KR102056267B1 - Fuel Cell Apparatus and Method for maintenance the Fuel Cell - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel cell device and a management method thereof. The fuel cell apparatus may include: a main chamber that takes the form of a box and includes a plurality of fuel cell stacks and is provided with an insulated door for entering and exiting the stack; Opening and closing means for opening and closing the insulating door; And an exchange chamber fixed to the main chamber with the insulation door interposed therebetween, in communication with an inner space of the main chamber when the insulation door is opened, and receiving a desired stack among the stacks in the main chamber therein.
The present invention made as described above, while maintaining the operation of each stack, it is possible to take out and replace only the faulty stack individually, so that there is no burden on maintenance, the device can maintain the best state, in particular the normal stack It does not suffer from this temperature change, so there is no fear of durability deterioration or shortening of life, and it enables safe maintenance.

Description

Fuel Cell Apparatus and Method for Maintenance the Fuel Cell}

The present invention relates to a fuel cell device and a management method thereof.

Fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal, which are widely used as energy sources, have limited reserves, and the alternative energy problem that replaces them is of great interest to the nation and society. For example, interest in solar power, tidal power, wind power generation and fuel cells, rather than fossil fuels such as oil and coal, is increasing.

Among the various alternative energy described above, the fuel cell generates electricity by using the reverse reaction of the electrolysis of water. The fuel cell uses hydrogen contained in hydrocarbon-based materials such as natural gas, coal gas and methanol, and oxygen in the air. It is the application of technology that converts into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions.

Unlike the existing power generation technology, which includes various processes such as fuel combustion, steam generation, turbine driving, and generator driving, it is not only highly efficient because there is no combustion process or driving device, but also air pollutants such as SOx and NOx. It emits almost no carbon dioxide and generates little carbon dioxide, and has almost no noise or vibration.

There are many kinds of such fuel cells, for example, phosphate fuel cells (PAFC), alkaline fuel cells (AFC), polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFC), direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), solid oxide fuel cells (Solid Oxide) Fuel Cell; SOFC).

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a fuel cell using a solid oxide capable of permeating oxygen or hydrogen ions as an electrolyte. Since all components are solid, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is simpler than other fuel cells. There is no problem of loss and replenishment and corrosion. In addition, it does not need a noble metal catalyst because it operates at a high temperature, it is easy to supply fuel through direct internal reforming, and has a merit of thermal combined power generation using waste heat because it discharges high-temperature gas.

The solid oxide fuel cell performs an electrode reaction as shown in the following reaction formula.

<Scheme>

_{^{Anode: H 2 + O 2 - →}} H 2 O + 2e-

_{^{CO + O 2 - → CO 2}} + 2e-

^{_{Cathode: O 2 + 4e- → 2O 2}} -

Prereaction: H ₂ + CO + O ₂ → H ₂ 0 + CO ₂

In the fuel cell operating according to the above reaction scheme, electrons reach the cathode via an external circuit, and at the same time, oxygen ions generated at the cathode are transferred to the anode through the electrolyte, whereby hydrogen or CO is combined with oxygen ions to form the electron. And water or CO ₂ .

On the other hand, the solid oxide fuel cell, a so-called stack (stack) consisting of a plurality of unit cells are stacked as a basic unit, the stack is combined in series, parallel or parallel to increase the power production capacity of the entire fuel cell system Configure

However, the above-described conventional fuel cell system has a disadvantage in that each stack is configured in series or in parallel, so that when an abnormality occurs in an arbitrary stack, it may adversely affect the neighboring stack. That is, the performance degradation of some stacks can be propagated to other stacks.

For example, if a problem occurs in one unit stack and its performance is deteriorated, currents may be caused by neighboring unit stacks, causing heat balance between the unit stacks to be destroyed, thereby greatly improving the performance of the fuel cell system. It can be degraded.

As a result, the problematic unit stack must be managed separately or replaced with a new unit stack so that the performance degradation does not propagate to other stacks.

However, in the related art, in order to replace the unit stack itself in a fuel cell system or to repair or replace an accessory element around the unit stack, the entire hot box containing the unit stack has to be shut down. That is, with the hot box itself completely stopped, the hot box was opened and the defective unit stack was replaced. This means that a working stack must be shut down to maintain some defective stacks.

The problem is that in the case of high temperature operating fuel cells such as SOFCs, the performance and lifetime of the fuel cells are very sensitive to temperature changes. For example, during shutdown and maintenance after hot box shutdown, the stack's temperature changes dramatically shorten stack life and degrade performance.

In addition, since the maintenance work is performed with the entire hot box shut down, there was a disadvantage in that electricity cannot be produced during the work. This problem is exacerbated when maintenance or replacement time is prolonged.

The present invention has been created to solve the above problems, and in the state of maintaining the operation, only a faulty stack can be individually withdrawn and repaired or replaced, so that the maintenance of the device can be maintained in the best state. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell device having an individual replacement function of a fuel cell stack and a method of managing the same, which have no fear of deterioration of durability or shortening of life due to a change in temperature of a normal stack and a safe maintenance.

A fuel cell apparatus including a hot box of the present invention for achieving the above object, the main chamber is accommodated a plurality of fuel cell stack; An exchange chamber in which the stack accommodated in the main chamber is moved and in communication with an internal space of the main chamber; And an insulating door provided between the main chamber and the exchange chamber.

In addition, the insulating door may be further provided with an opening and closing means on one side, it may be installed on the exchange chamber side in the main chamber.

In addition, the thermal insulation door is characterized in that it is arranged to correspond one-to-one to each stack.

In addition, the inside of the main chamber and the exchange chamber, characterized in that the stack moving unit for moving each stack is provided.

In addition, the stack moving unit is arranged in a straight line so that the stack is slidably moved in the main chamber and the exchange chamber, characterized in that disconnected in a predetermined space in which the insulating door is disposed.

In addition, the outer surface of each stack is further provided with a take-out hook portion, characterized in that it further comprises a stack pull-out unit for withdrawing the stack accommodated in the main chamber to the exchange chamber side.

In addition, the exchange chamber is characterized in that the access hole for receiving and passing the stack outlet portion into the exchange chamber.

In addition, the exchange chamber; A chamber case fixed to the main chamber and having an inner space for receiving the stack therein; and a sliding case fitted to the chamber case to seal the inner space of the chamber case, and slidingly moving the inner space if necessary. It characterized in that it comprises a sliding cover to open to the outside.

The exchange chamber may further include a heater for adjusting the internal temperature of the exchange chamber to the internal temperature of the main chamber.

In addition, the inside of the main chamber; One end is connected to each stack and the other end is provided with a power line extending out of the main chamber, the power line having a connector separated when the stack is drawn out to the exchange chamber and connected when the stack is placed in the main chamber. Characterized in that provided.

In addition, the inside of the main chamber; A fuel supply pipe which supplies fuel supplied from the outside to each stack and can be opened and closed by a valve, a fuel discharge pipe for guiding the discharge discharged from the stack to the outside, an air supply pipe for supplying air to each stack, and from the stack An air discharge pipe is further provided to guide the discharged unreacted air to the outside, and the fuel supply pipe, the fuel discharge pipe, the air supply pipe, and the air discharge pipe are separated and sealed when the stack moves to the exchange chamber, and the stack is the main chamber. The fuel supply pipe, the fuel discharge pipe, the air supply pipe, and the ends of the air discharge pipe are connected to the stack, and the fuel supply pipe, the fuel discharge pipe, the air discharge pipe, and the ends of the air discharge pipe are connected to the stack, It is tensioned outwardly, and the insulation door is closed so that the insulation door can be closed while the stack is moved to the exchange chamber. A groove for receiving the supply line and the fuel discharge pipe and the air discharge pipe and the air supply pipe is characterized in that it is formed.

In addition, the fuel cell management method of the present invention for achieving the above object, the first heating step of adjusting the internal temperature of the exchange chamber to the internal temperature of the main chamber; A first opening step of the insulating door to open the insulating door after completion of the first heating step; And a stack pull-out step of moving the stack inside the main chamber to the inside of the exchange chamber while the adiabatic door is opened.

In addition, after the stack is drawn out to the exchange chamber, the insulating door is first cut off step of blocking the insulating door, and further comprising a cooling step of lowering the temperature of the exchange chamber.

The method may further include a stack maintenance step of repairing or replacing a stack drawn out into the exchange chamber, and after the maintenance step is completed, a secondary heating step of matching the internal temperature of the exchange chamber with the inside of the main chamber; After the secondary heating step may further include a secondary door opening step of opening the insulation door, the stack seating step of positioning the repaired or replaced stack into the main chamber, the stack through the stack seating step After being seated in the main chamber, the insulating door is characterized in that it comprises a second door blocking step of blocking the insulating door.

In addition, after the maintenance step is completed, characterized in that it further comprises a test operation step for commissioning the stack in the exchange chamber.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings.

Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims are not to be interpreted in a conventional and dictionary sense, and the inventors may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to best explain their invention in the best way possible. Based on the principle that the present invention should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

The fuel cell device and the management method of the present invention made as described above can be repaired or replaced only by removing the faulty stack individually while maintaining the operation. In particular, the normal stack does not undergo temperature changes, so there is no fear of deterioration of durability or shortening of life, and it enables safe maintenance.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fuel cell device including a hot box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating another example of the fuel cell device illustrated in FIG. 1.
3 is a view for explaining a method for disconnecting power lines in a fuel cell apparatus including a hot box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view illustrating the stack drawer bar shown in FIG. 1 separately.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the inner rail and the outer rail shown in FIG. 1.
6 is a view for explaining the basic structure and operation method of the insulating door shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state in which the thermal insulation door shown in FIG. 2 is mounted in the main chamber.
8 is a perspective view of the thermal insulation door shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view illustrating the main chamber and the exchange chamber shown in FIG. 2 separately.
10 is a perspective view illustrating an exchange chamber in a fuel cell apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view for explaining a stack replacement method using a hot box device in a fuel cell device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flow chart illustrating a stack replacement method using a hot box apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The objects, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the preferred embodiments associated with the accompanying drawings.

In the present specification, in adding reference numerals to the elements of each drawing, it should be noted that the same elements as possible, even if displayed on different drawings have the same number as possible.

In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”, “one side”, and “other side” are used to distinguish one component from another component, and the component is defined by the terms. It is not limited.

In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related well-known techniques that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention will be omitted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Basically, the hot box apparatus 17 of this embodiment is comprised from the main chamber 13 and the exchange chamber 15. As shown in FIG. The main chamber 13 accommodates a plurality of fuel cell stacks 31 that produce power, and the exchange chamber 15 serves to provide an internal space 15g to replace the stack. In other words, the stack to be replaced from the main chamber 13 is received so that it can be replaced therein.

In particular, the hot box apparatus 17 of this embodiment has a structure designed to continue to produce power while replacing the faulty stack.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fuel cell device 11 including a hot box according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the fuel cell device 11 according to the present embodiment is a plurality of fuel cell stacks 31 which are arranged up and down while producing electricity, and take the form of a box and the fuel cell stacks 31 A main chamber 13 having a plurality of insulated doors 39 for entering and exiting the stack 31 and an exchange chamber 15 fixed to the main chambers 13 with the insulated doors 39 therebetween. It has a hot box device 17 comprising a).

In addition, the internal space 13a of the main chamber 13 passes through a reforming and heat exchanger 19 for reforming and heating fuel supplied from the outside through the supply pipe 21, and the reforming and heat exchanger 19. A fuel supply pipe 23 and a fixed tube 23a for supplying one fuel to each stack 31, and an air supply pipe 27 and a fixed tube 27a for supplying air supplied from the outside into the stack 31. ), A fuel discharge pipe 25 and a fixed tube 25a for receiving discharge discharged from the stack 31 to the outside, and an air discharge pipe 29 for receiving air discharged from the stack and leading it to the outside. And a fixed tube 29a is further installed.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a stack taking-out mechanism 45 for taking out the stack to be replaced from the stack 31 housed in the main chamber 13 to the exchange chamber 15. The description of the stack take-out mechanism 45 is followed.

The stack 31 itself is a general one for producing electric power by receiving fuel and air, and is disposed up and down in the internal space 13a of the main chamber 13. In addition, the reforming and heat exchange unit 19 is also common to heat and reform the fuel delivered from the outside to supply to each stack.

Meanwhile, the fuel supply pipe 23, the fuel discharge pipe 25, the air supply pipe 27, and the air discharge pipe 29 take the form of vertically arranged pillars, and the reforming and heat exchange unit 19 and the stack 31 are separated from each other. Is placed in between. The number or size of the fuel supply pipe 23, the fuel discharge pipe 25, the air supply pipe 27, and the air discharge pipe 29 may vary depending on the capacity of the fuel cell device 11.

The fixed tube 23a connected to the fuel supply pipe 23 connects the fuel supply pipe 23 and each stack 31 to supply the fuel introduced through the fuel supply pipe 23 to the stack 31. The fixed tube 27a connected to the air supply pipe 27 guides air supplied from the outside to each stack 31.

In addition, the fixed tube 25a connected to the fuel discharge pipe 25 receives the unreacted gas discharged from the stack 31 to guide the fuel discharge pipe 25 to the fixed tube connected to the air discharge pipe 29 ( 29a) sends the discharge discharged from the stack 31 to the air discharge pipe (29).

In particular, the fixed tube (23a, 25a, 27a, 29a) is a pipe of a material that is not stretchable in the longitudinal direction has a valve 30 and the connector (32a, 32b).

The valve 30 is a solenoid valve that is opened and closed by receiving an electrical signal from the outside, and controls or blocks the flow of the fluid passing through the fixed tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, and 29a as necessary.

In addition, the connectors 32a and 32b are connection parts in a manner of being detachable and coupled by an external force, and two of them form a pair. In particular, when the connectors 32a and 32b are separated, the sealing is made at the moment of separation, and when the separated connectors 32a and 32b are coupled to each other, the coupling tube is opened at the moment of coupling to fix the fixing tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, and 29a. Communicate.

On the other hand, the stack 31 takes the form of a box and is supported by the inner rail 33 to be described later slidably. In addition, the withdrawal hook part 31a is provided in the front surface of the said stack 31, ie, the surface which faces the heat insulation door 39. As shown in FIG. The take-out hook part 31a is a part caught by the hook part 45a of the stack take-out mechanism 45. The stack 31 can be pulled out by hanging the takeout hook portion 31a using the stack takeout mechanism 45.

4 is a view showing the stack pull-out bar 45 separately.

Referring first to FIG. 4, the stack pullout rod 45 includes an extension rod portion 45b extending in the longitudinal direction, a hook portion 45a provided at the tip of the extension rod portion 45b, and the extension. It can be seen that the handle 45c is fixed to the rear end of the rod 45b. The stack take-out bar 45 is a tool for pulling the stack 31 accommodated in the main chamber 13 into the exchange chamber 15.

In addition, the hook portion 45a of the stack pullout rod 45 is integrally formed with the extension rod portion 45b, and the shape thereof is appropriately formed to easily pull out the hooking portion 31a.

The description of the fuel cell apparatus 11 will be continued with reference to FIG. 1.

The main chamber 13 is a power generation unit for generating power therein, and is sealed to the outside and has a plurality of heat insulation doors 39 on one side. The temperature inside the main chamber 13 is maintained at 700 ℃ or more.

The thermal insulation door 39 is a plate member having a thermal insulation ability so that heat does not escape in the thickness direction, and the upper and lower ends slide in a state supported by the door frame 40. The thermal insulation door 39 applied in this embodiment is of two types: the thermal insulation door applied to FIGS. 1 and 6 and the thermal insulation door (the groove portion 39c is formed) shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. The heat insulation door 39 shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the heat insulation door of FIG. 6, but has many groove parts 39c in adjacent parts adjacent to each other.

In any case, the insulating door 39 is a sliding door in which two are formed in a pair, and has a sliding protrusion 39a at the upper and lower ends. The sliding protrusion 39a is a linear protrusion having a predetermined width and a protruding height and is slidably inserted into the support slit 40a formed in the door frame 40.

Moreover, the rack gear part 39b is provided in the lower surface of each heat insulation door 39. As shown in FIG. The rack gear portion 39b is a gear meshed with a drive gear (49a in FIG. 6) to be described later. The rack gear portion 39b moves in a horizontal direction by the rotation of the drive gear 49a to open and close the adiabatic door 39.

The door frame 40 is a linear member extending in the horizontal direction, and are spaced apart in parallel to each other to support the sliding door 39 in a slidable manner. A support slit 40a for accommodating and supporting the sliding protrusion 39a of the adiabatic door 39 is provided on the inner side of each door frame 40 so as to slidably support the adiabatic door 39.

The support slit 40a accommodates the sliding protrusion 39a and prevents the shaking of the insulating door during opening and closing of the insulating door 39 and prevents the sagging of the insulating door from being completely opened.

On the other hand, as an example of the opening and closing means for opening and closing the heat insulating door 39 may be applied to the motor (49 in Fig. 6) and the drive gear (49a).

6 is a view for explaining the basic structure and operation of the thermal insulation door 39 shown in FIG.

As shown in the drawing, a plurality of door frames 40 are provided in the main chamber 13, and the heat insulating doors 39 are slidably mounted between the door frames 40. The insulating door 39 is a sliding door to block the inner space of the main chamber 13 to the outside.

In addition, a motor 49 and a drive gear 49a are provided below each of the heat insulation doors 39 as opening and closing means of the heat insulation doors. The motor 49 rotates the drive gear 49a by generating torque in a state fixed to the main chamber 13. The fixing of the motor 49 to the main chamber 13 can be applied in any manner.

The drive gear 49a is rotated while being engaged with the rack gear portion 39b below each of the heat insulation doors 39 to slide the heat insulation doors 39 in the arrow a direction and the opposite direction thereof to open and close the heat gears. In addition, each door frame 40 may be provided with a separate stopper (not shown) to limit the maximum opening degree of the insulating door 39, so that the insulating door is no longer opened.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 1, the interior of the main chamber 13, a plurality of inner rail 33, the stopper 37 and the support plate 35 supporting each stack 31 is It is fixed.

The inner rail 33 horizontally supports each stack 31 so as to be slidable. In particular, each inner rail 33 is disposed one-to-one corresponding to the insulating door 39 so that the stack 31 can be pulled out of the main chamber 13 with the insulating door 39 opened. The thermal insulation door 39 is positioned on the movement path of the stack 31. As long as the stack 31 can be slidably supported, the structure and the installation position of the inner rail 33 can also be variously changed.

The stopper 37 is a member for determining the position of the stack 31 relative to the inner rail 33. That is, as will be described later, it is located at the final point of the movement path of the stack 31, which is returned from the exchange chamber 15 to the main chamber 13, to prevent the stack 31 from moving further. By the action of the stopper 31, the stack 31 may be positioned at a certain point on the inner rail 33.

In addition, the support plate 35 is a plate-shaped member standing perpendicular to the inner rail 33, the role of fixing the end of the fixed tube (23a, 25a, 27a, 29a) and the power line (47, 47) to be described later Do it. To this end, the support plate 35 has a plurality of support holes 35a and power line support holes 35b.

In FIG. 5, the inner rail 33, the stopper 37, and the support plate 35 are illustrated together with the outer rail 43 to be described later.

As shown in FIG. 5, the inner rail 33 has a cross-sectional shape that is bent in approximately b-shapes and the two extend in parallel. The inner rail 33 has a support surface portion 33a that supports the bottom of the stack 31 and a sidewall portion 33b that supports the side surface of the stack 31. The support surface part 33a and the side wall part 33b accommodate both edge portions of the lower end of the stack, and stably support the stack 31 that is slidably moved in the lateral direction.

In addition, the stopper 37 is a block-type member fixed to the rear end of the inner rail 33 (opposite side of the insulating door 39) by stopping the movement of the stack entering the arrow b direction along the inner rail 33. , Position the stack at a certain point on the inner rail (33).

The support plate 35 is a plate-shaped member having a predetermined thickness standing at the rear end of the inner rail 33 and has four support holes 35a and one power line support hole 35b.

The support hole 35a is a passage through which the fixing tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, 29a are fixed while passing through, or the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, 29e shown in FIG. The flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e are bendable pipes used in place of the fixed tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, and 29a, and have a smaller diameter than the fixed tubes. Therefore, the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e passing through the support hole 35a are movable in the longitudinal direction in a state spanning the support hole 35a.

The power line supporting hole 35b is a hole for fixing the branched end of the power line (47 in FIG. 3). The power line 47 transfers the power produced in each stack 31 to an external power converter. As shown in FIG. 3, the power line 47 fixes the connection connectors 47a and 47b in a state fixed to the support plate 35. Connected to each stack 31.

The power line 47 is connected to the stack 31 through the support plate 35 in a state branched toward each stack. In addition, connection connectors 47a and 47b are positioned between the support plate 35 and the stack 31. (See FIG. 3) The connection connectors 47a and 47b move the stack 31 into the main chamber 13. ) Disconnected when withdrawing to the outside, and reconnected when it is returned to the inside of the main chamber (13).

In addition, although the power line 47 is represented by one line in FIG. 3, the power line 47 includes (+) power lines and (−) power lines that are insulated from each other. The other end of the power line 47 extends outside the main chamber 13 and is connected to a power converter (not shown).

The outer rail 43 is disposed on a straight line of the inner rail 33 with the insulating door 39 therebetween, and has a cross-sectional shape that is bent by b-shape like the inner rail 33. That is, it has the support surface part 43b which supports the bottom face of the stack 31, and the side wall part 43c which supports the side part of the stack 31, and accommodates and supports both edge parts of the lower end part of the stack 31 stably. .

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each of the fixing tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, 29a and the power line 47 are connected to each stack 31 in a state of being fixed to the support plate 35. have. In particular, the connectors 32a, 32b of the fixing tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, 29a and the connection connectors 47a, 47b of the power line 47 are positioned between the support plate 35 and the stack 31.

Accordingly, when the stack 31 is pulled using the stack take-out mechanism 45 while the heat insulation door 39 is opened, the connectors 32a, 32b, 47a, and 47b are separated to exchange the stack 31 with the exchange chamber 15. I can withdraw it. Since the sealing of the connector (32a, 32b) of the fixed tube is made at the moment of separation, the fluid flowing through the fixed tube (23a, 25a, 27a, 29a) is not leaked to the outside.

The exchange chamber 15 takes the form of a box like the main chamber 13, and is fixed to the main chamber 13 with the insulating door 39 therebetween, and takes the form shown in FIG. 10. do.

As shown in FIG. 10, the exchange chamber 15 includes a chamber case 15r that provides an inner space 15g for accommodating the stack 31 and a sliding coupling with respect to the chamber case 15r. It includes a plurality of sliding cover (15v) for sealing the interior space (15g). Of course, the number of the sliding cover 15v is equal to the number of the stack 31.

When the sliding cover 15v is completely attached to the chamber case 15r, the exchange chamber 15 is opened only toward the main chamber 13. In addition, when the sliding cover 15v is pulled out in the direction of the arrow d, the inner space 15g is opened.

The chamber case 15r includes a plurality of chamber slider portions 15f extending in parallel with each other and arranged up and down, and a plurality of pillar portions 15s for maintaining the chamber slider portions 15f at regular intervals. It is composed. In addition, an upper plate portion 15w is provided in the uppermost chamber slider portion 15f, and a bottom plate portion 15x is integrally formed in the lowermost chamber slider portion 15f.

In particular, the heater 41 is mounted on the top plate portion 15w and the bottom plate portion 15x. The heater 41 is for heating the internal space of the exchange chamber 15, a description thereof will be described later.

Each of the chamber sliders 15f is a strip-shaped member having a predetermined width and thickness, and is positioned at the same height, two in a standing state in the width direction.

In addition, sliding grooves 15n are formed in the upper and lower portions of the chamber slider portions 15f. The sliding groove 15n is a slit groove having a predetermined width and depth, and accommodates the upper end and the lower end of the side wall part 15t of the sliding cover 15v. The side wall portion 15t is supported by the chamber slider portion 15f and is capable of sliding along the longitudinal direction of the chamber slider portion 15f.

An insertion groove 15p is formed in some of the pillar portions 15s, that is, the pillar portions 15s in contact with the main chamber 13. The insertion groove 15p receives the longitudinal end of the side wall portion 15t as a groove that meets the sliding groove 15n.

Accordingly, as the edge portion of the side wall portion 15t is completely inserted into the sliding groove 15n and the insertion groove 15p, the internal space of the exchange chamber 15 (in the state of being coupled to the main chamber 13) ( 15 g) can be completely sealed.

Reference numeral 15k denotes a coupling flange. The coupling flange 15k is an iron piece which is fixed to the upper surface of the upper plate portion 15w, and is a portion which is engaged in interview with the flange portion (13b of FIG. 9) provided in the upper portion of the main chamber 13.

On the other hand, the sliding cover 15v includes a side wall portion 15t having a predetermined thickness fitted to the chamber slider portion 15f, and a front wall portion 15u fixed to one end of the side wall portion 15t. The side wall portion 15t is a metal plate having a predetermined thickness and width, and is capable of sliding in a state of being fitted into the sliding groove 15n.

The front wall portion 15u is a square plate fixed to one end of the side wall portion 15t, and the front surface of the chamber slider portion 15f is in the state where the end portion of the side wall portion 15t is inserted into the insertion groove 15p. Close to the inner space (15g) to seal. With the sliding cover 15v fully inserted into the chamber case 15r, the front wall portions 15u above and below are in intimate contact with each other.

In addition, an access hole 15a is formed in the front wall portion 15u. The access hole 15a is a hole through which the hook portion 45a and the extension rod portion 45b of the stack take-out mechanism 45 pass, and has a stopper (15b in FIG. 1) behind it.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stopper 15 is a member that is connected to the hinge 15d provided on the rear surface of the front wall portion 15u by a pivot shaft 15c and rotates up and down. To block the access hole 15a. In addition, since the stopper 15 can be rotated up and down, when the stack take-out mechanism 45 enters the access hole 15a, the stopper 15 is pushed backward and opened.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating another example of the fuel cell device 11 shown in FIG.

Referring to the drawings, the fuel supply pipe 23, the fuel discharge pipe 25, the air supply pipe 27, and the air discharge pipe 29 are connected to the stack 31 through the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e. It can be seen that. The flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e have a sufficient length to be taken out of the stack 31 when the stack 31 is pulled out to the exchange chamber 15 side. At this time, of course, the flexible tube (23e, 25e, 27e, 29e) passes through the support hole (35a).

In particular, the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e do not contact other parts of the main chamber 13. That is, the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e do not touch each other or come into contact with other components inside the box. To this end, separate insulating means (not shown) for insulating each flexible tube 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e from each other, such as a bracket or a partition, may be applied.

In addition, as long as the fuel and air can flow, other types of tubes other than the flexible tube may be applied. For example, telescopic pipes or telescopic pipes can be installed.

Meanwhile, the heat insulation door 39 applied to the hot box device 17 to which the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e shown in FIG. 2 is applied takes the form shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating the insulating door 39 shown in FIG. 2 together with the main chamber 13, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the insulating door 39 separately.

As shown in the drawing, four grooves 39c are formed at the joint portions of the heat-insulating doors 39, which are in contact with each other. The groove portion 39c provides a passageway when the adiabatic door 39 is closed to pass the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e therein.

Thus, since the groove part 39c is formed in the heat insulation door 39, as shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulation door 39 can be closed in the state which pulled out the stack 31 to the exchange chamber 15. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view partially showing the main chamber 13 and the exchange chamber 15 shown in FIG.

As shown, holes 13c and 15m in a state in which the flange portion 13b provided at the upper portion of the main chamber 13 and the coupling flange 15k formed at the upper portion of the exchange chamber 15 are opposed to each other. The main chamber 13 and the exchange chamber 15 may be coupled to each other by inserting a bolt 51a into the) and tightening the nut 51b on the opposite side. In addition to the coupling method, any other coupling method may be applied to combine the main chamber 13 and the exchange chamber 15, of course.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining a stack replacement method using a hot box device (based on the fuel cell device of FIG. 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the stack replacement method.

As shown, the stack replacement method according to the present embodiment begins with the primary heating step 100. In the primary heating step 100, the heater 41 installed in the exchange chamber 15 is operated to determine the temperature of the internal space 15g of the exchange chamber 15 and the internal temperature of the main chamber 13. Is the same process as To this end, the sliding cover 15v of the exchange chamber 15 should be completely closed (see FIG. 11A).

If the primary heating step 100 is completed, the adiabatic door opening step 102 is performed. As shown in FIG. 11B, the adiabatic door opening step 102 moves the adiabatic door 39 in the direction of arrow a, so that the inner space 13a of the main chamber 13 and the inside of the exchange chamber 15 are opened. This is a process of communicating the space 15g. The insulation door opened during the insulation door opening step 102 is an insulation door corresponding to the stack to be replaced.

In particular, before the adiabatic door opening step 102, the valve 30 of the fixed tube connected to the stack 31 to be replaced must be blocked. The blocking of the valve 30 may be performed before the first heating step 100 is performed.

If the adiabatic door 39 is opened, the stack withdrawal step 104 is performed. In the stack taking out step 104, the stack taking out mechanism 45 is inserted into the access hole 15a, and the hook portion 45a of the tip of the stack taking out mechanism 45 is hanged on the takeout hook portion 31a. The process of pulling in the direction.

The stack 31 is pulled by the stack take-out mechanism 45 and moves from the inner rail 33 to the outer rail 43 to exit the exchange chamber 15. At this time, the connectors 32a and 32b and the connection connectors 47a and 47b are separated as described above. In particular, since the connectors 32a and 32b are separated and sealed at the same time, there is no fear that the gas inside the fixed tube may leak to the outside (see FIG. 11C).

In the case of a fuel cell device using the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e instead of the fixed tubes 23a, 25a, 27a, and 29a, the flexible tube is connected to the stack 31 when the stack is pulled out. Comes together.

Subsequently, the adiabatic door blocking step 106 is performed. The adiabatic door blocking step 106 is a process of blocking the internal space of the main chamber 13 and the exchange chamber 15 by moving the adiabatic door 39 in the arrow b direction shown in FIG. Since the main chamber 13 is blocked by the adiabatic door 39 as described above, the temperature inside the main chamber 13 is kept constant and the normal stack 31 inside the main chamber continuously operates.

In the case of the fuel cell device to which the flexible tubes 23e, 25e, 27e, and 29e are applied, even if the insulating door 39 is blocked while the flexible tube is extended, the groove portion (39c in FIG. 9) is provided in the insulating door 39. ) Is formed, it is possible to completely block the heat insulation door (39).

If the insulation door 39 is blocked, the internal temperature of the exchange chamber 15 is lowered through the cooling step 108. Since the temperature in the exchange chamber 15 is adjusted to be equal to the internal temperature of the main chamber through the primary heating step 100, the cooling chamber 108 may be cooled to perform any operation.

If the temperature inside the exchange chamber 15 drops through the cooling step 109 to the extent that replacement is possible, the exchange chamber opening step 110 is continued. The exchange chamber opening step 110 is a process of opening the chamber case 15r laterally by pulling the sliding cover 15v in the direction of arrow d of FIG. 10.

By moving the sliding cover 15v in this manner, as shown in Fig. 11E, a hand or a work tool can be put into the exchange chamber 15, and the stack 31 can be replaced.

In any case, if the internal space of the exchange chamber is opened through the exchange chamber opening step 110, the replacement step 112 is performed. The replacement step 112 includes a process of replacing the stack 31 or maintaining components around the stack.

In particular, the replacement step 112, in the case of the fuel cell device using the flexible tube shown in Figure 2, each of the flexible tube (23e, 25e, 27e, 29e) is separated from the stack 31, the new stack 31 ), The process of reconnecting.

When the stack 31 is replaced through the above process, the exchange chamber sealing step 114 of closing the sliding cover 15v to seal the exchange chamber 114 is performed. Through the exchange sealing step 114, the internal space of the exchange chamber 15 is completely sealed to the outside.

Subsequently, the secondary heating step 116 is performed. The secondary heating step 116 is a process of adjusting the internal temperature of the exchange chamber 15 to the internal temperature of the main chamber 13 by restarting the heater 41.

When the internal temperature of the exchange chamber 15 rises to 700 ° C. or more and is adjusted to the internal temperature of the main chamber 13, it is determined whether or not the newly replaced stack 31 is abnormal through the trial operation step 117.

After completing the trial run step 117, the adiabatic door 118 is opened through the adiabatic door opening step 118, and then the stack 31 is pushed into the main chamber 13 using the stack taking-out mechanism 45. Proceed with the stack seating step 120. As the stack seating step 120 is completed, the connectors 32a and 32b that have been separated and the connection connectors 47a and 47b are coupled again, so that the fixed tube communicates and the stack is connected to an external power converter.

When the stack 31 replaced through the above process is positioned in the main chamber 13, the main door 15 is sealed by closing the heat insulating door 39 through the heat insulating door blocking step 122.

After the main chamber 15 is sealed, an exchange chamber cooling step 124 is performed. The exchange chamber cooling step 124 cools the internal space 15g of the exchange chamber 15 that has been heated for the trial run. The cooling method of the exchange chamber cooling step 124 may be performed by natural cooling or air cooling with the sliding cover 15v open.

As mentioned above, the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, which are intended to specifically describe the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and one having ordinary skill in the art within the technical idea of the present invention. It is apparent that the deformation and improvement can be made by.

All simple modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be apparent from the appended claims.

11: Fuel cell device 13: Main chamber 13a: Internal space
13b: flange portion 13c: hole 15: exchange chamber
15a: access hole 15b: stopper 15c: rotating shaft
15d: Hinge 15f: Chamber slider 15g: Internal space
15k: Combined flange 15m: Hole 15n: Sliding groove
15p: Insertion groove 15r: Chamber case 15s: Column part
15t: side wall portion 15u: front wall portion 15v: sliding cover
15w: top plate 15x bottom plate 17: hot box unit
19: reformer and heat exchanger 21: supply pipe 23: fuel supply pipe
23a: fixed tube 23e: flexible tube 25: fuel discharge tube
25a: fixed tube 25e: flexible tube 27: air supply pipe
27a: fixed tube 27e: flexible tube 29: air exhaust pipe
29a: fixed tube 29e: flexible tube 30: valve
32a, 32b: Connector 31: Stack 31a: Drawer hanger
33: inner rail 33a: ground surface portion 33b: side wall portion
35: support plate 35a: support hole 35b: power line support hole
37: stopper 39: insulation door 39a: sliding projection
39b: rack gear part 39c: groove part 40: door frame
40a: support slit 41: heater 43: outer rail
43b: Ground portion 43c: Side wall portion 45: Stacking out mechanism
45a: hook portion 45b: extension rod portion 45c: handle portion
47: power line 47a, 47b: connection connector 49: motor
49a: Drive gear 51a: Bolt 51b: Nut

Claims (15)

A main chamber in which a plurality of fuel cell stacks are accommodated;
An exchange chamber in which the stack accommodated in the main chamber is moved and in communication with an internal space of the main chamber;
And a heat insulation door provided on the movement path of the stack between the main chamber and the exchange chamber and having a heat insulation capability. The method of claim 1,
The insulation door may further include an opening and closing means at one side, and the fuel cell apparatus may be installed at the exchange chamber side in the main chamber. The method of claim 1,
The insulating door is a fuel cell device, characterized in that arranged to correspond one to one on each stack. The method of claim 1,
A fuel cell apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stack moving part for moving each stack is provided inside the main chamber and the exchange chamber. The method of claim 4, wherein
The stack moving unit is disposed in a straight line so that the stack is slidably moved between the main chamber and the exchange chamber, and the fuel cell apparatus is disconnected in a predetermined space in which the adiabatic door is disposed. The method of claim 1,
An outer side of each stack is further provided with a take-out hook portion, the fuel cell device characterized in that it further comprises a stack take-out for drawing the stack accommodated in the main chamber to the exchange chamber side. A main chamber in which a plurality of fuel cell stacks are accommodated;
An exchange chamber in which the stack accommodated in the main chamber is moved and in communication with an internal space of the main chamber;
An insulating door provided between the main chamber and the exchange chamber; And
Includes a withdrawal hook portion is further provided on the outer surface of each stack, the stack withdrawing portion for withdrawing the stack accommodated in the main chamber to the exchange chamber side,
And said exchange chamber is provided with an access hole for receiving said stack lead out inside said exchange chamber. The method of claim 1,
The exchange chamber;
A chamber case fixed to the main chamber and having an inner space for receiving the stack therein;
A fuel cell apparatus comprising a sliding cover fitted to the chamber case to be slidably movable to seal the inner space of the chamber case, and slidingly moving when necessary to open the inner space to the outside. A main chamber in which a plurality of fuel cell stacks are accommodated;
An exchange chamber in which the stack accommodated in the main chamber is moved and in communication with an internal space of the main chamber;
Insulating door is provided between the main chamber and the exchange chamber,
The exchange chamber further comprises a heater for adjusting the internal temperature of the exchange chamber to the internal temperature of the main chamber. The method of claim 1,
An interior of the main chamber; One end is connected to each stack and the other end is provided with a power line extending out of the main chamber,
And the power line is provided with a connector which is separated when the stack is drawn out to the exchange chamber and is connected when the stack is positioned as the main chamber. The method of claim 1,
An interior of the main chamber;
A fuel supply pipe for supplying fuel supplied from the outside to each stack and opening and closing by a valve;
A fuel discharge pipe leading the discharge discharged from the stack to the outside;
An air supply pipe for supplying air to each stack,
Further provided with an air discharge pipe for guiding the unreacted air discharged from the stack to the outside,
The fuel supply pipe, the fuel discharge pipe, the air supply pipe, and the air discharge pipe are further provided with a connector that is separated and sealed when the stack moves to the exchange chamber, and connected and opened when the stack is moved to the main chamber, or the fuel supply pipe And, the fuel discharge pipe, the air supply pipe, and the ends of the air discharge pipe are connected to the stack, and when the stack is taken out, is pulled out of the heat insulation door in a state connected to the stack, and in the heat insulation door, the stack moves to the exchange chamber. And a groove accommodating the fuel supply pipe, the fuel discharge pipe, the air discharge pipe, and the air supply pipe so as to close the insulating door in one state. A primary heating step of adjusting the internal temperature of the exchange chamber to the internal temperature of the main chamber;
A first opening step of the insulating door to open the insulating door after completion of the first heating step;
And a stack pull-out step of moving the stack inside the main chamber into the exchange chamber while the adiabatic door is opened. The method of claim 12,
A first insulation blocking step of blocking the insulation door after the stack is drawn out to the exchange chamber;
And a cooling step of lowering the temperature of the exchange chamber. The method of claim 12,
It may further include a stack maintenance step of repairing or replacing the stack drawn into the exchange chamber,
A secondary heating step of matching the internal temperature of the exchange chamber with the interior of the main chamber after the maintenance step is completed;
After the secondary heating step may further include a secondary door opening step of opening the insulating door, the stack seating step of positioning the repaired or replaced stack into the main chamber,
And a second insulation blocking step for blocking the insulation door after being seated in the stack main chamber through the stack seating step. The method of claim 13,
And a commissioning step of commissioning the stack in the exchange chamber after the maintenance step is completed.

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