JPH01195672A - Structure of fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the number of pipelines, improve the workability at the time of installation, and reduce the installation area by concentrating pipelines into a common bus pipe partitioning the inside of inlet and outlet pipelines and extracting the common bus pipe to the outside of a container. CONSTITUTION:An air inlet pipeline 4 and an air outlet pipeline 5 are provided below manifolds 1 and 2, the pipelines 4 and 5 are communicated to a common bus pipe 3 dividing the inside in two. The common bus pipe 3 is divided in two by a partition plate 3c provided in it into an air inlet passage 3a and an air outlet passage 3b, an air inlet pipeline 4 and an air outlet pipeline 5 are connected to them respectively. The common bus pipe 3 is extracted to the outside from a container 8 storing a cell main body, manifolds 1 and 2 and air inlet and outlet pipelines 4 and 5. Pipelines are concentrated into the common bus pipe 3, thereby the number of pipelines can be made minimum, the installation area and installation work processes are reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and particularly to a structure of a fuel cell suitable for reducing the installation area.

[Conventional technology]

Fuel and air gas are required to operate a fuel cell, and conventional methods for drawing fuel and air gas out of the smoke cell container are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-42876 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 61-104566. As stated in the publication, inlet and outlet piping were provided separately, and in order to separate fuel and air gas, the structure was such that they were drawn out from at least four locations.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, a fuel cell includes a plurality of manifolds and inlet/outlet pipes attached to each manifold in addition to the cell main body, and in practical use, these are usually housed in a container and the pipes are drawn out from the bottom of the container. . When attempting to install a fuel cell having such a structure at a desired location, there are problems such as the large number of pipes, which impairs workability during installation, and requires a large installation area.

The present invention seeks to solve these installation problems.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a battery main body, a plurality of manifolds that supply fuel and air to the battery main body, an inlet/outlet pipe provided in each of the manifolds for supplying and exhausting fuel and air, and a container housing them. In the fuel cell constructed by the following, the problem was solved by consolidating the inside of the inlet/outlet pipes into a partitioned common main pipe, and by creating a structure in which the common main pipe is drawn out to the outside of the container. In addition, one pair each of fuel and air inlet/outlet piping is combined by the common main pipe.
You can consolidate them into a book, or you can consolidate them all into one common main pipe.

[Effect]

By combining the fuel electrode outlet and inlet piping into one, it becomes half the conventional extraction piping, plus the air electrode outlet.

By reducing the number of inlet pipes to one, the number of outgoing pipes can be reduced to 1/4.

In the present invention, fuel and air to be fed into the fuel cell flow from a common main pipe led out of the fuel cell container to the fuel and air inlet piping, and enter the cell main body from the inlet manifold. The spent fuel and air then return to the common main pipe from the outlet manifold through the outlet pipe, and are exhausted to the outside of the fuel cell container through the opposite side of the partitioned common main pipe.

〔Example〕

Examples of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

Although FIG. 1 shows an example of an air system that supplies fuel cells, the fuel system has a similar structure.

The manifold that supplies air to the battery body (not shown) is composed of a pair of air inlet manifold 1 provided on one side of the battery body (not shown) and air outlet manifold 2 provided on the other side, each manifold 1°2. An air inlet pipe 4 and an air outlet pipe 5 are provided at the lower part of each of the pipes. Piping 4
, 5 communicate with a common main pipe 3 which has a partial interior, but this common main pipe is divided into two parts by a partition plate 3C provided inside the common main pipe 3 as shown in FIG. It is divided into air outlet passages 3b, each of which is connected to the air inlet pipe 4 and the air outlet pipe 5. and,
The common main pipe 3 is drawn out from a container 8 that houses the battery main body, each manifold 1, 2, and air outlet pipes 4, 5.

For this reason, air flows in from the air population 6 at the bottom of the common main pipe 3, flows through the air passage 3a on one side of the common main pipe 3 in the direction of the arrow, is supplied from the air inlet manifold 1 to the battery body (not shown), and is used as a battery. The air passes through the air outlet manifold 2, flows through the air outlet passage 3b on the opposite side of the common main pipe 3 in the direction of the arrow, and is exhausted from the air outlet lower.

Therefore, the air piping that was required at two locations in the container 8 is consolidated into 31 common main pipes.

Figure 3 shows an example where air and fuel piping are combined into one.

As shown in FIG. 4, the common main pipe 3-1 is internally divided into four sections by two partition plates 3-1a and 3-1b in a cross shape. And the separated part is air inlet passage 3-1
0, an air outlet passage 3-1d, a fuel inlet passage 3-10, and a fuel outlet passage 3-1f. These passages 3-1c, 3-1d, 31e,
3-1 f communicates with the air inlet pipe 4, the air outlet pipe 5, the fuel inlet pipe 9, and the fuel outlet pipe 10 at the upper end, and the lower end communicates with the air population 6. Air outlet lower, fuel population 11. It communicates with the fuel outlet 12. Therefore, the fuel is transferred from the fuel population 11 to the fuel inlet passage 3 that constitutes 1/4 space of the common main pipe 3-1.
-1e to the fuel inlet manifold 13, and the used fuel is exhausted from the fuel outlet 12 through the fuel outlet manifold 14, through the fuel outlet passage 3-1f. For this reason, fuel and air are fed through one common main pipe discharged from the container 8.

can be discharged.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the conventional fuel cell, which requires a large number of pipes for supplying and exhausting fuel and air, is consolidated into a common main pipe, so that the number of pipes can be reduced to a minimum. Therefore, there are cost reduction effects such as a reduction in the installation area and a significant reduction in the number of installation work hours.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view including a partial cross section showing the main part of the invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view including a partial cross section of the main part. 1... Air inlet manifold, 2... Air outlet manifold, 3.3-1-... Common main pipe, 3C, 3-1a
. 3-1b... Partition plate, 4... Air inlet piping, 5.
...Air outlet piping, 9...Fuel inlet piping, 10...
Fuel outlet piping, 13...Fuel inlet manifold, 14
...Fuel outlet manifold.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A battery main body, a plurality of manifolds supplying fuel and air to the battery main body, inlet/outlet pipes provided in each of the manifolds for supplying and exhausting fuel and air, and a container housing them. 1. A structure of a fuel cell, characterized in that the inlet/outlet pipes are integrated into a common main pipe whose interior is partitioned, and the common main pipe is drawn out to the outside of the container. 2. The fuel cell structure according to claim 1, wherein the common main pipe is formed by combining each pair of fuel inlet/outlet pipes and air inlet/outlet pipes into one pipe. 3. The structure of a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the common main pipe is formed by combining a fuel inlet/outlet pipe and an air inlet/outlet pipe into one.