JP2003328772A - Electric generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an electric generator provided with a gas turbine engine and a solid electrolyte fuel battery integrally compact and improve electric generation efficiency and durability. <P>SOLUTION: The electric generator is provided with the gas turbine engine GT and the solid electrolyte fuel battery FC integrally, and the compressor wheel 17, the turbine wheel 18, the heat exchanger 20 and the combustor 27 of the gas turbine engine GT, and the solid electrolyte fuel battery FC are made symmetric about the axis L of a rotary section 33 comprising the compressor wheel 17 and the turbine wheel 18, and the heat exchanger 20 and the solid electrolyte fuel battery FC are arranged in this order on the side in the direction of the axis L in relation to the rotary section 33. Through this layout, the whole of the electric generator can be not only made compact, but also pressure loss be reduced and the efficiency of electricity generation be improved by making the flow rate of compressed air and exhaust gas uniform. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power generator that integrally includes a gas turbine engine and a solid oxide fuel cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-516935 discloses a hybrid electric power system in which a turbomachine and a fuel cell are combined. The turbomachine drives the generator by rotating the power turbine with the high-pressure gas generated by burning the fuel in the combustor to generate electricity, and the fuel cell passes through the compressor and recuperator of the turbomachine to heat the heated air. And react with fuel to generate electricity.

US Pat. No. 6,213,234 discloses that
A vehicle with a fuel cell and a generator driven by a gas turbine engine is described. By supplying less than about 50% of the maximum electric power required to drive the vehicle from the fuel cell, it is possible to reduce the fuel consumption without enlarging the fuel cell inevitably and when the electric power required by the vehicle is small. In addition, fuel cells efficiently supply all or most of the required power.

US Pat. No. 6,255,010 describes
It describes that a power generation device including a gas turbine engine, a fuel cell and a generator is housed in a common pressure vessel and operated in a pressurized state.

[0005]

If the gas turbine engine and the fuel cell are separately arranged, the size of the entire system becomes large. Therefore, the fuel cell is housed inside the casing of the gas turbine engine. It is possible to make it compact. However, even if a fuel cell is simply combined with a gas turbine engine, there is a limit to the compactness of the system, and moreover, it is possible to effectively absorb the thermal expansion of the gas turbine engine and the fuel cell, which become a high temperature of several hundred degrees during operation. Since it is difficult, there is a possibility that the thermal stress of the both increases and this may cause a decrease in power generation efficiency and a decrease in durability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is intended to make a power generator integrally provided with a gas turbine engine and a solid oxide fuel cell compact, and to improve power generation efficiency and durability. With the goal.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention described in claim 1, there is provided a power generation device integrally including a gas turbine engine and a solid oxide fuel cell, The gas turbine engine includes a compressor wheel, a turbine wheel, a heat exchanger and a combustor, the compressor wheel supplies compressed air to the solid oxide fuel cell and the combustor through the heat exchanger, and the turbine wheel is a solid oxide fuel. The compressor wheel is driven by the exhaust gas from the battery and the combustor to drive the compressor wheel, and the heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the exhaust gas from the turbine wheel and the compressed air from the compressor wheel. The heat exchanger, combustor and solid oxide fuel cell should be And a turbine wheel having an axially symmetric shape that shares an axis of a rotating portion, and a heat exchanger and a solid oxide fuel cell are sequentially arranged on one side in the axial direction with respect to the rotating portion. A power generation device is proposed.

According to the above construction, the compressor wheel, the turbine wheel, the heat exchanger and the combustor, which are the constituent elements of the gas turbine engine, and the solid oxide fuel cell, and the axis line of the rotating portion composed of the compressor wheel and the turbine wheel are arranged. The shared axisymmetric shape and the sequential arrangement of the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell on one side in the axial direction with respect to the rotating part not only make the entire power generator compact but also make it possible to reduce the heat exchanger and solid state. Power generation efficiency can be improved by making the flow velocity of compressed air and exhaust gas into the electrolyte fuel cell uniform and smoothing the flow of compressed air and exhaust gas to reduce pressure loss. In addition, the above-mentioned axisymmetric arrangement can minimize the thermal stress generated by the thermal expansion of the power generator to improve the power generation efficiency and the durability.

According to the invention described in claim 2,
In addition to the configuration of claim 1, there is proposed a power generation device characterized in that the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell have an annular shape centered on the axis.

According to the above structure, since the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell have an annular shape centered on the axis of the rotating portion, the gas is generated in the space radially inside the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell. The components of the turbine engine can be housed in a compact size, and the heat generated by the gas turbine engine can be recovered by the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell located radially outside.

According to the invention described in claim 3,
In addition to the configuration of claim 1, a compressed air passage for guiding compressed air from the compressor wheel to the heat exchanger is arranged radially outside of an exhaust gas passage for guiding exhaust gas from the turbine wheel to the heat exchanger. A device is proposed.

According to the above construction, since the compressed air passage is arranged radially outside the exhaust gas passage, the heat escaping from the exhaust gas passage through which the relatively high temperature exhaust gas passes is recovered by the compressed air passage through which the relatively low temperature compressed air passes. The power generation efficiency can be further improved.

According to the invention described in claim 4,
In addition to the configuration of claim 1, a solid oxide fuel cell is an annular shape having the axis as a center, and a combustor is arranged in a space radially inward of the solid oxide fuel cell.

According to the above construction, since the combustor is arranged in the space radially inside of the annular solid oxide fuel cell, the heat generated by the combustor is recovered by the solid oxide fuel cell, especially at the initial stage of starting. The solid oxide fuel cell of 1) can be activated early to improve the power generation efficiency.

The first compressed air passage 12 of the embodiment corresponds to the compressed air passage of the present invention.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a power generator, and FIG.
FIG.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a power generator in which a solid oxide fuel cell FC is integrated with a gas turbine engine GT. The gas turbine engine GT is provided with a substantially cup-shaped front casing 11, and a first compressed air passage 1 formed along the inner surface of the front casing 11.
On the upstream side of 2, an intake passage 13 connected to an air cleaner and a silencer (not shown) is connected. A centrifugal compressor wheel 17 and a centrifugal turbine wheel 18 are adjacent and fixed coaxially to a rotating shaft 16 which is supported by a pair of bearings 14 and 15 penetrating the center of the intake passage 13. A plurality of compressor blades 17a radially formed on the outer periphery of the compressor wheel 17 face the intake passage 13, and a plurality of compressor diffusers 19 are provided in the first compressed air passage 12 located immediately downstream of these compressor blades 17a. ... is provided. A generator GE driven by a turbine wheel 18 is provided at the front end of the rotary shaft 16.

An annular heat transfer type heat exchanger 20 is arranged at the rear end of the front casing 11. Heat exchanger 2
Reference numeral 0 indicates that the compressed air passages and the exhaust gas passages are alternately formed in the circumferential direction by arranging a large number of thin metal plates in the radial direction, and the downstream end of the first compressed air passage 12 is located near the rear end outer circumference. And a compressed air outlet 22 at a position near the front end inner circumference, an exhaust gas inlet 23 at a position near the front end outer circumference, and an exhaust gas outlet 24 connected to the atmosphere at a position near the rear end inner circumference. Prepare The heat exchanger 20 includes relatively low temperature compressed air indicated by a solid arrow,
By flowing the relatively high temperature exhaust gas indicated by the broken line arrow in mutually opposite directions, a large temperature difference between the compressed air and the exhaust gas is maintained over the entire length of the flow path to improve the heat exchange efficiency.

A stepped cylindrical rear casing 25 is connected rearward from the inner peripheral surface of the heat exchanger 20, and a solid electrolyte type fuel cell FC formed in an annular shape in the latter half of the rear casing 25 is provided. It is stored. Rear casing 25
The second compressed air passage 26 formed along the inner peripheral surface of
The upstream end thereof is connected to the compressed air outlet 22 of the heat exchanger 20, and the downstream end thereof is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the solid oxide fuel cell FC. A single-can combustor 27 is arranged radially inside the solid oxide fuel cell FC, and a fuel injection nozzle 28 is provided at the rear end of the combustor 27. Second compressed air passage 2
On-off valves 29 ... Which open and close an opening bypassing the solid oxide fuel cell FC are provided in the middle portion of 6.

An exhaust gas passage 30 extending from a plurality of turbine blades 18a radially formed on the outer periphery of a turbine wheel 18 provided at the rear end of the rotary shaft 16 is connected to an exhaust gas inlet 23 of a heat exchanger 20, The outer side of the exhaust gas passage 30 in the radial direction is covered with the first compressed air passage 12. A heat shield plate 31 is arranged so as to cover the rear surface of the turbine wheel 18, and a turbine nozzle 32 facing the turbine blades 18 a is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the heat shield plate 31.
Is provided.

The components of the gas turbine engine GT (that is, the compressor wheel 17, the turbine wheel 18, the heat exchanger) are arranged with respect to the axis L of the rotary shaft 16 which supports the rotating portion 33 composed of the compressor wheel 17 and the turbine wheel 18. 20 and the combustor 27) and the solid oxide fuel cell FC have an axisymmetric shape.
The space 3 formed behind the rotating portion 33 in the direction of the axis L.
An annular heat exchanger 20 is arranged on the outer side in the radial direction of 4,
Further, an annular solid electrolyte fuel cell FC is arranged behind the heat exchanger 20 in the direction of the axis L, and a solid electrolyte fuel cell F is provided.
The combustor 27 is arranged radially inward of C.

A known solid oxide fuel cell FC is composed of a large number of annular thin plates stacked in the axial direction L with a separator of the same shape sandwiched between them. Each cell is a ceramic solid electrolyte. A cathode (air electrode) and an anode (fuel electrode) are laminated on both side surfaces of.
Air and fuel are supplied to the cathode and the anode through passages formed in the separator, and they react at the interface of the solid electrolyte to generate electric energy.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above structure will be described.

During operation of the power generator, the air sucked from the intake passage 13 and compressed by the compressor wheel 17 is sent to the heat exchanger 20 via the first compressed air passage 12, where the high temperature exhaust gas (about 800 °) By exchanging heat with C), it is heated to near the temperature of the exhaust gas. The high-temperature compressed air that has passed through the heat exchanger 20 reaches the solid oxide fuel cell FC through the second compressed air passage 26 and passes through the solid oxide fuel cell FC from the radially outer side to the radially inner side. On the other hand, the fuel such as natural gas supplied to the solid oxide fuel cell FC (see the white arrow) is internally reformed into H ₂ and CO in the high temperature solid oxide fuel cell FC and supplied from the heat exchanger 20. Electric power is generated by reacting with the generated air.

Since the solid oxide fuel cell FC is not activated at the time of starting the power generator, the combustor 27 is temporarily operated to raise the temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell FC to the activation temperature. That is, when the compressed air from the compressor wheel 17 is supplied from the heat exchanger 20 to the combustor 27 via the solid oxide fuel cell FC, and the compressed air is mixed with the fuel injected from the fuel injection nozzle 28 and burned, The high-temperature exhaust gas is supplied to the heat exchanger 20 to perform heat exchange, and the temperature of the compressed air supplied to the solid oxide fuel cell FC rises. Further, since the turbine wheel 18 is driven by the exhaust gas generated in the combustor 27, intake and compression of air by the compressor wheel 17 are effectively performed, and the temperature of the compressed air supplied to the solid oxide fuel cell FC further rises. To do.

As a result, the temperature of the compressed air supplied to the solid oxide fuel cell FC is a predetermined temperature (eg, 500 ° C.).
C-600 ° C), even if the fuel injection from the fuel injection nozzle 28 is stopped and the combustor 27 is deactivated,
When the temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell FC reaches the activation temperature, the operation of the power generator is continued. On-off valve 29 ...
By controlling the ratio of the amount of compressed air passing through the solid oxide fuel cell FC to the amount of compressed air bypassed by changing the opening degree of the solid electrolyte fuel cell FC, the temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell FC can be controlled, or the solid oxide fuel cell FC can be controlled. It is possible to reduce the pressure loss in the fuel cell FC.

The combustor 27 is provided so as to be movable in the direction of the axis L, the combustor 27 is projected into the rear casing 25 at the time of start, and the combustor 27 is started after the start.
If it is evacuated to the outside, the exhaust gas from the solid oxide fuel cell FC will flow smoothly without interfering with the combustor 27 during the operation of the power generator after the start, and further improvement in power generation efficiency is expected. can do.

Thus, the electric power generated by the generator GE driven by the rotary shaft 16 of the turbine wheel 18 and the electric power generated by the solid oxide fuel cell FC are integrated and output. About 50% of the chemical energy of the fuel is converted into electric energy by the solid oxide fuel cell FC, and about 15% is converted into electric energy by the generator GE, so the efficiency of the power generation device reaches 65%. It will be extremely expensive.

Now, with respect to the axis L of the rotating portion 33 composed of the compressor wheel 17 and the turbine wheel 18, the compressor wheel 17 and the turbine wheel 1
8. Since the heat exchanger 20, the combustor 27, and the solid oxide fuel cell FC are arranged axially symmetrically, the flow of compressed air and exhaust gas inside the gas turbine engine GT and the solid oxide fuel cell FC is axially symmetrical. Therefore, the flow velocity of compressed air and exhaust gas flowing into the heat exchanger 20 can be made uniform, and the flow velocity of compressed air flowing into the solid oxide fuel cell FC can be made uniform. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger 20 and the power generation efficiency in the solid oxide fuel cell FC can be improved. In addition, the axisymmetric arrangement of the power generation device reduces pressure loss, which makes it possible to improve power generation efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. Furthermore, the temperature distribution inside the gas turbine engine GT and the solid oxide fuel cell FC is also axially symmetrical, and thermal strain of each member is minimized.
Smooth rotation of the compressor wheel 17 and the turbine wheel 18 is ensured, and damage to the ceramic parts due to thermal stress is prevented, thus improving durability.
Furthermore, since parts such as casings and passages can be made axially symmetrical, it is possible to manufacture them with a thin material such as sheet metal, which not only achieves weight reduction, but also reduces cold mass due to reduction of heat mass. It is possible to further reduce fuel consumption by reducing heat loss at startup.

Further, since the heat exchanger 20 and the solid oxide fuel cell FC which are formed in an annular shape are arranged in the outermost layer portion of the power generation device, the space 34 on the inner side in the radial direction of the combustor 27 of the gas turbine engine GT or the like is formed. The components can be housed to be compact, and the heat generated by the gas turbine engine GT can be recovered by the outer heat exchanger 20 and the solid oxide fuel cell FC. In particular, since the combustor 27 is arranged in the space 34 on the inner side in the radial direction of the solid oxide fuel cell FC, not only can the size of the power generating device in the direction of the axis line L be made compact, but also in the solid oxide fuel cell FC. The heat can be recovered. In particular,
When the combustor 27 is operated to start the power generator,
It is possible to effectively heat the solid oxide fuel cell FC located on the outer side in the radial direction to enable early activation and to contribute to the reduction of fuel consumption.

Further, since the rotating portion 33 composed of the compressor wheel 17 and the turbine wheel 18, the heat exchanger 20, and the solid oxide fuel cell FC are sequentially arranged from the front to the rear along the axis L, the power generator is arranged. It is possible not only to make the radial dimension of the system compact, but also to make the flow velocity of compressed air and exhaust gas uniform, smooth the flow, reduce pressure loss, and improve power generation efficiency.

Further, the first compressed air passage 12 for introducing a relatively low temperature compressed air from the compressor wheel 17 to the heat exchanger 20, and the exhaust gas passage 30 for introducing a relatively high temperature exhaust gas from the turbine wheel 18 to the heat exchanger 20. Since it is arranged so as to cover the outer side in the radial direction of, the heat escaping from the high temperature exhaust gas passage 30 is recovered by the low temperature first compressed air passage 12 to prevent heat escaping from the front casing 11 and improve power generation efficiency. It can be further enhanced. Further, since the second compressed air passage 26 is arranged so as to cover the outside of the solid oxide fuel cell FC in the radial direction, the solid oxide fuel cell F is formed.
The heat generated by C can be recovered in the second compressed air passage 26 so as not to escape from the rear casing 25 to the outside, so that the power generation efficiency can be further enhanced.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the shape of the solid oxide fuel cell FC, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, a plurality (for example, eight) of solid electrolyte fuel cells FC formed in an annular shape are circumferentially distributed so as to surround the axis L of the rotating portion 33. It is arranged at intervals. Each solid oxide fuel cell F
C is housed in an annular space 42 defined by the rear casing 25 and the cylindrical partition wall 41, with its axis L1 parallel to the axis L of the rotating portion 33.

Also in this second embodiment, since eight solid oxide fuel cells FC ... Are arranged in axial symmetry with respect to the axis L of the rotating portion 33, the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above. Can be achieved. In addition, since the diameter of each solid oxide fuel cell FC is smaller than that of the first embodiment, the cells and the separator are small and manufacturing is easy.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Also in the third embodiment, the shape of the solid oxide fuel cell FC is different from that of the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, a plurality of (for example, 12) solid electrolyte fuel cells FC ...
2 in the direction of the axis L so as to surround the axis L of the rotating unit 33.
It is arranged in rows and at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The six solid oxide fuel cells FC in each row have their axis L2.
.. in a radial direction with respect to the axis L of the rotating portion 33, the housing is housed in an annular space 42 defined by the rear casing 25 and the cylindrical partition wall 41.

Also in this third embodiment, twelve solid oxide fuel cells FC ... Are arranged in axial symmetry with respect to the axis L of the rotating portion 33, so that the same effect as the first embodiment described above can be obtained. Can be achieved. In addition to that, since the diameter of each solid oxide fuel cell FC is smaller than that of the first embodiment, the cells and the separator are small in size and the manufacturing is easy, and the solid in the axis L direction is also solid. By arbitrarily increasing the number of rows of the electrolyte fuel cells FC, the outer diameter of the power generation device can be made compact while ensuring the same power generation capacity.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0041]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1, a compressor wheel, a turbine wheel, a heat exchanger and a combustor, which are components of a gas turbine engine, and a solid oxide fuel cell are provided. The compressor wheel and turbine wheel have an axially symmetric shape that shares the axis of the rotating part, and the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell are sequentially arranged on one side in the axial direction with respect to the rotating part. Not only can it be made compact, but the flow velocity of compressed air and exhaust gas entering the heat exchanger and solid oxide fuel cell can be made uniform, and the flow of compressed air and exhaust gas can be made smoother to reduce pressure loss and improve power generation efficiency. be able to. In addition, the above-mentioned axisymmetric arrangement can minimize the thermal stress generated by the thermal expansion of the power generator to improve the power generation efficiency and the durability.

According to the invention described in claim 2,
Since the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell have an annular shape centered on the axis of the rotating part, the components of the gas turbine engine are housed in the space radially inside the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell. The size of the gas turbine engine can be reduced, and the heat generated by the gas turbine engine can be recovered by the heat exchanger and the solid oxide fuel cell radially outside.

According to the invention described in claim 3,
Since the compressed air passage is arranged on the outer side of the exhaust gas passage in the radial direction, the heat escaping from the exhaust gas passage through which the relatively high temperature exhaust gas passes is recovered by the compressed air passage through which the relatively low temperature compressed air passes, and the power generation efficiency can be further improved. it can.

According to the invention described in claim 4,
Since the combustor is placed in the space inside the annular solid oxide fuel cell in the radial direction, the heat generated by the combustor is recovered by the solid oxide fuel cell, and especially the solid oxide fuel cell in the early stage of start-up It can be activated to improve power generation efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a power generator.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a power generator according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a power generator according to a third embodiment.

6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 First compressed air passage (compressed air passage) 17 compressor wheel 18 turbine wheels 20 heat exchanger 27 Combustor 30 exhaust gas passage 33 rotating part 34 space FC solid oxide fuel cell GT gas turbine engine L axis

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A power generation device integrally comprising a gas turbine engine (GT) and a solid oxide fuel cell (FC), the gas turbine engine (GT) comprising a compressor wheel (17) and a turbine wheel (18). , Heat exchanger (2
0) and a combustor (27), the compressor wheel (17) supplies compressed air to the solid oxide fuel cell (FC) and the combustor (27) via the heat exchanger (20), and the turbine wheel (17). 18) is driven by the exhaust gas from the solid oxide fuel cell (FC) and the combustor (27) to drive the compressor wheel (17), and the heat exchanger (20) is the exhaust gas from the turbine wheel (18) and the compressor. A compressor wheel (17), a turbine wheel (1) in which heat is exchanged with the compressed air from the wheel (17),
8), the heat exchanger (20), the combustor (27) and the solid oxide fuel cell (FC) are the compressor wheel (1
7) and the turbine wheel (18) have an axially symmetric shape sharing the axis (L) of the rotating part (33),
Moreover, the heat exchanger (20) and the solid oxide fuel cell (FC) are sequentially arranged on one side of the rotating portion (33) in the direction of the axis (L), the power generator. 2. The power generator according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger (20) and the solid oxide fuel cell (FC) have an annular shape centered on the axis (L). 3. A compressed air passage (12) for guiding compressed air from a compressor wheel (17) to a heat exchanger (20).
The power generator according to claim 1, characterized in that is arranged on the outside in the radial direction of the exhaust gas passage (30) for guiding the exhaust gas from the turbine wheel (18) to the heat exchanger (20). 4. The solid oxide fuel cell (FC) has an annular shape centered on the axis (L), and a combustor (27) is arranged in a space (34) radially inside thereof. The power generator according to claim 1.