WO2005112169A1

WO2005112169A1 - Liquid fuel receiving container for fuel cell, and fuel cell system

Info

Publication number: WO2005112169A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/007691
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yukihiro Iwata; Suguru Nakao; Yasuo Yokota; Makoto Iyoda; Toshiaki Takasu; Hiroto Inoue
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-05-18
Filing date: 2005-04-22
Publication date: 2005-11-24
Also published as: JP5008252B2; US20070125360A1; CN1906790A; JP2005332592A; CN100423343C

Abstract

Provided are a liquid fuel receiving container for a liquid fuel, and a fuel cell system. The liquid fuel receiving container for a fuel cell receives a liquid fuel to be supplied to a liquid fuel direct supply-type fuel cell and is capable of supplying the liquid fuel for a long time in a stable manner. A fuel supply tube (120) extending in a tank member (110) and supplying a liquid fuel (185) is provided with flexibility, and a weight member (122) is placed near a liquid fuel suction opening (121) in the fuel supply tube. This causes the suction opening to be always movable to a liquid fuel portion and always immersed in the liquid fuel. As a consequence, the fuel can be stably supplied even if the fuel cell is installed in a portable electronic apparatus.

Description

Specification

Liquid fuel container for fuel cell and fuel cell system

Technical field

The present invention relates to a liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell that stores liquid fuel to be supplied to a liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell, and a fuel cell system including the liquid fuel storage container.

Background art

Conventionally, a secondary battery such as a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, or a lithium-ion battery has been used as a power source for portable devices such as a mobile phone and a portable computer. Since these devices are often used with the power always on, there is a limit to extending the continuous use time of the portable device using the secondary battery.

On the other hand, attempts have been made to use a fuel cell as a power source for the above-mentioned portable devices, and instead of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using hydrogen as a fuel, the control of water content in the electrolyte membrane is complicated. A liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell that can generate power by directly supplying liquid fuel and oxygen to a power generation unit has attracted attention. That is, the liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell does not require the water management of the electrolyte membrane required for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell and has a simple structure.

[0003] However, such a liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell stores liquid fuel in a container and is used for portable equipment, so that the posture of the fuel container is not constant. Therefore, when the remaining amount of the liquid fuel in the container becomes small, there may be a case where the liquid fuel does not exist in the fuel suction port portion, and it becomes difficult to stably supply the fuel to the power generation unit, and the operation of the device becomes unstable. There was a problem. Further, since the attitude of the fuel storage container is not constant as described above, the liquid fuel is stored in a container filled with a porous material, and the inside of the container and the power generation unit are connected by a fuel supply path having a capillary force. The structure to be used is considered. According to this structure, it is possible to obtain a liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell capable of supplying a stable fuel irrespective of the attitude of the fuel cell itself and even when the remaining amount of the liquid fuel is small.

[0004] Fig. 14 shows an outline of the above configuration. Proton-conductive polymer electrolyte or hydroxyide A negative electrode and a positive electrode are arranged via an electrolyte made of an on-conductive polymer electrolyte, and a liquid fuel is supplied to the negative electrode, and an oxidizing gas is supplied to the positive electrode. In the fuel cell provided as 10, the liquid fuel 1 to be supplied to the negative electrode is housed in a stainless steel container 2 filled with a porous material 7, and the inside of the container 2 and the power generation unit 10 also have a capillary force. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-77505

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] However, in the liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell according to the above-mentioned literature, since the porous material 7 is filled in the container 2, the amount of the liquid fuel 1 that can be stored in the container 2 is small. There is a problem that it is difficult to drive for a long time. In addition, the use of the porous material 7 causes a problem that impurities such as dust are mixed into the liquid fuel 1 and the performance of the electrolyte of the fuel cell is reduced. This problem occurs remarkably especially when a fibrous porous material is used.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a fuel containing liquid fuel to be supplied to a liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell capable of supplying liquid fuel stably for a long time. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid fuel storage container for a battery and a fuel cell system provided with the liquid fuel storage container.

Means for solving the problem

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.

That is, the liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell according to the first aspect of the present invention stores liquid fuel directly supplied to the fuel cell body that performs power generation, and the mounting posture is not determined. A tank member that can be freely moved,

A pipe provided in the tank member for supplying the liquid fuel to the fuel cell main body, having flexibility and having a suction port for sucking the liquid fuel, and having the suction port for the liquid fuel; A fuel supply pipe having a weight member near the suction port for constantly immersing

It is provided with. [0007] Further, the fuel cell system according to the second aspect of the present invention provides a liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell according to the first aspect, and a liquid fuel directly supplied from the liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell to generate power. And a fuel cell main body for performing the following.

[0008] For example, when a portable electronic device is provided with a fuel cell that supplies liquid fuel such as an aqueous methanol solution directly to the anode electrode of the fuel cell to generate electric power, the inside of a tank member that stores the liquid fuel is provided. The liquid fuel can move freely in the direction of gravity. Therefore, by providing the fuel supply pipe which extends into the tank member and supplies the liquid fuel with flexibility, and by providing a weight member near the liquid fuel suction port in the fuel supply pipe, the suction port is provided. Always moves in the direction of gravity. According to such a configuration, the suction port is always immersed in liquid fuel, and stable fuel supply is possible even when the fuel cell is provided in a portable electronic device. Further, most of the inside of the tank member can be used as a liquid fuel storage area, and a sufficient amount of liquid fuel can be stored for long-time operation of the device. In addition, since the number of porous members is small, the problem of impurity contamination can be reduced.

[0009] As described above, the fuel supply pipe is freely movable in the tank member, and thus may be entangled. Therefore, a support member is provided, and the length of the fuel supply pipe from the support member can be defined to prevent the fuel supply pipe from being entangled.

Further, from the viewpoint of preventing the entanglement, the fuel supply pipe has a coil spring structure or a nest structure.

[0010] The weight member has, for example, a spherical shape and can be attached to the fuel supply pipe so as to surround the suction port. Further, by using a porous member, the suction port comes into direct contact with the liquid fuel! Even if the weight member is not immersed in the liquid fuel, the liquid fuel can be sucked. Further, the shape of the weight member may be a cylindrical body having substantially the same shape as the cross section of the body of the tank member. According to this shape, the inner surface of the tank member can be slid along the axial direction, and the contact noise between the weight member and the tank member is reduced as compared with the case where a weight member such as a sphere is used. can do. Further, in the above-mentioned tubular body, by making the suction port portion a heavy portion which is heavier than the other portions, the heavy portion moves in the direction of gravity, so that the tubular body moves in the direction around the axis of the tank member. It becomes rotatable. Therefore, the contact noise can be reduced, and the suction port can be more reliably arranged in the liquid fuel portion. A liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to another aspect of the present invention stores liquid fuel directly supplied to a fuel cell body that performs power generation, and has a fixed mounting posture, and the liquid fuel is gravity-fed. A tank member that can be freely moved in the direction,

The inside of the tank member is divided into a fuel section provided in the tank member and containing the liquid fuel, and a porous member section containing a porous member absorbing the liquid fuel, and the liquid fuel passes therethrough. A partition member having a possible through hole;

A fuel supply pipe that is a pipe that supplies the liquid fuel to the outside of the tank member and that has a suction port that is located in the porous member section and suctions the liquid fuel contained in the porous member;

It is characterized by having.

[0012] According to such a configuration, since the tank member is provided with the fuel compartment for storing the liquid fuel, it is possible to store a sufficient amount of the liquid fuel for long-time operation of the device. In addition, since the number of the porous member portions is small, the problem of impurity contamination can be reduced. The invention's effect

According to the liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell of the first embodiment and the fuel cell system of the second embodiment of the present invention, the fuel supply pipe that extends into the tank member and supplies the liquid fuel has flexibility. And the weight member is provided near the liquid fuel suction port in the fuel supply pipe, so that the suction port can always move in the direction of gravity, that is, in the liquid fuel portion. Therefore, the suction port is always immersed in liquid fuel, and stable fuel supply is possible even when the fuel cell is installed in a portable electronic device.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0014] These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, which relates to preferred embodiments of the accompanying drawings. In this drawing,

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention,

[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a view showing a modification of the liquid fuel container for a fuel cell shown in FIG. 1. [FIG. 3] FIG. 3 shows a modification of the weight member shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view showing another modification of the weight member shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 5 is a view showing a modification of the fuel supply pipe shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a view showing another modification of the fuel supply pipe shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 is a view showing another modification of the fuel supply pipe shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell having another modified example of the weight member shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A is a view showing a liquid fuel container for a fuel cell having still another modification of the weight member shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the fuel cell system shown in FIG. Yes,

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the fuel cell system shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is provided in an electronic device.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional fuel storage container.

Explanation of symbols

[0015] 101 to 104 ··· Liquid fuel storage container for fuel cell,

110 ··· Tank member, 110a, 110b… both ends, 110c… inner surface,

l lOd ... body part, 112 ... axial direction, 120 ... fuel supply pipe, 121 ... suction port,

122, 125, 126 ... weight member, 127 ... weight part, 140 ... support member,

180… Fuel cell body, 185 · ”Liquid fuel.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A liquid fuel container for a fuel cell and a fuel cell system, which are embodiments of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings. The fuel cell system is a system including the fuel cell liquid fuel container. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

First, referring to FIG. 11, a liquid fuel container 101 for a fuel cell according to an embodiment is provided. The fuel cell system 190 will be described.

The fuel cell system 190 includes a fuel storage container 101, which will be described in detail later, and a fuel cell main body 180 that receives fuel from the fuel storage container 101 and generates power. In the present embodiment, the fuel storage container 101 is a fuel cell. As a liquid fuel that can be directly supplied to the main body 180, an aqueous methanol solution with a concentration of about 10% is stored. Further, a fuel supply pump 184 may be provided between the fuel storage container 101 and the fuel cell main body 180 in order to supply the fuel from the fuel storage container 101 to the fuel cell main body 180. In addition, the fuel storage container 101 can store high-concentration or undiluted methanol. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, an intermediate tank 191 which is connected to the fuel storage container 101 and dilutes the high-concentration or undiluted methanol supplied from the fuel storage container 101 into an approximately 10% aqueous methanol solution and stores it. Need to be provided.

The fuel cell body 180 includes an electrolyte membrane 181, a force electrode 182, an anode 183, a catalyst membrane (not shown), and the like. The liquid fuel supplied to the anode 183 and the cathode This is a power generation module that generates electrical energy by chemically reacting oxygen in the air supplied to 182. It should be noted that the drawing shows only one cell consisting of the electrolyte membrane 181, the force electrode 182, and the anode electrode 183. Actually, a plurality of cells are connected in series.

The fuel cell system 190 configured as described above is attached to a portable electronic device 201 such as a notebook personal computer, for example, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the mounting posture of the fuel cell liquid fuel storage container 101 is not determined, and the liquid fuel stored in the fuel cell liquid fuel storage container 101 moves freely in the direction of gravity.

Next, the liquid fuel container 101 for a fuel cell of the above embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a basic structure of a liquid fuel container 101 for a fuel cell of the above embodiment. The liquid fuel container 101 for a fuel cell includes a tank member 110 and a fuel supply pipe 120. The tank member 110 has a tank shape for storing liquid fuel directly supplied to the anode electrode 183 of the fuel cell main body 180, and is made of stainless steel in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the tank member 110 has a methanol concentration of about 10% as the liquid fuel 185. A methanol aqueous solution consisting of The liquid fuel 185 in the tank member 110 decreases with the power generation in the fuel cell main body 180, but the tank member 110 has an intake portion 111 on the side wall, and the liquid fuel 185 is consumed. However, since the air equivalent to the consumption is supplied from the outside of the tank member 110 through the intake section 111, the liquid fuel 185 can be supplied stably without the inside of the tank member 110 becoming lower than the atmospheric pressure. It is. Here, the intake section 111 is formed of a selectively permeable membrane that allows air to pass through but not liquid.

Further, in the fuel cell system 190, the tank member 110 preferably has a detachable structure. Therefore, the liquid fuel container 101 for a fuel cell has the detachable connector 130. The connector 130 has a tank-side connector 131 connected to the fuel supply pipe 120 on the tank member 110 side and detached together with the tank member 110, and a main-unit-side connector 132 provided on the fuel cell main body 180 side. Connector 131 and main unit side connector 132 can be connected

The fuel supply pipe 120 is provided in the tank member 110 and supplies the liquid fuel 185 to the fuel cell main body 180. The fuel supply pipe 120 is flexible and has a suction port 121 for sucking the liquid fuel 185. In addition, a weight member 122 that constantly immerses the suction port 121 in the liquid fuel 185 is provided near the suction port 121. Further, it is preferable that the fuel supply pipe 120 be a thin tube having an inner diameter that is large enough to cause a capillary phenomenon. Alternatively, a structure in which a fibrous member having a large number of pores inside is filled even if the inside diameter is large. As an example, the outer diameter of the fuel supply pipe 120 is about lmm, and the inner diameter is about 0.5 mm.

The suction port 121 may be opened immediately after the weight member 122 in the liquid absorption direction 123 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be opened just before the weight member 122 as shown in FIG. . When the suction port 121 is opened immediately before the weight member 122 as shown in FIG. 3, the suction port 121 is opened due to the relationship between the position of the weight member 122 in the tank member 110 and the amount of the liquid fuel 185. A situation that is not located in the liquid fuel 185 is also conceivable. Therefore, in the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to provide a suction member 124 made of a porous material surrounding the weight member 122 and the suction port 121 as shown in FIG.

[0022] According to the liquid fuel storage container 101 for a fuel cell having the above-described configuration, the tank member 110 The suction port 121 always moves in the direction of gravity, that is, the direction in which the liquid fuel 185 exists, even when the liquid fuel 185 is inclined or when the amount of the liquid fuel 185 becomes small. Therefore, the suction port 121 is always immersed in the liquid fuel 185, and stable fuel supply is possible regardless of the attitude of the tank member 110. In addition, most of the inside of the tank member 110 can be a storage area for the liquid fuel 185, and a sufficient amount of the liquid fuel 185 can be stored for long-time operation of the device. In addition, since the number of porous members is small, the problem of impurity contamination can be reduced.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the fuel supply pipe 120 may be entangled in the tank member 110. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell liquid fuel container 102 further includes a support member 140 provided in the tank member 110 to support the fuel supply pipe 120 and prevent the fuel supply pipe 120 from being entangled. The supply pipe 120 is configured such that the suction port 121 has a length that is positioned at both ends 110a and 110b of the tank member 110 while being supported by the support member 140. The other configuration is the same as that of the liquid fuel container 101 for a fuel cell. The support member 140 is preferably attached to the inner surface 110c of the tank member 110 at a substantially central position in the axial direction 112 of the tank member 110. By providing the support member 140 at such a position, the length of the fuel supply pipe 120 that can be moved within the tank member 110 is limited, and the above-described tangling can be prevented.

Further, from the viewpoint of preventing the fuel supply pipe 120 from becoming entangled in the tank member 110, the fuel supply pipe 120 may be formed in a spiral shape as shown in FIGS. In particular, as shown in FIG. 6, by turning the fuel supply pipe 120 in a conical shape, the fuel supply pipe 120 is turned concentrically around the weight member 122 in the folded state, which is more preferable. In these structures, arranging a metal wire having a high elasticity along the fuel supply pipe 120 is also effective for avoiding the fuel supply pipe 120 from being entangled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the fuel supply pipe 120 may have a nested structure so that it can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction of the fuel supply pipe 120 and can be folded.

As a modification of the weight member 122, the liquid fuel container 103 for a fuel cell and the liquid fuel container 104 for a fuel cell adopting weight members 125 and 126 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A. Can also be formed.

The weight members 125 and 126 have substantially the same shape as the cross section of the body 110d of the tank member 110. And is a member that can slide inside the tank member 110 along the axial direction 112 of the tank member 110.

As shown in FIG.8B, the weight member 125 corresponds to a case where the cross section of the body portion lOd of the tank member 110 is rectangular, and has a square cylindrical shape, and has an inner surface 125a. The tip 120a of the fuel supply pipe 120 is attached. It is to be noted that the suction port 121 exists at the tip end portion 120a.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the weight member 126 corresponds to a case in which the cross section of the body lOd of the tank member 110 is circular, and is formed in an annular shape. 120a is installed. Further, the weight member 126 has a weight portion 127 corresponding to the mounting portion of the tip portion 120a. The weight portion 127 is made of a material or a member having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of the weight member 126, and may be formed integrally with the weight member 126 as shown in FIG. It may be configured to be attached to the weight member 126 separately.

The weight members 125 and 126 move in the direction of gravity in the tank member 110 along the axial direction 112 of the tank member 110 in accordance with the attitude of the tank member 110, and thus are similar to the weight members 122 described above. In addition, the suction port 121 of the fuel supply pipe 120 can be arranged in a portion where the liquid fuel 185 exists. Further, when the weight member 122 is provided, the weight member 122 may hit the inner surface 110c of the tank member 110 in accordance with a change in the attitude of the tank member 110, and may make a clicking sound, for example. On the other hand, in the case of the weight members 125 and 126, since the inner surface 110c of the tank member 110 slides in the axial direction 112, the occurrence of the contact noise can be reduced.

In the case of the weight member 126, the weight portion 127 moves in the direction of gravity, so that the annular weight member 126 can rotate in the direction 113 around the axis along the inner peripheral surface of the tank member 110. . Therefore, the above-described contact noise can be reduced, and the suction port 121 can be more reliably arranged in the liquid fuel portion, so that it is possible to generate electric power with less residual fuel.

Hereinafter, a liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The liquid fuel storage container 105 for a fuel cell shown in FIG. 10 includes a partition member 150 and a fuel supply pipe 120 in the tank member 110 having the intake section 111. The above partition The material 150 divides the inside of the tank member 110 into a fuel compartment 114 containing the liquid fuel 185 and a porous member compartment 115 containing a porous member 160 for absorbing the liquid fuel 185, and the liquid fuel 185 Is a member having one or a plurality of through holes 151 that can pass through. The volume ratio between the fuel section 114 and the porous member section 115 is not specifically defined. The force is preferably about half each, or as shown, the fuel section 114 is preferably slightly larger. The fuel supply pipe 120 is located in the porous member section 115, and the suction port 121 is located in the porous member 160. Further, similarly to the case of the liquid fuel storage container 101 for the fuel cell, the liquid fuel storage container 105 for the fuel cell also has the connector 130.

[0029] In the liquid fuel storage container 105 for a fuel cell having such a configuration, the liquid fuel 185 in the fuel compartment 114 is supplied to the through hole of the partition member 150 regardless of the attitude of the liquid fuel storage container 105 for the fuel cell. It is possible to enter the porous member 160 of the porous member section 115 through 151. Therefore, the liquid fuel 185 can be supplied to the fuel cell main body 180 through the suction port 121 of the fuel supply pipe 120 located in the porous member 60 irrespective of the position of the liquid fuel storage container 105 for the fuel cell.

Further, in the liquid fuel storage container 105 for the fuel cell, since the entire inside of the tank member 110 is not filled with the porous member 160, the storage amount of the liquid fuel 185 does not decrease. Therefore, the equipment can be used for a long time. Further, since the volume of the porous member 160 is smaller than that of the conventional configuration, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of problems such as dust caused by the porous member 160.

[0030] By appropriately combining any of the various embodiments described above, the effects of the respective embodiments can be achieved.

The entire disclosure of the specification, drawings and claims of Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-147317, filed on May 18, 2004, is incorporated herein by reference. Is what is done.

Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are not to be departed from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Should be understood to be included therein.

Industrial applicability

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention is applicable to the fuel storage container which accommodated the liquid fuel supplied to a liquid fuel direct supply type fuel cell, and the fuel cell system provided with this fuel storage container.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A tank member for storing liquid fuel supplied directly to the fuel cell body for generating power, and for storing the liquid fuel freely in the direction of gravity without being fixed in a mounting orientation,

A liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell, comprising:

[2] a support member provided in the tank member to support the fuel supply pipe and prevent the fuel supply pipe from being entangled in the tank member;

2. The liquid fuel storage valley for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply pipe has a length such that the suction port is located at both ends of the tank member when supported by the support member.

[3] The weight member is a cylindrical body having substantially the same shape as the cross section of the body of the tank member, and is a member slidable in the tank member along the axial direction of the tank member. The liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein

[4] When the tank member has a cylindrical shape, the weight member has an annular shape, and includes a weight portion that rotates the weight member around the axis along the inner peripheral surface of the tank member. 4. The liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the container is provided near the suction port.

5. The liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the weight member is made of a porous member, and the suction port is opened in the porous member.

6. The liquid fuel storage container for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply pipe is formed of a coil spring structure that is extendable and contractable and prevents entanglement of the fuel supply pipe.

7. The liquid fuel container for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fuel supply pipe is formed in a nested structure.

[8] A tank member that stores liquid fuel that is directly supplied to the fuel cell body that performs power generation, and that stores the liquid fuel freely in the direction of gravity without a fixed mounting posture,

A pipe provided in the tank member to supply the liquid fuel to the fuel cell body; A fuel supply pipe having flexibility, having a suction port for sucking the liquid fuel, and having a weight member near the suction port for constantly immersing the suction port in the liquid fuel;

A liquid fuel container for a fuel cell comprising:

A fuel cell main body that is directly supplied with liquid fuel from the fuel cell liquid fuel container to generate power,

A fuel cell system comprising: