JP4940567B2 - Polymer electrolyte fuel cell system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system comprising a hydrogen generator that reforms a raw material using water vapor to generate hydrogen gas, and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that generates electric power using the hydrogen as fuel.

  The hydrogen generator generates hydrogen to be used as a fuel for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell that is being developed recently, and a hydrocarbon steam reforming method is often used as a method for producing this hydrogen. The steam reforming method is a method in which methane, ethane, propane, butane, city gas, LP gas, natural gas, and other hydrocarbon gases are reformed with steam to generate a hydrogen-rich reformed gas. In the steam reforming method, these hydrocarbons are converted into hydrogen-rich reformed gas by a catalytic reaction in the reforming section. The obtained hydrogen-rich reformed gas is used by reducing CO in the CO removal section.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a raw material using a steam reformer, from supply of steam to the outlet of hydrogen gas. It comprises a heating section having a combustion section and a reforming section having a reforming catalyst. In the reforming section that has reached a high temperature, the hydrocarbon reacts with the steam to produce a hydrogen-rich reformed gas. When the hydrocarbon is used as a raw material, the reforming section needs to be heated to a temperature of 500 to 700 ° C. As the reforming catalyst, for example, a Ni-based or Ru-based catalyst is used. Since the reforming catalyst is poisoned by sulfur compounds in the raw material gas and deteriorates performance, it is introduced into the desulfurization section in order to remove those sulfur compounds. Next, steam from a steam generation section provided separately is added and mixed to be introduced into the reforming section of the steam reformer. The reforming reaction when the raw material gas is methane is represented by CH ₄ + 2H ₂ O → CO ₂ + 4H ₂ . The generated reformed gas contains about 8 to 15% of carbon monoxide (CO) generated in addition to unreacted methane, unreacted water vapor, and generated carbon dioxide. For this reason, the reformed gas is applied to the CO conversion section to remove the carbon monoxide by converting it to carbon dioxide and hydrogen. For example, a Fe—Cr based catalyst, a Cu—Zn based catalyst, or a Pt catalyst is used in the CO conversion portion. The reaction in the CO conversion part is CO + H ₂ O → CO ₂ + H ₂ , and the steam required for the reaction utilizes residual steam in the reforming part. The reformed gas exiting from the CO conversion section is composed of unreacted methane, excess steam, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. However, this reformed gas does not completely remove CO, but contains CO although it is less than about 1%. The allowable concentration of CO in the fuel hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell is about 10 ppm, and if it exceeds this, the cell performance is significantly deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the CO component as much as possible before introducing it into the fuel cell. For this reason, the reformed gas is applied to the CO removal section after the CO concentration is lowered to around 1% by the CO shift section. An oxidant such as air is added to the CO removal unit, and CO is removed by changing the gas into 2CO + O ₂ → 2CO ₂ and CO ₂ , and the CO concentration of the reformed gas is reduced to 10 ppm or less. Therefore, the reformed gas becomes a lot of hydrogen containing CO ₂ and the air component N ₂ and surplus steam, and is supplied to the anode as fuel of the fuel cell.

  The solid polymer electrolyte membrane needs to contain moisture in order to move hydrogen protons from the anode side to the cathode side through this membrane, and is therefore moderately humidified in order to bring out battery performance sufficiently. There is a need. In the reformed fuel, in addition to the steam necessary for the reforming or transformation, surplus steam is supplied in advance and supplied to the anode side. The water vapor supply required on the anode side is 60 to 100% in relative humidity, and it has been found that the power generation performance in the solid polymer electrolyte membrane becomes more stable as the relative humidity is higher.

  However, if this water is too much, the water condenses and forms water droplets, and this condensed water closes the passage of fuel in the anode-side flow path through which hydrogen fuel passes, causing a flooding phenomenon that lowers the electrode reaction.

  Therefore, as a method for preventing the deterioration of battery performance due to the flooding, a method of recovering excess water at the anode inlet has been proposed.

  It includes water vapor mixing amount adjusting means for removing water vapor in the path of supplied hydrogen gas and adjusting the amount of water vapor mixed in the hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell. Between the polymer electrolyte fuel cell and the methanol reformer, a buffer tank is provided as means for adjusting the amount of mixed water vapor, and PEFC cooling water is used as a cooling medium for the buffer tank. The cooling water circulation circuit is provided with a radiator for cooling the cooling water to a predetermined temperature by heat radiation, and a tank cooling water circulation circuit is set separately from the cooling water circulation circuit, which causes a problem that the entire apparatus becomes complicated and large.

  Alternatively, a fuel reformer that reforms methanol to generate hydrogen gas containing water vapor supplied to the anode side electrode, a cooling medium whose temperature is increased by cooling the fuel cell, and hydrogen gas containing water vapor A humidity control heat exchanger that adjusts the hydrogen gas containing water vapor to approximately the same temperature as the operating temperature of the fuel cell and to contain saturated water vapor by heat exchange is provided. The cooling water circulated through the cooling medium circulation device is supplied to the humidity control heat exchange device in a state in which the temperature is substantially the same as the operating temperature of the fuel cell by cooling the fuel cell. According to this configuration and control, when the battery cooling water temperature is higher than the anode inlet reformed gas temperature, the dew point of the anode inlet reformed gas cannot be lowered, and there is a risk of heating. That is, there is a problem that the excess moisture of the anode inlet reformed gas cannot be removed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  Further, by improving these, a water drain recovery unit that is provided between the fuel processor and the fuel electrode inlet of the fuel cell main body and recovers water contained in the reformed gas is a modified unit generated by the fuel processor. There has been proposed a method of exchanging heat between the quality gas and the reforming water supplied to the fuel processor and recovering excess moisture in the reformed gas (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system in this embodiment includes a fuel source 3, a desulfurizer 4, a steam generator 5, a reformer 6, a carbon monoxide (CO) shift reactor 7, a CO selective oxidizer 8, a steam separator 9, Reforming water tank 10, anode inlet water drain recovery unit 11, reforming water pump 12, anode 13, cathode 14, water cooling unit 15, battery cooling water pump 16, heat exchanger, air blower 17, condensing heat exchanger 18 Consists of.

  When propane is used as the fuel, for example, the propane fuel source 3 that has passed through the desulfurizer 4 is freed of sulfur, and then passes through the reformer 6. Before this, water is heated by the steam generator 5, and the gasified steam joins the propane gas. In the reformer 6, hydrogen is generated from the reaction of propane and water vapor by the catalyst, but at the same time, CO is also generated. In the CO selective oxidizer 8, the oxidation reaction is advanced by supplying air from the air blower 17 to such an extent that CO poisoning is not generated by the catalyst. In the case of propane reforming, the steam reforming reaction is as shown in the following (Chemical Formula 1).

  The reformed gas that has passed through the CO selective oxidizer 8 is mainly composed of hydrogen, carbon dioxide gas, water vapor, and the like. The reason for containing water vapor is to supply excess water vapor in the reaction of formula (1). This is because if the amount of reaction water vapor is not enough, the reforming catalyst will undergo a carbonization reaction called carbon formation, which not only carbonizes the catalyst and causes its deterioration, but also may block the reforming gas passage. It is. Furthermore, if the anode supply gas does not contain water appropriately, the reaction at the anode electrode is difficult to proceed and it becomes difficult to achieve high battery performance. The amount of steam added to the water is controlled to be large. These gases enter the anode inlet water drain recovery section 11 via the reformed gas passage 19 where the water and gas components are separated. Here, only the gas component is fed into the anode 13 of the battery body 2 through the gas passage 19a. The water drain recovery unit 11 has a heat exchanger function to exchange heat between the reformed gas and the reforming water on the upstream side, the high-temperature anode supply gas is cooled, excess water vapor and mist are condensed in the tank unit, The water vapor is supplied to the anode 13 as saturated water vapor at its cooling temperature, that is, at the dew point. On the other hand, the reforming water is sent to the water drain recovery section through the reforming water channel 20, heated by the reforming gas, and sent to the steam generator 5 through the pipe 20a, and the reforming water is heated. Is done. Since the amount of combustion heated from water to water vapor by the water vapor generator 5 can be reduced, the efficiency of the entire system can be improved and maintained.

  Then, the water drain separated by the water drain recovery unit 11 is sent to the water tank 10 through the drain return pipe. In the hydrogen gas sent to the anode 13, protons H + pass through the electrolyte membrane through the MEA catalyst layer, and are combined with oxygen and electrons in the air passing through the cathode 14 by the air blower 17 to generate water. Therefore, the anode becomes a cathode and the cathode electrode becomes an anode, and a DC voltage is generated with a potential. If there is an electrical load between these potentials, it will function as a power source. The remaining anode outlet gas is used as a combustion gas for heating the steam generator 5 and the reformer 6. Further, the water vapor in the cathode outlet gas and the water vapor in the combustion exhaust gas are collected by the condensing heat exchanger 18 to achieve water self-supporting in the system. In this way, removing the excess moisture in the anode gas by lowering the dew point at the anode inlet supplies hydrogen gas containing saturated water vapor with a saturation temperature lower than the cell temperature to the fuel cell, so flooding inside the cell The battery performance can be prevented from being deteriorated by, and stable battery performance can be maintained. Furthermore, the heat of condensate is recovered in the reforming water, so that carbon formation can be prevented without reducing the overall system efficiency, and the operational reliability of the fuel processor including the reformer can be improved. It is.

However, according to this configuration and control, after supplying a larger amount of water vapor than necessary to the fuel and performing the reforming reaction treatment, excess water is removed by the water drain recovery device, and the fuel cell anode side is removed. It is stated that the supplied and recovered water can be rationally utilized. However, if more water than necessary is flowed to the reformer, CO shift reactor, etc., not only does heat not only increase the heating energy and maintain the high temperature, but the efficiency of the system decreases. In order to maintain the same reaction efficiency, an increase in the flow rate of the gas required to increase the size of each catalyst, resulting in a larger system and higher costs.
JP-A-7-226224 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-32246 JP 2002-42847 A

  However, in the above conventional configuration, after supplying a larger amount of water vapor than necessary to the fuel and performing the reforming reaction treatment, excess water is removed by a water drain recovery device and supplied to the anode side of the fuel cell. Although it is stated that the recovered water can be used with reasonable energy, if more water than necessary is passed through the reformer, CO shift reactor, etc., more heat is required to maintain the high temperature and heating energy In addition to increasing the efficiency of the system and reducing the efficiency of the system, increasing the flow rate in each catalyst requires that each catalyst be made larger in order to maintain the same reaction efficiency. Incurred costs. For this reason, the reforming efficiency is lowered, and deterioration due to an excessive load on the reforming catalyst occurs, so that long-term reliability cannot be secured and system efficiency is lowered.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. A raw material supplying means, a water supplying means, a heating means, a catalyst-filled reforming section, a CO conversion section, and a CO removal section are sequentially provided. And a solid polymer fuel cell having an anode and a cathode passage formed on both sides of the solid polymer membrane, and a connecting pipe connecting the outlet of the hydrogen generator and the anode inlet is raised and inclined. The connecting pipe is provided with a pipe expanding portion in a part of the connecting pipe, and includes a return pipe that communicates the pipe expanding portion and the inlet of the connecting pipe, and water condensed in the connecting pipe is supplied to the hydrogen generator. When the water vapor in the reformed gas from the hydrogen generator condenses, it is possible to return to the hydrogen generator along the gradient and return to the hydrogen generator to be heated again. By solid polymer The anode inlet of the fuel cell can be always supplied in a vapor state. For this reason, stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding inside the battery can be maintained, and efficient system and catalyst load can be reduced by improving reforming efficiency by supplying necessary and optimal moisture. An object of the present invention is to provide a solid polymer fuel cell system with high durability and reliability.

In order to solve the conventional problems, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to the present invention includes a means for supplying a raw material, a means for supplying water, a heating means, a reforming section filled with a catalyst, and a CO conversion. And a hydrogen generator in which a CO removal unit is sequentially connected, and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in which an anode and a cathode passage are formed on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane, and an outlet of the hydrogen generator and an anode inlet The connecting pipe is connected to the connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe is provided with a pipe expanding portion in a part of the connecting pipe, and includes a return pipe that communicates the pipe expanding portion and the inlet of the connecting pipe. The condensed moisture is returned to the hydrogen generator .

As a result, when the water vapor in the reformed gas from the hydrogen generator is condensed, the condensed water rises in the connecting pipe, returns to the hydrogen generator along the gradient again, and is heated again to become water vapor. The supplied water vapor can always be supplied in the form of water vapor from the anode inlet of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, except for the amount consumed by the reaction. For this reason, the stable battery performance which prevented the battery performance fall by flooding inside a battery can be maintained. In addition, it becomes possible to supply the necessary and optimal moisture, and it is possible to reduce the load on the efficient system and the catalyst by improving the reforming efficiency and to maintain the durability and reliability. In addition, moisture condensed in the connecting pipe can be quickly separated and returned to the hydrogen generator, and a more stable system can be realized.

In the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system of the present invention, the connecting pipe connecting the outlet of the hydrogen generator and the anode inlet is configured to have a rising slope, thereby preventing a deterioration in battery performance due to flooding inside the battery. Battery performance can be maintained. In addition, since all of the supplied steam is supplied to the anode side after the reaction, precise moisture control becomes possible, the necessary and optimal moisture can be supplied, and an efficient system and catalyst by improving the reforming efficiency. A solid polymer fuel cell system with a reduced durability and high durability is obtained. In addition, moisture condensed in the connecting pipe can be quickly separated and returned to the hydrogen generator, and a more stable system can be realized. That is, when the flow rate of the reformed gas flowing in the connecting pipe is high, the water condensed in the connecting pipe may flow as droplets to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. However, water droplets can be reliably separated from the reformed gas by enlarging the cross-sectional area through which the reformed gas flows in the pipe expansion section to reduce the flow velocity. Then, the water can be reliably returned to the hydrogen generator through the return pipe. Therefore, stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding can be maintained, the anode dew point temperature of the battery can be managed with high accuracy, and an efficient system and improved reliability by improving reforming efficiency. Can be maintained.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hydrogen generator in which a raw material supplying means, a water supplying means, a heating means, a catalyst-filled reforming section, a CO conversion section, and a CO removal section are sequentially connected, and a solid A polymer electrolyte fuel cell in which an anode and a cathode passage are formed on both sides of the polymer membrane, and a connecting pipe connecting the outlet of the hydrogen generator and the anode inlet is formed in a rising slope, In addition, a pipe expansion part is provided in a part of the connection pipe, and a return pipe is provided that communicates the pipe expansion part and the inlet of the connection pipe, so that moisture condensed in the connection pipe is returned to the hydrogen generator .

  As a result, when the water vapor in the reformed gas from the hydrogen generator is condensed, the condensed water rises in the connecting pipe, returns to the hydrogen generator along the gradient again, and is heated again to become water vapor. The supplied water vapor can always be supplied in the form of water vapor from the anode inlet of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, excluding the amount consumed by the reaction, and this water amount is accurately set by calculating the supply amount and the reaction amount it can.

For this reason, the dew point temperature inside a battery can be managed and the stable battery performance which prevented the battery performance fall by the flooding which arises when a dew point temperature is high can be maintained. In addition, since all of the supplied steam is supplied to the anode side after the reaction, precise moisture control becomes possible, the necessary and optimal moisture can be supplied, and an efficient system and catalyst by improving the reforming efficiency. Reliability can be maintained in a durable manner by reducing the load. In addition, moisture condensed in the connecting pipe can be quickly separated and returned to the hydrogen generator, and a more stable system can be realized. That is, when the flow rate of the reformed gas flowing in the connecting pipe is high, the water condensed in the connecting pipe may flow as droplets to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. However, water droplets can be reliably separated from the reformed gas by enlarging the cross-sectional area through which the reformed gas flows in the pipe expansion section to reduce the flow velocity. Then, the water can be reliably returned to the hydrogen generator through the return pipe. Therefore, stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding can be maintained, the anode dew point temperature of the battery can be managed with high accuracy, and an efficient system and improved reliability by improving reforming efficiency. Can be maintained.

  According to a second invention, in particular, in the first invention, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is disposed above the hydrogen generator. As a result, the outlet of the reformed gas of the hydrogen generator becomes lower than the inlet of the anode side of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell connected thereto.

  For this reason, when the water vapor in the reformed gas from the hydrogen generator condenses, the condensed water returns to the hydrogen generator and is heated again to form water vapor, so that the supplied water vapor excludes the amount consumed by the reaction. Thus, water can always be supplied from the anode inlet of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. For this reason, with a simple arrangement in which the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is installed above the hydrogen generator, the dew point temperature inside the battery can be managed, and stable battery performance deterioration caused by flooding caused by high dew point temperature is prevented. Battery performance can be maintained, and an efficient system and catalyst load can be reduced by improving reforming efficiency to maintain durability and reliability.

  In the third invention, in particular, in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system of the first invention or the second invention, the outlet of the connecting pipe is configured to be higher than the inlet. As a result, when water vapor in the reformed gas from the hydrogen generator condenses in the connecting pipe connecting the reformer gas outlet of the hydrogen generator and the anode side inlet of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, the condensed water Returns to the hydrogen generator from the lower inlet of the connecting pipe and is heated again to form steam. For this reason, the outlet of the connecting pipe has a simple configuration that is configured at a higher position than the inlet, and the dew point temperature inside the battery can be managed, and stable battery performance that prevents deterioration of the battery performance due to flooding that occurs when the dew point temperature is high is prevented. In addition, it is possible to maintain the reliability in a durable manner by reducing the load on the efficient system and catalyst by improving the reforming efficiency.

The fourth invention is a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the connecting pipe is composed of a high thermal conductive material such as metal and the outside is a heat insulating material. By covering and configuring, moisture condensation in the connecting pipe can be greatly reduced.

  That is, the reformed gas coming out of the hydrogen generator is in an overheated state of 100 ° C. or higher. Therefore, by using the connecting pipe as a high heat conductive material, this high temperature can be maintained and condensation can be prevented. Further, by covering the outside of the connecting pipe with a heat insulating material, heat dissipation can be prevented, and a temperature drop of the reformed gas flowing in the connecting pipe can be prevented. As a result, moisture condensation of the reformed gas can be prevented, stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding can be maintained, and the anode dew point temperature of the battery can be managed with high accuracy, resulting in improved reforming efficiency. Efficient system and durable and reliable.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in particular, in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the connecting pipe has a water-absorbing wick formed therein, so that the positional relationship of the connecting pipe is increased. Without consideration, the water condensed in the connecting pipe can be absorbed into this wick and quickly returned to the interior of the hydrogen generator.

  This increases the degree of design freedom, prevents moisture condensation of the reformed gas, maintains stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding, and accurately manages the anode dew point temperature of the battery. It is possible to maintain an efficient system and improved reliability by improving the reforming efficiency.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the entire polymer electrolyte fuel cell system includes a means for supplying raw materials, a means for supplying water, a reforming section having a heating means, a CO conversion section, a CO removal section, As a configuration in which the fuel cells are sequentially connected, the generated hydrogen gas is used by being connected to the fuel cell.

  In FIG. 1, 21 is a reforming unit that generates hydrogen to be supplied to a fuel cell power generation device using city gas as a raw material, 22 is a means for supplying the raw material connected to the city gas, and 23 is water as water vapor. It is a means for supplying, and is connected to the catalyst container 24.

  25 is a catalyst layer filled with a large number of catalyst particles having nickel or ruthenium as a main component supported on a support of a support such as an iron plate or ceramics. The catalyst layer 25 reacts with the raw material gas. As a result, a product gas composed of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide is produced by reaction. This production reaction is an endothermic reaction occurring at a high temperature of about 500 to 700 ° C. For this reason, a high-temperature combustion gas is supplied from a combustor 26 as heating means to heat the raw material gas containing water vapor and the catalyst layer 25. The combustor 26 is a city gas (natural gas), an off gas (unreacted hydrogen gas) discharged from a fuel cell, or a mixture of city gas and off gas, supplied as fuel from a fuel pipe 27, and ejected from a distributor 28. Combustion air is combusted by being supplied from an air pipe 29 and ejected from an air ejection part 30. Reference numeral 31 denotes a combustion cylinder for preventing the flame 32 generated by the combustor 26 from directly touching the catalyst container 24 and further defining the flow path of the combustion gas 33. The combustion gas 33 flows along the periphery of the catalyst container 24 and is discharged to the outside of the reforming unit 21 through the exhaust pipe 34.

  In the steam reforming unit 21, the raw material gas supplied by the means 22 for supplying the raw material connected to the city gas and the means 23 for supplying water as the steam flows into the catalyst container 24, and the catalyst in the catalyst container 24 is supplied. In the layer 25, the raw material gas is produced by reacting with hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, and is sequentially connected from the product gas outlet 35 to the CO conversion unit 36, the CO removal unit 37, the connection pipe 38, and the fuel cell 39. The outlet 40 of the hydrogen generator forms a connecting pipe 38 connecting the anode inlet 41 with a rising slope. The connecting pipe 38 has a metal pipe 42 as a passage and the outside is covered with a heat insulating material 43.

  The operation and action of the hydrogen generator configured as described above will be described below.

  During operation, the raw material gas is supplied to the catalyst container 24 by means 22 for supplying the raw material connected to the city gas and means 23 for supplying water as water vapor. The raw material gas that has entered the catalyst container 24 undergoes a reaction that becomes a reformed gas with a large amount of hydrogen by the filled many catalyst layers 25, and reaches the product gas outlet 35. Since this reaction is an endothermic reaction, the reaction continues by always heating.

In the reformed gas to be produced, the CO conversion unit 36 contains about 8 to 15% of carbon monoxide (CO) generated in addition to unreacted methane, unreacted water vapor, and produced carbon dioxide. For this reason, the reformed gas is provided with a CO conversion section 36 for removing the carbon monoxide by converting it into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. For example, an Fe—Cr based catalyst, a Cu—Zn based catalyst, or a Pt catalyst is used in the CO conversion unit 36, and the reaction is performed at about 300 ° C. The reaction in the CO conversion unit 36 uses CO + H ₂ O → CO ₂ + H ₂ , and the steam necessary for the steam utilizes the residual steam in the reforming unit 21. The reformed gas exiting from the CO conversion unit 36 is composed of unreacted methane, excess steam, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. However, this reformed gas does not completely remove CO, but contains CO although it is less than about 1%. The allowable concentration of CO in the fuel hydrogen supplied to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is about 10 ppm, and if it exceeds this, the cell performance will be significantly deteriorated, so it is necessary to remove the CO component as much as possible before introducing it into the fuel cell There is. For this reason, the CO removal unit 37 is provided after the reformed gas has its CO concentration lowered to about 1% by the CO conversion unit 36. The CO removal unit 37 supports a catalyst that selectively oxidizes carbon monoxide. An oxidant such as air is added to the CO removal unit 37, and CO is removed by changing to 2CO + O ₂ → 2CO ₂ and CO ₂ for reforming. The gas CO concentration is reduced to 10 ppm or less. With such a configuration and operation, in a steady state, the raw material gas is reformed to hydrogen, the fuel cell is operated, and power generation is continued.

  Then, the connecting pipe 38 connecting the outlet of the hydrogen generator 21 and the anode inlet 41 is formed in an upward gradient. As a result, when the water vapor in the reformed gas discharged from the hydrogen generator 21 condenses, the condensed water rises in the connection pipe 38 and returns to the CO removal unit 37 of the hydrogen generator 21 along a gradient. Since the CO removal unit 37 is at a high temperature of 100 ° C. or higher, it can be heated again to become water vapor, so that the supplied water vapor is removed from the anode inlet 41 of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39 except for the amount consumed by the reaction. It can always be supplied in the state of water vapor, and this amount of water can be accurately set by calculating the amount supplied and the amount of reaction. For this reason, the dew point temperature inside a battery can be managed and the stable battery performance which prevented the battery performance fall by the flooding which arises when a dew point temperature is high can be maintained. In addition, since all of the supplied steam is supplied to the anode side after the reaction, precise moisture control becomes possible, the necessary and optimal moisture can be supplied, and an efficient system and catalyst by improving the reforming efficiency. Reliability can be maintained in a durable manner by reducing the load.

  Further, since the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39 is arranged above the hydrogen generator 21, the outlet of the reformed gas of the hydrogen generator 21 is the anode of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39 connected thereto. It is always lower than the side entrance 26. For this reason, when the water vapor in the reformed gas discharged from the hydrogen generator 21 condenses, the condensed water returns to the hydrogen generator 21 and is heated again to become water vapor, so that the supplied water vapor is consumed by the reaction. Except for, it can always be supplied in the form of water vapor from the anode inlet 41 of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39. For this reason, the dew point temperature inside the battery can be managed with a simple arrangement in which the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39 is installed above the hydrogen generator 21, and the deterioration of the battery performance due to flooding caused by the high dew point temperature is prevented. Stable battery performance can be maintained, and efficient system and catalyst load can be reduced by improving reforming efficiency to maintain durability and reliability.

  Further, since the outlet of the connecting pipe 38 is configured to be higher than the inlet, the connecting pipe 38 connecting the reformed gas outlet of the hydrogen generator 21 and the anode side inlet 26 of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39. If the water vapor in the reformed gas discharged from the hydrogen generator 21 condenses, the condensed water returns to the hydrogen generator 21 from the inlet of the connection pipe 38 having a lower position, and is heated again to be steam. For this reason, the outlet of the connecting pipe 38 has a simple configuration in which the outlet is configured at a higher position than the inlet, and the dew point temperature inside the fuel cell can be managed, and the battery performance is prevented from being deteriorated due to flooding caused by the high dew point temperature. Battery performance can be maintained, and an efficient system and catalyst load can be reduced by improving reforming efficiency to maintain durability and reliability.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a hydrogen generator and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A difference from the first embodiment is that a pipe expanding portion 44 is provided in a part of the connecting pipe 38 and a return pipe 45 is formed which communicates the pipe expanding portion 44 and the inlet of the connecting pipe 38. This makes it possible to quickly separate the water condensed in the connection pipe 38 and return it to the hydrogen generator 21, thereby realizing a more stable system. That is, when the flow rate of the reformed gas flowing in the connection pipe 38 is high, there is a concern that the water condensed in the connection pipe 38 may flow as droplets to the polymer electrolyte fuel cell 39. However, water droplets can be reliably separated from the reformed gas by enlarging the cross-sectional area through which the reformed gas flows in the expanded pipe portion 44 to reduce the flow velocity. Then, the water can be reliably returned to the hydrogen generator 21 through the return pipe 45. Therefore, stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding can be maintained, the anode dew point temperature of the battery can be managed with high accuracy, and an efficient system and improved reliability by improving reforming efficiency. Can be maintained.

  In addition, the connection pipe 38 is composed of the metal pipe 27 whose inside is made of a high heat conductive material such as metal and the outside is made of a heat insulating material 43 covered with a heat insulating material, thereby greatly condensing moisture in the connection pipe 38. Can be reduced. That is, the reformed gas coming out of the hydrogen generator 21 is in an overheated state of 100 ° C. or higher. Therefore, by using the connection pipe 38 as the metal pipe 27 made of a high thermal conductivity material, it is possible to maintain this high temperature and prevent condensation. Further, by covering the outside of the connection pipe 38 with the heat insulating material 43, heat radiation can be prevented, and the temperature reduction of the reformed gas flowing in the connection pipe 38 can be prevented. As a result, moisture condensation of the reformed gas can be prevented, stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding can be maintained, and the anode dew point temperature of the battery can be managed with high accuracy, resulting in improved reforming efficiency. Efficient system and durable and reliable.

  In addition, a simple configuration can reduce costs by simplifying the configuration, such as improving reliability, reducing the number of parts, and reducing the number of assembly steps.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a hydrogen generator and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that the connecting pipe 38 has a water-absorbing wick 46 inside. As a result, the water condensed in the connection pipe 38 can be absorbed by the wick 46 and returned to the inside of the hydrogen generator 21 promptly without considering the positional relationship of the connection pipe 38. This increases the degree of design freedom, prevents moisture condensation of the reformed gas, maintains stable battery performance that prevents battery performance degradation due to flooding, and accurately manages the anode dew point temperature of the battery. It is possible to maintain an efficient system and improved reliability by improving the reforming efficiency.

  As described above, in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to the present invention, the connecting pipe that connects the outlet of the hydrogen generator and the anode inlet is configured to have a rising slope, so that the reforming from the hydrogen generator is performed. Even when the water vapor in the gas condenses, the condensed water returns to the hydrogen generator along the upward gradient and is heated again to form water vapor, so that all the water vapor supplied is from the anode inlet of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. It can always be supplied in the state of water vapor. For this reason, it is possible to maintain stable battery performance that prevents deterioration of battery performance due to flooding inside the battery, and to supply necessary and optimal moisture, and to reduce the load on the efficient system and catalyst by improving reforming efficiency. In addition, a solid polymer fuel cell system with high durability and reliability can be provided, and it can be applied to various fuel cell system applications.

1 is a configuration diagram of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Configuration diagram of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention Configuration diagram of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Configuration diagram of fuel cell system Configuration diagram of a conventional polymer electrolyte fuel cell system

Explanation of symbols

21 reforming unit 22 means for supplying raw material 23 means for supplying water 24 catalyst container 25 catalyst layer 26 combustor (heating means)
35 Product gas outlet (reformed gas outlet)
36 CO conversion section 37 CO removal section 38 Connecting pipe 39 Polymer fuel cell 40 Hydrogen generator outlet 41 Anode inlet 42 Metal pipe 43 Heat insulating material 44 Expanded section 45 Return pipe 46 Wick

Claims (5)

A hydrogen generator in which raw material supplying means, water supplying means, heating means, a catalyst-filled reforming section, a CO conversion section, and a CO removal section are connected in sequence, and both surfaces of the solid polymer membrane A polymer electrolyte fuel cell having an anode and a cathode passage, and a connecting pipe connecting the outlet of the hydrogen generator and the anode inlet is formed in a rising slope, and the connecting pipe is one of the connecting pipes. A solid polymer fuel cell comprising a return pipe that communicates the expanded pipe and the inlet of the connecting pipe, and is configured to return moisture condensed in the connected pipe to the hydrogen generator system. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the polymer electrolyte fuel cell is disposed above the hydrogen generator. 3. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the outlet of the connecting pipe is configured at a position higher than the inlet. The solid polymer fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the connecting pipe is configured with a high heat conductive material such as metal inside and the outside is covered with a heat insulating material. The solid polymer fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the connection pipe includes a water-absorbing wick therein.

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