JPH08233321A - Ventilator for fuel battery power generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a ventilator, capable of detecting the deterioration of a ventilating capacity due to the clogging of a filter surely and permitting the efficient operation of a fuel battery power generating device with a high safetiness. CONSTITUTION: A filter 6, installed in the ventilating air introducing part of a ventilating device, is incorporated so that the lower end thereof is inserted into a groove, formed by a casing 1 and an outside air introducing port 5, with some play while the upper end thereof is pushed against the internal surface of the outside air introducing port 5 by the expanding force of a compression spring inserted between a supporting body, provided in the casing 1, and a pushing piece 10, further, a limit switch 11 is provided on the casing 1 so that the actuator of the same is pushed by the pushing piece 10. When the filter 6 is clogged, a pressure loss is increased and the filter 6 receives an external force whereby the upper end of the filter 6 is moved toward the inside of the casing 1 against the expanding force of the spring. When the amount of displacement has arrived at a predetermined value, the actuator becomes free and outputs an abnormal signal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ventilation device for preventing explosion and heating of internal electric equipment of a fuel cell power generator of a package type.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A fuel cell power generator comprises a fuel cell main body and a reformer as main components, and reforms raw fuel such as methane into a gas having a high hydrogen concentration by using steam in the reformer. The reformed gas is supplied to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell main body, and at the same time, the reaction air is supplied to the air electrode to generate electricity by an electrochemical reaction.

Among the fuel cell power generators, an on-site type fuel cell power generator which is directly installed and operated at a demand destination requires a small installation area and a small number of on-site installation work steps. , A type called a package type in which the above-mentioned fuel cell main body, reformer, and related process control equipment are housed in a housing at a high density in advance has been developed and used in the factory. There is.

In this package type fuel cell power generator, the process control equipment is housed in the housing housing the fuel cell main body and the reformer as described above, and the blower, pump, automatic valve, etc. are electrically operated. Drive control equipment is included. Therefore, when flammable gas such as methane or reformed gas leaks from the fuel cell body or reformer, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of an explosion accident in which these devices serve as ignition sources. In general, a method is adopted in which a device is used and a ventilator is installed to force ventilation so that the concentration of leaked gas in the housing is below the explosion limit. Note that if the ambient temperature inside the housing rises due to heat radiation from devices that operate at high temperatures, such as the fuel cell main unit and reformer, precision equipment such as control valves and sensors will be thermally deteriorated and damaged. The device also plays a role of introducing outside air to lower the ambient temperature in the housing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a simplified basic structure of a conventional ventilation device of a package type fuel cell power generator. Inside the rectangular parallelepiped casing 1, the fuel cell main body 2,
The reformer 3 and a process control device (not shown) are housed. An outside air introduction port 5 is provided in an opening on one side surface of the housing 1, a filter 6 is arranged on the inner surface of the outside air introduction port 5, and a ventilation fan 4 is provided inside the housing 1 facing the filter 6. is set up. An exhaust port 7 is provided on the opposite side surfaces of the housing 1, and a temperature sensor 8 is installed inside the housing 1 near the exhaust port 7.

In this structure, when the ventilation fan 4 is operated, the outside air is sucked from the opening of the outside air introduction port 5 to reach the filter 6, and the filter 6 cleans foreign matter such as dust and dust. Goes inside the housing 1,
As shown by the arrows in the figure, the fuel cell body 2 and the reformer 3
After passing through the periphery of a device for process control (not shown), it is discharged from the exhaust port 7. Therefore, even if the flammable gas leaks from the fuel cell main body 2 or the reforming device 3, it is discharged from the exhaust port 7 together with the flowing air, so that the leaked gas concentration inside the casing 1 is below the explosion limit. And is cooled by the air flowing therethrough, so that the housing 1
The ambient temperature inside the tank will also be kept low.

When the fuel cell power generator is operated for a long period of time, trapped foreign matters in the atmosphere are accumulated and the filter 6 is clogged, and the amount of air taken in gradually decreases to lower the ventilation capacity. If ventilation capacity is significantly reduced, case 1
Since the atmosphere temperature inside the vehicle becomes high and the concentration of leaked gas may exceed the explosion limit, there is a risk of causing thermal damage to internal equipment and, in the worst case, causing a serious accident such as an explosion accident. In FIG. 4, a temperature sensor 8 installed inside the housing 1 in the vicinity of the exhaust port 7 is installed to detect a decrease in ventilation capacity, and detects the temperature of the air at the outlet of the housing 1. Measured and monitored the difference from the temperature measured by another thermometer (not shown) installed outside the housing 1, and if the value is below the set value, the ventilation capacity has dropped below the reference value. The method of judging is adopted.

[0008]

As described above, the exhaust port 7
The change in ventilation capacity can be evaluated by measuring the temperature of the circulating air in the vicinity of the temperature sensor 8; however, the temperature of the air is affected by the amount of heat dissipated by the equipment, and the fuel cell power generator operates at a low load. In this case, since the amount of heat radiation is small, even if the ventilation capacity is lowered, the temperature of the flowing air in the vicinity of the exhaust port 7 changes only slightly, and the detection accuracy of the temperature sensor 8 becomes insufficient. In addition, since there is a drift of the circulating air inside the housing 1, and the pattern thereof varies depending on the flow rate of the ventilation air, the change in the average flow rate of the ventilation air cannot be evaluated by the measurement with one temperature sensor 8. There is a problem that the measurement accuracy is poor.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reliably detect a decrease in ventilation capacity due to clogging of a filter, and perform appropriate maintenance work to generate fuel cell power. An object of the present invention is to provide a ventilation device that can be operated efficiently with high safety.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an outside air introduction port provided on a side surface of a housing for accommodating components of a fuel cell power generator and an inside surface of the outside air introduction port. In a ventilator for a fuel cell power generator, which comprises a filter disposed in close proximity to the air conditioner, a ventilation fan installed inside the housing facing the filter, and an exhaust port arranged on the other surface of the housing. , One end of the filter is rotatably installed on the inner surface of the outside air inlet, and the opposite end is installed by pressure contact with the outside air inlet or the side surface of the housing using a spring, and the filter is housed by a force applied from the outside of the housing. The contacts are installed inside the body so that they can be opened and closed by the displacement of the movement of the filter, and the contacts that generate an open / close signal are incorporated.

Further, the contact is a contact for issuing an opening / closing signal to a control device connected to at least one of the alarm device and the driving power source for the ventilation fan. Furthermore, the alarm device is at least one of an alarm lamp and an alarm buzzer. In addition, the above contacts are limit switches.

[0012]

As described above, when the filter is disposed close to the inner surface of the outside air inlet of the ventilation device of the fuel cell power generator and the outside air is sucked from the outside air inlet by the ventilation fan, the outside air flowing through the filter A pressure loss occurs corresponding to the flow rate of, and a force corresponding to this pressure loss is applied from the outside to the inside. As the filter becomes more clogged, the pressure loss increases and the force applied from the outside also increases.

Therefore, one end of the filter is rotatably mounted on the inner surface of the outside air introducing port, and the other end is installed by pressure contact with the outside air introducing port or the side surface of the housing with a spring to install the filter in the housing. If the filter is installed so that it can be moved inside the housing by the force applied from the outside, the filter stays in the position where it contacts the side surface of the housing because the force applied from the outside is small when the filter is less clogged. When the clogging progresses, the force applied from the outside increases, and the force moves to the inside of the housing against the force of the spring.

Therefore, if a contact that opens and closes by a displacement of movement of the filter and outputs an opening / closing signal, for example, a limit switch is incorporated, when the clogging of the filter progresses, a signal instructing the progress of the clogging is obtained. It will be. Further, by sending this signal to the control device and sending a control signal to an alarm device, for example, an alarm lamp or an alarm buzzer, an alarm can be issued, and it can be sent to the drive power source of the ventilation fan to increase the ventilation volume.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a basic configuration around an outside air inlet showing an embodiment of a ventilation device for a fuel cell power generator of the present invention, showing an operating state when a clean filter is incorporated. is there.

A filter 6 is incorporated in contact with the inner surface of an outside air introduction port 5 installed in an opening on the side surface of the housing 1.
A lower end thereof is formed by a supporting edge portion provided in an extension portion to the inside of the housing 1 connected to a ventilation fan support 4a for mounting and supporting a ventilation fan (not shown) and an inner surface of the outside air inlet 5. It is inserted with a margin in the groove, and the upper end is
A support and a pushing piece 1 provided in an extension part of the housing 1 to the inside.
It is pressed against the inner surface of the outside air introduction port 5 by the extension force of the compression spring 9 inserted between 0 and 0. A limit switch 11 is fixedly attached to the housing 1 near the compression spring 9, and the actuator of the limit switch 11 is pressed by a pushing piece 10. Since the filter 6 is not clogged and is in a normal state, when the ventilation fan is operated to introduce outside air into the housing 1 from the outside air inlet 5, the pressure loss of the circulating air generated in the filter 6 is small. And therefore the filter 6 by the introduction of ambient air.
Since the external force acting from the outside to the inside is small, the extension force of the compression spring 9 overcomes this external force and presses the filter 6 against the inner surface of the outside air inlet 5.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an operating state in the ventilator of the fuel cell power generator of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 when the filter is clogged and the ventilation capacity is lowered. Since all the constituent elements are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted. If the clogging of the filter 6 progresses, the pressure loss of the circulating air increases, and the filter 6 receives a large external force that acts in the inward direction of the housing 1 corresponding to the pressure loss. Therefore, if the external force acting on the filter 6 exceeds the extension force of the compression spring 9 in the normal arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the compression spring 9 is compressed, and the upper end of the filter 6 corresponds to the compression amount of the housing 1. It will be pushed inside. As the external force acting on the filter 6 increases, the compression amount of the compression spring 9 increases, the displacement of the upper end of the filter 6 into the housing 1 also increases, and when the displacement amount increases, the actuator of the limit switch 11 moves from the pushing piece 10. Leave and become free. That is, when clogging of the filter 6 progresses and the ventilation capacity becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the filter 6 is displaced, and the actuator of the limit switch 11 attached to the upper end of the filter 6 is separated from the pushing piece 10 and connected to the limit switch 11. It will send a signal to the device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a structural example of equipment connected to the limit switch 11 of the embodiment of the ventilator of the fuel cell power generator shown in FIG. When the ventilation capacity falls below a predetermined value, the control device 12 causes the limit switch 1
1 receives a signal from the alarm lamp 13 and the alarm buzzer 1
4 to send a control signal to turn on or blink the alarm lamp 13 and generate an alarm sound from the alarm buzzer 14 to notify the maintenance staff of the abnormality. Further, the control device 12 sends a control signal to the drive control device of the ventilation fan 4, for example, the VVVF inverter 15, to increase the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 4 to increase the intake amount of the outside air and to increase the ventilation capacity. By controlling the ventilation fan 4 in this way, it becomes possible to maintain a normal ventilation state even during the waiting time before the maintenance work of the filter 6 is started. In addition, if the control device 12 is provided with a timer function to increase the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 4 only for a certain period of time and control so as to automatically stop after that, there is no margin in the capacity of the ventilation fan 4 and there is no choice but to perform overload operation. It is possible to effectively deal with the case where there is no.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the outside air introduction port provided on the side surface of the housing for accommodating the components of the fuel cell power generator and the inside surface of the outside air introduction port are arranged close to each other. In a ventilation device for a fuel cell power generator, which comprises a filter, a ventilation fan installed inside the housing facing the filter, and an exhaust port arranged on the other surface of the housing, one end of the filter is introduced into the outside air. It is installed rotatably on the inner surface of the mouth, and the opposite end is installed by pressure contact with the outside air introduction port or the side surface of the housing using a spring, and the filter can be moved inside the housing by the force applied from the outside of the housing. Since it is installed and a contact that opens and closes by the displacement of the movement of the filter and outputs an opening and closing signal, such as a limit switch, is incorporated, changes in ventilation capacity due to the progress of filter clogging can be directly observed. When the ventilation capacity falls below a predetermined value, a signal indicating an abnormality is obtained.Therefore, by performing appropriate maintenance work, it is possible to obtain a ventilation system that allows the fuel cell power generator to operate with high safety and efficiency. Became.

Further, if a signal is sent from the above-mentioned contact to a control device connected to an alarm device such as an alarm lamp or an alarm buzzer, an abnormality will be transmitted by lighting the lamp or an alarm sound. If a signal is sent to the control device connected to the drive power source of the ventilation fan, it is possible to increase the ventilation air volume and maintain the regular ventilation state, so the fuel cell power generation device can be highly safe. It is particularly suitable as a ventilation device that can be operated efficiently.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a basic configuration around an outside air inlet showing an embodiment of a ventilation device for a fuel cell power generator of the present invention,
Sectional view of the essential parts showing the operating condition when a clean filter is installed

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an operating state in the case where the filter of the ventilation device of the fuel cell power generator of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is clogged and the ventilation capacity is lowered.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of equipment connected to a limit switch 11 of the embodiment of the ventilation device of the fuel cell power generation device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a simplified basic configuration of a conventional ventilation device for a package-type fuel cell power generator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Case 4 Ventilation Fan 4a Ventilation Fan Support 5 Outside Air Inlet 6 Filter 9 Compression Spring 10 Pushing Piece 11 Limit Switch 12 Control Device 13 Alarm Lamp 14 Alarm Buzzer 15 VVVF Inverter

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An outside air inlet provided on a side surface of a housing for accommodating components of a fuel cell power generator, a filter arranged in proximity to an inner surface of the outside air inlet, and a housing facing the filter. In a ventilation device for a fuel cell power generator comprising an ventilation fan installed inside and an exhaust port arranged on the other surface of the housing, one end of the filter is rotatably incorporated on the inner surface of the outside air introduction port, One end facing the outside is introduced into the outside air inlet port or the side surface of the housing by being pressed into contact with the housing using a spring, and the filter is movably installed inside the housing by a force applied from the outside of the housing. A ventilator for a fuel cell power generator, characterized in that it incorporates a contact that opens and closes according to the displacement of movement and emits an open / close signal. 2. The fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the contact point is a contact point for issuing an opening / closing signal to a control device to which at least one of an alarm device and a driving power source for the ventilation fan is connected. Ventilation device for power generator. 3. The ventilation device for a fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the alarm device is at least one of an alarm lamp and an alarm buzzer. 4. The ventilation device for a fuel cell power generator according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the contact is a limit switch.