JP2004303695A - High temperature body housing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high temperature body housing device capable of reducing the thickness and the size, having large heat insulating effect. <P>SOLUTION: The high temperature body housing device 1 houses a high temperature body 23 in a cabinet 5 having limited height. A wall part 5 of a high-temperature body housing case 13 formed into flat shape corresponding to the thickness of the cabinet 5 is formed into a dual structure provided with a vacuum hollow part 17 inside, an opening part 19 is formed on a side face orthogonally crossing the flattened direction of the high temperature body housing case 13, and an radiation suppressing layer 21 composed of a low radiation rate member is provided in the inner face of the hollow part 17. The depth of a housing part 11 of the high temperature body housing case 13 is constituted so as to become longer than the length of the high temperature body 23 housed in the housing part 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a high-temperature body storage device for storing a high-temperature body such as a reformer or a fuel cell in a fuel cell system applied to a small electronic device such as a notebook personal computer, a digital camera, a handy camera (handycam), and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a high-temperature body storage device capable of effectively suppressing transmission of high temperature due to heat generated by a heating element to the outside.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, for example, when applying a fuel cell system to a small electronic device such as a notebook personal computer, in order to reduce the size and to prevent high temperature due to heat generated by the fuel cell and the reformer from being transmitted to the electronic device and the outside, It is necessary to surround a high-temperature body such as the fuel cell and the reformer with a heat insulating material. In other words, it is necessary to store the high-temperature body in the case of the heat insulating material.
[0003]
A configuration in which the fuel cell stack is housed in a vacuum heat-insulated container has also been developed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-138721
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the configuration in which the high-temperature body is housed in the case of the heat insulating material, the heat insulating material must be relatively thick in order to sufficiently insulate the electronic device and the like so as not to have an adverse effect. There is a problem in reducing the size and thickness of the mechanical configuration.
[0006]
Further, as described in Patent Document 1, in a structure in which a fuel cell stack is covered by a bell-shaped vacuum heat insulating container, the heat insulating effect of the vacuum heat insulating container can be obtained, but the structure is adapted to small electronic devices. There is a problem in reducing the size and thickness.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems as described above, and the invention according to claim 1 is a high-temperature body storage device that stores a high-temperature body in a housing having a thickness limitation, The wall portion of the high-temperature body storage case formed in a flat shape corresponding to the thickness of the high-temperature body storage case has a double structure having a vacuum hollow portion therein, and is orthogonal to the flat direction of the high-temperature body storage case. This is a configuration in which an opening is formed on the side surface in the direction of movement.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 2 is the high-temperature body storage device according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the hollow portion is provided with a radiation suppression layer made of a member having a low emissivity.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 3 is the high-temperature body storage device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a depth of the storage section in the high-temperature body storage case is larger than a length of the high-temperature body stored in the storage section. is there.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the high temperature body storage device according to the third aspect, a heat insulating material is disposed between the high temperature body and an opening of the high temperature body storage case.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the high-temperature body storage device according to the first, third or fourth aspect, the inner wall near the opening in the high-temperature body storage case is made of a material having low thermal conductivity. .
[0012]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the high-temperature body storage device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a high-temperature side reactor is disposed on a deep side in the high-temperature body storage case, and an opening in the high-temperature body storage case is provided. This is a configuration in which a low-temperature side reactor is arranged on the side of the unit.
[0013]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the high temperature body housing device according to the sixth aspect, a heat insulating material is disposed between the high temperature side reactor and the low temperature side reactor and between the low temperature side reactor and the opening. In addition, a heat transfer assist material is interposed between the high temperature side reactor and the inner surface of the high temperature body storage case and between the low temperature side reactor and the inner surface of the high temperature body storage case.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 8 is the high-temperature body storage device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the high-temperature side reactor and the low-temperature side reactor are each a reformer, a CO processing reactor, a fuel cell, and a fuel vaporizer. And at least one reactor selected from the group consisting of:
[0015]
The invention according to claim 9 is a high-temperature body storage device for storing a high-temperature body in a housing having a thickness limitation, wherein the wall of the high-temperature body storage case is formed in a flat shape corresponding to the thickness of the housing. The high-temperature body storage case has a double structure with a vacuum hollow portion inside, and has openings at a plurality of side surfaces in a direction perpendicular to the flat direction of the high-temperature body storage case.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 shows that a high-temperature body storage device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided inside a casing 5 of a fuel cell applied to a small electronic device 3 such as a notebook personal computer. This is conceptually and schematically illustrated for the configuration in the case of the above.
[0017]
There are various configurations of the fuel cell system. For example, in a configuration in which DME (dimethyl ether) or methanol is reformed and used as fuel for the fuel cell, the fuel tank 7, a reformer (not shown in FIG. 1), A general configuration includes a CO processing reactor (not shown), a fuel cell 9, and a catalytic combustor (not shown). In the fuel cell system, the fuel cell 9 and the catalytic combustor are reactors (reactors) that generate an exothermic reaction, and are heating elements. In the reformer, the method of reforming methanol is an endothermic reaction in the case of steam reforming, and an exothermic reaction in the case of partial oxidation reforming. It constitutes a heating element.
[0018]
The reformer is a reactor that performs a reforming reaction for generating a hydrogen-containing gas from a raw material.
[0019]
Examples of the fuel include alcohols such as methanol and ethanol, ethers such as dimethyl ether (DME), and hydrocarbon fuels such as city gas, propane, and butane.
[0020]
In particular, methanol and DME have low reforming temperatures and are desirable for miniaturization.
[0021]
The CO treatment reactor is a reactor for performing at least one of a CO shift reaction, a selective methanation reaction, and a selective oxidation reaction or a hydrogen separation semipermeable membrane.
[0022]
The reaction formula of the CO shift reaction is CO + H2O → CO2 + H2
The reaction formula of the selected methanation is CO + 3H2 → CH4 + H2O
The reaction formula of the selective oxidation reaction is 2CO + O2 → 2CO2
It is.
[0023]
The fuel cell system applied to the small-sized electronic device 3 has a structure in which the electronic device 3 is used inside the electronic device 3 or is mounted on the outer surface of the housing of the electronic device 3. It is configured to be thin and small in accordance with the thickness (thinness) of. That is, it is desired that the housing 5 in which the fuel cell system is installed is made as thin and small as possible, and has a thickness limitation.
[0024]
Therefore, the high-temperature element storage device 1 for storing a heating element or a reactor requiring a high temperature for the reforming reaction in the fuel cell system has a flat shape corresponding to the thickness (thinness) of the housing 5. It is formed. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the high-temperature body storage device 1 includes a high-temperature body including a storage unit 11 for storing a high-temperature body (not necessarily generating heat and including a reactor requiring a high temperature). It is constituted by a body storage case 13. As the reactor requiring high temperature, for example, a high temperature of about 300 ° C. to 400 ° C. is required to reform dimethyl ether with a catalyst, and thus the reactor requiring high temperature also needs to be stored in the storage case 13. is there. The wall portion 15 of the high-temperature body storage case 13 has a double structure having a vacuum hollow portion 17 between the inner wall portion 15A and the outer wall portion 15B.
[0025]
That is, the dimension of the high-temperature body storage case 13 in the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) is the dimension in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2) of the high-temperature body storage case 13 and the depth direction (FIG. 2 is smaller than the dimension in the left-right direction of FIG. The flat configuration includes the case where the dimension in the thickness direction and the dimension in the width direction are smaller than the dimension in the depth direction and are equal to each other.
[0026]
In order to store a high-temperature body such as a heating element in the storage section 11 of the high-temperature body storage case 13, the opening 19 of the storage section 11 is positioned with respect to the thickness direction (flat direction) of the high-temperature body storage case 13. And is formed on one side of the depth direction in a direction orthogonal to the above.
[0027]
Therefore, when the high-temperature body is stored in the high-temperature body storage case 13 on the deep side of the storage section 11, that is, on the side opposite to the opening 19, that is, on the deep side of the storage section 11, the heat of the high-temperature body is It is insulated by the heat insulating layer, so that heat transfer from the inner wall portion 15A to the outer wall portion 15B can be effectively prevented.
[0028]
As already understood, the high-temperature body storage case 13, that is, the high-temperature body storage device 1, has a large heat-insulating effect even if the wall portion 15 is formed thin in order to make it flat and thin. Even if the heating element in the high-temperature body storage device 1 becomes high in temperature, it is possible to effectively prevent heat transfer to the housing 5 in which the high-temperature body storage device 1 is installed.
[0029]
By forming a vacuum heat insulating layer by evacuating the inside of the hollow portion 17, the heat transfer from the inner wall portion 15 </ b> A to the outer wall portion 15 </ b> B can be reduced. By providing a radiation-suppressing layer 21 by plating a member having a low emissivity, for example, silver or the like, heat transfer due to radiant heat can be reduced, and heat transfer can be more effectively suppressed.
[0030]
Therefore, the configuration is such that the high-temperature body storage case 13 containing the high-temperature body therein is disposed in the housing 5, and the outer surface of the high-temperature body storage case 13 is in contact with the inner surface of the housing 5. Also, it is possible to effectively prevent the thermal energy of the high-temperature body from being transferred to the housing 5 and prevent the surface of the housing 5 from becoming hot.
[0031]
FIG. 3 shows that a high-temperature side reactor (reactor) such as a reformer in which a reaction proceeds at a high temperature is disposed as a high-temperature body 23 in a deep portion of the storage section 11 in the high-temperature body storage case 13. This shows a configuration in which a fuel supply pipe 25 and a reformed reformed gas take-out pipe 27 for the reformer (high-temperature body) are disposed in an opening 19.
[0032]
In the above configuration, the depth dimension (the dimension in the left-right direction in FIG. 3) of the storage section 11 in the high-temperature body storage case 13 is larger than the length dimension of the high-temperature body 23. Therefore, the heat transfer from the high-temperature body 23 is effectively prevented by the vacuum heat insulating layer formed of the hollow portion 17, and the distance between the high-temperature body 23 and the opening 19 of the storage unit 11 is long. The heat transfer distance from the inner wall portion 15A to the outer wall portion 15B in the storage case 13 is increased, and the heat insulating performance of the vacuum heat insulating layer is improved.
[0033]
FIG. 4 shows a modification of the above-described configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, and shows a configuration in which a heat insulating material 29 is arranged between the high-temperature body 23 and the opening 19 of the storage unit 11. With such a configuration, the flow of air (thermal convection) between the opening 19 and the high-temperature body 23 can be prevented in the storage section 11, and heat radiation from the opening 19 can be reduced by the heat convection. Can be done.
[0034]
FIG. 5 shows a modification of the configuration shown in FIG. 3, in which the inner wall 15A near the opening 19 of the storage section 11 in the high-temperature body storage case 13 is made of a material having low thermal conductivity. 31. With such a configuration, heat transfer from the inner wall portion 15A to the outer wall portion 15B can be effectively prevented, and the heat insulating effect of the high-temperature body storage case 13 is further improved. By arranging the heat insulating material 29 inside the heat shielding wall 31, the heat insulating effect can be further improved.
[0035]
FIG. 6 illustrates a case where the high temperature side reactor 33 and the low temperature side reactor 35 are stored in the storage section 11 of the high temperature body storage case 13. That is, as the high-temperature side reactor 33, for example, a reformer having a suitable reaction condition at a high temperature or a catalytic combustor for performing an exothermic reaction is employed, and as the low-temperature side reactor 35, for example, a CO treatment reactor or a fuel vaporizer is employed. The configuration is such that heat generated by the catalytic combustor in the high-temperature side reactor 33 is used in a reactor other than the catalytic combustor of the high-temperature side reactor and in the low-temperature side reactor 35.
[0036]
More specifically, the configuration is such that the high temperature side reactor 33 is disposed on the deep side of the storage section 11 in the high temperature body storage case 13 and the low temperature side reactor 35 is disposed on the opening 19 side of the storage section 11. A heat insulating material 37 having an appropriate heat conductivity and thickness is interposed between the high temperature side reactor 33 and the low temperature side reactor 35, and a heat insulating material is provided between the low temperature side reactor 35 and the opening 19. 39 are arranged.
[0037]
The heat insulating material 37 allows the heat energy required in the low-temperature side reactor 35 to be supplemented by heat transfer from the high-temperature side reactor 33, and forms a kind of heat conduction control member. The heat insulating material 39 has a function of preventing thermal convection and the like, similarly to the heat insulating material 29 described above. The high-temperature reactor 33 and the low-temperature reactor 35 are separately connected to a fuel supply pipe 41 and a reaction gas extraction pipe 43 for extracting a reaction gas, for example, a reformed gas or a combustion gas (steam) of hydrogen. I have.
[0038]
With the above-described configuration, the heat generated by the exothermic reaction in the high-temperature side reactor 33 can be used in the low-temperature side reactor 35, but due to the positional relationship between the high-temperature side reactor 33 and the low-temperature side reactor 35, the high-temperature side reactor 33 In some cases, a difference in temperature distribution (temperature gradient) may occur between the low-temperature side reactor 35 and the low-temperature side reactor 35.
[0039]
Therefore, a heat transfer assist member 45 made of a member having a large heat conduction is interposed between the outer peripheral surfaces of the high temperature side reactor 33 and the low temperature side reactor 35 and the inner peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 15A of the high temperature body storage case 13. It is. The heat transfer assisting material 45 may be disposed entirely on the peripheral surface of the high temperature side reactor 33 and the low temperature side reactor 35 (the peripheral surface around the longitudinal axis of the storage section 11), or may be in the flat direction. They may be arranged linearly in a direction orthogonal to (thickness direction).
[0040]
Therefore, the reaction heat in the high temperature side reactor 33 is entirely transferred from the entire peripheral surface of the high temperature side reactor 33 to the peripheral surface of the high temperature side reactor 33 via the heat transfer assisting material 45. Further, the heat is entirely transferred to the peripheral surface of the low-temperature side reactor 35 via the heat transfer assist material 45 arranged on the peripheral surface of the low-temperature side reactor 35. Therefore, the temperature gradient caused by the arrangement relationship between the high-temperature side reactor 33 and the low-temperature side reactor 35 becomes small, and the heat generated by the exothermic reaction in the high-temperature side reactor 33 can be effectively used in the low-temperature side reactor 35. It is.
[0041]
FIG. 7 schematically and conceptually shows a case in which one or both of the reformer 47 and the fuel cell 49 as a high-temperature body are housed in the storage section 11 of the high-temperature body storage case 13. According to this configuration, heat can be prevented from escaping from one or both of the reformer 47 and the fuel cell 49 to the outside, and the reforming efficiency and / or the power generation efficiency can be improved. In the above-described configuration, the same heat insulating material as the heat insulating material 29 is provided in the opening, and if a plurality of reactors are installed, the heat insulating material may be interposed between the reactors as necessary. It is desirable to provide the same heat insulating material as 37.
[0042]
FIG. 8 exemplifies a case in which openings 19 are provided at opposing positions in the high-temperature body storage case 13 and the high-temperature body storage case 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape. According to this configuration, the fuel supply pipe 25 and the reformed gas take-out pipe 27 can be arranged in both the openings 19 with respect to the high temperature side reactor 33 as the high temperature body disposed in the high temperature body storage case 13. Therefore, when the high temperature side reactor 33 is a reformer, for example, efficient reforming can be performed. In addition, also in the said structure, it is desirable to provide the heat insulating material 29 in both opening parts 19.
[0043]
Referring to FIG. 1 again, the fuel cell system includes at least one of a catalytic combustor, a reformer, a CO processing reactor, and a fuel vaporizer as a reactor in the high-temperature body storage device 1. In this case, the pipe 51 connecting the fuel tank 7 and the high-temperature body storage device 1 is for supplying fuel (for example, DME) to the catalytic combustor and the reformer. One of the pipes 53 connecting the high-temperature body storage device 1 and the fuel cell 9 is for supplying a reformed gas to the fuel cell 9, and the other pipe 55 is an unreacted part of the fuel cell 9. This is for supplying H2 and the like to the catalytic combustor. Further, a pipe 57 connecting the fuel cell 9 and the electronic device 3 is a power supply wiring.
[0044]
Note that, in the above configuration, the fuel cell 9 is illustrated outside the high-temperature body storage device 1, but the fuel cell 9 may be disposed inside a separate high-temperature body storage device. You can do it. That is, it is possible to provide a plurality of high-temperature body storage devices and store various high-temperature bodies in the fuel cell system in the high-temperature body storage device.
[0045]
Therefore, even if the case of the fuel cell system is made thinner and smaller to be applied to the electronic device 3 having a thickness restriction, the heat insulating effect of the high-temperature body storage device is large, and the case is formed by the high-temperature body. Direct heating can be effectively prevented.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As understood from the above description, according to the present invention, the case where the high-temperature body storage device is thinned and downsized, and the case where the temperature of the high-temperature body in the high-temperature body storage device becomes high. In addition, heat transfer to the outside can be effectively prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view schematically and conceptually showing a case where a high-temperature body storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a fuel cell system as a power source of a small electronic device.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory sectional view of a high-temperature body storage case.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a high-temperature body is stored in a high-temperature body storage case.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a modification of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modification of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view exemplifying a case where a high-temperature side reactor and a low-temperature side reactor are stored in a high-temperature body storage case.
FIG. 7 illustrates a case where at least one reactor selected from a reformer, a CO processing reactor, a fuel cell, and a fuel vaporizer is housed as a high-temperature side reactor and a low-temperature side reactor in a high-temperature body storage case. FIG.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view exemplifying a case where openings are provided on both sides of a high-temperature body storage case.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 High-temperature body storage device 3 Electronic device 5 Case 7 Fuel tank 9 Fuel cell 11 Storage section 13 High-temperature body storage case 15 Wall 15A Inner wall 15B Outer wall 17 Hollow 19 Opening 21 Radiation suppression layer 23 High-temperature body (high-temperature reactor) )
29, 37, 39 Insulation material 31 Heat insulation wall 33 High temperature side reactor 35 Low temperature side reactor 51, 53, 55, 57 Piping

Claims (9)

A high-temperature body storage device for storing a high-temperature body in a housing having a thickness limitation, wherein a wall of a high-temperature body storage case formed in a flat shape corresponding to the thickness of the housing has a vacuum hollow inside. A high-temperature body storage device comprising a double structure having a portion, and an opening formed in a side surface of the high-temperature body storage case in a direction perpendicular to the flat direction. 2. The high-temperature body storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a radiation suppression layer formed of a member having a low emissivity on the inner surface of the hollow portion. 3. The high-temperature body storage device according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the storage section in the high-temperature body storage case is greater than a length of the high-temperature body stored in the storage section. 4. 4. The high-temperature body storage device according to claim 3, wherein a heat insulating material is arranged between the high-temperature body and the opening of the high-temperature body storage case. 5. The high-temperature body storage device according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall of the high-temperature body storage case near the opening is formed of a material having low thermal conductivity. 6. apparatus. The high-temperature body storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a high-temperature side reactor is disposed on a deep side in the high-temperature body storage case, and a low-temperature side reactor is disposed on an opening side in the high-temperature body storage case. A high-temperature body storage device characterized by having a configuration as described above. 7. The high-temperature body storage device according to claim 6, wherein a heat insulating material is arranged between the high-temperature side reactor and the low-temperature side reactor and between the low-temperature side reactor and the opening, and the high-temperature side reactor and the A high-temperature body storage device, wherein a heat transfer assist material is interposed between an inner surface of a high-temperature body storage case and between the low-temperature side reactor and an inner surface of the high-temperature body storage case. 8. The high-temperature body storage device according to claim 6, wherein the high-temperature side reactor and the low-temperature side reactor are at least one or more types selected from a reformer, a CO processing reactor, a fuel vaporizer, and a fuel cell, respectively. A high-temperature body storage device, which is a reactor. A high-temperature body storage device for storing a high-temperature body in a housing having a thickness limitation, wherein a wall of a high-temperature body storage case formed in a flat shape corresponding to the thickness of the housing has a vacuum hollow inside. A high-temperature body storage device comprising a double structure having a portion, and having openings formed at a plurality of locations on a side surface of the high-temperature body storage case in a direction perpendicular to the flat direction.

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