KR20220047471A - Fuel cell and vessel comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a ship equipped with a fuel cell and capable of meeting internal demands such as propulsion. According to the present invention, the ship comprises: a fuel cell which generates electricity using a fuel containing hydrogen; a power generation engine provided in plurality; and an energy storage device for storing electricity produced by the fuel cell and the power generation engine. The energy storage device may be alternately operated in a discharging mode for supplying power to the demands in the ship, and a charging mode in which power is supplied from the fuel cell and the power generation engine.

Description

Fuel cell and vessel comprising the same

The present invention relates to a fuel cell and a ship including the same.

In general, ships use diesel engines to generate driving power using diesel oil, gas engines to generate driving power using gas such as LNG, and dual fuel engines to generate driving power by mixing diesel oil and gas. is promoted using

Recently, as the demand for eco-friendly/high-efficiency engines increases due to the strengthening of IMO environmental regulations, research on propulsion systems using various fuels is being actively conducted. In particular, technologies that can be promoted while reducing the emission of environmental pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from ships are being studied.

Ships according to the prior art have installed environmental pollutant reduction devices such as scrubbers and SCRs in order to reduce the emission of environmental pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

However, as environmental regulations are increasingly strengthened in ships according to the prior art, there is a problem that environmental regulations cannot be satisfied with only an environmental pollutant reduction device. As environmental regulations are strengthened, the processing capacity of the environmental pollutant reduction device should be increased, because the processing capacity is proportional to the size of the reduction device.

In a ship with limited space, if the proportion of the environmental pollutant reduction device increases, it is inefficient because the space for loading cargo or people is relatively reduced, as well as fuel economy due to the weight of the reduction device. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly and highly efficient ships is urgently needed, and the introduction of fuel cells is being studied and applied to reduce environmental pollution compared to existing fuels.

The present invention was created to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ship equipped with a fuel cell and capable of meeting internal demands such as propulsion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement structure capable of easily handling a fuel cell module in a ship having a plurality of modular fuel cells.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient operation method of an energy storage device in a ship that is equipped with a fuel cell and a power generation engine to meet internal demand.

A ship according to an aspect of the present invention includes a fuel cell for generating electricity using a fuel containing hydrogen, a power generation engine provided in plurality, and an energy storage device for storing the fuel cell and electricity generated by the power generation engine Including, wherein the energy storage device may be operated alternately in a discharge mode for supplying power to a demand in the ship and a charging mode for receiving power from the fuel cell and the power generation engine.

Specifically, in the discharging mode, power is supplied until the storage capacity of the energy storage device becomes 0 to 20%, and in the charging mode, when the storage capacity of the energy storage device becomes 80 to 100% It may be receiving power up to .

Specifically, in the ship, when the energy storage device is in the discharging mode, the power of the energy storage device is prioritized and supplied to the demand, and when the energy storage device is in the charging mode, it is generated by the fuel cell and the power generation engine It is possible to give priority to one electric power and to supply it to the demanding place.

Specifically, the plurality of power generation engines have the same power production as each other, and when the energy storage device is in the charging mode, a larger number of power generation engines can be operated than in the case of the discharging mode.

Specifically, the plurality of power generation engines have two or more different power productions including a first power production amount and a second power production amount greater than the first power production amount, and when the energy storage device is in the discharge mode, the first Only a power generation engine having a power output is operated, and when the energy storage device is in a charging mode, the plurality of power generation engines having different power production amounts may be operated.

The ship according to the present invention is equipped with a fuel cell to supply electric power required by a demand in the ship, and the liquefied gas stored in the ship can be reformed using steam and supplied as a fuel for the fuel cell to be used.

In addition, the ship according to the present invention can reduce the temperature inside the fuel cell by supplying it directly to the fuel cell without reforming the liquefied gas and steam according to the temperature of the fuel cell, using the fact that the reforming reaction of the liquefied gas is an endothermic reaction. Accordingly, it is possible not to increase the supply amount of air for cooling the fuel cell, so the configuration such as an air blower and a compressor can be omitted, thereby obtaining advantages in terms of space arrangement and energy efficiency.

In addition, the ship according to the present invention can supply the surplus power to the demand of the port when anchored.

In addition, the ship according to the present invention can store and use the power produced in the ship in an energy storage device, and can cope with fluctuations in power demand in the ship by using the energy storage device. In this case, the energy storage device alternately performs the discharging mode and the charging mode, so that an energy storage device having a relatively low capacity can be used.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process in which a ship anchors in a port and supplies surplus power to a port according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fuel cell unit provided in a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an enlarged area B of FIG. 2 .
4 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel cell unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram of a fuel cell unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of operating an energy storage device in a conventional method.
7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of operating an energy storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of operating an energy storage device 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 preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the present specification, in adding reference numbers to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that only the same components are given the same number as possible even though they are indicated on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, it should be noted that high pressure, low pressure, high temperature, low temperature, high load, low load, and flow rate are relative and do not represent absolute values.

Hereinafter, the fuel containing hydrogen may be a compound, mixture, or ammonia including hydrocarbons such as natural gas, coal gas, petroleum gas, ethane, ethanol, and methanol. In the present invention, a fuel cell refers to a high-efficiency clean power generation system that directly converts hydrogen contained in the fuel and oxygen in the air into electric energy through an electrochemical reaction. That is, the fuel cell may be one that generates electricity using fuel containing hydrogen. The fuel cell may be classified according to the type of electrolyte used, but the fuel cell used in the present invention may be one that generates power at a high temperature of 500 to 1000°C. In addition, the fuel cell used in the present invention may be to discharge a high-temperature exhaust gas of 500 to 1000 ℃. For example, the fuel cell of the present invention may be a solid oxide (SOFC) fuel cell or a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), but preferably a solid oxide fuel cell.

Hereinafter, the liquefied gas may be liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, ethane, ethanol, methanol, etc., and may mean liquefied natural gas by way of example, and the boil-off gas is BOG which is naturally vaporized liquefied gas, etc. It may mean (Boil Off Gas). Liquefied gas may refer to a gaseous gas formed by forcibly vaporizing boil-off gas or liquid liquefied gas.

Hereinafter, it is noted that a vessel is an expression that encompasses not only a shipping container ship, a commercial vessel, a vessel capable of producing natural gas in the sea, but also an offshore structure including a gas platform and an offshore float.

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

1 to 3, a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which a ship is anchored in a port according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The ship may include a fuel cell unit 10 that generates electricity using fuel containing hydrogen, and the fuel cell unit 10 is a fuel cell module in which a fuel cell module 100 that actually produces electricity is disposed. It may include the unit 11 and the fuel cell connection unit 12 in which a facility for supplying fuel to the fuel cell module 100 or supplying electricity generated from the fuel cell module 100 to a demand place is disposed.

The fuel cell module unit 11 may provide a space in which the plurality of fuel cell modules 100 are accommodated. Although the position at which the fuel cell module part 11 is disposed is not limited, it is preferable that it is disposed below the upper deck (D) of the ship so that maintenance can be easily performed, as will be described later.

The fuel cell connection unit 12 may provide a space in which a fuel supply line (L1), an air supply line (L2), etc. for supplying liquefied gas, steam, and air to each fuel cell module 100 are disposed, A space may be provided in which a gas discharge line L6 for transferring gas discharged from the fuel cell module 100 and a wire (not shown) through which electricity produced by the fuel cell module 100 are transferred are disposed.

The fuel cell connection part 12 may be disposed on the upper part of the fuel cell module part 11 , but is not limited thereto. However, as shown, it is spatially preferable that it is disposed on the upper deck (D) of the ship and disposed close to the transmitter 20 to be described later.

The transmitter 20 may be disposed on the upper deck (D) of the ship, and receives electricity generated by the fuel cell module 100 through the fuel cell connection part 12 and supplies it to in-board consumers or to outboard consumers. .

A vessel can use a relatively small amount of power in a moored state, and accordingly, a surplus of electricity produced by the fuel cell module 100 can be supplied to the receiver 30 provided in the port through the transmitter 20. . The transmitter 20 and the receiver 30 may be provided to transmit and receive electricity wirelessly, and the receiver 30 supplies electricity to the converter 40, converts it to a voltage condition required by the onshore consumer, and supplies it to the consumer. can Conversely, when more electricity than the electricity produced by the ship is required, the transmitter 20 may receive electricity from the receiver 30 and supply it to a demand on the ship.

2 is a conceptual diagram showing the fuel cell unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

The fuel cell unit 10 may include a fuel cell module unit 11 and a fuel cell connection unit 12 , and the fuel cell module unit 11 and the fuel cell connection unit 12 are respectively located above the upper deck (D) of the ship. and may be provided below.

A plurality of fuel cell modules 100 may be disposed inside the fuel cell module unit 11 . Specifically, a plurality of support parts 15 whose height is adjusted through hydraulic pressure may be disposed on the bottom of the fuel cell module part 11 , and the rail 14 may be disposed on the support part 15 .

A plurality of rails 14 may be provided and respectively disposed on the plurality of supports 15 . For example, one rail 14 may be provided on two or more support parts 15, and as the height of the support parts 15 is adjusted, it may be inclined on the support part 15 to form a predetermined inclination. .

Referring to FIG. 3 which is an enlarged view of area B of FIG. 2 , the rail 14 is disposed on the support part 15 , and the support part 15 can move up and down according to a change in height using hydraulic pressure. However, the rail 14 may be moved so as to form an inclination with respect to the bottom surface of the fuel cell module unit 11 in a fixed state so as not to be separated from the support unit 15 .

The fuel cell module 100 may include a roller 13 at a lower portion. The roller unit 13 is for moving along the rail 14 , and the structure thereof is not limited as long as it can move the fuel cell module 100 along the rail 14 . For example, the roller unit 13 may be a wheel installed on the bottom surface of the fuel cell module 100 or a bearing disposed between the bottom surface of the fuel cell module 100 and the rail 14 . As shown in FIG. 3 , at least a portion of the housing of the fuel cell module 100 may have a structure that is fitted to the rail 14 so as not to be separated from the rail 14 , but is not limited thereto.

The height of the support part 15 is adjusted by using hydraulic pressure, and the height may be adjusted with the rail 14 and the fuel cell module 100 disposed on the rail 14 . The support 15 forms an inclination on the rail 14 using hydraulic pressure to move the fuel cell module 100 disposed on the rail 14 in a desired direction.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , by adjusting only the height of one of the support parts 15 to form an inclination on the rail 14, the desired fuel cell module 100 can be moved to a specific position A. there is. The support 15 may brake the movement of the fuel cell module 100 by adjusting the inclination.

An opening/closing unit 16 communicating with the internal space of the fuel cell module unit 11 may be provided on the upper deck (D) of the ship in which the fuel cell module unit 11 is disposed at the lower portion. The opening/closing part 16 may refer to an opening drilled in the upper deck D, and although not shown, a means for opening and closing the opening may be provided.

The fuel cell module 100 may be disposed inside the fuel cell module unit 11 through the opening/closing unit 16 or, conversely, may be moved out of the vessel. Since the fuel cell for use in a ship is large in scale and heavy in weight, it can be miniaturized in the form of the fuel cell module 100 and provided in plurality. In this case, there is an advantage that only the fuel cell module 100 requiring maintenance from among the plurality of fuel cell modules 100 can be separately taken out and processed.

The ship may be provided with a motor room 17 in which various facilities in the ship are disposed, and a crane 18 may be provided on the motor room 17 . The crane 18 may load and unload various cargos of a ship, and may be provided to lift and move the fuel cell module 100 through the opening/closing unit 16 .

Therefore, the ship according to the present embodiment arranges and uses a plurality of fuel cell modules 100 in the fuel cell module unit 11, and then uses the fuel cell module 100 that requires maintenance or is no longer in use. It can be moved to the lower part (A) of (16) and moved to the outside of the ship through the crane (18). The fuel cell module 100 can have a weight of several tons even if it is miniaturized, so it can be configured to move horizontally inside the fuel cell module unit 11 using the rail 14 and the support unit 15 . and can be configured to move through the crane 18 in the limited opening and closing portion 16 in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the size of the opening/closing unit 16 can be minimized, and the fuel cell module 100 can be handled within a distance range that the crane 18 can handle, thereby maximizing space utilization within a limited vessel. be able to

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the fuel cell module 100 included in the ship according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the fuel cell module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives liquefied gas, steam and air respectively from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 , the steam supply unit 300 , and the air supply unit 400 . Electricity may be produced, and the gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 130 may be supplied to the waste heat recovery unit 500 .

The fuel cell module 100 may receive liquefied gas and steam from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 and the steam supply unit 300 through the fuel supply line L1 . A first mixing unit 110 , a first heat exchanger 111 , a first valve 112 , a reformer 114 , and the like may be provided in the fuel supply line L1 .

The liquefied gas supply unit 200 may be a liquefied gas storage tank provided on a ship or a gas processing system that receives and processes liquefied gas from a liquefied gas storage tank. Preferably, the liquefied gas may be liquefied natural gas. When the liquefied gas supply unit 200 is a liquefied gas storage tank, the liquefied gas may be withdrawn through a pump (not shown) in the liquefied gas storage tank and supplied to the first mixing unit 110 . When the liquefied gas supply unit 200 is a gas processing system, the liquefied gas drawn from the liquefied gas storage tank may be vaporized and supplied to the fuel cell module 100 .

The steam supply unit 300 may be provided in a ship to supply steam for reforming liquefied gas, and may be to supply steam generated using waste heat in a ship, such as a boiler or an economizer. The steam supply unit 300 may supply steam to the first mixing unit 110 .

The first mixing unit 110 may be provided on the fuel supply line L1 to mix the liquefied gas supplied from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 and the steam supplied from the steam supply unit 300 to supply the fuel cell stack 130 . there is. A mixture of liquefied gas and steam mixed in the first mixing unit 110 may be supplied to the first heat exchanger 111 .

The first heat exchanger 111 is configured to heat a mixture of liquefied gas and steam flowing through the fuel supply line L1 using the gas flowing through the gas discharge line L6 to be described later. The gas discharge line L6 may be for discharging gas generated by burning the gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 130 in the burner 140 . The gas heated while passing through the fuel cell stack 130 and the burner 140 supplies heat to the reformer 114 and then is supplied to the first heat exchanger 111 to produce the liquefied gas and steam of the fuel supply line L1. The mixture may be heated. Since the reaction of generating hydrogen by reforming liquefied gas into steam in the reformer 114 to be described later is an endothermic reaction, the mixture of liquefied gas and steam in the first heat exchanger 111 is preheated with the gas of the gas discharge line L6. It can be supplied to the rear reformer 114 .

A first valve 112 is provided between the first heat exchanger 111 and the reformer 114 on the fuel supply line L1 to control the flow rate of a mixture of liquefied gas and steam supplied to the reformer 114 . . In addition, a reformer bypass line L3 branching from the fuel supply line L1 may be provided between the first heat exchanger 111 and the reformer 114 on the fuel supply line L1 . Specifically, the reformer bypass line L3 branches between the first heat exchanger 111 and the first valve 112 of the fuel supply line L1 and back to the fuel supply line L1 at the rear end of the reformer 114 . may be connected to The reformer bypass line L3 may directly supply a mixture of liquefied gas and steam flowing along the fuel supply line L1 to the fuel cell stack 130 without supplying the mixture to the reformer 114 . A second valve 113 may be provided in the reformer bypass line L3 to bypass the reformer 114 to control the flow rate of a mixture of liquefied gas and steam directly supplied to the fuel cell stack 130 .

The reformer 114 may receive liquefied gas and steam and reform the liquefied gas with steam to generate hydrogen for use as fuel in the fuel cell stack 130 . The reformer 114 may generate a fuel including hydrogen and supply the generated fuel to the fuel cell stack 130 through the fuel supply line L1 . The reformer 114 may receive the liquefied gas and steam preheated from the first heat exchanger 111 to perform a reforming reaction of the liquefied gas, and receive heat from the gas discharge line L6 to perform the reforming reaction of the liquefied gas. can also be done

The fuel cell stack 130 has an electrolyte between an anode to which air is supplied from the air supply unit 400 and an anode connected to the fuel supply line L1 to receive hydrogen-containing fuel. A layer is formed, and a required number of unit cell modules in which a separator for hydrogen supply, air supply, and heat recovery are installed in an anode and a cathode may be connected in series. Preferably, the fuel cell stack 130 may be a solid oxide fuel cell using a solid oxide as an electrolyte.

The fuel cell stack 130 may have a reduced volume compared to a conventional fuel cell by applying a vertical pressurization plate type technology, but is not limited thereto. Although one fuel cell stack 130 is illustrated as being disposed inside one fuel cell module 100 in this embodiment, a plurality of fuel cell stacks 130 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in one module.

A fuel supply line L1 to which fuel containing hydrogen is supplied may be connected to the anode of the fuel cell stack 130 , and an anode discharge line L4 from which exhaust gas including water generated from the anode is discharged may be connected. The reformer bypass line L3 may be branched and reconnected to the fuel supply line L1, and both liquefied gas and steam are supplied to the reformer bypass line L3 under the control of the first controller 600 to be described later. Since it can flow through the fuel cell stack 130 , only liquefied gas and steam may be supplied to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell stack 130 through the fuel supply line L1 . An air supply line (L2) connected to the air supply unit 400 is connected to the cathode of the fuel cell stack 130, and a cathode discharge line (L5) through which exhaust gas containing air discharged without reacting at the cathode is discharged. can

Electricity generated in the fuel cell stack 130 may be supplied to a demanding party through the above-described configuration of the fuel cell connection unit 12 and the like. The exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 130 may be discharged through the anode discharge line L4 and the cathode discharge line L5 , respectively, and may be supplied to the burner 140 to be combusted.

The burner 140 may burn the anode exhaust gas supplied from the anode exhaust line L4 using unreacted air. Unreacted liquefied gas, etc. may remain in the anode exhaust gas, and may be combusted using oxygen contained in unreacted air. Gas generated by burning the exhaust gas in the burner 140 may be discharged from the fuel cell module 100 through the gas discharge line L6.

The gas discharge line L6 may discharge gas that is combusted by the burner 140 to the outside of the fuel cell module 100 . At this time, the gas discharge line L6 exchanges heat with the reformer 114 to increase the temperature inside the reformer 114 with the heat of the gas heated by the burner 140, thereby promoting the reforming reaction inside the reformer 114. there is. The gas flowing along the gas discharge line L6 may be in a relatively high temperature state even after heat is supplied to the reformer 114 , and is supplied to the first heat exchanger 111 and supplied from the first mixing unit 110 . It can be used to heat a mixture of liquefied gas and steam. The gas discharged from the first heat exchanger 111 may be supplied to the second heat exchanger 120 and used to heat the air supplied along the air supply line L2 . The fuel cell stack 130 may be operated under a high temperature condition of 500 to 1000 ° C. Since the air supply unit 400 supplies air outside the system to the fuel cell module 100, the temperature may be relatively low. there is. Accordingly, by preheating and supplying air supplied to the fuel cell stack 130 using the gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 130 in the second heat exchanger 120 , the operating efficiency of the fuel cell stack 130 is improved. be able to do The gas discharged from the second heat exchanger 120 may be discharged to the outside of the fuel cell module 100 or may be supplied to the waste heat recovery unit 500 .

The waste heat recovery unit 500 may be an economizer, a boiler, or the like, and may generate steam using waste heat of gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 130 . The steam generated by the waste heat recovery unit 500 may be supplied to and used in a vessel such as the steam supply unit 300 again.

Hereinafter, control according to the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 in the fuel cell module 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

As described above, the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 needs to be maintained at a certain level. Conventionally, when the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 becomes too high, a method of lowering the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 by increasing the supply flow rate of air has been performed. However, when the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 is higher than the operating range, when the fuel cell stack 130 is cooled with only air to a high temperature exceeding about 1000° C., a significantly higher flow rate is required compared to the fuel. Accordingly, the air supply line L2 had to be prepared to handle an excessively large flow rate in case the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 is abnormal, and an additional blower or air compressor to meet the required flow rate. configuration was essential.

In the present embodiment, it further includes a first control unit 600 , and according to the measured value of the temperature sensor 131 provided in the fuel cell stack 130 , at least one of the first valve 112 and the second valve 113 . This problem was solved by adjusting the degree of opening.

Specifically, the temperature sensor 131 may measure the temperature of at least one of the inside and the outside of the fuel cell stack 130 . Preferably, the temperature sensor 131 measures the inside temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 and converts the measured value to the first control unit. (600).

When the temperature value received from the temperature sensor 131 is higher than a preset value, the first controller 600 may increase the flow rate of the mixture of liquefied gas and steam flowing through the reformer bypass line L3 . That is, when the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 is higher than a preset value, the first controller 600 lowers the opening degree of the first valve 112 on the fuel supply line L1 and the reformer bypass line L3 ), by increasing the opening degree of the second valve 113 , at least a portion of the mixture of liquefied gas and steam may be controlled to be supplied to the fuel cell stack 130 without going through the reformer 114 . In this case, since the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 itself is high, the reforming reaction of the liquefied gas using steam proceeds at the anode, and the generated hydrogen is used on the spot to generate electricity. Since the reforming reaction of the liquefied gas using steam is an endothermic reaction, the temperature inside the fuel cell stack 130 may be lowered as the reforming reaction proceeds.

Conversely, when the temperature value received from the temperature sensor 131 is lower than a preset value, the first control unit 600 may reduce the flow rate of the mixture of liquefied gas and steam flowing through the reformer bypass line L3. there is. That is, the first control unit 600 increases the opening degree of the first valve 112 and lowers the opening degree of the second valve 113 to increase the flow rate of the mixture of liquefied gas and steam supplied to the reformer 114 , or It is possible to block the flow of the mixture through the bypass line (L3). In this case, the liquefied gas and steam may undergo a reforming reaction by receiving heat from the gas flowing through the gas discharge line L6 in the reformer 114, and the resulting hydrogen-containing fuel is the fuel. It may be supplied to the battery stack 130 .

The first control unit 600 is provided on the air supply line L2 in consideration of the flow rate of the mixture of fuel or liquefied gas and steam supplied to the fuel cell stack 130 and the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 . The opening degree of the third valve 121 may be adjusted.

Additionally, the first control unit 600 adjusts the flow rate of the mixture of liquefied gas and steam flowing through the reformer bypass line L3 according to at least one of the temperature and flow rate of the gas supplied to the waste heat recovery unit 500 . can Specifically, the waste heat recovery unit 500 may include a temperature sensor 510 for measuring the temperature of the gas supplied to the waste heat recovery unit 500 and a flow rate sensor 52 for measuring the supply flow rate. Gas discharged from the fuel cell stack 130 and combusted by the burner 140 is supplied to the waste heat recovery unit 500 through the gas discharge line L6, and the temperature or flow rate of this gas is higher or higher than a preset value. The case may indirectly indicate a case in which electricity production is not smooth due to a high internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 . Accordingly, the first control unit 600 receives the measured value from at least one of the temperature sensor 510 and the flow rate sensor 520 and compares the opening degree of the first valve 112 and the second valve 113 with a preset value. By adjusting the flow rate of the liquefied gas and steam flowing to the reformer bypass line L3, the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 may be adjusted.

As described above, the fuel cell module 100 and the ship including the same according to the present embodiment use the point that the reforming reaction of the liquefied gas is an endothermic reaction in reforming the liquefied gas into steam to generate a fuel containing hydrogen. Thus, when the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 is higher than a preset value, the liquefied gas and steam are bypassed to the reformer 114 so that both reforming and electrochemical reactions occur in the fuel cell stack 130 , so that the fuel cell stack (130) It is possible to control the internal temperature. Accordingly, the size of the air supply line (L3) can be reduced compared to the case of supplying the fuel cell by increasing the supply flow rate and pressure of the conventional air, and the configuration of the blower and the air compressor can be omitted, thereby reducing the cost of the system configuration. It can save energy and maximize the space utilization of fuel cell modules and ships.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the fuel cell module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives liquefied gas, steam and air respectively from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 , the steam supply unit 300 , and the air supply unit 400 . Electricity may be produced, and hydrogen may be directly supplied from the hydrogen supply unit 700 to produce electricity.

This embodiment may further include a hydrogen supply unit 700 and a second control unit 800 , and will be mainly described with respect to points different from the previous embodiment, and the same parts will be replaced with the contents of the previous embodiment.

The fuel cell module 100 according to the present embodiment may be used in a ship transporting liquid hydrogen as cargo. The hydrogen supply unit 700 may be a liquid hydrogen storage tank (not shown), and converts liquid hydrogen stored in the liquid hydrogen storage tank or hydrogen gas, which is an boil-off gas of liquid hydrogen generated inside the liquid hydrogen storage tank, to a fuel cell module ( 100) can be supplied. Preferably, the hydrogen supply unit 700 may supply hydrogen gas, which is boil-off gas, to the fuel supply line L1 .

The fuel supply line L1 may receive liquefied gas and air from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 and the air supply unit 300 , respectively, and supply them to the fuel cell stack 130 . The liquefied gas supply unit 200 may be a liquefied gas storage tank for storing liquefied gas used as a propulsion fuel of the ship. The liquefied gas may preferably be liquefied natural gas.

A first mixing unit 110 in which liquefied gas and air are mixed may be provided on the fuel supply line L1 , and a mixture of liquefied gas and air discharged from the first mixing unit 110 and the hydrogen supply unit 700 . A second mixing unit 115 for mixing the supplied hydrogen gas may be further provided. A fourth valve 210 for controlling the flow rate of the liquefied gas supplied from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 may be provided upstream of the first mixing unit 110 , and a hydrogen supply unit is located upstream of the second mixing unit 115 . A fifth valve 710 for controlling the flow rate of hydrogen gas supplied from 700 may be provided.

The mixed gas discharged from the second mixing unit 115 may be supplied to the fuel cell stack 130 through the first heat exchanger 111 and the first valve 112 .

The present embodiment may further include a second control unit 800 that adjusts the opening degree of at least one of the fourth valve 210 and the fifth valve 710 according to the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 .

The second control unit 800 may receive a temperature measurement value of the fuel cell stack 130 from the temperature sensor 131 of the fuel cell stack 130 and compare it with a predetermined value. Specifically, when the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 is higher than a preset value, the second control unit 800 may increase the flow rate of the liquefied gas supplied from the liquefied gas supply unit 200 . That is, the second control unit 800 may increase the opening degree of the fourth valve 210 to increase the flow rate of the liquefied gas supplied to the fuel cell stack 130 , and accordingly, the liquefied gas and air are separated from the fuel cell stack 130 . is supplied to the fuel electrode to cause a reforming reaction at the anode to lower the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 .

Conversely, when the internal temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 is lower than a preset value, the second control unit 800 may increase the flow rate of the hydrogen gas supplied from the hydrogen supply unit 700 . That is, the second control unit 800 may control to directly supply the boil-off gas generated from the liquid hydrogen storage tank to the fuel cell stack 130 by increasing the opening degree of the fifth valve 710 , and the fourth valve 210 . By lowering the opening degree of the liquefied gas, the reforming reaction of the liquefied gas occurs at the anode to prevent absorption of heat inside the fuel cell stack 130 .

As described above, the present embodiment relates to a fuel cell module 100 suitable for use in a ship transporting liquid hydrogen as cargo, and BOG generated inside the liquid hydrogen storage tank is directly transferred to the fuel cell stack 130 . In addition to minimizing the waste of cargo, it is possible to control the supply of hydrogen gas and liquefied gas according to the temperature of the fuel cell stack 130 to reduce the cost of system configuration In addition, it is possible to maximize the space utilization of the fuel cell module and the ship.

6 to 8 , a driving method in a ship including a fuel cell module and an energy storage device for storing electric power generated by the fuel cell module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIG. 6 (a), the ship further includes a plurality of power generation engines 50a to 50c in addition to a fuel cell (not shown) for generating electricity using a fuel containing hydrogen, so that the onboard demand ( It is possible to generate power to supply to S).

The power demand of the consumer (S) may vary depending on the operation status and operating conditions of the vessel, and depending on a specific point in time, the power produced by the fuel cell and power generation engine may be less or more than the amount required by the demand (S). there is. Accordingly, the vessel may respond by further providing the energy storage device 60a as a buffer in case of insufficient power production or generation of surplus power.

The energy storage device 60a may temporarily store power generated from at least one of the fuel cell and the power generation engine and supply it to the demand S, even if there is power supplied from outside the ship.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 6 , conventional ships generally operate power generation engines 50a to 50c with optimum efficiency, exceeding the amount that can be covered by fuel cells and power generation engines 50a to 50c. The load was operated in such a way that the electric power stored in the energy storage device (60a) was met. This is because the efficiency is improved only when the power generation engine is operated with a load greater than or equal to a certain level. When looking at this operating method from the viewpoint of the state of charge of the energy storage device 60a, the energy storage device 60a changes the power demand in the vessel. As a result, continuous charging and discharging are repeated.

In this case, in order to maintain the state of charge of the energy storage device 60a above a certain level over the entire operating period of the vessel, the maximum charging amount of the energy storage device 60a must be provided with a large capacity. For example, when it is assumed that the output of each power generation engine 50a to 50c in FIG. 6B is 1 MWh, and any one of the power generation engines 50c does not operate for an emergency, the energy storage device 60a is It must be at least 500 kWh to cope with fluctuations in power demand on board. However, since the point at which the onboard power demand forms the maximum peak is only a small part of the entire operation period and the frequency is low, it is difficult to provide a large scale of the energy storage device 60a to respond only to the point where the peak is formed. There was a limit to the space of the ship.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the energy storage device 60b is alternately operated in the discharging mode and the charging mode in a ship including the fuel cell, the power generation engines 50a to 50c, and the energy storage device 60b.

Specifically, the energy storage device 60b was operated alternately in a discharging mode for supplying power to the demand S in the ship and a charging mode for receiving power from the fuel cell and power generation engines 50a to 50c. At this time, the discharging mode means supplying the power stored in the energy storage device 60b until the storage or charging capacity of the energy storage device 60b becomes 0 to 20%, and the charging mode is the energy storage device 60b. It may mean that power is supplied until the storage or charging capacity of the battery is 80 to 100%. That is, the conventional energy storage device 60a is charged to a certain level according to the above-described charging capacity, and then is charged again to a certain level, compared to the conventional energy storage device 60a provided to be frequently charged and discharged with a large variation in the charge/discharge amount from several percent to several tens%. The process of discharging to the level was allowed to be repeated. Preferably, the energy storage device 60b supplies power until the charging capacity becomes 0% when operating in the discharging mode, and receives power until the charging capacity becomes 100% when operating in the charging mode. .

In this embodiment, when the energy storage device 60b is in the discharging mode, the ship can use the power stored in the energy storage device 60b by supplying it to the consumer S with priority, and the energy storage device 60b is in the charging mode. In this case, the electric power generated by the fuel cell and the power generation engines 50a to 50c may be prioritized and supplied to the consumer S for use.

For example, in the present embodiment, the plurality of power generation engines 50a to 50c may have the same power production as each other, and when the energy storage device 60b is in the charging mode, the number of power generation engines is greater than that in the discharging mode. can drive

For example, in this embodiment, the power generation engine includes two or more different power generation engines 50a and 50b having a first power output and a power generation engine 50c having a second power production greater than the first power output. It may include a plurality of power generation engines having a power production. In this case, when the energy storage device 60b is in the discharging mode, only the power generation engines 50a and 50b having a first power production are operated, and when the energy storage device 60b is in the charging mode, the plurality of power plants having different power productions are operated. It is possible to drive the power generation engines 50a and 50c.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the plurality of power generation engines 50a to 50c may all have the same power production. Specifically, in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the energy storage device 60b operates alternately in a discharge mode and a charge mode according to the same capacity as described above, discharge under the same demand (S) load condition It is a conceptual diagram showing the driving mode in mode and charging mode, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7A , when the energy storage device 60b operates in the discharge mode, the demand S may preferentially receive the power stored in the energy storage device 60b. In this case, any one of the power generation engines 50c may be left as a spare without driving.

When the energy storage device 60b operates in the charging mode as shown in (b) of FIG. 7 , the consumer S preferentially uses the power generated by the power generation engines 50a to 50c, and the surplus is used in the energy storage device 60b ) can be saved at the same time.

In this case, the energy storage device 60b may be provided with a lower capacity compared to the case of repeated operation with a low charge/discharge rate. For example, the power generation engines 50a to 50c may each have an output of 1MWh, and in this case, the energy storage device 60b may have an output of only 200kWh.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the plurality of power generation engines 50a , 50b , and 50d may have two or more different power productions. For example, some power generation engines 50a and 50b may have an output of 1 MWh, and other power generation engines 50b may have an output of 2 MWh. 8 (a) and (b) show when the energy storage device 60b alternately operates in a discharge mode and a charge mode according to the same capacity as described above, the discharge mode and the charge under the same demand (S) load condition It is a conceptual diagram showing the driving aspects in each mode.

As shown in FIG. 8A , when the energy storage device 60b operates in the discharge mode, the consumer S may preferentially receive the power stored in the energy storage device 60b. Accordingly, the power generation engine 50d having a relatively large capacity can be left in excess without driving.

When the energy storage device 60b operates in the charging mode as shown in (b) of FIG. 8 , the consumer S preferentially uses the power generated by the power generation engines 50a and 50d, and the surplus is used in the energy storage device 60b ) can be saved at the same time.

In this case, the energy storage device 60b may be provided with a lower capacity compared to the case of repeated operation with a low charge/discharge rate. For example, when some of the power generation engines 50a and 50b have an output of 1 MWh and the other power generation engines 50d have an output of 2 MWh, the energy storage device 60b may have an output of only 200 kWh.

The ship according to the present embodiment as described above has a discharge mode for supplying power stored in the energy storage device 60b until the charging capacity of the energy storage device 60b becomes 0 to 20%, and the energy storage device 60b. It is possible to cope with a sudden change in power demand at the onboard demand source (S) by alternately operating the charging mode in which power is supplied until the storage or charging capacity of the ship reaches 80 to 100%, and the energy storage device (60b) can reduce the size of

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and a combination of the embodiments or a combination of at least one of the embodiments and a known technology may be included as another embodiment.

In the above, the present invention has been described focusing on the embodiments of the present invention, but this is merely an example and does not limit the present invention. It will be appreciated that various combinations or modifications and applications not illustrated in the embodiments are possible within the scope. Accordingly, descriptions related to modifications and applications that can be easily derived from the embodiments of the present invention should be interpreted as being included in the present invention.

10: fuel cell unit 11: fuel cell module unit
12: fuel cell connection part 13: roller part
14: rail 15: support
16: opening/closing unit 17: motor room
18: crane 20: transmitter
30: receiving unit 40: converting unit
50a~d: power generation engine 60a, b: energy storage device
100: fuel cell module 110: first mixing unit
111: first heat exchanger 112: first valve
113: second valve 114: reformer
115: second mixing unit 120: second heat exchanger
121: third valve 130: fuel cell stack
131: temperature sensor 140: burner
200: liquefied gas supply 210: fourth valve
300: steam supply 400: air supply
500: waste heat recovery unit 510: temperature sensor
520: flow sensor 600: first control unit
700: hydrogen supply 710: fifth valve
800: second control unit
D: Upper deck S: Customer
L1: fuel supply line L2: air supply line
L3: Reformer bypass line L4: Anode discharge line
L5: cathode discharge line L6: gas discharge line

Claims (5)

a fuel cell that generates electricity using a fuel containing hydrogen;
a power generation engine provided in plurality; and
In a ship comprising an energy storage device for storing electricity produced by the fuel cell and the power generation engine,
The energy storage device,
A discharge mode for supplying power to the demand in the ship;
The ship will alternately operate in a charging mode receiving power from the fuel cell and the power generation engine. The method of claim 1,
The discharging mode is to supply power until the storage capacity of the energy storage device is 0 to 20%,
In the charging mode, the vessel is to receive power until the storage capacity of the energy storage device is 80 to 100%. 3. The method of claim 2,
the vessel,
When the energy storage device is in the discharge mode, the power of the energy storage device is prioritized and supplied to the demanding party,
When the energy storage device is in the charging mode, the power generated by the fuel cell and the power generation engine is preferentially supplied to the demanding party. 3. The method of claim 2,
The plurality of power generation engines,
to have the same power output as each other,
When the energy storage device is in the charging mode, a larger number of power generation engines are operated than in the case of the discharging mode, the vessel. 3. The method of claim 2,
The plurality of power generation engines,
Having two or more different power productions including a first power production and a second power production greater than the first power production,
When the energy storage device is in the discharge mode, only the power generation engine having the first power production is operated,
When the energy storage device is in the charging mode, the ship will operate the plurality of power generation engines having different power production.

Images