JPH08250140A - Drying device and drying method for hydrogen storage alloy tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a device and a method for drying an MH tank, whereby water droplets and the like that cling to the MH tank after the tank is filled with hydrogen can be removed easily and effectively in a short time. CONSTITUTION: Air fed from a blower 25 to air nozzles 23, 24 through an air duct 27 is ejected at high speed toward the inside of a space 20 from the air nozzles 23, 24. An air cylinder 40 puts a tank holder 30 into reciprocating movement so that the air blown out of the air nozzles 23, 24 spreads over the entire surface of an MH tank 50.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hydrogen storage alloy tank drying apparatus for drying a hydrogen storage alloy tank used for a fuel cell and the like, and a method for drying the hydrogen storage alloy tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hydrogen storage alloy tank (hereinafter referred to as an MH tank) is a tank in which a hydrogen storage alloy is filled, and a hydrogen storage alloy is repeatedly filled with hydrogen to repeatedly supply hydrogen. And is used as a hydrogen supply source for fuel cells and the like.

Since the reaction of occluding hydrogen in the hydrogen storage alloy is an exothermic reaction and the reaction of releasing hydrogen is an endothermic reaction, when the MH tank is filled with hydrogen in the hydrogen filling device, the MH tank is usually filled with water or the like. While cooling with the refrigerant described above, when the MH tank filled with hydrogen is set in the fuel cell or the like to supply hydrogen, the MH tank is heated.

[0004]

Therefore, a refrigerant (water) is formed on the surface of the MH tank after being filled with hydrogen by the hydrogen filling device.
There is a problem that water droplets are attached due to the adherence of water vapor or the agglomeration of water vapor in the air. When the MH tank is used in a phosphoric acid fuel cell, if water droplets are set on the surface of the MH tank while being attached, the water content lowers the concentration of phosphoric acid as an electrolyte, which also causes a drop in cell performance.

Further, when the weight of the MH tank after being filled with hydrogen is measured and the amount of hydrogen filled in the MH tank is measured based on the measured value, it is necessary to measure with the water droplets and the like attached to the surface of the MH tank. , An error occurs in the value of the hydrogen filling amount. So, in the past, after filling hydrogen with a hydrogen filling device,
Although the H tank was used after being wiped with a waste cloth etc., it is a burden on the operator because it is a manual work, and it adheres to a complicatedly shaped portion (for example, an uneven portion) on the surface of the MH tank. It is difficult to wipe off water drops, etc.
There is a problem that it takes time and labor to sufficiently remove water drops and the like on the tank surface.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a drying device for an MH tank capable of easily and effectively removing water droplets and the like attached to the MH tank after being filled with hydrogen in a short time. It is an object to provide a method for drying an MH tank.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a drying device for a hydrogen storage alloy tank for drying the hydrogen storage alloy tank after being filled with hydrogen by the hydrogen filling device. And air moving means for blowing air from the outlet, and moving means for moving the hydrogen absorbing alloy tank relative to the outlet so that the air blowing from the outlet hits the entire surface of the hydrogen absorbing alloy tank. It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 2 is different from the invention according to claim 1 in that it includes a space portion capable of accommodating a hydrogen storage alloy tank, and the air outlet blows air into the space portion. The moving means moves the hydrogen storage alloy tank so that the hydrogen storage alloy tank moves in and out of the space. Also,
The invention according to claim 3 is a drying method for drying a hydrogen storage alloy tank after filling the hydrogen storage alloy tank with hydrogen while cooling the hydrogen storage alloy tank, wherein air blown out from an air outlet is provided over the entire surface of the hydrogen storage alloy tank. The feature is that the hydrogen storage alloy tank is dried while moving relative to the air outlet so as to hit.

[0009]

According to the MH tank drying device of the first aspect, the moving means moves the MH tank relative to the outlet so that the air blown from the outlet hits the entire surface of the MH tank. Therefore, the water droplets and the like adhering to the complex-shaped portion of the surface of the MH tank are also blown off or evaporated by the blown air to be removed. Therefore, water droplets or the like can be effectively removed from the entire surface of the MH tank.

According to the MH tank drying device of the second aspect, there is provided a space portion capable of accommodating the MH tank, and the air outlet is installed so as to blow air into the space portion. Therefore, the air blown from the air outlet is M
It flows along the surface of the portion inserted into the space of the H tank, and enhances the drying effect on the surface of the MH tank. Further, the blown water droplets and the like are not scattered around because they are confined in the space.

According to the MH tank drying method of the third aspect, the MH tank is dried while moving relative to the outlet so that the air blown from the outlet hits the entire surface of the MH tank. Therefore, water droplets and the like adhering to the complex-shaped portion of the surface of the MH tank are also removed by being blown off or evaporated by the blown air. Therefore, water droplets or the like can be effectively removed from the entire surface of the MH tank.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, a drying device for an MH tank according to the present invention and an M
A method for drying the H tank will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. (Explanation of Configuration of MH Tank Drying Device) FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an MH tank drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cross section taken along line XX of FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrow B. For the sake of explanation, arrow A in the figure
The direction pointed to by is called the front, and the direction along arrow B is called the lateral direction.

The drying device 1 is a device for drying the MH tank 50 for a portable fuel cell. The MH tank 50 has a structure in which five cylindrical MH cylinders 51 filled with a hydrogen storage alloy are lined up and sandwiched by a pair of cylinder fixing plates 52, and each MH cylinder 51 is It is connected to a hydrogen supply / discharge port (not shown) of the MH tank 50.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drying device 1 is a device 1
A gantry 2 that supports the whole, a pair of base plates 4 attached to the gantry 2, an air dryer 10 that blows air to the MH tank 50 to dry it, a tank holder 30 on which the MH tank is mounted, and a tank holder 30. The air cylinder 40 is configured to reciprocate while being supported.

The pedestal 2 has a pair of columns 3 arranged side by side at intervals, and the base plate 4 extends forward from the upper part of the columns 3 and is attached in parallel with each other. The air dryer 10 has a box shape which is entirely surrounded by an outer plate 11, and is sandwiched between and supported by the base plate 4. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which a part of the front portion of the outer plate 11 is cut off so that the inside of the air dryer 10 can be seen.

Inside the air dryer 10, a space portion 20 surrounded by a space peripheral wall plate 21 is provided. The space 20 is capable of accommodating a tank holder 30 on which the MH tank 50 is placed, and a rectangular opening 22 serving as an insertion port of the MH tank 50 is provided in the upper front part of the air dryer 10. Has been formed. In addition, the space 2
With respect to 0, the upper part inclines forward with respect to the lower part at an angle of about 30 ° C. (see FIG. 2).

On the front and rear upper portions of the space peripheral wall plate 21,
A plurality of air nozzles 23, 24 for ejecting air,
It is provided along the opening 22. Further, a blower 25 is installed on the bottom plate of the air dryer 10, and the blower 25 can take in air from the outside through an air filter 26 (see FIG. 2). In addition, the air sent from the blower 25 is supplied to all the air nozzles 23, 2
A blower duct 27 (a part of which is shown in FIG. 1) is provided for feeding the air to the nozzle 4.

The air sent from the blower 25 to the air nozzles 23 and 24 through the air duct 27 is jetted from the air nozzles 23 and 24 at a high speed toward the inside of the space 20, and the arrow C in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, an air curtain is formed in the space 20 along the opening 22.
The tank holder 30 includes a front plate 31 that supports the front surface of the MH tank 50, a bottom plate 32 that supports the lower surface of the MH tank 50,
A pair of side plates 33 that suppress the lateral movement of the MH tank 50.
However, the rear surface side is open so that air can be applied from the rear over the entire rear surface of the MH tank 50.

The front plate 31 has a lateral width slightly wider than the width 53 of the MH tank 50 and a height equivalent to the height 54 of the MH tank 50, but the outer periphery required to support the front surface of the MH tank 50. The MH tank 50 is largely cut out, leaving a portion, so that air can be blown from the front over the entire front surface of the MH tank 50. Further, the upper end portions 33a of the side plates 33 extend laterally to the outside of the base plates 4 and are connected to the air cylinders 40 attached to the outer side surfaces of the base plates 4, respectively. It is designed to reciprocate while being supported.
Here, since the tank holder 30 is tilted and supported at an angle of about 30 ° C. according to the tilt of the space portion 20,
It is possible to move in and out of the space 20 with the reciprocating motion,
Further, the MH tank 50 can be stably placed on the tank holder 30.

The air cylinder 40 comprises a cylinder tube 41 fixed to the base plate 4 and a piston rod 42. The compressed air supplied from the outside causes the piston rod 42 to reciprocate. The upper end of the piston rod 42 is connected to the upper end portion 33a, and the tank holder 30 reciprocates together with the piston rod 42.

In FIG. 2, (a) shows a state in which the piston rod 42 is in the upper position and the tank holder 30 and MH tank 50 are out of the space 20, and (b) shows the piston rod 42 in the lower position. It shows a state in which the tank holder 30 and the MH tank 50 are in the position and are housed in the space portion 20. The mounting position and stroke of the air cylinder 40 are set so as to be suitable for the tank holder 30 and the MH tank 50 to move in and out of the space 20 as the piston rod 42 reciprocates. That is, the piston rods 42 are located along both sides of the space 20, and the bottom plate 32 is set to substantially coincide with the opening 22 when the piston rods 42 are in the upper position (see FIG. 2A). . Also, when the piston rod 42 is at the lower value, the upper end 33
The air cylinder 40 so that a is substantially aligned with the opening 22.
The stroke is set to the same level as the height 54 of the MH tank 50. The piston rod 42 is also held by the linear motion bearing 43 attached to the base plate 4.

With the structure of the drying device 1 as described above, when the tank holder 30 on which the MH tank 50 is mounted is reciprocated while ejecting air from the air nozzles 23 and 24, the MH tank 50 has air over its entire surface. Applied to the curtain. Then, at the place where it hits the air curtain, water droplets adhering to the surface of the MH tank 50 are blown off, and the surface of the MH tank 50 is also air-dried.

The space peripheral wall plate 21 has a function of preventing the water blown off at the time of drying the MH tank 50 from scattering around, and the water collected by the space peripheral wall plate 21 is provided at the bottom thereof. It is designed to be drained from a drain hole (not shown). Further, in the portion of the MH tank 50 inserted into the space portion 20, as shown by the arrow D in FIG. 2B, a part of the air ejected from the air nozzles 23 and 24 is on the surface of the MH tank 50. Since it flows between the space peripheral wall plate 21 and the space peripheral wall plate 21, the surface of the MH tank 50 is also dried by this air flow.

The drying device 1 is provided with a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operations of the blower 25, the air cylinder 40 and the like. (Description of Drying Method of MH Tank Using Drying Device 1) Next, a method of drying the MH tank 50 using the drying device 1 will be described.

The MH tank 50 is filled with hydrogen while being cooled by immersing the MH tank 50 in the water tank of the hydrogen filling device. The water tank is filled with water as a cooling medium. Then, the operator takes out the MH tank 50 from the water tank and puts the MH tank 50 to which water droplets are attached on the tank holder 30 of the drying device 1. Then, the switch of the drying device 1 is turned on.

When the switch of the drying device 1 is turned on,
Based on an instruction from the controller, the blower 25 is operated to eject air from the air nozzles 23 and 24, and the air cylinder 40 is operated to reciprocate the tank holder 30. This reciprocating motion is performed at a speed of one reciprocation in, for example, 20 to 30 seconds. Then, when the preset number of reciprocations (for example, 5 times) is reached, the blower 25 and the air cylinder 40 are stopped.

By the operation of the drying device 1 in this way, an air curtain is formed by the air ejected from the air nozzles 23, 24, and the M placed on the tank holder 30 is formed.
The entire surface of the H tank 50 passes through the air curtain. When passing through the air curtain, the water droplets adhering to the surface of the MH tank 50 are blown off and the surface of the MH tank 50 is also air-dried, so that the water droplets on the surface of the MH tank 50 can be effectively removed. . The blown water droplets are discharged from the drain hole.

In particular, with respect to the complicatedly shaped portion of the MH tank 50 (for example, the vicinity of the cylinder fixing plate 52 in the gap between the MH cylinders 51), it is easy to remove the adhered water by the conventional wiping method. However, it can be easily removed by this drying method.
The operator attaches the MH tank 50 thus dried to the portable fuel cell 60 and uses it as a hydrogen supply source.

(Other Matters) FIG. 3 shows the MH tank 50.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portable fuel cell that is equipped with a battery to generate electricity. As shown in the figure, the portable fuel cell 60 includes a phosphoric acid type cell stack 61, and by mounting the MH tank 50 on the portable fuel cell 60, hydrogen is supplied to the cell stack 61 through the hydrogen supply / discharge port. Done,
The battery stack 61 is configured to generate electric power by using this hydrogen as fuel.

Here, if water droplets are attached to the mounted MH tank 50, the water content of the attached water drops in the portable fuel cell 60.
The concentration of phosphoric acid diffused in the battery stack 61 and contained in the cells of the battery stack 61 as an electrolyte may be reduced to reduce the battery performance. However, the drying method of the above-described embodiment sufficiently removes water. Therefore, the influence of such moisture is prevented.

In the above embodiment, the speed at which the tank holder 30 reciprocates and the time until stopping can be set under various conditions other than the above. For example, 2
The MH tank 50 can be dried in the same manner by slowly performing one reciprocation over 3 minutes. Further, in the drying device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the MH tank 50 having the five MH cylinders 51 is dried, but the number of the MH cylinders 51 to be dried may be one or plural. Can be similarly implemented.

Further, even when the space peripheral wall plate 21 is not provided in the drying device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, although water is scattered to the periphery by the air jetted at the time of drying, the MH is similarly formed.
It is possible to dry the tank 50. Further, in the drying device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the tank holder 30 is configured to reciprocate, but the tank holder 30 is moved so that the air blown from the air nozzle is applied to the entire surface of the MH tank 50. It should be.

In the drying device 1 of the above embodiment, the air nozzles 23 and 24 are fixed, and the tank holder 3
However, it is also possible to fix the tank holder and move the air nozzle. Further, in the drying method of the above-described embodiment, the example in which the reciprocating movement of the tank holder 30 is automatically performed using the drying device 1 has been described, but this may be performed manually. In this case, the operator's manual work is involved, but it is easier than the conventional drying method, and the effect that the water droplets adhering to the MH tank can be easily removed in a short time is the same as in the above embodiment. is there.

[0034]

According to the drying apparatus and the drying method of the present invention, even in the complicatedly shaped portion of the surface of the MH tank,
The entire surface of the MH tank is dried in a short time because water is removed by the blown air. Therefore, it is not necessary for the worker to perform a manual work such as wiping with a waste cloth,
Water droplets and the like adhering to the MH tank after being filled with hydrogen can be easily and effectively removed in a short time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an MH tank drying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cross section taken along line XX of FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrow B.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portable fuel cell in which an MH tank 50 is mounted to generate power.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Dryer 10 Air Dryer 20 Space 21 Space Peripheral Wall Plates 23, 24 Air Nozzle 30 Tank Holder 40 Air Cylinder 50 Hydrogen Storage Alloy Tank

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A hydrogen storage alloy tank drying device for drying a hydrogen storage alloy tank after being filled with hydrogen by a hydrogen filling device, comprising air blowing means for blowing air from an outlet, and blowing from the outlet. A drying device for a hydrogen storage alloy tank, comprising: a moving unit that moves the hydrogen storage alloy tank relatively to the outlet so that the air that comes out hits the entire surface of the hydrogen storage alloy tank. 2. The drying device for a hydrogen storage alloy tank is provided with a space part capable of housing the hydrogen storage alloy tank, and the blowout port is installed so as to blow air into the space part, 2. The drying device for a hydrogen storage alloy tank according to claim 1, wherein the moving means moves the hydrogen storage alloy tank so that the hydrogen storage alloy tank moves in and out of the space. 3. A method for drying a hydrogen-storing alloy tank after cooling the hydrogen-storing alloy tank with hydrogen, and drying the hydrogen-storing alloy tank such that air blown from an air outlet hits the entire surface of the hydrogen-storing alloy tank. A method for drying a hydrogen storage alloy tank, comprising drying the hydrogen storage alloy tank while moving the hydrogen storage alloy tank relative to an air outlet.