H 2} ) introduced into the fuel cell 30 from the gas reforming unit 31 to _{oxygen (O 2} ) in the air also introduced into the fuel cell 30 is set to a value larger than 2. It is also preferable (that is, hydrogen is excessive in the fuel cell 30) so that the mixed gas of the remaining hydrogen in the air and the hydrogen in which the reaction is excessive is discharged as off gas. In this off-gas, the oxygen gas content is almost zero. In addition, such adjustment of the molar ratio may be carried out by the distributor 35'according to the instruction by the control unit 20.

By the way, as is the case with fuel cells in fuel cell vehicles, the ratio of hydrogen gas supplied to fuel cells to oxygen gas (in the air) is usually in a state of excess oxygen (air) in the battery reaction. And it is decided that hydrogen will be used up (burned out). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the opposite is true, and the supply of hydrogen gas (fuel) is excessive so that oxygen (air) is used up. As a result, it is possible to provide the supply destination device or system with off-gas having a sufficiently reduced or substantially zero amount of oxygen gas that is unnecessary or harmful in the supply destination device or system. ..

Then, the hydrogen removing unit 32 further removes the hydrogen gas component from the above-mentioned mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen, so that high-purity nitrogen gas can be sent to the flyer 61. The hydrogen gas component removed here may be sent to the fuel cell unit 3 by the distributor 35 through a pipe and reused as fuel for the fuel cell 30.

Further, as a modification, by mixing the mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen into the frying oil via, for example, the nitrogen supply pipe 621, it is possible to suppress the oxidation of the frying oil, as will be described later. be. In the case described above, since almost all oxygen is consumed, for example, a configuration without the oxygen removing unit 33 is possible.

By the way, as the fuel cell 30, various battery types can be adopted. For example, an SOFC type fuel cell having high power generation efficiency and capable of outputting extremely high temperature heat, or an SOFC type fuel cell that operates at a relatively low temperature can be used. It is also preferable to use a PEFC type fuel cell that can be easily made compact. When the SOFC type fuel cell 30 is adopted, the cell reaction temperature is very high, about 700 to about 1000 ° C. Therefore, for example, the main heating that is the base for the frying oil is the heat exchange unit 34 and the heat exchange tube 613. It is also possible to do this by the heat of reaction of the battery.

Next, the features peculiar to the flyer 61 according to the present invention will be described. Conventionally, the following three issues have been important issues in the fryer that manufactures food.
(A) In the flyer, for example, since the temperature in the 200 ° C range is continuously maintained, a stable large amount of electric power is required. For example, even if the supply of commercial power is stopped due to a power outage or the like, it is necessary to take measures so as not to damage the fried food being manufactured.
(B) It is necessary to ensure the safety of food processed (fried) by the fryer.
(C) It is necessary to suppress the oxidation of the frying oil used in the fryer as much as possible and secure the life of the frying oil.

First, regarding the above-mentioned problem (a), it is possible to operate the heater 612 and the like by drawing in commercial power as well as the flyer 61, but it is possible to receive a large amount of power from the fuel cell unit 3 via the power line 615. can. Further, regarding the temperature maintenance of the frying oil, a large amount of heat is received from the fuel cell unit 3 via the heat exchange pipe 613 to support the maintenance of the high temperature of the frying oil. In this way, the flyer 61 surely solves this problem (a).

Next, the above-mentioned problem (a) will be described in more detail. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-302131, "When materials such as potatoes, root vegetables, vegetables, and fruits are fried and the fried product is maintained at a high temperature, acrylamide is generated in the fried product. It has become clear that there is a demand to suppress the production of acrylamide, and in order to suppress the production of acrylamide, it is necessary to cool the fried product after frying as soon as possible. "

In this way, asparagine, which is one of the amino acids in foods, reacts with reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose and changes to acrylamide by cooking foods containing a large amount of carbohydrates at a high temperature (120 ° C or higher). I know I will.

This acrylamide has neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and mutagenicity (carcinogenicity), and its occurrence must be sufficiently suppressed. On the other hand, the flyer 61 can receive a large amount of nitrogen gas from the fuel cell unit 3 via the nitrogen supply pipe 621, and further, the large amount of nitrogen gas cooled by the cooler 623 is used as the fried food after the frying process. The fried food can be sprayed and cooled rapidly. As a result, the generation of acrylamide in the fried food is suppressed.

It is also possible to lower the temperature of the nitrogen gas supplied by the nitrogen supply pipe 621 by extracting a considerable amount of heat from the nitrogen gas generated from the fuel cell unit 34 by the heat exchange unit 34. In this case, low temperature nitrogen gas can be blown onto the fried food without using the cooler 623. Further, although the embodiment is different from the above, when hydrogen gas from a liquefied hydrogen cylinder is used instead of the hydrogen gas generated by the gas reforming unit 31, nitrogen is utilized by utilizing the liquefied hydrogen at an extremely low temperature. It is also possible to lower the temperature of the nitrogen gas supplied by the supply pipe 621.

Further, in the flyer 61, the nitrogen gas supplied by the nitrogen supply pipe 621 fills the entire frying processing space including the oil tank 611 and the surrounding conveyor 641, so that the frying object and the frying object before and during the frying process are fried. It is also possible to suppress the oxidation of the fried food after the treatment.

Next, with respect to the above problem (c), the flyer 61 covers the surface of the frying oil containing the frying object with nitrogen gas as an inert gas received from the fuel cell unit 3 via the nitrogen supply pipe 621. It is supplied into the oil tank 611. This makes it possible to avoid a state in which the frying oil in a high temperature state comes into contact with oxygen in the air, for example, and suppress the oxidation of the frying oil.

Further, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-24219, by "supplying hydrogen into oil", "the hydrogen becomes free radicals such as peroxy radicals generated during the oxidation of oil". By reacting, the chain reaction of oil oxidation can be significantly suppressed. " In particular, in unsaturated fatty acids, which are abundant in vegetable oils and fats, oxidation is suppressed by sealing one end of a carbon double bond with hydrogen.

In this respect, the flyer 61 can mix the hydrogen gas received from the power generation device 2 through the hydrogen supply pipe 631 into the frying oil. As a result, it becomes possible to suppress the oxidation of frying oil.

Here, a small amount of hydrogen mixed in the frying oil via the hydrogen supply pipe 631 is set, and further, a device is devised so that the hydrogen gas does not come into contact with air (oxygen) at all inside the hydrogen supply pipe 631 and in the hydrogen discharge hole. It is preferable to be done. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a dangerous state such as a hydrogen explosion. As a modification, it is also preferable to mix nitrogen gas as an inert gas supplied through the nitrogen supply pipe 621 with the frying oil to suppress the oxidation of the frying oil.

Further, as a modification, the flyer 61 may be provided with an electrode in the oil tank 611 capable of applying a high voltage (strong electric field) to the frying oil. This high voltage (strong electric field) is, for example, in the range of 1 to 10 kV, and can be generated by using a large amount of direct current received from the fuel cell unit 3 via the power line 615. Of course, the AC power converted by the inverter 37 may be used. As one example of the oxidation suppressing effect due to the application of such a high voltage, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-888769 describes this edible oil by inserting a high potential generating plate having a negative high potential of direct current into the edible oil. It is disclosed that it is possible to suppress the oxidation of.

As described above, according to the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1), the DC power is efficiently supplied to the supply destination device or system that requires the DC power (usually obtained only by converting the commercial power). You can also do it.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment in the off-gas treatment in the power generation device 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the distributor 35'monitors the oxygen concentration remaining in the off-gas by the oxygen concentration measurement sensor 351. Based on the measured oxygen residual concentration, the distributor 35'reacts with the oxygen gas in the off-gas in just proportion of the hydrogen gas supplied from the gas reforming unit 31 (per unit time). Hydrogen gas (for the number of moles twice the number of moles of residual oxygen gas in a unit time) is supplied to the oxygen removal unit 33'.

The oxygen removal unit 33'is a mixture of off-gas and hydrogen gas supplied from the distributor 35', and then heated platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), ruthenium (Ru), copper (Cu), or the like. _{Oxygen (O 2} ) in off-gas is converted to water (H ₂ O) by reacting in an environment in contact with a catalyst containing. Then, by removing this water with a dehumidifier, high-purity nitrogen gas can be generated and sent to the flyer 61.

By the way, according to the estimation by the inventors of the present application, when nitrogen gas having a purity of 99.9% ^{flows into the oxygen removal unit 33'at a pace of 10 m 3} / hour, hydrogen is required to increase the purity of the nitrogen gas to 99.999%. Gas can be supplied at a pace of 1.98 × 10 ^-3 m ^{3 / hour.}

The off-gas treatment using the oxygen removal unit 33'described above is performed not only on the flyer 61 (FIG. 2) but also on the flyer 65 (FIGS. 4 and 5) and the atmosphere furnace 71 (FIG. 9) described later. Applicable. In any case, depending on the required oxygen partial pressure and hydrogen partial pressure in the off-gas, off-gas treatment can be performed with a simple configuration without providing an oxygen removal unit or a hydrogen removal unit. Of course, an embodiment may be taken in which the hydrogen removal unit 32 and / or the oxygen removal unit 33 are provided side by side in order to bring hydrogen and / or oxygen close to substantially zero.

4 and 5 are schematic views showing another embodiment of the power generation device and the processing device according to the present invention. Here, FIGS. 4 (A), 4 (B), and 5 are front views, side views, and top views of the apparatus (frieder 65) of the present embodiment, respectively.

According to the embodiments shown in these drawings, the power generation device 2 and the simple flyer 65 used in a convenience store (convenience store), a small-scale store, or the like constitute a processing system. Incidentally, the power generation device 2 may be included in the flyer 65, and the whole may be integrated into a device as a flyer. In this case, it is also preferable to use a PEFC type fuel cell 40, which is easy to make compact.

The oil tank 651 of the fryer 65 contains frying oil for producing a fried food, and is provided with a net-like basket with a handle for loading and unloading the fried food with respect to the frying oil. Further, a heater 652 is provided at the bottom of the oil tank 651. The heater 652 receives AC power or commercial power supplied from the fuel cell unit 3 via the inverter 37 after adjusting it with the power controller 656, and heats the frying oil with this power.

Here, the power controller 656 controls the usage ratio of the supplied AC power and the commercial power according to, for example, the temperature of the frying oil, the set temperature indicated via the operation panel, and the presence or absence of a power failure. do. Basically, it is also preferable that the program is programmed so that the AC power from the fuel cell unit 3 is mainly used, and if there is a shortage or the like, the commercial power is also used.

Further, a heat exchange pipe 653 is provided at the bottom of the oil tank 651 of the flyer 65 together with the heater 652. The heat exchange pipe 653 transfers the heat supplied from the fuel cell unit 3 through the heat exchange unit 34 to the frying oil by the heat exchange medium circulating in the pipe, and heats the frying oil. As a result, for example, when the frying oil is heated to a set temperature by electric power, the temperature of the base frying oil can be kept high, and power saving becomes possible.

Further, the nitrogen supply pipe 654 of the flyer 65 supplies the nitrogen gas supplied from the fuel cell unit 3 via the hydrogen removal unit 32 into the oil tank 651 so as to cover the surface of the frying oil. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the nitrogen supply pipe 654 is arranged so as to go around the oil tank 651, and nitrogen gas can be discharged toward the frying oil from a large number of holes made in the pipe. can. As a result, nitrogen gas can be filled on the surface of the frying oil during the production of the frying food, and the frying oil and the frying object can be shielded from the outside air. As a result, the oxidation of the frying oil and the object to be fried by oxygen in the air is suppressed, the useful life of the frying oil is significantly extended, and the quality of the fried food is also improved.

Here, the nitrogen gas supplied through the nitrogen supply pipe 654 is generated via the hydrogen removal unit 32. _{At this time, the molar ratio of hydrogen (H 2} ) introduced into the fuel cell 30 from the gas reforming unit 31 to _{oxygen (O 2} ) in the air also introduced into the fuel cell 30 is set to a value larger than 2. It is set (that is, hydrogen is excessive in the fuel cell 30) so that the mixed gas of the remaining hydrogen in the air and the hydrogen of the excessive reaction is discharged as off gas. In this off-gas, the oxygen gas content is almost zero. Incidentally, such adjustment of the molar ratio may be carried out by the distributor 35 according to the instruction by the control unit 20.

Then, by further removing the hydrogen gas component from the mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen with the hydrogen removing unit 32, the high-purity nitrogen gas can be sent to the flyer 65 through the nitrogen supply pipe 654.

By mixing the hydrogen gas content removed by the hydrogen removing unit 32 into the frying oil via the hydrogen supply pipe 655, it is possible to suppress the oxidation of the frying oil as described in the flyer 61. Further, the removed hydrogen gas component may be reused as fuel in the fuel cell 40 via the distributor 35.

By the way, in the flyer 65, a waste oil hole is provided at the bottom of the oil tank 651, and the frying oil whose useful life has expired is taken out from the waste oil hole by opening the waste oil valve, filtered by an oil residue separation net, and the waste oil tank. It may be stored in. Further, the flyer 65 may be provided with a plurality of oil tanks 651. In this case, for example, the flyer configuration described above may be set as one unit, and a plurality of units may be connected to form the flyer 65.

[Showcase]
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the supply destination device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a showcase 68 installed in a store such as a convenience store. The showcase 68 is a transparent case in which the fried food produced by the fried food 65 is stored in a heat-retaining state and displayed to customers. The nitrogen supply pipe 681 of the showcase 68 supplies the nitrogen gas from the power generation device 2 into the booth where the fried food is placed, and fills the booth with the nitrogen gas. As a result, the oxidation of the fried food by oxygen in the air is greatly suppressed, and the quality of the fried food is maintained.

Further, the heat exchange pipe 682 transfers the heat from the heat exchange unit 34 of the power generation device 2 into the booth where the fried food is placed to warm the nitrogen gas in the booth and keep the fried food warm. It is also preferable that the heat exchange tube 682 heats and keeps the beverage in the high temperature water supply 69 installed side by side in the fried food booth. Further, it is also preferable that the heating illumination lamp 683 is supplied with electric power from the power generation device 2 to radiate visible light and infrared rays to illuminate the fried food for display and to heat and keep the fried food warm.

As described above, the power generation device 2 can supply the required energy and substances collectively or collectively to various devices and equipment installed in a store such as a convenience store, for example. Next, an embodiment in which a store to which energy or substances are supplied from the power generation system 1 or the power generation device 2 is regarded as a system will be described.

[Store-related system]
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of a power generation device (system) according to the present invention and a store-related system as a supply destination system.

According to FIG. 7, a convenience store (store) 6 as a supply destination system including a flyer 65, a showcase 68, and the like is supplied with the required energy and substances from the power generation system 1 according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the power generation system 1 is
(1a) Solar cell unit 41 and
(1b) An electrolysis unit 42 that electrolyzes using the electric power generated by the solar cell unit 41, and
(1c) An oxygen tank for storing the oxygen gas generated by the electrolysis unit 42, and
(1d) A high-pressure hydrogen tank and a low-pressure hydrogen tank for storing the hydrogen gas generated by the electrolysis unit 42,
(1e) A fuel cell unit 3 that generates electricity using hydrogen obtained from such a hydrogen tank, and
(1f) A hydrogen removing unit 32 that removes hydrogen gas from the off-gas of the fuel cell unit 3 and
(1g) A nitrogen tank for storing the nitrogen gas generated by the hydrogen removal unit 32, and
(1h) A pure water tank for storing the pure water generated by the fuel cell unit 3 and
(1i) A heat exchange unit 34 for recovering the heat generated in the fuel cell unit 3 is provided.

Incidentally, these components (1a) to (1i) may be provided in one device and may be regarded as a power generation device 2. It is also possible that the convenience store 6 includes these components (1a) to (1i) and is grasped as one system. The high-pressure hydrogen tank and the low-pressure hydrogen tank described in (1d) may be used together or used properly according to the battery system and power generation form of the fuel cell 30, or only one of them may be deployed in advance.

Power is supplied to the convenience store 6 from the fuel cell unit 3 via the power line, nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen tank via the nitrogen supply pipe, and hydrogen gas is supplied from the hydrogen removal unit 32 via the hydrogen supply pipe. , Oxygen gas is supplied from the oxygen tank via the oxygen supply pipe, pure water is supplied from the pure water tank via the pure water supply pipe, and heat is supplied from the heat exchange unit 34 via the heat exchange pipe. At the convenience store 6, these supplied energies and substances are distributed and used in in-store devices and equipment such as the flyer 65 and the showcase 68.

Here, it is also preferable that nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, and oxygen gas are stored in a tank. For example, a convenience store in which hydrogen gas is stored in a hydrogen tank during the day when the solar cell unit 41 can generate electricity, and then at night, the fuel cell unit 3 uses the stored hydrogen gas to generate electricity and operate at night as well. Electric power, nitrogen gas, heat, or the like may be supplied to the flyer 65 in the store.

Further, power generation in the fuel cell unit 3 is also performed in the daytime, the generated electric power is stored in the power storage unit 51 (FIG. 1), the generated nitrogen gas is stored in the nitrogen tank, and the generated heat is further stored. It is also possible to store heat in the unit 52 (FIG. 1) and then supply these energies and substances to the convenience store 6 at night.

[Electrolysis unit]
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the electrolysis unit according to the present invention.

According to FIG. 8A, the electrolysis unit 42 of the present embodiment includes an electrolysis cell 421, a parabolic reflector 422, and a heat absorption tube 423. In the present embodiment, the electrolysis cell 421 has a configuration capable of electrolyzing water vapor. Specifically, the water vapor maintained at high pressure at the negative electrode is _{decomposed into hydrogen (H 2} ) and oxygen ions (O ^2- ), and the oxygen ions that reach the positive electrode via the electrolyte are released as _{oxygen (O 2).} do.

By electrolyzing water vapor in this way, the hydrogen generation efficiency is significantly improved as compared with the decomposition of water which is a liquid. Further, the efficiency is also improved by raising the temperature of the electrolyte with the heat generated by the steam. The DC power required for electrolysis may be obtained by converting commercial power, but in the present embodiment, it can be obtained from the solar cell unit 41.

Here, the water vapor supplied to the electrolysis cell 421 can be generated by heating water (pure water) passing through the heat absorption tube 423 with sunlight focused by the parabolic reflector 422. Incidentally, the parabolic reflector that can be used is not limited to the point focus type as shown in FIG. 8 (A). For example, it is also possible to use a parabolic reflector 422'in which the focal points are aligned on the line as shown in FIG. 8B, and arrange a heat absorption tube 423' at this line position to generate water vapor.

By using the units as described above, for example, the solar cell unit 41 and the electrolysis unit 42 generate hydrogen gas in the daytime when power generation and steam generation are possible and store it in the hydrogen tank, and then at nighttime. In addition, the stored hydrogen gas can be used to generate electricity in the fuel cell unit 3.

It is also possible to allocate at least a part of the heat for generating water vapor and / or at least a part of the heat for heating the electrolyte from the fuel cell unit 3 (heat storage unit 52, heat exchange unit 34). .. Further, at least a part of the electric power used in the electrolysis unit 42 may be supplied from the fuel cell unit 3 (storage unit 51) according to the electric power usage situation, the hydrogen gas storage situation, and the like.

The technical items related to the electrolysis unit 42 as described above can be summarized as follows.
[Technical matter 1]
A power generation device that supplies electric power used for processing to a processing device that heats an object to be heated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere for processing.
A hydrogen gas generator that electrolyzes water or water vapor to generate hydrogen using electric power from solar cells installed outside or inside.
A power generation unit including a fuel cell that generates the electric power by using the generated hydrogen gas and a gas containing oxygen and emits exhaust gas.
A power generation device including an inert gas supply unit that converts at least a part of the exhaust gas into an inert gas that can be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere and supplies the processing device.
[Technical matter 2]
The power generation device according to claim 1, further comprising a hydrogen supply unit that supplies a part of the generated hydrogen gas to the processing device so that it can be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere.
[Technical matter 3]
The processing apparatus is a processing apparatus for putting the object to be heated into a heated medium and processing the object.
The power generation device further includes a hydrogen supply unit that mixes a part of the generated hydrogen gas into the medium and supplies it to the processing device in order to suppress oxidation of the medium. The power generation device according to item 1.
[Technical matter 4]
Item 1 of any one of technical matters 1 to 3, wherein the power generation device further includes a heat transfer unit that transfers heat generated when electric power is generated by the power generation unit to the hydrogen gas generation unit. The power generation device described in.
[Technical matter 5]
The power generation device further includes a processing heat transfer unit that transfers heat generated when electric power is generated by the power generation unit to the processing device so as to be used for heating the object to be heated. The power generation device according to any one of technical items 1 to 4, which is characterized.

[Atmospheric furnace]
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of the power generation device and the processing device according to the present invention.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the power generation device 2 according to the present invention and the atmospheric heat treatment furnace (atmospheric furnace) 71 are combined to form a processing system as a whole. Of these, in the present embodiment, the atmosphere furnace 71 heat-treats (heat-treats) the steel material to be heated (heat-treated object) in a non-oxidizing atmosphere in order to control transformation according to the product. It is a high temperature furnace for.

Nitrogen gas as an inert gas and hydrogen gas as a reducing gas are introduced into the atmosphere furnace 71 so that the steel material is not oxidized during the treatment process, and hydrogen gas or the like is introduced as a process gas. Will be done. One processing device (atmosphere furnace) may be configured by the whole of the components of the power generation device 2 and the atmosphere furnace 71 of FIG.

Specifically, the atmosphere furnace 71 is
(71a) An anterior chamber chamber into which purge gas can be introduced for introducing steel materials through a gate including a gate opening / closing plate, and
(71b) A plurality of atmosphere chambers, which are separated from each other by a partition to provide a unique process environment (for example, temperature, etc.), and further equipped with a stirring fan to make the atmosphere in the room uniform.
(71c) A rear chamber chamber into which purge gas can be introduced for carrying out the steel material after heat treatment through the gate including the gate opening / closing plate, and
(71d) Receives nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas supplied from the power generation device 2 and distributes each to the required atmosphere chamber via the nitrogen / hydrogen supply pipe 712, or generates a mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen. Mixer / distributor 711 that supplies to the required atmosphere room, and
(71e) The steel material is transported from the anterior chamber through a plurality of atmosphere chambers through a heat treatment process path to the rear chamber chamber, during which the steel material is heated to a temperature set according to its position. Roller hearth 721 and
(71f) The roller hearth control unit 722 that receives the power supplied from the power generation device 2 (inverter 37) via the power line 723, supplies the power for the transfer operation and the heating operation to the roller hearth 721, and controls these operations. When,
(71g) The heat exchange tube 731 that transfers the heat supplied from the power generation device 2 (heat exchange unit 34) to the atmosphere chamber to heat the steel material or assists the heating operation by the roller hearth 721 is provided.

On the other hand, the power generation device 2 is similar to that of FIG. 2 in terms of configuration and function, and may be regarded as a power generation system 1 depending on the mode. However, in FIG. 9, the hydrogen removing unit 32 supplies the remaining nitrogen gas obtained by removing the hydrogen gas component from the off gas discharged from the fuel cell unit 3 to the mixer / distributor 711. Further, on the other hand, the separated hydrogen gas is reused as fuel for power generation via the distributor 35.

Further, the hydrogen removal unit 32 may supply the separated hydrogen gas to the mixer / distributor 711 so as to be used as a reducing gas. Further, it is also preferable that a part of the hydrogen gas generated by the gas reforming unit 31 is supplied to the mixer / distributor 711 via the distributor 35.

With the configuration as described above, as shown in FIG. 9B, the power generation device 2 collectively or collects the energy (electric power, heat) and substances (nitrogen, hydrogen) in the form required by the atmosphere furnace 71. It can be collectively supplied to the atmosphere furnace 71 as appropriate. As a result, it becomes possible to easily construct a supply system that is more stable and suppresses an increase in supply cost.

Further, in particular, since the atmospheric furnace 71 usually consumes a large amount of electric power, an inert gas (nitrogen gas), and a hydrogen gas (reduced gas), it costs a huge amount of money to procure them. On the other hand, according to the power generation device 2, it is possible to significantly reduce the procurement cost.

As another embodiment of the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1), the electrolysis unit 42 (again, as a supply source of hydrogen gas to the fuel cell 30, instead of the gas reforming unit 31 or together with the unit 31) It is also preferable that FIGS. 1 and 8) are provided. Further, it is also preferable that the electrolysis unit 42 uses electric power from a solar cell unit 41 (FIG. 1) or a storage battery installed outside or inside, or commercial electric power as electric power for electrolysis. Further, a heat exchanger may be provided as an electrolytic heat transfer unit that transfers the heat generated when the fuel cell 30 generates electric power to the solar cell unit 41.

_{Further, the molar ratio of hydrogen (H 2} ) introduced into the fuel cell 30 from the gas reforming unit 31 to _{oxygen (O 2} ) in the air also introduced into the fuel cell 30 is set to a value larger than 2. It is also preferable (that is, hydrogen is excessive in the fuel cell 30) so that the mixed gas of the remaining hydrogen in the air and the hydrogen in which the reaction is excessive is discharged as off gas. The oxygen gas content in this mixed gas is almost zero. Incidentally, such adjustment of the molar ratio may be carried out by the distributor 35 according to the instruction by the control unit 20.

Next, by further removing the hydrogen gas component from the mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen with the hydrogen removing unit 32, highly pure nitrogen gas can be sent to the atmosphere furnace 71. The removed hydrogen gas component may be sent to the fuel cell unit 3 by the distributor 35 through a pipe and reused as fuel for the fuel cell 30.

Incidentally, as the fuel cell 30, in the case of the present embodiment, it is also preferable to adopt an SOFC type fuel cell having high power generation efficiency and a very high battery reaction temperature (about 700 to about 1000 ° C.). In this case, the high-temperature reaction heat is recovered by using the heat exchange unit 34 and transferred to the atmosphere furnace via the heat exchange tube 731, so that the temperature that becomes the base during the heat treatment by the roller hearth 721 is sufficiently set. You may raise it. This makes it possible to achieve power saving in the atmosphere furnace 71.

Next, the features peculiar to the atmosphere furnace 71 according to the present invention will be described. Conventionally, the following three issues have been important issues in atmospheric heat treatment furnaces.
(A) A stable large amount of electric power is required even in an atmospheric heat treatment furnace. For example, even if the power supply is stopped due to a power outage or a failure of a thermal power generation facility or the like, it is necessary to take measures so as not to damage the steel material being manufactured.
(B) Oxidation of iron (Fe) and oxidation / decarburization of carbon (C) in the steel material during heat treatment must be avoided as much as possible.

First, regarding the above-mentioned problem (a), the atmosphere furnace 71, of course, does not require commercial power or an attached thermal power generation facility, or separately from them, from the fuel cell unit 3 via the power line 723. Can receive a large amount of power. Similarly, a large amount of heat is received from the fuel cell unit 3 via the heat exchange pipe 731, and a considerable amount of the heat required for the high-temperature heat treatment is secured. In this way, the atmosphere furnace 71 surely solves this problem (a).

Next, regarding the above-mentioned problem (a), it is known that oxidation cannot be ignored even for stainless steel materials in a high temperature environment exceeding 700 ° C., for example. In fact, at higher temperatures, it is practically impossible to completely eliminate the oxygen partial pressure. Therefore, simply creating a nitrogen gas atmosphere suppresses the oxidation and decarburization of steel materials. Has become difficult.

On the other hand, the atmosphere furnace 71 can supply a mixed gas of nitrogen and hydrogen to the atmosphere chamber by the mixer / distributor 711. That is, it is possible to fill the atmosphere chamber not only with an inert atmosphere with nitrogen gas but also with a reducing atmosphere with hydrogen gas. In this way, the atmosphere furnace 71 surely solves this problem (a). Incidentally, in order to more reliably prevent the oxidation of the steel material, it is also preferable that the mixer / distributor 711 has a function of removing molecular gas components including oxygen atoms such as water vapor and carbon dioxide.

Of course, the atmosphere furnace 71 can also supply only nitrogen gas to the atmosphere chamber by the mixer / distributor 711. In this case, in order to suppress the oxidation of the steel material as described above, it is necessary to remove the oxygen gas content in the nitrogen gas almost completely and increase the purity of the nitrogen gas as much as possible. In the present embodiment, as described above, in the power generation device 2, _{the molar ratio of hydrogen (H 2} ) and oxygen (O ₂ ) introduced into the fuel cell 30 is set to a value larger than 2, and further, this off-gas It is also possible to send high-purity nitrogen gas to the atmosphere furnace 71 by removing the hydrogen gas component from the hydrogen removing unit 32.

Further, although it is a modified mode, as described with reference to FIG. 3, in the oxygen removing unit 33, the oxygen in the off-gas is catalytically reacted or burned with a part of the hydrogen gas generated by the gas reforming unit 31. It is also preferable to remove it as water.

Further, as another embodiment of the power generation device 2, the electric power is supplied by using the electric power from the solar cell unit 41 (FIG. 1) installed outside or inside, the electric power from the power storage unit 51 (FIG. 1), or the commercial electric power. It is also preferable to provide an electrolysis unit 42 (FIGS. 1 and 8) that electrolyzes the water or steam to generate hydrogen. Further, a heat exchange unit 34 (FIG. 1) may be further provided as an electrolytic heat transfer unit that transfers heat generated when power is generated by the fuel cell 40 to the electrolysis unit 42.

Finally, a hospital-related system (FIG. 10) and a hydroponic cultivation system (FIG. 11) will be described as examples of the supply destination device or system according to the present invention.

[Hospital-related system]
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of a power generation device (system) according to the present invention and a hospital-related system as a supply destination system.

According to FIG. 10, a hospital (medical service providing institution) 8 as a supply destination system (hospital-related system) including an autoclave 81 or the like described later supplies necessary energy and substances from the power generation system 1 according to the present invention. Has been done. In this embodiment, the power generation system 1 is
(1a) Solar cell unit 41 and
(1b) An electrolysis unit 42 that electrolyzes using the electric power generated by the solar cell unit 41, and
(1c) An oxygen tank for storing the oxygen gas generated by the electrolysis unit 42, and
(1d) A high-pressure hydrogen tank and a low-pressure hydrogen tank for storing the hydrogen gas generated by the electrolysis unit 42,
(1e) A fuel cell unit 3 that generates electricity using hydrogen obtained from such a hydrogen tank, and
(1f) A hydrogen removing unit 32 that removes hydrogen gas from the off-gas of the fuel cell unit 3 and
(1g) A nitrogen tank for storing the nitrogen gas generated by the hydrogen removal unit 32, and
(1h) A pure water tank for storing the pure water generated by the fuel cell unit 3 and
(1i) A heat exchange unit 34 for recovering the heat generated in the fuel cell unit 3 is provided.

Incidentally, these components (1a) to (1i) may be provided in one device and may be regarded as a power generation device 2. Further, the hospital 8 can take a form in which these components (1a) to (1i) are included and grasped as one system. The high-pressure hydrogen tank and the low-pressure hydrogen tank can be used together or properly depending on the battery system and power generation form of the fuel cell 30, or only one of them may be deployed in advance.

Power is supplied to the hospital 8 from the fuel cell unit 3 via the power line, nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen tank via the nitrogen supply pipe, and oxygen gas is supplied from the oxygen tank via the oxygen supply pipe. Pure water is supplied from the water tank via the pure water supply pipe, and heat is supplied from the heat exchange unit 34 via the heat exchange pipe. In the hospital 8, these supplied energies and substances are distributed and used in hospital devices / equipment such as an autoclave 81, which will be described later. If necessary, hydrogen gas may be supplied from the hydrogen removal unit 32 to the hospital 8 via the hydrogen supply pipe.

Here, it is also preferable that nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, and oxygen gas are stored in a tank. For example, a hospital in which hydrogen gas is stored in a hydrogen tank during the day when the solar cell unit 41 can generate electricity, and then at night, the fuel cell unit 3 generates electricity using the stored hydrogen gas and operates at night as well. Electric power, nitrogen gas, heat, etc. may be supplied to the devices / equipment in 8.

Further, power generation in the fuel cell unit 3 is also performed in the daytime, the generated electric power is stored in the power storage unit 51 (FIG. 1), the generated nitrogen gas is stored in the nitrogen tank, and the generated heat is further stored. It is also possible to store heat in the unit 52 (FIG. 1) and then supply these energy / substances to the hospital 8 at night.

In particular, in hospital 8, even when commercial power is stopped due to a power outage or the like, power must be continuously supplied by performing emergency surgery or the like. According to the present embodiment, for example, hydrogen gas is stored in a hydrogen tank by using a solar cell unit 41 and an electrolysis unit 42 installed in a large roof space of a hospital 8 on a daily basis, for example, in an emergency. The fuel cell unit 3 can be operated to supply electric power to the in-hospital equipment / equipment. Of course, it is possible to provide electric power in a form that complements commercial electric power even in normal times. In this case, it goes without saying that commercial power saving in in-hospital equipment and facilities will be realized.

Further, in the hospital 8, heat (heat source) is usually required for heating the room and supplying hot water. In the present embodiment, it is possible to provide such heat (heat source) from the heat exchange unit 34 via the heat exchange tube.

Further, in the hospital 8, as the gas inhaled by the patient, a mixed gas (artificial air) of pure oxygen and pure nitrogen having a mixing ratio suitable for the case is required. According to this embodiment, a gas close to pure nitrogen can be provided from a nitrogen tank that has received nitrogen gas from the hydrogen removal unit 32. Further, it is possible to provide pure oxygen (close to) gas from an oxygen tank that has received oxygen gas from the electrolysis unit 42.

In addition, as a situation peculiar to medical institutions, in hospital 8, pure water (RO water) produced using a reverse osmosis membrane (RO membrane) is widely used in various medical practice situations in each medical department. Used. According to this embodiment, pure water that can be used as a raw material for RO water or that complements RO water can be provided from a pure water tank that has received pure water (steam) from the fuel cell unit 3.

Further, the pure water (steam) supplied from the fuel cell unit 3 is used for cleaning and rinsing various equipment collected from the operating room, outpatient clinic, ward, etc. of the hospital 8. Can be used as. Further, it may be used as raw water for clean steam in the autoclave 81.

Here, the autoclave is a high-pressure steam sterilizer that cleans and / or sterilizes an object in heated water or in an atmosphere of steam generated from the heated water. For example, as a preliminary vacuum process, the residual air in the cleaning / sterilization chamber containing the object is first discharged by a vacuum pump, and then high-temperature clean steam generated from pure water is introduced to steam in the cleaning / sterilization chamber. The high temperature and high pressure state of the object is formed, and the object is washed and / or sterilized.

In contrast to the autoclave 81, the power generation system 1 supplies pure water, which is a raw material for clean steam, and electric power for heating the pure water to operate a heater for generating clean steam and driving a vacuum pump. , Can be provided in bulk or in bulk. Further, as a matter of course, the power generation system 1 can provide at least the pure water and the electric power for operating the device together or collectively for the device other than the autoclave that handles pure water.

Further, the pure water (water vapor) supplied from the fuel cell unit 3 can be used in the hospital 8 as chemical preparation water, instrument washing water, dialysis water, or the like, or as a raw material thereof. By the way, the pure water used in the hospital 8 as described above has a predetermined water quality standard set according to its use, and even if the pure water (water vapor) is supplied from the fuel cell unit 3, even if the pure water (water vapor) is supplied from the fuel cell unit 3. The pure water (steam) is further subjected to a predetermined treatment to obtain water quality that satisfies the standard, and then provided. For example, dialysis water must be pure water that complies with predetermined ISO standards, and in particular, hard water softening treatment or ultrafiltration treatment to remove endotoxin, chloramine, etc. and prevent the onset of complications in dialysis patients. Etc. are required.

The technical matters related to the power generation device 2 and the hospital 8 as described above can be summarized as follows.
[Technical matter 1]
A power generation device that supplies the power, water, and nitrogen to a device, facility, or building that provides services or produces products using electricity, water, and nitrogen.
A power generation unit including a fuel cell that generates the electric power using the supplied fuel and air and discharges exhaust gas and water.
A nitrogen supply unit that removes or reduces components other than nitrogen from at least a part of the exhaust gas and supplies the nitrogen to the medical device, equipment, or building.
A power generation device including a water supply unit that supplies at least a part of the discharged water to the device, equipment, or building.
[Technical matter 2]
The power generation device according to technical item 1, wherein the device, equipment, or building to which the electric power, the water, and the nitrogen are provided is a medical device, a medical facility, or a hospital.
[Technical matter 3]
A power generator that supplies the power used in a device that cleans and / or sterilizes an object in heated water or in the atmosphere of water vapor generated from the heated water. hand,
A power generation unit including a fuel cell that generates at least the electric power using the supplied fuel and a gas containing oxygen and discharges water.
A power generation device including a water supply unit that supplies at least a part of the discharged water to the device as a raw material for the heated water.
[Technical matter 4]
A high-pressure steam sterilizer equipped with the power generation device described in Technical Item 3.

[Hydroponic cultivation system]
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of a power generation device (system) according to the present invention and a hydroponic cultivation system as a supply destination system.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1) described above with reference to FIG. 1 is connected to the hydroponic cultivation system 9 with electric power, heat, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, and water (pure). Water), carbon dioxide gas is supplied. Incidentally, the power generation device 2 of the present embodiment includes a rainwater recovery unit 43, which will be described later, in addition to the various configuration units shown in FIG.

This hydroponics stem 9 is
(9a) A hydroponic cultivation unit 91 equipped with a cultivation table 911 capable of hydroponic cultivation of plants such as medicinal herbs and vegetables, and an LED lighting device 912 as a photosynthetic light source.
(9b) Purification unit 93, nitrogen fixation unit 92, and
(9c) It is equipped with a fertilizer unit 94.

Of these, the hydroponics unit 91 is
(9a1) The carbon dioxide gas received from the power generation device 2 creates a carbon dioxide-rich environment suitable for plant growth.
(9a2) In that environment, use the water also supplied from the power generation device 2 to secure the cultivation water required for the cultivation table 911.
(9a3) The heat received from the power generation device 2 controls the air temperature and water temperature in the carbon dioxide-rich environment and cultivated water to those suitable for plant growth.
(9a4) The LED lighting device 912 is driven by the electric power supplied from the power generation device 2 to realize illumination light having a wavelength band and intensity change suitable for the growth of the plant to be cultivated.

Further, the nitrogen immobilization unit 92 receives nitrogen gas (or off gas) from the power generation device 2, and further fixes the nitrogen content in the nitrogen gas by using hydrogen gas, electric power, and heat supplied from the power generation device 2. Specifically, according to the known Habor Bosch method, nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas are heated at high temperature (about 400 to about 600 ° C.) and high pressure (about 200) by using the electric power and heat supplied from the power generation device 2 in combination. ~ Approximately 400 atm) and reacted under a catalyst such as iron (Fe) to produce _{ammonia (NH 3).}

Conventionally, this nitrogen fixation treatment has been a difficult process to carry out because it requires not only a large amount of nitrogen and hydrogen but also a large amount of energy, including the production of hydrogen gas from fossil fuel. However, according to the present embodiment, not only the raw material for nitrogen fixation but also a large amount of required energy is prepared collectively or collectively in the form of electric power and calorific value in the nitrogen fixation unit 92. Since it can be provided, this nitrogen fixation treatment can be carried out more easily.

Incidentally, the hydrogen gas used in the nitrogen immobilization unit 92 is not limited to that generated by the electrolysis unit 42, for example, hydrogen separated from the off gas of the fuel cell unit 3 by the hydrogen removal unit 32 (FIG. 1). It may be a gas or a hydrogen gas generated by the gas reforming unit 31 (FIG. 1). Of course, these hydrogen gases can be collectively used as hydrogen gas obtained from a stored hydrogen tank.

Further, the purification unit 93 collects excrement of humans and animals who have ingested medicines and foods including herbs and vegetables cultivated in the hydroponic cultivation unit 91, and produces fertilizer in the fertilizer unit 94. Produce raw materials for. Further, the fertilizer unit 94 obtains ammonia and fertilizer raw materials from the nitrogen fixation unit 92 and the purification unit 93, respectively, and produces nitrogen fertilizer, potash fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer under a known fertilizer cycle.

Incidentally, if seawater can be obtained, the fertilizer unit 94 may obtain potassium content from the seawater to produce potassium fertilizer. In addition, when igneous rocks are acquired, it is also possible to produce potash fertilizers and phosphate fertilizers using the potassium content and phosphate content contained in the igneous rocks.

These produced fertilizers may be sold as products, or may be supplied to, for example, a cultivation table 911 while automatically adjusting their amounts. In the cultivation table 911, cultivation water is generated from the supplied fertilizer and the water supplied from the power generation device 2. Incidentally, this water can be supplied by dropping from above the cultivation table 911 as artificial rain in the hydroponic cultivation unit 91, for example.

Further, the cultivation table 911 drives the moving device of the cultivation bed 911a by using the electric power supplied from the power generation device 2, and moves the cultivation bed 911a in the vertical direction according to the water level of the cultivation water and the growth degree of the plant to be cultivated. You may move it to. As a result, a cultivation water environment suitable for growth is maintained, and for example, root rot is prevented. Such adjustment of the vertical position of the cultivation bed 911a is also effective when cultivating root vegetables such as medicinal herbs and vegetables. For example, licorice is a medicinal herb with high added value as a material for Chinese herbs, but its roots usually grow to 1 m or more. Therefore, soil cultivation requires a considerable amount of labor for harvesting, and hydroponics also has a problem of the water level of the cultivated water. Even such licorice can be easily harvested after being sufficiently grown by adjusting the position of the cultivation bed 911a according to the growth of roots.

Further, although it is another embodiment, it is also possible to cultivate plankton and fish in the aquarium in the cultivation table 911 or in the aquarium separately installed and similarly adjusted for the environment. For example, oxygen generated by cultivating a large amount of phytoplankton may be recovered and stored in an oxygen tank provided in, for example, the power generation device 2.

Here, also in the electrolysis unit 42 (electrolysis cell 421) shown in FIG. 11 (although it has already been explained with reference to FIG. 1), by using the positive electrode that originally generates oxygen gas as the carbon electrode, The generated oxygen and the carbon of the electrode are combined to generate carbon dioxide. In the present embodiment, this carbon dioxide is supplied to the hydroponic cultivation unit 91 to promote the growth of the plant to be cultivated, and the depleted carbon content in the carbon electrode is fixed by the grown plant ( It is also possible to construct a recycling system that replenishes with carbon content including carbon (such as starch).

Further, the rainwater recovery unit 43 of the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1) shown in FIG. 11 collects rainwater so that rain can also be used as a water resource, and stores it in a pure water tank (or water tank) in the power generation device 2. do. At this time, the collected rainwater
(A) Use a filtration device or an ion exchange device to make water of higher purity,
(B) Distillation using the heat of the power storage unit 51,
(C) It is also preferable to adjust the pH to a predetermined range of water quality by adjusting the pH using the ammonia generated by the nitrogen fixation unit 92 and then stockpile the water.

Further, the rainwater recovery unit 43 may be installed on the roof of a high-rise building, for example, as a component of the power generation system 1. In this case, the collected rainwater is dropped toward a tank installed on the ground via a water pipe, a micro-hydroelectric power generation device is installed in the middle of the water pipe to generate power using the potential energy of the rainwater, and the generated power is stored. It is also preferable to store it in the unit 51.

As described above, various modes that can be carried out in the system formed by the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1) and the hydroponic cultivation system 9 have been described with reference to FIG. In any case, it is understood that the power generation device 2 (power generation system 1) and the hydroponic cultivation system 9 exhibit the appearance of one artificial ecosystem depending on the mode.

Therefore, for example, if an energy / material cycle system independent of the external environment (to some extent or for a long period of time) is constructed by using the present invention, the environment such as polar regions, isolated islands, deserts, outer space, satellites, and planetary surfaces can be constructed. In this case as well, it is possible to establish a production system for desired plants and the like. In any case, it is possible to construct an efficient device / system in terms of energy / substance generation / consumption.

The technical items related to the hydroponic cultivation system 9 as described above can be summarized as follows.
[Technical matter 1]
A power generation device or system that supplies electric power required for cultivation to a cultivation device for cultivating a plant.
A power generation unit including a fuel cell that generates the electric power using the supplied fuel and air and discharges water.
A power generation device or system including a water supply unit that supplies at least a part of the discharged water to the cultivation device or system.
[Technical matter 2]
A cultivation system including the power generation device or system described in Technical Item 1 and the cultivation device.
A nitrogen-fixing unit that fixes the nitrogen gas content contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit,
A cultivation system characterized in that it further includes a fertilizer-forming section for producing fertilizer used in the cultivation apparatus by using the nitride produced by immobilization in the nitrogen-fixing section.
[Technical matter 3]
A method of fixing nitrogen using a fuel cell that generates electricity using fuel and air and an electrolyzer capable of electrolyzing water or water vapor.
Nitrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell and hydrogen gas generated by the electrolyzer are acquired.
Using the electric power generated by the fuel cell, the nitrogen gas and the hydrogen gas are brought into a state of having a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature and a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure.
A nitrogen fixation method characterized by reacting the nitrogen gas in the state and the hydrogen gas under a predetermined catalyst.
[Technical matter 4]
The nitrogen fixation method according to technical item 3, wherein the electrolysis device electrolyzes water or water vapor by electric power generated by a solar cell installed in advance to generate the hydrogen gas.

As described above, according to the present invention, not only the electric power generated by the power generation unit (fuel cell unit) provided with the fuel cell but also the energy required by the supply destination device or system for the supply destination device or system. The substances can be supplied in bulk or in bulk.

As a matter of course, the supply destination device or system is not limited to the one described above. For example, a laser processing apparatus or system that generates a processing laser by electric power and blows nitrogen gas onto a work piece during processing also falls under this supply destination apparatus or system. According to the present invention, in particular, it is possible to easily satisfy the requirements for a supply destination device / system that requires at least a large amount of electric power and a large amount of nitrogen gas.

It should be noted that all of the embodiments described above are exemplary and not limited to the present invention, and the present invention can be carried out in various other modifications and modifications. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

1 Power generation system 2 Power generation equipment 20 Control unit 3 Fuel cell unit (power generation unit)
30 Fuel cell 31 Gas reforming unit 32 Hydrogen removal unit 33, 33'Oxygen removal unit 34 Heat exchange unit 35, 35' Distributor 351 Oxygen concentration measurement sensor 36 Air filter 37 Inverter 38 Nitrogen tank 41 Solar cell unit 421 Electrolysis cell 422, 422'Parabola reflector 423, 423' Heat absorption tube 42 Electrolysis unit 43 Rainwater recovery unit 51 Storage unit 52 Heat storage unit 53 Thermoelectric power generation unit 6 Convenience store
61, 65 Flyer 611, 651 Oil tank 612, 652 Heater 613, 653, 682, 731 Heat exchange tube 614 Temperature controller 614a Temperature sensor 615, 723 Power line 621, 654, 681 Nitrogen supply tube 622 Blower 623 Cooler 631, 655 Hydrogen Supply pipe 641 Conveyor 656 Power regulator 68 Showcase 683 Heating lighting 69 High temperature water supply 71 Atmosphere furnace 711 Mixer / distributor 712 Nitrogen / hydrogen supply pipe 721 Roller hearth 722 Roller hearth control unit 8 Hospital 9 Hydroponic cultivation system 91 Hydroponic Cultivation unit 911 Cultivation table 911a Cultivation floor 912 LED lighting device 92 Nitrogen immobilization unit 93 Purification unit 94 Fertilizer unit

Claims (18)

A power generation device that supplies electric power used for processing to a processing device or processing system that processes a work piece by putting it in a heated medium.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
At least a portion of the exhaust gas to convert at least that of entering a for covering the surface of the medium workpiece, the oxygen partial reduced or gas becomes substantially zero, and supplies to the processing device or processing system and an inert gas supply unit,
The processing apparatus as hydrogen gas for suppressing oxidation of the medium by mixing the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas into the medium, while being contained in the exhaust gas or separated from the exhaust gas. Alternatively, a power generation device including a hydrogen supply unit for supplying the medium of the processing system. The first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that it further includes a hydrogen removing unit that separates and takes out the hydrogen gas supplied to the medium of the processing apparatus or the processing system by using a hydrogen separation membrane from the exhaust gas containing the hydrogen gas. The power generation device described. The inert gas supply unit separates oxygen gas from the exhaust gas using a nitrogen-enriched film that allows oxygen to pass through more than nitrogen, and at least a part of the exhaust gas is reduced or substantially zero in oxygen content. The power generation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas is converted into gas. It also has a hydrogen gas generator that processes the supplied material to generate the hydrogen gas contained in the fuel.
The inert gas supply unit acquires a part of the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generation unit, and reacts the hydrogen gas with the oxygen gas content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit using a catalyst. shall be the or substantially zero reduces the oxygen partial in the exhaust gas
Power generator according to any one of the this claim, wherein 3. Hydrogen gas supplied to the power generation unit in order to reduce or reduce the oxygen content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit to almost zero, and to adjust the molar ratio of the excess hydrogen gas in the exhaust gas. The power generation device according to claim 4 , further comprising a control unit that controls the amount of the fuel including the above and the amount of the gas containing oxygen supplied to the power generation unit. Claim 1 is further provided with a processing heat transfer unit that transfers heat generated during power generation by the power generation unit to the processing apparatus or processing system so as to be used for heating the medium. The power generation device according to any one of 5 to 5. The processing apparatus provided with the component of the power generation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the supplied gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content is used as the surface of the medium. A processing apparatus characterized in that the hydrogen gas supplied is mixed with the medium. A power generation system that supplies electric power used for processing to a processing device or processing system that processes a work piece by putting it in a heated medium.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
At least a portion of the exhaust gas to convert at least that of entering a for covering the surface of the medium workpiece, the oxygen partial reduced or gas becomes substantially zero, and supplies to the processing device or processing system and an inert gas supply unit,
The processing apparatus as hydrogen gas for suppressing oxidation of the medium by mixing the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas into the medium, while being contained in the exhaust gas or separated from the exhaust gas. Alternatively, a power generation system including a hydrogen supply unit for supplying the medium of the processing system. The processing system including the power generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the power generation system according to claim 8 as a component, wherein the supplied oxygen content is reduced or substantially zero. A processing system characterized in that the surface of the medium is covered with the gas that has become, and the supplied hydrogen gas is mixed into the medium. A power generation device that supplies electric power to a processing device or processing system that heats an object to be heated with electric power in a non-oxidizing atmosphere for processing.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
It is provided with an inert gas supply unit that converts at least a part of the exhaust gas into a gas having a reduced oxygen content or substantially zero oxygen content that can be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere and supplies the gas to the processing apparatus or processing system. And
In order to allow the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas to be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere, the inert gas supply unit also uses the hydrogen gas contained in the gas whose oxygen content has been reduced or removed, or the exhaust gas. A power generation device characterized in that hydrogen gas separated from the above is also supplied to the processing device or processing system. The 10 . Power generator. The inert gas supply unit separates oxygen gas from the exhaust gas using a nitrogen-enriched film that allows oxygen to pass through more than nitrogen, and at least a part of the exhaust gas is reduced or substantially zero in oxygen content. The power generation device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the gas is converted into gas. It also has a hydrogen gas generator that processes the supplied material to generate the hydrogen gas contained in the fuel.
The inert gas supply unit acquires a part of the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen gas generation unit, and reacts the hydrogen gas with the oxygen gas content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit using a catalyst. shall be the or substantially zero reduces the oxygen partial in the exhaust gas
Power generator according to any one of claims 10, wherein the this 12. Hydrogen gas supplied to the power generation unit in order to reduce or reduce the oxygen content in the exhaust gas discharged from the power generation unit to almost zero, and to adjust the molar ratio of the excess hydrogen gas in the exhaust gas. 13. The power generation device according to claim 13, further comprising a control unit that controls the amount of the fuel including the above and the amount of the gas containing oxygen supplied to the power generation unit. It is further provided with a processing heat transfer unit that transfers the heat generated during power generation by the power generation unit to the processing apparatus or processing system so as to be used for heating the object to be heated. The power generation device according to any one of claims 10 to 14. The processing apparatus including the component of the power generation apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 15 , wherein the supplied gas having a reduced or substantially zero oxygen content is supplied. A processing apparatus characterized in that the hydrogen gas is used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere. A power generation system that supplies electric power to a processing device or processing system that heats an object to be heated with electric power in a non-oxidizing atmosphere for processing.
Using a gas containing fuel and oxygen containing hydrogen gas, a power generating unit for causing a cell reaction to generate the power, comprising a fuel cell for discharging exhaust gas containing excessive amount of hydrogen gas in the state of hydrogen excess,
It is provided with an inert gas supply unit that converts at least a part of the exhaust gas into a gas having a reduced oxygen content or substantially zero oxygen content that can be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere and supplies the gas to the processing apparatus or processing system. And
In order to allow the hydrogen gas contained in the exhaust gas to be used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere, the inert gas supply unit also uses the hydrogen gas contained in the gas whose oxygen content has been reduced or removed, or the exhaust gas. A power generation system characterized in that hydrogen gas separated from the above is also supplied to the processing apparatus or processing system. The processing system including the power generation device according to any one of claims 10 to 15 or the power generation system according to claim 17 as a component, wherein the supplied oxygen content is reduced or substantially zero. A processing system characterized in that the resulting gas and the supplied hydrogen gas are used as the non-oxidizing atmosphere.

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