JP2003017084A - Fuel cell device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To reduce the pressure loss of an air flow supplied from an air supply fan, thereby reducing the amount of air required to always maximize the output of the fuel cell at the oxygen electrode of the fuel cell. A sufficient amount of air is supplied to the fuel cell so that the output of the fuel cell is high and stable, and the fuel efficiency is improved. An air supply chamber, a fuel cell stack, and an air exhaust chamber are stacked in this order from the top in the vertical direction of a vehicle, and an air introduction duct, a fuel cell stack, and fuel storage means are sequentially arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A first connecting portion for connecting the air introduction duct and the air supply chamber, a second connecting portion for connecting the fuel storage means and the air discharge chamber, the air supply chamber, and the air discharge chamber, respectively. In the width direction of the fuel cell stack 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cell device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, since fuel cells have high power generation efficiency and do not emit harmful substances, they have been put to practical use as industrial or domestic power generators or power sources for artificial satellites or spacecraft. In recent years, it has been developed as a power source for vehicles such as passenger cars, buses and trucks.

Various types of fuel cells are known, such as alkaline aqueous solution type, phosphoric acid type, molten carbonate type,
Although solid oxide type, direct type methanol, etc. may be used, a fuel cell using a solid electrolyte is considered promising.

In this case, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between two gas diffusion electrodes, and they are integrated and joined. When one of the gas diffusion electrodes is used as a fuel electrode and hydrogen gas is supplied as a fuel gas to the fuel electrode through a fuel flow path in contact with the surface of the fuel electrode, hydrogen is decomposed into hydrogen ions (protons) and electrons. , Hydrogen ions permeate the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. Further, when the other of the gas diffusion electrodes is an oxygen electrode and air is supplied as an oxidant to the oxygen electrode through an air flow path in contact with the surface of the oxygen electrode, oxygen in the air is bonded to the hydrogen ions and electrons. Water is produced. An electromotive force is generated by such an electrochemical reaction.

Further, a fuel battery cell is constructed by combining the solid electrolyte, the fuel electrode, the oxygen electrode, the air passage and the fuel passage. Further, a stack of a plurality of the fuel cells is configured as a fuel cell stack. In this fuel cell device, there is one that keeps the solid electrolyte membrane in a wet state by supplying a liquid to the air channel (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-12056).

[0006]

However, in the conventional fuel cell device described above, it is difficult to dispose the fuel cell at a low position in the vehicle when it is mounted in the vehicle.

Generally, in the case of a vehicle such as an automobile, a drive source, a driving force transmission mechanism and the like may be arranged under the floor of a vehicle compartment or a luggage compartment in order to provide a large space for loading passengers and luggage. Is required. In order to meet such a demand, in the case of the conventional fuel cell device, the height of the fuel cell device as a whole is high, and the floor of the vehicle compartment or the luggage compartment cannot be lowered. Therefore, it is not possible to secure a large space for loading passengers and luggage.

Further, when the floor of the vehicle compartment or luggage compartment is lowered in order to increase the space for loading passengers or luggage, the lower side of the fuel cell device pops out to the lower side of the vehicle to The minimum ground clearance will be low. in this case,
The lower side of the fuel cell device may collide with a road surface or the like and be damaged.

When the fuel cell device is arranged under the floor of a vehicle compartment or a luggage compartment, it is necessary to devise a way of arranging the fuel cell stack and the fuel storage means, and at the same time, the oxygen electrode of the fuel cell unit. It is necessary to secure the flow rate of the air supplied to the. However, in a narrow place such as the underfloor, it is difficult to secure a space for freely arranging the ducts forming the air flow path from the air supply fan,
The air supplied from the air supply fan could not be smoothly and uniformly supplied to the oxygen electrode of the fuel cell unit. Similarly, the air discharged from the oxygen electrode of the fuel cell could not be smoothly discharged.

For this reason, the pressure loss of the air flow increases, the flow of the air stagnates, and sufficient oxygen cannot be supplied to the oxygen electrode, resulting in a decrease in the output of the fuel cell unit.

The present invention solves the above conventional problems,
By reducing the pressure loss of the air flow supplied from the air supply fan, the oxygen electrode of the fuel cell unit is always provided with an amount of air that is sufficiently larger than the amount of air required to maximize the output of the fuel cell unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell device in which the fuel cell output is high and stable, and the fuel consumption is good.

[0012]

To this end, in the fuel cell device of the present invention, a fuel electrode and a fuel channel in contact with the fuel electrode, an oxygen electrode and an air channel in contact with the oxygen electrode, A fuel cell having an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between a fuel electrode and an oxygen electrode, a fuel cell stack in which the fuel cell is stacked, an air supply chamber connected to an air inlet end of the air flow path, and the air flow. An air discharge chamber connected to the air outlet end of the passage, an air introduction duct for introducing air from the outside and introducing air to be supplied to the air flow passage, and an air discharge passage through which the air discharged from the air discharge chamber passes. And a fuel storage unit having therein, and in the vertical direction of the vehicle, the air supply chamber, the fuel cell stack, and the air discharge chamber are stacked in this order from the top, and the air introduction duct in the front-back direction of the vehicle. The fuel cell stack and the fuel storage unit are sequentially arranged, and a first connection unit connecting the air introduction duct and the air supply chamber, and a second connection unit connecting the fuel storage unit and the air discharge chamber. The portion, the air supply chamber, and the air discharge chamber each have a width that is at least ½ or more of the fuel cell stack in the width direction of the vehicle.

In another fuel cell device of the present invention, the center of the width direction of the first connecting portion, the second connecting portion, the air supply chamber, and the air discharging chamber is the fuel cell. Aligns with the widthwise center of the stack.

In still another fuel cell device of the present invention, an air supply fan having an air outlet having a width narrower than that of the air introduction duct is further connected to the outside air supply side of the air introduction duct. .

In still another fuel cell device of the present invention, water supply means is further arranged in the air supply chamber.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of essential parts showing a fuel cell stack, an air introduction duct, and a connecting duct of a fuel cell device mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the fuel cell device mounted on the vehicle, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the flow of air in the fuel cell device mounted on the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a fuel cell stack (FC) composed of a plurality of fuel cells, which is used as a power source for vehicles such as passenger cars, buses, trucks, passenger carts and luggage carts. . Here, the vehicle is
It is equipped with a large number of auxiliary devices that consume electricity, such as lighting devices, radios, and power windows, that are used even when the vehicle is stopped. Also, the driving patterns are diverse, and the output range required for the power source is extremely high. Since it is wide, it is desirable to use the fuel cell stack 11 as a power source in combination with a secondary battery (not shown) as a power storage means.

The fuel cell is of an alkaline aqueous solution type (AFC), phosphoric acid type (PAFC), molten carbonate type (MCFC), solid oxide type (SOFC), direct type methanol (DMFC), or the like. Although it may exist, it is preferably a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC).

More preferably, PEMFC (Prot) using hydrogen gas as a fuel and oxygen or air as an oxidant.
on Exchange Membrane Fuel
Cell) fuel cell or PEM (Proton)
This is called an Exchange Membrane) type fuel cell. Here, the PEM fuel cell is
Generally, it is composed of a stack in which a plurality of cells (Fuel Cell) having a catalyst, an electrode and a separator bonded to both sides of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane permeable to ions such as protons are connected in series (Stack). 3172
35 gazette).

In this case, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between two gas diffusion electrodes and integrated and joined. When one of the gas diffusion electrodes is used as a fuel electrode and hydrogen gas is supplied as a fuel gas to the fuel electrode through a fuel flow path in contact with the surface of the fuel electrode, hydrogen is decomposed into hydrogen ions (protons) and electrons. , Hydrogen ions permeate the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. When the other of the gas diffusion electrodes is an oxygen electrode and air is supplied as an oxidizing gas to the oxygen electrode through an air flow path in contact with the oxygen electrode surface, oxygen in the air, the hydrogen ions and electrons are combined. , Water is produced. An electromotive force is generated by such an electrochemical reaction.

For example, in the present embodiment, as an example, a PEM fuel cell, which uses a stack in which 100 cells are connected in series, is used. In this case, the total electrode area is 150 [cm ² ] and the open terminal voltage is about 100.
[V], the output is about 6 [kW]. The temperature during steady operation is about 50 to 90 [° C].

Although hydrogen gas, which is a fuel obtained by reforming methanol, gasoline or the like by a reformer (not shown), can be directly supplied to the fuel cell,
In order to stably supply a sufficient amount of hydrogen even when the vehicle is under heavy load operation, the fuel storage means 1
It is desirable to supply the hydrogen gas stored in 2.

Here, the fuel storage means 12 is preferably a container storing a hydrogen storage alloy, but a container storing a hydrogen storage liquid such as decalin and a container storing hydrogen gas such as a hydrogen gas cylinder. And so on.
As a result, the hydrogen gas is constantly and sufficiently supplied at a substantially constant pressure, so that the fuel cell unit can supply the necessary current while following the fluctuation of the load of the vehicle.

In this case, the output impedance of the fuel cell is extremely low and can be approximated to zero. An unillustrated air discharge passage is formed inside the fuel storage means 12. The air discharge passage is composed of a plurality of passages each of which extends from the front side (the left side in the drawing) to the rear side (the right side in the drawing). When the fuel storage means 12 is a container storing a hydrogen storage alloy, the passage is a heating for heating the hydrogen storage alloy with the air passing through the passage to release hydrogen from the hydrogen storage alloy. Functions as a means.

In the figure, an apparatus for supplying hydrogen gas as a fuel and air as an oxidant to a fuel cell is shown. Here, the fuel cell stack 11 includes the vehicle bottom plate 15
Is disposed on. Further, a fuel storage means 12 is similarly arranged on the vehicle bottom plate 15 behind the fuel cell stack 11. Further, a drainage pump 14 and a water tank 13 are arranged behind the fuel storage means 12.

The vehicle bottom plate 15 may be a strength member that constitutes the frame of the vehicle, or is a plate member that does not function as a strength member and simply covers the bottom surface of the vehicle. Good. When the vehicle bottom plate 15 is a strength member, the fuel cell stack 11, the fuel storage unit 12, the drainage pump 14, and the water tank 13 are attached to the vehicle bottom plate 15, and when the vehicle bottom plate 15 is not a strength member, the fuel is used. The battery stack 11, the fuel storage means 12, the drainage pump 14, and the water tank 13 are the vehicle bottom plate 1
It is attached to a strength member (not shown) other than 5.

The left and right front wheels 28 of the vehicle shown in the figure
L, 28R and left and right rear wheels 29L, 29R are similarly
If the vehicle bottom plate 15 is a strength member, it is attached to the vehicle bottom plate 15 via a suspension mechanism or the like, and if the vehicle bottom plate 15 is not a strength member, it is not shown separately from the vehicle bottom plate 15 via a suspension mechanism or the like. Attached to the strength member.

Here, the fuel cell stack 11, the fuel storage means 12, the drainage pump 14, and the water tank 13 have a thin and flat rectangular parallelepiped shape and are arranged side by side, that is, in tandem. Therefore, even if the floor plate of the vehicle compartment or the luggage compartment is arranged so as to cover the fuel cell stack 11 and the fuel storage means 12, it is not necessary to increase the height of the floor of the vehicle compartment or the luggage compartment. The fuel cell stack 11
And the fuel storage means 12 are arranged at substantially equal heights.

Further, the fuel cell stack 1 which is a heavy load
1, fuel storage means 12, drainage pump 14 and water tank 1
Since 3 is arranged at a low position, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle is lowered and the stability of the vehicle is improved. Further, the fuel cell stack 11, the fuel storage means 12, the drainage pump 14 and the water tank 13 are connected to the axles of the front wheels 28L and 28R and the rear wheels 29.
Since it is arranged between the L and 29R axles, heavy objects concentrate near the center of gravity of the vehicle, the moment of inertia around the center of gravity is reduced, and the turning performance of the vehicle is improved.

Then, hydrogen gas as a fuel is supplied from the fuel storage means 12 to each fuel cell of the fuel cell stack 11 through a fuel supply pipe line (not shown). Further, a fuel pressure adjusting valve, a fuel supply solenoid valve, a check valve, and a pressure sensor, which are not shown, are arranged in the fuel supply line. Then, while the pressure of the hydrogen gas in the fuel supply line is monitored by the pressure sensor, the fuel pressure control valve is set so that the hydrogen gas supplied to each fuel cell is maintained at a preset constant pressure. The hydrogen gas is adjusted and supplied from the fuel storage means 12. The fuel storage means 12 has a sufficiently large capacity and is capable of supplying hydrogen gas at a sufficiently high pressure at all times.

Then, the hydrogen gas discharged from the fuel cell unit is discharged into the atmosphere through a fuel discharge pipe line (not shown). The hydrogen gas may not be directly discharged into the atmosphere but may be discharged after being combined with oxygen to form water. Further, a filter, a fuel discharge solenoid valve, a check valve, and the like, which are not shown, are arranged in the fuel discharge line.

On the other hand, the air as the oxidant is supplied from the air supply fan 26 as the oxidant supply source, which is composed of a sirocco fan or the like, to the discharge port 26a of the air supply fan 26, as shown by the arrow in FIG. It is supplied to the air supply chamber 17 attached to the upper side of the fuel cell stack 11 through the air introduction duct 25 connected to. A water supply nozzle for spraying water is arranged in the air supply chamber 17.

Here, a connecting portion 2 as a first connecting portion for connecting the air introducing duct 25 and the air supply chamber 17 to each other.
5a and the air supply chamber 17 are each at least 1 / th of the fuel cell stack 11 in the vehicle width direction.
It has a width of 2 or more. Furthermore, the center of the connecting portion 25a and the air supply chamber 17 in the width direction coincides with the center of the fuel cell stack 11 in the width direction.

Further, the air supply port of the air supply fan 26 is arranged at a position higher than the highest position of the air supply chamber 17. Therefore, the air introduction duct 25 is connected to the air introduction port 17a formed on the upper surface of the air supply chamber 17.

The air introduction duct 25 is formed so as to extend upward from the upper surface of the air supply chamber 17 in the vicinity of the air introduction.

As a result, even if the vehicle leans or bounces when the vehicle climbs over obstacles or steps or travels on a bad road, the water supply nozzle sprays the air into the air supply chamber 17. The water does not flow back through the connecting portion 25a extending downward until it reaches the inside of the air introduction duct 25 or the discharge port 26a of the air supply fan 26 connected to the front thereof. That is, when the vehicle leans or bounces, even if the water sprayed into the air supply chamber 17 bounces up and enters the connecting portion 25a, it does not reach above the connecting portion 25a.
The air introduction duct 25 and the discharge port 26a of the air supply fan 26 connected to the front of the air introduction duct 25 do not enter the inside.

The connecting portion 25a may be integrally formed with the air introducing duct 25, or may be separately formed and attached. The air introduction duct 25 may be integrally formed with the discharge port 26a, or may be separately formed and connected.

The connecting portion 25a may have a linear shape as shown in FIG. 1 or a curved shape. Further, it may be extended obliquely downward or may be extended substantially vertically downward. further,
The width of the connecting portion 25a is substantially equal to the width of the air supply chamber 17.

As a result, an overall downward air flow path is formed from the discharge port 26a of the air supply fan 26 through the air introduction duct 25 to the air supply chamber 17. Moreover, since the width of the air flow path is gradually increased in the order of the air outlet of the air supply fan 26, the air introduction duct 25, and the connecting portion 25a, the air supply fan 26
The flow of air sent from the air smoothly spreads in the width direction and becomes a uniform flow.

The width of the connecting portion 25a is at least 1/2 the width of the air supply chamber 17, and the center in the width direction coincides with the center in the width direction of the fuel cell stack 11. The flow smoothly flows into the air supply chamber 17 without being disturbed. Therefore, the pressure loss of the air flow from the air supply fan 26 to the inside of the air supply chamber 17 is extremely low.

A filter for removing dust (contaminants), pollutants, harmful components, etc. in the air may be arranged in the air introducing portion of the air supply fan 26 or in the middle of the air introducing duct 25. desirable.

In this case, the pressure of the air supplied to the fuel cell is normal pressure around atmospheric pressure, and it is not necessary to pressurize it. Therefore, the air supply fan 26, the air introduction duct 25, the air supply chamber 17, and the air discharge chamber 1 described later.
8, the connection duct 19, the air discharge ducts 27L, 27R, etc. do not need to have pressure resistance, so the configuration can be simplified.

An air discharge chamber 18 for discharging the air discharged from the air passage is attached to the air outlet end of the fuel cell located at the other end of the air passage. Further, a connection duct 19 for discharging air to the outside of the vehicle is connected behind the air discharge chamber 18.
Then, the connection duct 19 is connected to an air discharge passage that branches into a plurality and passes through the inside of the fuel storage means 12. Further, the air discharge passage is connected to the left and right air discharge ducts 27L and 27R arranged at the rear.

In the fuel cell, a large number of air channels extending in the vertical direction in FIG. 1 are formed, and one surface of the air channels is in contact with the oxygen electrode. A fuel electrode is arranged on the opposite side of the oxygen electrode with a solid polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between them, and a fuel flow path as a hydrogen gas passage is formed in contact with the fuel electrode.

Further, the fuel cells are arranged in an inclined state so that the front side (the left side in the drawing) is slightly lowered. The upper surface of the air supply chamber 17 is shown in FIG.
It is horizontal, as shown in. Moreover, the width of the air supply chamber 17 is substantially the same as the width of the region where the aggregate of the air flow passages is distributed, that is, the width of the air flow passage as the aggregate.

Therefore, the cross section of the flow path of the air as the oxidant sent from the air introduction duct 25 is changed to the air supply chamber 1
Since the width of the air passage 7 becomes narrower from the front to the rear and the width is almost the same as the width of the air flow passage as the aggregate and is constant, the air is uniformly introduced into all the air flow passages. Moreover, as described above, the flow of air supplied from the air supply fan 26 passes through the air introduction duct 25 and the air supply chamber 17
As a flow that uniformly spreads in the width direction, it smoothly flows in without being disturbed. Therefore, the pressure loss of the air flow is low, and the air is uniformly and smoothly introduced into all the air flow paths, so that the output of the fuel cell unit is stably improved.

The height of the upper surface of the air supply chamber 17 is preferably as low as possible in order to reduce the height of the floor plate of the vehicle compartment or the luggage compartment provided so as to cover it. .

On the other hand, the lower surface of the air discharge chamber 18 is also horizontal, and the width of the air discharge chamber 18 is substantially the same as the width of the air flow path as an assembly. Therefore, the flow passage cross section of the air discharged from the air flow passage is the same as the air discharge chamber 1
8 widens from the front to the rear of 8 and the width is almost the same as the width of the air flow path as the aggregate and is constant, so that the air is smoothly discharged toward the connection duct 19.

Here, the front half portion 19a of the connection duct 19 as the second connecting portion connecting the fuel cell stack 11 and the air exhaust chamber 18 and the air exhaust chamber 18 are
Each of the fuel cell stacks 11 extends in the vehicle width direction.
The width is at least 1/2 or more. Further, the center of the front half portion 19a and the air discharge chamber 18 in the width direction coincides with the center of the fuel cell stack 11 in the width direction. Therefore, since the pressure loss of the air flow after the air flow path of the fuel cell is low, the air discharged from the air flow path passes through the air discharge chamber 18 and the connection duct 19 and smoothly flows into the air discharge passage. Flow into.

As a result, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, the air flows from the air flow path of the fuel cell to the air discharge chamber 18, the connection duct 19, the air discharge passage in the fuel storage means 12, and the left and right air. It is smoothly discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust ducts 27L and 27R. In addition, the lower surface of the air discharge chamber 18 is also provided to reduce the mounting position of the fuel cell stack 11 and the height of the floor plate of the vehicle compartment or luggage compartment.
It is desirable not to project downward as much as possible. That is, it is desirable that the thickness of the air discharge chamber 18 is as thin as possible.

By the way, the water sprayed from the water supply nozzle enters a large number of the air flow paths due to gravity and the flow of air. Then, since the oxygen electrode is kept in a wet state, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the oxygen electrode and the fuel electrode functions well. Further, in an electrochemical reaction in which hydrogen as a fuel and oxygen as an oxidant are combined to generate water, reaction heat is generated, and the reaction heat is absorbed by the sprayed water. That is, the sprayed water also serves a cooling function.

Here, the sprayed water is in a liquid state,
That is, it is in a liquid phase and absorbs heat of reaction to be vaporized. Therefore, the oxygen electrode and the like in the air flow path are cooled by the latent heat of vaporization, so that the cooling efficiency is extremely high. Further, since the liquid phase water is simply sprayed into the air at normal pressure, the water supply nozzle may be a normal one and does not need to have a special structure.

Then, the sprayed water is discharged from the lower end of the air flow path together with air. in this case,
The water in the liquid phase is temporarily stored in the bottom surface of the air discharge chamber 18 as it is. In addition, a part of the vapor-phase water, that is, water vapor, discharged together with the air is partially discharged from the air discharge chamber 1.
It is trapped by a member such as a wire mesh and a metal rod arranged inside 8, cooled, and condensed to become a liquid. Then, it is temporarily stored on the bottom surface of the air discharge chamber 18.

The rear lower end of the air discharge chamber 18 is connected to the drainage conduit 22. And the drainage channel 2
Since 2 is connected to the suction port of the drainage pump 14, the water once stored on the bottom surface of the air discharge chamber 18 is sucked and discharged through the drainage pipe 22 as a water discharge conduit.

The water sucked by the drainage pump 14 through the drainage pipe 22 has one end connected to the discharge port of the drainage pump 14 and the other end connected to the upper surface of the water tank 13. The water tank 13 is passed through the connecting pipe 23 as a passage.
It flows in and is stored.

The air exhaust ducts 27L and 27R are also provided.
A condenser (not shown) is also provided in the inside to condense and separate water contained in the air discharged to the outside. Then, the separated water is sucked by the drainage pump 14 through a drainage pipe (not shown) and stored in the water tank 13. Here, the condenser is, for example, a wire mesh, a metal rod, or the like, but may be any one.

The water stored in the water tank 13 is re-supplied and sprayed to the water supply nozzle through a circulation pump, a water supply pipe, etc., which are not shown.

As a result, most of the water is recycled and used, so that the amount of water supplied can be reduced.

On the other hand, the water vapor not condensed in the air discharge chamber 18 flows into the air discharge passage passing through the inside of the fuel storage means 12 through the connection duct 19 together with the air. By the way, since the air and water vapor discharged from the air flow path of the fuel cell unit absorb the reaction heat generated in the electrochemical reaction as described above, the temperature is high to some extent. When such high temperature air and water vapor pass through the air discharge passage, the hydrogen storage alloy in the fuel storage means 12 is heated and hydrogen is released from the hydrogen storage alloy and supplied to the fuel cell unit. To be done. Moreover, when the air contains water vapor,
Since the steam condenses to release latent heat of condensation, the heating efficiency is extremely high.

Therefore, the energy for heating the hydrogen storage alloy in order to release the hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell unit can be saved.

The secondary battery as the storage means is
So-called batteries (storage batteries) are generally lead storage batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, lithium-ion batteries, sodium-sulfur batteries, etc., but high-performance lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, etc. , Sodium-sulfur batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, etc. are preferable.

For example, in the present embodiment, a high performance lead acid battery is used as an example.

In this case, the open terminal voltage is about 50 [V], and the capacity is such that a current of about 1 [kW] can be supplied for about 5 to 20 minutes.

The power storage means does not necessarily have to be a battery, but may be a capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor, a flywheel, a superconducting coil,
Any form may be used as long as it has a function of electrically storing and releasing energy, such as a pressure storage device. Furthermore, any of these may be used alone, or a plurality of them may be used in combination.

The fuel cell unit is connected to a load (not shown) and supplies the generated current to the load. Here, the load is generally an inverter device which is a drive control device, which converts a direct current from the fuel cell or the battery into an alternating current and supplies it to a drive motor for rotating a vehicle wheel. To do. Here, the drive motor also functions as a generator, and generates a so-called regenerative current during deceleration operation of the vehicle. In this case, since the drive motor is rotated by the wheels to generate electricity,
The wheel is braked, that is, it functions as a vehicle braking device (brake). Then, the regenerative current is supplied to the battery to charge the battery.

In the present embodiment, the fuel cell device has control means (not shown). The control means is C
A calculation unit such as PU or MPU, a storage unit such as a semiconductor memory, an input / output interface, etc. are provided, and the flow rate, temperature, output voltage, etc. of hydrogen, oxygen, air, etc. supplied to the fuel cell from the pressure sensor and other sensors. Is detected to control the operations of the air supply fan 26, the fuel pressure adjusting valve, the fuel supply solenoid valve, the fuel discharge solenoid valve, and the like. Furthermore, the control means cooperates with other sensors and other control devices,
It controls the operation of the fuel cell device as a whole.

As described above, in this embodiment, the air outlet of the air supply fan 26 and the air introduction duct 2 are provided.
5 and the connecting portion 25a in that order, the width of the air flow path gradually increases, and the air flow path is uniformly and smoothly introduced into the air flow path of the fuel cell from the air supply chamber 17.

The air discharged from the air flow passage also smoothly flows into the air discharge passage in the fuel storage means 12 through the air discharge chamber 18 and the connection duct 19 having substantially the same width. .

Therefore, since the pressure loss of the air flow is low and the air is smoothly and uniformly supplied to and discharged from the air passage of the fuel cell, the fuel cell always has an oxygen electrode. The amount of air that is sufficiently larger than the amount of air required to maximize the output of the device can be supplied. Therefore, not only the output of the fuel cell is high and stable, but also the fuel consumption is improved.

Further, since the height of the entire fuel cell device can be lowered, when it is mounted on a vehicle, the floor of the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment can be lowered, and the minimum ground clearance of the vehicle can be raised. it can.

Furthermore, since the heat absorbed by the fuel cell is cooled to heat the hydrogen storage alloy of the fuel storage means 12, the hydrogen storage alloy is released in order to release the hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell. The energy for heating can be saved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0074]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in the fuel cell device, the fuel electrode and the fuel flow path in contact with the fuel electrode, the oxygen electrode and the air flow in contact with the oxygen electrode are provided. And a fuel cell having an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the fuel electrode and the oxygen electrode, a fuel cell stack in which the fuel cell is stacked, and an air supply chamber connected to an air inlet end of the air flow path. An air discharge chamber connected to the air outlet end of the air flow passage, an air introduction duct for introducing air from the outside and supplying air to be supplied to the air flow passage, and air discharged from the air discharge chamber pass through. A fuel storage unit having an air discharge passage therein, and in the vertical direction of the vehicle, the air supply chamber, the fuel cell stack, and the air discharge chamber are stacked in this order from above, and in the front-back direction of the vehicle, Air conduction A duct, the fuel cell stack, and the fuel storage means are sequentially arranged, and a first connecting portion that connects the air introduction duct and the air supply chamber, and a first connection portion that connects the fuel storage means and the air discharge chamber The two connecting portions, the air supply chamber, and the air discharge chamber each include at least one of the fuel cell stacks in the width direction of the vehicle.
With a width of / 2 or more.

In this case, since the pressure loss of the air flow can be reduced, the amount of air that is sufficiently larger than the amount of air required for the fuel cell to always maximize the output of the oxygen cell of the fuel cell. Air is supplied, the output of the fuel cell is high, and it is stable, and fuel consumption is good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of essential parts showing a fuel cell stack, an air introduction duct, and a connection duct of a fuel cell device mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Is.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a fuel cell device mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the flow of air in the fuel cell device mounted on the vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 Fuel cell stack 12 Fuel storage means 17 Air supply chamber 18 Air discharge chamber 19 Connection duct 19a first half 19b latter half 25 Air introduction duct 25a connection part 26 Air supply fan

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ryoichi Okimoto             2-19-12 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Stock             Inside the company Equus Research F-term (reference) 5H026 AA06                 5H027 AA03 AA04 AA06 MM09                 5H115 PA13 PG04 PI18 SE06 TR19                       TU12 UI35

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A fuel electrode, a fuel flow path in contact with the fuel electrode, an oxygen electrode and an air flow path in contact with the oxygen electrode, and an electrolyte membrane sandwiched between the fuel electrode and the oxygen electrode. A fuel cell having the same; (b) a fuel cell stack in which the fuel cell is laminated; (c) an air supply chamber connected to the air inlet end of the air flow path; and (d) an air outlet of the air flow path. An air discharge chamber connected to the end; (e) an air introduction duct for introducing air from the outside to supply air to the air flow path; and (f) air through which the air discharged from the air discharge chamber passes. A fuel storage means having a discharge passage therein,
(G) In the vertical direction of the vehicle, the air supply chamber, the fuel cell stack, and the air discharge chamber are stacked in this order from above, and (h) the air introduction duct, the fuel cell stack, in the front-back direction of the vehicle. The fuel storage means are sequentially arranged, and (i) a first connection portion that connects the air introduction duct and the air supply chamber, and a second connection portion that connects the fuel storage means and the air discharge chamber. The fuel cell device, wherein the air supply chamber and the air discharge chamber each have a width that is at least ½ or more of the fuel cell stack in the width direction of the vehicle. 2. The first connecting portion, the second connecting portion,
The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein the center of the air supply chamber and the center of the air discharge chamber in the width direction coincide with the center of the fuel cell stack in the width direction. 3. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein an air supply fan including an air outlet having a width narrower than that of the air introduction duct is connected to the outside air supply side of the air introduction duct. 4. The fuel cell device according to claim 1, wherein water supply means is provided in the air supply chamber.